Chapter 80

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 80

The Saint of Rome (1)

The next day.

Oh Jin, who had driven from Busan, arrived home and emptied the bag filled with holy stones into the storage room.

"Wow, there really are a lot of them when you look at them like this."

Ha Eun let out an exclamation as she gazed at the holy stones that glowed with a faint blue light.

"Oh, right. I'll take these holy stones separately."

"Huh? You're not going to exchange them for money?"

"I have a use for them."

"Hmm."

She shrugged as if she didn't care.

"Well, most of these are yours anyway, since you won them in the bet. Do with them as you please."

"Thanks."

"Hmm. I'm still a bit hungover, so I'm going to take a nap."

Ha Eun yawned widely and turned her body.

Click.

Just as she was about to open the door and go in, she turned back and smiled mischievously.

"Do you want to sleep with our Oh Jin-ssi?"

Oh come on.

"I have a lot to do, so go to sleep first."

"Tch. Brat."

"No."

Ha Eun snorted and closed the door.

A quiet silence settled over the living room.

For a moment.

"Ugh, uuuu... my child..."

A groan, similar to the moans of a zombie wandering the streets in search of meat in a world devastated by the zombie virus, echoed in his ears.

"My stomach... feels so nauseous..."

A hungover Seongja.

Among the millions of awakened, how many people have seen such a sight besides myself?

"You should have drunk in moderation."

He wrapped his hand around Vega, who was wobbling on his shoulder.

Vega leaned into his palm as if she were about to fall.

He gently massaged her back.

"Hmm."

"Huh? Did you feel bad?"

"No, no."

Vega shook her head quickly.

"Ugh. My head is throbbing... It's truly a terrifying poison. How can humans drink such things so casually?"

"Puhuh! It's fine if you drink in moderation."

"Ugh."

Vega flopped onto Oh Jin's palm.

"Hehe. It's so warm."

"Are you feeling better?"

"I'm still tired."

She pouted and grabbed his finger, pulling it to her stomach.

"I'll give you the honor of stroking my stomach."

You sound just like my sister.

Did you pick it up from living together?

"Sure."

He followed her instructions and gently stroked her stomach.

"Did you spend time like this with me in your past life?"

Suddenly, Vega asked.

"No. Back then, we weren't together in this form."

He smiled faintly and continued naturally.

"We mostly met at the sanctuary."

He looked up as if recalling a memory.

"I often stroked your hair, like I do now. I didn't call you my child, but... I took care of you like a child."

"..."

As if it were nothing.

He spun a false memory.

"What did you call me then?"

"I called you Oh Jin from the beginning."

He answered calmly.

"From the beginning... What was our first meeting like?"

"First meeting... I imagine it."

A time that didn't exist,

Memories that we never shared.

"I was fighting the forces of the demons and was reduced to a bloody mess, fleeing to the sanctuary. I had lost so much blood that I was about to die... but you, Vega, appeared and saved me."

"...Is that so."

"Ha ha. After that, I started visiting often. We became closer over time."

Vega, who had been listening quietly, averted her gaze.

"...It's a complicated feeling."

She muttered in a deep voice.

"What is?"

"Imagining you with the me from my past life... my heart aches for some reason."

Perhaps because the stories of her past, which she had no memory of, felt strange.

Vega looked up at Oh Jin with a somewhat anxious expression.

"Is the me from back then... the same as now?"

"Different."

"!"

She stared at him with wide eyes as he smiled.

"You're prettier now."

"K, Kuh! Flattery to a Seongja! How dare you!"

Despite scolding him, the corners of her mouth rose.

"Anyway, the me from my past life didn't call you 'my child.'"

"Uh-huh."

Vega floated up lightly.

"Then I will continue to call you 'my child' from now on."

She reached out and stroked his hair.

"Hmm~ My child's hair is so soft. It feels good to stroke it."

She even hummed a little tune, looking pleased.

"By the way, Vega. Do you know what 'Leishen Ti' is?"

During the fight with Hydra.

He recalled how his legs had turned into 'Leidian.'

At the time, the situation was so urgent that he didn't have time to think about it, but the memory of his body being propelled forward as if by an explosion was vivid.

"Leishen Ti (雷神體) is a skill that transforms the body itself into a thunder god's form. A body made of lightning can transcend physical laws and perform various miracles."

"Huh?"

What is it?

It sounds like a really powerful skill just from the description.

"It's indeed a very powerful skill. The downside is that it consumes a lot of mana, but its power is among the top in the skills of the Lyra constellation."

"I didn't expect it to be that powerful."

Although he had only obtained a clue and couldn't use it freely yet.

If Vega says it's worth it, it seems like it would be worth investing time to practice.

"Of course. It's not a skill you can learn at your current level... but."

Vega chuckled and continued.

"Who knows with you."

"Originally, at what level can you learn this skill?"

"At least 9th level."

"..."

This time, even Oh Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

'9th level?'

