Shivers.
His silver fur stood on edge from the creepy sensation that ran down his spine.
‘What is this?’
It was strange.
No matter how he thought of it, no matter how many times he reminisced…
It made no sense.
‘How… can he move?’
Riak himself knew best about how immense the shock of death was because he had requested Vega to utilize the Sacred Ground back when he was focused on training.
The one who faced him back then was Vega.
‘My limit… was twenty times.’
Even Riak, who had pride in his willpower and believed it to be inferior to none, was struck by fear and unable to move after experiencing twenty consecutive deaths.
Death begat fear beyond one’s imagination.
No…
Death or not, there was no possible way one’s mind would be left intact after one’s intestines were ripped and crushed bone fragments dug into flesh.
‘But…’
Why…
After experiencing over twenty deaths…
How could he smile so brightly?
“What? What are you spacing out for?”
Drrrr—
Dragging the spear on the ground, Ohjin approached him step by step.
Even though the inside of his head was burning up, Ohjin moved forward.
Though his legs shook as if they were about to collapse at any second, he refused to give in.
“—We’re not finished yet, are we?”
He moved.
He grabbed the burning rope of consciousness—
and forcefully pushed strength into his quivering legs.
One step…
And then another step, he moved.
“…!”
Riaku stepped back as his eyes widened.
At that moment he was completely overwhelmed by the fragile human who he could face with a single finger.
‘This is…’
Chewing his lips, his face turned pale from fear.
His clenched fists shook.
It was impossible to describe him with the simple expression, ‘outstanding will’.
It was—
‘He’s out of his mind.’
—madness.
It transcended will, it was beyond simple conviction.
It was simply pure madness.
“Kugh!”
His instincts alarmed him.
They warned him immediately escape from that place, telling him that human was one who shouldn’t be faced.
All of his senses screamed out.
“Non…sense!”
Ignoring the alarms of his instincts, Riak raised his fist.
When he was about to run at the human wobbling towards him—
Owooong!!—
—The silver rays of light that encompassed the sanctuary disappeared.
“”Ah.””
Ohjin and Riak’s voice overlapped.
Where their eyes naturally headed to was the Goddess, who was glaring at the two of them with angry eyes.
[Did you not hear my words to stop?]
“I-I apologize.”
Riak bowed his head down.
“…”
Ohjin fiddled with the spear grasped in his hand with a somewhat regrettable expression and soon nodded his head.
“Sorry. I guess I got a little too excited.”
He neatly apologized.
[Fuu. Seriously… you and Riak are the same when it comes to being reckless.]
Vega let out a sigh and approached him.
Lightly pinching on Ohjin’s cheek, she continued.
[You really are a troublesome child. How much are you planning on making this lady worried?]
Although she asked playfully, her voice trembled slightly.
It appeared that she had truly been worried about him.
Ohjin smiled bitterly as he bowed his head.
“I’ll seriously be careful from now on.”
[Will you promise?]
Vega carefully extended out her pinky finger.
‘Where did she learn stuff like this?’
“Yeah. I promise.”
…Though it was unknown how long the promise of a scammer would last.
[Fufu. This lady shall trust in you.]
When he looked at the appearance of the Goddess smiling brightly, even his thoughts of lying disappeared.
‘I did get a little too heated this time.’
He had fought with half of his mind starting from the middle of the fight.
It had been gruesome to the extent that Riak was startled and took steps back.
‘But is it something to be that surprised about?’
The fear and pain of death was definitely extreme.
It was to the point he had worried that the inside of his brain would go up in flames.
However…
‘I still think it was bearable. It was definitely painful and agonizing, but…’
‘Wouldn’t the problem be over if you simply ‘endured’ it?’
‘I don’t understand why they’re making such a fuss.’
Ohjin had come across other matters that wouldn’t end with endurance. He would endure through suffering with a smile if they could come to an end.
* * *
* * *
“Promise?!”
Ha-eun approached him with an angry expression.
She glanced down at him, who was in the middle of locking his pinky finger with Vega’s, and soon pulled hard on his ear.
“Owwww.”
“Who do you think you are…?!”
It seemed like she was thoroughly pissed.
“I said I’m sorry.”
“…Argh.”
Ha-eun let out a deep sigh like she didn't want to cross words with him any further.
“Is your body okay? Does it hurt anywhere?”
Her heart fluttered whenever she recalled Ohjin’s appearance after he had been ripped apart by Riak’s claws.
“I’m fine, as you can see,” Ohjin answered playfully while he shrugged his shoulders.
Ha-eun’s expression slightly loosened.
“But I am a bit tired.”
Was it because the tension had released all at once?
Sudden fatigue rushed in.
“Sit down for a sec.”
“Hm? Why all of a sudden?”
“Hurry.”
Song Ha-eun tilted her head as she sat down on the spot.
Flop—
Ohjin lied down on top of her thighs.
“W-What are you doing!” screamed out Ha-eun as her face turned red.
“Huhuhu.”
‘Even though she acts that way, she’s fixing her positions so that I can lie down more comfortably.’
“I’ll take a ten minute nap.”
“Y-You… you…!”
Ha-eun raised her fist as her body shook, but it soon came to a stop.
“…haa.”
She looked down at Ohjin, who had fallen asleep the instant his eyes closed, and slowly lowered her raised fist.
“You’re so troublesome.”
Ha-eun lightly tapped the sleeping Ohjin’s forehead with a tranquil expression.
