Chapter 4
[You have successfully solved all the riddles!]
[The ritual has been completed.]
As Lee Hyun stepped up to the altar and offered the wine cup, a message appeared in his mind.
And then,
[The master of the royal tomb is preparing for resurrection.]
[The hidden form of the royal tomb is revealed!]
[Time remaining until the royal tomb reveals itself]
[00:15:00]
[00:14:59]
……
“Done!”
“Wow!”
The hunters’ faces brightened.
Finally, the dangerous situation seemed to be over.
They were immensely grateful to Lee Hyun for saving them.
‘We used to be top-tier back in the day…’
‘Guess we were acting all high and mighty in front of a swan.’
‘How did someone like him manage to stay under the radar until now?’
A sense of relief washed over them, and they were finally beginning to realize how impressive Lee Hyun’s actions had been.
His sharp crisis judgment,
The charisma that could command entire guilds with a single word,
His intellect that solved riddles in a flash, and
His ability to overwhelm monsters despite his inconvenient body.
The phrase “both martial and literary prowess” came to mind.
‘How can we recruit him into our guild?’
While their eyes sparkled as they looked at Lee Hyun, similar to Im Won-young,
Im Won-young, on the other hand, couldn’t smile easily.
‘Is this really the end…?’
Something felt off.
The difference between this and earlier was stark.
As expected, just as they thought things were over…
Ku ku ku ku!
The ground beneath them cracked with a deep rumble.
“Wh-what is this!”
“The ground is splitting!”
“Be careful! The hole is too deep!”
The forest crumbled, and the stone monuments fell like dominoes. The hills in various spots surged up and eroded.
The dungeon terrain… was changing.
At that moment,
Kwa-dak!
The altar where Lee Hyun stood rose high into the air.
Zzzzt
“This is the final command,” a voice echoed inside their minds.
“…!?”
“Command?”
In that instant, Lee Hyun’s voice came from the hunters’ brooches.
“This dungeon is about to collapse, so I suggest everyone escape from here. The exit is in the opposite direction of the zombie monkeys’ path…”
“What do you mean escape, Hunter Jang?!”
Im Won-young grabbed the brooch of the hunter next to her, urgently shouting.
She wanted to rush to Lee Hyun, but the earthquake was so severe, it was difficult to move.
But Lee Hyun remained calm.
“It seems this dungeon is a type that collapses once the ritual is complete. What do you think the owner of this tomb will do when he sees that his people have been harmed and turned into sacrifices?”
The hunters stiffened. They knew that self-destructive dungeons existed.
“So, does that mean… Hunter Jang is…”
“A priest must prove his faith. If even the priest flees, the tomb owner’s wrath will be even greater.”
“…!”
“My role is to calm the tomb’s owner as much as possible and buy time for my comrades to escape safely.”
Im Won-young was left speechless.
She wanted to ask why Lee Hyun had to sacrifice himself, but she held her tongue.
“And didn’t I promise? To clear the dungeon and make sure as many people as possible could escape?”
“…!”
“Please hurry. If we delay any further, everything will be in danger.”
As Lee Hyun said, the earthquake was growing worse.
The ground of the boss room sank completely, and the hunters had retreated to the outskirts.
“Team leader, we have to go now!”
“We can’t waste Hunter Jang’s sacrifice. Hurry!”
The hunters rushed toward Im Won-young, grabbing her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to escape from here as well. I’m a guide, after all.”
Im Won-young muttered something and then, with a stern expression, threw something toward Lee Hyun.
He caught it by surprise, his eyes wide in shock.
It was a heavy magic-infused red jade ring.
“Relic…!”
“Please make sure you survive. I’ll bring a rescue team and return as soon as I’m out.”
“…Understood.”
Lee Hyun nodded gravely.
Relics like this weren’t easily passed around, even among family.
By entrusting it to Lee Hyun, Im Won-young was showing the utmost respect.
Im Won-young smiled faintly, turning to walk away, but then her expression changed.
Her face became stiff.
[00:11:47]
There was little time left.
“Everyone, run to the exit. We’ll go in a charge formation.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
The hunters began to run in the direction Lee Hyun had instructed.
The injured were carried by a summoned Jangsanbeom on their backs.
Im Won-young planned to return with a rescue team as soon as she was outside. After all, she was responsible for leading this raid.
For now, she had to leave the dungeon’s completion to Lee Hyun, but she didn’t want to place the entire burden on him.
“…”
Lee Hyun watched them until they disappeared, still wearing the red jade ring on his left index finger.
“…Has everyone left?”
From his elevated position, the constantly changing dungeon terrain was visible in its entirety.
For the first time, he could focus on the final moments of the dungeon.
This was a moment he didn’t want to share with anyone.
It was an opportunity his brother had given him.
‘I still don’t know what other dangers might be ahead.’
In fact, Lee Hyun still felt some remorse toward White Bun.
After all, he was about to take all the rewards of the Monkey’s Lair, which had been their possession.
However, without the Hwaang Geumjeong, the key to the boss room, Monkey’s Lair was a dungeon that was destined to fail in the first place.
So, he planned to repay them later, beyond what he gained from this raid.
He didn’t want to repay the kindness of Im Won-young and the others with deception.
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
‘It’s coming.’
[Countdown finished.]
[The royal tomb is revealed!]
Under the completely collapsed boss room’s ground, there was another hidden area.
A massive glass coffin.
Inside it, a gigantic golden monkey lay asleep, easily dozens of meters long.
Gooohhhhh!
“…!”
Just looking at it made Lee Hyun’s heart drop. The sheer pressure emanating from it was on a whole different level.
He felt a deep instinct telling him to bow his head, to kneel.
Such a being couldn’t simply be a mere creature.
Only an existence that had reached the heavens could exude such overwhelming presence.
People called them gods.
“Son O… Gong.”
As soon as Lee Hyun muttered the tomb owner’s name,
Flash!
The golden monkey inside the glass coffin opened its eyes.
It felt as if a pillar of light was shooting up to the heavens.
Then,
Fssshh…
The golden monkey’s body turned into tiny particles, swirling and gathering toward the altar where Lee Hyun stood.
The particles congealed and formed a long staff.
It radiated a brilliant golden light, as if the sun itself had been carved into it.
―Cheonhajeongjeosincheoncheol.
―Yeowigeumgobong.
Lee Hyun read the ancient characters engraved on the staff’s tip and clenched his fist.
After having pursued Son Oh-gong for years, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize it.
The symbol of Son Oh-gong.
The Yeowibong.
[Yeowibong]
■■■■ Represents the sacred relic of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Originally made by Taesangnogun for Yu (禹), the great hero of the Yellow River, it was later stolen by Son Oh-gong and used as a weapon. It is also said to have been used by the primordial giant, Pangu.
-
Type: Sacred Relic
-
Origin: Myth “Journey to the West”
Due to its numerous legends, even Son Oh-gong himself couldn’t unlock all its abilities.
Currently, most of its functions seem to be sealed.
Lee Hyun swallowed hard.
Finally, after four years, his efforts had borne fruit.
However, the question that had been nagging him earlier resurfaced.
This place was a tomb.
A tomb meant to honor a dead king.
But why was Son Oh-gong buried here?
No, more importantly, why was the phrase ‘Jecheon Daeseong Son Oh-gong’ in the description of the Yeowibong broken?
‘Is there something I don’t know about the backstory of Journey to the West?’
Just as that thought crossed his mind,
Flash!
A
