“My mana itself... hasn't changed much,” Kwon Oh-Jin muttered.
Is it because the Dragon Vein’s mana has been restricted based on the Black Heaven’s enlightenment stage? It didn't disappear, though.
He could feel the violent torrent of mana rumble within, too massive for him to dare control even with his talent.
“Well, I’ll figure out how to control it later.”
For now, I need to prioritize finding Ha-Eun.
Closing his eyes, he activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici and focused.
“Ugh...” He frowned at the sharp, piercing pain in his head that accompanied countless scents flooding his nostrils. Eventually, he recognized the familiar scent that had always been by his side.
He moved forward, descending through the collapsed dungeon floor.
As he got closer, he noticed another warm, gentle scent reminiscent of a spring breeze. Then, he saw Isabella supporting an unconscious Song Ha-Eun.
“Mr. Oh-Jin? Y-You’re safe!”
She rushed over with a bright smile, but suddenly froze in place as she saw his right arm. Hastily treated with a potion, it hung limply like a soaked rag, and the shoulder area was drenched in blood from when the arm had been severed.
“Mr. Oh-Jin, your arm...”
“There was a bit of a tussle above.”
“Oh no!” She frantically sped toward him again, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked as if she would break down at any moment.
“I'm fine," he said calmly. "I already did some first-aid treatment.”
“Hold on a moment.” She raised her staff with a face full of concern, and a brilliant golden light radiated from its tip.
“O Celestial of Aries, bestow your healing light upon this young lamb,” she recited solemnly.
Kwon Oh-Jin couldn't help but chuckle on the inside, knowing her real identity, but he couldn't refute her actions.
As the golden light enveloped his limp arm, it became significantly easier to move. He lifted it slightly and gave it a small shake.
Isabella sighed deeply, placing a hand on her chest. “That's a relief.”
Then, she carefully reached out and touched his arm. More precisely, she began kneading his shoulder.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Her heated gaze fixated on his blood-soaked shoulder, and her breath grew ragged. “Haa... Haa... Gulp.”
Her pink tongue slowly ran over her red lips. She squirmed excitedly as she ran her fingers over the bloodied area preciously.
What the hell? She’s scaring the fuck out of me.
Isabella suddenly jolted in shock and looked up.
“Oh...! I-I’m so sorry! I was just checking to see if it healed well.”
“Ah, okay,” he replied. Deep down, he knew he'd witnessed something more than just that.
But I’ll let it slide.
“How’s Ha-Eun?” he asked.
Isabella glanced back at Song Ha-Eun, whom she'd been nursing. “She’s safe.”
Kwon Oh-Jin confirmed that there wasn't a single scratch on her.
With a shimmer of floating silver dust, Vega peeked her head out from Song Ha-Eun’s pocket. “Did I not tell you to trust me?”
He looked at Vega’s exhausted face, a likely result of having exerted herself while protecting Song Ha-Eun.
“Think nothing of it. I merely did what was expected. But... where is the dragon’s heart?”
Vega scanned him as if absolutely certain he was the one who had retrieved the dragon’s heart and cleared the dungeon.
He bitterly shook his head. “I lost it.”
“W-What? You mean... it wasn't you?”
“Yeah,” he replied grimly.
Vega’s face twisted in shock.
Isabella asked him, “What happened in there?”
“The Black Star Society was here.”
He briefly explained the fight with the Night Hunters and his encounter with Cheon Do-Yoon.
“Th-The Black Star Society, as in the group that recently carried out that terrorist attack in Korea?" Isabella stammered. "But it was said on the news that they were all captured...”
Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head as he looked at Isabella, who put on a fear-stricken act and pretended to be oblivious.
“Their leader still hasn’t been caught yet,” he clarified.
“Well, either way, I’m sorry. You came all this way for nothing.”
“No, I’m just relieved that you’re safe, Mr. Oh-Jin.” She pulled out a communication orb from her pocket. “We don’t know when they might show up again, so I’ll call for the helicopter right away.”
The helicopter arrived quickly, perhaps having been on standby nearby.
Kwon Oh-Jin carried Song Ha-Eun into the helicopter.
“I’ll have the payment for this mission sent to your account soon, Mr. Oh-Jin,” Isabella conveyed.
“But I didn’t even clear the dungeon.”
“Hehe. You still came all this way. It’s only right that I compensate you.”
If she was offering, there was no reason to refuse. He replied, “Alright.”
“This mission didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to... but would it be okay if I requested your help again in the future?”
She's impossible to read, but if her strange obsession with me is genuine, I can use it to my advantage. She was pretty helpful this time, too.
His proud deception skills only worked when there was a foundation, after all. The only reason Cheon Do-Yoon had backed off was because he'd already gained intel that Isabella was interested in Kwon Oh-Jin.
After they landed back in Seoul, Isabella waved goodbye first.
“I’ll contact you again, Mr. Oh-Jin,” she said before leaving.
Kwon Oh-Jin carried Song Ha-Eun on his back all the way home. After laying her down on the bed, he stepped outside the room.
Vega floated toward him and asked, “How did this happen? That organization you spoke of, the False Star Cult, isn't supposed to appear yet.”
“In the first timeline, they were supposed to target Baekdu Mountain months from now... but it was moved up.”
“It’s not just the time frame that has changed, is it?” she asked, hitting the nail on the head. It was the Black Star Society that acquired the Astral Relic this time.
