Chapter 62: Heavy Rain (4)

The man with the chain scythe stared at the headless body of his comrade, whose brain matter and eyeballs lay strewn about beside the shattered remains of his axe.

“F-Fuck!” he yelled, swinging his arm. His scythe slithered through the air like a serpent.

“Crush him with force!” the swordsman shouted, charging straight at Kwon Oh-Jin. “Die, you bastard!”

The Khan's Owls were trying to exploit the gap in strength between four-star and six-star Awakeners.

Black feathers enveloped the chain scythe, expanding until it grew into a massive five-meter blade. Covered in black mana, the enormous scythe came crashing down like a guillotine.

Whoosh!

Kwon Oh-Jin extended his right arm toward the incoming scythe, firing three wires at it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The wires wrapped tightly around the scythe. Taking a quick breath, he slammed the shaft of his spear into the ground and used it as leverage to launch himself twenty meters into the air, like a pole-vaulter.

The swordsman was taken aback.

“H-Huh?”

He channeled intense mana into the wire shooter, tightening the wires with a sharp, hissing sound.

Ssshhhh!

Clutching his silver spear, he began his rapid descent.

“You

pussy!

Can’t beat us with strength, so you're trying to run away?!” the swordsman shouted, leaping into the air. Black feathers formed a pair of wings on his back, flapping furiously as he propelled himself toward Kwon Oh-Jin.

As if anticipating the move, Kwon Oh-Jin twisted his torso mid-air and spread his palm wide, channeling mana into it. “I can’t face you with strength, huh? Let’s see about that.”

Hundreds of feathers made of blue lightning materialized, spiraling around his outstretched palm.

Explosive Lightning.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The feathers of lightning exploded like a claymore, raining down on the swordsman in a relentless hail of bullets.

“What?!” the man exclaimed, frantically swinging his sword. Black feathers gathered along the blade's path, forming a barrier to shield him from the incoming projectiles—or so he thought.

His jaw dropped as the lightning feathers tore through the black feathers with terrifying power, shredding the barrier and cascading onto him. “What the hell is this strength?!”

He desperately raised his sword to block the lightning feathers, but it was already too late.

Crackle!

He let out a blood-curdling scream.

“Aaaaaahh!”

Even as he was being burnt to a pitch-black crisp, his eyes opened wide in disbelief.

“This... can’t... be...” he gasped, his voice heavy with despair.

He hadn't underestimated Kwon Oh-Jin or held back—he had thrown everything he had into stopping the feathers of lightning. Yet, it was all in vain.

A mere four-star has this much power?

he thought. He could accept being outmatched by him in technique or skill, but to be so thoroughly crushed in terms of raw strength was incomprehensible.

What... the hell is this guy?

His question remained unanswered as he collapsed.

Kwon Oh-Jin exhaled, his breathing slightly uneven. Pouring out so much mana at once had left a lingering heat surging through his mana circuits.

Still, the circuits are much stronger than before.

Ever since using Exceed, his mana pathways had toughened, like muscles that tear and heal, growing sturdier and more resilient.

As he briefly reflected on his progress, blue message windows appeared before him.

[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Lightning Shot Lv1.]

[Thunderbolt Lv6 has influenced the proficiency of Lightning Shot Lv1.]

[Lightning Shot has reached Lv3.]

I’ll check out these intriguing messages later,

Kwon Oh-Jin decided. There was still one enemy left.

The chain-scythe wielder stared at the charred corpse of his comrade, killed in a single blow. “

H-Hic!

Y-You scamming bastard!” he yelled.

“Huh?” Kwon Oh-Jin blinked in confusion.

What’s this guy on about? How’d he know I’m a scammer?

“You’re not a four-star!” the man shouted with a look of utter betrayal.

“...

Oh,

that's what he meant.”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled before calmly nodding. “Just figuring that out now?”

The man staggered back, his face pale with terror. “I-I knew it!”

His reaction's priceless. I'm just fucking with him, though.

Kwon Oh-Jin was, as the world knew, still only a four-star Awakener.

Twisting his lips into a sly grin, he approached the last remaining member of Khan’s Owls. “Alright, let’s wrap this up.”

“D-Damn it!” The man spun around, desperately trying to flee.

“

Hey, mister!

Did you forget about this?” Kwon Oh-Jin called out, lifting the wire shooter. The chain scythe was still securely tethered by the tightly drawn wire, effectively binding the man.

“Ugh!”

The man tried to let go of the scythe, but a wave of blue lightning ran through the wire and consumed him in an instant.

Crackle!

“Aaaagh!”

With a horrifying scream, the man collapsed to the ground.

Kwon Oh-Jin approached the fallen man and drove his spear into him, ensuring the kill. Then, he looked back at Jang Seok-Ho, who was staring at him with his mouth agape.

“Y-You’re...” Jang Seok-Ho trailed off, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. He looked as though he had just seen a ghost.

Kwon Oh-Jin lightly tapped him on the shoulder and gestuerd toward the warehouse with his chin. “What are you staring at? Are we not gonna go save your son?”

Jang Seok-Ho let out a short gasp before sprinting toward the warehouse.

Kwon Oh-Jin, however, had something to take care of first. “Now then...”

