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chapter 215
Paah! Pat!
Sun Wukong transformed from a monkey into a human form with long white hair, standing before King Sata.
Thud! Thud! Thud…!
Even though the old brothers had appeared, the black giant, as if painted entirely with shadows, still wandered aimlessly across the desert.
Then Sa Oh-jeong, Bungma-wang, and Kyoma-wang sequentially appeared near King Sata in human form.
“…This is absolutely maddening.”
Kyoma-wang, neatly dressed in black with orderly hair, bit his lower lip while looking at King Sata.
“Du (斗).”
At Sun Wukong’s call, Kyoma-wang turned his gaze.
Even though he was the youngest, Sun Wukong called his brothers by a mix of names, nicknames, and titles, depending on his mood.
But through this, one could roughly understand his mental state.
When he called someone by their actual name, it meant something unpleasant had occurred.
Sure enough, one of Sun Wukong’s eyebrows twitched.
“Is this… what demonic energy usually feels like? My older brother wasn’t like this.”
Here we go again, mentioning the older brother. Kyoma-wang let out a wry smile, then furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“It differs from case to case. Demonic energy is like a corrupted magic made by the eldest brother. And since his mental state is unstable,”
“The aftereffects of that demonic energy are naturally varied?”
“That’s what I think.”
Kyoma-wang nodded gravely.
“This is maddening. We’ll have to approach it differently depending on the situation.”
Sun Wukong scratched his head irritably.
“Should we bring that brat over and force a binding contract? But I don’t want to do that either.”
“Kekek! Another act of possessiveness? Isn’t it about time you gave up?”
“Shut up, man! Do you even know how hard I’m thinking just to reduce one soldier? You were the one who caused the problem from the start!”
He bickered briefly with Sa Oh-jeong.
Of course, none of the brothers misunderstood this as possessiveness toward Lee Hyun. It was simply that he felt apologetic relying on Lee Hyun whenever problems arose.
“Still…”
“…?”
“Did something come to mind, second brother?”
At Kyoma-wang’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to him.
Bungma-wang placed a hand on Kyoma-wang’s shoulder.
“Still, there seems to have been a common trait among the eldest brother’s demonic energy. From that, I realized the fourth brother was released from his seal while still tainted by demonic energy.”
Instantly, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Sun Wukong brightly lit up Hwaang-Geumjeong and asked,
“What is it?”
“Hatred.”
“Hat… what?”
“Hatred toward the world. Hostility, a desire to burn it all down. Grudges. Those touched by demonic energy inevitably feel such impulses, almost as if brainwashed.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
The three brothers sealed their lips tightly.
Kyoma-wang’s calm gaze fixed on King Sata.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He still wandered like a drifter.
“Yes. I remember now. Slowly.”
But Kyoma-wang’s gaze was on something else about King Sata. Deeply buried in his subconscious, certain clues had resurfaced after continuous contemplation.
Connecting those clues revealed Uma-wang’s objective.
“That hatred manifests in actions meant to destroy everything. Didn’t I also wreak havoc on the surrounding seas by producing countless seawater entities?”
Sun Wukong nodded gravely.
Kyoma-wang continued,
“Destroying the world, burning it repeatedly… eventually, the causal laws of the world would also be heavily disrupted.”
“Wait, that means—”
“Exactly. By making the lower world as chaotic as possible, the heavenly entities, the Logos, are forced to descend to this land.”
Kyoma-wang’s eyes glinted sharply.
“That’s the bait to manipulate the fourth brother. Just like he did with me in the beginning.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!!”
“Hah! How foolish of me, only just realizing such a critical fact.”
Kyoma-wang clenched his teeth. Bungma-wang patted him on the shoulder.
“No, it’s not your fault. Any of us would have fallen for it.”
But the depth of Kyoma-wang’s guilt wasn’t fully alleviated.
“According to you, even that guy wandering like a sleepwalker now would soon act just like our eldest brother.”
“Probably… yes.”
“Then this makes things much simpler.”
Sun Wukong’s eyes flashed coldly.
“First, we have to beat some sense into him, one way or another.”
Fwaaaak!
[■■Great■ ■Sun Wukong activates his power!]
Goooo-
Sun Wukong unleashed his divine power. Instantly, a massive typhoon formed.
[The Logos of <Heaven> detect abnormal phenomena occurring in the lower world.]
[The divine society, <Heavenly Church>, shows strong hostility.]
[The society of demons…]
Countless warning messages filled the sky, and innumerable heavenly gazes focused on them. Yet, Sun Wukong remained unfazed.
“Eldest brother, you’re watching, right?”
Still, no response came.
But the group tensed.
“Let’s see who comes out on top.”
The brothers all nodded.
Then,
Paaaah!
They surged forward as beams of light toward King Sata.
