------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
------------------
Chapter 18: Shooting Star (2)
Frank sniffled as he looked at Baek Ho.
He stood, staring blankly in front of the old TV.
He had been like that from the very beginning, and nothing had changed since then.
The only difference was at Baek Ho’s feet.
A red magic circle, faintly glowing, had appeared—something that hadn't been there before.
This had happened before.
Whenever they reached a certain place, an old TV or monitor would be there, and Baek Ho would stand in front of it, lost in a trance.
After some time, he would snap out of it, only to find himself in a disheveled state.
Sniff...
Frank wiped his tears with the cuff of his tuxedo as he leaned against the rooftop railing.
He looked towards the Necro Plaza.
A round dome-shaped building surrounded by neon lights was visible.
Laser beams shot up into the sky in all colors, and a massive holographic screen displayed something happening inside the dome.
< I wonder if there's a star up there too~♬
The leader of I_Vu smiled brightly, singing.
The camera then panned over the crowd in the concert hall, where people shone brightly with their various cybernetic enhancements.
Some had prosthetic eyes, arms, or legs, while certain undead were even shining through their bare torsos.
"Ah..."
A woman surrounded by glowing cybernetic bodies.
To Frank, she looked like a cosmic goddess surrounded by the Milky Way.
< The one shining star in the darkness~♬
"It's a new song..."
The holographic screen didn’t emit any sound.
Only the subtitles were visible.
Frank tried to listen to the song using his SmartCore, but it wasn’t available for upload, so he couldn’t.
To miss the chance to hear a hot new song live—Frank's fragile tear ducts were on the verge of bursting again, but he held them back.
An idol was just an idol, after all.
They weren’t more precious than a friend.
< I wish that were you~♬
Frank pulled out a folded placard from inside his jacket.
He held one in each hand and waved them above his head.
[I_Vu ♥ I_KILL FOR YOU]
[UnderHeaven’s Brightest Star ★ I_Vu]
"Forever - I_Vu - I Love You!"
And so, Frank began to enjoy his silent concert alone, vowing that one day, he would hear that voice live for real.
＊ ＊ ＊
–Your friend is quite interesting.
"Shut up. I'm not in the mood to talk right now."
Baek Ho was walking alone through a blood-red field.
In the sky, there were two red full moons.
On the ground, a red swamp stretched out, filled with armored corpses.
The stench of decaying flesh made his nose tingle, and the sound of crows pecking at entrails made his head throb.
Baek Ho moved his eyes to observe the appearance of the corpses.
Their faces resembled rats, with bodies the size of children.
In their bony, thin hands, they held knives and spears.
"I feel like I've seen these guys somewhere before..."
As he muttered to himself, he locked eyes with one of the crows that was tearing at the belly of a corpse.
The crow flapped its wings and opened its beak wide.
Caw!
The eerie high-pitched sound was followed by the mechanical voice of X.
–Codename NGC-7921-M. One of the alien species that invaded Earth, native to the planet Rodensia. They were called Letmen by the old hunters. They currently reside in the underground of ruined cities. Mostly found in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Paris...
"Ah."
–You must have learned about them at the Academy. Doesn’t it ring any bells?
"Yeah."
Baek Ho continued walking.
His shoes and pants were already soaked in blood.
Though he knew this was all an illusion created by magic, the tactile sensations and smells felt so real that his discomfort kept rising.
"Do you have to do it this way? I heard they teach using VO videos at the magic training academy these days."
–This is actually a simplified version. Back in the Hunter era, similar atrocities had to be reenacted to form contracts with dark beasts.
"I see… Wait. You’re saying it was reenacted the same way? Then what about the contract with Yirong and Sangun?"
–That’s correct.
When Baek Ho made the contract with Yirong, he had to cross a river full of the blood of alien species on a raft.
When he made the contract with Sangun, he had to climb a hill full of alien bones.
The thought that these nightmarish hellscapes had been recreated in reality left him speechless.
