Kwon Oh-Jin paused to catch his breath, letting the relentless rain drench him.
He glanced down at Jang Seok-Ho’s lifeless body and deactivated Transformation. In an instant, the arm that had shrunk to the size of a small child’s hand returned to its original form.
Perhaps due to his internal injuries, his right arm trembled—thin and fragile, like a leaf in the wind.
“I can’t even make a proper fist,” he muttered. Even though all his wounds had healed, a sharp pain still lingered.
Guess it’s not an invincible skill after all.
Nonetheless, considering he could have easily died instead, Water Affinity wasn't too bad of a skill. It had far more potential than he'd imagined.
Now that I've seen what a composite skill can do, I've got all the more reason to collect more Stigmas. It's reached max level, too.
Although it was unfortunate the skill had no further room for growth, he didn’t have to worry about leveling it up more.
“Well then, I should get—agh!”
A sharp, burning pain suddenly rocked him—this time not in his arm but in his chest.
It's on the left... Don't tell me...?
Kwon Oh-Jin pulled up his tattered clothes and inspected his chest. “No way.”
Next to the Stigma of Lyra, five strokes flared brightly.
“If my goddess sees this, she’ll probably freak out again.”
It had only been a little over two months since he became a four-star in his fight with Riarc. A lot had happened since then, but it was still unbelievable that he had already ascended.
A five-star Awakener was generally seen as mid-tier, enjoying decent treatment wherever they went.
Though, that only applies to trivial Stigmas.
The stronger the Stigma, the tougher it was to raise its star level. For the apostles of the twelve Zodiacs, reaching five stars qualified them for a guild executive position.
As for me, an apostle of the North Star, I’d probably be able to take up a guild master position now.
He muttered, “Well... I still have a long way to go.”
Kwon Oh-Jin had achieved more than enough to live a life of luxury, but it was far from enough for the future he wanted. He looked down at Jang Seok-Ho’s corpse, clenching and unclenching his fist.
I need to become stronger. Strong enough that no one can dare take what's mine. Strong enough to live with dignity instead of having to lie just to get by.
“For that to happen, I need to devour everything,” he said, extended his arm toward Ashad Khan's corpse.
Black clouds flowed from his fingertips and engulfed the Stigma of Owl Nebula on Ashad Khan's chest.
A torrent of mana surged into Kwon Oh-Jin through the clouds. He smirked as he counted the strokes engraved on Ashad Khan’s chest.
Was he a seven-star Awakener?
He had heard that the difference between each level grew enormous with each additional star, and now he could feel it himself.
The quality of mana is on a whole 'nother level. If this is a seven-star, then what's an eight-star like? How about a nine-star in the realm of "high-ranked Awakeners"?
Just the thought made his mouth water. It must be incredible... but that’s not something to ponder now.
He had barely managed to defeat a seven-star Awakener—nearly destroying himself in the process. This was hardly the time to dream of eight or nine-star Awakeners.
“Though... this guy did seem to be on the stronger side of his realm,” Kwon Oh-Jin mused. Ashad Khan had also been in a blessed state during the battle. In truth, Kwon Oh-Jin could very well have just fought and bested an average eight-star Awakener.
A four-star beating an eight-star, huh?
Kwon Oh-Jin let out a small, dismissive laugh.
“Pfft. This isn’t even something I can brag about.”
He knew that anyone he told would likely cuss him out and call it nonsense.
Meanwhile, the energy of the Black Heaven slithered back into him, sated with its feast—gurgle, gurgle—when, without warning, a sharp pain shot through his head as if it were being scorched.
“Argh!” he cried, as unfamiliar images flashed before his eyes.
“Hmm. Are you saying the Thunder Wolf is on good terms with the Valhalla Guild?”
“Yes. Lee Woo-Hyuk would surely ask the Thunder Wolf for help.”
It was a memory from a phone conversation.
Kwon Oh-Jin furrowed his brow.He realized what flowed into his mind wasn’t Lee Shin-Hyuk’s recollection—it was Ashad Khan’s.
“Just when we thought we destroyed all those on the association chairman’s lineup, that guy suddenly appeared. On top of that, Han Jun-Man’s been running around causing a stir lately... We considered just keeping an eye on the apostle of the North Star, but I think it’s better to deal with him as soon as we can.”
Kwon Oh-Jin's mind reeled as he played back the words said.
The association chairman’s lineup? Han Jun-Man? What the hell is this? He frowned. Are there factions within the association?
If so, perhaps one of those factions was the Black Star Society.
That would explain how my relationship with the Valhalla Guild was exposed.
The puzzle pieces had finally begun to fall into place.
Before he could dwell further on these revelations, more memories flooded into him.
“Understood, King’s Proxy. I will eliminate him as per your command.”
Then another voice burst in with mocking laughter.
“Hahaha! There really are few people as reliable as you, Ashad. You're nothing like Yoo-Jin.”
“Please don’t compare me to that fool.” Ashad Khan smirked as he continued. “By the way... what’s the situation in Italy?”
