Chapter 27: The night without the guilty (4)

Chapter 27: The night without the guilty (4)

Gulp, gulp—

A mint-scented liquid rode down his throat and started spreading across his body.

The refreshing feeling lingered inside his mouth.

A few moments later, the radiating pain in his body started to rapidly diminish.

"Ugh."

"Are you awake, Awakener Ohjin?!"

What came into his field of view the moment his eyes opened—

'...Gorilla?'

—was the figure of the gorilla, no, Team Leader Han.

"Team Leader Joonman...?"

"Phew. It's a relief you came back to your senses."

"Where is this?"

"We are in the location where you and the culprit fought. We have called the emergency team, so we'll be able to escort you to the hospital soon."

"...No."

"What?"

"I'm alright," Ohjin wobbled as he got on his feet.

Although the wounds stung—as they weren't entirely healed by the potion—he couldn't rest easy yet.

'There's something left that I still have to do.'

And it was the most important task at that.

"P-Please, take more time to recover!"

"I'm really okay, Team Leader."

"Hmm," Team Leader Han murmured to himself with a troubled expression.

Ohjin passed by him and headed to the place where Yujin's corpse was.

"..."

In that location, he could see Lee Woohyuk looking down at Yujin with a cold expression.

Lee Woohyuk's sight turned towards him as he scuffed his feet.

"Are you... Awakener Ohjin?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Did this person perhaps... say anything before he died?" asked Lee Woohyuk as he bit on his lips with a nervous expression.

Ohjin could see his clenched fist shaking.

Having that kind of reaction was natural, as he wouldn't have been able to find Lee Shinhyuk no matter how hard he searched the observatory's surroundings.

The last remaining hope for him was the testimony of the one that had ended Yujin's life.

"No, he didn't say anything."

"...Ah."

Lee Woohyuk's expression was dyed in despair.

With this, any method of finding Lee Shinhyuk's whereabouts had disappeared.

"However..."

Ohjin headed towards a place located a little away from where the combat took place.

In that place was the 'final twist' he had prepared in advance before fighting with Yujin.

The end of the play.

A twist that would solve all questions and foreshadows in one go.

"The culprit that escaped was heading towards that direction," said Ohjin as he pointed towards a small cave hidden between the bushes.

"T-Thank you!"

A rope of faith appeared in front of Lee Woohyuk.

Quickly turning his body, he sprinted into the cave.

Inside the cave—

"—Ah"

—was a corpse shredded to the point of unrecognizability.

A stinging odor wafted out of the corpse that had already started to decay

"Ah, no."

Lee Woohyuk got down on his knees on the spot.

"Noooooooooo!!!!"

Clutching the corpse shred to unrecognizability, he wailed.

"Brother, brother, brot...!"

From the beginning...

Lee Shinhyuk hadn't been kidnapped, but murdered by those beings.

Thrown aside after being used as the bait for reeling him in.

Miserably.

Disastrously.

Left rotting in this place.

"Ah, ahh. Uuuuaaaaah!!!!"

The Black Lion's roar echoed throughout the small cave.

'...Damn.'

Ohjin furrowed his brow while looking at Lee Woohyuk's mourning.

He had predicted the outcome.

It was the outcome of what he had intended and induced.

However—

'Why do I feel so uncomfortable.'

The sense of guilt drove him crazy.

He could feel the pain of knives digging into his chest as he watched Woohyuk mourn.

'Even though the victim is me, if you look at it objectively...'

Lee Shinhyuk's death had no relation with him.

He regressed on his own, and died on his own.

Rather, before he had regressed, Lee Shinhyuk had pushed him towards the Ant-horn herd and tried to escape on his own.

'Well... I have no plans on making pathetic excuses.'

Even if he wasn't related to Lee Shinhyuk's death, the fact he used his death to his advantage was the truth.

It was an action that deserved to be criticized from an ethical standpoint.

