🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 185
Flash!
As he shifted through space, Lee Hyun caught the looks from the Ox Demon King and Sha Wujing.
Those eyes clearly asked—What did you just do?
“I didn’t do much,” Hyun replied evenly.
“That makes it sound like you did something big,” the Ox King grunted.
“Ke-ke-ke! For someone claiming it wasn’t much, I saw you weaving a sealing rite in there for a split second. Full of curse sigils, too!”
Wujing’s eyes gleamed sharply as he peered at Hyun.
Hyun smiled faintly.
“I merely reinterpreted the ‘Vessel of Light’ in my own way and sent it along the current. The Ox King’s mental field happened to be wide open at the time, so I gave it a little poke.”
Golden flames flickered across Hyun’s eyes, strange runic patterns dancing over his pupils.
Wujing nodded slowly.
“As I thought—you branded the Ox King’s psyche.”
The sealing art Raphael had left behind was powerful enough to contain the Demon King himself.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way Hyun could have interfered with it.
But since the Ox King had forced the rite to activate, it left a brief opening—
An opening Hyun dove into, snatching every useful fragment he could.
And from that, something new was born.
‘The Vessel of Thunder.’
[Event: “Thunder Collector” has activated. You’ve successfully collected your sixth bolt of lightning!]
[Current Lightning Collected: (6/99)]
-
Dokkebi Shade (Wraith)
-
Zeus (Diois)
-
Indra (Vajramudra)
-
Raijin (Thunder Law)
-
Jade Emperor (Divine Judgment)
-
Raphael (Vessel of Light)
[You have comprehended the attribute of Absolute Good. The exorcising and purifying aspects of your lightning element are enhanced.]
[You have successfully reconstructed Raphael’s “Vessel of Light” in magical form.]
[Additional curse sigils have been integrated, increasing overall potency.]
…
[A new spell “Vessel of Thunder” has been born, inflicting damage upon the Ox King.]
[A great magical achievement has been accomplished.]
[Your Rank has risen.]
[Attributes slightly increased as a reward.]
[Your purifying and banishing properties have solidified.]
…
The eighth spell Hyun had created left a wound upon the very mind.
It branded the target’s inner world as if struck by lightning—
A searing mark of agony that would linger like a curse for life.
Even if that Ox King was only a projection of his consciousness… the main body must’ve felt that one. That’s enough.
Hyun had heard the Ox King’s story.
And after listening, only one thought surfaced.
So what?
He too had lost his brother.
Son Goku had lost his people.
Of the Seven Great Saints, the fifth—Tongpung Daeseong—had perished.
Yet none of them had turned their hatred toward the world.
They bore vengeance, yes—but never lost themselves to it.
They endured, and stood back up with unbent spines.
But the Ox King…
He had drowned in resentment, turning every blade of blame toward Son Goku—
And even went so far as to manipulate his old friends like pawns.
Hyun couldn’t sympathize with that.
Unless there’s some deeper reason. But even if there is… it doesn’t matter. He’s the enemy now. I’ll face him as one.
For a brief moment, thoughts of Min-jeong flickered across his mind.
The demonic energy she inherited came from the Ox King before he was corrupted. There’s no need to worry… Still, I should keep an eye on her, just in case.
“Ke-ke-ke! To throw that kind of counter right there—no wonder even the Ox King must’ve been stunned. And that senior brother of yours didn’t miss the chance to press the attack, either!”
Wujing’s laughter cut through Hyun’s thoughts.
The Ox Queen—Bongmawang—remained silent for a moment, her eyes clouded with thought about her eldest brother’s corruption.
In her arms still hung the limp body of the Demon King of Deception.
And then—
Flash!
The group finished their teleportation through the Rabbit Hole.
[You have entered a new dungeon.]
“Wait here for a moment.”
Tap!
Hyun landed lightly and adjusted the Golden Arhat Mask on his face.
He had no idea what had become of Hercules or the City Cartel he had trapped in here.
There’s definitely the smell of blood…
“Parthé?”
