Chapter 251: The Thousand Curses Dragon (3)

Kwon Oh-Jin, Song Ha-Eun, and Isabella headed to the association’s Astral Relic research lab the next day.

Song Ha-Eun shot a glance at Isabella and asked, “Why are you coming along?”

“Oh my, I should check if there's a relic that might suit me, shouldn't I?”

“But yesterday you said all you needed was Oh-Jin.”

“I’ve changed my mind.” With a faint smile, Isabella wrapped her arms around Kwon Oh-Jin’s.

No matter how one looked at it, she definitely didn’t seem like someone just there to check out Astral Relics. Still, since she claimed to be coming for the relics related to the upcoming subjugation mission, Song Ha-Eun couldn’t just kick her out unreasonably.

“

Tsk

.” Clicking her tongue, Song Ha-Eun clung to Kwon Oh-Jin’s other arm.

Sandwiched between the two women, he could only sigh awkwardly.

Kim Si-Hoo, wearing a white lab coat that barely reached mid-thigh, waved with a bright smile as they approached the lab.

“Over here, guys!” Kim Si-Hoo smirked mischievously as he glanced at Song Ha-Eun and Isabella clinging to either side of Kwon Oh-Jin. “Wow, you’re so popular.

Haa

. My boss, on the other hand, has gone his whole life without a girlfriend. Here you are, not satisfied with one, so you’ve got two.”

“Isabella isn’t his girlfriend.”

“Not yet, unnie.”

“Who says I’ll give him to you?”

“Mr. Oh-Jin isn’t some object that can be given or taken, right?”

The tension between the two women crackled in the air.

Kwon Oh-Jin sighed and pried them both off as they clung to him like cicadas.

“Both of you, cut it out.”

At least they tried to get along at first...

Back when they had just started living together, Isabella even tried to win Song Ha-Eun’s favor with gifts. However, after he got trapped in the Demonic District, Isabella’s behavior had grown more provocative. She acted like a sprinter who had been content in second place, but suddenly went all out for the gold medal.

Though, it’s not like they’re exactly on bad terms either.

He would’ve stepped in if things had truly been bad between them. Aside from the frequent daily squabbles, Song Ha-Eun and Isabella actually got along pretty well. They had even gone shopping and to the spa together before. It felt more like a friendly rivalry. Being the guy caught between them just felt painfully awkward for Kwon Oh-Jin.

I’ve got no one to blame but myself.

He clutched his forehead like he had a migraine and sighed.

Since he was dating Song Ha-Eun, he should have drawn a firm line with Isabella. As he kept making excuses and failing to push her away, their relationship had gotten too close to untangle easily.

Ugh. I don’t know anymore. Whatever happens, happens.

It’s not like he had ever lived by carefully calculating every move. As long as Song Ha-Eun was okay with it, he figured that he would just keep things as they were for now. Of course, in the end, Song Ha-Eun’s decision would take priority.

“So this is what they mean by a hero’s lust? It feels like I’m reading a martial arts novel.”

“Shut up, kid,” Song Ha-Eun said.

Come to think of it, do kids these days even read martial arts novels?

“My boss reads them all the time. That’s how I know.” Kim Si-Hoo chuckled and turned toward the lab. “Come on in. I’ve already got everything set up.”

After disabling three complex locks, they all entered the lab. Just like before, dozens of monitors were lined up in a neat grid.

Kim Si-Hoo’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Kwon Oh-Jin. “Let’s start with yours!”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and pulled out a folding knife. “Dantalian.”

As he said the name, the blade trembled slightly. A chill swept through the room like they had stepped into a haunted ruin or abandoned hospital.

“Put it on that shelf for me.”

“Okay.”

Once Kwon Oh-Jin placed Dantalian on the shelf, Kim Si-Hoo sat at the computer and began typing furiously. Rows of cryptic characters appeared on dozens of monitors like digital waterfalls.

“Wow. I thought you were just some kid, but you’re not what you—”

“Silence.” Kim Si-Hoo coldly cut off Song Ha-Eun.

