Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Hyenas (2)
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“You son of a bitch!!”
The man’s face flushed red and purple as a string of curses left his mouth.
It seemed that even shameless robbers who preyed on another's hunt had some affection left for their parents.
It was almost a pity that his mother had already passed away without seeing him like this.
“Die!!!”
*Vwooom!*
The Stigma beneath the man’s armor began to glow.
The Stigma of Canes Venatici.
The power of the Stigma, which amplified the body’s senses, enveloped his entire being.
*Fwhoosh!*
A sword swung straight for my head.
It was fast, but its trajectory was far too direct.
‘He’s completely lost it.’
I leisurely leaned back, dodging the attack.
The robber, who had accidentally split his comrade’s head open and then been taunted for it, was in a state of extreme agitation.
His reason-deprived sword strikes were just simple lines cutting through the empty air.
‘This makes things easy.’
No matter how strong a 3-star Awakened was, dealing with him in this state wouldn't be difficult.
No, I probably would have had the upper hand even if he were in his right mind.
After all, between a trashy Stigma like Canes Venatici and the Stigma of Polaris, there was a wall that a mere 1-star difference couldn't overcome.
*Fwhooosh!!!*
I lightly dodged the sword aimed at my head and thrust my spear toward his right flank.
A sharp blow that exploited his opening.
*Claaaaang!!*
“Ugh!”
But a 3-star was still a 3-star, it seemed, as the man barely managed to block the spear strike with his sword.
But the attack didn't end there.
“The Stigma of Canes Venatici… that’s the one that amplifies the body’s senses, right?”
A grin twisted my lips.
If his physical senses were amplified, then the pain he felt would be amplified as well.
In that case.
*Crackle—!!!*
“Aaaaaaaargh!!”
Blue lightning flowed from the tip of my spear.
A scream of agony erupted from the man holding the sword.
“Hup!”
There was no way I would miss such a golden opportunity.
Like a snake coiling up a pillar, the spear blade slid up the man's arm and pierced his neck without hesitation.
“Keoheok! Gurgle.”
The man’s eyes rolled back as he spewed dark red blood from his mouth.
That was the end.
It took less than five minutes for the two 3-star Awakened to fall.
‘Though it would have been much harder if we’d fought properly.’
But there was no need to think about that.
This wasn't some sport; what reason was there to fight fair and square?
“Well then.”
Time to start farming some humans.
*Rustle, rustle.*
Humming a tune, I stripped the armor off the two men and searched their pockets.
“Tsk, they’re broke. What’s this for a 3-star?”
Oh-jin frowned as he checked their wallets.
Combined, they had only 275,000 won.
Considering they were 3-star Awakened, they were broker than broke.
“Tsk.”
Of course, using their cards would yield more money, but it was too risky to use something so easily traceable.
Murders between Awakened inside a gate were tacitly overlooked, but if you were too obvious about it, the Association would send investigators.
“The armor is… completely wrecked, so it’s not worth selling.”
I’ll just take the weapons.
*Fumble, fumble.*
I tied their two swords together and hung them from my waist.
Using their cards was dangerous, but no one would care if I sold off some simple stolen goods like these.
It was a world where people died as easily as bugs on a road.
“…And.”
Oh-jin’s eyes narrowed.
He looked down at the left side of the man’s chest, where the armor had been removed.
It was covered by a shirt, but the Stigma of Canes Venatici should be there.
No matter how low its rank, it was still a ‘Stigma’.
‘I should be able to absorb it with Heukcheon.’
In truth, it was a rather dangerous move.
If I carelessly absorbed the ‘Stigma of Canes Venatici’ and Vega noticed, I’d be screwed.
But.
‘Heukcheon definitely had a trait called ‘Veil’.’
A trait that completely concealed the energy of Heukcheon.
‘That trait must be why Vega couldn't detect Heukcheon.’
And the description said the trait could be applied to ‘possessed Stigmas’ as well.
‘If that’s the case…’
It meant I could absorb the Stigma of Canes Venatici without Vega detecting it.
Having already confirmed she couldn’t sense Heukcheon, there was no need to doubt that ability.
“Alright.”
A smirk formed on his lips as he placed his hands on the fallen men’s chests.
*Gurgle, gurgle.*
Black clouds flowed from his fingertips.
The black clouds moved swiftly toward the Stigmas, as if starved.
*T-ring!*
[‘Heukcheon’ absorbs the ‘Stigma of Canes Venatici’.]
[The conditions for the second awakening of ‘Heukcheon’ have been met!]
[‘Heukcheon’ begins its second awakening!]
*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!!*
The black clouds churned violently.
“Ugh!”
Darkness surged from my entire body.
Black clouds poured from my eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth, wrapping around my body.
*Throb.*
A pain like a red-hot iron skewer being shoved into my brain.
And with it,
[Reading the ‘Record’ contained within the Stigma of Lyra through Heukcheon.]
[The awakening stage of Heukcheon is low. Readable records are limited.]
Once again.
Lee Shin-hyeok’s memories flooded into my mind.
