Chapter 43

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 43

Secluded Training (4)

Whoosh!

The wire, shot at a speed close to the speed of sound, wrapped around Reak's arm.

"Hmph!"

Reak didn't bother to dodge.

Instead, he roughly pulled the wire tied to his arm.

Due to the overwhelming strength difference, Oh Jin's body was pulled like a fish caught on a fishing line.

"I'll acknowledge your courage!"

To launch a preemptive strike, piercing through the murderous intent he emitted at full power.

Even Reak himself hadn't expected this.

"But!"

Courage without strength was mere recklessness.

"That's all!"

Instead of a punch, he slashed with his sharp nails towards Oh Jin, who was being pulled helplessly.

A blow filled with viscous murderous intent.

If a fragile human body were to be caught by his nails, it would tear like paper.

—At that moment.

"Ugh!"

Click!

Oh Jin released the wire shooter on his left arm.

Using the momentum of being pulled, he slid forward.

Swinging his blade low, he aimed for Reak's ankles.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Reak, without panicking, let go of the wire and jumped.

Whoosh!

The silver blade cut through the air in vain.

"Ah."

A short exclamation escaped Oh Jin's lips.

It was a desperate move, having thrown away even the wire shooter, but it was easily seen through.

And in a battle with a strong opponent like Reak, the failure of a desperate move meant...

"Let's see if your courage continues even after experiencing death!"

—It meant death.

Crack!!

"Keh?!"

A kick devoid of any mercy.

Oh Jin's body, kicked in the stomach, bent into a 'V' and flew back.

The pain of his internal organs being crushed.

The sensation of shattered vertebrae piercing his flesh spread vividly throughout his body.

[My child!]

"Oh Jin!"

Two women's voices, filled with urgency, rang out.

"Cough!"

Dark red blood gushed from his throat.

"...Ah."

His consciousness flickered faintly.

A sense of powerlessness, as if his soul was leaving his body, began to spread.

Then.

—Rumble!

His consciousness, which had been flickering and turning white, became clear again with a silver light.

His wounds regenerated as if time had been rewound.

"Ha! Ha!"

He panted heavily.

The terrible pain of his internal organs being crushed and his bones shattered lingered in his body like an aftertaste.

"Ah, ugh."

Shaking, he clutched his chest.

He wanted to pick up the blade that had fallen to the ground, but his body wouldn't move easily.

But.

"..."

Click.

Gritting his teeth, he forced strength into his trembling legs.

"Now, having experienced it once, you understand, right?"

Reak folded his arms and smiled bitterly.

"Talking about wanting to experience real combat in the future is just—"

Before he could finish his sentence.

—Bang!

"Roar!!"

Roaring, Oh Jin charged at Reak.

Extending his hand towards the ground, a line of blue sparks wrapped around the silver blade.

The silver blade rose as if it were a living organism.

Thud!

He gripped the blade.

"Hmm?"

Reak's eyes sparkled with interest.

—Clang! Clang! Clang!

"You're not just a talker, then."

Smirking, he deflected the blade with ease.

"But."

Reak bared his teeth viciously.

His nails, crackling with blue lightning, aimed for Oh Jin's neck.

Swoosh!

Blackened, carbonized flesh flowed from the split neck like ashes.

"Let's see how long you can hold on."

The second, third, fourth, and fifth times.

Death followed in a chain like a series of links.

While his body returned to just before death due to Vega's power, his mind did not.

It was damaged and distorted.

It crumbled like a sandcastle washed away by the sea.

"Kah! Cough!"

Spitting out blood that had risen to his chin, he collapsed.

A wave of unbearable pain spread throughout his body.

'Focus.'

He clung to the fading thread of consciousness.

'This is what you wanted, right?'

A sensation that could never be felt in ordinary sparring.

The fear of standing at the threshold of death bound his mind.

'Don't think.'

His body moved on instinct, not reason.

'Don't judge.'

As he had always done.

He entrusted himself to his intuition and instincts.

—Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Hmm?"

Reak's eyebrows furrowed.

He deflected the rapidly thrust blade, puzzled.

'What is this?'

Something was...

Strange.

'Why is it—so difficult to deal with?'

There was nothing particularly different.

It wasn't faster or stronger.

But.

—Crackle!

"Ugh!"

Reak, caught off guard by the lightning that surged up from below, took an involuntary step back.

"What...?"

Reak's eyes widened.

Before he could solve the mystery,

The battle continued.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Breath rising to his chin.

Squeezing out mana, he continuously unleashed blade strikes and explosive lightning.

'It's not enough.'

While the blade strikes and explosive lightning were powerful, their direction was too monotonous.

Against Reak, they barely hit and were easy to block or dodge.

'I need a different technique.'

A more efficient and unpredictable attack to pressure him.

'What can I do?'

He thought while continuously thrusting his blade.

But the only thing that came to mind was an abstract image.