However—

'So what? It's stupid for a scamming bastard to contemplate whether this or that is ethical.'

—He would use what was needed.

Whether it was the North Star's celestial, or a brother who had lost his sibling.

If he could achieve his goal, he would take advantage to the best of his abilities.

'That's how I've lived, and that's how I've survived.'

"...Awakener Ohjin."

Team Leader Han, who was looking at the sobbing Lee Woohyuk next to him, grabbed Ohjin's shoulder.

He opened his mouth while shaking his head.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

There was nothing they could do by remaining on that spot anyways.

"The emergency team will arrive soon."

"No, I'll walk down by myself."

Ohjin shook his head while heading down the mountain.

The wounds that weren't completely healed throbbed with pain, but he was somewhat in the mood to walk.

"But."

"Haha. It's alright."

Putting Team Leader Han behind him, he followed the mountain road down.

He turned his head up to look up at the sky.

"Fuu."

A gloomy dawn sky.

The night without the guilty was coming to an end.

* * *

One week later.

"The Valhalla guild called me?"

[Yes, that's right.]

Ohjin swept up his sweat-drenched hair while receiving the call of Team Leader Han in the late morning

'Is it about the rewards? Is there really a reason to call me all the way to the guild if that's the case?'

Tilting his head, he contemplated for a moment.

"I understand. I'll give them a visit."

[I'll send you the Valhalla guild's location through text.]

"Alright."

After waiting for a moment, a message written with the Valhalla guild's location arrived.

'Let's wash up first.'

His entire body was drenched in sweat as he had been continuously training from dawn

Click—

He came down from the rooftop and opened the front door.

"Hm?"

With earphones plugged in, Ha-eun was listening to something while having the most serious expression in the world.

"What are you listening to?"

"Kyaaaaaa!! Fuck!"

'What's she so surprised about?'

"Bitch!! Y-You startled me."

"What were you listening to with such a serious expression?"

"Huh? U-Uhh."

Song Ha-eun stuttered with a panicked expression.

"M-Music. I was listening to music."

"Music?"

'Who listens to music with that kind of expression?'

"There's something like that!"

"Well... okay."

It was clear she was lying, but he didn't want to dig deep into it.

'She's still at that age after all.'

Being unable to see didn't mean desires would disappear, and he had heard things enjoyed with ears were starting to get popular.

"...I think you're thinking of something fucked up."

"Nope."

"Anyways, did you finish training already? You're always at the rooftop until afternoon nowadays."

"I have business to take care of outside."

"Where?'

"The Valhalla guild."

Ha-eun's mouth opened wide.

"Huh? Isn't the Valhalla the guild that's been really fucking famous these days?"

"You know what it is?"

"I listen to the news, you know."

Song Ha-eun shook the smartphone she was holding.

"You probably listen to stuff other than the news as well."

"Do you seriously want to die?"

"Hahaha! Sorry. Then I'll go get myself ready."

Ohjin stopped making fun of her and went inside the bathroom.

Click—

Silence settled down in the room.

A forlorn feeling lingered on Ha-eun's faded eyes.

Beep—

The smartphone's screen turned on as she clicked the button.

[Star relics scheduled at Yongsan Auction for December.]

[Dragon's Cursed Eye, Purchase.]

After closing the video she searched up with awkward typing, she buried her face into the legs she was hugging.

"...Haa."

The sound of a deep sigh rang out in the room set in silence.

* * *

After finishing in the shower, Ohjin headed towards the Valhalla guild located near Seoul Station.

"You are Awakener Ohjin, correct?"

Standing in front of the building was a woman wearing glasses that gave off a neat impression.

A beauty that suited a tightly fit black suit with high heels.

'Was her name Kim Sunyoung?'

He wasn't entirely sure of when, but she was the woman who would steal Lee Woohyuk's heart in the future.

"Yes."

"Follow me."

He followed Kim Sunyoung into the Valhalla guild building.

