CHAPTER 115: THE OWL HUNT (6)

After returning from the Black Star Society’s headquarters, Kwon Oh-Jin distributed the information contained in the USB drive to the guilds desperately after the organization. Of course, he meticulously hid his identity as the informant.

It’d be a problem if they asked where and how I got the info.

Revealing his absurd ability, Domination, was out of the question.

Nevertheless, the information began to circulate like ink spreading across paper. At first, some guilds hesitated and doubted its authenticity. But soon, one or two of the Black Star Society’s branches were uncovered, and the guilds charged right in.

The Owl Hunt has officially begun.

It was easy to predict the fate of a terrorist group whose hideouts had all been exposed. Moreover, many of the core members of the Owl faction, including Cheon Do-Yoon, were absent. The faction couldn't withstand the sudden tidal wave and crumbled in the blink of an eye.

The Heaven’s Grace Guild played the biggest role.

Cheon Sang-Gil, the Avaricious Wolf—one of the Seven Stars—had personally taken part in the raids. Even Cheon Do-Yoon wouldn’t have easily fended off such an overwhelming adversary.

Exposed to the sunlight, the owls were helpless against the hunters.

On the news channels, anchors discussed the turn of events solemnly.

[Breaking news from Cheonlian Daily! We’ve just received reports that the alliance of major guilds—including Heaven’s Grace, Hwarang, and Starlight Lake Guild—has completely subdued the Black Star Society's headquarters!]

[Nearly three thousand members of the terrorist organization, almost as many as the number of Awakeners in the top ten guilds, were captured!]

[Where did such a massive number of Awakeners come from? It’s unheard of for a single Celestial to create so many.]

[A specialized team has been formed to investigate the Owl Nebula Celestial.]

This news was broadcast not only in Korea but the entire world.

Crunch!

Kwon Oh-Jin lay on Song Ha-Eun’s lap, munching on popcorn.

“Wow..." she gasped. "The Black Star Society fell apart all at once just like that."

“Yeah.”

She playfully pinched his cheek. “Aren’t you going to join them on the raids?”

“Eh, it doesn't seem like I need to.”

“I guess that's true. I heard even the Avaricious Wolf got involved this time?”

“Yup.”

Kwon Oh-Jin had initially planned to participate and hunt down the Owls himself, but things had taken a turn when the alliance of the top ten guilds, specifically the guilds apart from Valhalla and Heaven’s Grace, refused assistance from the association.

Well, they must’ve felt the pressure.

Recent incidents like the civilian slaughter and the ambush on Cheon Woo-Seong were handled by the association and the Valhalla Guild alone, leading to public criticism of the other major guilds. People questioned what exactly they were doing to help, creating an uncomfortable situation for the large guilds, who had always considered themselves superior to the association.

They probably want to change public opinion by taking care of the Black Star Society this time.

They acted like they were driven by justice on the outside, claiming they were going to punish the Black Star Society's atrocities. However, their motivations were absolutely intertwined with self-interest and calculation.

Justice is the best excuse to exploit, after all.

Regardless, Kwon Oh-Jin welcomed the situation with open arms. They’re handing it to me on a silver platter. Why wouldn’t I be happy?

If Lee Woo-Hyuk was like a loyal hunting dog, he felt like he'd just gained an army of ants. He smiled at the thought of being a queen ant, sitting back and letting others bring him food without having to lift a finger himself.

“Well, this is pretty much the end for them,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“It’s not over yet.”

“Because of Cheon Do-Yoon?”

“Yeah.”

Even if the Owl faction was essentially dismantled, it wouldn’t be truly over as long as the King of Owls remained.

I need to find out what that bastard is up to, Kwon Oh-Jin thought. Only after killing Cheon Do-Yoon could he confidently declare the Owl faction's demise.

“Well... won’t the Avaricious Wolf take care of it?”

“Who knows?”

Even if that were the case, Kwon Oh-Jin had no intention of handing over such tempting prey to him.

It’s still too early to target Cheon Do-Yoon, but... I'll gain the power to hunt him down soon. That’s why I orchestrated this whole thing in the first place.

He smirked as he continued watching the news on the TV screen.

“Anyway, how long do you plan to stay lying down?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“Waah.”

“Waah, my ass.” She held in a laugh and firmly pulled on his cheek. “Honestly, at times like this, it’s hard to believe you’re the same Oh-Jin.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s...” She trailed off, her cheeks flushing red. She lightly flicked his forehead and mumbled, “I don’t know, you brat.”

“Huh? I’m even more curious now.”

“Doesn't matter cause I’m not telling you.” She stuck her tongue out and stood up. “Anyway, I’m heading out to get groceries. Let’s have dinner later.”

“What? Are you cooking?”

“Yup! I’m trying a new recipe today, so look forward to it!”

“Uhh...”

What's going on? I clearly kissed her when I came back earlier. Why's the curse still in place? Is it because it was just a kiss on the cheek?

He recalled how she had pouted slightly earlier as if dissatisfied.

“You have to eat with nutrition in mind, you know," she said. "If you keep eating the same thing, you’ll get sick of it.”

Please, just make something edible.

“Alright, I’ll be back!” she announced before leaving the house.

“Well then...” He plopped back down on the couch.

The two anchors were continuing their conversation.

