Chapter 23: Release the Hunting Dog (4)

When we were kids, my older brother Lee Shin-Hyuk was better than me at everything—studying, sports, art, and even music. No matter how hard I tried, he could always effortlessly do things that I couldn’t. He was only three years older than me, yet he seemed like a superhuman.

However, everything changed when real superhumans, known as Awakeners, appeared. Unlike me, who was chosen by the Celestial of Leo—one of the twelve Zodiacs—no one chose my brother. The inferiority complex I had built up since my earliest memories became the fuel for my drive to beat him. I worked harder than anyone else, sharpening my strength through brutal effort.

“Ha. Ha. Y-You became an eight-star Awakener with the Stigma of Leo?”

Without realizing how he felt or how much despair he had been experiencing, I climbed to a height my brother could never reach.

“What’s going on, Shin-Hyuk?”

My older brother grew thinner by the day. He barely ate, became lethargic, and locked himself in his room.

“I-It’s nothing.”

He’d always say it was nothing, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was the cause. He couldn’t bear the fact that in a world overrun by monsters and death, his younger brother was protecting him instead of the other way around. It felt so unbearably humiliating to him that it made him sick.

“Shin-Hyuk... Please.”

I could understand and empathize with him. After all, it was my own inferiority toward him that pushed me to rise to where I was. But that was also how I knew that such emotions didn’t disappear so easily.

“I’m sorry.”

As the distance between us grew wider, the deep emotional crack festered and began to rot with a foul odor. But then, my brother also awakened.

“Woo-Hyuk! I’ve awakened too! I’ve gained the Stigma of Pyxis!”

I was genuinely happy. My heart raced at the thought that we might return to how things used to be—to when we got along. The Stigma of Pyxis could never bring him to the same level as someone who had the Stigma of a Zodiac like me, but that didn’t matter. I just wanted him to regain a little bit of confidence.

Hence, I bought him an expensive spear and some high-end gear. I was busy with my guild work, so we couldn’t spend much time together, but it felt like things were improving between us, even just a little. I had hope for us; I even began to dream of a better future, but...

—Lee Shin-Hyuk is currently in our custody.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

—Nonsense?

Hmm

, then maybe I should send you proof.

Lee Woo-Hyuk received a photo.

Ding.

An ominous feeling crawled up his spine.

“That spear...”

The photo was of a spear with a blade that radiated a faint, blue glow. A roaring lion emblem, the symbol of the Valhalla Guild, was intricately engraved on it.

His heart pounded violently.

Thump, thump.

The back of his neck began to heat up, burning his brain.

This is...

It was the custom-made, one-of-a-kind spear that Lee Woo-Hyuk had given Lee Shin-Hyuk as a gift—A spear meant only for him.

“Who are you?”

He blanked out as if his mind had turned into ash. An uncontrollable surge of emotion exploded from deep within him.

“Who the hell are you, you bastard?!” Lee Woo-Hyuk shouted as if he was howling.

—My name is Yoo-Jin.

Yoo-Jin. Yoo-Jin. Yoo-Jin.

He carved the name into his mind.

He knew that it wasn’t the caller’s real name. No kidnapper would reveal their true identity so easily. However, one thing was clear: Lee Shin-Hyuk, his older brother, was in the bastard’s hands.

“What do you want?” asked Lee Woo-Hyuk.

—Have three billion won ready in cash by the twenty-fifth and bring it to the observatory near the summit of Mount Baegunsan.

Did he just want three billion won? Was that why they kidnapped his brother?

No.

That couldn’t be it.

Three billion won was a large amount of money, but it wasn’t nearly enough for someone to dare kidnap the brother of the infamous Black Lion, a candidate for Seven Stars.

If their target isn’t my brother, then it has to be me. They’re calling me out to lure me into a carefully crafted trap.

—Naturally, you’ll be coming alone. I’m sure you already know what will happen if you bring company.

A cheerful laugh echoed through the phone.

Lee Woo-Hyuk clenched his teeth, barely managing to suppress the curse rising in his throat.

“If you so much as touch a hair on my brother’s head, I won’t forgive you.”

—Oh dear! How terrifying! I’m so scared, I don’t know what to do.

Hahahaha!

Lee Woo-Hyuk slowly closed his eyes.

Woong!

Blue light flickered from the Stigma of Leo on his left chest.

A wild, beast-like mana began to surge.

—

Oops!

Looks like I’m dragging this on a bit too long. Well, just remember my words, okay? By the twenty-fifth, Bring three billion won in cash at the summit of Mount Baegunsan.

Haha!

Oh, there’s an observatory there, so let’s meet in the evening. You might as well watch the stars while you’re there!

Lee Woo-Hyuk remained silent.

—See you then.

Beep.

When the call dropped, the part of the table he was gripping shattered into pieces.

“Yoo. Jin.”

A wave of intense mana surged out, shattering every luxurious ornament in the office.

Boom! Crack!

“Yoo-Jin, Yoo-Jin, Yoo-Jiiiiiin!”

His eyes blazed with fury. The overwhelming rage made his blood boil and burned away his rationality.

