Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Ancient Constellation (5)
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Thousands of monsters swarmed the streets.
Like a stirred hornet's nest, an uncountable number of monsters rampaged through the city center, attacking people.
*More than in Sokcho.*
And back in Sokcho, people had at least been evacuated. This wasn't even that.
"Grrrrrr!"
"Aaaah!!"
"My, my leg!! My leeeeeeeg!!"
Pools of blood rippled.
Screams and wails assaulted the ears.
A scene similar to the Italy he had witnessed through Lee Shin-hyeok's memories.
*No.*
Oh-jin's eyes glinted sharply.
*It's not that bad yet.*
The entire city hadn't been overrun by monsters like Rome.
The monsters had only just begun their rampage.
*I can stop this.*
I have to stop this.
Not for the people being torn apart by the monsters.
But to protect the home where he lived with Ha-eun.
"Nunna."
"...Yeah."
"Support me from the back."
"Got it."
*Click.*
Ha-eun reached behind her head and untied her eyepatch.
The area around her left eye, covered in grotesque, tree-root-like veins, was revealed.
The Dragon's Eye gleamed fiercely as flames billowed around her body.
-Thud!
"Aaaaaah!"
"Tae, Tae-ho!!"
Two boys who looked to be high school students.
The monster opened its maw wide towards the ordinary students who, just moments before, had probably been trading silly jokes and deciding whether to go to a PC bang or a karaoke room.
"Kirarararak!!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!!!"
"R-run!"
A piercing scream.
"Hmph."
Oh-jin lowered his stance and stepped forward with his left foot.
-Crackle!!
Blue lightning coiled around his leg.
*Kwwaaaaang!!*
With a roar like an exploding cannonball, Oh-jin's body shot forward.
"Hup!"
He plunged his spear into the neck of the monster charging at the boys.
An ear-splitting shriek.
-Shhwwwaaak!
He twisted and dragged it down.
Black blood gushed out like a waterfall.
"Ah..."
"Th-thank y..."
There was no time to listen.
He spun around and immediately charged at another monster.
*The monsters themselves aren't much different from the ones in Sokcho.*
However.
"Karararak!"
"You'll deafen me, you bastard."
It was no exaggeration to say that he was completely different now than he was back then.
-Crackle!!!
Feathers of blue lightning wrapped around Oh-jin's right arm.
He aimed at a monster and extended his arm.
*Lightning Wings Shotgun.*
Hundreds of lightning feathers fanned out, sweeping across the area in front of him.
The bodies of three monsters were torn to shreds.
*Still not enough.*
Even after instantly killing three monsters in a single blow.
Twice that number immediately surrounded him.
*Faster.*
Stronger.
I have to overwhelm them.
-Crackle!!
The blue lightning gathered on his spearhead blazed like a flame.
As he used Lightning Flame, he could feel his mana draining rapidly.
"Hah."
He let out a short breath and swung his spear.
From top to bottom.
From bottom to side.
From side to top again.
-Shwak! Shwak! Shwwaaak!
"Krrrk!"
"Kishaaat!!"
The grotesquely shaped monsters, looking like they were born from some mad scientist's horrific experiment, were torn apart by the fierce barrage of spear strikes.
"Krrrrrrra!!"
"Kyahahat!"
"Kerrk!!"
Attracted by the commotion, hundreds of monsters charged toward them.
With hundreds of monsters, ranging from two to four or five meters tall, charging all at once, the ground shook as if from an earthquake.
It was like watching a tidal wave crash down.
Towards this tidal wave of hundreds of monsters—
"Hmph."
Oh-jin took a slow, deep breath.
He spun his spear and slammed it into the ground.
*Blue Lightning.*
He focused his mana into the spearhead embedded in the concrete.
*A little more.*
This wouldn't be enough to wipe out the approaching horde in one go.
He closed his eyes gently.
In an instant, he drew up a massive amount of mana, enough to burst his mana circuits.
*Explosive Lightning.*
*Crackle-crack-crack-crack!!!!*
He layered Explosive Lightning over Blue Lightning.
The force that sought to spread wide and the force that sought to violently explode mixed and amplified.
"Kugh."
Was it because he'd poured in too much mana at once?
His mana circuits swelled as if they were about to tear apart.
A precarious situation, like a balloon overinflated past its limit.
[My child! Any more than that...!]
Vega cried out, her face pale.
*I can do it.*
Blue Lightning and Explosive Lightning.
