BXBX NOVEL Chapter 157: Interlude: Price
"Hmm…"
After setting Vega free from the Commandment’s Restriction, Ohjin slept for ten hours straight at home.
\'I\'m still a bit tired.\'
Laying on the bed, Ohjin pulled up the cushy blankets with his eyes shut.
Though he had woken up, he didn\'t want to get out of bed due to his entire body aching.
\'Water Affinity doesn\'t work for internal damage and fatigue like this.\'
Sleeping more seemed like a wise move.
\'Putting that aside, the side effects aren\'t that severe.\'
With his eyes shut, Ohjin slightly moved his body to confirm his state.
Needless to say, his whole body throbbed like it was going to tear, and an unfathomable amount of fatigue was built up in his body, but it was practically the same as having no side effect for \'Heaven Unfolding\', an indescribably overpowered skill.
"Ohjin, are you asleep?"
Creak—
He could hear Ha-eun\'s voice as the door was opened carefully.
Ohjin didn\'t open his eyes and closed his mouth tight.
"He\'s already slept for ten hours… he didn\'t die in his sleep, did he?"
Ha-eun crouched next to the bed and extended her finger in front of Ohjin\'s nose.
She exhaled a breath of relief after confirming the breathing that tickled her finger and looked down at Ohjin’s face with a blank look.
She remained like that, completely still for over five minutes.
\'What is this person doing in front of a sleeping person.\'
Ohjin slightly opened an eye while continuously being looked at.
He could see that Ha-eun was looking at him with her chin leaning on the edge of the bed.
"Hehe. Ohjin\'s sleeping face is cute."
Ha-eun didn\'t notice that Ohjin had woken up and giggled while looking at his face.
It appeared that she’d gotten a bit bored of looking for over five minutes, as she poked Ohjin\'s cheek with the tip of her finger.
"Hehe."
After she poked him with playful laughter, she gulped and put on a mischievous smile.
"If that still hasn\'t woken him up… he\'s completely out, right?"
Ha-eun looked around for a moment and then slightly lifted the blankets to slide inside.
Ohjin could feel the sensation of her arms and legs wrapping around him like a snake.
Ha-eun, who had hugged Ohjin’s body like a bamboo wife, carefully placed her head on top of his chest.
"Sniff, sniff."
With her face dug into his chest, she sniffed like some kind of dog.
Ha-eun\'s body trembled after getting a whiff of Ohjin\'s smell as if she was doing drugs, and her cheeks turned red.
She wiggled her body like she was constipated with Ohjin in her grasp.
"Ah…"
A lewd voice could faintly be heard.
\'Shit.\'
Ohjin stayed completely still with his eyes shut.
Cold sweat flowed down his face.
It was impossible to sleep in peace, but that didn\'t mean the situation would allow him to open his eyes.
\'I guess I\'ll have to give up on sleeping more today.\'
A rough sigh left Ohjin’s mouth.
When he was having a good time with Ha-eun…
[It is I!]
"Kyaaaaaah!!"
Bam!!!—
Ohjin bounced off the wall and rolled on the floor like a rubber ball.
"Wh-What? What happened?!"
Ohjin pretended like he had suddenly woken up from deep sleep with a shocked expression.
He could see that Ha-eun was looking at him with an awkward smile.
"Uhm… I-I was just surprised because Vega showed up all of a sudden."
[What kind of shady thing were you doing to be that surprised?]
Vega narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
Ha-eun quickly shook her head like a fan.
"S-Shady?! I was just checking if he was hurt anywhere because he wouldn\'t wake up!"
[Hmm.]
Vega didn\'t disperse her suspicions and looked towards Ohjin.
Ohjin rubbed his head that’d hit the floor and shrugged like he didn\'t know anything.
[Well… I\'ll overlook this for now.]
Vega flew through the air and landed on Ohjin’s head.
[Are you doing okay?]
"I\'m still a bit tired, but I\'ve gotten a lot better."
Ohjin got up and lightly stretched his body.
The muscles that were asleep for over ten hours gradually started to move like he spraying lubricant on a rusty machine.
[......]
Vega looked at Ohjin stretch and shut her lips tight.
She repeatedly closed and opened her hands with a gaze containing complicated feelings.
"What\'s wrong?"
[...There\'s something I want to confirm for a moment.]
"Confirm? Confirm what?"
Vega flew over and slightly lowered the T-shirt Ohjin was wearing.
