“…Thank you.”
Inside the racing car, Jang Sukho deeply bowed his head.
Ohjin could see that his shoulders were shaking.
“Seriously, thank you.”
“I got it already.”
Forcing a chuckle, Ohjin answered Sukho’s gratitude that he repeated countless times.
It wasn’t something worth receiving gratitude for.
Ohjin was saving the man’s son as a means to an end to obtain information—It was simply an exchange that was established for a fair price.
“Was your name Ohjin?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Could you take this?’
Jang Sukho took out a bracelet from his pocket.
It was an orange bracelet that was made out of three knots.
“What’s this?”
Ohjin received the bracelet Jang Sukho handed over.
A blue message window appeared in front of his eyes.
[Protection Talisman of Three Benevolents]
-A 5-star relic made by a master craftsman with great effort. It is able to create a powerful barrier that protects the wearer three times a day.
“…!”
Ohjin’s eyes opened wide.
The 5-star rank itself was outstanding, but above all, the effects were extremely appealing.
“This is a masterpiece I created with my all before they caught me. Thankfully, it wasn’t taken away because it’s a normal bracelet before the security magic imbued within is removed.”
“You're just giving this to me?”
“You’re… on the way to save my child, are you not? I brought it here hoping that it’ll be at least a little bit of help.”
Jang Sukho put on a bitter smile.
“It was something I originally made to give to Hyunwoo… but I would like you to use it.”
“…”
An orange bracelet made of three knots…
Now that Ohjin about it, Sukho had also said that his son liked the color orange.
“It was supposed to be a present for your son?”
“Hyunwoo, that little child is so much of a mischief. I made this just in case he trips or falls down the stairs.”
Making a 5-star relic in case his son tripped down.
It was love that felt excessive.
Were all fathers like that? he wondered.
* * *
* * *
Ohjin equipped the bracelet under his wire shooter and smiled.
“There’re no take-backs, okay?”
“Haha! Alright.”
Although the bracelet contained a story behind it that felt overbearing, there was no reason not to make use of it.
‘I lucked out.’
He received more than just information.
Ohjin’s lips felt like they ascended to the sky.
‘Well, now that I’ve received additional rewards, should I start working hard?’
He was a scammer who lived on whilst exploiting others his entire life, but he had no plans to run away with the reward. There was also the fact that he didn’t yet have what was most important: the information about the Black Star Organization.
“By the way, do you know where your child is held captive?” he asked while turning the steering wheel smoothly.
The car moved much smoother when compared to his first drive.
At this point, it was accurate to say there would be no more happenings of Vega freaking out and retreating into the pendant.
“I’ve known the location since half a year ago.”
“…Really?”
Then, for half a year…
He hadn’t taken action even while knowing his son's location in order to seize the perfect opportunity.
‘Is that also why they got lax in monitoring him?’
If he had that degree of superhuman patience, It wasn’t hard to imagine how he lived in general.
“The scale?”
“Five people at most. Calling that location a branch is an embarrassment.”
Well…
If that location was just for holding a child captive, having a large number of people wasn’t necessary.
Honestly, even five people seemed a bit extreme.
‘It’s probably not for just a single child.’
It was most likely that Jang Sukho was one amongst many children, parents, or even lovers and friends held hostage.
If they could do it once, they could do it twice.
They wouldn't care about the despair felt by others. No, wouldn't they rather cackle out as they had fun? For them, it was rare to come by an activity they could enjoy as much as looking at the suffering of others.
"Then we just have to head over there right now, right?" Ohjin asked in case there was something else he needed to prepare.
"It'll be best to go right away. Time… there isn't much spare time."
"Not much spare time?"
"I used the excuse that I need material for the development of star relics to escape. They will start to take notice if it takes too long."
"Where do we have to go?"
"There's an abandoned warehouse location near Namyangju. We just have to go there."
"Alright."
It wasn't that far away.
‘It'll be evening once we arrive.'
He looked up at the thick clouds that settled down in the sky as he put pressure into his hands that were holding onto the steering wheel.
The weather wasn't bad.
It didn’t take much to determine whether dark or bright weather was better for a secretive ambush.
"Hold tight."
"Hmm?"
Vrooooooooom!!—
"Hyup!"
Pressing on the accelerator, tOhjin raced through the roads.
* * *
Skrrrrrt!!—
He stopped the car a short distance away from the warehouse facility that Jang Sukho had mentioned.
"We'll walk from here," he said as he got out of the car.
Drenched in cold sweat, Jang Sukho followed him.
"Huff! Huff! Fuu… you sure do drive rough."
"It hasn't been long since I learned."
Ohjin smiled as he moved his feet.
It took about 15 minutes to arrive at the warehouse on foot.
Activating the stigma of the Hunting Dogs, he observed if there was anything suspicious nearby.
‘There isn't anything that stands out.'
