Chapter 151: First Date (1)
The Milky Way flowed through the lit city as if the night sky had been turned upside down. A cool night breeze swept through the garden where a brilliant nightscape unfolded.
Lee Shin-Hyuk swallowed dryly as he watched Song Ha-Eun’s hair sway like a quiet campfire.
He had held back his confession for three years. He still remembered the moment he first met her at a gate, the way he had trembled as if struck by lightning. He had suppressed those feelings until he became a high-ranking Awakener strong enough to stand proudly before her and protect her.
After taking down the Seahorse faction, which had dominated all of Japan, he could finally confess.
Song Ha-Eun silently stared at the small, palm-sized box Lee Shin-Hyuk held out. Inside the slightly open box was a beautiful necklace. It emitted a soft blue glow and was undoubtedly crafted from an expensive Starstone.
Song Ha-Eun deeply sighed, “Haaa.”
She gazed up at the night sky with bitter eyes before speaking in a low voice, “My little brother told me something recently, actually.”
“What?”
“He said that you seemed to like me, and that maybe I should start dating you.”
Lee Shin-Hyuk’s eyes widened, and he clenched his fists.
She rarely spoke about the brother she looked after, so he had always assumed the guy disapproved of him. However, her brother had said something like that without Lee Shin-Hyuk even knowing?
“T-Then!”
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he took a step closer, but Song Ha-Eun slowly shook her head after staring at him for a moment.
“Sorry. I appreciate the thought, but I can’t date you.”
She firmly rejected him as decisively as a sword strike.
Her voice and gaze remained ice-cold, leaving not even the smallest hope behind.
“I know you’ve done a lot for me. No matter how long it takes, I plan to repay that debt.”
Lee Shin-Hyuk could only remain silent.
“But... that doesn’t mean I can go out with you when I don’t feel anything. That wouldn’t be fair to you either.”
“Ha-Eun.”
Her every word cut deep like a sharp blade piercing into his chest.
He looked at her with trembling eyes. She didn’t feel anything? Had the butterflies he felt whenever they were together been nothing but his own illusion?
“And besides, this isn’t exactly the time for us to be leisurely dating, is it?”
She gently stroked his head like soothing a wounded child.
“The False Star Cult bastards are getting bolder. There was even talk recently about the Owls joining forces with the Bufos.”
“That’s...”
“We won’t have much time to just relax from now on.”
Shin-Hyuk lowered his head with his lips pressed tightly shut.
Her gentle touch and the words meant to comfort him all felt agonizing as if his heart was being crushed.
“I... won’t give up on you, Ha-Eun.”
“Shin-Hyuk?”
He suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her from stroking his hair, and looked at her with eyes full of determination.
“If not now, then I’ll make you like me someday.”
Song Ha-Eun blankly stared at him.
“Until then, hold onto this for me.”
Lee Shin-Hyuk lightly smiled as he handed her the necklace box. Song Ha-Eun hesitated, looking troubled, before taking it.
“Shin-Hyuk, this is—”
“Please, at least accept this. There’s protective magic cast on it.”
She reluctantly accepted it.
“Even if your feelings never change...”
He tightened his clenched fists.
“I’ll still protect you, Ha-Eun.”
Those words echoed in the air before Kwon Oh-Jin’s vision distorted as if consumed by static.
Tzzzzz!
Kwon Oh-Jin exhaled sharply and scowled in frustration.
“Pwah! That bastard Lee Shin-Hyuk, how dare he?”
He had the nerve to hit on Ha-Eun?
The mere fact that he had confessed to her felt disgusting even though he got rejected instantly.
Wait, but I told Ha-Eun that she should date that bastard?
That baffled him the most. Of all people, he had told her to go out with Lee Shin-Hyuk?
Just what the hell happened back then?
The more he thought about his past self from the first timeline, the more his head throbbed. Just how deep in despair was he in to say something like that to her?
Kwon Oh-Jin cursed as he vaguely recalled his past life.
“Tsk. Screw that.”