“I’ve been thinking about that. I think the Black Star Society eventually changes its name to the False Star Cult.”
“They change their name?”
“Remember when I told you I didn’t know much about the Black Star Society?”
“Hmm. I recall you mentioning that you only had a vague idea of them,” she replied.
“What I remembered wasn’t the Black Star Society but the False Star Cult,” he divulged. This would now serve as an explanation for why he had no prior knowledge of the Black Star Society.
“Aha, so that’s how it is." Vega stroked her chin and nodded. "In your past life, you would’ve only just shed your rookie status as an Awakener by this point in time... It makes sense that you wouldn’t know about that group before it changed its name.”
Well, not that it makes much of a difference. I didn't actually know anything about either of those names.
He continued, “You remember when I mentioned an organization led by the Heavenly Demon? That’s the 'False Star Cult.'”
“But aren't they worshiping the Black Stars instead right now?”
“That's probably because the Heavenly Demon hasn’t appeared yet.”
“In that case...” Her eyes narrowed. Given all the clues she had gathered from him so far, there was only one logical conclusion. “The Heavenly Demon's emergence will be the turning point for the organization."
He wasn't certain about it, but he made her think that way so that the puzzle pieces would fit together.
The Heavenly Demon has to appear eventually, anyway.
To make sure that no one discovered that he wielded the Black Heaven, he had to frame someone else as the Heavenly Demon. That was the only way he could survive.
It’s not just about hiding it from Vega anymore.
His relationship with her had deepened enough now that she wouldn't immediately turn on him even if she found out about the Black Heaven. The problem, however, was the other Celestials. As long as they believed that the Black Heaven would consume all Celestials, he couldn't afford to get caught with it.
For that purpose, I need to play the role of a Regressor even more convincingly. How many will suspect that the Heaven-Defying Star, destined to save the world from the malicious Black Heaven, is its owner instead?
The more firmly he established himself as the Heaven-Defying Star, the more the Celestials would trust and rely on him.
“Then isn’t this a serious problem?" Vega asked somberly. "An invaluable Astral Relic has already fallen into the hands of those who will one day serve the Heavenly Demon...”
“I’ll take it back from them,” he replied. Despite his retreat from the scene, there was no way he would let Cheon Do-Yoon keep the dragon’s heart that easily.
“Do you have a plan?”
If Cheon Do-Yoon had bested even Lee Woo-Hyuk, Kwon Oh-Jin didn't possibly stand a chance at retrieving the dragon’s heart. But if a way didn’t exist, he would simply create one. Whether it meant using Isabella or becoming strong enough to defeat Cheon Do-Yoon himself.
Vega sighed. “The future is already starting to change. I can’t tell if I should be happy or not.”
“The future I knew will only continue to shift further from here on out,” he asserted. It was even better for him since he hadn’t known the future to begin with. He now had one more convenient excuse to use whenever unexpected variables arose.
“But that means you might end up facing unforeseen—”
“Don’t worry. I came back to change the future in the first place, didn’t I?” He smiled brightly, meeting her concerned gaze. “This time, I’ll make sure it’s a future where you can smile in peace.”
“My child...” She blushed slightly as she perched herself on his shoulder. “Still, be careful. Who knows what those wicked ones plan to do with the dragon’s heart?”
“I know,” he answered. He had already decided to lie low for the time being.
“Then, I shall take my leave. I used too much of my powers this time, and the restrictions are growing severe.”
“Alright. See you later.”
With that, Vega disappeared into the pendant.
“Haa.” He turned around and went back into the bedroom, where he gazed down at Song Ha-Eun. He gently removed her damaged prosthetic leg.
I’ll have to order a new one.
He pulled the blanket over her as if covering the empty space where her right leg should be.
A woman's voice echoed from a tablet bearing the mark of a serpent.
—Oh? So the Leech Queen has found herself a man?
“Yes. He’s someone called the Thunder Wolf,” Cheon Do-Yoon said.
—Ah, I’ve heard of him. But still, a man... for that bloodthirsty witch? It’s hard to believe.
The woman's faint, amused chuckle slipped out from the tablet, which glowed an eerie black.
—Well, in any case, congratulations. I was concerned when I heard the Leech Queen was heading your way, but you seem to have safely secured the dragon’s heart.
Her voice carried a mad, almost fanatical edge to it.
Cheon Do-Yoon laughed heartily, bowing deeply toward the tablet. “This is all thanks to you, Your Majesty of Serpens, for guiding my path.”
—Oh, not at all. I merely relayed the words of the Heavenly Demon.
“How is he doing these—”
Her voice instantly turned ice cold.
Cheon Do-Yoon flinched. His shoulders trembled violently as he said, “M-My apologies, Your Majesty of Serpens.”
The woman chuckled again.
—Everyone makes mistakes. I trust you’ll retrieve the other relic just as well.
“I’ve already confirmed its location.”
—Oh? That’s reassuring.
Her voice regained its eerie warmth.
—Then I’ll be waiting for your call, Mr. Do-Yoon.
The glowing tablet shattered into countless fragments.
Cheon Do-Yoon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stood up.
His lips curled into a smirk as he gazed down at the blue orb in his hand.
“Now that I have the heart...”
He reached for the picture resting on the table before him. On it was the square print of a striking woman with reddish-brown hair.
“It’s time to claim the eyes.”
His chilling laughter echoed through the room.