As Jang Sukho had said, even calling that place a branch was an embarrassment.
"Hyunwoo, wait just a bit. Your dad is coming."
Jang Sukho's quiet mumbling could be heard. He clenched his fists tighter with an expression of anticipation as they neared the warehouse.
"…You haven't met him a single time during the past three years?" Ohjin asked, not being fond of the uncanny silence that settled down.
"Yes. All I've received are photos of him every now and then," answered Jang Sukho with a sunken voice.
"Do you have those photos right now?"
"Here."
Ohjin took a look at the pictures.
There were a total of five photos.
It was hard to tell because the photos were blurry, but the figure of his son, which he saw on the recording, was captured on them.
There was a photo of a child smiling awkwardly while trapped in a place that looked to be a basement.
They were showing a father something like that.
"…"
A strange sense of disharmony ran down his spine.
It was a sticky and extremely unpleasant sensation.
"Is there a problem?"
"…No."
He shook his head as he returned the photos back to Jang Sukho.
As if it was a precious treasure, he put the photos of the child that was laughing awkwardly in his clothes.
"Let's go."
After walking for around ten more minutes, the warehouse could be seen from a distance away.
‘It looks a lot more normal than I thought.'
Because Jang Sukho had said it was an abandoned warehouse, he imagined it would be a broken-down warehouse like ones from crime movies, but its outer appearance looked normal.
If Jang Sukho hadn't told him, he would have thought of it as any other warehouse that operated normally.
"Huff, huff, huff!"
"Don't get too excited."
As the warehouse entered his eyes, Jang Sukho's breathing became rough.
Ohjin held onto the nape of Jang Sukho, who was moving his body up and down like he was about to charge in immediately.
"I'm fully aware of how you feel, so calm down."
It was a lie.
Those distant emotions Jang Sukho was feeling at the moment?
There was no way he could understand them.
"Argh! Damn it… Goddamnit."
Thinking of the past three years, Jang Sukho chewed his lips with coarse language.
His rough breathing calmed down a little.
"Stay still. I'll go in and come back alone."
As long as he wasn’t able to use Black Curtain on Jang Sukho, it was easier to infiltrate on his own.
"B-But."
"You don't want to see your child getting hurt, do you?"
If their infiltration was caught, he could no longer guarantee the safety of Sukho’s son.
"…I understand."
Jang Sukho nodded his head as he clenched his fists to the point where his veins were showing.
After activating Black Curtain, Ohjin lowered his stance and approached the warehouse.
Then…
"I can see you hiding over there, you know?"
"Haha! To think you'd actually come here!"
"What incre~dible fatherly love!"
Jang Sukho opened his eyes wide as he looked at the three people slowly walking towards them.
"Y-You all, w-why are you here?"
"Who are they?" Ohjin asked as he released Black Curtain.
Black Curtain was a skill for hiding his presence; it had no meaning once he was already discovered.
"T-Those people are Khan's Owls!! I-It makes no sense for them to be here…!"
Tremble—
Sukho shouted out as his body shook from fear.
‘Khan's Owls? Are they Arshad Khan's elite soldiers?'
"Are they Templars, as well?"
"Th-that's not the case, but they are all powerful beings that have reached 6-Star! They are the strongest within the branch, excluding Arshad Khan…"
6-Star Awakeners.
When looking at ‘star' status alone, they were at the same level as the low-rank Templar, Yujin.
‘Though they're probably under Yujin since they aren't Templars.'
Having the same star rank didn't mean everyone possessed the same amount of strength.
Even with identical stigmas, strength would vary greatly depending on the proficiency. That difference would widen even more as the star rank increased.
Owoong—
Activating the stigma of the Hunting Dogs, he sniffed the Black Star's mana that was flowing out of them.
‘They're one level, no, two levels beneath Yujin.'
But the problem was that there wasn't one, but three of them.
Though, even taking that problem into consideration…
‘It's worth a shot.'
Ohjin lightly stretched his body.
Blue Lightning blazed up as the stigma of Lyra shone brightly.
"Y-You, what are you planning on doing?"
"What do you mean? Now that infiltration is off the table, we'll need to go with a different plan."
As long as there were no witnesses, it was an assassination. They were blocked unexpectedly, but the result would be the same if he killed everyone there on the spot.
‘No. It might not be exactly the same…'
Ohjin narrowed his eyes and observed ‘Khan's Owls'.
They were on standby outside as if they knew Jang Sukho would come to that place from the start, meaning they had never loosened their monitoring on Jang Sukho in the first place.
Looking at the current situation, it was right to say they made an opening in his monitoring ‘intentionally'.
‘And that means…'
Ohjin slowly closed his eyes.
A sticky unpleasant feeling spread from his spine again.
It was a feeling that felt akin to opening up a wet toilet seat to discover it being filled with shit.
