Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Heavy Rain (3)
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"...Thank you."
Inside the speeding car.
Jang Seok-ho bowed his head deeply.
I could see his shoulders trembling faintly.
"Truly, thank you so much."
"I heard you."
At the repeated thanks, Oh-jin let out a dry laugh.
It wasn't something that deserved gratitude.
The only reason I was saving his son was to get information.
It was nothing more than a transaction for a fair price.
"You said your name was... Oh-jin?"
"Yeah? Why?"
"Could you accept this?"
Jang Seok-ho took a bracelet from his pocket.
It was an orange bracelet with three knots.
"What's this?"
Oh-jin took the bracelet Jang Seok-ho offered.
A blue window appeared before his eyes.
[Guardian Amulet of the Three Sages]
"......!"
Oh-jin's eyes widened.
The respectable 5-star rating was one thing, but its effect was incredibly appealing.
"It's a masterpiece I poured my soul into before they captured me. Thankfully, it just looks like a normal bracelet until you undo the security magic on the artifact, so they didn't take it."
"You're just giving this to me?"
"We are... on our way to save my son, are we not? I brought it along, hoping it might be of some help."
A bitter smile touched Jang Seok-ho's lips.
"I originally made it as a gift for Hyun-woo... but I'd like you to use it."
"......"
An orange bracelet with three knots.
Come to think of it, he did say his son liked oranges.
"A gift for your son?"
"That boy Hyun-woo is such a rascal. I made this in case he ever tumbled down the stairs or took a fall."
He made a 5-star artifact just in case his son fell over?
That was some excessive love.
Are all fathers like that?
Oh-jin chuckled, fastening the bracelet on his wrist below the wire shooter.
"No asking for it back later, alright?"
"Haha! Understood."
The bracelet came with a story that was almost burdensome.
But that was no reason not to use it.
'I hit the jackpot.'
An unexpected bonus on top of the information.
The corners of Oh-jin's mouth curled up toward the sky.
'Well, since I got an extra reward, I guess I'll have to work my ass off.'
He'd lived his whole life as a con man, swindling others.
But in a situation like this, he had no intention of just snatching the reward and bailing.
Besides, he hadn't gotten his hands on the most important information about the Black Star Guild yet.
"By the way, do you even know where your son is being held?"
he asked, turning the steering wheel smoothly.
The car moved far more gently than when he'd first started driving.
At this rate, maybe Vega wouldn't freak out and flee into the necklace.
"I've known the location for half a year."
"...You have?"
So for the past six months.
Did that mean he hadn't made a move, knowing full well where his son was, just to seize the right opportunity?
'Is that why the surveillance on him loosened up?'
If he possessed that level of superhuman patience.
It wasn't hard to imagine how he must have acted day to day.
"How big is the operation?"
"Five people at most, I'd say. It's embarrassing to even call it a branch."
True.
It was a place holding just one child captive.
There was no reason for it to be large-scale.
Honestly, even five seemed excessive.
'He's probably not the only one.'
Jang Seok-ho wouldn't be the only person whose child, parent, lover, or friend was taken hostage.
If they did it once, they could certainly do it again.
They wouldn't care about the terrible despair their victims felt.
No. They would probably cackle and enjoy it.
There are few things one can enjoy as leisurely as the suffering of others.
"So we can just head straight there, right?"
he asked, wondering if there was anything else to prepare.
"It would be best to go immediately. Time... is not on our side."
"Not on our side?"
"I slipped out under the excuse of gathering materials for artifact development. If I'm late, they'll notice."
In that case, time was definitely tight.
"Where to?"
"There's an abandoned warehouse in Namyangju. We should head there."
"Alright."
It wasn't too far.
'It'll be evening by the time we arrive.'
He glanced up at the sky, where dark, heavy clouds had gathered, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
The weather wasn't bad.
For a stealthy raid, darkness was obviously better than light.
"Hold on tight."
"Hmm?"
Vroooooom!!
"Hup!"
He slammed on the accelerator and tore down the road.
* * *
Sccreeeech!!
I parked the car a short distance from the warehouse Jang Seok-ho had mentioned.
"We'll walk from here."
I said as I got out of the car.
Jang Seok-ho, drenched in a cold sweat, followed me out.
"Hah! Hah! Whew... Your driving is rough."
"I just learned recently."
I chuckled and started walking.
It was about a fifteen-minute walk to the warehouse.
I activated Canes Venatici and scanned the area for anything suspicious.
'Nothing really stands out.'
Just as Jang Seok-ho had said, it was an embarrassing place to call a branch.
"Hyun-woo. Just wait a little longer. Your dad is coming."
I heard Jang Seok-ho's low murmur.
As the warehouse drew closer, his expression grew excited, and he clenched his fists.