She stretched out her small hand and touched the stigma of Lyra that was clearly engraved on the left side of his left chest.
Bzt!—
What shot up from her hand was a small spark that permeated into the stigma.
A faint smile appeared on Vega’s mouth when she was looking at the stigma with a severe expression.
"Wh-What?"
[Phew.]
Instead of a reply, Vega exhaled a breath of relief.
Ohjin furrowed his brow as something about her actions seemed strange.
"Did something happen?"
[No, it\'s nothing. It seems that I was just mistaken,] Vega answered while quickly shaking her head.
"You\'re not forcefully pretending to be okay again, are you?"
Ha-eun also observed Ohjin with eyes containing suspicion.
"I\'m really okay."
They weren’t empty words used to relieve them.
His body still felt stiff and hurt in some areas, but it wasn\'t so bad that he couldn\'t move.
It was similar to how your body felt the day after doing a delivery warehouse loading & unloading part-time job.
Naturally, his body couldn\'t move properly yet, but he was surprisingly unharmed when considering how overpowered \'Heaven Unfolding\' was.
\'I actually think the side-effects of using Exceed for the first time were much worse.\'
He’d been unconscious for three days back then, but he remained fine this time around.
[That is a relief.]
Vega thoroughly examined Ohjin\'s body and smiled.
[Rest for a few more days, as it seems that you are still fatigued.]
"Alright."
If he could have it his way, he would’ve sprinted to the training hall immediately to stretch his body, but he decided to obediently listen to Vega, as there was a chance of there being some other side effect.
* * *
Translator - Maccas
Proofreader - ilafy
* * *
"Let\'s have a celebration party since Vega returned!"
Ha-eun proposed a party as her eyes sparkled.
[Oho. I didn\'t think you\'d welcome my return this much.]
"Well, I guess you can even miss the sound of a buzzing fly once you get too used to it."
[F-Fly?! How impertinent!]
"Heh, looking at the way you move, a fly is a perfect fit for you."
[You bastard!]
"I\'m a bitch, not a bastard, you know~?"
Ha-eun cackled while she bickered with Vega.
In the midst of their long argument…
"It\'s a relief that you were able to return safe and sound. And thank you… for saving me."
Ha-eun smiled brightly and extended her hand out to Vega.
Vega puffed air out of her nose and flew on top of Ha-eun’s hand.
[Don’t misunderstand. I didn\'t protect you. I simply protected my child.]
"What\'s with the tsundere concept all of a sudden?"
[Tsundere? What does that mean?]
"Complaining while liking it on the inside."
[Wh-What? I have never done such a thing!]
Vega, who was sitting with her legs crossed on top of Ha-eun’s hand, crossed her arms and flicked her head away.
Ha-eun smirked and poked Vega\'s cheek that was facing away.
"The way you act is exactly like a tsundere."
[Didn’t I say that it\'s not true?!]
"Oh no, has our little miss goddess gotten cranky~?"
Ha-eun cackled and tickled Vega.
There was probably no one other than Ha-eun who was able to be so at ease in front of a celestial.
[In any case… you are an arrogant child.]
"Hehe. Sorry. It\'s because I\'m glad to see you after so much time."
[Well, since it’s been a while, I guess this lady also doesn\'t feel so bad about seeing you.]
The two women started to ask about what’d happened during that time and chatted as if they’d never fought in the first place.
\'I can\'t tell if they get along or not.\'
It didn\'t look like they weren’t on good terms when he considered how they chatted.
"Ohjin, you don’t have anything to do tomorrow, right? Want to take Vega and Riak somewhere fun?"
"No. There\'s somewhere I have to go tomorrow."
"Eh? Where are you going?"
Ohjin took out a small box that was inside a drawer.
Inside the drawer was a rectangular card that looked like a passport.
Ohjin raised the card and replied.
"I\'m thinking of going to Paradise."
"Paradise? Why?"
"There\'s something I want to have a proper talk about with Cheon Sanggil."
He was curious about the \'enlightenment\' he’d given to Sakaki, but even more important than that was the identity of the \'Snake\'.
\'I want to confirm who they are for him to give me such a warning.\'
Ohjin placed the Paradise admission card on top of the snake medallions obtained from Cheon Doyoon’s room and Sosuke.
"Hmm. Then let\'s go together. I\'m also super curious about what kind of place Paradise is."
"Alright. Let\'s go tomorrow."
[This lady shall accompany you.]
