CHAPTER 209: SERPENT’S HEAD (2)

“What exactly did you find?” Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes.

—It'd be quicker if you came and we talked in person.

“But...”

—Ah, if you're worried about the Serpens Queen, don't be. I’ve spent about a week hiding out alone and keeping an eye on things. Luckily, it looks like she’s already moved on.

“Hmm.” Kwon Oh-Jin nodded.

It was probably safe for now if Cheon Sang-Gil confidently said that.

—Weren’t you the one who handled the demonic beast incident yourself last time? I’d like your help again this time.

“That's true, but...” Kwon Oh-Jin furrowed his brow in thought.

A rift leading to the Demonic District had opened right in the middle of the city. He couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. He needed to act before something irreversible happened like in San Fruttuoso.

What’s this feeling?

He felt an unpleasant sense of dissonance like gears that didn’t quite match up.

“How’s your health, Gramps?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

—Hmm? Was someone else with you?

“Oh, yes. Ha-Eun and Isabella are with me.”

—That’s good to hear. I was actually planning to contact Ha-Eun and Isabella as well.

Kwon Oh-Jin definitely couldn’t handle this alone.

“When should we head out?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

—The sooner, the better. It doesn’t look like any demonic beasts have come through the rift yet, but... as long as the rift exists, you never know what could happen.

“That’s true.” Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and stood up. “We’ll head over as soon as we’re ready.”

—Alright. I also have to contact the guild now, so I’ll hang up.

Beep.

The call ended.

“A rift to the Demonic District... Why would something like that suddenly appear in Korea?” Isabella asked with a stiff expression.

“It’s probably connected to the serpent,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied.

“Then isn’t it too dangerous to go there right now?”

“But it’s not something we can just ignore because it’s dangerous.”

A rift to the Demonic District beneath the city was like sitting on a ticking time bomb. To be fair, the chances of Kwon Oh-Jin being directly harmed were low even if it exploded.

I have to do something if I want to maintain my title as a hero.

If word got out that he didn’t go just to protect himself, his hard-earned reputation could come crashing down all at once.

Can’t let that happen.

He had realized just how valuable and useful the name Thunder Wolf was when he and Isabella covered up the Damian incident. If Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella hadn’t steadily built up their credibility over time, they could have never avoided suspicion in such a major case involving the death of a Seven Star.

“Plus, I have a personal reason for chasing the serpent too,” he said.

“Is it because of the Heavenly Demon?” Isabella asked.

“Yeah.”

Only the Serpens Queen probably knew the Heavenly Demon’s true identity.

“Hearing Gramps... it really does sound serious,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Why? Did he sound different than usual?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Yeah. No matter how busy he is, he usually doesn’t speak so bluntly and to the point like that.”

Now that she mentioned it, Cheon Sang-Gil usually had an easygoing way of speaking. Some would call it flexible, and others would call it sly. Song Ha-Eun, who had trained directly under him, would probably know that best.

“Anyway, let’s get ready,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Okay. I’m gonna head home and shower first.”

“If there’s anything you need, just let me know Mr. Oh-Jin. I’ll have Roberto get it for you.”

“Thanks. I guess I’ll have to eat your lunch later now.”

“Haha. Don’t worry, I’ll make you another one anytime.”

Kwon Oh-Jin, Song Ha-Eun, and Isabella each prepared the supplies they needed and checked their gear before heading to Sokcho.

After inspecting his wire shooter, Kwon Oh-Jin took out his spear that was folded like a knife and carefully polished it with a blade-cleaning cloth soaked in oil. The spear shaft trembled slightly every time he wiped it, possibly because it had a will of its own.

He also took out the tri-color bracelet and gauntlet, which he hadn’t used in a while, and meticulously checked them. Then he sat down for a short meditation to recover the mana he had expended during training.

“Is everyone ready?” Kwon Oh-Jin stepped out into the living room fully geared up.

There, Song Ha-Eun waited in skinny jeans and a rider jacket. Isabella held a staff embedded with a large golden gemstone.

“Yes, we’re all set,” Isabella said.

“I almost died from getting beaten up earlier, so I’m a bit tired, but what can you do?”

“Ah, unnie, that’s...”

“I know you didn’t expect this to happen when you did it, but seriously, wipe that look off your face.” Song Ha-Eun chuckled and lightly pinched Isabella’s cheek.

“Ah.” Isabella blinked with wide eyes and gently rubbed her cheek.

It seemed to be the first time someone pinched her cheek. She soon smiled faintly at Song Ha-Eun.

“Let's get going then,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Are you not going to call Vega?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“I’ll call her once we get there.”

Vega could only manifest on Earth for a limited time, so it was more efficient to summon her after they arrived.

“Okay! Then let’s hurry over and snatch that serpent’s tail!” Song Ha-Eun walked out the door with light steps.

***

Isabella stepped out of the car and looked around the city with a slight frown. “Hmm. So this is Sokcho?”

The downtown area of Sokcho had suffered devastating damage from the demonic beast outbreak six months ago and was still under reconstruction.

“People still live here... right?” Isabella asked.

“This is all because of that demonic beast attack that Gramps mentioned earlier.” Song Ha-Eun pulled out a cigarette from her jacket and placed it in her mouth with a bitter expression.

Thankfully, no casualties occurred since all the civilians had evacuated beforehand during the demonic beast operation. However, they couldn’t prevent homes and businesses from getting destroyed. Collapsed buildings couldn’t be rebuilt overnight, so rebuilding the lives of those who originally lived in Sokcho would take more time.

“Ha-Eun, where did that black pillar shoot up last time?”

