Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Saintess of Rome (1)
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The next day.
After driving back from Busan, Oh-jin arrived home and emptied a sack full of Stigmastones into the storage room.
“Wow, seeing them all laid out like this, there really are a lot.”
Ha-eun exclaimed as she gazed at the Stigmastones, which glowed with a faint blue light.
“Oh, right. I'm taking these Stigmastones for myself.”
“Huh? You're not going to exchange them for cash?”
“I have a use for them.”
“Hmm.”
She shrugged as if she wasn't particularly interested.
“Well, you won most of these from that bet anyway. Do whatever you want with them.”
“Thanks.”
“Haaam. Well, I'm still a little hungover, so I'm going to take a nap.”
Ha-eun turned around, letting out a big yawn.
Click.
As she opened her door to go in, she glanced back this way with a sly grin.
“Hey, Oh-jinnie, want to sleep with your big sis?”
Oh, please.
“I have a lot to do. You go on ahead.”
“Hmph. Useless prick.”
“Nope.”
Ha-eun snorted and closed the door.
A quiet silence descended upon the living room.
But only for a moment.
[Ugh, ughhhh... My child...]
A groan, like that of a zombie searching for flesh in a world ravaged by a virus, echoed in my ears.
[I feel... nauseous...]
A Constellation suffering from a hangover.
Among the millions of Awakeners, I wondered if anyone else had ever witnessed such a sight.
“I told you to drink in moderation.”
I cupped my hand around Vega, who was sitting and swaying on my shoulder.
Vega leaned into my palm as if she were about to collapse.
I gently rubbed her back to help settle her stomach.
[Hah...]
“Hm? Did that feel bad?”
[N-No.]
Vega quickly shook her head.
[Ugh. For my head to throb like this... It is truly a fearsome poison. How can humans drink such a thing so casually?]
“Pfft! It's fine if you drink in moderation.”
[Grr.]
Vega flopped down and lay flat on Oh-jin's palm.
[Hehe. How cozy.]
“Feeling a little better?”
[I am still tired.]
She pouted like a child throwing a tantrum, then pulled his index finger and placed it on her belly.
[I shall grant you the honor of rubbing my belly.]
She sounds just like my sister.
Did she pick it up from spending time with her?
“Yes, ma'am.”
Following her command, I gently stroked her belly.
[…In my past life, did I spend time like this with you?]
Suddenly.
Vega asked.
“No. We weren't together with you in this small form back then.”
I continued speaking naturally with a faint smile.
“We usually met in the Sanctuary.”
My gaze drifted upward as if reminiscing about a memory.
“I often patted your head, just like now. You didn't call me 'my child'... but you looked after me as if I were one.”
[...]
As if it were nothing.
I laid out false memories.
[Then what did I call you?]
“You just called me Oh-jin from the start.”
I answered calmly.
[The start... What was our first meeting like?]
“Our first meeting...”
I imagine it.
A time that never existed,
memories for the two of us that were never made.
“I was fighting the forces of the Heavenly Demon and got beaten to a pulp, so I fled to the Sanctuary. I'd lost so much blood I thought I was going to die... but then you appeared, Vega, and saved me.”
[...I see.]
“Haha. That was the start of it. I started visiting you often, and we got close.”
Vega, who had been listening quietly, averted her gaze.
[...What a complicated feeling.]
she muttered in a low, heavy voice.
“What is?”
[When I imagine my past self with you... for some reason, my chest aches.]
Was it because the stories about a self she couldn't remember felt so unfamiliar?
Vega looked up at Oh-jin with a somewhat anxious expression.
[Am I... the same now as I was then?]
“You're different.”
[......!]
I chuckled, looking at her wide eyes.
“You're prettier now.”
[C-Cough! Such empty flattery toward a Constellation! H-How insolent!]
For someone scolding me for being insolent, the corners of her mouth were practically soaring.
[...In any case. So my past self did not call you 'my child'.]
“Right.”
[Hehe.]
Vega lightly flew up.
[In that case, I shall continue to call you 'my child' from now on.]
She reached out and ruffled my hair.
[Hmm~ My child's hair is so soft. It's nice to pat.]
She even hummed a little tune, seeming to be in a good mood.
“Oh, right, Vega. Do you happen to know what 'Thunder God Body' is?”
During the fight with the Hydra.
I recalled the moment my two legs had transformed into 'lightning'.
It was such a desperate situation back then that I didn't have time to think about it, but the memory of my body shooting forward like an explosion was still vivid.
[Thunder God Body (雷神體), as the skill name suggests, is an ability that transforms the body itself into that of a thunder god. A body made of lightning can transcend the laws of physics and perform many miracles.]
“Huh?”
What?
Just from the description, it sounds like a crazy strong skill.
[It is indeed a very powerful skill. It has the drawback of consuming an immense amount of mana, but its power is among the top-tier of the Lyra Constellation's Stigma techniques.]
“I didn't realize it was that powerful.”
Although I'd only gotten a clue and couldn't use it freely yet.
If Vega was saying that, it seemed well worth investing time to train it.
[Of course. It is absolutely not a technique you can master at your current level... but.]
Vega continued with a short, dry laugh.
[With you, one never knows.]
“Normally, at what Star rank would one learn this technique?”
[It is a technique that requires at least the 9th Star.]
“......”
This time, even Oh-jin couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
‘The 9th Star?’