He approached the corpses of the Khan’s Owls. I

've already absorbed this Stigma before, but... there's no reason to leave the mana behind.

Black Heaven!

Rumble.

A dark cloud exited his fingertips, slithering across the ground and engulfing the Stigmas on the corpses' chests.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ring!

[Kwon Oh-Jin has high proficiency with this Stigma.]

[Additional mana from this Stigma is being absorbed.]

He could feel the dense mana of the Stigma of Owl Nebula flowing into him.

“Haa.”

The sensation was electrifying, like soaking in a warm bath. A substantial amount of mana flowed into him, awakening every cell in his body.

Not bad. I guess even a half baked six-star is still a six-star.

With a satisfied smile, Kwon Oh-Jin headed into the warehouse.

Creak.

Unlike its relatively intact exterior, the inside of the warehouse told a different story. Rust covered every surface, making it clear the place had been abandoned a long time ago.

“Hyun-Woo! Hyun-Woo!” Jang Seok-Ho desperately cried out as he frantically searched the warehouse, but there was no response.

“He’s probably in the basement,” Kwon Oh-Jin said. Judging by the photos the Black Star Society had sent Jang Seok-Ho, the boy had been confined underground.

“Alright!” Jang Seok-Ho shouted back. He looked for the entrance to the basement. Given how empty the place was, it didn’t take long to find the stairway leading down.

As they descended into the basement, a maze of interconnected hallways and rows of cramped rooms stretched out before them.

A map pinned to the wall near the stairs revealed that the basement extended three levels deep, meaning it could take some time to locate the boy.

“

Hmm.

Looks like we’ll have to split up to search,” Kwon Oh-Jin remarked.

“Ah, got it! I’ll start from the third level and work my way up!” Jang Seok-Ho hurried down the stairs, assuming his son would be hidden on the lowest level.

Guess I’ll start with the first floor,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought. He began opening the doors one by one.

***

Most of the rooms were empty or filled with scattered junk and tools.

Where did they hide him?

Kwon Oh-Jin wondered.

Even after activating the Stigma of Canes Venatici, he couldn't detect any human other than Jang Seok-Ho. Considering they had deliberately let Jang Seok-Ho go, it was possible they had moved the hostages elsewhere.

Still, I should check everywhere,

he thought, opening more doors.

“Hmm?”

He opened one door to find a rusty, three-meter-long box shoved into a corner of the room. An unpleasant chill ran down his spine, as though insects were crawling over him. He slowly approached the rusted box and broke the lock open.

Crack!

He carefully lifted the lid to find the box filled with fine, white bone powder.

“Ah.”

Kwon Oh-Jin closed his eyes shut.

He had suspected this ever since Jang Seok-Ho showed him his son’s photo. Why would the Black Star Society have sent him that? A phone call with his son would have been a far more compelling way to ensure his compliance; even a video would have worked. Yet, they had opted for a blurry, poorly taken photo where it was hard to identify the boy.

“Shit.”

Kwon Oh-Jin had desperately hoped it wasn't the case.

Why... did they kill him?

Keeping him alive would have been more effective.

Why? Why? Why?

The questions tumbled endlessly through his mind, too many possibilities to settle on a single answer.

Maybe they hadn’t taken proper care of the captives. Maybe the captives had tried to take their own lives. Or maybe... they had been broken to the point of no return.

For a moment, the face of the orphanage director flashed through Kwon Oh-Jin's mind. The man who had mercilessly swung his fists at children would have had plenty of reasons that made him do it, but the underlying emotion was always the same—pleasure. It was the pure satisfaction of crushing someone weaker.

Kwon Oh-Jin closed the lid of the rusted box, stood up, and walked out of the room. He saw Jang Seok-Ho rushing up the stairs, gasping for air.

“Haa! Haa!

I checked everywhere on the lower levels, but he wasn't there!”

Of course not,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

“They must have hidden him on the first floor!”

No.

“

Phew...

This floor has so many rooms. He must be here!”

No.

“Hyun-Woo! Hyun-Woo! Answer me, Hyun-Woo!”

No. Your son is already...

“I already checked this floor,” Kwon Oh-Jin lied, his voice steady.

“Y-You did? Then, what about Hyun-Woo?”

“He’s not here. There’s no one on this floor.”

Sharp thorns seemed to prick Kwon Oh-Jin’s tongue as he forced out the words. He clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged.

Jang Seok-Ho’s face crumpled in disappointment.

“Oh...

it seems they’ve moved Hyun-Woo somewhere else."

“Probably.”

“

Haa

... Then what do we do now?”

Jang Seok-Ho's shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy sigh.

Kwon Oh-Jin suddenly heard footsteps echoing in the distance, sending a jolt of tension through him. He reacted instantly, grabbing Jang Seok-Ho and pulling him into the nearest room.

“What’s going—

mmph!

” Jang Seok-Ho began, only for Kwon Oh-Jin to clamp a hand over his mouth. With his other hand, Kwon Oh-Jin brought a finger to his own lips.

Dead silence followed, where even the sound of breathing felt like thunder.

Kwon Oh-Jin whispered, “Someone’s here.”