Chapter 24: The Night Without the Guilty (1)
“This… is all of the information I know about Yujin.”
Ohjin drew a sketch of Yujin and held it out towards Team Leader Han.
It wasn’t all that hard for him to draw a sketch, as he was quite confident in handicraft.
“Thank you. I’ll directly pass this on to the Valhalla guild.”
Team Leader Han took the sketch and let out a short breath.
“Anyhow, what an amazing coincidence. The Valhalla guild is urgently searching for the Awakener that got into a dispute with you.”
“Have you heard the reason they’re looking for him?”
“No. I couldn’t hear the reason.”
‘Did they hide the fact that Lee Shinhyuk was kidnapped? Well, it would be something difficult to speak about, even if they are in a partnership.’
“Ah, right.”
Clap—
Team Leader Han clapped his hands.
“Other than this, another direct request for support has come in.”
“A support request?”
“Yes. They didn’t tell the exact circumstances, but… they said that they need the Association’s assistance in besieging the entirety of Mt.Baekunsan.”
Besiege.
‘They’re planning on taking this seriously.’
Lee Woohyuk’s power in taking action was more exceptional than he expected.
“Although there’s no obligational duty for you to participate…”
“I’ll participate,” he answered without hesitation.
In order to mediate the situation, he needed to go to Mt.Baekunsan personally anyways. Accepting the support request would give him a justifiable reason for going.
In addition…
‘If I do well, I can get a taste of those sweet rewards as well.’
* * *
In a dark basement,
Inside a somber room with fluttering dust, half-shut eyes shone with a terrifying light.
“…You still haven’t found him?”
A low sunken voice.
In front of a youth who gave off a gentle impression, the black-robed men prostrated deeply on the ground while their bodies shook.
“T-That is.”
“That is? It’s already been over a week… does being unable to find that one Awakener during this time make any sense?”
“W-We’ve searched for records of his evaluation test or guild, but we couldn’t confirm anything… ”
“So…”
Tutututu!!—
As the youth lightly waved his hands, black feathers split apart the darkness like bullets.
“Kuaaaaaaa!!!”
Arms and shoulders, thighs and calves.
The sharp feathers pierced through the black-robed figure’s limbs.
A horrifying shriek rang out.
“You still haven’t found him?”
“Ughk… hpf.”
The man whose arms and legs suddenly became a mess wriggled like a worm.
Step, step—
With light footsteps, Yujin approached the man.
Crunch!!—
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
He stomped on the man’s feather-pierced arm.
“P-Please!! Please forgive meeee!!”
“There’s something else you have to say other than just begging for forgiveness, isn’t there?”
“Lead!! We have found a lead!!”
“Hmm.”
Yujin’s half-shut eyes opened slightly.
“What kind of lead?”
“T-Three days ago, we thoroughly searched the surroundings of the area a missing member was investigating and retraced the nearby CCTV.”
“So?”
“We have confirmed that he exited a building only open to Association employees and headed towards Mok-dong.”
“O-ho. Then are you saying that he’s from the Association?”
Yujin licked his lips as if it was amusing.
“That’s… we aren’t sure if he’s from the Association.”
“…What?”
“After that, we remained dormant near the Association to confirm if he commuted, but he never appeared.”
“What about the possibilities of him being from a branch of the Association?”
“We have also confirmed that side.”
Scrunch—
Yujin’s expression roughly distorted.
‘He exited a building exclusive to Association employees when he isn’t from the Association?’
No matter how much of a negligible group the Association was, it wasn’t easy to go in and out of employee exclusive buildings.
‘…Just who is that bastard?’
He recalled the face of the youth that offered a trade with a kind impression.
He felt an ominous, unpleasant feeling back then as if something with sticky viscosity was clinging onto his body.
“Fuu. Continue investigating for now.”
“Yes, sir!!”
Yujin placed his hand on his forehead as if his head was burning up
He looked down onto the 50 subordinates prostrating under his feet.
‘It’s not enough.’
He had no plans on being satisfied with his position of low-rank Templar.
Someday, he planned to pass by mid-rank, high-rank, up and onwards towards the position of Executor.
‘I’ll go up.’