"It makes sense now, why the necromancers of that era were suppressed."
–That's correct. If you'd like, I can tell you about the necromancer guild’s burial incident in Central Park, New York City.
"No need."
Baek Ho kept walking.
With both the sky and the ground bathed in red, it felt like his cybernetic eye parts were malfunctioning.
"Sigh..."
–What kind of relationship do you have with that friend?
"Who? Frank?"
–You promised last time. You said you'd tell me when we meet again.
"Did I? Anyway, it's nothing. A fellow student from the Superhuman Academy."
"Ah, is it special because you've both been through life and death together?"
Baek Ho walked on, without responding.
His head was spinning, feeling dizzy.
He wanted to sit down and rest, but he couldn’t.
Caw! Caw!
If he did, it felt like the countless crows would swarm him and peck his whole body.
–I’ve heard about the Superhuman Academy too. They say they cruelly torture the children to awaken their dark mana. Breaking their minds and forcibly planting trauma… Necromancers truly are inhumane…
“By that logic, aren’t you a necromancer too? And a high-level one at that. At the very least, you’re probably at the “Seven Deaths Stage,” right?”
–I’m not a necromancer.
“Bullshit. If a practitioner of Barigyo Arcane Arts isn’t a necromancer, then what is?”
–The Barigyo Arcane Arts is an unfortunate martial art bound to necromancy due to its summoning of otherworldly entities. Its nature is different.
“That’s not true. You use dark mana, so you’re still bound to necromancy like the rest of them.”
–No. The past Barigyo users didn’t use the pain of rituals. They extracted pure negative energy hidden beneath mana, the dark instincts of humans… What are you doing?
Baek Ho looked around, scanning for something.
“Looking for a desk.”
–Why do you need a desk?
“If we’re going to have a lecture, I’ll take a nap. The smell of blood is so strong. It’s just like the academy atmosphere. I’ll get a good nap in.”
–…I’ll be quiet then.
Baek Ho kept walking. The smell of blood numbed his senses, and his whole body felt sluggish. Then, X spoke again.
–Have you been making good progress in connecting with the dark beasts?
“Well, I’ve been doing it. I’ve spilled a lot of blood in the process.”
–Can I check?
“Go ahead. But how are you going to do it? Are you going to summon the beast and make it fight me?”
–No, I’m going to scan it. Do you really think this is the right time for a field test?
“......”
A wind full of blood smell blew from somewhere, sweeping past Baek Ho.
–This is…
“What’s so surprising? Then again, compared to people of my age group, my level is a bit high…”
–Just what have you been doing? I am... extremely disappointed.
“......”
–If you had reached this level in the Hunter era, you would have been a B-rank necromancer.
“That’s fine. My current goal is to be a B-rank fixer anyway.”
–This isn’t the time for jokes. Back in the day, a B-rank necromancer couldn’t even join a guild and was always looking for low-level gates to survive, becoming an object of contempt and hatred... What are you doing now?
“Sorry. I zoned out. Haha. You speak of guilds and hunters. That’s all I ever heard about in school, so I’m getting sleepy.”
–There’s no future for those who forget the past.
“Enough. Talking to you feels like I’m speaking with an elder mage. Always with the 'Hunter' talk. Those old men lived through the past, sure. But what about you? It’s already been seventy years.”
–Have you forgotten? I am a Reincarnate. I’ve lived many lives from the distant past to the present, accumulating vast knowledge.
“Wait… last time, you said you were a Returnee though.”
–...I never said that.
Seems like I lied by mistake.
It reminded Baek Ho of the lie he told Sophia when they first met.
She probably didn’t believe it. Just like how he didn’t believe X was a Reincarnate.
Caw—
Time passed again.
Baek Ho’s patience was nearing its limit.
He was about to let out a curse, nostrils flaring in frustration, when…
–I’m here.
A stone altar appeared in the center of the red field.
It was as if they had intentionally drawn out time for the conversation, showing up at the perfect moment.