He didn’t care how much despair he had experienced back then. That miserable, wretched future would be changed by his own hands as the Heaven-Defying Star.
To do that...
Kwon Oh-Jin focused and stared at the black clouds seeping into him. As soon as the clouds fully merged with him, a clear chime echoed out.
Ring!
[Some of Awakener Lee Shin-Hyuk’s records have been successfully restored.]
[Understanding of Pyxis Spearmanship is insufficient. Skill level cannot be increased!]
He sighed in disappointment.
“Ah.”
So Riarc was right. Hitting level 10 isn’t that easy.
Though he wasn’t entirely reliant on spear techniques, he had secretly been looking forward to what would change once he reached level 10.
Still, some other things must’ve changed with my sixth enlightenment.
Pushing aside his disappointment, he checked the next set of messages that appeared.
[The Black Heaven has reached its sixth enlightenment.]
[The sealed power of the Stigma of Lyra and the Dragon Veins mana has been partially released.]
Along with the long-awaited news, he felt the power that had been locked away in his heart spread throughout him. Before he could fully savor the electrifying sensation, another message popped up.
[The effects of Black Heaven’s traits have been enhanced.]
[The effect of Transformation has been strengthened. Kwon Oh-Jin can now use Transformation on detached body parts.]
[The effect of Black Curtain has been strengthened. Kwon Oh-Jin can now not only conceal the Black Heaven’s energy, but also convert it into another Stigma’s energy.]
Kwon Oh-Jin couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment as he read the message.
“Whoa, god damn?”
These were outright unfair abilities as if the system was encouraging him to scam the entire world as much as he wanted.
I can transform detached body parts? And even freely convert my energy into a different Stigma’s?
To test it, he lightly nicked the tip of his finger and let a drop of blood fall to the ground. His blood was technically a part of his body, so he wanted to test Transformation on it.
The drop of blood transformed into a sharp needle and shot upward.
Whoosh!
“I could use this in battle.”
Given the monster he fought when he first acquired Transformation, it wasn’t just a skill used to disguise himself. This skill could be used for combat as well.
I should practice using Transformation for combat.
He turned his attention to testing the Black Curtain’s ability.
“Stigma of Seahorse.”
Woong!
The Stigma’s ominous, sticky black mana poured out. This was the same unsettling energy that always accompanied the use of a Black Star’s Stigma.
Kwon Oh-Jin activated the Black Curtain.
Rumble.
“Oh, shit. It really works.”
Like sweat-drenched fabric clinging to his skin in summer, the sinister energy oozing out changed into something pure and refreshing. Then, it transformed again into something ferocious like a raging beast before becoming icy like a winter storm.
I can get a lot of use out of this.
He nodded in satisfaction as he watched the glistening water droplet hovering above his palm.
“Alright... looks like I’ve gotten everything I can from the Black Heaven for now.”
Testing whether he could use Open Heaven with his newly released Dragon Vein mana would be difficult at the moment.
I should at least check if the Seahorse Stigma can enhance my Water Affinity.
He had been most excited about this when he acquired the new Stigma. It seemed like it would pair well with his Water Affinity since it allowed him to freely create and control water.
Kwon Oh-Jin lifted his spear and sliced open his forearm.
Slash!
He brought a massive ball of water made with the Seahorse Stigma to the bloody wound. The wound absorbed the water and slowly healed.
“It worked!”
His eyes gleamed.
Holy shit, this is insane!
The thought of being able to heal even the most severe wounds in no time with the Seahorse Stigma made his heart excitedly pound.
“But wait.”
Kwon Oh-Jin frowned at his wound as it healed.
Why the hell is it healing so slowly?
Before, it had been almost instantaneous like he was some kind of regenerating slime. Now, the healing process looked noticeably slower.
Is it because the area isn’t saturated with water?
Or was there some kind of penalty for using self-created water? Regardless, the fact that he acquired a method to heal himself anywhere, at any time, was a huge win.
“I’ll leave it at this for now.”
