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chapter 168
Astra’s Michael Shepard stopped his car in a villa neighborhood.
But somehow, it felt strangely familiar.
“This… is the place where I fought Marong.”
It was the incident where Wei Gangning, dispatched from China’s Central Hero Committee, accidentally revealed his movements to Korea and the entire world.
It was remarkable that Marong was defeated so helplessly. Even more curious was that while Marong’s face was clearly exposed, Lee Hyun’s face had been blurred out, a detail that had puzzled many. The CIA had also struggled with this issue.
If they could figure out that technology, it would be easier to conceal the identities of agents like them. But as Michael remembered, they never managed to fully uncover it.
“Come to think of it, Marong’s new subordinates haven’t appeared since then… They were supposed to be useful to Cheongroe. So what became of them?”
Are they still keeping Marong? And for what purpose?
Michael pondered deeply, then realized the streets weren’t particularly clean.
“He must have earned a lot by now… why does he still live in a place like this?”
He was about to take out his phone to confirm the exact address.
“Hm?”
Then he noticed a young man stepping out from one of the villas, casually dressed, taking out the recycling.
A familiar face. It was Lee Hyun.
Damn.
What a coincidence.
Michael chuckled lightly. Somehow, meeting him outside the office or battlefield felt unexpectedly pleasant. Even in such shabby clothes, his handsome face fit perfectly. Yet there was a strange feeling that this version of Lee Hyun was slightly different from usual.
How to describe it…
It was as if they were twin brothers—same face, but with a subtle sense of dissonance.
“Je… um?”
Michael began to call out to Lee Hyun but furrowed his brows midway.
Someone was passing behind him while he was sorting plastic.
They seemed like an ordinary neighborhood resident, but there was something off about their presence.
Suddenly, the person reached toward their jacket.
Michael felt a chilling sensation.
“Damn it!!”
[Transmission, ‘The Servant Who Brings Revelation’ activates!]
Phaaaat—
Just as the assailant was about to draw a gun, Michael, already activating Transmission, pounced on him.
“…!?”
The attacker froze, then twisted his body and pulled the trigger.
Bang!!
‘This guy! He’s a mine of the City Cartel!!’
Michael dodged the bullet with ease. Sensing the killer’s aura, he hardened his expression.
Rumble—
Flash! Flash!!
A battle between rankers erupted in the middle of the city.
However, Lee Hyun, the actual cause, simply stepped back and watched blankly.
Rustle—
A faint sprinkle of ice dust flickered across his eyes and vanished.
“That… is the Blue Ribbon? Of the City Cartel?”
Lee Hyun nodded at Ramon, who asked in a trembling voice.
“As you can see.”
“Ah… you really accomplished it. I knew you could, but I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.”
The beach where the mines were located.
Once a place of breathtaking beauty, it was now filled with corpses of countless mobs and remnants, the air reeking of decay.
Every corpse had only the valuable stones and parts harvested, then discarded.
Was this done to attract more mobs to the smell?
But for Ramon, the devastation was less shocking than the Blue Ribbons Lee Hyun had obtained.
Even one was impressive, but he had managed to secure two…
Lee Hyun had completely wiped out the remnants of the City Cartel in Guam. What remained were only minor stragglers, who were soon to be eliminated by hunters dispatched by the sponsor alliance.
‘Once I align with Gwiroe, there’s no reason for the Cartel and us to coexist. Better to remove them and take their place.’
Thanks to this, the sponsors were busy filling the void left by the City Cartel.
‘In just a few days, the balance of power in Guam—unchanged for over a decade—has flipped. Truly terrifying, and remarkable.’
Ramon looked at Lee Hyun with newfound respect. Who else could achieve such feats single-handedly? Perhaps no one, except the highest-ranking officials among the 13 evil factions.
‘I wonder how the balance in Hagatna’s Black Zone will shift next.’
Having two ribbons inevitably made him a target in many places.
Yet, Lee Hyun wasn’t one to avoid a fight that came his way, so greater repercussions were expected.
‘But the biggest variable is whether Gwiroe intends to remain in Guam.’
Ramon knew Lee Hyun wasn’t originally from this area and had no attachment to Guam. If he simply achieved his goals and vanished, who knows what consequences would follow.
Everything remained uncertain and unpredictable.
‘Ultimately, it depends on Gwiroe’s final choice…’
Just then, Lee Hyun suddenly threw the Blue Ribbon of the City Cartel to Ramon.
“…Gwiroe?”
“You said you wanted to grow the company as much as possible, right?”
Ramon’s eyes widened as he realized the meaning behind Lee Hyun’s words. His worries disappeared.
“Ah, no! I didn’t bring you here to receive something like this…!”
“Grow it as much as you want. With your skills, you can make Hagatna work somehow.”
