CHAPTER 116: THE OWL HUNT (7)

The inside of the prison was entirely filled with purple, poisonous gas.

“Ugh...”

“Agh. Kugh.”

The once-piercing screams of agony faded into faint whimpers and labored breaths.

Kwon Oh-Jin smirked as he glanced at the restrained Owls. “Quit the act, pussies. You're not dead yet—not this easy.”

Death was too much of a luxury for these criminals.

One of the Owls looked up at him with teary eyes as if silently pleading for death. “A-Augh...”

Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head. “You’ve got to live and pay for your sins, don’t you?”

“Ahh... Ugh...” the Owl groaned faintly before dropping his head.

This should be enough, Kwon Oh-Jin thought. In their weakened state, he could easily absorb their Stigma's mana. After all, I don’t need the host to be dead.

It wasn’t possible to absorb their mana while they were at full strength, but a near-death state was a different story altogether.

Black Heaven.

A black cloud spread out from his hand and throughout the prison, slithering greedily toward the restrained criminals' chests.

Rumble.

Mana entered him through the Black Heaven’s clouds.

“Haa.”

It was a shame he couldn’t claim a new Stigma other than Owl Nebula, but the opportunity to drain over two thousand Awakeners of their power was a prize in itself.

Hehehe! This is better than any elixir!

The quality of the mana itself was incredibly low, but that was compensated for with sheer quantity.

Rumble!

He smiled brightly as the mana kept rushing in. This is insane.

This was the fastest method he had come up with to grow stronger.

Consistent training is important, but... nothing beats swindling.

“I guess I'll never have to worry about running out of mana.”

He wasn't really facing a shortage before, but now, he had so much mana that he could be reckless with his Stigma and still have plenty left over.

His face lit up as he glanced down at his chest in anticipation. Is it possible?

As if answering his thoughts, a massive explosion of black clouds surged from his chest.

Ring!

[Kwon Oh-Jin has absorbed an enormous amount of Stigmas!]

[The Black Heaven is undergoing its fifth enlightenment!]

He smiled and snapped his fingers. “That’s more like it.”

This had been his goal from the very start.

The surrounding black storm suddenly rushed back into him.

[The Black Heaven has completed its fifth enlightenment.]

[The effects of Black Heaven’s traits have been enhanced.]

[The Stigma of Lyra's sealed power has been partially released.]

[The Black Heaven has acquired the Open Heaven trait.]

Along with the messages, a roaring surge of power flooded him.

“Haa...”

Thicker and fiercer lightning bolts whipped around him.

Crackle!

He briefly reveled in the searing heat and immense power coursing through him before his attention snapped back to the last message window.

Open Heaven? What's that?

“Let’s see here...”

He opened the status window to check the detailed description of the new trait.

Pzzt!

The status window made a static sound with text distorted into indecipherable symbols.

[Ευχαριστώ που ψάχνατε, έγραψα οτιδήποτε]

“What the...?”

He tried several more times, but the result was the same.

Did something go wrong? Or maybe... it’s information I can’t access yet.

This was an unprecedented phenomenon that left him at his wits' end.

“Ugh.”

After a few more attempts, he sighed and shook his head.

I have no way of figuring it out right now, nor do I have the time.

“Well then...” He sat down on the gas cylinder and slowly closed his eyes.

With each enlightenment the Black Heaven underwent, he gained more than just tremendous power. There was something even more valuable for someone playing the role of a Regressor.

Tzzz!

[The inheritance process will now begin.]

Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories of the first timeline began flowing into Kwon Oh-Jin's head.

“An Astral Relic's buried in Baekdu Mountain?”

“Yeah. It’s solid information Seon-Young brought.” Lee Woo-Hyuk nodded, sitting across from his brother. “The False Star Cult bastards are searching for that relic like their lives depend on it.”

“How many stars is it?”

“I don’t know." Lee Woo-Hyuk shook his head.

“But considering how desperately those guys are looking for it, it’s probably not just any ordinary Astral Relic,” Lee Shin-Hyuk remarked.

“True. They aren't the type to mobilize so easily.”

Lee Shin-Hyuk’s eyes gleamed. “Won't it be huge if we find it first?”

“... That’s not what’s important right now.”

Lee Shin-Hyuk flinched slightly. “Ugh...”

“Getting rid of the False Star Cult takes priority.”

“Tsk. Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Lee Woo-Hyuk watched his brother avert his gaze and sighed. “Well, we can look for it if we have time. If they’re that desperate to find it, we could even use it as bait.”

“R-Right? That’s what I was trying to say!”

“Mm-hmm, sure.” Lee Woo-Hyuk laughed warmly. “Anyway, Shin-Hyuk...”

“Ah, hold on a sec.” Lee Shin-Hyuk suddenly pulled out his phone and looked at the screen, and the corners of his lips twitched upward.

