Chapter 172: Calling (1)
After the embarrassing punishment that he couldn’t tell anyone about, Kwon Oh-Jin entered his recovery phase.
“Now, say, ‘Ahh.’”
Vega smiled sweetly while offering him a spoonful of abalone porridge.
Lying in bed, Kwon Oh-Jin obediently ate the porridge.
Munch, munch.
The rich, savory taste of the abalone spread in his mouth.
He turned his head toward Vega, who sat by his bedside and looked at him with gentle eyes.
“Where did you get all this from?”
“I asked Spica to bring it from outside the Sanctum.”
No way she made a Celestial of the twelve Zodiacs run errands for her.
Even if she was a North Star Celestial, was that really okay?
“Spica is my only friend who understands me.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s exactly what a bully would say.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Spica.
He thought of the Celestial with fluffy pink hair and a bright smile as he devoured the abalone porridge without leaving a single grain. After finishing the meal, he tried to get up, but a sharp pain from his stomach spread throughout him.
“Agh!”
It was where Xiao Lin’s sword had stabbed him.
“Didn’t I tell you to rest?” Vega strictly reprimanded him and gently pressed his chest down.
“But I can’t just lie down all day.”
“I told you not to move.”
Vega held him down again as he attempted to sit up. With a determined expression saying she didn’t want to hear a single excuse, she lightly touched his solar plexus.
A small spark flickered.
Zap!
“Huh?”
Kwon Oh-Jin collapsed back onto the bed.
Plop.
It would’ve been one thing if he had just fallen, but his arms and legs went completely limp, leaving him unable to move.
“W-What the hell?”
“I’ve temporarily paralyzed you. Until you’re fully healed, you absolutely must not move!”
Her firm tone left no room for negotiation.
He swallowed dryly. “Alright, alright. I promise I won’t move. Just release it, okay?”
“No!”
Vega shook her head vigorously, her silver hair tickling the tip of his nose.
With his head stuck to the pillow, Kwon Oh-Jin could only lightly sigh, “Haaa.”
Just then, the door opened, and a large silver wolf walked in. His gleaming eyes, like those of a seasoned warrior, locked onto Kwon Oh-Jin.
“Someone’s here to see you, kid.”
“Huh? Me?”
Kwon Oh-Jin slightly cocked his head while lying down.
“He said he’s from Heaven's Grace Guild.”
“Ah.”
It’s probably a messenger sent by Cheon Sang-Gil.
The Sanctum didn’t have any cell service, so directly sending someone was the only way to communicate.
“My child cannot move right now. Tell them to come back later.”
“I did say that, but he insisted it was urgent. Something related to the Guardian Stars. Should I still send him away?”
“Yes—”
“Wait,” Kwon Oh-Jin interrupted Vega, barely managing to turn his head toward her. “If it’s about the Guardian Stars, it’s probably related to the Black Star Society. Just release the paralysis for now.”
“But—”
“Vega.”
“Haa. What will I ever do with you?” Vega deeply sighed and shook her head like a mother exhausted with her disobedient child.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she lightly tapped his solar plexus.
Zap!
A spark flickered again, and the paralyzing lightning that had bound Kwon Oh-Jin disappeared.
Kwon Oh-Jin pushed himself up from the bed. It felt like his entire body had been beaten with a baseball bat, but he couldn’t ignore a message important enough to warrant a visit to the Sanctum.
Along with Riarc and Vega, he stepped outside the temple.
A man in a suit waited for him outside. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Oh-Jin. I’m Baek Dong-Il from the Heaven’s Grace Guild.”
“I see.”
Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and shook his hand.
“I heard you’ve been staying in the Sanctum to focus on your training. I apologize for the inconvenience of having to meet you here,” Baek Dong-Il said.
“Hmph. At least you know you’re being discourteous.” Vega glared at Baek Dong-Il with her arms crossed, clearly displeased that Kwon Oh-Jin’s rest had been disturbed.
“A-Ahem. I-I’m terribly sorry.” Baek Dong-Il stammered and bowed repeatedly, overwhelmed by the energy radiating from the North Star Celestial.
“Vega.” Kwon Oh-Jin gently tugged on Vega’s arm.
“Haa. I’m sorry.” With a deep sigh, she withdrew her energy.
“I heard you had urgent news regarding the Guardian Stars. Did something happen?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.
“Yes. There’s been an incident that we suspect is connected to the Black Star Society.”
“What kind of incident?” Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Baek Dong-Il handed him neatly organized files.
“In the past month, there have been rumors about unidentified demonic beasts appearing near Incheon Port.”
If they weren’t just ordinary monsters but demonic beasts, then the likelihood of the Black Star Society’s involvement was high.
“And recently, even the vice guild master of the Mirinae Guild, who was dispatched to investigate the matter, has gone missing.”
“The Mirinae Guild?”
“Yes, it’s one of the major guilds operating in Incheon.”
Kwon Oh-Jin had heard of them before. Though they weren’t top-ranked, they were still among the top ten guilds.
