Chapter 33: Underworld (6)

People ran away, faces pale with terror.

“Aaaaah!”

“H-Help!”

The ten-meter-tall monster that appeared in the heart of Seoul Station was a disaster in itself. But to make matters worse, a swarm of Reptilians slithered out and began attacking the fleeing crowd.

“Kuruaaaa!”

Damn it!

Kwon Oh-Jin bit his lip anxiously.

This is bad.

He didn’t care whether the giant rampaged through Seoul Station and the Reptilians tore innocent citizens apart.

But right now, I have to protect them.

If he ignored the victims here, the trust he had built with Vega would be destroyed. After all, she saw him as the hero destined to change the world's fate.

“Hup!”

He pushed off the giant’s shoulder, leaping into the air. With a swift slash, he severed the wire connecting him to the giant.

A child, barely old enough for elementary school, was knocked down by the panicked crowd. Books spilled from the child's backpack, scattering across the ground.

“Ahhh!”

“KarrrRRaaa!”

“Eek!”

A Reptilian advanced toward the fallen child, flicking its crimson red tongue as it aimed its sharp bone spike at the helpless prey before it.

“P-Please stop...”

The child trembled, tears streaming down. However, the cries of desperation were useless against a monster. The Reptilian swiftly thrust its deadly bone toward the child.

Bang!

A wired weight shot through the air, striking the Reptilian right on its forehead.

“Kiiii!”

“... Huh?”

The crying child looked up. Kwon Oh-Jin, covered in blue lightning, landed in front of the child.

Crackle!

“Th-Thank—”

“Get out of here.”

He didn’t have time to listen to gratitude. He charged forward, aiming his wire shooter at the swarm of Reptilians.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The remaining five wires shot toward the rampaging Reptilians with explosive blue lightning. The Reptilians, who had been charging toward the fleeing civilians, convulsed and collapsed.

Crackle!

There aren’t that many of them.

Perhaps because he had already killed so many on his way to hunt down the giant, there wasn't a substantial number of Reptilians that made it out to Seoul Station.

The real problem, though...

Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue and glanced at the fleshy giant.

“GaRara! Gruuuuu!”

The giant crashed into nearby buildings, clutching the back of its neck where Explosive Lightning had struck it.

Boom!

The giant suddenly let go of its neck and glared at Kwon Oh-Jin with savage eyes.

“Damn it,” Kwon Oh-Jin muttered in regret.

He could’ve finished it off earlier, but he missed that window while saving people. However, he couldn’t just let the Reptilians slaughter the fleeing citizens.

Oh well. I’ll have to start all over again.

But everything he had done so far wasn't for nothing. He clenched his spear tightly and got into a proper stance.

“Krrrrr...”

“It hurts, doesn’t it?”

Kwon Oh-Jin smirked. Explosive Lightning had left a deep wound that the giant couldn’t easily recover from.

Now that he knew his attack worked, he just had to keep unleashing Explosive Lightning until the giant was dead.

“My child, don’t you need my blessing?” Vega asked with concern, flying next to him.

“I said I’m fine.”

This wasn’t just big talk. If he felt receiving a blessing was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to abandon his pride and ask for it.

I know I can do it.

The electrifying thrill he had felt when he'd landed Explosive Lightning earlier still lingered. The sensation of manipulating his mana exactly how he wanted, everything clicking into place like perfectly aligned gears, was intoxicating.

But if I receive the blessing now...

The strength he gained through the blessing was only temporary, disappearing like a mirage after some time. It was possible that this thrill he was feeling now could vanish as well.

I can't let that happen.

Focusing on the heat coursing through him, he tightened his grip on his spear.

“KaRaaaaaaAA!”

The giant stomped.

Thump! Thump!

“Hup!”

Kwon Oh-Jin and the four-armed giant charged toward each other, each intending to annihilate the other.

Slap!

“Argh!”

The giant’s arm barely made contact but sent shockwaves through him, hurling him across the ground.

Just a bit more.

He forced himself to get up. Every part of him screamed in pain, but he ignored it all.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“Ugh!”

The giant moved too quickly, its fists blurring into a relentless storm pounding down on him.

“Haa! Haa!”

Kwon Oh-Jin barely managed to dodge all the strikes. One wrong step and he would be instantly crushed; the overwhelming fear threatened to consume his mind.

Another blow grazed him and flung him across the ground.

Smack!

“Kugh! Cough! Cough!”

His vision blurred.

“GuRaaaaarRRRR!”

The giant let out a triumphant roar as if sensing victory was near. It charged at him again, even more ferociously.

“Haa, haa, haa!”

Kwon Oh-Jin was running out of breath. His legs were giving out, stumbling over themselves. This was the worst possible situation he could be in. It wouldn't be strange for him to beg Vega for a blessing in this situation.

“Haa, haa, ha.”

And yet, why did this moment feel so exciting for him?

“Ha, haha!”

Why was he overflowing with joy and thrill?