He had often amplified a skill's power by layering it multiple times, but this was his first attempt at fusing two skills with different properties.
Combining two types of skills was as difficult as drawing a circle with one hand and a star with the other, but...
*If it's me, I can do it.*
Yes.
There's no way I can't.
An intuition bordering on certainty.
He wasn't trusting in his talent.
It was the training he had repeated every single day.
The days he had struggled to control the stigma's mana as freely as his own limbs.
The memories of those days.
The beads of sweat that drenched his body and the breaths that caught in his throat.
He trusted in them.
-Crackle-crack-crack-crack!!!
Blue Lightning and Explosive Lightning mixed and blazed.
"Die, you bastards."
A smirk played on his lips as he violently twisted the spear he had plunged into the ground.
-Crack-crack-crack-crack!!
The ground split apart.
*Thump! Thump! Kugu-gung!!*
As if a rock had been thrown at a pane of glass, the concrete ground fractured, and a section of ground tens of meters wide collapsed.
"Kieeeeeek!"
"Krrrk! Ggrk!"
"Gruaaaaaaah!!"
The hundreds of monsters charging at Oh-jin lost their balance and staggered.
"Hup!"
*Crackle-crack!*
With a short yell, he swung the spear upward, and bundles of blue lightning erupted from the cracks in the concrete.
The acrid smell of burning stung his nose.
The lightning, soaring like an ascending dragon, swept through the hundreds of monsters.
-Ting!
[You have successfully fused two or more skills!]
[Your understanding of both skills has increased dramatically!]
[The skill 《Blue Lightning (蒼雷) Lv4》 has risen to 《Blue Lightning (蒼雷) Lv7》.]
[The skill 《Explosive Lightning (爆雷) Lv4》 has risen to 《Explosive Lightning (爆雷) Lv7》.]
Was it thanks to successfully fusing the skills?
A series of blue windows popped up before his eyes, and the levels of Blue Lightning and Explosive Lightning rose by three.
"Phew."
*Stagger.*
Was it because he had expended too much mana at once?
Oh-jin's body swayed lightly.
[Hah. You always make me worry so.]
Vega summoned lightning that enveloped Oh-jin's staggering body.
As the lightning wrapped around him, he felt a comfort like being tucked into a fluffy blanket.
"Grrr. You're one insane bastard, alright."
Even Lyra shook her head with a weary expression.
Soon, she glared at the chaotic street with sharp eyes.
Hundreds of monsters had been turned to ash by Oh-jin's strike, but many times that number were still swarming in.
"Hmph."
Lyra snorted and lowered her stance.
She glanced back at Oh-jin and said.
"Brat, don't tell me you're exhausted after just one shot?"
"Of course not."
Still enveloped in Vega's lightning, Oh-jin readjusted his grip on the spear and stood up straight again.
He aimed his spear at the new horde of monsters that swarmed in as if the hundreds that had just died never existed.
"Kraaaang!"
"Kireuk! Kirrrrk!"
He frantically swung his spear, fighting alongside Lyra against the encroaching monsters.
They were thinning out the monsters at a rapid pace, but.
-Crunch!
"Kugh!"
There were just too many of them.
"Oh-jin!"
Ha-eun, who was dealing with monsters on the other side, urgently reached out her arm.
*Snap!*
With a snap of her fingers, a stream of fire shot out and instantly wiped away the dozens of monsters surrounding Oh-jin.
"Kirrrrk! Kihek!"
"Kraaaaah!!"
"How dare you bastards!!"
Ha-eun turned around with an angry expression.
She spread her arms wide, cloaking her entire body in flames.
Until now, she hadn't been able to use her full power for fear of catching people in the crossfire.
But while Oh-jin and Lyra were fighting, most of the nearby people had already evacuated.
"In the name of Eltanin, the star of Draco."
*Fwoooosh!*
Dozens of fire dragons formed around Ha-eun.
"Flames—dance."
The flames danced.
The fire dragons, moving freely like living creatures, coiled around the monsters, opened their massive jaws, and swallowed them whole.
"...Wow."
Watching the monsters get swept away helplessly, Oh-jin let out a short exclamation of awe.
Its power was incomparable to the fire dragons he had seen before.
*So this is the power of an 8-Star Awakened.*
In terms of pure destructive power, the fusion skill he had just used was almost embarrassing in comparison.
-Fwoooooosh!!
"Kieeeeeek!"