At that moment,
[Grand Emperor Sata awakens from his sleepwalking state!]
Flash!
The dull eyes of King Sata blazed with an intense light.
[Entered Dungeon.]
[Dungeon: Ancient Desert City]
[You are traveling from the eastern to the western end of the continent in search of wealth. However, you are running out of food and water, and must find a city.]
[Merchants you met warned that the desert gods are unusually angry for unknown reasons, making this journey difficult.]
[You must locate a city in this barren desert, visit the temple, offer valuable items, and appease the gods.]
[Failure to satisfy the gods may result in even greater calamity.]
[Objectives]
-
Explore the desert city.
-
Discover the temple.
-
Offer sacred items.
[Success: Sun God’s Sacred Relic]
[Failure: Moon God’s Curse]
Fwaaak!
“…Ugh.”
“What’s so hot!?”
“Looks like it’s the <Desert City> effect… Cover your nose and mouth with cloth to prevent sand, and hold the Heat-Repelling Orbs in your mouth!”
The Heat-Repelling Orb protects the body from extreme heat, a consumable item essential for special forces.
By the time the soldiers’ expressions relaxed a bit,
“Hmm…”
Michael scanned the surroundings with binoculars, mumbling.
“What is it?”
Lee Hyun approached.
“Everything I see is sand. Crossing this place is daunting. I thought I’d handle it due to my ancestors coming from Africa, but…”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be the northeast area?”
“New York State.”
“Then expecting it to feel familiar in this heat would be strange.”
“Indeed. Haha.”
Michael joked briefly with Lee Hyun, then continued with a wry smile.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“Let’s hear the good news first. What is it?”
“Currently, 21 dungeon reports exist for the Bell Temple. The <Ancient Desert City> is among the most explored dungeons.”
“Report details?”
“Fortunately, all stored in my head. Before missions, I memorize all intelligence reports from CIA, FBI, NSA, etc.”
Lee Hyun was impressed by his preparation.
“So it’s a familiar dungeon. We know most hazards, so risk of accidental injury is low. However…”
“Even with so many reports, it hasn’t been cleared. Classified as a ‘long-term unsolved dungeon.’”
“Exactly. That’s the bad news.”
Lee Hyun let out a dry laugh.
Unlike Korea, which often left long-term unsolved dungeons neglected, the U.S. entrusted elite specialists to attempt clearing them, understanding the risks involved.
Even with repeated exploration by the U.S., the dungeon remained uncleared. Meaning:
“It won’t be easy to conquer.”
“Sure, ten years ago, conflicts prevented full focus on exploration… but…”
Michael hurriedly added,
“If any survival units entered first, the conditions wouldn’t be ideal. Resources are scarce.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
Most dungeon hints are included in initial messages.
‘Food and water are depleted… no cacti around…’
Lee Hyun hadn’t fully reviewed the reports but could assess enough with Hwaang-Geumjeong.
“Finding a city or oasis is priority.”
“Limited resources likely cause conflicts among groups.”
“The Sama Association will exploit that. Isolation is always dangerous on battlefields.”
Lee Hyun noticed Michael’s slight worry and smiled.
“Seems like bad news is eating the good news.”
“Haha. If it sounded negative, apologies—”
“I see things differently from Michael.”
“Jet…?”
Michael’s eyes widened slightly.
Lee Hyun stepped forward, activating his magic.
Fwaaaak!
A heat wave radiated outward from him, pushing back the desert heat.
“High difficulty means greater rewards once cleared, doesn’t it?”
“…!”
“Since it’s a myth-filled temple, there’s more to gain.”
Flash!
A blue-white lightning streaked above his eyes.
Paaaah!
[Legacy Skill, ‘Day Goblin Dance Formation,’ activated, revealing anomalies!]
Lee Hyun became a solitary figure cutting across the desert.
“This is bad!!”
“How did he know!?”
“Damn! Everyone, prepare for combat!!”
The sandstorm swept violently. Hunters, previously hidden with camouflage items, revealed themselves.
Shawing (砂影) – a unit of the Sama Association, thought wiped out.
They likely hid anticipating Astra search/rescue teams after entry, but their position was discovered by the enemy.
However, no matter how advanced the stealth item, Lee Hyun’s eyes and senses easily detected them.
“Quickly subdue them and assess the dungeon situation.”
Lee Hyun sped forward.
Swish!
Michael, observing, let out a dry laugh.
“You never rest, do you?”
Then his gaze hardened.
“All units, follow Jet!”
“Order confirmed.”
“Order confirmed.”
Regardless of affiliation, everyone naturally followed Lee Hyun as their leader. Z-Team, Astra, and even X-Team genuinely treated him as commander.
After weeks of calm, a new sandstorm surged through the dungeon desert.