[Hmm.]
Vega looked at the two of them with a complicated gaze. She, who had been briefly lost in thought, soon let out a sigh and turned away.
[Riak.]
“Yes. Lady Vega.”
[How is it now that you have experienced a real fight? Do you understand this lady’s words?]
“…”
Riak slowly nodded his head with his lips shut tight.
“…I have understood, to the bone.”
The explosive growth Ohjin had during the short battle.
Whether he was a Regressor or not, the phenomenal talent of creating a skill on the spot during a fight, the outstanding sense of handling the stigma’s mana as freely as he pleased.
Riak had observed many Awakeners in Vega’s place thus far, but there was no one who matched up to the overwhelming amount of talent Ohjin possessed.
[Fufu. As expected, he has excellent talent that even you will acknowledge.]
“…”
Riak gritted his teeth.
‘No.’
He forcefully held in the words that soared up to the tip of his tongue.
‘That’s not what’s important.’
Phenomenal talent?
They were bound to meet a ‘wall’ and suffer a setback in vain.
…Just like he had.
However…
‘What’s really scary about that human…’
Wobble, wobble—
He recalled Ohjin’s figure after he had gotten back up even after experiencing dozens of deaths.
‘That human is crazy.’
For example, if there was a person who shoved their hand inside bubbling oil and giggled out like it was nothing, could you describe that person with the words ‘remarkable patience’ or ‘determined will’?
‘Will that is close to madness.’
That was the real fear the human named ‘Ohjin’ possessed.
“Why…”
Riak roughly clenched his fists.
“Why was I… unable to be that crazy?”
In his far away past…
When he had been given a part of Vega’s soul and reborn with a transcendental body, he had desperately worked on training for Vega—who had saved him.
In order to protect her from the darkness of the ‘Black Heaven’ that would come to find her according to the star’s prophecy, he had struggled through hundreds, thousands of nights.
However…
‘I couldn’t overcome the wall.’
Without being able to receive enlightenment in over hundreds of years, he had stopped in place.
He fell into unimaginable frustration and no longer strived to train any further.
‘My will was insufficient.’
Will rivalling that of Ohjin’s madness…
If only he had that, he wouldn’t have been stopped in place so pathetically.
[Riak?]
“No. It’s nothing.”
Riak shook his head with a bitter smile.
“…”
Riak looked back at Ohjin, who had fallen asleep on Ha-eun’s thighs.
‘It’s my defeat.’
He couldn’t exceed him in neither talent nor will.
He had even run wild after losing his mind from crude jealousy.
A humiliating defeat.
He no longer had the excuse to avoid acknowledging him.
Bang—
Riak got down on one knee and faced Ohjin.
“Heaven-defying Star,”
Respectfully bowing his head—
“Please, protect the Star of the Weaver Girl’s light from the Black Heaven’s darkness.”
—he pleaded with a desperate voice.
* * *
When one more month had passed, close to three months since arriving at the sanctuary…
“I should slowly start to head back,” said Ohjin in shame after the spar finished.
Riak narrowed his eyes.
“You’re heading back?”
“Yeah.”
“Kmf! Are you planning to neglect training when you’ve just been able to last a little over five minutes!”
Riak said it bluntly, but there was also heavy regret left in his voice. When all was said and done, he had developed quite an affection for Ohjin during the past three months.
“Hey, I’ve grown quite a lot if I can last five minutes when It was three seconds at first.”
“Even so, isn’t it only a little longer than the time it takes for instant ramen to cook!”
“Huh? You know what instant ramen is?”
“I ate some after seeing you eating it.”
“For fu— no wonder some were missing.”
“It tasted great.”
“This bitch?”
They became friendly to the point of being able to exchange playful jokes before they knew it.
Ohjin smiled bitterly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Still, I can’t stay here for a thousand years.”
It was time to take care of matters at the Association.
‘And the efficiency of the training is starting to lower.’
No matter what kind of trickery he used, there was a limit in growth when facing the same Riak over and over again.
Ohjin needed real fights.
Real fights without the ‘revival’ safety device in place.
“Grrr…”
Riak crossed his arms with a sullen expression.
“Huhu. What? Are you sad that I’m leaving?”
“W-What!”
Riak shouted abruptly.
“Don’t speak of nonsense, human! There is no such thing as loneliness for true warriors!”
“Ah, yeah~ yeah.”
“Grrr!”
Ohjin cackled out while packing up the luggage that had piled up during the past three months—his sleeping bag, pillow, several kinds of instant foods, and cooking utensils.
“Here. I’ll leave behind a couple instant ramens, so eat them when you’re bored.”
“…”
Riak received the cup ramens and shut his lips tight.
“…Human.”
“Yeah?”
“…”
Riak couldn’t speak for a while as his mouth fumbled for words, but he soon turned his head the other direction and mumbled in a quiet voice.
“…Th-thank you.”
Sparring against Ohjin, Riak had found the will to challenge the ‘wall’ once again.
He found courage.
How could he not express his thanks?
“Huuh? What~? I couldn’t hear you~?”
“K-Khm!! You dare!”
Riak’s silver fur stood on edge as he bared his sharp teeth.
Exploding out in laughter, Ohjin clutched his belly.
‘Well then, should I start to head back?’
He had reached a level where he was capable enough to protect his own body.
Now—
“I’ll need to show them who the Star of the Weaver Girl’s apostle is.”
—It was time to face the world.
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