"Karak... Karrk."
Thanks to Ha-eun's efforts, over 300 monsters were turned to ash.
But.
*There are still so many.*
The monsters kept pouring in endlessly, as if they were being mass-produced somewhere.
[Kgh... What are the other Awakened doing at a time like this!]
Vega scowled and bellowed.
Just as she said.
*What are the other Awakened doing?*
It made no sense that he was the only Awakened fighting monsters that were rampaging in the middle of Seoul.
Oh-jin continued to cut down the endless stream of monsters with his spear while scanning his surroundings.
"Y-you're an Awakened, right?!"
"Please help him!!"
People who had evacuated and were hiding from a distance pointed at a woman and shouted.
As people's attention focused on her, she scowled fiercely.
"Are you crazy? I can barely protect myself right now, what do you mean, help?"
She coldly pushed away the people clinging to her and turned to run.
"......"
She wasn't the only one.
The other Awakened nearby took one look at the thousands of monsters and fled without even considering fighting.
[Th-these outrageous fiends! How can those who have awakened the stars act so irresponsibly!]
Vega glared at the fleeing Awakened and bit her lip.
In contrast to the enraged Vega, Oh-jin watched the backs of the retreating Awakened with a rather indifferent expression.
*Well, this is to be expected.*
Who would want to fight against thousands of monsters?
To worry about others...
It's a world where it's hard enough just to save your own skin.
*I'm the same way.*
Whether other people die or not.
Why should I care?
He was only fighting now because he could still handle it. If it became too much, he planned to grab Ha-eun and run.
Of course, he'd have to endure Vega's criticism if that happened.
*I have no intention of sacrificing my life for complete strangers I don't even know.*
He had no intention of making the pathetic rationalization that this is just how the world works.
Call me selfish, I don't care.
Call me a coward, it doesn't matter.
To protect what's precious to me, I don't give a damn about anyone else's situation.
*I should probably secure an escape route.*
Oh-jin slowly backed away while dealing with the monsters.
Now that all the Awakened had fled.
There was no way to stop the endless tide of monsters alone.
Just as he thought that and was about to turn.
-Kwaaang!
"Mr. Oh-jin!!!"
With a loud roar, about a hundred Awakened appeared.
Section Chief Han, at the forefront, rushed toward Oh-jin.
"You were already here!!"
"...How did you get here?"
"We heard the alarm and gathered the staff immediately!"
Section Chief Han scowled fiercely and raised his fists at the monsters.
Looking around, he saw a few faces he recognized from passing by at the Association.
*Even Choi Woo-jin is here.*
The man known as the Hunting Dog, one of the top talents at the Association, had also arrived on the battlefield with Section Chief Han.
"Other guilds are on their way here now, so you can take a breather for a moment, Mr. Oh-jin."
Section Chief Han cracked his shoulders and walked forward.
-Thud, thud.
Following behind Section Chief Han, the neat sound of footsteps overlapped as a dozen or so people appeared.
Faces familiar to Oh-jin.
They were the Awakened of the Valhalla Guild, led by Lee Woo-hyeok.
"This is way more serious than Sokcho, Hyeongnim."
"...I never expected a horde of monsters like this to suddenly appear in the middle of Seoul."
Leaving behind the fussing Park Chang-hyun, Lee Woo-hyeok approached Oh-jin.
"Sorry we're late."
Lee Woo-hyeok gave a slight nod and then took slow steps toward the advancing monsters.
"From here on."
*Chwa-ja-ja-ja-jak!!!*
As Lee Woo-hyeok drew his sword, a fierce gust of wind swirled around.
The body of a charging monster split open, spewing blood as if torn by a beast's claws.
"We'll take it."
Following Lee Woo-hyeok, the Valhalla guild members drew their respective weapons.
[Indeed! This is how those who have awakened the stars should be! Thankfully, it seems not everyone is irresponsible.]
Vega smiled brightly and sighed in relief.
"...Hah."
Oh-jin looked around at Han Jun-man, Lee Woo-hyeok, and the other Awakened who had gathered to save people from the monsters, and let out a dry laugh.
*I guess I was thinking too one-sidedly.*
There were Awakened who turned and ran when their lives were in danger.
But there were also Awakened who heard the news and rushed over to save people.
*They're people I can't possibly understand.*
He watched the backs of Han Jun-man and Lee Woo-hyeok as they walked toward the monsters with faint smiles.
"The bastards are kinda cool."