Chapter 25

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 25

A Night Without an Aggressor (2)

Something is off.

It’s as if the parts of a machine have been forcibly fitted together, misaligned.

‘What… What’s going on here.’

Even setting aside how they found the hideout,

Suddenly throwing money around or randomly asking where his brother is, it just doesn’t make any sense.

“Hey, wait a minute!”

I urgently stretched out my hand to stop Lee Woo-hyuk, but—

*Crack!*

Trees thicker than an adult’s torso snapped and were violently flung away.

Savage sword energy, like the claws of a beast, shot towards Eugene.

“Damn!”

He stretched out his arm in a hurry.

The scar on his left chest glowed as if burning, and dozens of black feathers materialized in the air.

*Crack!*

The black feathers were effortlessly crushed by the swinging sword strike.

Eugene’s face turned pale.

‘He’s strong!’

Black Lion Lee Woo-hyuk lived up to the rumors, boasting monstrous martial prowess.

“Gah!”

After pouring out black feathers to barely delay the sword strike, he rolled on the ground to put some distance between them.

“Disappointing.”

Lee Woo-hyuk, with a cold expression like ice, pursued Eugene, who was trying to put distance between them.

“Did you really dare to target me with just this level of skill?”

Intense anger surged within him.

Thinking about how much Lee Shin-hyuk, who already felt inferior to him, would suffer because of this incident, he felt like he might go mad.

‘Just barely.’

A glimmer of hope had appeared.

He had dreamed of returning to the way things were before.

—But now, everything is ruined.

“What, what are you talking about?”

Eugene’s eyes widened in shock.

That he had targeted the Black Lion, Lee Woo-hyuk.

What kind of nonsense is this?

‘Could it be…’

Eugene’s face turned pale.

There are too many things that don’t add up.

Everything is twisted, with no logical flow.

That means—

‘Someone— is using the Black Lion.’

He didn’t know who it was, but he couldn’t think of any other possibility.

*Swish!*

“Cough!”

The beast’s claw shot from the sword, slashing from his chest to just above his navel.

Flesh split open, and blood spurted out.

“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding!”

He shouted desperately.

“I, I didn’t do anything!!!”

“You didn’t do anything?”

Lee Woo-hyuk’s lips curled into a cold sneer.

Under normal circumstances, he might have listened to the pitiful excuse, even a little.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

But not now.

*Swish!*

“Aaaah!”

Eugene’s side was slashed, and blood gushed out.

‘Damn it!’

No matter what method was used, the Black Lion firmly believed he was the culprit.

‘I can’t let this continue.’

There was no time to calmly clear up the misunderstanding.

He would be torn apart by the enraged Black Lion’s claws while trying to explain.

‘I have to run away first!’

He couldn’t win in a fight.

“Huff! Huff!”

He panted heavily, crossing his arms.

There was only one chance.

He focused all his mind on the scar, squeezing out all the mana from his body.

He knew that no matter what he did, he couldn’t even scratch the guy, but—

‘If I can create even a small opening…!’

He had kept a secret move in reserve for just such a moment.

*Swish! Thud!*

“Gah! Cough!”

Even in the brief moment of concentration, the beast’s claws savagely tore at his body.

“Black Wing Scatter (黑翼散花)!”

*Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*

He slashed his crossed arms in an X.

Dozens, hundreds of black feathers exploded forward along the trajectory.

“It’s useless.”

Instead, Lee Woo-hyuk took a step forward.

The black feathers, which filled his field of vision, seemed powerful enough.

“Pathetic, as always.”

The scar of Leo glowed intensely.

A gale of wind flowed from the sword, compressing to the extreme and transforming into the shape of a beast’s claw.

The beast’s claw collided with the shower of black feathers.

*Crash!*

The surrounding earth, rocks, and trees were shredded as if by a blender.

Dust and debris obscured the view.

Lee Woo-hyuk casually swung his sword to clear the dust.

“Haa!”

In the brief moment while Lee Woo-hyuk was clearing the dust,

Eugene quickly pulled out a black dagger from his pocket.

And—

*Thud!*

Without hesitation, he stabbed himself.

“…What!”

Lee Woo-hyuk rushed towards Eugene in a panic.

But—

*Crack!*

Eugene’s body instantly transformed into black feathers and disappeared.

“Damn it!!!”

Lee Woo-hyuk gritted his teeth.

“Where… Where did he go?”

He frantically looked around, but he couldn’t tell which direction Eugene had fled, thanks to some ability.

‘I can’t let him get away.’

*Grind.*

The Black Lion bared his teeth savagely.

‘He couldn’t have escaped the mountains.’

He had already set up a perimeter with the association’s help in anticipation of such a situation.

*Boom!*

With a sound like an explosion, the Black Lion raced through the dark forest.

* * *

*Crack!*

Hundreds of black feathers sliced through the air.

The black feathers, swirling together, began to form a human shape.

“Huff! Huff!”

Eugene, who had returned to human form from the black feathers, didn’t even have time to catch his breath before he pushed off with his feet.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

He raced through the dark forest.

His vision blurred as his breath caught in his throat.

“Damn it!!!”

Where did it all go wrong?

Where did it all start to go off track?

*Thud!*

“Gah!”

His body tumbled on the ground after tripping over a tree root.

