Chapter 238: A Hero For The Little Things (8)

Kwon Oh-Jin dryly laughed as he glanced around. “So, basically...”

The civilians trembling behind the barrier had disappeared, including NT, whom he had risked his life to come and save. Only the beautiful woman with deep green hair stood there as if scattered pieces had come together to completely form the being known as Rebecca Bell.

“You’re saying this was all just an act from the beginning?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“

Hehe

, sorry for tricking you.” Rebecca smiled and playfully stuck out her tongue.

It made him wonder if NT would look like her ten years from now. Despite being older and bigger, NT’s face overlapped with Rebecca’s.

“Seriously, do you think we’re insane enough to let actual civilians participate in a contest like this?” she asked.

She was right. From the beginning, he did think something was off. After all, this was a contest to select new members of the Seven Stars, yet the assembly had allowed a ten-year-old to participate.

“Does the Stigma of Gemini have the power to create clones?” he asked.

From what Kwon Oh-Jin knew, the Stigma of Gemini involved controlling vegetation like roots, branches, and seeds to attack and defend freely. He had never heard anything about clones.

“That’s my unique skill.” Rebecca shrugged casually.

Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue.

I can’t believe I didn’t see through that.

Even if he didn’t know about the clone ability, being dragged around without the faintest clue felt embarrassing. As someone who had scammed people for over ten years, it dealt a serious blow to his pride.

“We practiced for weeks so the participants wouldn’t suspect anything.” Allen walked over with a bitter smile.

They had staged everything, the chaos and the fear, to hide the fact that members of the Seven Stars were involved.

“Is that why you only cut his arm off?”

“

Ah...

yes. I admit that was a bit extreme, but I’m sure Mr. Jason is receiving medical treatment now.”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded with a dry laugh. Cutting off someone’s arm just to maintain the act definitely crossed a line, but because of that, even Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t recognized that the blue knight was actually Allen.

“We had to go that far,” Rebecca added softly. “Otherwise, how would we have found a hidden gem like you?”

She stepped forward and held out her hand.

“Welcome to the Seven Stars.”

Her smile sparkled like a spring breeze.

“

Agh...

” Kwon Oh-Jin sighed and took her hand to pull himself up.

Now that he relaxed a little, a wave of pain crashed over him.

“

Ah

, hold on a second.”

Rebecca snapped her fingers lightly.

Rustle.

Thick vines sprouted from the ground, and giant leaves as big as banana leaves wrapped around Kwon Oh-Jin.

“I’m not as good as an Awakener of Aquarius, but the Stigma of Gemini also has some healing powers.”

A green liquid seeped from the leaves and soaked into his wounds. The pain rapidly faded as his injuries began to mend. Despite her modest claim, the healing speed was quite impressive.

“By the way, mister, are you really only an eight-star? Your body hasn't been reconstructed yet, right?” Rebecca’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Her excited expression reminded him of NT, and he bitterly chuckled.

“I don’t think the age gap justifies you calling me mister,” he said.

“

Oh!

Sorry. I just got so used to calling you that,” Rebecca muttered and laughed. “Then, should I call you oppa[1] instead?”

“Aren’t you older than me, Miss Rebecca?”

Rebecca looked to be in her early twenties, but she was even older than Song Ha-Eun if he recalled correctly.

“

Aww

, oppa~ You shouldn’t say things like that to a beautiful lady.” She winked and acted all cutesy.

Allen watched her with an embarrassed expression as if he were fed up with her. Perhaps because they were both British, the two of them seemed rather close.

“

Hmm...

Oppa just doesn’t roll off the tongue. You know what? I like mister best!” she said.

Deciding on her own, she patted Kwon Oh-Jin on the back and flashed him a warm smile. From his perspective, being called mister by a woman older than him wasn’t pleasant.

Whatever, it’s just a title. It doesn’t matter.

He briefly sighed and stepped out from the leaves.

“

Oh

, you could’ve stayed in there a bit longer.”

“I should get going.”

He couldn’t just hang around here forever. Truthfully, the fact that he had been roped into this elaborate theater production by the assembly began to annoy him.

“

Hehe

. Then I’ll escort you out, mister!” Rebecca playfully smiled as she grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm and tugged him along.

Hearing a grown woman call him mister in such a cute tone felt odd, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant since Rebecca’s natural charm was just that powerful.

***

As they exited through the warp, Olivia bowed deeply toward Kwon Oh-Jin. “Congratulations.”

With thick horn-rimmed glasses and neatly tied-up hair, her businesslike demeanor made it hard to believe she was the same woman screaming on the broadcast earlier.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Mr. Oh-Jin, you have successfully passed the assembly’s test and have been selected as a member of the Seven Stars.”

“You really outdid yourself on that broadcast earlier,” he said.

“Well...

ahem

. I apologize for that.” Clearly embarrassed now that she thought about it, Olivia coughed awkwardly and avoided Kwon Oh-Jin’s gaze.