—…You’re awake?
The first thing I saw was a tall, handsome young man.
The young man was looking down at Lee Shin-hyeok with a cold gaze.
With a dazed expression, Lee Shin-hyeok slowly lifted his head and looked around.
His blurry vision gradually came into focus.
‘A hospital room?’
In the memory, Lee Shin-hyeok was lying in a large private hospital room.
The date was displayed on a digital clock on the wall.
‘November 21st, 2020.’
It was November 7th now, so this was a memory from exactly two weeks in the future.
—Where am I…
—The hospital.
—The hospital?
—You were unconscious for two weeks, Hyung.
Lee Shin-hyeok’s eyes widened as he repeated the question.
—T-Two weeks?
—Yes.
The young man, who appeared to be Lee Shin-hyeok’s younger brother, nodded nonchalantly.
His cold eyes, looking down at Lee Shin-hyeok, held a chilling anger.
—Why did you enter the gate on your own?
—W-Well…
—Didn’t I tell you to take at least one of our guild members with you?
—Well… everyone seemed busy.
—So you went in there alone?
—…I’m sorry, Woo-hyeok. I thought it would be fine since it was a 1-star gate.
—Haaah.
The young man called Woo-hyeok let out a deep sigh.
Lee Shin-hyeok lowered his head, looking thoroughly intimidated.
Just then,
*Knock, knock.*
A knock on the hospital room door.
Lee Woo-hyeok stood up and opened it.
Through the crack in the door, a woman wearing glasses could be seen.
—Guild Leader. Do you have a moment?
—What is it?
—You know about the new gate that appeared in Mok-dong on the 15th, right? I heard Chang-hyun found a Sacred Relic in that gate.
—Chang-hyun did?
—Yes. But from what I hear, it’s a bit strange…
*Crackle.*
The view flickered as if hit by static.
The two people’s voices gradually faded.
And then,
“Hah!!”
The piercing pain in my head vanished.
*T-ring!*
[Successfully inherited a portion of the Awakened Lee Shin-hyeok's records.]
[《Pyxis Spearmanship Lv. 4》 has risen to 《Pyxis Spearmanship Lv. 5》.]
[Acquired 《Lame Excuse Lv. 2》.]
As the pain subsided, a blue message window appeared before my eyes.
“…Does this mean I can get more of Lee Shin-hyeok’s memories as it awakens?”
Oh-jin slowly replayed the memories that had just flashed through his mind.
‘Lee Woo-hyeok. A new gate that appears in Mok-dong on the 15th. And…’
A Sacred Relic.
An artifact in which the power of the stars was condensed.
The abilities of Sacred Relics varied wildly, but some contained power strong enough to bridge a 1 or 2-star gap.
‘So, to sum it up, a Sacred Relic was found inside a gate that will appear in Mok-dong in eight days?’
An unexpected piece of high-grade information.
“This is…”
Oh-jin’s eyes glinted sharply.
A golden opportunity to obtain a Sacred Relic.
No, it was more than that.
“I can use this.”
It was good lubricant to keep his ‘charade’ running smoothly.
‘By the way, can’t I read their records?’
Oh-jin tilted his head and looked down at the two men’s corpses.
Since he’d absorbed the Stigma of Canes Venatici, their memories should have flowed into him like Lee Shin-hyeok’s, but there was nothing.
[The absorbed ‘Stigma of Canes Venatici’ is too faint.]
[Failed to read the record from the Stigma.]
Ah, so that’s how it is.
“Well, they were obviously a couple of morons, so there was no way they'd have a potent Stigma.”
No matter how low-ranked the Constellation of Canes Venatici was, it probably wasn’t stupid enough to grant a potent Stigma to guys like these.
‘Well, anyway.’
This was a huge gain.
Not only did I reach 2-star, but Heukcheon also awakened.
‘Though I’m not sure if Heukcheon’s awakening is entirely a good thing.’
He couldn’t be sure if it was right to continue letting Heukcheon grow like this.
Heukcheon was an unknown power, its true nature a mystery.
But.
‘I have no choice.’
Now that he knew he could obtain Lee Shin-hyeok’s memories by awakening Heukcheon, he couldn’t stop here.
For him, who wore the mask of a regressor, the most important thing was the memories of the ‘real’ regressor.
“Well then.”
Oh-jin closed his eyes and focused his mind.
A blue light emanated from the left side of his chest.
‘Let’s see what the Stigma of Canes Venatici is like.’
As he used the Stigma, his senses became several times more acute.
His sense of smell, in particular, became sensitive beyond measure.
“Ugh!”
He clamped a hand over his mouth and bent over as tens of thousands of smells flooded his nose.
It felt as if the scent of every rustling leaf nearby was piercing his nostrils.
‘This will take some getting used to before it’s useful.’
Shaking his head, he switched back, activating the Stigma of Lyra.
It seemed he couldn’t use two Stigmas at once; as soon as the Stigma of Lyra activated, his physical senses returned to normal.
*Crackle!! Crackle!!!*
Blue lightning flared around his body.