Intense ambition surged up.
In order for that to happen—
‘I need to find him and receive the real Black Star’s relic.’
King of Owls Cheon Doyoon was a cold-blooded man who wouldn’t tolerate mistakes.
The reason he wasn’t immediately executed on the spot was simply because he was giving Yujin an opportunity to make up for his mistake.
If he couldn’t find the real star relic in a short frame of time, he would become a cold corpse by Cheon Doyoon’s hands.
“Sir Yujin.”
“What is it?”
“What about… requesting assistance from Sir Arshad?”
“…What?”
Arshad Khan.
As a Templar from India, he was someone who joined at the same time—and his superior.
Although they became apostles of the Owl Nebula at the same day and time, he had already been promoted to a mid-rank Templar while Yujin still remained as a low-rank.
Certainly…
It would be much easier to find him if Arshad, who possessed two times the number of subordinates Yujin did, assisted, but—
Bang!—
“Don’t speak of nonsense.”
Yujin fiercely opened his half-shut eyes and said with a low voice.
“F-Forgive me!”
The subordinate quickly bowed his head and stepped back.
“Tch.”
Yujin clicked his tongue as if he thought it was pathetic and soon turned his body.
“Three days. I’ll give you exactly three days.”
Unfolding three of his fingers, he continued.
“In three days… bring that son of a bitch in front of me. Do you all understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
The loud voices resonated through the basement.
* * *
And then—
“Sir Yujin!”
One subordinate, who was keeping watch on the first floor, urgently came down.
“What’s the matter?”
“A single strange person is headed in this direction.”
“…What?” Yujin furrowed his brow.
Confirming the time on his smartphone, he could see that it was already past 8pm.
‘There’s a person climbing the mountains at this time?’
Even if Korea was known for being safe from monsters to some degree, it most definitely wasn’t to the extent of being able to walk around the mountains alone this late in the afternoon.
If it’s a person that runs around the mountains alone at this time—
“Is it a gatherer?”
After gates had opened, their power influenced even the Earth’s ecosystem.
Starting from plants and animals and even up to landforms.
Existences with the stars’ power within started to rarely appear.
Gatherer was a title that referred to people who went searching deep inside places such as mountains in search of mythical creatures or medicinal herbs harboring the stars’ power.
“Yes. By the fact that he has a lot of luggage carried over his back, I believe him to be a gatherer.”
“Hahaha, what a very unlucky friend,” Yujin shrugged while clapping his hands.
“We’ll go and take ca—”
“No, what a fortunate occurrence, just when my mood was ruined. I’ll go take care of him myself.”
Yujin turned around with a fishy smile. He thought that his ruined mood would become better once he saw some blood.
“Ah, everyone stay prepared for combat just in case.”
“Understood!”
He exited the observatory with light footsteps.
He stood under the radiantly pouring light from the uncountable amount of stars that covered the night sky.
“Hm?”
As he exited the observatory, something leaning against the wall stood out in his eyes.
“…A spear?”
A spear lay slanted next to the entrance.
It was a high-quality spear with subtle blue light formed around the spear’s blade.
‘Why is this here?’
Was it that one of his subordinates brought it there?
If that was the reason, why had he not heard anything specific about it?
“Hmm.”
Yujin, who was gazing at the spear, soon turned his head.
‘I’ll have to ask once I return later.’
He was in the current situation of where an unknown person was approaching their hideout. He had no spare time to waste on something insignificant.
Of course, the chance of them simply being a lost gatherer was high, but there was also the possibility of it being an intruder that was aiming for their hideout.
Step, step—
Going a bit down the mountain, he could see one youth walking towards the direction of their hideout.
A youth with a cold expression.
Their ice-cold gaze flashed inside the darkness.
“Did you perhaps lose your way?” Yujin approached him with a sly smile.
“Haha. It’s dangerous for you to walk around this late at night.”
“……”
An answer didn’t come.
‘Huh?’
Yujin narrowed his eyes and stared at the handsome youth.
Somewhat.
The atmosphere felt off.
Terrifying fear spread from his spine.
“…so it’s you.”
Lee Woohyuk mumbled in a low voice while glaring at Yujin.