"Huhuhu! To think he would really bring the Lightning Wolf!"
"Sir Khan will be extremely pleased!"
"After all, he's the one who ruined Sir Khan's great plans!"
Was it because they were named after avians? They rambled on non-stop.
‘Indeed. My connection with the Valhalla guild leaked out.'
For the moment, he put behind the questions of ‘how', there was no time for him to relax and think.
"D-Didn't you hear me?!! They are 6-Star Awakeners!!"
Jang Sukho shouted out in a rush as he pulled on Ohjin’s shoulders.
"Man, I heard you.”
"But why…"
"Then should we surrender obediently?"
"T-That's…"
Jang Sukhi shut his lips tight.
"I've heard… that you're a 4-Star."
"You know well."
"B-But then!"
It seemed that he wanted to say that it was ridiculous to face off against three 6-Star Awakeners.
He wasn't wrong.
In normal circumstances, the difference between 4-Star and 6-Star was hopeless.
‘In normal circumstances, that is.'
The edge of his lips twisted as he grasped the silver spear on his back.
"Huhehehe! Look at this confident little bitch."
A voice that cracked unpleasantly laughed.
"Did he lose the ability to count after obtaining a North Star's stigma?"
The three Owls raised their weapons with expressions full of ridicule.
Starting from the left—a sword, an axe, and a scythe.
Despite them speaking out in that manner, they looked around the surroundings carefully. Observing his movements with sharp eyes, they searched for an opportunity.
‘So they won't let their guard down even against a 4-Star.'
It didn't matter.
He didn't expect them to let their guard down in the first place, anyways.
"Ch-hat!"
The Owl who was holding the axe suddenly got close.
Flutter!!—
Black feathers wrapped around his axe and shot forward.
T-Ting, ting, ting!—
A translucent shield was created in front of Ohjin’s eyes.
One of the three knots that shone orange lost its color.
Clunk!—
Holding his spear shaft at an angle, Ohjin blocked off the axe strike that followed.
"Argh! Damn it! This bastard has a defensive star relic!"
Was it because he defended against the attacks extremely easily? The expression of the Owl distorted.
"Then how about you eat this as well!!"
A scythe from the right and a sword from the left rapidly approached him.
"Fuu."
Ohjin took in a light breath.
‘Blue Lightning.'
Times three.
Bzzzzzzzzzzt!!!!—
Three lines of lightning spread out in the shape of a cone.
"Aaaaahh!!"
"Kugh!! D-Damn it!"
The two of them that were hit by lightning flowing through their weapons spat out screams.
"Hik!"
The Owl who was holding the axe frowned as he created distance.
Stretching out his spear, Ohjin aimed for him.
"Where do you think you’re going!"
Black feathers covered the axe's blade. Using the wide axe as a shield, the Owl blocked off the spear.
Ka-kang!—
The spear was unable to pierce the black feathers and rang out with the sound of metal.
"Hahaha!! Although you seem to be quite competent, you can do nothing about the difference in strength!"
The Owl holding the axe laughed broadly.
As he said, the tip of the spear wrapped in lightning was getting pushed back from the black feathers.
"Really?"
Ohjin pushed the spear forward and placed his palm at the end of the spear shaft.
"Then how's this?"
[《Lightning Charge Lv3》has been activated.]
Crackle!!!—
As if a nail was struck by a hammer, the lightning exploded at his palm and pushed the spear forward.
Crush—
The axe's blade was slightly crumpled.
"H-Huh?"
The face of the Owl was colored with panic.
[《Lightning Charge Lv3》has been activated.]
Crackleeee!!—
Again, blue lightning exploded and pushed the spear.
The spear's blade dug into the axe's.
[《Lightning Charge Lv3》has been activated.]
Crunch—
The axe's blade started to split apart.
"W-Wait!"
The Owl holding the axe shouted out in a hurry.
Obviously, Ohjin had no reason to listen.
"There's still another shot left."
Ohjin smirked as he placed his palm at the tip of the spear shaft.
‘Lightning Charge.'
Times 5.
Crackleeeeeeee!!!!—
An explosion of lightning incomparable to before pushed down the spear.
The axe's blade broke into pieces as the spear pierced the Owl's head.
Pshk!—
Cerebrospinal fluid, eyeballs, and blood mixed together as they spurted out.
-Ring!
[《Blue Lightning Lv3》has increased to 《Blue Lightning Lv4》]
[《Lightning Charge Lv3》has increased to 《Lightning Charge Lv4》]
He got rid of the blue message windows that appeared in front of his eyes.
"One down."
Ferociously baring his teeth, he aimed his spear at the two remaining Owls.
"…"
"…"
Silence hung like a curtain.
"J-Just what is…"
Without being able to close his widened mouth, Jang Sukho looked down at the corpse of ‘Khan's Owl' who met his despair without it being even one minute since the battle had started.
