Chapter 11:The Black-Haired Beast (1)
The metallic tang of blood lingered in his mouth the moment he opened his eyes. Sayoon wiped his exhausted face, staring blankly at his clean hand no blood this time.
His mind was foggy. Struggling to piece together what had happened, he finally recalled the events before losing consciousness and shot up from the bed.
That bastard!
All fatigue vanished in an instant.
"The Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth."
He had only skimmed the status window, but those eight characters were burned into his mind. One of the two traits he'd been searching for—he had finally found it in that Awakener.
His memory of the man's appearance was hazy, though. The only thing that stuck was the sheer disbelief of stumbling upon the trait-bearer while on the verge of collapse. Staggering to the bathroom, he checked the mirror his face was still streaked with dried blood.
"Another horror movie scene, huh?"
Between the screams before he passed out and his current state, his life had become a full-blown horror flick. He splashed cold water on his face, washing away the fatigue.
Every movement sent a dull throb through his skull. The chronic anemia from overusing his skill had become routine.
But that wouldn't be a problem anymore.
"Ah…"
His voice trembled with emotion.
Grinning like a true villain, he wiped his dripping face and checked his phone.
First, he needed to confirm if Jongshik had captured the Awakener as ordered. True to his efficient nature, Jongshik had already sent a message:
[I moved you to your room after you passed out. The person you told me to capture is secured. Contact me when you wake up.]
Flawless.
There wasn't even room for criticism. Sayoon pulled his hood low and called Jongshik, ready to leave.
The phone barely rang twice before Jongshik answered.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah. The guy I told you to grab—where is he?"
"The villa."
"...Where?"
"The villa in Geoje. The torture villa."
Sayoon's grip on the phone tightened.
Did I hear that right?
He asked again, and Jongshik casually repeated the word torture.
His precious trait-bearer—the one he'd spent three month searching for—had been taken to the torture villa, Sayoon clutched his throbbing forehead, too drained to even yell.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why the hell did you take him there?"
"You only said to bring him. You didn't specify where to put him, so I handled it like usual… Did I mess up?"
Where to even begin?
It was true—normally, anyone they captured was either recruited or sent to the villa. Jongshik was just following protocol. His protocol.
But of all people, why him?
After watching Sayoon search day and night for months, how could Jongshik be this clueless? Zero sense. No wonder the man was still single at 32.
Sighing, Sayoon cut off Jongshik's flustered apologies and ordered him to prepare for his arrival before hanging up.
No use crying over spilled blood.
Maybe the system wants me to interrogate him.
Unlikely, but he clung to the hope anyway.
Before leaving, he checked his reflection one last time. His sunglasses were still stained with blood. Scraping off the dried flakes with his nails, he finally deemed them wearable.
The elevator doors opened to familiar surroundings. He stood there for a moment, half-expecting Jongshik to appear, before realizing—*right, Jongshik's already at the villa.*
No time to call him back. He'd have to drive himself.
Hands in his pockets, he headed to the parking lot and picked the most nondescript sedan—one that wouldn't draw attention even if wrecked.
The engine roared to life.
4 AM.
The black sedan sliced through the silent streets.
---
"You're here."
Jongshik greeted him at the villa entrance, already reaching for imaginary luggage. Sayoon handed him his sunglasses instead and delivered the scolding he'd held back over the phone.
"Why the hell did you bring him here?"
"You didn't give any instructions."
"I spent three months looking for him. You couldn't use common sense?"
Jongshik's hopeful expression drooped. On anyone else, it might've looked pitiful—but on his hulking frame, it was just ridiculous.
Leaving the sulking man behind, Sayoon descended into the basement. The stench of mildew and something foul hit him instantly. He waved a hand in front of his nose.
"Clean this place up."
After a few more pointless exchanges, they reached the underground chamber.
And there he was.
A young man, bound to a chair, gagged, and unconscious.
From the perspective of Night Owl's leader, this was exactly what a pre-torture scene looked like.
"...Jongshik."
"Yes?"
"Did you tie him up?"
"Yes. I figured he'd resist, so I knocked him out first."
He sounded proud. Like he was showcasing months of knot-tying practice.
Sayoon swallowed his words. Praising this was impossible.
Activating the eye, he pulled up the captive's status window.
[Skill 'Calamity'sEye' activated. Target's status window accessed. Beware of pain.]
[Player Han Geonju's status window loaded.]
...
Name:Han Geonju
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Rank: B
Trait:"The Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth"
Titles:
"The One Watched by Gods (?)",
"I'm Kind of Amazing (A)"
"The One Who Masters All (S)"
"Only One Genius Under Heaven (A)"
Skills:
[Social Tactics (A)]
[Adaptability (S)]
[Insight (B)]
[Silver Tongue (A)]
[Soliloquy (A)]
[Weapon Mastery (S)]
[Composure (B)]
Unique Skill: [Survival Instinct (SS+)]
Locked Skills: [Perception (SSS)], [Shadow Dominion (L)]
Perks:
"The Gap is Noticeable (A)"
"Unlucky, But Only Awakened a Week Ago (S)"
"Born Talent (A)"
Stats:
Strength: B+ (Max: SSS)
Agility: B+ (Max: SSS)
Stamina: A- (Max: SSS)
Luck: S (S+)
No doubt about it.
This was the bearer of "The Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth"—one of the two traits the system had specified.
But the rest of his status window was… absurd.
For someone who had only awakened a week ago, this was outright cheating. The sheer growth potential in his stats alone was infuriating. And the titles—"The One Watched by Gods" with that damn question mark—was one Sayoon himself had.
This bastard, Han Geonju, was the key to changing his cursed life.
But now what?
The system hadn't given further instructions. Should he wake him? Kill him?
Just in case, he tapped the [Deactivate] option next to "The Rebel" in his own status window.
*Ding.*
The familiar chime sounded—but no blue window appeared.
Before he could process that, Jongshik handed him a pair of pliers.
Sayoon absentmindedly ran his fingers over the tool when—
*Ding!*
[Encounter with 'The Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth' confirmed! (º □ º l|l)]
[Loading system. Please wait. (º □ º l|l)]
The same panicked-looking emoticon from before popped up. Simultaneously, a groan came from the chair—Geonju was waking up.
*Ding!*
[First Step Toward Activation complete! Achieve the Second Step! (º □ º l|l)]
---
[Quest – Second Step Toward Activation]
-Maintain a close relationship with the trait-bearer.
Note: Maintain the relationship until the trait-bearer reaches S-rank. Deterioration may hinder activation.
Reward:?
Failure:Rebel activation impossible
Current Relationship: Hostile
---
"..."
Sayoon's lips pressed into a thin line.
The system's voice echoed in his ears:
"Maintain a close relationship with the trait-bearer."
He stared at the bound Geonju, then at the pliers in his own hand.
Does this look like a 'close relationship' to you?
The answer was a resounding no.
His eye twitched.
You're telling me to get friendly now? After all this?
Too late. Way too late.