"...You haven't seen him once in three years?"
I asked, not liking the strange silence that had fallen.
"No. All I ever got were occasional photos."
Jang Seok-ho replied in a subdued voice.
"Do you have those photos now?"
"Right here."
I took the photos Jang Seok-ho held out.
There were five of them.
The photos were blurry, making it hard to see clearly, but they showed the son I'd seen in the video.
Photos of a boy smiling awkwardly, trapped in what looked like a basement.
They showed this crap to his father?
"......"
A strange sense of unease crept up my spine.
A sticky, deeply unpleasant sensation.
"Is something wrong?"
"...No."
I shook my head and handed the photos back to Jang Seok-ho.
As if they were precious treasures.
He tucked the photos of the awkwardly smiling boy into his pocket.
"Let's go."
After walking for about ten more minutes.
The warehouse came into view in the distance.
'It looks more intact than I expected.'
I'd imagined an abandoned warehouse would be a dilapidated ruin straight out of a crime movie.
But this warehouse had a surprisingly well-kept exterior.
If Jang Seok-ho hadn't told me, I might have mistaken it for a normally operating warehouse.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
"Don't get excited."
As the warehouse came into sight, Jang Seok-ho's breathing grew ragged.
I grabbed the back of his neck as he shifted, looking like he was about to sprint off at any moment.
"I know how you feel, so calm down."
That was a lie.
The overwhelming emotions Jang Seok-ho must be feeling right now.
There was no way I could possibly understand them.
"Kugh! Dammit... Damn it all."
Jang Seok-ho bit his lip, cursing harshly as if recalling the past three years.
His ragged breathing calmed down a little.
"Stay put. I'll go in and come out alone."
It would be different if I could use Black Curtain on Jang Seok-ho, too.
But since I couldn't, it was best for me to infiltrate by myself.
"B-But."
"You don't want to see the kid get hurt, do you?"
If my infiltration was discovered.
I couldn't guarantee the safety of his captive son.
"...I understand."
Jang Seok-ho nodded, clenching his fists so tightly the veins bulged.
Oh-jin used Black Curtain, then lowered his stance and approached the warehouse.
Just then.
"You think we can't see you hiding over there?"
"Haha! I can't believe he actually came!"
"Such amaaaazing paternal love!"
An unpleasantly cracked voice.
A boisterous voice like a general's.
A piercingly high-pitched voice.
Three different voices echoed across the open area in front of the warehouse.
"......!"
Jang Seok-ho's eyes widened as he stared at the three figures casually walking toward them.
Shock filled his wide eyes.
"Y-You guys, why... why are you here?"
"Who are they?"
I asked, releasing Black Curtain.
Black Curtain was a skill for concealing one's presence.
Since they'd already seen us, hiding my presence was pointless.
"Th-Those are Khan's Owls!! Th-They can't be here...!"
Shiver.
he cried out, his body trembling in fear.
'Khan's Owls?'
Are they Ashad Khan's elite troops or something?
"Are they Political Officers, too?"
"N-No, but they're all powerful individuals who've reached 6-stars! Within the branch, they're warriors second only to Ashad Khan himself..."
6-star Awakeners.
In terms of 'stars' alone, they were on par with Yujin, who had been a low-ranking Political Officer.
'But since he said they aren't Political Officers, they're probably weaker than Yujin.'
Not all 6-stars possessed the same level of power.
Even with the same Stigma, the gap in power could be enormous depending on one's proficiency with it.
That gap became more pronounced the higher the star level.
Whirrrr.
I activated Canes Venatici and smelled the mana of the Black Star flowing from them.
'One, no, two steps below Yujin, maybe.'
The problem was that there were three of them, not one.
Of course, even taking that into account.
'I can take them.'
Oh-jin lightly loosened up his body.
The Lyra Stigma shone brightly as blue lightning flared to life.
"W-What are you trying to do?"
"What do you mean? Infiltration is off the table, so we move on to the next plan."
Isn't there a saying? No witnesses, no murder.
An unexpected obstacle had appeared.
But if I killed them all right here, the result would be the same.
'No. Maybe not... exactly the same.'
Oh-jin narrowed his eyes, studying 'Khan's Owls'.
They were waiting outside as if they'd known Jang Seok-ho would come.
That meant the surveillance on Jang Seok-ho had never actually loosened.
Looking at the situation, it was more likely they had 'deliberately' created an opening in their watch.
'Which means.'
Oh-jin slowly closed his eyes.
A sticky unease crept up his spine.
It felt like lifting a toilet lid and finding it full of crap.
"Hehehe! To think he'd actually bring Noerang!"
"Lord Khan is going to love this!"
"He's the culprit who ruined Lord Khan's grand plan!"
