Chapter 72
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Genius Awakened's Stream (1)
“A-a-a 5-Star?! But Mr. Oh-jin, didn't you only reach 4-Star two months ago?!”
“I did.”
“What in the world…?”
Director Han trailed off, his mouth hanging open in utter disbelief.
Oh-jin casually lowered his shirt, revealing the Stigma on his chest.
Taking my shirt off in front of this gorilla-like man feels a little weird.
But what else could he do?
There was no more straightforward way to prove his Star Rank.
“Huh.”
A gasp escaped Director Han's lips as he spotted the five distinct lines engraved beside the Stigma.
“T-to think you actually reached 5-Star in just two months…”
Oh-jin had awakened the Stigma of Lyra around November of the previous year.
It was now June, meaning he had reached 5-Star in a little over half a year since his awakening.
And he had accomplished this with no ordinary Stigma, but the Stigma of the North Star.
“…I can't even write an article about this.”
Director Han sighed deeply and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Rumors were already circulating that the Association had fabricated its report about Noerang reaching 4-Star in less than six months. If they announced that he had now reached 5-Star, nobody would believe it.
They would probably accuse him of fraud, only deepening the public's distrust.
“Well, it's not as though no Awakened has ever reached 5-Star in half a year, right?”
“That only happens with relatively weak Stigmas that are easy to develop.”
Among Awakened who possessed Stigmas from the Twelve Zodiac Constellations or higher, no one had ever reached 5-Star in just six months.
Although the Star of Prosperity, one of the Seven Stars, did advance rather quickly.
Even so, it hadn't happened in half a year.
“In any case, I think it's best to keep this a secret for now.”
If someone ran the 100-meter dash in 9.58 seconds, they would be celebrated for setting a world record. But if someone suddenly finished it in six seconds, wouldn't people respond with suspicion rather than praise?
“That's a little disappointing.”
As he had said before, fame and prestige were powerful assets in their own right.
Just look at the Starlight Lake Guild. They had expelled Choi Jong-cheol, one of their own executives, without hesitation simply because of a single complaint from Oh-jin.
At the time, Oh-jin had been a 3-Star, while Choi Jong-cheol was a 6-Star Awakened.
They hadn't hesitated to throw out a 6-Star Awakened over a complaint from someone who was only 3-Star.
That's the power of fame.
If he could prove that he had reached 5-Star just two months after advancing to 4-Star, his reputation would become even more formidable.
Who would turn down a lottery ticket guaranteed to win?
Well, I'd better listen to Jun-man's advice.
Even if he took a picture of the five lines on his chest and posted it online, people would surely assume it was fake.
The same would happen if he filmed a demonstration of his Stigma and uploaded it.
People were naturally suspicious of anything that defied common sense.
“Then I'll be back in a week.”
He intended to spend the remaining week recovering.
***
One week remained until his weapon would be completed.
As planned, he spent that time recovering his stamina, eating his fill and getting plenty of rest.
He spared no expense on food, following Riak's advice.
Nutrient shakes made from blended chicken breast and vegetables, raw salmon, various meats, nuts, and dietary supplements.
He bought every kind of nutrient-rich food he could find and forced himself to eat it.
I never knew eating could be this agonizing.
He consumed at least 4,000 calories a day.
For Oh-jin, who usually ate so little that it was practically fasting, forcing down more than five meals a day was nothing short of torture.
Still…
The results were undeniable.
In just one week, he had gained weight, and his muscles had grown noticeably larger.
His previously gaunt ribs were no longer visible.
“Holy crap. I can't believe this much can change in a week.”
Standing shirtless before the mirror, Oh-jin stared at his reflection in admiration.
Now that he had filled out, his physique was impressive enough to rival that of a fitness model.
My stamina has improved, too.
Was this the balance of mind, spirit, and body that Riak had talked about?
All he had done for an entire week was eat and rest, yet both his strength and stamina had increased considerably.
My mana circuits are still a weak point, though.