“Hmm?”
Oh-jin’s eyes widened as he stared at the fiercely burning blue lightning.
‘Has the lightning gotten stronger?’
For some reason, the blue lightning burning around him had become much more intense.
*Crackle! Kbooom!*
He tried firing a bolt of lightning at the ground, and it scorched the earth with a heavy explosion.
‘The power of the Stigma has definitely gotten stronger.’
It felt different from when he’d ranked up from 1-star to 2-star.
Back then, it felt like the ‘amount’ of Stigma power he could handle had increased, but this felt like the ‘quality’ of the Stigma itself had become denser.
Oh-jin frowned at the sudden change, lost in thought.
“Ah.”
It didn’t take long to find the answer.
‘It said the power of the Stigma was adjusted to match Heukcheon’s awakening stage.’
He had been so out of it at the time that he had completely forgotten.
“…So you’re telling me *that* was the adjusted power of the Stigma?”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
‘Then just how strong is Vega, the owner of the Stigma?’
A chilling sensation crept down his spine.
He once again etched the resolution into his mind: he must never let her find out.
“Guess it’s about time to head back.”
Leaving the scattered corpses behind, he approached the body of the variant Ant-horn.
Rummaging through the corpse, he found a black Sacred Stone the size of a 500-won coin.
‘It’s black?’
Normally, Sacred Stones had a bluish tint.
“Hmm… I wonder how much this will sell for?”
His eyes sparkling, he put the black Sacred Stone in his pocket.
The weight of the two swords at his hip and the heavy pocket brought a smile to his face.
‘Selling the swords should get me 500,000 won.’
With the regular Sacred Stones worth about 800,000 won and the variant’s Sacred Stone, he had earned at least 3 million won in a single day.
“This is insane.”
All hail the Awakened.
* * *
*Creeak.*
As he opened the rusted door, the familiar smell of mold tickled his nose.
“You’re back?”
Ha-eun, who had been waiting by the door on her crutches, hurried over.
“What are you doing not lying in bed?”
Oh-jin asked, his eyes wide in surprise.
“Shuddup. You think I lie around all day?”
She said, slowly reaching out her hand.
Her pale fingertips touched his cheek.
*Pat, pat.*
Her hand moved from his cheek to his head, then his neck and shoulders.
It was quite ticklish.
“…What are you doing?”
“……”
Without answering his question, she continued to pat him down all over before finally letting out a short sigh.
“You didn’t come back beaten up like an idiot.”
Ah, so that’s what this was.
*Pfft.*
A smile spread across his lips.
“What? Were you worried I got hurt?”
“You bet. It’d be a big problem if my snack shuttle broke down.”
“What do you mean, snack shuttle?”
“Heehee! You’ve been my snack shuttle since the orphanage, haven’t you?”
Ha-eun giggled, patting his head.
“Now, now~ what did my little snack shuttle bring his big sis for dinner today~?”
“Ah, I forgot.”
“Huh?”
“Pahaha! Just kidding. I brought hamburgers.”
“A Whopper set?”
“A Guinness Whopper set.”
“Will you marry me?”
What is this woman talking about?
“Alright. Should we set a date, honey?”
“Huh? R-Really?”
“Nope.”
Just kidding.
“Y-You little bastard!”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s get you inside.”
He lifted Ha-eun and carried her to the bed.
He handed her the bag with the hamburger set.
“……”
For some reason, Ha-eun didn’t even touch the hamburger.
“What? Not hungry?”
“……”
A sudden silence fell.
Ha-eun’s lips parted, and she spoke cautiously.
“You… you really became an Apostle of Polaris, right?”
“Yup.”
“……”
She clenched her fists and continued.
“Just because you’re an Apostle of Polaris, don’t go recklessly entering high-rank gates, okay? And make sure you always party up, even if it feels like a waste.”
“Don’t you worry, I’m very thorough when it comes to my own safety.”
“…Hmph. That’s what you always say.”
Ha-eun reached out and lightly pinched his cheek.
“Your Constellation… her name was Vega, right?”
“That’s right.”
“…How is she?”
“How is she what?”
He tilted his head and looked at her, and Ha-eun’s cheeks turned a faint shade of red.
“I mean, you know. It’s the famous Vega.”
“……?”
“Aish, damn it!! I’m asking if that Vega person is pretty!”
“Ah.”
So that’s what she was asking.
“She is.”
To exaggerate a bit, she was beautiful enough to make my eyes pop out.
*Streeetch.*
“Aaaah.”
His cheek was pulled, and a sharp pain shot through it.
“Hey, why?”
“Just felt like it.”
“That’s so unfair.”
*Hmph.*
Ha-eun pulled the blanket over her head and turned her back to him.
“Oh, right. I’m thinking of going there tomorrow.”
“…Where?”
*Peep.*
Ha-eun peeked out, lowering the blanket slightly.
He unwrapped the hamburger and held it close to her mouth as he continued.
“The Awakened Association.”
*Chomp.*
Her small mouth took a bite of the hamburger.