Knock, knock.

“Guild Master?”

Kim Seon-Young cautiously opened the door and entered. Quivering faintly, she looked around at the wrecked office.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

The Valhalla Guild’s composed, rational leader was gone. Now, he looked like a wounded beast, yet his overwhelming murderous aura still made Kim Seon-Young’s legs tremble.

“...”

Lee Woo-Hyuk bit down on his lip in silence. The kidnapper’s words echoed in his head.

“I’m sure you already know what will happen if you bring company.”

“Nothing’s going to ha...” he trailed off.

Falling into deep thought, he closed his eyes and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Guild Master? Are you okay?”

After a long moment of contemplation, Lee Woo-Hyuk slowly opened his eyes. “Contact the association.”

“The association?”

"Yes. And gather all the guild members who are currently deployed at the gates.”

His narrowed eyes gleamed sharply.

He had no intention of falling into the trap as the enemy wanted.

“We’re going to war.”

His cold words echoed through the room.

***

After the call, Kwon Oh-Jin smirked.

“Now then...”

With the bait set, all that was left was to wait for the enraged hunting dog to tear into the enemy’s throat.

I wonder how he’ll respond. Well, it isn’t really that hard to predict.

“First, he’ll contact the association.”

Valhalla Guild and the association were allies.

Even if they didn’t necessarily want direct support, they had no choice but to contact the association to utilize their excellent intelligence network. Due to Valhalla Guild’s small structure, they would be lacking in information.

When they do, Lee Woo-Hyuk will naturally learn more about Yoo-Jin and the Black Star Society.

Lee Woo-Hyuk would then fully understand who their true enemy was.

“Well, he’d probably wonder why a kidnapper would willingly reveal their name in the first place.”

It didn’t matter, though. Even if he grew suspicious, he couldn’t just opt not to take action. His brother’s life was on the line. A cornered lion was bound to bite even at a piece of straw.

He’ll reach out to me too.

Kwon Oh-Jin was the one who provided information about Yoo-Jin to the association in the first place. He wasn’t sure if Lee Woo-Hyuk would contact him directly or through the association, but he’d undoubtedly get a call.

He’ll likely ask for details about Yoo-Jin’s appearance.

That would make things even more simple. He would just have to describe the exact image of Yoo-Jin he had seen at the gate.

“And then they’ll meet.”

On the night of the twenty-fifth, Lee Woo-Hyuk and Yoo-Jin would have their first encounter at the mountain in the worst possible way.

“After that...”

Kwon Oh-Jin laughed.

“War will begin.”

Even though he had told Lee Woo-Hyuk to come alone, he knew that the man wouldn’t just blindly follow such an order.

He’s not stupid enough to straight up walk into an enemy’s trap.

Lee Woo-Hyuk would probably gather all his guild members and mobilize as much strength as possible. It was the smartest way to rescue his brother.

“Well, time to clean up a bit.”

Kwon Oh-Jin sent an electric current through the phone that he had used to communicate with Lee Shin-Hyuk, destroying it.

Crackle! Crack!

I have to destroy all the evidence.

He tossed the phone to the ground and stomped on it repeatedly until it was unrecognizable. Afterward, he scattered the remaining pieces into various sewer drains. At this point, no one—not even Steve Jobs—would be able to tell that it was a shattered phone.

“All that’s left is the spear and...” He turned to the dead Black Star Society member. “

Hmm...

He’s got a similar build.”

The man didn’t have any striking physical features either.

“Perfect, he’ll come in handy.”

He could put the body to good use.

Preparing to leave, he picked up the corpse and the spear.

I’ll have to stop by the weapon shop tomorrow and buy a decent spear.

He initially planned to order custom-made equipment, but he didn’t have the luxury of waiting around for that now.

“I wonder when he’ll reach out?”

With a wide grin, Kwon Oh-Jin left the scene.

***

Ring ring!

“

Ugh...

”

Late in the night, Kwon Oh-Jin’s phone woke him up from his sleep. He lifted the blanket and got up from the cramped floor of the room.

Song Ha-Eun rolled around in bed and pulled the blanket over her. Slightly woken up from her sleep, she asked, “Who’s calling at this hour?”

“Don’t worry about it and just go back to sleep,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied.

Click

.

He slipped on his slippers and stepped outside.

“Hello?”

—My apologies for calling you at this hour, Oh-Jin, but I’ve got an urgent matter to discuss with you.

It was Han Jun-man. He sounded more tense than usual.

“What’s going on?”

—It’s difficult to explain over the phone.

“I understand. I’ll head to the association right away.”

After hanging up, he went back inside to get dressed.

“What's going on? Where are you going so late into the night?” Song Ha-Eun asked, sitting up.

“I’m just going to check if the hunting dog I set loose is doing its job.”

“

Huh?

What are you talking about?”

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Give me a proper explanation.”

Click

.

He closed the door and walked out.

It didn’t even take a day, huh?

His lips curved into a grin.

“Looks like I’ve found myself a good hunting dog.”

He chuckled, his shoulders shaking with amusement, as he headed toward the association.