He couldn't figure out how to use the technique concretely.

'What can I do—'

Crack!

"Crack! Crack!"

Another death was added.

In the flickering consciousness.

—Why are you making it so difficult?

A question arose.

—You already have all the necessary materials, don't you?

"Ah."

A short exclamation escaped his lips.

Right.

Why had he been making it so difficult?

Why had he been thinking so complicatedly?

'It's simple.'

He burst into a hollow laugh, shrugging his shoulders.

Loosening his grip on the blade, he slowly raised his left arm.

'If one constellation mark is not enough.'

Rumble!

The scar on his left chest glowed.

The clearly burning constellation mark of the Lyre.

'Just add another one.'

—The constellation mark of the Owl overlapped.

[The constellation mark of the Lyre and the constellation mark of the Owl are connected!]

[You have acquired the synthesis skill, 《Thunder Wing Lv MAX》!]

[One of the conditions for the fourth bloom of the Black Heaven has been met!]

Crackle!!

Dozens of blue lightning feathers shot towards Reak.

"Ugh?!"

Reak, caught off guard by the sudden attack, swung his nails in confusion.

The lightning feathers that slipped through his nails raked his body.

Silver feathers were cut, and red blood splattered.

"This is...?"

His mouth gaped in disbelief.

There was no technique among those using the constellation mark of the Lyre that created lightning feathers.

—That meant.

'He... created a technique on the spot?'

Reak's pupils trembled.

Creating a new technique using constellation marks was not impossible.

The lightning nails he often used were a technique he had created himself.

But.

'How could a newly awakened kid do this?'

A fact he had forgotten, or rather, deliberately ignored, came to mind.

"This is... the Star of Reversing Heaven."

A chill ran down his spine.

"Ha, ha!"

Oh Jin's body, which had shot out the lightning feathers, staggered.

Clear bell sounds continued to ring, indicating that it wasn't over yet.

[The constellation mark of the Lyre is being promoted to 4-star!]

[The skill 《Lightning Lv4》 has been upgraded to 《Lightning Lv5》!]

4-star.

An awakener who had been awakened for less than half a year had reached 4-star.

An unprecedentedly rapid growth rate.

But before he could savor the joy of promotion,

"Grumble! Impudent!"

Reak's violent attack continued.

—Swoosh!

"Keh!"

Even with the new skill.

Even at the 4-star level.

The gap with Reak remained.

"AAAAAAH!!"

Sharp nails raked his body.

Terrible pain shook his body.

Sixth, seventh, eighth.

Death was added.

"Do you think you can change your fate with talent alone!"

Reak pressed Oh Jin more viciously.

A one-sided battle that made his explosive growth in the short battle seem insignificant.

By the time Oh Jin's number of deaths had surpassed double digits,

[—Enough!]

Boom!!

Vega blocked Reak's path.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Reak, who had been relentlessly attacking, stopped abruptly.

Vega looked down coldly at the panting Reak.

[You've gone too far.]

"..."

Only then did Reak calm down and check Oh Jin's condition.

He had fainted from the sudden shock of death and was lying on the ground.

"Oh Jin!! Hey!! Kwon Oh Jin!! Get up, you bastard!!"

Haeun, tears streaming down her face, embraced the fallen Oh Jin.

"...I'm sorry!"

Reak knelt before Vega and bowed his head.

'A mistake.'

Reak closed his eyes tightly.

The moment he realized Oh Jin's talent.

The moment he witnessed his potential, like a star rising in the night sky.

He had lost his composure without realizing it.

'You insolent brat!'

He bit his lip, scolding himself.

To make such a mistake out of jealousy.

[Vega. I understand your feelings.]

Vega continued in a low, deep voice.

[This child must have been a great shock to you, who has been stagnant for a long time, blocked by a 'wall'.]

That was accurate.

[But.]

Reak's shoulders trembled.

[Even so, I am greatly disappointed by your behavior, losing control and forgetting your duty.]

"..."

Reak bowed his head deeply, his mouth tightly shut.

Even if he had ten mouths, he had no words to say.

"If that human... no, the Star of Reversing Heaven regains consciousness, I will formally apologize. If he doesn't accept it, I will take my own life to seek forgiveness."

He meant it.

[Hmm... Let's wait and see if my child regains consciousness.]

Vega sighed and turned around.

There.

[?]

—Oh Jin was already standing up.

[My child. You've regained consciousness...]

"Not yet."

Wobble, wobble.

Oh Jin took a step.

Looking down at the bowed Reak,

"I can... do more, right?"

"Wh-what?"

Reak's pupils wavered.

"I can... do more, can't I?"

"What are you...?"

He looked up in shock.

Blue eyes looked down at him.

Like a moonless night.

Chilling eyes.

"You..."

Shiver.

Reak's shoulders trembled slightly.

"Who are you, really?"

A rigid, low voice echoed.