“Ah, it was over there.” Song Ha-Eun, who had been watching the weary people along the road, rubbed her cigarette in a portable ashtray and pointed.

Next to the Expo Tower under construction was a massive dirt crater about three hundred meters in diameter. It looked like a giant sinkhole had opened in the middle of the city.

Warning fences surrounded the pit, and an elderly man in a hanbok waited for Kown Oh-Jin’s group there.

“Thank you for coming right away.” Cheon Sang-Gil greeted Kwon Oh-Jin with a gentle smile and extended his hand.

“Has the Heaven’s Grace Guild arrived yet?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“They’re almost here.” Cheon Sang-Gil turned and stepped inside the restricted area.

A sticky, unpleasant energy oozed out from deep within the pit where the bottom couldn’t be seen.

“Do we have to go down there?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

Cheon Sang-Gil nodded. “That’s right.”

Kwon Oh-Jin sighed and waited for the Heaven’s Grace Guild members to arrive. “By the way, what are your plans for the Guardian Stars going forward?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Three of the seven were killed, weren’t they?”

“Ah, right.” Cheon Sang-Gil nodded as if recalling a fact he had momentarily forgotten. “Well, casualties during an operation are inevitable, aren’t they?”

He gave a surprisingly blunt response.

“That’s true.”

“Once this is over, I’ll look into recruiting more members. We can think about who we’ll pick when the time comes.” Cheon Sang-Gil stared down at the dark pit.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and glanced around. “Come to think of it, is Lee Woo-Hyuk not here?”

“I tried contacting him, but he said he’s entered closed-door training.”

“Closed-door training?”

“Woo-Hyuk is close to reaching nine stars, after all.”

That made sense. It was time for Lee Woo-Hyuk to become a high-rank Awakener.

As they stood around the pit exchanging small talk, a few large vans arrived nearby.

Vroom!

The Heaven’s Grace Guild members, dressed in modified hanbok, came out of the van.

“Everyone’s here?”

“Yes, sir!”

The guild members lined up in an orderly fashion, bowing deeply to Cheon Sang-Gil like soldiers in formation.

“Then let’s head in.”

After surveying the group, Cheon Sang-Gil walked forward slowly. Around the massive, unfathomably deep pit was a narrow stairway about a meter wide. Kwon Oh-Jin’s group followed Cheon Sang-Gil down the cramped steps.

After descending about a hundred meters, Cheon Sang-Gil turned to Kwon Oh-Jin. “Can you feel it?”

He didn’t mention what, but Kwon Oh-Jin immediately knew what he was referring to. At the base of the crater where the black pillar once shot up, an ominous mana rose in shimmering waves from below.

“Yes.”

Even without activating the Stigma of Canes Venatici, he could tell something extremely unpleasant was lurking down there.

“That’s the rift I discovered.”

After going down another thirty meters, a small rift only about a meter wide could be seen. Unlike typical gates, it shimmered with a gloomy, black light.

“What was the trace of the serpent you mentioned?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Take a look over here.” Cheon Sang-Gil pointed to an area near the rift.

There, a bizarre magic circle had been drawn. At its center was a palm-sized tablet with a serpent engraving.

This is...

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes at the serpent tablet in the center of the circle. Indeed, it was the same token that Cheon Do-Yoon and Sosuke had carried.

I should call Vega now.

Vega had a keener sense for these kinds of things.

Kwon Oh-Jin touched the silver pendant hanging around his neck, and Vega appeared with a brilliant flash of silver light.

“Hmm? Where are we?” Vega frowned at the ominous mana emanating from the surroundings.

Kwon Oh-Jin briefly explained everything that had happened.

“A rift that leads to the Demonic District, huh...” Vega narrowed her eyes at the black rift where the sinister energy came from. “How did you find this place?”

“I found it while tracking the serpent’s trail. I believe it’s been down here for quite a while,” Cheon Sang-Gil said.

“That’s not true.” Vega firmly shook her head. “This rift... was created quite recently.”

“Recently?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“That’s right.”

“How recent are we talking?”

“I can’t say for certain, but around ten days? It seems no older than that.”

That meant Cheon Sang-Gil had discovered this rift just three days after it had formed.

Kwon Oh-Jin stared into the black rift. “How’s the rift’s condition?”

“Hmm. It’s very stable,” Vega answered.

“No risk of demonic beasts or something popping out?”

“I can’t say there’s no risk, but the chances are low. Don’t monsters usually emerge from unstable rifts?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

It had been the same back in San Fruttuoso. Generally speaking, monsters only emerged from unstable rifts spiraling out of control.

For now, I guess it’s safe.

Kwon Oh-Jin cautiously approached the black rift and slowly reached out. The moment his fingertips touched it—

Rumble!

The entire pit shook as if an earthquake had struck.

“W-What the hell?” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Mr. Oh-Jin!”

“My child!”

Song Ha-Eun turned frantically with a shocked expression. Vega and Isabella also cried out in alarm.

Kwon Oh-Jin quickly pulled his hand back and tried to turn around. However, the tiny one-meter-wide rift suddenly expanded like a cracked glass pane.

Crack!

The black rift rapidly expanded from five meters to ten meters and thirty meters. It swallowed everyone within the pit.

“Damn it!”

Bang!

As the rift consumed them, Kwon Oh-Jin swiftly fired his wire shooter to wrap up Song Ha-Eun and Isabella. His consciousness began to fade as he was sucked into somewhere unknown. Amid his hazy consciousness...

—You’re here.

Someone whispered, full of ecstasy and thrill.

—I’ve been waiting for you.

Kwon Oh-Jin lost consciousness before he could even grasp who the voice belonged to. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside the Demonic District.