9th level and above is a realm that transcends human limits.

To learn it at 5th level, even if it's just a clue, is quite something.

"If I can use it freely, it will be amazing."

"Don't be too hasty. Even Excid can damage your body if used improperly, and the same goes for skills that don't match your level."

As she said.

Using Excid alone can damage your body internally, and using Leishen Ti on top of that could cause irreparable damage.

'I should wait until I reach a higher level before seriously practicing this.'

Like a sparrow trying to follow a stork, it will only end in disaster.

There's no point in hastily learning a skill that doesn't match your level.

"Got it. I'll practice this slowly."

"Hehe. You're a good child."

Vega stroked his head again.

"Hmm."

She rubbed her eyes as if she were tired.

"I think I need to rest now."

"Because of the hangover?"

"That's part of it. I was also manifested for too long yesterday."

"Oh."

Indeed.

Yesterday, she was manifested for over 6 hours.

"Got it. Go rest."

"You should also rest today."

Vega went back into the pendant.

"Alright, then."

Vega has gone back.

'Should I do a quest?'

Oh Jin entered the storage room and reached for the bag full of holy stones.

'Black Heaven.'

A black cloud flowed from his palm, covering the holy stones.

'How many do I need?'

Honestly, if I need more than a thousand, it would be quite a headache.

-Wooh!

As Black Heaven absorbed the blue light inside the holy stones, he could feel mana flowing into his body.

It was a much smaller amount compared to when he absorbed an awakened's constellation, but...

'At least it's increasing.'

Recently, he has been using Brain Inflammation a lot, and no matter how much mana he has, it always feels insufficient.

-Ding!

[As you absorb the holy stones, the quest 'The Sky Demon Who Swallows Stars ①' is progressing.]

[Current completion rate: 2.7%]

[Current completion rate: 8.4%]

The completion rate increased steadily as he absorbed the holy stones.

'Wow, how many do I need to absorb?'

By the time he had absorbed about 300, the completion rate was 32%.

'I need to use all thousand to reach 100%, it seems.'

If it weren't for the bet with Jerry Kim and the phenomenon of getting two holy stones at a time, it would have taken a long time.

"Well, as long as I can complete it, that's fine."

An ancient constellation.

I'm curious about what kind of ability it will be.

-Wooh!

By the time he had absorbed about 500 holy stones.

-Ding!

[The power of the stars inside the holy stones is insufficient!]

[The progress rate is not increasing.]

[Current completion rate: 50%]

[To increase the progress rate further, you need higher-grade holy stones.]

"Huh?"

When the completion rate reached 50%.

The progress suddenly stopped.

"Higher-grade holy stones are needed?"

Oh Jin frowned and took out a soccer ball-sized holy stone from another backpack.

The two holy stones he got from defeating Hydra.

'Can I fill it up with these?'

He used Black Heaven to absorb the mana inside the holy stones.

-Ding!

[Current completion rate: 61.2%]

[Current completion rate: 72.4%]

"Damn."

A rough expletive slipped out.

'Just having more isn't enough.'

He needed holy stones dropped by monsters at least as powerful as Hydra.

'So, do I need to defeat 8th-level monsters?'

Since Hydra is a 7th-level boss, he would need to defeat at least an 8th-level monster to get a matching holy stone.

Or rather, even if it's an 8th-level monster, if it's not an elite or boss-level, it's likely to have a lower-quality holy stone than Hydra.

'I need to defeat an 8th-level elite or higher monster.'

In Korea, which is often called a monster-free country, there are almost no gates that spawn such powerful monsters.

If there are, they are usually monopolized by specific guilds.

"Ugh."

After a moment of contemplation, Oh Jin snapped his fingers.

'I haven't received the reward from the Valhalla guild yet.'

He should get high-quality holy stones as a reward for helping the Valhalla guild contact Jang Seok-ho.

He could also pass on the information he obtained to the Valhalla guild to pressure the Black Star Society.

"By now, they should have recovered."

He needs to visit the Valhalla guild.

"Grunt."

Oh Jin tidied up the remaining holy stones and turned around.

Just as he was about to pick up his smartphone to contact the Valhalla guild.

-Zap.

"Oh."

His vision wobbled.

He felt a tingling pain and something flowing into his mind.

'This is...'

Oh Jin's eyes widened.

A phenomenon he was now quite familiar with.

[The memory of the awakened Lee Shin-hyuk has been successfully restored.]

Lee Shin-hyuk's memory.

Unfolded before his eyes.

* * *

Whoosh!!

-Aaaah!!

S, save me!!!

A city engulfed in flames.

The thick smell of blood filled his nose, and terrifying screams echoed throughout the city.

Oh Jin turned his head to look around.

The debris of the collapsed buildings was not something he would see in Korea.

'Here...'

In the distance, the Colosseum, engulfed in flames, was collapsing.

'Italy?'

The ruined city was the capital of Italy, Rome.