“…A bit too direct, don’t you think?”
Baek Ho rubbed his numb nose and stepped up onto the altar.
On the wide, flat stone, a square stone was placed, and on top of it, a black feather lay.
–The dark beast I will introduce today is a bad omen bird.
"A bad omen bird, huh. That sounds promising."
–Would you like to look around?
Baek Ho crossed his arms and surveyed the surroundings.
An endless red swamp stretched before him.
The bodies of Roden were packed tightly, with black birds greedily feasting on them.
"...Crows, huh?"
–I sense disappointment in your voice.
"A little. I mean, compared to the giant snake and tiger from before, it's hard not to compare."
–I see. Then, I will introduce it right away. The calamity god that turned the Lorencia continent into a blood-soaked swamp—the bad omen bird.
As soon as X finished speaking, the crows all suddenly flew up into the sky.
It was as if the black clouds originating from the ground were now covering the sky.
Between the swarming crows, the two full moons in the sky seemed to look down like the ominous eyes of a massive beast.
"Were there always this many...?"
–Please pick up the feather on the altar.
Following the instructions, Baek Ho touched the square stone, and writing appeared on its surface.
It was a language he'd never seen before, and his cybernetic eye activated, translating it into a language he was familiar with.
"...Is this a summoning spell?"
–Yes, that's correct.
"Who made this? Did they watch too many cartoons or something?"
–Well, when the bad omen bird first appeared in the spirit realm, cartoons didn't even exist. Maybe a wall painting done with stone... Could it be that you're stalling? Are you afraid?
"Shut up."
Baek Ho furrowed his brow and looked down at the inscription on the stone.
He slowly began to mouth the words.
"Born from the scale of the melody. Eyes of the Black Sky that devoured the god’s corpse. I call upon thee, supported by the endless veins of blood, break forth from the abyss and cast the shadow of death upon the land."
Baek Ho extended his right hand toward the flock of crows.
"Yap."
–...Yap?
"It felt like something was missing."
–Baek Ho. Please be serious. The bad omen bird despises life. It will not willingly lend you its strength. It may even fly into a rage, asking why you summoned it. It could bring great pain.
"Eh? But why no response? Could it be that just because I played around once..."
Baek Ho stopped speaking and clutched his heart.
He widened his eyes and opened his mouth wide.
A strong pressure built in his head, making his body shiver.
With his eyes bloodshot and growing more intense, he looked up at the sky.
The movement of the crows in the far distance suddenly changed.
They no longer moved in one direction but began to scatter, entangling in chaotic disarray.
It was as if an invisible net was pulling them together.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud—
Thousands, tens of thousands of crows threw themselves at each other.
Feathers crumpled, and black dust scattered in the air.
Their beaks clashed, creating a deafening sound.
The blood and flesh that poured out from their bodies spun like a purple storm.
Baek Ho’s hand trembled.
He was speechless at the grotesque scene.
Fear began to rise from his toes.
He felt as though he would suffocate from the terror if he remained where he stood.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud—
The crows' bloodied self-mutilation did not stop.
Before long, the countless crows had merged into one mass.
It was so massive that all Baek Ho could see before his eyes was the dark red sphere.
Bathed in the red moonlight, it glowed ominously, like a blood-red moon that had descended to the earth. It felt like an egg of disaster, carrying the seeds of the world's end.
"Cough..."
Blood seeped out from between Baek Ho's lips.
The strength drained from his body, and his knees buckled on their own.
As if signaling the beginning, the shape of the orb began to change.
From the orb, the form of a beast began to emerge. The calamity began to hatch.
Crack—
It started with two pairs of wings. As the dark curtain of night spread across the sky, erasing the red moon, legs and claws sprouted, rooting themselves into the earth.
Boom—
The ground shook with a loud noise.
Finally, when the head and beak took form, eight red eyes emerged from the center of the head, bubbling up like molten lava.