It felt like he became a completely different person. Far from being annoyed, Song Ha-Eun actually seemed intrigued by his sudden change in attitude.

With intense focus, Kim Si-Hoo scanned dozens of monitors simultaneously. Suddenly, his head dropped as if he had blacked out, and he slipped off his chair.

Song Ha-Eun rushed over in a panic. “Hey! Kid! What’s wrong?!”

Kim Si-Hoo’s face had turned pale, his breathing grew shallow, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

“O-Oh-Jin! Call an ambulance! Hurry!”

“Hey...” Kim Si-Hoo grabbed her arm weakly.

“J-Just hold on! I’ll call an ambulance right away!”

“Wait, I...” He weakly continued as his consciousness faded. “Need something sweet...”

“Oh-Jin! Why are you just standing there and not calling an ambulance—huh? What?”

“Candy, chocolate, snacks... Anything’s fine... Hurry.”

Song Ha-Eun stared down at Kim Si-Hoo in utter disbelief. Even Isabella, who had moved to call an ambulance, froze in her tracks. For some reason, Kwon Oh-Jin hadn’t moved at all.

Only Kwon Oh-Jin wore an unfazed expression as he reached into his pocket for a protein bar.

“Thanks!” Kim Si-Hoo shot up and began munching on the bar.

“What the hell? You put on that shit show because you were low on sugar?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“Sugar is really important for researchers, you know. Calling it a shit show is quite harsh.”

“You’re the one overdoing it, you little brat.” Song Ha-Eun scowled and smacked Kim Si-Hoo on the head.

“

Ow!

” Clutching his head, he cried out, “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“You totally did.”

“

Ah

, was it that obvious?”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled as he watched from the side. “So, did you find anything out?”

Kim Si-Hoo sat down and pointed to a monitor. “Yeah, a few things. First of all, Dantalian is the name of a king in the Demonic District.”

“What?”

He had heard about a king of the demonic beasts from Cassia, but this weapon shared the same name as that king?

“More precisely, it houses the soul of one of the kings of the demonic beasts.”

“Then, it wasn’t that the weapon had a will of its own, but—”

“That’s right. It developed a will after the soul inhabited it. You could think of it as a haunted object.”

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes.

A spear containing the soul of a demonic beast king, huh.

“Why would the Living Armor have something like that?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

Kim Si-Hoo shook his head. “That part, I don’t know.”

Kwon Oh-Jin stared intently at the black spear.

Could it be Cassia’s doing?

The Living Armor had been one of Cassia’s minions, so it wasn’t out of the question.

“For something with a king’s soul, its performance is kind of—”

“Now, for the second thing... The spell engraved on it is less than ten percent activated.”

Less than ten?

“Are you saying its power is sealed?”

“Basically, yes. That might be why its sense of self is so weak too.”

“How do we unseal it?”

Kim Si-Hoo ran his hand through his messy hair and shook his head. “I don’t really know. For now, the best thing is to keep using it and calling its name regularly. That should help its sense of self recover and activate the spell.”

“

Hmm

.”

So, they couldn’t quickly unseal it yet.

“Thanks.”

Even so, just learning that the spear housed the soul of a demonic beast king was a huge discovery.

“Oh, and lastly, I can show you a rough image of what Dantalian looked like alive.”

“You can do something like that?”

“After all, spirits are usually influenced by the bodies they had in life.” Kim Si-Hoo calmly nodded.

Kwon Oh-Jin quietly sighed in amazement. He knew this kid was a genius, but it still felt insane to witness all the time.

“Okay, this is what Dantalian looked like alive.”

The monitor displayed a monster in 3D. It had the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and the tail of a snake.

“Boppy?” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“What?”

Kwon Oh-Jin shook his head in shock. “No, it’s nothing.”

“Mr. Oh-Jin, that demonic beast was the same one tracking you in the Demonic District!”

“

Huh?

Oh, now that you mention it, it does look similar,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied.

“

Hmm,

do you think they’re the same species?” Isabella furrowed her brows, clearly confused.