That wasn't something he could easily fix without increasing his Star Rank.
Click.
“Oh-jin, I was just getting your things ready for the gate…”
Ha-eun had just opened the door and stepped inside when she froze, her mouth hanging open.
“Y-your body…?”
“Pffft! What do you think? Much better to look at than before, right?”
Oh-jin flexed his arms into a bodybuilder's signature pose.
“…Gulp.”
Ha-eun swallowed nervously.
Her cheeks flushed red as she turned away and fanned herself uselessly with one hand.
“I-it's a little hot.”
It was June.
Of course it was hot.
But the weather didn't seem to be the real reason she was feeling so warm.
“Hehe. Why are you suddenly sweating so much?”
He approached her playfully.
“Kyaa!”
She shrieked and darted away.
This reaction is pretty fun.
“You little punk… Are you trying to tease your big sis?”
Her embarrassment lasted only a moment.
She snorted and approached him again as though nothing had happened.
“You think your big sis would get flustered over something like this?”
With a trembling hand, she placed it on Oh-jin's shoulder.
Squeeze, squeeze.
Her fingers pressed against his firm, bulging muscles.
“Oh, man. Th-this is incredible.”
Caught up in the moment, her hand moved from his shoulder down to his chest.
“Hey, how far are you planning to go?”
Was this really how a big sister was supposed to behave?
“Ahem. Just stay still.”
Ha-eun continued feeling his muscles, looking thoroughly delighted.
“Heh, huhuhu. Hihi. Heheheh.”
She was even letting out a strange little laugh now.
Before long, she nodded with a satisfied expression.
“See? I raised this guy right.”
“Anyone hearing that would think you actually raised me.”
“It's practically the same thing. Anyway, keep eating well and growing big and strong, okay?”
She grinned and gave his backside a pat.
She was patting someone else's butt as casually as if it were nothing.
“This is sexual harassment.”
“Oh, really? You're calling what your big sis does sexual harassment? Sexual harassment?”
“Then should I touch you, too?”
“W-what?”
Flinch.
Ha-eun's shoulders trembled.
Ahem! She quickly cleared her throat and spun around.
“Hehehe. You little punk. You wanted to touch your big sis's butt that badly?”
Sway, sway.
She swayed her hips provocatively in front of him, deliberately trying to tempt him.
“Kyahahaha! If you want to touch it, then tou—”
Grooope.
“Hmm.”
Firm.
“KYAAAAAAH!! Y-you actually touched it, you bastard!”
“You told me to.”
“Th-that was just an expression!! You little punk!”
Ha-eun huffed and lightly pinched his side.
It tickled more than it hurt.
“Oh?”
Oh-jin wasn't about to let that slide. He pinched her side in return.
“Kyahahaha! Th-that tickles!”
“You started it.”
“Why, you little…!”
They continued giggling and pinching each other's sides.
[…So, when do you intend to depart?]
Vega, perched atop Riak's head, watched them with narrowed eyes.
She was clearly displeased, sitting with her legs crossed and tapping one foot impatiently.
[Laughing and joking so casually on the eve of a life-or-death battle with monsters demonstrates a shocking lack of discipline. A true warrior must properly prepare both mind and body before entering battle…]
She continued muttering as though she were scolding a child.
Apparently, she was quite unhappy about Oh-jin and Ha-eun laughing and chatting so cheerfully together.
“Hmph.”
Ha-eun turned toward Vega and smirked.
“If you're jealous, just say so.”
[J-jealous…?!]
Crackle!
Sparks flew from Vega's silver hair as it rose into the air.
[I am offering you profound advice, and you dare respond with such nonsense?!]
“Oh my~ Is that so?”
[You insolent girl!]
Before long, Vega and Ha-eun were bickering with each other.
Ha-eun and Vega have gotten pretty close.
Well, it made sense. They had been spending more time together lately as Oh-jin's periods of activity grew longer.