Yujin’s face corresponded with the sketch that he had received from the Association.
‘That bastard is the one who kidnapped my brother.’
Although he wanted to sprint in and shred him to death at once…
‘I’m not certain yet.’
As long as he wasn’t certain he was the one who kidnapped Lee Shinhyuk, he couldn’t attack rashly.
‘Wait… a little longer.’
Lee Woohyuk observed Yujin with his lips tight shut.
Then—
[Guild leader.]
—a clear voice rang in his head.
Kim Sunyoung, his assistant, the woman who was in the position of Valhalla’s vice-leader.
While he was attracting the Black Star Organization’s attention, she was secretly approaching their hideout.
In order to find definite,
Undeniable,
Decisive evidence.
And then—
[I’ve found Lee Shinhyuk’s spear.]
“……”
—the evidence they were looking for…
emerged.
Rumbleeee!!!—
Coarse mana exploded out of Lee Woohyuk’s body.
As the stigma of Leo engraved on his left chest burned up, a strong torrent of wind raged on.
“H-Hyup!”
Yujin was horrified with a pale face.
‘Holy shit!’
It wasn’t a mere gatherer.
He was— an intruder aiming for the Black Star Organization.
‘B-Black Lion, Lee Woohyuk?’
Yujin thought that his face was somewhat familiar.
It was the Valhalla’s guild leader, mentioned as one of the candidates for the Seven Stars.
‘Just why is this high-rank Awakener here?!’
The fact that he had done a lot of wrongdoings until now was true, but he had never bothered the strong, such as Woohyuk.
He had only unleashed his desire onto the weak that couldn’t even reach his feet.
—Although some would speak ill of his cowardice.
Wasn’t the world such a place in the first place?
The weak existed to be stepped upon.
As he was someone who knew that better than anyone else,—
‘There should be no reason for that monster to be after me!’
—he would thoroughly bow his head in front of the strong.
“You said you want money?”
Plop!—
Lee Woohyuk roughly threw the trunk he was carrying on his back onto the ground.
As the mouth of the trunk opened, money rained down like snow.
“I’ve prepared it all in cash.”
“……?”
Yujin looked at him with a confused expression.
‘Suddenly coming to throw such a large amount of cash? Just what kind of situation is this?’
“If you want it— here, try taking it.”
However, without room to continue that question.
Kwaaang!!—
“Kugk!!”
A strong flurry of wind swept through Yujin.
“Kugh! Shit!!”
Coarse language came out of Yujin, who had barely avoided the attack.
Although he couldn’t understand how things were flowing—
“That bastard! Kill that bastard!!”
—In order to survive that monster, he needed to call his subordinates.
Fortunately, he was in a situation where he wasn’t all that far from the hideout. It was a distance where his shout was more than enough to be heard.
‘He’s alone!’
If he used up his 50 subordinates, it would be enough to create a small gap.
“Did you think that I would obediently fall for the trap of you bastards?”
“…What?”
Lee Woohyuk ferociously bared his teeth.
They were in a situation where Kim Sunyoung and his guild members had already infiltrated close to their hideout.
‘Our side will ambush them first.’
Rumbleee!!!—
He moved his feet.
Sweeping the surroundings, the coarse mana looked like it was about to explode.
“All members—!!!!!”
Inside the forest set in darkness, the roar of a lion resonated out.
“Enter!!!!”
Bang!! Crunch! Boom!!!—
Simultaneously with the roar, dozens of Awakeners appeared out of the forest and sprinted towards the observatory.
Each and every one of them were high-rank Awakeners that possessed frightening physical capabilities.
“Leave this to us!!!” screamed a youth that held a massive hammer while destroying the observatory’s door that was stiffly shut.
Baaang!!!—
“H-Holy shit!” Yujin’s expression turned pale.
When Black Lion Lee Woohyuk alone wasn’t manageable, even other members had joined the fray.
“Why, are you surprised that I’m not alone?”
Lee Woohyuk glared at Yujin and continued.
“Where is he?”
“…What?”
Yujin furrowed his brow.
‘Where’s what?’
“My brother— where is he?”
“……?”
‘Why are you asking me that?’
