CHAPTER 193: STAR ZONE MONSTERS (4)

The war-like monster attack had finally ended. Blood now drenched the once-beautiful vacation spot, and some parts looked as if a storm had destroyed them.

“Ugh! These damn bastards!” Song Ha-Eun shouted in frustration as searing flames danced through the air.

The fire swallowed two staggering monsters trying to flee and turned them to ashes.

Song Ha-Eun leaned against the wall of a building. “Haa, haa, haa.”

The battle, or more accurately, the one-sided massacre had gone on for hours.

“This crap is so damn exhausting...”

Even if she wiped out hundreds or thousands at once, the sheer number of monsters meant it would take a long time to finish them off completely.

It would’ve been harder if the monsters didn’t suddenly weaken partway through.

She didn’t know what Kwon Oh-Jin had done, but the monsters suddenly slowed down midway through. The heat they radiated also cooled off. Thanks to that, it stopped feeling like a battle and more like squashing scattered ants, yet even that wasn’t easy due to their sheer numbers.

“At least it’s finally over. Damn things.”

She couldn’t do anything about the ones hiding inside buildings, but all the ones in plain sight would be taken care of.

Song Ha-Eun brushed her sweat-drenched hair back and opened her cigarette pack, but it was empty. She flipped it over and gave it a few taps, but only crumbs of tobacco fell out.

“Damn it.”

She irritably kicked the empty pack aside and walked alone down the street that looked as if a storm had blown through.

Vega and Riarc had exhausted themselves in the intense fight and returned to the Sanctum.

While wandering, she saw Kwon Oh-Jin walking from the shore in the distance.

“Huh?”

He looked like he’d been through hell against the monsters, completely soaked like a drowned rat.

“Oh-Jiiinnnn!”

Her eyes lit up as she ran toward him. She then leaped up and threw herself into his arms.

“Where’s Vega and Riarc?” he asked.

“They said they used too much power and returned to the Sanctum.”

“I see. What about you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Song Ha-Eun grinned proudly and shrugged. “Hehe. Do you think I would get hurt by those mutts? Anyway, where were you?”

“I was underwater for a bit.”

Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit. “What? Y-You went in there?”

The sea had been swarming with so many monsters that the water wasn’t even visible anymore. He had gone in there alone?

Worry filled her face as she began checking him for injuries. “It doesn’t look like you’re hurt... Hmm. This side is fine too.”

Squish, squish.

“Hey, where do you think you’re touching?”

“Ohoho! That smart mouth of yours is one thing, but your body is honest!”

What the hell is this woman saying?

“Still, it looks like you’re not injured anywhere... Hmm?”

As she continued checking him over, her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the Stigma of Lyra on his chest. More specifically, the eight strokes etched next to it caught her eye.

“E-Eight? Oh-Jin, you reached eight stars?”

“Yup.”

“W-What!? Are you serious?! You literally just hit seven stars recently!”

Song Ha-Eun jumped up and down with joy as if it had happened to her. Her eyes sparkled like stars as she grabbed both his hands.

“Now you’re just one step away from nine stars!”

For Awakeners, reaching nine stars held special significance because it meant reconstructing the body and a power increase incomparable to anything before.

He was already taking down nine-star Awakeners as a seven-star. If he becomes a nine-star...

She gulped hard.

Just imagining it gave her chills.

“I just hit eight stars. Nine stars is still a ways off.”

“You always say that, but you advance all the time in the blink of an eye.”

“That’s...”

She wasn’t wrong. His growth had always been unnaturally fast.

“Anyway, what’s the situation like in the village?” he asked.

“This area is cleared for now, but I’m not sure about that side.” Song Ha-Eun pointed toward the opposite direction. That area led to a road connecting to another village.

If that side got breached, it’s not going to look pretty.

Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue as he looked toward the opposite end of the village.

If he had known the area better, he would’ve taken Song Ha-Eun and headed there first. Since this was his first time here, he prioritized defending the area with the most people.

Even so, I did what I could.

They couldn’t say that they had protected the village perfectly, but they had done more than enough. They weren’t the ones responsible or in charge of this place.

“Let’s head to the other side and take care of the stragglers,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Okay.”

Just as Kwon Oh-Jin and Song Ha-Eun prepared to head out to the other side of the village, Isabella came walking from the opposite end of the village.

“That side... is alright.”

Dark blood soaked her white dress. She stumbled with ragged breaths as if she would collapse at any moment.

“Isabella!” Kwon Oh-Jin rushed over and supported her.

She looked up at him with an exhausted smile. “Our family’s staff blocked off the road so they couldn’t get to the other villages.”

Her voice trembled, making her sound as if she would give out at any second.

Is this because of the curse?

