REAPER SCANS
“I-It makes no sense!!!”
Riak shouted out in an enraged voice while scratching the floor.
Clear claw prints dug into the veneer.
“Move your front claws, damn it. What are you doing in our new house?”
“Scam!!”
‘Huh?’
“This is a scam!!!”
Riak looked at Ohjin like he was the most wronged being in the world.
“You scamming bastard!!”
‘Well, I am a scammer… but being able to use Lighting Flames is 100% the truth.’
“Man, I showed you just now. What do you mean, scam?”
Ohjin shoved his hand engulfed with blue flames at Riak.
The size and clarity of the blue flames were extremely lacking when compared to the ones around Riak’s mouth, but the fact that the flames in his hands were ‘Lightning Flames’ couldn’t be denied.
“Grrr.”
Riak placed his nose close to Ohjiin’s hand and sniffed the smell.
“…Ha.”
Soon, strength left his body as he shook his head.
“Even if you are the Heaven-defying Star, this is…”
He slurred the end of his sentence in disbelief.
“Heaven-defying Star? What’s that?”
Ha-eun tilted her head and looked at Riak.
Flinch!—
“K-Khm! That’s just what we call those born with the destiny of a great hero!”
“…Great hero? This guy?”
Ha-eun looked at Ohjin like it was ridiculous. She flared out her nose and pulled on his cheek.
“Heh! Just what part of him looks like a great hero?”
“Owww.”
‘Why do Vega and Ha-eun keep playing with my cheeks?’
“Well… then does that mean I won’t get anything even if Lightning&Thunder becomes level 10?”
If Lightning Flames was the reward that could be obtained once the skill was level 10, there was a chance he wouldn’t receive anything because he already had it.
‘This is a bit disheartening.’
Even if there was no reward, he had to train it anyway since it was the core of the stigma of Lyra.
Still, he couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment.
“Hm… I’m not sure about that.”
Riak narrowed his eyes.
“To this date, you’re the only Awakener who has received the stigma of Lyra. I’ve also received the stigma from Lady Vega… but you can’t compare Star Spirits with Awakeners.”
As he said, you couldn’t put Star Spirits and Awakeners on the same playing field.
“Perhaps…”
Riak’s sharp eyes focused on Ohjin.
“If the skill becomes level 10… you might receive a completely different reward.”
“A completely different reward?”
“That’s right. You might receive something new that hasn't existed until now. After all, humans are the ones with more potential than any ‘star'."
Putting aside humans being that great and all, the speculation that he might gain something new was welcoming news.
"Well, we'll know once it comes."
Reward or not, It was a skill he had to raise anyway. If he could gain something new like Riak speculated, there was nothing more he could ask for.
Riak narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Ohjin.
‘Didn’t he say that he lost his memories about the stigma of Lyra's techniques during the regression?'
Naturally, even if his memories disappeared, there would be some parts that were subconsciously remembered.
He was the Heaven-defying Star.
—A hero who defied time and returned in order to rewrite destiny.
Even when taking that into account…
‘Just where did such a monster come from?'
At this point, he started to wonder how Ohjin was unable to save the world in his past life.
"Sigh. Actually… shouldn't you be the Heavenly Demon?"
"What are you talking about?"
‘Huh, how did he find out?'
"Hmpf. It's just a figure of speech."
Riak snorted and faced the other direction.
"Heavenly Demon? What's a Heavenly Demon?" asked Ha-eun with round eyes.
"It's nothing, lizard woman."
"Hey, you! Didn't I tell you to stop calling me lizard woman?"
"Hmpf! There is no existence that can command me other than Lady Vega!"
Riak growled and flared out his nose.
"You cheeky little pup!"
Ha-eun charged at Riak with anger in her eyes.
"Kwaa! Wh-What are you doing, lizard woman!!"
"Hyap!"
Ha-eun got on top of him and started tickling his belly.