Besides, Ha-eun wasn't the type to be intimidated simply because Vega was a Star Sovereign.
“All right, let's get going.”
Oh-jin intervened before their argument could continue and gathered his equipment.
Click.
He strapped the wire shooter Director Han had given him the previous day to his wrist, then picked up a metal rod about the size of a flashlight.
He said it would transform into a spear when I channel mana into it, right?
He channeled a small amount of mana into the rod.
Immediately, the flashlight-sized object transformed into a long glaive.
“Kuh, nice.”
One of the biggest drawbacks of spears was their inconvenient size. This weapon solved that problem with ease.
“Brat, are we going hunting?”
“Yep. You're coming with us, right?”
“Grrr! Of course. A warrior must never shy away from the battlefield.”
Riak's lips curled into a grin. He was eager to stretch his muscles after spending so long at rest.
“Then let's go.”
Click.
Oh-jin opened the door and stepped outside.
He went down to the parking lot, got into the car, and set off for Busan.
Whoosh!
After driving for approximately five hours, they arrived at the gate.
A sizable crowd had gathered in front of it.
“Wow, there are so many people.”
Ha-eun looked at the crowd and shook her head in disbelief.
“Were there always this many Awakened with a Star Rank of 5 or higher in our country?”
“Everyone's gone crazy over the fact that you can obtain two Star Essence Stones at once.”
Oh-jin had expected a large crowd.
“But can we even hunt properly with this many people around?”
“I heard the area inside is enormous and that monsters spawn in large numbers.”
They would just have to venture a little deeper.
“All right! Let's go!”
Ha-eun grinned and strode forward.
Riak and Vega followed behind her.
Watching them walk ahead, Oh-jin let out an incredulous chuckle.
A Star Sovereign, a spirit, a rare Awakened chosen by Draco, and an Apostle of the North Star—all in one party.
Even in the original timeline, there probably hadn't been another party quite like this.
He was still thinking about it as he headed toward the gate when—
“Hello, viewers! It's your favorite gate-clearing streamer, JerryKim!”
An energetic voice rang out nearby.
“Today, I'm back at the gate everyone's talking about—the one where Star Essence Stones can be duplicated! Hahaha! Think I've been coming here too often lately? Come on, how could I possibly stay away?”
A handsome young man with orange-dyed hair raised a large sack beside him.
“This is all the Star Essence Stones I've collected here over the past month! How could I not keep coming back?!”
Pahahaha!
He burst into laughter and proudly shook the sack.
“You think everyone can collect this much? Nope! It's only because I'm the one doing it!”
The young man shrugged boastfully and continued addressing the camera.
“…What's that?”
Oh-jin tilted his head and looked at him.
“You don't know JerryKim?”
“JerryKim?”
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
“He's really famous. JerryKim is a 6-Star Awakened chosen by Sagittarius. He's an independent Awakened who streams himself hunting alone inside gates.”
“Hoh.”
Sagittarius was one of the powerful Twelve Zodiac Constellations.
Any guild would gladly welcome a 6-Star Awakened chosen by one of the Twelve Zodiac Constellations. Yet JerryKim had chosen to operate independently as a streamer.
“Does streaming really pay that well?”
“Well, the people who make it big earn a ridiculous amount. But I think it's more about fame, you know? He gets to see viewers praising him in real time.”
That made sense.
A 6-Star Awakened chosen by one of the Twelve Zodiac Constellations probably wasn't streaming because he was short on money.
Streaming, huh?
The idea did pique Oh-jin's interest.
“Don't even think about it, brat. Streaming has its advantages, but the downsides are huge. One wrong word, and you can get canceled overnight.”
“I guess so.”
Fame was difficult to build but incredibly easy to lose.
If he were still desperate for money like he had been in the past, streaming might have been worth considering.
But he wasn't in that position anymore, so there was no reason to get hung up on it.
“Let's ignore him and head inside.”
“Okay.”
And so, Oh-jin followed Ha-eun through the gate.