Chapter 66

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 66

Heavy Rain (8)

“What, what is this?”

Step, step.

Ashad Khan took a step back, his mouth agape, unable to close it.

As if rewinding a video.

He stared with wide eyes at Oh Jin, who was regaining consciousness in an instant.

“No, no way!!!”

This is impossible.

This should not be happening.

I thought it was over.

I thought it was finally over and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Why.

Why.

“How the hell!! How can you just get up like that!!!”

He shouted as if wailing.

“Hahaha! Since the mid-boss has two phases, it would be a bit awkward without me, right?”

Oh Jin let out a chuckle and took a step forward.

Even though his wire shooter and spear were both destroyed during the battle.

*Crackle!*

A single scar on his left chest still burned brightly.

“Grr…!”

Ashad Khan’s face twisted in anger as he once again summoned a storm of black feathers around him.

“Cough! A, ah. Aaaaaah!!”

Ashad Khan screamed in pain, writhing in agony.

Crack! Crack!

A bone-chilling sound, as if his bones were caving in, accompanied the emergence of grotesque tendons all over his body.

His taut, bronze skin rapidly withered, and wrinkles spread across his face.

His back bent, and his once muscular limbs withered and twisted.

In an instant, he looked as if he had aged 20, no, 30 years.

‘What is this?’

Oh Jin narrowed his eyes.

Just using the power of the scar recklessly shouldn’t cause such sudden aging.

‘This is like…’

Drawing power at the cost of ‘lifespan.’

“Could it be… that this is the price of the ‘blessing’?”

Oh Jin laughed in a defeated manner.

The price of a blessing is usually borne by the constellation.

Since the law restricts the constellation, not the Awakened.

But if an Awakened who receives a blessing ends up like this.

‘Is he making his apostle bear the price he should bear himself?’

Of course, he can’t make the apostle bear 100% of the price.

If he could, all members of the Black Star Society would have received the blessing of the Black Star and run amok.

Still.

To have to make his apostle bear the ‘price’ just to bestow a blessing.

“That owl star guy isn’t much, is he?”

He’s no match for our goddess.

“Shut up!!”

Ashad Khan shouted savagely and swung his curved sword wildly.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Black feathers mixed with the pouring rain aimed at Oh Jin.

*Boom!!!*

A terrifying explosion swept over Oh Jin.

“Hahaha!”

Oh Jin let out a mocking laugh and took the massive explosion head-on.

Even though his body, swept by the explosion, turned into a ragdoll.

“I told you.”

Crack! Crack!

Broken bones found their places.

Charred skin rapidly regenerated.

“From now on… it’s my time.”

*Boom!*

He stomped his foot roughly.

Throwing himself into the storm of black feathers, he swung his fist.

*Bang!*

A fist enveloped in blue lightning was deflected backward by the black feathers.

“Hahaha!!!!”

A maniacal laugh burst from Ashad Khan’s mouth.

“No matter how quickly your body regenerates, it’s useless if my attacks don’t work!”

Indeed.

As he said, breaking through the storm of black feathers is impossible right now.

“Feel the great power of the owl!”

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The storm of black feathers forcefully pushed Oh Jin back.

He squeezed out his mana and swung his fist at the storm of black feathers.

But he still couldn’t break through the storm and reach Ashad Khan.

“You’re still as talkative even when you’re old.”

Spit.

Oh Jin spat out the blood in his mouth and smiled wryly.

‘If one hit can’t break through the storm…’

Isn’t the solution simple?

‘Just keep hitting until it breaks.’

*Crackle!!!*

He swung his fist, which was enveloped in lightning.

The fist that couldn’t break through the storm shattered, and bones pierced through the skin.

It didn’t matter.

In the fierce rain, breaking bones were a minor injury.

‘One more time.’

He swung his fist.

‘One more time.’

Without stopping.

‘One more time.’

Continuously.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!!!*

The storm of black feathers surrounding Ashad Khan began to waver.

“A, ah.”

Ashad Khan’s mouth hung open, and his body trembled.

“O, Oh Jin, stop.”

*Boom! Boom! Boom!!*

Like a battering ram striking a closed gate.

A fist enveloped in blue flames struck the storm of black feathers.

With each strike, the storm wavered.

A creeping fear began to consume Ashad Khan.

“O, Oh Jin, stop.”

Why.

How.

By what means.

How can he keep swinging his fist without stopping.

“Y, You’re insane!!”

The rapid regeneration of wounds is understandable.

But, even then.

‘Pain’ doesn’t just disappear, right?

“D, Do you not feel pain!!”

“No. I’m in so much pain I feel like I’m dying. What are you talking about?”

Oh Jin frowned and swung his fist.

Each time it hit the storm of black feathers.