To fully master his new abilities, he would need time to train and experiment.
Then, he looked at Sosuke’s corpse with a shattered skull.
“Huh?”
At that moment, he noticed something round had tumbled out of Sosuke’s inner pocket.
A horse requisition tablet?
The round plaque looked slightly smaller than a palm. It didn’t bear the image of a horse, but an eerie serpent engraving.
Is the Serpent involved in this again?
Kwon Oh-Jin frowned at Sosuke’s corpse. Whether it was due to the clash with Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories or some other reason, he had not inherited any of Sosuke’s memories. This made it difficult to gather any new information.
“Maybe I should’ve interrogated him a little.”
He briefly contemplated it but shook his head. Even if he had tried, some kind of restriction was likely in place just like with Cheon Do-Yoon.
“A serpent, huh.”
As he mulled over the serpent requisition tablet, a loud voice rang out.
“Oh-Jin! Are you there?”
Sakaki came rushing over. His hands looked mangled as if he had torn up cherry blossoms with his bare fists. Gasping for breath, he scanned the surroundings.
“Where’s that bastard Sosuke!”
“He’s dead.”
“You took him down alone?”
Sakaki’s eyes widened as his jaw hung half-open in disbelief.
Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and nodded. “I told you I could handle it on my own.”
“Ha, I’ve heard the apostle of the North Star was strong, but I never expected this.”
Elemental properties played a big role in this case, but there was no need to point that out.
“How’s the situation in Osaka?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.
“It’s all been taken care of. The last remaining digestion chamber in Kyoto is being dealt with right now.”
“That’s a relief.”
Once they took care of that, the Seahorse faction would essentially be eradicated.
“There’s still some work left, but... at least things are wrapping up.” Kwon Oh-Jin looked at the night sky with a faint smile.
Despite this country being called the Star-Forsaken Land, countless twinkling stars brilliantly lit the night sky.
***
After they destroyed the last digestion chamber in Kyoto, the Kuroushi publicly declared the Seahorse faction’s downfall.
Kwon Oh-Jin had asked Sakaki to leave his name out of the announcement. He would undoubtedly draw the attention of other factions within the Black Star Society if word got out that he had personally killed both Cheon Do-Yoon and Sosuke. It was best to stay under the radar of the Serpent that Cheon Sang-Gil had warned him about.
Though Sakaki threw a fit about how he couldn’t take credit for someone else’s achievements.
After a few rounds of persuasion, Kwon Oh-Jin was able to get him to agree.
“I swear on my name as a man, I’ll repay this debt!”
Not only had Kwon Oh-Jin successfully avoided drawing the Black Star Society’s attention, but he also gained a powerful ally in Sakaki Ryo. It was a win-win situation.
After days of wrapping up loose ends, Kwon Oh-Jin could finally enjoy a peaceful moment with Song Ha-Eun.
She suddenly asked, “So what happened to that guy, Koshiro?”
“I don’t think they killed him, but he was expelled from the organization.”
“Tsk. Figures.”
No matter the reason, a traitor could never be kept within the organization.
Before leaving, Koshiro had declared, “Next time, I’ll come back as a true man!”
Then, he vanished with his now-cured little sister.
“Well, at least it didn’t end with him dying. That would’ve been pretty unsettling,” Song Ha-Eun said.
“We’ll probably run into him again someday.”
“Hehe. I hope he and Sakaki make up when that happens. Watching those two bicker was hilarious.”
Agreed.
“Oh-Jin! Are you inside?!”
Just then, Sakaki barged into the room and broke the sliding door.
Boom!
Does he not know how doors work?
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing urgent. We’ve pretty much wrapped up all the important business.”
Sakaki suddenly pulled out a card and held it up.
“You came all the way to Japan, and all you’ve seen is war and bloodshed! That won’t do! You can spend as much as you want, so why don’t you do a little sightseeing in the city?”
Kwon Oh-Jin had obtained the black cow’s[1] credit card!
1. Black cow can mean pushover in Korea. ☜