Dodging the giant’s vicious pounding, he rolled to the side.

“Hup!”

There was no time to rest. The giant immediately followed up with another barrage of punches that impacted like meteors.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kwon Oh-Jin dodged, again and again.

The scent of metal, blood, and sweat stung his nose. His senses sharpened as if he had activated the Stigma of Canes Venatici. The giant’s movements, which had been too fast to track, were now decipherable. His stumbling legs regained their pace.

Now then...

“It’s my turn.”

He stopped dodging and swung his spear at one of the giant's four arms.

Crackle!

He released Explosive Lightning from its tip, shattering the arm into pieces.

“KaRaaaa!”

“This is just the beginning, you bastard.”

One after another, he unleashed a series of Explosive Lightning strikes. The giant staggered back, but he continued to use the skill without pause.

Even though he had an overflowing amount of mana, using an unmastered skill over and over again like this should’ve taken a toll on him, but...

I’m not running out of mana.

It was just like before. The more he used his mana, the more it continued to refill. It felt like he was scooping water out of an ocean with a bucket.

If it’s not going to run out no matter how I use it...

Kwon Oh-Jin’s lips curled into a smirk. He poured the maximum amount of mana he could use at a go into a single strike of Explosive Lightning.

Crackle!

“KaaRaaaaaa!”

Unable to withstand the onslaught, the giant turned to flee.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Kwon Oh-Jin spread his arms wide and shot all five wires toward the rubble of buildings from the giant’s earlier rampage.

Bang! Bang!

Taking a deep breath, he crossed his arms in an X formation.

“Hmph!”

He coiled the attached debris around the fleeing giant.

Now!

Kwon Oh-Jin unleashed mana beyond his limits!

Boom!

Five massive Explosive Lightning attacks blew up along each of the wires.

Ring!

[Explosive Lightning has reached Lv2!]

[Explosive Lightning has reached Lv3!]

Thud!

The giant collapsed to the ground, followed by a brief silence.

“W-Woahhh!”

“He did it! He killed that monster!”

“Who is that Awakener? What guild is he from?!”

The crowd cheered.

“My child, are you all right?” Vega asked, urgently flying over.

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled and confidently gave her a thumbs-up.

“How was that? Told you to just wait.”

“...”

In truth, he wasn’t in the best physical condition, but he bragged and pretended everything was fine.

“Do you even realize how worried I was?!”

“

Hehe

. I won in the end though, didn’t I?”

“

Hmph!

You said it would be quick, but it took quite a while!”

Vega crossed her arms, turning her head away.

Was this goddess of mine always this cute?

What had happened to the once dignified Vega, who was like an elegant flower on a cliff out of reach?

Anyway...

Kwon Oh-Jin turned to the crowd of hundreds that had gathered around him.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Quick, get a picture of him!”

Well, there’s no way I can hide my identity now.

Having taken down a monster alone in front of so many people meant that word would spread.

People will find out that I’m an apostle of the North Star.

He knew this would have happened eventually. It was just much sooner than he had expected.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a sloppy suit rushed out from within the crowd. He pulled out a business card from his pocket and extended it.

“E-Excuse me, I’m Ko Kwang-Hyun, a reporter from Cheonlian News! May I ask which guild you’re affiliated with?”

Might as well put out a good image since it’s come to this.

“I’m with the association,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied with a warm smile.

Creating a positive impression was crucial.

The better my image is, the easier it'll be to gain trust.

Trust was always good fuel to exploit when it became necessary.

“Th-There's an Awakener like that in the association?”

“Wow... He’s a part of the association? I would’ve never guessed.”

“He looks like such a nice guy too, right?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Whispers of admiration spread through the crowd.

This is good.

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled in satisfaction.

“Thank you!”

“

Woohoo!

You’re so cool!”

He was showered in applause and gratitude.

Time to act humble. There's nothing like humility to make one more likable.

“No, really, I was just doing my job—”

“

Haha!

You all saw that with your own eyes, didn't you?!” Vega stepped in front of the crowd in human form, placing her hands confidently on her hips.

“Huh?”

“This hero who saved you is none other than my proud child!”

Vega puffed out her chest, like a mother boastfully showing off her son.

“... Ah!”

Suddenly, a bright smile spread across her face as she thought of a brilliant idea.

What now?

An unsettling feeling washed over Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Come to think of it... you’re all just thanking him with words.”

What?

“How could you simply express gratitude with words after someone saved your lives?!”

What is she trying to say?

“My child loves money very much!”

Wait, no...

“Hurry up and offer money to my child!”

Stop it, damn it. I was going for a humble image!

Kwon Oh-Jin’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“

Uh...

money?”

“I-I mean, he did save our lives.”

The crowd awkwardly opened their wallets with a slightly confused expression and handed their cash to Vega.

“

Haha,

how was that?” Vega asked, thrusting the stack of cash toward him, puffing out her chest even further. “I gathered up money for you!”

“...”

Fuck me.