The place he headed to first after the three months of enclosed training was the Association.

Huh? Is that person perhaps

Isnt that the Lightning Wolf?

What? Didnt he die inside a gate?

It appeared that rumors about him dying inside a gate had spread out during the three-month period of time he was absent. Passing by the Awakeners that had crowded in front of the Association, he entered the HQ building.

Knock, knock

Yes, come in.

He entered after knocking on the office door.

What came into view was a middle-aged man with a build so big that it made the large desk look cramped.

A-Awakener Ohjin?!

Bang!

Team Leader Han shot up from his seat.

Its been a while, Team Leader Han.

With it having been three months since their last meeting, even those tan muscles felt welcoming.

Haha. Im no longer a Team Leader.

Huh?

Han Joonman then smirked and held out his business card.

On it was not Team Leader Han Joonman, but written proudly next to his name was the position General Manager of Disaster Countermeasure Headquarters.

Wow, when did you get promoted?

This is all thanks to you.

Team Leader Han Joonman, no, General Manager Han Joonman smiled as he raised his thumb.

Well, the one who recruited me to the Association was Han Joonman, after all.

That kind of high-speed promotion was understandable.

Huhu. Shouldnt you treat me?

Of course. Ah, It just so happens to be lunchtime, would you like to share a meal together?

Sure.

There was no reason to decline a free meal.

Lets go. I have a nice place in mind.

Like that, Ohjin exited the Association with General Manager Han.

The place they went to was a luxurious traditional Korean house. Glancing at the signboard, Ohjin could tell that it was a store that specialized in selling Hanwoo.

Hanwoo!

Ohjins eyes shined greedily.

Although he had some degree of financial freedom, his habits that built up during his entire life wouldnt disappear easily.

His heart palpitated from the thought of being able to eat expensive food for free.

Haha! Now! Order as much as youd like! General Manager Han shouted out while laughing broadly.

Then Ill order without reserve.

Ohjin called out to an employee.

Yes~ Give me your order.

Give us everything from there to here, said Ohjin as he pointed from the top left, straight down to the bottom right of the menu.

Flinch

General Manager Hans shoulders shook.

A All of this?

Yes.

Smile

Ohjin nodded his head with a bright smile on his face.

K-Khm. Isnt that too much?

No way, Ill need to order at least this much, putting the General Managers sincerity into account.

General Manager Han gulped in silence, his face was on the verge of crying.

Ohjin thought about the possibility he was taking it too far, but

This much is probably okay when he got promoted thanks to me.

He nodded his head and waited for the food to come out.

Were the results of your training promising?

Yes. It wasnt bad.

From the past three months of training, Ohjin had been promoted to 4-Star and developed a new field known as combination skills. He wasnt 100% satisfied, but the results were more than sufficient.

By wasnt bad, you mean?

Ive reached the 4-Star rank.

What? General Manager Hans eyes opened wide. His mouth gaped like he had seen a ghost.

44-Star? Are you saying you have reached the 4-Star rank in just three months?

Yes.

Ha He touched his forehead in disbelief.

For an Awakener that hadnt been awakened for even half a year to reach 4-Star

Not even the Seven Stars wouldve been that fast.

In addition, If you took into account the fact that the star ranking would be harder to raise the more powerful a stigma was, it truly was a speed hard to believe.

Ill need to do at least this much to be second to none when Im the rookie the entire world is paying attention to.

Haha! Recruiting Awakener Ohjin into the Association really was a godsend.

By the way, did anything special happen during the past three months? Ohjin asked as he placed meat on top of the grill.

Sizzleee!

Anything special huh I guess there was something quite big.

General Manager Hans expression slightly stiffened.

What kind of?

A gate break happened near Sokcho.

Gate Break.

It was the phenomenon where monsters inhabiting gates poured outside.

Whats especially problematic is that the monsters that came out of there werent normal monsters but demon beasts.

Demon beasts?

It was Ohjins first time hearing that title.

Ah, you wouldnt know since youve been inside the sanctum. Didnt I once say that the number of mutant monsters was increasing sharply around the world?

Yes, thats right.

Ohjin had also bumped into many mutant monsters.

Because too many mutant monsters emerged, a separate title that referred to them was designated.

Is that demon beast?

Yes, thats right.

Demon Beast.

It was a plausible title when taking into consideration how mutant monsters were several times more horrendous and powerful compared to normal monsters.

Anyways. Were currently in quite a serious situation, as the demon beasts have run amok up to the central areas of Sokcho.

If you viewed the situation worldwide, monsters running amok inside the central parts of cities was nothing special, but for Korea, which had been evaluated as more or less a safe country against monsters, it was definitely something uncommon.

How large is the scale?

Im not sure. Its hard to calculate the exact number since most of them are hiding in the mountains outside the city, but were currently predicting them to number at least one thousand.

Thats quite a lot.

A group of demon beasts that numbered over one thousand.

Just imagining it induced dizziness.

We happen to have formed a subjugation force this time.

A subjugation force, hm should I participate?

If he had to go to a place where over one thousand demon beasts crowded by himself, he would count himself out by any means necessary, but that wasnt the case.

Its not bad.

With the group of demon beasts being strong enough to the point a subjugation force was formed, not only would they help him with building up experience in real fights, but it would also be a good chance to check up on his stigmas strength that had promoted to 4-Star.

Is there a separate remuneration?