“The vice guild master, isn’t he an eight-star Awakener?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.
“Correct.”
“Hmm.”
A demonic beast that even an eight-star Awakener couldn’t handle. That was certainly not a common occurrence in Korea.
“We’re speculating that it might be one of the Named.”
The Named were monsters with names like the Thousand Curses Dragon, Barbatos. Though their strength varied, most named monsters possessed intelligence and leadership that transcended normal monsters, making them catastrophic threats.
“Did the Black Star Society create that Named?”
“No, that hasn’t been confirmed yet.” Baek Dong-Il shook his head. “But the timing of the Black Star Society’s illegal entry near Incheon Port and the rumors of the unidentified demonic beast align quite closely.”
“Illegal entry?”
“Yes, it’s suspected that they came from Vietnam or the Philippines and are part of the Bufo faction.”
The Bufo constellation, huh? First the owl, then the seahorse, and now the bufo?
Kwon Oh-Jin vaguely recalled hearing that name in Lee Shin-Hyuk’s memories.
It was about them joining hands with the Owl faction or something at the time.
Kwon Oh-Jin had already annihilated the Owl faction. That meant this illegal entry wasn’t about forming alliances between factions. They had a different purpose.
They might be targeting Korea now that the Owl faction is gone.
He didn’t know the exact situation in Southeast Asia, but that part of the world had suffered severe damage from monsters in the past. Many of those nations had been left in near-anarchy. Therefore, compared to that chaos, Korea was a much more stable and desirable target.
Well, that’s something I’ll have to confirm myself.
The important thing was that the Bufo faction had entered Korea illegally. At the same time, a powerful demonic beast that was possibly a Named had begun to move.
“You came here to ask me to investigate this matter, right?”
“Yes, but we’re not asking you to do it alone, of course.”
Earlier, Baek Dong-Il had mentioned something about the Guardian Stars.
“The Guardian Stars are gathering on Ganghwa Island. Would you come and help us out?” Baek Dong-Il politely asked and bowed deeply.
Kwon Oh-Jin closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating.
If it involves the Black Star Society, I definitely have to go.
The problem was his current physical condition.
Thanks to Albali’s treatment, his external wounds had healed. However, his internal injuries remained. His ability to control mana was still severely limited, making it impossible to use his most powerful skills like Lightning Form.
“If I had a bow and some arrows, I’d be just like Hawkman.”
“Pardon? Hawkman?”
“Ah. I was just talking to myself.”
Either way, moving recklessly while he couldn’t even use his full strength was dangerous.
But if I miss this opportunity, they’ll only dig deeper into hiding.
He had to choose between taking the risks and pursuing the Bufo faction or waiting until he fully recovered.
As he weighed his options, Kwon Oh-Jin finally decided and stepped forward.
“Alright. Let’s head to Ganghwa Island.”
“Thank you for answering the call!”
Baek Dong-Il’s face brightened with relief as he bowed again.
“My child, you’re still not fully healed. Chasing after the Black Star Society now—”
“It’s not like I’m completely incapable of moving.”
“But!”
“And I’m not going alone, am I?”
Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t know who the other Guardian Stars were besides Lee Woo-Hyuk, but they had to be skilled since Cheon Sang-Gil had personally chosen them.
“And if things get really dangerous, I’ll use this.”
He pulled out the elixir from his pocket.
He had obtained it to heal Song Ha-Eun’s leg, but he would have to use it for himself if his life were on the line.
If I use this elixir, even my internal injuries would heal instantly.
Of course, he had no intention of using it unless he was on the brink of death. He had gotten lucky in obtaining it. There was no telling when he’d get his hands on another one.
“Haaa. You always push yourself too hard.” Vega quietly followed him. “I shall go with—”
“Where do you think you’re going, Lady Vega?”
Riarc stopped her.
He sighed and said, “Shouldn’t absorbing Deneb’s divinity be your priority?”
“T-That’s...” Vega flinched as her hesitant voice trailed off. “I can do that later...”
“You know very well that divinity dissipates the longer it stays outside. Or do you intend to waste the divinity that the kid nearly bled to death to obtain?”
“Uhh.”
Vega bit her lip and tightly clutched the hem of her dress.
After resentfully glaring at Riarc, she heavily sighed and nodded.
“Fine. I will focus on absorbing the divinity for now.”
Vega gently grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm.
“But if an emergency arises, call me through the pendant. I will manifest immediately.”
“Okay.”
Judging by Riarc’s expression, it was clear that Kwon Oh-Jin shouldn’t summon Vega. Only if the situation became truly dire would he rely on her.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
He had prepared a few backup plans at least. Each one was a painful card to play, but just knowing he had options in case of an emergency brought some peace of mind.
“Alright, let’s go then,” Baek Dong-Il said.
“Yes.”
Kwon Oh-Jin followed Baek Dong-Il out of the Sanctum.
I wonder who the other Guardian Stars are.
The car they entered hummed softly as they drove away.
Vroom.