She hadn’t seemed this bad earlier. Frowning, Kwon Oh-Jin helped her to a nearby bench and gently sat her down.

“What the hell were those monsters?” he asked.

Isabella shook her head and bit her lip. “I’m not sure. My family has always managed the gate strictly, so this shouldn’t have happened...”

Clutching the hem of her blood-stained dress, she looked down with a confused expression.

He debated whether he should tell her that someone had deliberately sent the Dragon Vein into a frenzy, but he decided against it.

Not yet.

He wouldn’t have a good answer if she asked about how he managed to suppress the Dragon Vein. Besides, he had something to confirm first.

“I’ll return to the villa for now. I need to speak with Uncle Guilford.”

Her eyes turned cold as she glanced toward the villa. Since Guilford was in charge of San Fruttuoso, it seemed like she intended to hold him accountable.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and gently picked her up in his arms.

“M-Mr. Oh-Jin?”

“I’ll take you there.”

He couldn’t let her go alone when the curse had weakened her so much that she could barely walk.

Isabella blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. “Ah... t-thank you.”

Song Ha-Eun rubbed her forehead, seemingly getting a headache from watching them.

“Ugh.”

She wanted to get in the way and pull them apart, but recalling how Isabella had been gasping for air just a moment ago made that impossible.

“Let’s go,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

Holding Isabella, he headed back to the villa. They walked through the roads littered with monster corpses. When they finally returned to the villa, Guilford came rushing toward Isabella with his thick belly jiggling.

“Are you alright, Lady Isabella?!”

She came down from Kwon Oh-Jin’s arms. When Guilford tried to support her, she coldly slapped away his hands.

“Can you explain all this?” she asked.

“T-That’s... I-I’m not sure either.”

“You don’t know? Aren’t you the one managing this place, Uncle?”

“Y-Yes, but...” Guilford stammered, not knowing what to say.

Fear and unease filled his eyes.

Isabella glared at him and deeply sighed. “Haaa. I’ll organize a disciplinary committee once everything is settled. Don’t even think about brushing this aside.”

“W-Wait, Lady Isabella!”

Ignoring his call, she walked into the villa.

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes at Guilford, then hurried after her in a panic.

Was it his doing?

As the person overseeing San Fruttuoso, it would’ve been easy for him to tamper with the Dragon’s Vein. However, he didn’t seem to have the guts. He couldn’t even meet Isabella’s eyes without trembling.

He has no reason to do such a thing.

Tampering with the Dragon Vein and letting monsters go berserk would only get him kicked out of the family. Why would he do that?

It has to be someone with both the authority and power to manage the Dragon Vein, but also someone who could avoid suspicion.

Only one person came to mind. His gaze shifted to Isabella. After all, she could freely access the Dragon Vein. Moreover, even if the rampaging Dragon Vein caused damage, she could simply blame Guilford.

No.

Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head. Just like Guilford, Isabella had no real motive to mess with the Dragon Vein.

Then, who and for what reason?

Just as he spiraled into his own thoughts, a helicopter approached the villa, creating strong gusts of wind that flipped their clothes inside out.

Tududududu!

Isabella frowned at the helicopter as it landed on the helipad near the garden.

“What the...?”

The helicopter door opened, and a middle-aged man with slicked-back platinum blond hair stepped out. Handsome and toned, he looked like a main character straight out of a film noir.

Paolo Colgrande, the current head of the Colgrande Family and Isabella’s father, had arrived. As he approached Isabella, he radiated an overwhelming charisma that made it hard to breathe while looking at him. However, it didn’t last long.

“Aaaah! My beloved baby girl! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

The very same man who had exuded that suffocating charisma just moments ago now bounded over like an overexcited puppy. He pulled Isabella into a rough hug.

“I heard what happened! You must’ve been through so much!”

He glanced down at her blood-soaked white dress. His face twisted into a grimace, and he turned to coldly glare at the trembling Guilford.

“To think you allowed my precious princess to get hurt... I suggest you prepare yourself for the worst.”

“I-I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

“Isn’t this disaster a direct result of your poor management?”

“T-That’s...” Guilford wilted like a deflated balloon and lowered his head.

Isabella smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, Father. This isn’t my blood.”

“Thank goodness!” Paolo loudly sobbed and pulled her even tighter into his embrace.

Father, huh.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes sparkled. He thought they looked somewhat alike, but he didn’t expect the man to be Isabella’s father.

From what Isabella said, it sounded like they had a bad relationship.

Seeing him rush over by a helicopter the moment he heard the news and fuss over her like this... didn’t exactly match that narrative. Even Isabella, smiling and reassuring him about the blood on her clothes, looked like a devoted daughter.

“You reek of sweat. Can you do it in moderation and get lost, Father?”

Or not...