Chapter 171: Interlude - Atonement of the Goddess (3)

Kwon Oh-Jin’s hand struck Vega’s butt.

Smack!

Vega held her breath as she trembled.

“

Hngh!

”

The lingering sensation of her soft skin burned into his hand. He shook his hand vigorously as if trying to erase the feeling from his mind.

“That’s enough, right?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He felt like his head was on fire. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to feel this way toward Vega, but his heart pounded furiously. The thunderous rhythm still echoed in his ears.

At least he had fulfilled her request and delivered the spanking she asked for. Now he just needed to calm the raging storm of emotions inside him. He was about to lower his arm.

“You’re... finished already?” she asked.

Huh?

“Y-You want more?”

“T-This isn’t enough for me to atone now, is it?”

Kwon Oh-Jin bit his lip anxiously.

Just one slap had already pushed him to the brink. She wanted him to do it again?

Ugh, screw it.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he raised his hand back up.

Smack! Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the temple. With each strike, Vega’s silver dress rippled softly.

Vega frowned and let out muffled moans. “

Hngh! Ugh! Ahh...!

”

Because she had removed the protection of her divinity to receive proper punishment, the sting of each slap spread painfully across her butt.

H-How embarrassing.

More than the pain, humiliation consumed her. The thought of being spanked by Kwon Oh-Jin, whom she cherished like her own child, filled her with a deep sense of shame and embarrassment.

Her head felt hot like it was melting.

But.

This shame was part of the punishment. After all, many forms of punishment weren’t just about physical pain but also about inflicting emotional humiliation. If this was also part of her punishment, she couldn’t stop just because she felt embarrassed.

Vega repeatedly apologized with each slap.

“I’m sorry... my child.”

She had sinned for not believing in her apostle, whom she was so proud of. Calling him the Heaven-Defying Star, the only one who could save the world... and yet, she had doubted him without a second thought.

How foolish of me.

It wasn’t because he was a Regressor who knew the future that she trusted him. Nor was it because he was the Heaven-Defying Star destined to save the world.

It was because he was Kwon Oh-Jin, a hero who, no matter the hardships or dangers, would fight to protect those he cared about. That was why she trusted him.

I’ve seen what kind of person my child is from right beside him.

She had witnessed firsthand how fiercely he had fought for her and Song Ha-Eun. When others doubted him or not, she should have stood by his side, defending and protecting him. Here she was, also doubting him.

I deserve this punishment.

In fact, this punishment felt far too lenient.

Smack! Smack!

Vega’s unprotected butt turned into a deep shade of red. The sting spread like ink across her skin.

“

Hngh.

”

For some reason, Vega’s voice started to sound wetter, which stirred up Kwon Oh-Jin’s reason.

He quickly lowered his hand and averted his gaze.

“T-That should be enough, right?”

Vega silently looked at him with wistful eyes, feeling unsatisfied. Her lips parted slightly, as if to ask for more, but she quickly shook her head and blushed.

“Thank you for giving this foolish Celestial of yours a chance to atone.”

“It’s not like you really needed to atone for anything.”

“No. This was my fault.”

Vega softly smiled as she gently pulled Kwon Oh-Jin into her embrace.

In situations like this, the one who administered the punishment usually offered comfort. However, Vega soothed him instead.

“If I ever make such a mistake again in the future, punish me just like you did today.”

“You want me to do this again?”

Kwon Oh-Jin gulped and shook his head frantically. His sanity wouldn’t survive doing something as insane as spanking a goddess’s butt again.

Vega looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

“Is it... not possible?”

“

Ugh.

”

Unable to resist her gaze, he swallowed hard and said, “Next time.”

“

Hehe

. I’ll leave it to you then.”

Kwon Oh-Jin awkwardly smiled at Vega, who hummed softly with a smile.

It seems like my goddess has fallen for some weird fetish.

Just imagining what kind of chaos would take place if Song Ha-Eun found out about this made his head hurt.

“By the way, was the skill you used in the last match Lightning Form?” Vega asked.

“Yeah, it was.”

When his Lightning reached level 10, he had acquired a skill called Lightning Form.

“

Haa

. It’s still hard to believe even after seeing it with my own eyes.”

Vega shook her head in disbelief.

Lightning Form was a technique that transformed the body into pure lightning, allowing one to go beyond the laws of physics. Even high-ranking Awakeners with the Stigma of Lyra could only get a glimpse of this incredibly difficult technique, but Kwon Oh-Jin had mastered it at just seven stars.

“Well, it’s still a bit too flawed to use in actual combat.”

To use Lightning Form, he had to condense dozens of Lightning Charges. Even after all that preparation, he could barely transform one arm for a few seconds. It was still far from being practical in real combat.

“It’s already unbelievable that you’ve learned that skill at this stage,” Vega said in a concerned voice. “As I’ve mentioned before like when you first used Exceed, skills above your star rank come with severe side effects. Be careful not to overuse them.”

“I know. I’m not planning to use it recklessly.”

Lightning Form could be used as a special move under the right circumstances, but it was still difficult to utilize in frantic battles full of superhumans.

Still, the fact that I can use it is what matters.

The power of Lightning Form had instantly overwhelmed Xiao Lan, a high-ranking North Star Awakener. Granted, she hadn’t used her weapon or Stigma, but this skill still had great potential.

“By the way, is level 10 not the max level for Lightning?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

He had assumed that was the limit since a great change occurred at level 10, but he didn’t see any MAX indicator next to the skill in the system messages.

“Lightning can go up to level 12.”

“

Oh

, just like the star rankings.”