A familiar voice answered.
Parting the brush, Queen Hela emerged—dragging something behind her.
Her expression was stormy, traces of battle still upon her.
“It’s you. And you’ve brought company. But…”
Her words trailed as her eyes fell upon the figure in Bongmawang’s arms.
The Demon King of Deception.
Her gaze turned razor-sharp.
Hyun, too, fell silent—
For he recognized the man she was dragging by the hair.
Bruno Kalisa.
The City Cartel’s butler-chief, right-hand man of the Drug Lord.
A major player caught squarely in their net.
He was still breathing—barely.
Too bad she didn’t catch Hercules as well. Looks like she came close, judging from those wounds.
“Let’s move somewhere safer first,” Hyun suggested.
* * *
The Demon King of Deception opened his eyes wide.
He instinctively tried to sit up—
Clang!
“……!!”
But chains bound his limbs—
Chains of black-gold.
“Why won’t these fall off!? Why!!”
He strained, pulling with all his might, but the more he struggled, the tighter they constricted.
“They won’t break easily. Those are forged from Goku’s Ruyi Jingu Bang—you remember what that staff really was, don’t you?”
A shadow fell over the cell’s bars.
Bongmawang stood there, smiling bitterly.
“Third sister! I knew you’d come to free me! Hurry—break these chains! That wretch locked me up again, planning something insane—”
“From now on, second brother… you’ll stay here.”
“……”
“Until your corrupted mind is healed.”
Her tone was soft, but firm.
For a moment, the frenzied gleam faded from his eyes.
“…I see. You’re saying I’m not in my right mind, so you’ll keep me restrained until I recover. I’ve shown you all a pathetic sight, haven’t I?”
Bongmawang’s eyes widened.
“Brother?”
“A man who calls himself second among us… losing control so easily before his younger siblings—ha…”
“Brother!”
It was different from the madness she’d seen earlier—
This was the brother she remembered.
Gentle, composed, kind to his kin.
She took a step forward, but he raised a hand to stop her.
“Don’t come closer. I never know when the madness will flare up again. My memories blur… Perhaps it’s because I broke free from the eldest’s hold. Either way, I might turn on you before I realize it.”
Biting her lip hard, Bongmawang trembled.
It was him—
The real Demon King of Deception.
Cruel to his enemies, yet endlessly tender toward his siblings.
“The youngest saved me, didn’t he?”
“…Yes.”
She nodded solemnly.
“Ha. He’s still just a kid, yet incredible all the same. Handling his own burdens is hard enough, and yet he took mine as well.”
“We’re family.”
“Family… yes. That’s what it means to be family. And I—only ever coveted what treasures he left behind. Perhaps I should yield my place as second.”
He repeated the word family softly, a bittersweet smile on his face.
“What of the others?”
“Tongpung is dead. Gushin is under treatment.”
“I see… We’ve all fallen to ruin then. I tried to stop it… but it was too late. Then only Isan remains?”
Isan Daeseong—the fourth of the Seven Saints.
“Yes.”
“Isan… There was something I needed to tell you about him. It had to do with the eldest—”
He furrowed his brow, trying to recall something—
Then suddenly roared in fury.
“So you mean to imprison me, sister? In this wretched hole!?”
“…Brother.”
“Torn apart by gods, humiliated by angels, toyed with by our eldest—now you would do the same!? I cherished you! How could you betray me like this!”
Madness surged again, his body thrashing as the Ruyi Chains tightened with a harsh creak.
“……”
Bongmawang bit her lip until blood welled.
She wanted desperately to ask—
What were you trying to say?
What is the Ox King planning to do to Isan Daeseong?
But her brother could no longer answer.
* * *
“…Is this really the best option, Parther?”
“Ymir’s Heart is fully absorbed. There’s no bringing it back. We’ll have to find another way.”
A short distance from the underground cell, in a dim corridor—
Hela frowned, clearly displeased.
She knew Hyun was right, but she hated admitting it.
After all, one of her kingdom’s greatest relics had been lost forever.