"Hyup! N-Not there!!"
"Kyahaha! So this is your weak spot!!"
Ha-eun held onto Riak and made a scene.
Was it because his strength was restricted? Or was it maybe because his belly was actually his weak spot?
Riak was unable to resist as he laid flat on the ground while receiving Ha-eun's touch.
* * *
* * *
"Oh, right. Vega."
[What is it?]
"Do you know what an ancient constellation is?"
He recalled the quest he received recently.
[…Where did you hear about that from?] Vega asked, her eyes widened from surprise.
Ohjin replied with a low voice so that Ha-eun couldn't hear.
"I heard it a long time ago from the Heavenly Demon. I'd forgotten about it until now and decided to ask."
[Hmm.]
Vega crossed her arms in silence.
Judging from her reaction, it seemed like she knew something about the ancient constellations.
[How much do you know about celestials?]
"Celestials?"
Nine years ago…
They were transcendent beings that suddenly appeared along with the monsters and gates that opened around the world.
They were the ones who turned humans into Awakeners by granting them the powers known as stigmas.
That was just about all Ohjin knew about celestials.
‘Would it be more natural for a regressor to know all about the identity of celestials?'
There was a limit to talking about an unknown subject like it was known, even more so when the opposing party was a celestial themself.
"I don't know much. I didn't have the leisure to look into it since I was busy fighting every day."
He gave an evasive answer.
[I see.]
Was it because the trust built up was so thick? It didn't seem like she suspected him.
[Celestials are beings created with the power of a star by a giant that is known as Titan.]
"Titan?"
[A giant that was born with the beginning of the world. Hm… to put it simply, Titan is close to being the ‘Creator'.]
"Uh."
Talkin about the Creator all of a sudden…
It was hard to comprehend with the scale suddenly becoming so vast.
"So you're saying that the Creator made the celestials?"
[That is correct.]
Vega nodded and continued.
[Titan created celestials and managed several worlds simultaneously. The Commandments are a device put in place to restrict celestials, who are administrators, from recklessly influencing the world.]
When using a game as an analogy, Titan would be the developer, and the celestials would be the game moderators.
[However… in the far-away past, there was a point in time when celestials became extinct.]
"Celestials became extinct?"
[That's right.]
Just what could drive the world's administrators made by the Creator to extinction?
‘…Wait.'
Perhaps…
[Fufu. It looks like you've got the rough idea.]
Vega put on a faint smile and continued.
[The darkness born with the beginning of the world—the Black Heaven, devoured all of the stars in the night sky.]
Which meant the world had already met its end once by the Black Heaven in the past.
[Ancient constellations are what we call the celestials that were devoured by the Black Heaven back then.]
"…"
‘I see. So that's why the quest's reward is an ancient constellation.'
It meant it would take out one of the constellations that was devoured by the Black Heaven in the far-away past and hand it over to him.
"Then the celestials right now…"
[They are new stars that were born after every star was devoured by the Black Heaven.]
"…"
Ohjin placed his hand on his forehead with his lips shut tight.
His head heated up.
‘So that's why Vega said that the Black Heaven has the power to end the world.'
It was only natural when the world had already met its end once because of the Black Heaven.
‘This is driving me mad.'
Even if he said that he had no plans on ending the world, he would obviously be treated like a criminal just by possessing the Black Heaven.
‘And also, in reality, I did end the world in the 1st Round.'
He had no memories, but given the circumstances, the Heavenly Demon could be nobody else but him.
[Do you now understand what an ancient constellation is?]
"Ah, yeah. Thanks."
He laughed nonchalantly while organizing the complicated information in his head.
‘Let's think only about the things I can and should do.'
Whether it was the end of the world or the Black Heaven, racking his brains about them had no meaning.
‘The future has already started to change.'
From the moment Lee Shinhyuk died and from when he became a Regressor.
A future completely different from the world of the 1st Round had already started to unfold.