His nails broke, his fingers bent, and his wrist twisted.

Blood vessels, muscles, and bones intertwined and oozed out.

It hurt.

To the point where it was hard to keep his wits.

To the point where he felt like he might go insane.

It was excruciating.

But.

*Boom!!*

He didn’t stop swinging his fist.

As the broken arm regenerated, he poured mana and swung again.

“Then, how.”

Ashad Khan looked at Oh Jin with a pale face.

If it’s not that he doesn’t feel pain.

How can he keep swinging his fist?

—Imagine this.

Swinging a fist with all your might at a shield bristling with sharp spikes.

Putting your hand into a blender full of sharp blades.

Even if the wounds regenerate.

Who could repeat such madness?

“I can.”

Smirking.

He swung his fist at the storm of black feathers.

*Ring!*

[You maintained your mana without losing consciousness in an extreme state!]

[The skill 《Lightning (雷電) Lv7》 has increased to 《Lightning (雷電) Lv8》.]

[The skill 《Lightning Flame (雷炎) Lv2》 has increased to 《Lightning Flame (雷炎) Lv3》.]

[Warning! Physical damage has accumulated to a severe level!]

[If the damage continues, a ‘Pain Increase’ penalty will be applied!]

A blue message box followed by a red one.

Fortunately.

If it had been a penalty that prevented movement, it would have been troublesome.

He let out a chuckle and gripped his fist, which had just regenerated.

*Boom!!!*

Once again.

He swung his fist at the storm of black feathers.

The storm was visibly shaking.

“Grrrr!!”

Is this the pain increase penalty the system warned about?

A more intense pain than before shot up his arm.

If the pain before was like being hit by a hammer, now it felt like being crushed under its weight.

“Grr, hah! Damn. This hurts a lot.”

It didn’t matter.

“Huff!!”

*Boom!!*

He swung his fist.

He swung his fist.

He swung his fist.

[You maintained your mana without losing consciousness in an extreme state!]

[The skill 《Lightning (雷電) Lv8》 has increased to 《Lightning (雷電) Lv9》.]

[The skill 《Lightning Flame (雷炎) Lv3》 has increased to 《Lightning Flame (雷炎) Lv4》.]

He ignored the pain.

Ignoring it wasn’t.

That difficult.

“M, Mad, b, bastard.”

Ashad Khan said in a pale, trembling voice.

It was a hard thing to understand.

“What do you mean by mad?”

*Boom!*

Black feathers scattered and fell.

The end was near.

“It’s not that difficult, is it?”

Indeed.

Enduring pain isn’t a particularly difficult thing.

*Boom!! Boom! Boom!!*

Most of the black feathers had fallen.

Ashad Khan, who had been hiding in the feathers, was visible.

“What, what do you mean it’s not difficult!!!”

He shouted as if in a fit.

“It’s not difficult.”

*Boom!!*

One more time.

He swung his fist.

“You just have to endure, right?”

Indeed.

No matter how painful.

No matter how agonizing.

Enduring solves the problem.

If you just endure, you can overcome it.

“You just have to endure, right?”

He turned his head.

On the ground, lying there.

The sight of Jang Seok-ho, writhing like a worm.

Would his problems be solved by enduring?

Would his dead son come back to life by enduring?

*Boom! Boom! Boom!!!*

He swung his fist.

He didn’t stop.

There was no reason to stop.

Suddenly, a memory came to mind.

A memory from six years ago.

Haeun lying in a hospital bed.

Blind, trembling in unfamiliar darkness.

He remembered the overwhelming sense of powerlessness he felt then.

No matter how much he endured, no matter how much he persevered, no matter how much he endured.

What was lost didn’t come back on its own.

‘Compared to that, this is easy.’

Pain can be ignored.

Pain can be endured.

“If it’s a problem that can be solved by enduring… it’s nothing.”

Because in this world.

There are only things that can’t be solved by enduring.

*Boom!!!*

The storm of black feathers exploded.

“…Ah.”

Ashad Khan, who had fallen to the ground, looked up at Oh Jin with a terrified face.

The dark sky.

In the deep darkness where even the stars couldn’t be seen,

only a pair of blue eyes glowed.

“D, Demon.”

Why.

The figure standing against the dark sky,

felt like something other than human.

“A, Ah.”

He crawled on the ground, trying to escape.

“Ah, Aaaaaah!!”

Screaming, in a pitiful manner.

There was no trace of the arrogant and haughty attitude he had shown at first.

*Step, step.*

The sound of low footsteps.

The footsteps of a monster.

“What’s a demon to a normal person?”

Oh Jin firmly stepped on Ashad Khan’s head, who was crawling on the ground.

“If I were a demon, I would have given up and died long ago.”

If he were a demon.

