Chapter 229: The Council of the Seven Stars (5)
I'm Not a Regressor
Chapter 229: The Council of the Seven Stars (5)
"Haha... I didn't realize you two were in a relationship. Sorry to bother you." Namgung Hui smiled and nervously scratched his neck to the point where the skin reddened. He glared at Ohjin and just barely managed to stay composed enough to say, "I hope you both enjoy the party."
After that, he left in a hurry and returned to his seat, but he occasionally stole glances back at Ha-eun, who sat firmly on Ohjin's lap.
Crack—
Hui violently gritted his teeth.
Ohjin smiled and put his arm around Ha-eun's waist. "He must have a crush on you."
"Fufu. I am a great beauty, after all," she proudly said while flicking her ponytail.
Ha-eun burst out laughing and tightened her arms around Ohjin's neck. "Aren't my clothes pretty?"
"They're a bit revealing..."
"Doesn't that only make them better?"
"It's best if I'm the only one who sees so much of you." He took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders.
She wrapped the coat around herself and let off a bashful laugh before leaning in close to his ear and whispering, "Okay. I'll save it just for you."
"..." He knew how cringey the line was, so why did he smile so much?
She giggled and stoked his head before frowning down at the empty table. "Did you seriously eat it all?"
"Of course not." He held out the food he'd been hiding from her, still warm due to the temperature being maintained through faint electromagnetic waves.
"When did you learn this skill?" she asked, removing herself from his lap and sitting next to him. "Cut it for me~"
"No, eat it on your own."
"Huh. Won't you listen to me?" She opened her mouth like a baby bird waiting for food.
Ohjin laughed, cut the steak, and placed it in her waiting mouth.
"Hehe. It's good."
"Eat slowly."
Ha-eun embraced his arm and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder like a cat.
"..." General Manager Han held back his tears with a deep sigh. "I'm sad, really sad... yeah, it's a sin to be single at this age. A sin."
It was a particularly lonely night for him.
* * *
The next day...
After breakfast, Ohjin met with Han and asked him about the day's schedule. "So I have to go to the conference room on the fiftieth floor by 12:30?"
"Yes, that's what I was told." Han handed over the schedule he had taken from the management team.
Ohjin couldn't make heads or tails of it since it was written in Chinese. "Did you learn Chinese, Manager Han?"
"Yes, you can translate with relics, but you can't read or write. Other than Chinese, I also know a little English, Japanese, and Russian."
"Oh." Ohjin gave him a surprised look. The man had such massive muscles that his shirt looked like it would burst at any moment, his skin was a healthy copper color, and his face somewhat resembled a gorilla's—he looked as far away from the intelligent type as one could get, but he knew more than five languages.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, it's nothing."
"Hmm, I might look like this, but I'm also an elite player, you know!"
"Haha. I know."
Of course, General Manager Han reached his position in his mid-30s and had the Association president's full trust. When he thought about it, Han was an elite among elites.
"Oh, and I reached 7-Star," Manager Han proudly said while pounding the left side of his chest.
"Oh, congratulations, General Manager Han."
"...It feels a little strange to hear congratulations from you." Han sighed and recalled the first time he'd met Ohjin. "You were only a 2-Star back then, but now you're an 8-Star while I'm just a 7-Star."
"What...?"
"I know. Your case is far from the norm." Honestly, Ohjin's growth was unbelievable, even though he'd seen it firsthand.
Ohjin gave a wry smile and nodded. 'Thinking about it this way, it doesn't make sense.' He could understand why the other candidates were giving him jealous looks.
"Other than the Star of Celestial Shining Pearl, no one has ever grown as fast as you." Han shook his head and took the schedule back from Ohjin, who turned his head and checked the electronic clock on the wall.
It was 11:23, which meant he had almost an hour until the gathering. "Do you know anything about the other contestants?" he asked.
"Well... First of all, I know who people consider to be the leading candidates." Han continued by showing Ohjin pictures of the candidates on his smartphone. "Here we have Namgung Hui, who came out as a representative yesterday. Just as his 'Wind God' title implies, he is famous for his perfect control over wind."
"They have the same stigma, but his fighting style is quite different from Woohyuk's." Ohjin was certain Lee Woohyuk used a sword.
"Well, the stigma of Leo's main ability is wind control and doesn't have anything to do with the sword," Han explained. Even if Awakeners had the same stigma, there were differences in how they used it.