The 9th Star and above was a realm said to have transcended humanity.
To think I'd get a clue for it at the 5th Star.
“It'll be incredible if I can just learn to use it freely.”
[Do not be too hasty. It's the same with Exceed; a technique unsuited for your level will only ruin your body.]
Just as she said.
Using Exceed alone left the inside of my body in tatters; if I added Thunder God Body on top of that, my body might be damaged beyond repair.
‘I should probably start training this in earnest after I've reached a higher Star.’
Like the crow-tit that tears its legs trying to follow a stork.
There's no benefit to recklessly learning a skill that doesn't match my 'Star'.
“Alright. I'll practice this one slowly.”
[Hehe. What a commendable child.]
Vega patted my head once more.
[Mmm.]
As she patted my head, she rubbed her eyes as if she were tired.
[It seems I must rest now.]
“Because of the hangover?”
[That is part of it. But I was manifested for too long yesterday.]
“Ah.”
Right.
She was manifested for over six hours yesterday.
“Alright, go on and rest.”
[You should also rest easy today.]
Vega entered the pendant.
“Well then.”
Now that Vega's gone back.
‘Time to work on the quest.’
Oh-jin went into the storage room and reached for the Stigmastones filling the sack.
‘Black Heaven.’
Black storm clouds flowed from his palm and covered the Stigmastones.
‘How many will I need?’
I'd honestly gathered over a thousand, and it would be a real headache if even that wasn't enough.
-Whoooosh!
As Black Heaven absorbed the blue light within the Stigmastones, I could feel mana flowing into my body.
It was a much smaller amount than when I absorbed an Awakener's Stigma.
‘Still, an increase is an increase.’
I'd been using Thunder Flame a lot recently, so no amount of mana felt like enough.
-Tiring!
[By absorbing the Stigmastone, the quest 'The Sky Devil Who Swallows Stars ①' is progressing.]
[Current Progress: 2.7%]
[Current Progress: 8.4%]
The progress percentage shot up with every Stigmastone I absorbed.
‘Damn, how many of these things does it eat?’
After absorbing about 300 of them, the progress was at 32%.
‘Looks like I'll need to use all one thousand to hit 100%.’
It was dizzying to think how long it would have taken without the bet with JerryKim or the strange phenomenon of two Stigmastones dropping at once.
“Well, as long as I can complete it.”
An Ancient Constellation.
My curiosity boiled over, wondering what kind of ability it would be.
-Whoooosh!
Just as I had absorbed about 500 Stigmastones.
-Tiring!
[The power of the stars within the Stigmastone is insufficient!]
[Progress will not increase.]
[Current Progress: 50%]
[To increase progress further, a higher-grade Stigmastone is required.]
“Huh?”
Just as the progress reached 50 percent.
The progress suddenly came to a halt.
“A higher-grade Stigmastone is required?”
Oh-jin frowned and pulled a soccer ball-sized Stigmastone out of another backpack.
The two Stigmastones that had dropped from the Hydra.
‘Can I reach 100 percent with this?’
I used Black Heaven to absorb the mana within the Stigmastone.
-Tiring!
[Current Progress: 61.2%]
[Current Progress: 72.4%]
“Dammit.”
A harsh curse escaped my lips involuntarily.
‘So it wasn't just a matter of quantity.’
I needed Stigmastones dropped by monsters at least on the level of a Hydra.
‘Does that mean I have to hunt an 8-Star monster?’
The Hydra was a 7-Star boss-level monster, so to get a comparable Stigmastone, I'd have to hunt an 8-Star monster at the very least.
No.
Even if it's an 8-Star monster, if it's not an elite or boss-level one, it would likely have a lower quality Stigmastone than the Hydra's.
‘So I have to hunt an 8-Star elite or higher monster.’
In Korea, known as a relatively monster-free country, there were almost no gates where such powerful monsters appeared.
And even if there were, they were mostly monopolized by specific guilds.
“Grr.”
As Oh-jin continued to ponder, he snapped his fingers.
‘Come to think of it, I still haven't received my reward from the Valhalla Guild.’
I could get a high-quality Stigmastone as payment for contacting Jang Seok-ho on their behalf.
While I'm at it, I can pass on the information I got back then to the Valhalla Guild and put pressure on the Black Star Guild.
“They should be all recovered by now.”
Looks like I'll have to pay the Valhalla Guild a visit.
“Heave-ho.”
Oh-jin organized the remaining Stigmastones and turned around.
Just as he picked up his smartphone to contact the Valhalla Guild.
-Zap.
“Ah.”
His vision wavered.
Along with a sharp pain, he felt something flowing into his mind.
‘This is...’
Oh-jin's eyes widened.
It was a phenomenon he was now quite used to.
[A portion of Awakener Lee Shin-hyeok's memories has been successfully restored.]
Lee Shin-hyeok's memories.
Unfolded before his eyes.
***
Fwoooosh!!
-Aaaargh!!
S-Save me!!!
A city engulfed by a sea of flames.
The thick stench of blood stung his nostrils, and horrific screams filled the city.
Oh-jin looked around, surveying his surroundings.
The ruins of the collapsed buildings were not of a style commonly seen in Korea.
‘This place is...’
In the distance, he could see the Colosseum, engulfed in flames, crumbling down.
‘Italy?’
The ruined city was Rome, the capital of Italy.