It was known that an Awakener’s star rank could grow from one to a maximum of twelve stars. Of course, even among the renowned Seven Stars, no twelve-star Awakener existed.

The highest officially recorded is an eleven-star.

Considering how the gap between each star widened as the rankings increased, it was hard to imagine what a monster an eleven-star Awakener would be.

“Then I’ll aim for level 11 next.”

Kwon Oh-Jin proudly smiled as he looked at the level 10 displayed beside his Lightning skill. The gap between levels 9 and 10 was massive, so the difference between 10 and 11 would be even more drastic.

“Do not rush. You’ve only just reached level 10.”

“Come to think of it... What’s Riarc’s Lightning level?”

As the ruler of the Lyra constellation, Vega had to be level 12. He was curious about Riarc, who had inherited a fragment of her soul.

“He is at level 10.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes widened.

“

Huh?

”

Wait, he’s at the same level as me?

He hadn’t expected that Riarc would be at the same level as him.

“

Haa

. Now, do you realize how absurd what you’ve accomplished is?”

“

Hmm.

”

Hearing it from her, he finally grasped how unimaginable it was for someone at seven stars to have a level 10 Lightning skill.

“Well, even if you’re both at level 10, the difference between you and him will be vast.”

“Of course.”

A beginner who had just reached level 10 couldn’t compare to Riarc, who had been at that level for centuries.

“

Haa

. I just hope Riarc breaks through that wall soon,” Vega said with a deep sigh.

So, the wall Riarc always talked about was reaching level 11.

He had often heard Riarc talk about the despair of being stuck at that wall for so many years.

“If it’s him, he’ll be able to overcome it,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“

Hmm

. Do you say that because you know the future?”

“Who knows?”

Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and shrugged.

“Anyway, are you not feeling tired?” Vega asked.

“Yeah, a bit.”

Although he had received Albali’s healing, the fatigue built up over time hadn’t completely gone away.

Vega gently took his hand. “Then, come here and sleep. I’ll sing you a lullaby,

hehe

.”

“

Uh.

”

Are you actually my mom or something?

***

A middle-aged man stretched and widely yawned. He trudged through a dark, grimy alleyway of a ruined street near Incheon Port.

A flood of monsters had swept through Yonghyeon-dong during the gate incident nine years ago. The place was never rebuilt and became an eerie ghost town. No one walked through this area except for a few homeless people.

The man clicked his tongue and glanced around.

“

Tsk

. What kind of demonic beast is supposed to be lurking in a dump like this?”

Rumors had been spreading quickly among the residents of Incheon that the recent missing incidents were caused by a demonic beast that had escaped from a gate.

The Mirinae Guild, the major guild currently managing Incheon, couldn’t ignore such rumors.

They could’ve just sent a few rookies who have nothing better to do to check things out.

Instead, the Mirinae Guild had sent him, the vice guild master, to demonstrate how seriously they took the rumors.

“Does an eight-star Awakener really need to deal with this crap?”

He sighed again and walked through the darkness that had settled over the streets. The stench of rotting food, casually discarded on the ground, stung his nose.

After wandering for over an hour, he muttered under his breath, “See? What a load of bullshit rumors.”

He coughed up a glob of phlegm and spat it onto the ground. After kicking a can on the ground, he prepared to turn back.

Ssssshhhh.

It sounded like gas leaking from deep within the alley.

The man frowned and looked toward the source of the sound.

“What the hell?”

As he took a step forward, a blue-black spear pierced through his chest.

“

Kugh!

”

Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed violently.

“W-What?”

His eyes quivered uncontrollably. Like a broken doll, he slowly turned his head.

A monster covered in jet-black armor resembling a medieval knight stood there.

“

Shh, shhhk.

”

Even though armor fully covered it, it was clearly no human.

Fwoosh!

Sinister blue-black flames flickered between the gaps in the armor. Through the helmet that covered its face, its burning blue eyes gleamed as they locked onto him.

The man trembled in terror at the monster.

“

Ah, argh.

”

The monster yanked the spear out of his chest and grabbed his throat with one hand.

Crack.

The lower jaw of the helmet split open, revealing sharp teeth and a long red tongue.

“P-Please, don’t—”

Before he could finish his desperate plea, the monster devoured his entire head.

Crunch!

Dark blood dripped down the monster’s black armor.

The creature in black then clawed into the man’s chest.

Crunch! Crunch!

Perhaps because of his superhuman physique as an Awakener, his heart still faintly pulsed inside his mangled chest.

“

Shh, shhhk.

”

The monster’s dark blue eyes gleamed as a twisted smile formed on its grotesque face.

It tore the man’s beating heart from his body. Blood gushed down the monster’s throat like a waterfall as it chewed on the heart infused with a Stigma’s mana.

As the feast continued, an unpleasant voice echoed out from the shadows.

“

Hoohoo.

Is it good?”

The monster spun around in a panic and thrust its spear.

“

Ssshhhhh!

”

Slender, snow-white fingers effortlessly stopped the blue-black spearhead.

Clang.

“Settle down, now.”

A woman emerged from the pitch-black darkness. She had a delicate frame more like a young girl than a woman. Her long, wavy platinum blonde hair glowed even in the darkness.

She wore a jet-black dress that draped over her fragile frame. Her frail appearance seemed as though she could shatter at the slightest touch, but a suffocating aura of dread radiated from her contrary to her delicate looks.

The woman smiled sweetly and stuck out her tongue.

“Would you mind helping me for a moment?”

Her long, slender tongue extended beyond her chin and reached down to her chest just like a serpent’s tongue.