His wounds reopened, and blood gushed out.

“Damn it!”

He quickly looked behind him, but there was no sign of anyone following.

‘Did I… succeed?’

*Thud.*

As the tension eased, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him.

“Haa, haa!”

His heart pounded as if it would burst.

His trembling legs couldn’t support his weight.

“Gah.”

Eugene clutched his wounds and groaned.

His body was battered, and he had used his cherished secret artifact in vain, but—

‘Still.’

A smile of relief spread across his face.

He clenched his fist.

‘I succeeded.’

He had successfully escaped from that mad beast.

“Why… Why did this happen?”

But that was all.

He had barely saved his life, but he had lost everything.

His subordinates, the chance to make amends—

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!”

He tore at his hair and cursed.

Not only had he failed to retrieve the Black Star artifact, but he had also lost his hideout and subordinates.

And to some unknown person who had thoroughly toyed with him.

“How… How can I….”

His mind went blank.

Even if he managed to return alive, he would die at the hands of Cheon Do-yun.

“…”

Eugene bit his lip.

‘Ashad Khan.’

He hated the idea of asking that bastard for help, but he couldn’t really die.

He had to bow his head and seek his assistance.

“Damn it.”

As he muttered a low curse and raised his smartphone,

*Crack.*

“W-Who’s there!!”

Eugene quickly turned towards the sound.

Standing there was—

“Why are you here….”

The con artist who had sold him the fake artifact.

The bastard who had caused him so much trouble was walking towards him.

“Haha! Looks like you’ve had a rough time. You’re a mess.”

Oh Jin looked down at the crouching Eugene and chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

“What’s going on….”

Eugene’s eyes widened in shock.

“…Wait.”

He rubbed his forehead, his expression confused.

“No way.”

*Shiver.*

A chill ran down his spine.

The puzzle pieces, which seemed to fit nowhere, suddenly clicked into place.

The gears that had been misaligned began to mesh.

‘All of this… was orchestrated by that guy?’

He hadn’t thought about it in the heat of the moment, but now, reflecting on it, the only one who could have known about the hideout was that guy.

Two of his subordinates who had been chasing him had been taken out.

“Ah, ah.”

He had anticipated the possibility that the hideout might be discovered.

But he didn’t think it mattered.

He didn’t think it was significant.

Because the one being chased was— that guy, not him.

He was the strong one.

That guy was the weak one.

‘But.’

Clearly.

That was how it should have been.

It had to be that way.

Why.

Why was the weak one, who was only meant to be trampled, looking down at him?

“Do you get it now?”

A gentle voice whispered in his ear.

Shaking with fear, he lifted his head.

“Why are you here.”

“─Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

*Boom!!*

Eugene let out a scream and pushed off with his feet.

He squeezed out the remaining mana to create black feathers.

“Wow, you still have some energy left.”

*Clang! Clang!*

Oh Jin smiled slyly and deflected the black feathers aimed at his vital points.

“But it’s better if you don’t move so violently.”

He crouched and swept his sword low.

“Gah!”

Eugene barely avoided the attack by stepping back, but he winced as he clutched his chest wound.

The wound from Lee Woo-hyuk reopened, and blood flowed out.

“See, I told you it’s better if you don’t move.”

Oh Jin sneered.

“You, you bastard….”

“Why did you do it?”

*Click, click.*

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Didn’t I tell you not to mess with the Black Lion?”

“What, what?”

“Come on, you’re pretending again.”

“Pretending, damn it!!!”

Eugene’s scream echoed.

“You!! It’s all your doing!!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

He shrugged his shoulders slyly.

“It’s all your doing, isn’t it?”

The truth was never important.

Not once.

It had never been important.

What was always important was not the truth, but what appeared to be the truth.

“Kidnapping and threatening Lee Woo-hyuk’s brother— it was all the Black Star Gang, right?”

“You, you damn brat!!”

“Haha!!!”

He burst into a crude laugh and kicked Eugene’s stomach roughly.

“Cough!”

He pressed his foot firmly on the chest of the fallen Eugene.

“I have a lot of questions for you. Are you going to tell me?”

“…What, what?”

Eugene looked up at Oh Jin in disbelief.

“Hahaha!”

He burst into laughter, his face contorted with anger.

“Is this how you got the information about the hideout?”

He was so shocked he couldn’t even speak.

“Cough, spit!”

He spat a thick phlegm at Oh Jin’s foot pressing on his chest.

“I have nothing to tell you, you con artist.”

No matter how much he had been deceived by him, he had no intention of revealing information about the Black Star Gang.

At least, not that.

“No matter what you do, I won’t talk.”

His loyalty to the Black Star was genuine.

“Is that so? If you don’t want to talk, there’s nothing I can do.”

“…What?”

Eugene looked up at Oh Jin.

Their eyes met, and Eugene’s gaze locked onto the black eyes looking down at him.

“…Huh?”

Why was it that—

Despite the countless stars that had filled the sky tonight,

Despite the brilliant Milky Way that had adorned the heavens,

‘Why is it that…’

All he could see was a pitch-black sky with no light at all?

“Then, from now on.”

Holding one of Eugene’s fingers in his hand,

“Don’t say a word.”

Oh Jin smiled brightly.