Of course. According to the rank, around $1,000 to $3,000 will be rewarded per demon beast. Harvested starstone is accounted for separately.

There was even more of a reason to join in if they were willing to reward him as well.

Now that Ive fixed Ha-euns eyes

Sizzle!

Ohjin placed two pieces of mouthwateringly cooked beef on top of lettuce.

First, lettuce. Second, Meat.

It was a luxury he could never dare to imagine in the past.

Ill eat as many delicious things as I want.

Whether it was himself or Ha-eun.

Hadnt they lived through an unlucky life of hardship for a long time?

Can I participate in the subjugation force as well?

Hahaha. I was going to give the proposal first, but I ended up missing the timing.

General Manager Han smiled like he knew Ohjin would do so all along while nodding his head.

When will the subjugation force depart?

Itll most likely depart around the day after tomorrow.

Perfect.

That amount of time was more than enough to prepare the necessary equipment.

I guess everyone will make a fuss again when they hear that the Lightning Wolf is participating in the subjugation force.

The more commotion the better.

Fame equaled money.

If it wasnt to the point where fame couldnt be handled, there was currently no reason to reject fame.

Well then.

Raising up his now-empty bowl, Ohjin smiled brightly.

Ill have to fill myself even more since Ill have to depart for the subjugation soon.

General Manager Han counted up the number imprinted on the bill and let out a deep sigh.

Ah, right. Do you have a car? The subjugation strategy meeting will take place in Sokcho.

No.

In a situation where he had struggled to save up every penny, there was no way he would have enough leisure to buy a car.

With the gathering location being at Sokcho will I have to ride a train?

He wondered if trains would be operating normally when demon beasts were running amok even up to the central parts of the city.

In that case, there is no need to worry.

General Manager Han fished out a car key from his pocket.

This is

This is a car provided by the Association. There shouldnt be any discomfort with it, as its quite an expensive model.

Ohh.

Following up the beef, a car.

Indeed, fame equals money.

They would continue to give even if he sat still.

It was a benefit he couldnt imagine even in his wildest dreams before he awakened.

By the way, do you know how to drive a car?

Ill have to learn now.

Two days until the subjugation

It was sufficient time to get himself acquainted with driving.

* * *

After parting ways with General Manager Han, Ohjin returned to his house.

This place doesnt feel sentimental in the least, even though its been a while.

He clicked his tongue while looking at the worn-out exterior.

Creak

He opened the door and entered.

Hm?

Ha-eun wasnt anywhere to be seen.

Where did she go?

Ohjin tilted his head and went up to the rooftop.

In that place

Sstph.

was Ha-eun, who was focusing on her mind with her eyes closed and right arm stretched forward.

So she was in the middle of training.

Ohjin stood still and observed the scene.

Fuu.

Slowly exhaling the deeply held breath

Owooong!

Light poured out of the stigma on her left chest.

And then

Fwooosh!

Crimson flames soared up from her hands.

Ch-hat!

With a short shout, Ha-eun swung her arms around.

A flame like that of a nimble beast fiercely poured out.

Wow.

A short exclamation flowed out of Ohjins mouth.

Back when he saw her when he wasnt an Awakener, he only thought of it as looking impressive, but he was sure now that he had seen it after rising to a certain level.

So she was this strong.

Well

Ha-eun was an Awakener that reached 7-Star, after all.

She was one that was even regarded as the strongest amongst other 7-Star Awakeners at that.

There was no way she would be weak.

Fwosh! Fwosh!

The crimson flames spread out like a net and dominated the surroundings.

Despite being quite far away from the flames, the fiery heat made his skin sting.

However

Its not as much as when I saw it before.

He could definitely see that her body wasnt entirely recovered yet.

Huh? O-Ohjin?

Ha-eun, who had been shocked after discovering Ohjin, drew in the flames that dominated the area.

Bastard, what are you spectating without saying a word for?

Was it because she was embarrassed about how she looked when training?

Ha-eun approached him with a tint of red on her face.

You seem to have gotten much better.

Well Im not completely recovered yet.

Ha-eun shrugged her shoulders.

Hehe. If youve finished your training as well, do you want to go out and eat with me?

I already ate moments ago.

Ang?

Scrunch, Ha-euns expression distorted.

Huhu. I came here after being treated to hanwoo~

Ahk! You cheap bastard! Ha-eun grabbed him by the collar and shook him.

Ohjin cackled out.

Lets go out to eat after I finish my business.

Hm? Business?

You heard about Sokcho, right?

Demon beasts coming out and whatnot?

Yup. he nodded his head.

Im participating in the subjugation force. so Im going to be outside the house for a couple of days.

Ha-eun narrowed her eyes.

She strode towards Ohjin.

Her maroon hair waved like flames.

Take me as well.

What? Ohjin narrowed his eyes.

You havent completely recovered yet.

Ive recovered more than enough to deal with some monsters.

Still.

Wouldnt moving around a little be more helpful for my recovery compared to staying still?

Hm.

She wasnt wrong.

Just like how stories of real fights being the fastest way to raise a stigmas proficiency were more than just stories, stigmas would become more active the more urgent the situation was.

Okay. Lets go together then.

For the first time

He would end up moving together with her as a fellow Awakener.

Uhehe.

Ha-eun twisted her body in delight.

Sneak

Grabbing Ohjins hands, she smiled.

You need to hold my hand when we get there so you dont get lost, okay?

For crying out loud.