The important thing now was how he should traverse inside that new future.
‘That's already decided.'
Ohjin’s eyes shone keenly.
He observed the surroundings.
A new house.
Ha-eun, who was laughing,
Vega on top of his shoulder, Riak panting on the ground,
And the warmth that permeated his skin…
‘I won't lose it.'
Even if he had to deceive the entire world, he wouldn't allow anyone to take away his handful of warmth.
"Alright. Then should I go stretch my—"
[No.]
"No way."
Vega and Ha-eun pressed down Ohjin’s shoulders and forced him back on the bed.
[Are you unaware of the state of your body?]
"What nonsense is someone who woke up after four days of being unconscious talking about?"
"Uh."
The pressure given off by the two women was too strong.
Ohjin looked at Riak with a gaze that requested help.
"Haa."
Riak let out a deep sigh and approached him.
"I do think Lady Vega and that lizard woman spoil you too much, but…"
Riak narrowed his eyes.
"Stay still this time."
"…"
Ohjin sat in silence.
‘But there are still so many things left to do.'
He didn't have the leisure to rest.
‘I need to gain power as fast as possible…'
"Tch, tch, tch."
Riak clicked his tongue and looked up at Ohjin.
"Have you heard about ‘Mind, Technique, Body'?"
"Well, yeah. I've heard about it before."
‘Isn't that what appears in murim novels?'
"In your case, the balance of those three is a complete wreck."
"My balance is a complete wreck?"
Riak nodded his head.
"First of all, Mind(心)…"
He shook his head like he was fed up with it.
"To be honest, I can't even describe it with the word ‘insane'. I've lived a long life, but I've never seen anyone as twisted as you."
‘Huh, is he asking for a fight?'
"There isn't an existence that surpasses you when it comes to ‘Mind(心)'—including all celestials and monsters in the Demon Realm."
"Uh… okay."
‘Is it to that extent…?'
"Second, ‘Technique(技)'. No words are required for this. You're a monster."
"Are you complimenting or picking a fight with me?"
"Both."
Hmpf—
Riak puffed out.
"The problem is ‘Body(體)'. Compared to your ‘Mind' and ‘Technique', your physique is extremely lacking. Deeming it the ‘worst' is not enough."
"Huh? It's that bad?"
Ohjin looked down at his body and tilted his head.
"I still think that I trained pretty hard."
Ohjin had never slacked on body training even before awakening and had only been training even more relentlessly.
"…Are you seriously unaware of the reason?"
"Yeah."
"Sigh."
Riak let out a deep breath as if he thought Ohjin was pathetic.
Soon, he looked back at Ha-eun.
"Lizard woman."
"Hm?"
"Take off his clothes."
"…What?"
Ha-eun's eyes opened wide.
"T-T-Take off Ohjin's clothes?"
"It's something that has to be done. Hurry up."
"…"
Gulp—
Ha-eun swallowed saliva.
The edge of her lips started to go up brightly.
"H-Ha-eun, wait!"
"I'm only doing what he told me, okay?"
Ha-eun smirked as she charged at Ohjin.
[Hmpf! This lady will also help out!!]
Even Vega joined in for an unknown reason.
"Ahh!! W-Wait!! What are you doing!!!"
Ohjin wailed out as he twisted his body, but due to his injuries, his strength failed him.
"Now, now!!! Hurry!!! Take it off, you bastard!!!"
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
Ha-eun cackled out and started to take off his clothes.
"Oh, there's no need to take off his pants."
"Kyahahaha!! Back!! Let's see your back!!!!!"
"There's no need to take off his underwear either."
[Ooh! It possesses the qualities of a general!]
"Uh."
Riak’s voice could no longer reach the two women.
T/N: "Back!! Let's see your back!!!!!"
Is a reference to a scene in Berserk which is a meme in Korea due to how it was translated into Korean. (NSFW) I'll just leave it with ‘Donovan and Guts'.