“... Did Ha-Eun message you?” Lee Woo-Hyuk asked.

“Huh? Uh, y-yeah.”

“What did she say?”

“She’s heading to sleep now after caring for her little brother, and she told me to sleep well too.”

“And that simple text made you smile like that?” Lee Woo-Hyuk chuckled dryly and clicked his tongue.

“W-What?! You got a problem with that?!”

“Seriously, Shin-Hyuk. When are you planning to confess?”

“L-Like you’re one to talk! You still haven’t told Seon-Young either!”

“A-Ahem!” Lee Woo-Hyuk's cheeks quickly turned red. “Anyway, about Ha-Eun’s little brother...”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Have you met him?”

“... No.”

“Hmm. You don’t even know his name or what he looks like, do you?”

“Nope.” Lee Shin-Hyuk let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know why... but it feels like he's avoiding me on purpose. Ha-Eun said he even asked her not to tell me his name.”

“What if Ha-Eun and this guy are actually dating? They’re not even real siblings, right?”

“I-It’s not like that!” Lee Shin-Hyuk slammed the table and shot up from his seat. Then, realizing how flustered he'd gotten, he awkwardly scratched his head before sitting back down. “I... actually did ask her about it once.”

“And?”

Lee Shin-Hyuk shook his head. “She said no. They’re not a couple.”

“Is he more like family, then? You said they’ve been together since their orphanage days.”

“No, she said it’s not that, either.”

Lee Woo-Hyuk tilted his head, confused. “Huh? Then what kind of relationship do they have?”

“That’s...”

Lee Shin-Hyuk bit his lip and clenched his fist tightly. His mouth moved wordlessly for a moment, like he was struggling to say something he’d rather not. Finally, he let out a slow sigh. “She said... they’re in a relationship where staying together goes without saying.”

And thus, the conversation ended.

Tzzz!

[Some of Awakener Lee Shin-Hyuk's records have been inherited.]

[Pyxis Spearmanship has reached Lv9.]

“Haa...” Kwon Oh-Jin smiled faintly as he recalled what he'd just seen.

Staying together goes without saying, huh?

It seems she, too, had been thinking the same thing as him.

“Pffft.”

For some reason, he found it hard to hold back his laughter. He chuckled to himself for a while before brushing his hair back and narrowing his eyes.

Alright, let’s sort out what I’ve learned. First is what I was up to in the first timeline. She was looking after me, huh?

That implied he'd been injured badly enough to require her care.

Well, I would’ve been left to face that Anthorn swarm alone, after all. I guess it's already a miracle that I survived that.Then... I guess it makes sense that I avoided Lee Shin-Hyuk.

In the first timeline, Song Ha-Eun had been saved by Lee Shin-Hyuk and not Kwon Oh-Jin.

There’s no way I could have faced him—the man who threw me into a swarm of monsters and then healed Ha-Eun's eyes in my stead. How would I have even felt hearing about it?

Since he hadn’t experienced it himself, it was difficult to imagine what kind of feelings his alter ego would have had.

After pondering for a while, he shook his head. “Let's set that aside for now.”

He recalled another key piece of information from Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories.

The Astral Relic buried in Baekdu Mountain and... the False Star Cult.

That name had appeared yet again.

Will I run into them if I go there?

The memory hadn’t provided any clues as to the timeframe of events this time around.

Since Lee Woo-Hyuk doesn’t know about the False Star Cult yet, all this must be sometime in the future.

Kwon Oh-Jin had no way of telling what kind of organization the False Star Cult was and why Lee Woo-Hyuk and Lee Shin-Hyuk had been after them. He also didn't know where exactly the Astral Relic was buried, so there was no guarantee he'd find it even if he went there.

“But well... it’s definitely worth checking out.”

There’s no need to rush there right away, though. Lee Woo-Hyuk is still unaware of that organization's existence, which gives me some leeway to work with so I can get used to this new strength.

Smiling, he created a denser form of lightning in his palm.

Crackle!

“Well then...” He turned his head, glancing around to find the Owls trembling violently, their eyes rolled all the way back.

“Agh... ugh.”

“Kuhh... ugh.”

The only trace of mana left in them was so faint that it was a miracle they were still standing. Kwon Oh-Jin had set this up deliberately.

“Domination.”

Black clouds surged through the prison once more, curling around the Owls as their eyes glazed over and their expressions went blank.

“... Heh.”

“Heh... hehe.”

Did I get over two thousand instantly? he mused. Is it because the Black Heaven's traits were enhanced, or were they already mentally crushed?

“Forget everything that happened here today,” he commanded.

“Yes...”

“We... will obey.”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled as he shut off the poison-gas cylinder's valve. “Spend the rest of your miserable lives repenting for your crimes, you bastards.”

Before stepping out the door, he spun around one last time, faced the captured Owls, and bowed deeply. “Thanks for the meal!”

Burp.