If he were a being outside of humanity, feeling no pain or sorrow.

Would there be any reason to cling to life as his body was being destroyed?

“Because I’m human, I endure even when I feel like I’m going to die.”

Crack!

He crushed the head under his foot.

He wanted to kill him more cruelly, thinking of what he had done.

“…Damn.”

Honestly, his body was in no condition.

He felt like he would faint and collapse the moment he relaxed.

Still.

‘There’s still… something left to do.’

*Pitter-patter!*

Rainwater trickled down his cheeks and pooled at his chin.

One drop, two drops.

The droplets that fell turned into mud and flowed away.

On the puddle of mud, a man lay.

“A, ah.”

With crushed legs.

With squashed eyes.

Holding onto a thin thread of hope.

Struggling.

“Did… did I beat Ashad Khan?”

He asked in a trembling voice, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah, I won.”

“H, Ha! I didn’t think… you’d be this strong, Oh Jin.”

Jang Seok-ho smiled wryly.

“…And.”

Oh Jin raised his head.

*Pitter-patter!*

He pushed through the pouring rain and approached Jang Seok-ho.

“I have something to say to you.”

“Something to say…?”

Jang Seok-ho’s voice trembled with anxiety.

Holding onto the last thread of hope.

As if it might break at any moment.

“…”

He looked down at Jang Seok-ho, who was trembling.

As always.

He spoke a dry lie.

“I found him.”

“…What?”

Jang Seok-ho’s voice trembled.

“I found your son. They had him.”

“T, That’s true! Is that true!”

He shouted in joy.

“H, Hyun-woo… is he there?”

Jang Seok-ho crawled closer.

Even if his son was really there, he wouldn’t be able to see with his crushed eyes.

Still.

He crawled right up to him.

“Yeah. He’s unconscious now… but, wait a moment.”

Oh Jin placed his hand on his throat.

The video Jang Seok-ho had shown him.

He recalled the cheerful voice that had echoed in it.

‘I couldn’t hear much of the voice except for the laughter, but…’

It was fine.

He could imitate the voice well enough from the laughter.

He had always been good at mimicking voices.

‘And I have this too.’

Rumble.

His throat moved delicately, and the uvula went inside.

Transformation.

Using the abilities he had gained from killing demons, he could reproduce the voice more perfectly.

“A… Pa?”

In the pouring rain.

The voice of a boy, just waking up, echoed.

“H, Hyun-woo?”

Jang Seok-ho asked in a trembling voice.

“Dad? A, are you really Dad?”

“H, Hyun-woo!! Hyun-woo!!”

“A, Dad… my, body!”

“…Ah.”

Jang Seok-ho’s smile, which had brightened, suddenly fell.

“…I’m sorry, Hyun-woo.”

“A, Dad? What do you mean? Sorry?”

“…”

Firmly.

He bit his lip.

“Dad… my body is in so much pain, I have to sleep soon.”

“…Sleep?”

“Yeah. When you’re sick, you get better after sleeping, right?”

“S, So will Dad get better soon?”

A sad smile appeared on his face.

“No… Dad is in so much… pain. I have to sleep for a very long time.”

“…How long?”

“I don’t know. When you grow up… then… then I can wake up.”

“When you graduate from elementary school?”

“H, Ha! No… a little longer….”

“Until middle school?”

“…”

As if suppressing something.

Jang Seok-ho frowned.

“Even longer… it will take… longer.”

He said, as if squeezing the words out.

“But… I will… definitely… come back. To meet… Hyun-woo.”

“I understand!! I’ll wait until then! I’ll study hard!”

A clear shout seeped through the rain.

“Hyun-woo… is there… a, an older brother… with you?”

“Y, Yes!”

“Follow that older brother… and listen… to him….”

His voice.

Faded away.

Water flowed down Jang Seok-ho’s cheeks.

Was it blood, rain, or tears?

I don’t know.

I’ll never know.

“Our Hyun-woo….”

Shiver.

He extended his hand.

“Before Dad goes to sleep… Hyun-woo… I want to… hold your hand… one more time.”

It wasn’t a difficult request.

Crack, crack.

He used transformation to reduce the size of his hand.

He gently gripped Jang Seok-ho’s trembling hand.

His palm was cold.

Chillingly cold.

“H, Ha.”

A dry laugh appeared on Jang Seok-ho’s lips.

“It’s… fortunate….”

The rain washed away the dry laugh.

“Our Hyun-woo… is safe….”

The rain that washed away the laugh flowed down his chin and seeped into the earth.

Would laughter flowers bloom on that ground now?

“F, Fortunate….”

Thud.

Jang Seok-ho’s hand fell.

His voice no longer continued.

“…”

*Pitter-patter!*

The dark sky.

Heavy rain continued to pour.