A massive monster bird had taken control of the sky. Its ferocity and overwhelming presence pressed down on every corner of his mind and body.
A deep sense of powerlessness made it hard to breathe.
He wanted to collapse, cover his eyes and ears, and pray for the moment to end.
But he couldn’t. He couldn't even move a finger. All he could do was painfully acknowledge just how helpless he was in the face of this supernatural event.
"Ho… ly…"
Perhaps it was because of his weak voice, but the eight red eyes turned downward.
They fixed their gaze on the small human beneath them, who was smaller than their pupils.
The massive beak split open, and a sound emerged, as if it were thousands of voices coming together as one.
< Impressive.
"......"
< I like it.
–This is strange. How can the Calamity Bird like humans? This is impossible. There’s a fatal flaw in the analysis. We need to investigate.
X’s voice could only be heard by Baek Ho, so the Calamity Bird didn’t react at all.
< However, the balance of the body is collapsing. I’m on the verge of death.
Baek Ho stared directly into the Calamity Bird's eyes, his mouth slightly opening.
Blood poured out in a gush.
–Do not make eye contact. Even if this is an illusion, it is impossible to directly face the Calamity Bird’s gaze.
“Just hurry up…”
Baek Ho turned his gaze away.
However, the pressure on his body didn’t lessen even slightly.
< Ah, I see. From the death energy gathering around your heart, it seems you’re a practitioner of necromancy. But why are you using your life force to fuel your power? Did you perhaps make a deal with demons from the underworld?
“P-Please… hurry…”
The crushing pressure on his body made it impossible for Baek Ho to process the words of the calamity bird in his mind.
< Yes, you are an odd child, defying death. In exchange for lending you my power, what will you give me?
“F-First… Do it first…”
< I’ll do it through your heart.
“Th-That’s... The Beast King…”
< Oh, my. To have such a haughty cat steal the most delicious part… It’s too bad that I’m not your first. Well, then let’s do it through the spine.
“Th-That’s... the Imugi…”
[Imugi — a lesser dragon or proto-dragon, often depicted as a large, serpent-like creature.]
< The Imugi? That weak body of yours trying to contain three disasters? Even the gods avoid this kind of thing.
“J-Just… Just the eyes…”
< Very well. We’ll make a contract then. Remember this—when your life ends, I will devour the eyes of your soul.
“Wh-Why does the beast talk so much...”
< I enjoy it. Your fate is intriguing, and your appearance is quite amusing. Besides, haven’t there been humans seeking my power for decades? Yes, I remember now. The last time was in a vast park in a human city—Central Park in New York. Thousands were sacrificed to summon me...
“G-Goddammit… So much... talking...”
Baek Ho collapsed forward.
At the same time, the illusion vanished.
The vast calamity bird, the blood-soaked swamp, all of it disappeared.
What was left was a fake night sky, a neon-lit city.
The sound of stiff holographic ads and the hum of hovering cars filled the air.
Though he had returned to the rooftop of the megabuilding, the accumulated fatigue and pain in his body remained.
He felt like he could collapse at any moment.
–Truly amazing...
The voice of X echoed from an old TV.
–That brutal calamity bird, now speaking so gently... I do have a sharp eye. If things continue like this, I’ll introduce you to another dark beast even faster. But you’ll need to grow stronger.
“My gun... my gun…”
Baek Ho’s motionless arm twitched.
He wanted to pull out his revolver right then and shoot the damn TV.
–Anyway, congratulations. You’ve gotten stronger. To gain true power, pain is indispensable. If you continue vomiting blood and tearing at your own body, one day, the city of night will be in your grasp.
“I don’t need it... my goal is…”
Baek Ho shifted his gaze toward Frank.
He was dancing merrily in front of the railing.
With the hand that had once pulled him up from among the corpses, he waved a placard.
“I love you, I_Vu! Forever, I_Vu!”
...Maybe I should just quit.
Baek Ho lost consciousness right there.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