"The next most promising candidate is nicknamed 'Iron Fist'. Jason Hardy from the United States. He hasn't reached 10-Star like Hui, but he's considerably talented among 9-Star Awakeners."
"Is Namgung Hui the only 10-Star?" Ohjin asked.
"Yes." Han continued with a nod. "There are very few people who are 10-Star or higher... Even if there are a few, most of them are reluctant to apply to the Seven Stars."
* * *
Translator - Rainypup
Proofreader - ilafy
* * *
"I suppose those who have reached such a level don't have much to gain by joining the Seven Stars." Joining the Seven Stars afforded them power and honor, but there were certain restrictions on their behavior in return. Naturally, high-ranking Awakeners were hesitant to restrict themselves in such a way just so the rest of humanity could cling to them for hope.
'Even I was going to decline at first.' He wouldn't have even thought of joining if it weren't for the dragon veins and the possibility of upgrading Black Heaven. 'Does that mean there are Awakeners who are equal to the Seven Stars?' Since such Awakeners were reluctant to show themselves to begin with, there wasn't much information about them.
"In addition to Jason Hardy, there's also Orlando Bale. He's from England and is known as the greatest archer of Sagittarius."
"As expected," Ohjin said, "there are leading candidates from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom."
"Well... that can't be helped." Han nodded with a wry smile.
China had the largest number of Awakeners, the United States had the largest number of high-ranking Awakeners, and the United Kingdom had the largest number of Seven Stars, including the Star of the Opening Heat, Allen Oscal; the Star of Celestial Shining Pearl, Rebecca Bell; and the Star of Jade Sighting Tube, Biance Bennett.
Of course, while many high-ranking Awakaners lacked a strong enough sense of patriotism to join the Seven Stars, many didn't want to see the country of their birth ruined by monsters, so a country's power rose with how many high-ranking Awakeners it had.
'Safety is a sign of national power in a world where monsters run wild, after all.'
"I'll have to wait until the start of the competition to know exactly how good they are," Ohjin said.
"I believe you have enough ability to join the Seven Stars," General Manager Han sincerely said.
Ohjin smirked. "I have to." If he failed to join, there was no way to step into the Milky Way Spring. "It's almost time."
"Oh, yes. Have a safe trip."
Ohjin said goodbye to Manager Han and went up to the fiftieth floor.
'Is it over there?' When he tried to enter the conference room after looking at the map on the wall...
"You are not allowed in at this time." A large man approached and blocked the entrance.
"...I can't enter?" Ohjin asked.
"The meeting started at noon. We can't allow you to enter in the middle of the meeting."
What was he talking about? "I was informed the meeting would start at 12:30."
"There must have been a mistake. The meeting started at noon." The man, who had a sturdy frame and square jaw, shook his head with a determined look.
"..." Ohjin continued to think about what kind of shitty situation it was when the pattern of the Shanghai Tower embroidered on the bodyguard's suit caught his eye.
"Wei, was it? Are you working for him?"
"Mr. Wei is the sponsor who made the biggest contribution to making sure that the Council of the Seven Stars could proceed smoothly."
Oh. So that was what happened. 'So they gave me the wrong schedule from the start, is that it?' A disbelieving laugh left Ohjin's mouth. He didn't expect them to do such a cute thing after dissing him in front of so many people.
'This should also be Namgung Hui's doing.' He figured there was a connection between Namgung Hui and Mr. Wei, the sponsor of the Council of Seven Stars after the show with the fans.
"So you're not going to let me in now, right?" Ohjin asked. "Even though I'm a candidate?"
"I'm sorry. I'll send you separate notes on the meeting's contents later." The square-jawed man shook his head and gave Ohjin a wooden expression.
"Haa." Ohjin sighed deeply and swept his hair back. "Let's see..." He folded his fingers one by one. One, two, three... "Yes." No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like it had been over three times.
"What are you doi—"
"Exceed."
Kzzzt—!!
He wrapped his body in lightning and kicked the man blocking the door in the stomach.
"Keukk!" The man bounced back and smashed through the door before rolling into the conference room.
"Wh-what?"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"What is this all of a sudden...?"
Ohjin strolled through the smashed door and entered the noisy conference room.
There, he saw a long table with 28 seats. He walked to the empty seat and pulled the chair out. "This is my seat, right?"
A cold silence fell over the room.