[Many of the captured Black Star Society members have been reported to be inmates who went missing during the Cheorwon prison incident three years ago.]

[Yes, about seventy percent of those apprehended were identified as the missing prisoners.]

[How horrifying. How are they being managed now?]

[According to the official statement from the guild alliance, the confirmed former inmates are being imprisoned separately while investigations are underway to determine why the rest joined the Black Star Society.]

[Some might have been forced into the organization against their will, after all.]

[Even if that’s the case, avoiding punishment entirely will be difficult.]

[Are the members still undergoing identification under the guild alliance's supervision?]

[Yes. The association offered to assist, but the alliance rejected their proposal.]

[Tensions between the association and the major guilds seem to be intense.]

“Desperate to hog all the credit, aren’t they?”

Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged as he watched the news. But what can they even do?

He leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs.

“You guys won't be the ones taking all the credit..." A sly smile crept across his lips. "It’ll be me.”

***

In a dedicated prison for Awakeners located in Paju, members of the Black Star Society’s Owl faction, whose identities had been confirmed, were currently imprisoned.

These criminals had vanished during the Cheorwon prison incident three years ago and received the Stigma of Owl Nebula, becoming part of the Black Star Society and trampling on countless lives. Now, they were restrained in special bindings designed specifically for Awakeners.

The captured members yelled at the guards.

“Damn it! Let us out of this thing, you bastards!”

“I told you, we were forced to join the organization!”

“We’re innocent!”

The guard frowned and sighed heavily. “Innocent, huh?”

He approached the man who had just screamed. Flipping through a thick folder in his hand, he stopped at the section detailing the man’s criminal record.

“Three counts of armed robbery, two counts of rape and murder, plus numerous charges of theft and assault.”

“Th-That’s—”

“Innocent, my ass.”

That was just the man’s criminal record before joining the Black Star Society. It was impossible to guess how many more heinous crimes he'd committed over the past three years. Yet, here he was, claiming to be innocent.

The guard glared fiercely at all the restrained criminals. “You’re all the same, you scumbags. You know that?”

While the severity of their crimes varied, most of the Cheorwon prisoners had similar records. And now, they had the audacity to claim they were forced to join the Black Star Society. It was laughable.

“Keep yapping, and I’ll make sure to tape your mouths up. Got it?”

The prison fell completely silent.

The guard glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It’s almost time to change shifts.

Fatigue was etched into the corners of his eyes. Keeping an eye on nearly two thousand criminals was no small feat, especially with the guild alliance’s strict orders to monitor them as thoroughly as possible.

As he watched the clock’s hands tick by, a loud alarm echoed throughout the prison.

Beeeep!

All the guards looked around in panic.

“W-What’s going on?”

“What’s happening?”

Bang!

The main door was flung open, and a man stormed in.

“What are you idiots doing, standing around while the alarm’s blaring?!” Jung Jae-Chol, the prison warden, roared.

“S-Sir?!”

He was the current head of the facility, tasked by the guild alliance with managing the captured criminals.

“A massive prison break just occurred in building B! Hurry up and get out there, now!” Jung Jae-Cheol's thick eyebrows crinkled like caterpillars.

Startled by the warden’s orders, the guards began scrambling out.

“Yes, sir!”

“W-We’ll take care of it immediately!”

Jung Jae-Cheol quietly watched their retreating figures before slowly stepping further into the prison.

The interior resembled a massive chicken coop, rows of cells packed tightly together. Inside, members of the Black Star Society were restrained in their specialized confinement suits.

“Let’s see...” He grabbed the thick folder one of the guards had dropped and skimmed through it. “2,192 in total, huh?”

A twisted smirk spread across his face. “I should start getting ready.”

He dragged a massive gas cylinder across the floor, bringing it further inside.

Clang. Clang.

The restrained criminals glared at the warden, their expressions darkening as they watched his strange behavior.

“W-What is that?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

Jung Jae-Cheol sat down on the enormous gas cylinder and smacked his lips. “What am I doing? Now that the hunt is over, shouldn’t I start cooking?”

“What...?”

The Black Star Society members gaped at the warden in disbelief, not understanding what he meant.

Jung Jae-Cheol shrugged nonchalantly and twisted the valve on the cylinder.

Hissssss!

A purple gas started seeping out, quickly filling the inside of the prison.

“Kugh, kugh! W-What is this?!”

“Is this... poisonous gas?”

“Y-You crazy bastard!”

The criminals glared at the warden with panic-stricken eyes.

“Are you planning to kill everyone here?!”

“S-Stop it, you lunatic! No, please! Stop!”

The warden calmly observed the chaos within the prison before standing up. “You’ve heard people begging you to stop before, haven’t you?”

“W-What?” one of the men stammered.

“You’ve heard it all before. People pleading and begging for their lives. Right? But did you ever stop when you heard that?”

“Th-That's...”

The men turned pale with fear.

“Pfft! Of course, if you had, you wouldn’t even be here.” Jung Jae-Cheol spread his palm wide and brought it up to his face.

Crack, crack!

With the sound of bones twisting, his face began to distort. His features shifted and changed shape like malleable clay.

“See? We do have a few things in common, don’t we?” Kwon Oh-Jin smiled brightly. “Because I’ve never stopped either.”

Jinx.