“…!!”
“Of course, continue supporting me as you’ve done. If I see even the slightest negligence, I’ll take it back.”
At that moment, Ramon understood. Gwiroe had no plans to leave Guam immediately.
“Ah, I will continue to serve you loyally!!”
Ramon bowed hastily, his hands trembling while holding the Blue Ribbon.
Damn.
A faint chuckle escaped beneath the mask.
“Loyalty? Just don’t forget mutual trust.”
“No, my principle is to never forget favors and to repay them. The favor I received from you is no exception.”
Ramon’s eyes shone with determination, mirrored in the reflection of his golden aura.
“Do as you see fit. Consider partnering with Esteban when expanding the business.”
“You think similarly to me. We’re planning a business meeting soon, and I’ll ensure good results.”
Lee Hyun also touched on several other points, mostly insights from his few days in Guam rather than purely business matters.
Ramon eagerly recorded important points in his notebook, his eyes burning with ambition.
“…If territorial disputes become severe, you could knock on Black Maria’s door.”
“Black Maria has considerable grievances, but they won’t show it. Luciano is the same.”
Ramon finally understood.
“It’s all about business.”
“In the shadows, the key is who controls the interests.”
Lee Hyun turned his gaze to the sea behind the beach. Ramon followed, swallowing hard.
‘That’s… Black Cyclone.’
Unlike the northeast where Tumon Beach was, the southwest sea was pitch black, like a pool of ink, forming massive whirlpools and storms. The sky above was gloomy, evidence of the deep sea dungeon’s powerful magical storm.
‘Looking at that, it feels like the apocalypse has come.’
“Going straight there?”
“This was always the destination.”
“Aren’t you making a separate assault team? Sponsors might resist, and so would the Blue Ribbons…”
The deep sea dungeon was a gold mine of rights for the 21 Blue Ribbon companies. Any approach required prior consent or surveillance.
Given the dungeon’s intertwined structure and its main location in a Challenger Sea over 100,000 meters deep, conquering it was rare—but if done, it would be huge.
“Say it’s just a preliminary survey. Let them follow if they want.”
But Lee Hyun didn’t seem concerned—typical of Gwiroe.
“And remember what you’re receiving the ribbon for.”
Ramon realized his role: to use Gwiroe’s reputation to expand business while managing the aftermath of any accidents. He quickly thought how to handle potential backlash, seeing opportunity instead.
“I underestimated. Don’t worry about the rest, just proceed safely.”
Lee Hyun didn’t respond. Instead, he slammed his rune staff into the ground, charging it with magical power.
Crash…!!
A white thunderstorm erupted, instantly clearing the black clouds over Black Cyclone. For the first time in decades, the blue sky appeared over the mines. Ramon shivered in awe, while Lee Hyun poured more magic into his staff.
This was the crucial moment.
Rune Symbol: Tīwaz (ᛏ)
A symbol representing the sun god, condensing immense lightning to summon a magic akin to the direct descent of a solar deity. Lee Hyun aimed to channel his ultimate firepower as Gwiroe.
Rumble, flash!
[All lightning forming the ‘Thunder Whale’ condenses into a single point!]
Amid the cleared sky, the Thunder Whale—imbued with high-temperature lightning after burning Black Maria and the City Cartel—returned to its lightning sphere form, much larger and fiercer than usual.
Lee Hyun’s golden eyes flickered beneath his mask, lightning dancing repeatedly.
[Using ‘Sacred Relic: Ginkgo’ to rapidly accelerate the spell’s processing!]
[Combining calculations to create a new type of lightning magic.]
‘Mix in the divine punishment stolen from Okhwang Sangje!’
[Reassembling divine punishment from the ‘Event: Lightning Collector’ into magical form!]
Recalling the overwhelming pressure of facing Okhwang Sangje, Lee Hyun realized he could create a momentary passage to the deep sea dungeon, where immense water pressure existed.
“Descend.”
With the incantation, a massive bolt struck the center of the sea.
[New Magic ‘Punishment Lightning’ has been created.]
[Diowise Stage 2 achieved; Clasma integrated into Punishment Lightning, increasing power.]
[Partial understanding of Astrafe achieved.]
Crash!
Like Zeus striking white lightning, the massive storm and waves opened a hole in the sea. Its power exceeded expectations.
‘Stage 2 of Diowise is unlocked? Or rather, Astrafe?’
Feeling dizzy from sudden mana depletion, Lee Hyun briefly staggered but quickly focused.
‘Now!’
Rune Symbol: Raido (ᚱ)
[Following the ‘Path of Radiance’ to attempt spatial teleportation!]
Lee Hyun rode the lightning, attempting entry into the Challenger Sea.
He was entering the dungeon.