“Ah, are you asking about the Leech Queen?” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded fed up. “Don’t get me started on her. That crazy bitch has been running rampant. Word about her has even reached the Demonic District.”
“Is there really nothing that can be done?”
“She might be fucking insane, but she's still the third-ranked Executor. Taking direct action against her is difficult.”
“Well, we’ve prepared a countermeasure.”
“Haha. Poison should be dealt with poison.”
Kwon Oh-Jin’s distorted vision snapped back to normal.
A series of blue message windows appeared before his eyes.
[Some of Awakener Ashad Khan’s records have been inherited.]
[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Black Feather Armor Lv3.]
[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Black Feather Explosion Lv5.]
[The influence of the Stigma of Lyra has modified the acquired skills.]
[Black Feather Armor Lv3 has been changed to Lightning Feather Armor Lv3.]
[Black Feather Explosion Lv5 has been changed to Lightning Feather Explosion Lv5.]
“... So the skills automatically adapt to fit my Stigma, huh.”
Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes as he carefully read through the messages. Now that I think about it, it never said I could only inherit Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories.
This time, it was Ashad Khan’s memories. “There's quite a lot of information here.”
He decided to set aside the situation in Italy with the third-ranked Executor, the Leech Queen. The fact that the Black Star Society had infiltrated the association was something he couldn’t ignore.
I should discuss this with Jun-Man for starters.
Since his name had been mentioned in the memories, there was a good chance he knew something.
“Now then, I guess that’s the end of—”
A mass of black clouds erupted from Kwon Oh-Jin's chest like a blooming flower, only to gradually recede back inside.
“Or maybe not.” He scoffed.
[All the conditions for the Black Heaven’s fourth enlightenment have been met!]
[The Black Heaven is undergoing its fourth enlightenment!]
After becoming a five-star, he had also triggered the Black Heaven’s fourth enlightenment.
The fight might have been brutal, but at least I gained a lot from it. Not that I want to go through it again.
[A quest has been activated due to the fourth enlightenment!]
[Quest - The Star-Devouring Sky Demon]
Objective: Absorb Starstones to open up the Black Heaven. (Current progress: 0%)
Reward: Obtain a random Ancient Constellation.
Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head as he stared at the quest window before him.
An Ancient Constellation? He had never heard of the term before. Hmm... I’ll have to ask Vega about this.
This wasn’t something he could figure out on his own at present.
“The fourth enlightenment...”
Kwon Oh-Jin released some mana and conjured lightning.
The lightning bloomed a deeper, more intense blue.
Just as I thought, the Stigma of Lyra grows exponentially stronger with each enlightenment stage.If I keep climbing my way up... I can’t even imagine how strong I’ll get, he thought, grinning from ear to ear.
“But now...” He furrowed his brow as he waited for a moment, but nothing else seemed to happen.
Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories, which would have been the most crucial reward, did not flow into his mind. As he looked around, puzzled, a new message appeared.
[The records of Awakener Ashad Khan and the records of Awakener Lee Shin-Hyuk have conflicted, resulting in the partial loss of Lee Shin-Hyuk’s records.]
[The Black Heaven will automatically restore the records required for inheritance.]
[The inheritance will progress in stages according to restoration progress.]
The simultaneous inheritance of two different memories had caused an undesirable clash.
Well... it says they’ll be restored automatically, so I guess it doesn't matter.
It would have been an issue if they were lost forever, but there was no cause for concern if they could be recovered.
“I should head back.” Clearing the messages from his vision, Kwon Oh-Jin began to move. But before he could take a single proper step, he collapsed to the ground.
Damn it. Am I in such bad shape that I can't even walk? he mused. Well, Water Affinity does only heal external injuries.
Though he couldn’t see it, he was certain his insides were a complete mess. With a bitter smile, he forced what little strength he had into his trembling legs. “Let’s go.”
Before turning away, he cast one last glance at Jang Seok-Ho’s lifeless body.
The steady pitter-patter of rain filled the somber silence.
Kwon Oh-Jin then began to walk away.
Barely managing to open the front door, Kwon Oh-Jin staggered into his house. A familiar voice rang out.
Despite his exhaustion, a faint smile crept onto his lips as Song Ha-Eun shouted, “Where the fuck did you go without a word—”
But the moment she saw him, her expression hardened. “W-What happened to you?”
Clad in soaked clothes, he closed the gap between them and gently pressed his palm to her cheek. It was warm, unlike Jang Seok-Ho’s cold, lifeless hand.
“Oh-Jin...?” Song Ha-Eun's reddish-brown eyes gazed up at him.
A wave of indescribable relief washed over him. Clutching her tightly, he collapsed onto the floor right in front of the door.
“Ahh! W-What the...?!” she cried, startled.
“Just... for a bit,” he murmured. He wasn’t asking for anything grand. “Let’s stay just for a bit.”
He only wished for this warmth he felt in his arms to not be washed away by the relentless rain.
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