In the banquet hall, the other candidates who listened to the broadcast earlier angrily confronted the assembly.

“T-This is fraud! Total fraud!”

“Then what was the point of that broadcast earlier?!”

Some even started physically fighting while protesting.

“That’s enough,” Allen coldly said.

With just that one sentence, the noisy hall fell silent.

“The Seven Stars Assembly does not simply select the Awakeners who can kill the most monsters the fastest.” Allen’s voice echoed through the silence. “The Seven Stars are humanity’s hope that lights the path toward a brighter future.”

He swept his sharp gaze across the candidates.

“Do you believe you can call yourselves the hope of humanity?”

The candidates went silent like mute puppets.

Allen walked past them as if no longer finding them worth speaking to. Feeling out of place just standing there, Kwon Oh-Jin also quickly followed Allen out of the banquet hall.

“The baptism of the stars will take place one week from now at the Sanctum. Lady Vega and... Deneb will likely attend as well,” Allen said as he turned back to Kwon Oh-Jin.

“I understand Vega being there, but Deneb is unexpected.”

“

Haha

. I apologize for Deneb’s rudeness back then.” Allen sighed with a bitter smile. “Even Celestials have emotions. I think centuries of built-up stress just got expressed poorly.”

“Well, I’ve heard the backstory, so I understand.”

He had heard that Deneb was constantly compared to Vega and Polaris due to being the weakest among the North Stars. He had even heard that other Celestials treated Deneb as a sort of nepotism case.

“Regardless of what anyone says, Deneb is still a North Star. He wouldn’t let personal emotions interfere with his duty as a Celestial,” Allen said.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded. Deneb had a childlike personality, but he wasn’t so immature as to forget his responsibilities.

“Well then, thank you for teaching me something, Mr. Oh-Jin. You’re free to spend the next week resting here at the hotel or returning home, whichever you prefer.”

“Understood.” Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and turned to head back to Song Ha-Eun, who was surely waiting for him.

As Allen quietly watched Kwon Oh-Jin’s retreating figure, Olivia approached him.

“Mr. Allen, since there’s still one open seat among the Seven Stars, shall I convene the assembly again—”

Thud!

“M-Mr. Allen?”

Allen staggered and slammed into the wall.

“

Haa, haa!

” Breathing raggedly, he pressed his forehead. He had barely managed to block Kwon Oh-Jin’s final attack, but the aftershock still hadn’t faded.

If I hadn’t blocked it with my sword...

Allen bitterly laughed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“What kind of monster have you created, Lady Vega...?”

Allen swallowed hard from the chilling sensation crawling down his spine.

“Mr. Allen! Are you all right?!” Olivia shouted in panic as he slumped against the wall. “Miss Rebecca! You must quickly heal...!”

She turned to call for Rebecca.

“Miss Rebecca?”

The woman just following them had already disappeared without a trace.

***

“See?! I knew he would make it!” Song Ha-Eun squealed.

Seeing the news about Kwon Oh-Jin being selected as one of the Seven Stars, she kicked excitedly and hugged a cushion on the couch.

“So what will he be called now? Not the Thunder Wolf, but some kind of star, right?”

She sparkled with joy like a wife hearing about her husband’s big promotion. Rising from the couch, she opened the suitcase she had brought with her.

“Let’s see... I said there would be a special reward if he became a Seven Star, so...”

Song Ha-Eun carefully pulled out a sexy lingerie set covered in lace. She gulped as she held up the rather revealing outfit.

“T-That little punk, he’s gonna love this.”

Just holding it made her cheeks burn with embarrassment, but surely he deserved a special celebration like this after beating out all those fierce competitors and claiming the prestigious seat of a Seven Star.

“Tonight’s gonna be...

hehe

.” Song Ha-Eun’s lips curled into a sly grin as she fantasized about what would happen tonight. “Alright! Since it’s a special occasion, I’ll show him just how irresistible I can be!”

Lately, Kwon Oh-Jin had been treating her like a kid or someone to be protected. She decided to remind him who the older one was with grace, maturity, and a touch of seduction. Dressed in nothing but lingerie, Song Ha-Eun lingered near the front door and paced around in anticipation of his return.

Familiar footsteps echoed from down the hallway.

He’s here!

Song Ha-Eun swiftly turned off the main lights and turned on the dim lights. She struck a seductive pose against the wall, tilting her head and curling her lips into the most alluring expression she could muster.

The hotel room door slowly opened.

Creak.

“

Hehe

, are you home, baby?” Song Ha-Eun said seductively with her eyes half open.

She slowly turned to see the shocked look on Kwon Oh-Jin’s face.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Song Ha-Eun locked eyes with a girl who looked to be around ten years old.

The girl with green highlights in her hair looked back at Song Ha-Eun in lingerie and smiled. She turned toward the hallway and shouted, “Misterrrrrr! There’s a naked lady in here!”

Song Ha-Eun’s desperate scream echoed throughout the hotel.

1. A term used by females to address older males ☜