The Demon King of Deception had always been a figure of both reverence and hatred for her—
A teacher who had shown her the world’s hidden truths,
And the murderer of her father.
Then Hyun suddenly said, “Still, I’ll find your origin.”
“…Our origin?”
Hela blinked in confusion at the sudden remark.
“Ymir’s Heart, and that halberd you’re holding—do you remember where they truly came from?”
“That’s… that’s… huh?”
Before she could answer—
Bzzt! Crackle!
Noise distorted the air around her head, reality shimmering for a moment before snapping back into place.
[Error! Unauthorized narrative and information were about to be granted to <Character>. The system is correcting it.]
As I thought.
Hyun’s eyes narrowed.
Hela blinked, unaware of what had just happened.
“My head aches a little. What were we talking about?”
“I said I’ll help you find your origin. If we can do that, maybe we can restore what was lost—or recover your forgotten past.”
“I don’t fully understand… but you mean tracing our roots? True enough—our records only say that we suddenly appeared one day and tamed the White Sea. Learning the truth would give us many advantages.”
Hela cast a brief glance toward the imprisoned Demon King, but didn’t move closer.
“But knowing that won’t soothe my clan’s hatred. Someday… someday, we’ll settle that score. Remember that.”
“When that day comes, I won’t stop you.”
“That promise is enough.”
She climbed the spiral staircase without looking back.
Hyun followed, spreading the Path of Radiance beneath his feet.
She really does have the makings of a ruler, he thought, satisfied.
Such people—ones you could trust to handle great tasks—were rare indeed.
“Hercules escaped, you said?”
“If you mean that masked human, yes. Mid-battle, he seemed to contact someone—and then vanished. A strange one.”
Teleportation magic, perhaps? Among Zeus’s sons, there’s one with that kind of power…
Aiakos, Hyun recalled. A shame we lost Hercules. If we’d secured that mask, I could’ve learned more about Astrafe.
Still, he wasn’t too concerned.
A man like Hercules—proud to the bone—would surely return seeking revenge.
He could retrieve the mask then.
Or maybe I’ll go to him first.
Hyun smirked slightly, thinking of the Gorgon Bag where Perseus’s mask still lay sealed.
This mission had yielded far more than expected.
And the expedition to Guam was finally nearing its end.
* * *
Hyun moved outside soon after.
He considered waiting for Son Goku’s return—but knowing the Ox King’s temperament, their confrontation would not end quickly.
He might as well finish his side first.
“Gwiroi! Gwiroi, where are you?”
“If you’re here, answer me!”
He called out across the coastline leading to the Deepsea Dungeon.
Many people were already there—
Ramon, the sponsors, and the Black Maria mercenaries armed to the teeth.
They were busy fending off the sea beasts that occasionally surfaced, but every one of them was looking for him.
If the source of those sea monsters—the Demon King of Deception—is gone… what’ll become of these mines now?
Setting that thought aside, Hyun appeared suddenly before Ramon.
“Gwiroi!”
“Sir Gwiroi!”
“Where have you been!? We’ve been searching everywhere!”
“Are you hurt?”
“And the dungeon—!? We saw the message saying the mission cleared, but what happened exactly!?”
The barrage of questions came all at once.
Two people, however, kept their distance.
One was Luciano—
Eyes sharp, clearly holding back questions about the mine, waiting for a chance to speak privately.
No hostility in him, only curiosity.
The other…
Honestly, I half-expected him to bolt. Guess not.
Hyun’s gaze flicked toward a nervous figure standing apart.
He could see the tension, the desire to speak yet the fear to try.
And for that, Hyun raised his estimation of him slightly.
“Maksas.”
The double agent among Zeus’s sons—the one who had unwittingly lured Hyun into their trap—
Straightened his back stiffly at his name.
“We have things to discuss, don’t we?”
“…Yes, sir.”
Hyun smiled faintly.
Through Maksas, he intended to pry deeper into the sons of Zeus—
And into Zeus himself.