A party was formed on the spot.
"Since going to Paradise is tomorrow…"
Ha-eun smiled and raised Vega’s hands up high.
"Let\'s eat and drink a bunch with our little goddess today!"
[Ah! What are you doing!]
"Let\'s call that bastard Riak while we\'re at it!"
[Ugh. Alright.]
A welcome back party was thrown using Ha-eun\'s excitement from getting to meet Vega after a long time.
Riak joined in on the patty and Ha-eun joyfully teased Vega about sightseeing Osaka with Ohjin.
"Was it takoyaki? I had it with Ohjin and it was super~ delicious!"
[Me too! This lady also wants to try it!]
"Hmpf! A true warrior must swing their fist at least one more time during the time others take to eat… So, where can one obtain that thing called takoyaki?"
After Ohjin, Ha-eun, Vega, and Riak finished their merry party, Ha-eun rubbed her bloated belly and flopped down on the sofa.
"Fua! That was fun~!"
Riak and Vega had already returned to the sanctum with too much time having passed by.
She looked back at Ohjin, who was cleaning up, and asked.
"So about that skill where you puff out Weezing Fart."
"It\'s called Heaven Unfolding."
It felt a bit harsh to call the power that had the strength to end the world \'Weezing Fart\'.
"Ah, yeah that. It\'s a relief that its side effects aren\'t as big as I thought."
As she said, the price of using Heaven Unfolding wasn\'t that big.
"Though the process of using it was a bit dangerous..."
The feeling of his soul melting into thick black clouds…
With the risk of being devoured by the Black Heaven with a slight mishap, it was dangerous enough to send shivers down his spine, however…
"I think it\'ll be nice to use as a special move."
He believed that it’d be okay to use a third time, as there were no problems during the two times he’d used it.
"Looks like our little Ohjin has become incredibly overpowered. If you use that, aren\'t 9-Stars nothing to you?"
"Well, I guess."
It was easy to understand how unreasonable the skill was in the fight with Cheon Doyoon.
He wasn\'t certain of Awakeners at or above the 10-Star rank, but Ohjin believed that there was no 9-Star Awakener capable of defeating him if he used Heaven Unfolding.
\'I\'ve even become more powerful compared to then.\'
He didn\'t know why, but Heaven Unfolding\'s power had increased.
"Then those Black Star Organization bastards will be a piece of cake now!"
"I\'ll need to use it in moderation. They might have Awakeners that are at or above 10-Star."
Isabella was, at minimum, a 10-Star Awakener.
Even with Heaven Unfolding, victory couldn\'t be ascertained with an opponent like her.
"But having such an overpowered skill is still reliable!"
Ha-eun cackled and turned the TV on using the remote controller.
A middle-aged bald man was making comedic poses and showing off various kinds of talents on TV.
"Ah, fuck."
Ha-eun looked at the middle-aged man and frowned while she swore.
"What\'s wrong?"
"That bastard. Doesn\'t he look like the orphanage director?"
"Really?"
Ohjin turned his head towards the TV and looked at the man.
\'Does he look like him?\'
He tilted his head and tried to remember the orphanage director\'s face in his head.
The wretched face of the director who’d beaten him up everyday…
"—Huh?"
At that moment, he realized…
\'What…?\'
No matter how hard he tried to remember…
No matter how many times he dug into his memories…
He couldn’t recall the orphanage director\'s face.
"......"
Ohjin vacantly looked at the TV with a stiff expression.
Regardless of how long ago the orphanage days had been, being unable to remember the director\'s face made no sense.
"Ah, ugh."
The director\'s face wasn\'t the only thing he couldn’t remember.
The maroon hair that wavered like flames…
The face of the beautiful young girl who’d completely turned his life around…
He…
Couldn\'t. ..
Remember…
\'So… this is the true price.\'
Ohjin roughly clenched his fist and chewed his lips.
He felt like laughing due to the sense of shame that crashed in.
Why was he unable to realize despite living such a shitty life?
The fact was, a power that was easy to obtain and convenient didn\'t exist in the world.
"What\'s wrong, Ohjin?"
"It\'s nothing."
Ohjin smiled faintly and sat down next to her.
"He seriously looks exactly like the director."
"I know right?! That annoying expression is just like that bastard!"
Ohjin stared at Ha-eun. who was swearing and making a fuss.
He was covering the face of the young girl he couldn’t remember anymore with hers.
Again and again…