Chapter 5
From the moment he realized that the owner of the royal tomb was Sun Wukong, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
In the conclusion of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong eventually becomes a high-ranking Buddha, almost on par with the Jade Emperor and Sakyamuni.
Buddhas are gods.
And gods do not die.
That is why they are considered immortals.
However, the idea that a god can die is not completely impossible.
“If a god were to fall into a fierce battle with another god and lose, causing their rank to drop, or if the mythology that constitutes the god were to scatter, it would theoretically be possible for them to die.”
And Lee Hyun had even witnessed the process of a god’s death firsthand.
“The incident involving the emergence of the first 5-star dungeon.”
Six years ago, when Lee Hyun had just joined the Cheong-Rae Special Forces, a 5-star dungeon appeared in South Africa.
What had been theorized as a large-scale myth became reality.
“At the time, Europe and America threw manpower at it, barely managing to close the gate.”
The dungeon containment operation, which had only been completed after four of the nine top rankers in the world had participated, had been a major event.
Lee Hyun, dispatched as part of the peacekeeping forces, was there.
“It was when I thought I wanted to be a true ranker, to stake my life as a hunter.”
The desire to stand on the front lines with humanity’s strongest, and one day, to surpass them and challenge divine beings.
Although he had temporarily shelved those dreams after encountering the Snow Queen, the passion from that time still burned in his heart.
“Come to think of it, one of the nine participants back then was Team Leader Im Won-young’s grandmother.”
Anyway, if Sun Wukong had died for some reason, then it made sense why he was laid to rest in such a tomb.
In other words,
“The Sun Wukong here is like the remains of the Wukong whose rank has fallen…”
When Lee Hyun thought about it that way, Sun Wukong seemed a bit smaller in stature than his fame would suggest.
[You have realized part of the secret that was hidden. The power of the “Sacred Relic: Huaan Golden Seal” has slightly increased.]
“Who did this to me?! If those bastards hadn’t suddenly stabbed me in the back…”
Sun Wukong snapped angrily, but then closed his mouth, realizing his outburst too late.
Lee Hyun could now be certain.
Sun Wukong had been betrayed by someone.
It was indeed the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.
So,
“The reason for this tomb and the arrangements here must have been made by the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain to resurrect the Great Sage. The Huaan Golden Seal was a tool given to the Apostle who would help with the resurrection.”
“…”
If the mythology that formed a god were to scatter, the god’s rank would naturally fall, and they would become a mortal.
It was likely that Apostle Mun Su-chan’s duty was to resurrect Sun Wukong or help him regain his godly status.
The arrangements planned by Mun Su-chan were probably a way of gathering the scattered mythology.
Therefore, completing the arrangements was equivalent to completing Sun Wukong’s resurrection.
“In that sense, the Huaan Golden Seal is a perfect sacred relic. To find the scattered mythology, you need a keen eye.”
This was a moment that showed just how much effort the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain had put into their plan.
“But now that such an Apostle is gone…”
It was no wonder that Sun Wukong was reacting so irritably.
“But who could have killed Sun Wukong?”
Even before becoming a Buddha, Sun Wukong had clashed with the Jade Emperor’s Heavenly Army and survived.
A mere mortal could not have brought Sun Wukong to this state.
This was where Lee Hyun saw an opening.
“May I ask who the enemies were that harmed the Great Sage?”
Sun Wukong fell silent for a moment.
His displeasure was clearly evident.
“Why? What are you going to do if you find out? Are you going to mock me for being in this pathetic state?”
“Of course not. Perhaps I might be able to help.”
“You? What could you do?”
Sun Wukong’s tone was laced with sarcasm, but Lee Hyun answered calmly.
“I may not have been chosen by the Great Sage’s subjects, but I’ve come this far on my own merit. I think my abilities are sufficient to prove my worth.”
“…”
“So, wouldn’t there be an area where I could be of help?”
Sun Wukong furrowed his brow but couldn’t refute the truth of the statement.
Even Lee Hyun hadn’t originally been the chosen one of the Huaan Golden Seal.
After a long silence, Sun Wukong’s voice came low.
“…The gods, the Jade Emperor, Zeus, Odin, those bastards did this to me.”
“…!”
The weight behind those words was not light.
“If they hadn’t pretended to be friendly and set up a trap, if I had only been prepared and made the right judgment… I wouldn’t have suffered this humiliation.”
“…”
“They trampled everything. My existence, my home, my kingdom, my people, my friends, my brothers, everything.”
Lee Hyun clenched his lips.
The bitterness and hatred leaking from the twisted corners of Sun Wukong’s mouth felt almost suffocating.
“Tripitaka always said that everything is empty and fleeting. But not to me. They were everything that filled the emptiness in my heart. I can never forgive them. Never.”
“….”
“So let me ask you, kid. After all this, what help could you possibly give me? If you’ve only asked this out of curiosity, then I will…”
“Perhaps I could help, just a little.”
“What?”
At that moment, Sun Wukong could see it.
Lee Hyun, who had been listening intently, now had a wicked smile on his face.
He was enjoying it.
“One of the betrayers who harmed both you and your apostle was an Apostle of the Jade Emperor.”
“…!”
In Sun Wukong’s golden eyes, Lee Hyun was burning like a fire.
“I know their deeds. If you use me, perhaps I could be of help to the Great Sage.”
For a moment, another of Tripitaka’s words flashed through Sun Wukong’s mind.
“Fate is like the heavens’ net, so intricate that everything is connected, bound to come together…”
Could it really be a coincidence that the one who had a grudge against the Jade Emperor, his greatest enemy, was the same one standing before him now?
Destiny.
That word sank deep into Sun Wukong’s heart.
And before he knew it, Sun Wukong chuckled.
“You’re saying I should do as you say?”
“Yes. But in exchange, heal my body.”
“Make a deal, huh?”
“That’s right.”
“You have some confidence. Let’s see if you really deserve to make such a deal.”
Sun Wukong leapt off his staff.
“Take this staff. If you can, I’ll acknowledge you as my new Apostle.”
Lee Hyun nodded and slowly approached the staff.
“By the way, this staff’s temperament is quite nasty. It’s very different from the gentle Huaan Golden Seal.”
[Event: The Selection of the Ruyi Jingu Bang has begun!]
[■■■■’s spirit has issued a temporary quest for you to become their Apostle.]
[Pass the trial of the Ruyi Jingu Bang and be chosen.]
[Success: Become the Apostle of ■■■■.]
[Failure: Injury.]
Lee Hyun knew well that there were often fatal accidents during the selection of sacred relics.
Especially with something as legendary as the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
But he wouldn’t have come this far without that kind of resolve.
The moment Lee Hyun took a deep breath and placed his hand on the staff,
Creek!
Suddenly, the Ruyi Jingu Bang crumbled and slithered up his hand like a snake.
Clink!
A golden bracelet had appeared on Lee Hyun’s wrist.
And then,
“…Huff!”
A tremendous amount of divine power poured into his body.
It felt similar to the time when he first received the Huaan Golden Seal, but this power was much rougher in nature.
His body felt like it was about to break apart.
Lee Hyun realized that this was the “trial” of the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Thud, thud, thud!
His eyes quickly became bloodshot.
“You think I’ll lose?”
But Lee Hyun gritted his teeth and tried to control the divine power, directing it the way he wanted.
Having once reached the rank of a top-tier ranker, Lee Hyun was confident in his ability to control magic.
*“But my usual methods won’t work