The building wasn't large—as expected from a guild made up of a small number of elites, but it did radiate a strong feeling of luxury, starting from the entrance.

Knock, knock—

"Come in."

A cold voice could be heard through the door.

Creak—

A room filled with documents.

The room was filled with simple furniture unlike what you would expect from the room of a guild leader whose worth was constantly on the rise.

"Nice to meet you, Awakener Ohjin."

"Yes.

"I apologize for being unable to give my proper greetings last time."

"Well...the situation was like that after all."

"..."

Lee Woohyuk clenched his fists with his mouth tightly shut.

Frightening killing intent filled the room.

"Guild Leader." Kim Sunyoung hurriedly called out to him.

Lee Woohyuk's body slightly trembled.

"...Forgive me."

"No, I completely understand."

'He wouldn't be able to calm all his emotions in just a week.'

"Fuu." Lee Woohyuk dropped his head while taking in deep breaths.

"The reason we've called you is... First of all, in order to convey our thanks in the matter."

"Convey your thanks?"

"Yes. Since we could have lost the enemy that killed my brother without you."

'As expected, he called in regard for the rewards.'

"I heard you were severely injured back then... Are your injuries alright now?"

"Yes, I'm doing fine."

As it was only a presentation to appeal to the fact that he had gone through a lot of trouble, there weren't any injuries that would have a lasting effect.

"That's a relief. Well then..."

Lee Woohyuk turned his head and looked towards the direction of Kim Sunyoung who was pulling in a hefty trunk.

"This is?"

"This is the $3,000,000 the kidnappers demanded."

"...!" Ohjin's eyes opened wide.

'No way.'

'No way, no way, no way.'

'NoWayNoWayNoWayNoWayNoWayNoWay!!!'

"As compensation for catching Yujin, we will give this to you."

"..."

Shiver—

He desperately suppressed his body from convulsing.

'Holy shit.'

$3,000,000.

Goosebumps spread across his body.

'But this... doesn't make sense. Even if I caught an escaping kidnapper, does giving $3,000,000 as compensation make sense?'

Ohjin narrowed his eyes.

"I think this is a little excessive for compensation."

"I won't deny it."

"...So you have a separate reason."

Lee Shinhyuk nodded while his eyes coldly shined.

"I have heard that Awakener Ohjin is a North Star's apostle... is that the truth"

'Did Team Leader Han Joonman tell them?'

Well, there was a high chance that he had heard about it since they were in a close relationship with the Association.

"Yes, that's right."

"And I've also heard that you have been attacked by the Black Star Organization not too long ago."

"Ah."

'So that's what's happening. I wondered why he was giving $3M all of a sudden.'

Ohjin's mouth perked up.

"So you were trying to ask me for information about the Black Star Organization."

It seemed the starving hound wasn't satisfied with Yujin's death alone.

"I wouldn't do this if I was only going to ask for information."

"Then?"

"The Valhalla guild plans on finding and pulling out the roots of the Black Star Organization from now on. We would like Awakener Ohjin who is a North Star's apostle to help in this matter."

"Very well." Ohjin nodded without a second of hesitation.

'Jackpot.'

He was already planning on eliminating the Black Star Organization one day, there was no reason to refuse when the reliable Lee Woohyuk was offering his help.

'And receiving $3,000,000 on top of that...'

No matter how he thought about it, nothing except the word 'jackpot' could come to mind.

"So... is there perhaps any information you know about the Black Star Organization?"

"I do." He rummaged through his pockets while smiling.

He held forward a piece of paper.

An ice-cold killing intent poured out of Lee Woohyuk who had received the piece of paper.

"It's the contacts of one of the Black Star Organization's executives."

'Go, Lee Woohyuk.'

"The name... yes—"

'Go and tear them up.'

'Chew them up to death's door.'

"—Arshad Khan, was the name."

'My loyal hound.'