Why is this just an image of Boppy?

Kwon Oh-Jin felt just as confused.

Why did Dantalian look exactly like Boppy?

Maybe they are the same species like Isabella said.

It wasn’t unusual for demonic beasts to resemble one another. Kwon Oh-Jin shook off the thought for now. He returned Dantalian to its knife form and slipped it into his pocket.

Kim Si-Hoo turned toward Song Ha-Eun. “Now it’s time to make an Astral Relic for you, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll make sure you’re paid well, so make me something good.”

“First, go inside there and move like you normally would in a fight.”

Just like Kwon Oh-Jin had done before, Song Ha-Eun entered a cube lined with dozens of cameras.

“Can I light a cigarette?” she asked.

Her voice came through a speaker.

“This is a non-smoking area. Why?”

“It’s my weapon.”

Song Ha-Eun smiled and pulled out a cigarette. The tip of the cigarette burned like incense, and a flower began to bloom and coil around her. She moved swiftly, unleashing bursts of flame with careful aim to not damage the walls.

“

Hmm

.” Kim Si-Hoo's eyes sparkled with interest as he analyzed her movements.

“That should do it,” Kim Si-Hoo said after around five minutes.

“Can I come out now?”

“Yeah.”

Song Ha-Eun stepped out of the cube.

“So, you're basically a long-range combat user who doesn’t need a weapon.”

“Well, yeah. That’s why I’ve been doing just fine without one until now.”

“The way you use the cigarette to manifest the image of fire is super creative.” Kim Si-Hoo nodded as he rewound and reviewed the footage of Song Ha-Eun in action. “Oh, your close combat isn't bad either. Did you learn martial arts or something?”

“I took some boxing lessons a while back.” She grinned and threw a light punch.

“For your Astral Relic, instead of something big like gauntlets, gloves might be the perfect fit.”

“Gloves sound good.”

“But there’s a bit of a problem.”

Song Ha-Eun cocked her head. “A problem?”

“For you to really benefit from an Astral Relic, the best type would be one that boosts the output of your Stigma’s mana, but...” Kim Si-Hoo trailed off and awkwardly scratched his head. “That kind of Astral Relic is very expensive.”

“How much are we talking? I’ve got plenty of money, kid.” She confidently pounded her chest.

Thanks to steadily selling Starstones, she had saved up nearly two billion won in her bank account.

“Just the Starstone alone would cost about thirty billion won.”

“Excuse me?” Song Ha-Eun’s jaw dropped.

What kind of outrageous cost was that for just one piece of gear?

“Relics that boost mana output are always the most expensive kind. It’s the same in games. Items that boost your attack power are the priciest.”

“Still, thirty billion is...” Song Ha-Eun trailed off in disappointment.

That cost three times more than the Dragonic Eye that had restored her vision. Even Awakeners who made a lot of money didn’t have that much on hand.

“Should I cover it for you, unnie?” Isabella nonchalantly pulled out a black card from her wallet.

Song Ha-Eun’s eyes lit up. “Y-You’ll pay for it? Really?”

“Yes. On one condition...” Isabella smiled and cast a sultry glance in Kwon Oh-Jin’s direction. “I want to go on ten dates with Mr. Oh-Jin. Just the two of us, of course.”

“T-That’s...!”

Was Isabella seriously suggesting selling Kwon Oh-Jin off for the money!?

“I can’t possibly—!”

“Think carefully, unnie. We’re talking about thirty billion won here. Not even high-ranking Awakeners can earn that easily.”

“But still!” Song Ha-Eun clenched her fists, all flustered and fired up.

She wanted to say, “You’re trying to buy my Oh-Jin with money?! No way! I won’t take it!” However, that kind of money was just too much to decline.

“W-What about five times? Would that be okay?” Song Ha-Eun lowered her head and muttered barely audibly.

Isabella brightly smiled and gently shook Song Ha-Eun’s hand. “

Hehe

. Sounds good.”

Song Ha-Eun’s hand trembled in Isabella’s grasp.