They chattered on.
Maybe it's because they're birds.
They sure talk a lot.
'Just as I thought. The connection between me and the Valhalla Guild has been leaked.'
I'd put aside the question of 'how' for now.
There was no time to ponder it leisurely.
"D-Did you not just hear me?! They're 6-star Awakeners!!"
Jang Seok-ho grabbed my shoulder and shouted urgently.
"I heard you, man."
"Then why..."
"Should I just surrender meekly, then?"
"W-Well."
Jang Seok-ho clamped his mouth shut.
"I heard... you were definitely a 4-star."
"You heard right."
"Th-Then!"
Was he trying to say that facing three 6-star Awakeners was absurd?
He wasn't wrong.
In a normal situation.
The difference between a 4-star and a 6-star was despair-inducing.
'In a normal situation, that is.'
Pfft.
A smirk twisted his lips as he grabbed the silver spear on his back.
"Heeheehee! This one's a bold little bastard, isn't he?"
the unpleasantly cracked voice laughed.
"Did getting the Polaris Stigma make you forget how to count?"
The three Owls raised their weapons with mocking expressions.
From the left: a sword, an axe, and a chain sickle.
For all their blustering words, they surrounded me quite cautiously.
Their sharp eyes watched my movements, timing their joint attack.
'So they won't let their guard down even against a 4-star, huh.'
It didn't matter.
I never planned on relying on their carelessness in the first place.
"Chahat!"
The Owl with the axe lunged forward in an instant.
Fwoosh!!
Black feathers wrapped around the axe and shot forward.
Ting-ting-ting!
A translucent shield formed in front of me.
One of the three knots that had been glowing orange lost its light.
Kaggak!
I angled the spear shaft to deflect the axe that came crashing down right after.
"Kgh! Dammit! This bastard has a defensive artifact!"
Was it because his attack had been blocked so easily?
The axe-wielding Owl's face twisted in frustration.
But only for a moment.
"Then try blocking this!!"
The chain sickle struck from the right, the sword from the left.
"Ssssp."
I took a light breath.
'Blue Lightning.'
A three-hit combo.
Bzzzzzzzzzt!!!!
Three streaks of lightning spread out in a fan shape.
"Aaargh!!"
"Kugh!! D-Dammit!"
Two of them screamed as lightning coursed through their weapons.
"Eek!"
The axe-wielder grimaced and created distance.
I extended my spear, aiming for him.
"Not so fast!"
Black feathers covered the axe's blade.
He used the wide axe head as a shield to block my spear.
Kagaang!
The spear tip failed to pierce the black feathers, letting out a metallic screech.
"Hahaha!! You seem pretty skilled, but it looks like the difference in power is just too much!"
The axe-wielder burst into boisterous laughter.
Just as he said.
The lightning-wreathed spear tip was being pushed back, blocked by the black feathers.
"Oh, really?"
Oh-jin pushed the spear forward and brought his palm to the butt of the shaft.
"Then how about this?"
[Activating 《Explosive Lightning Lv3》.]
Kzzzzzzap!!!
Like a hammer striking a nail.
An explosion of lightning from my palm shot the spear shaft forward.
Kak.
The axe blade dented slightly.
"Wh-Wha?"
The axe-wielder's expression filled with bewilderment.
[Activating 《Explosive Lightning Lv3》.]
Kzzzzzzzzap!!
Once more.
An explosion of blue lightning propelled the spear forward.
The spear tip bit into the axe blade.
[Activating 《Explosive Lightning Lv3》.]
C-crack.
The axe blade began to crack.
"W-Wait!"
the axe-wielder shouted urgently.
Of course.
There was no reason to listen.
"There's still one more shot left."
Oh-jin grinned and placed his palm against the butt of the spear.
'Explosive Lightning.'
A five-hit combo.
Kzzzzzzzzzzzap!!!!
An explosion of lightning, incomparable to the ones before, slammed into the spear shaft.
The axe blade shattered into pieces as the spear tip pierced the Owl's head.
Splat!
A mixture of brains, eyeballs, and blood spilled out.
Ting!
[《Blue Lightning Lv3》 has risen to 《Blue Lightning Lv4》!]
[《Explosive Lightning Lv3》 has risen to 《Explosive Lightning Lv4》!]
I dismissed the blue message windows that appeared before me.
"That's one down."
I bared my teeth fiercely and aimed my spear at the remaining two.
"......"
"......"
A curtain of silence descended.
"Wh-What in the world..."
Jang Seok-ho stared down at the corpse of 'Khan's Owl', dead less than a minute after the fight began, his mouth agape.
-A 5-star artifact painstakingly crafted by a master. Three times a day, it creates a powerful barrier to protect the wearer.