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chapter 29
Saojeong (4)
“Kuaaaah!”
A white bolt of lightning tore through Mukesh’s right arm without hesitation.
The fountain of blood evaporated before it could even burst out, leaving behind only a charred black burn.
The ranker India so proudly boasted of had been crippled in an instant.
It was inevitable—the curses that had spread in all directions had all concentrated on him alone.
Right after, Lee Hyeon reached his hand toward Mukesh’s head.
Now that he was caught in the trap, Hyeon intended to crush his throat for good.
[‘Myth: The Warrior Reborn from the Lotus’ awakens—flames erupt skyward!]
But at the very last second, a pillar of fire surged up between Hyeon and Mukesh. It was Cheong Xiao’s arrival.
‘That idiot!’
Cheong Xiao cursed under her breath at Mukesh, who had ruined everything, while grabbing him with her left hand.
For a moment, she felt the impulse to just leave him to die, but that would spiral into an international disaster. She had to keep him alive if possible.
Of course, she had no intention of clashing head-on with a monster that could rip a ranker’s arm off so casually.
‘With this much power, he’s at least a High Ranker… maybe even above that!’
Where in the world had such a being come from?
‘A secret weapon raised in Korea? A Scavenger forced to hide his identity? Another organization like ours, aiming for Sun Wukong? Or perhaps one of the giants’ or demons’ minions?’
She couldn’t be certain.
But one thing was clear—nothing good would come from crossing this monster.
For now, the best move was to retreat and return later with reinforcements.
‘Fine. I’ll burn every relic I’ve got!’
[‘Relic: Fire-tipped Spear’ unleashes its full firepower!]
[‘Relic: Armillary Sphere’ blocks enemy approach!]
[‘Relic: Golden Mace’ pounds the ground, forcing maximum distance!]
…
[‘Relic: Windfire Wheels’ spin at full output—attempting escape!]
Boom!
Screech—!
[All mana has been consumed.]
[Excessive mana output triggers ‘Status Effect: Vertigo.’]
No one but a god could control so many relics at once without overloading their mana circuits.
Cheong Xiao staggered, on the verge of fainting. A hollow emptiness filled her.
Even her Windfire Wheels shrieked with an ominous, broken sound, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Still, she had at least managed to put considerable distance between herself and Hyeon.
“My arm! My armmm!”
…The struggling bulk of Mukesh in her arms was disgusting to behold.
‘Damn it! The Indian government is going to owe me big time for this mess—’
『So this is how lightly you all take me, huh. Every last one of you.』
“…!?”
Cheong Xiao’s thoughts froze.
From afar, Hyeon’s voice boomed like thunder.
『Out of respect for Peng Jinghao, I was going to let you go, but…』
‘…He even knows Elder Peng? I only learned about him recently, yet he calls his name so casually—’
Thump-thump!
Her heart pounded violently, then nearly stopped in shock.
Because in the next instant, she witnessed the impossible.
[‘Myth: The One Wreathed in Thunder and Storms’—lightning absorbed!]
Mukesh’s right arm shattered into brown lightning that streamed straight into Hyeon.
‘N-no way!! How can he wield the divine power of another god as if it were nothing!?’
[Nezha glares in disbelief at the impossible sight.]
Even when gods shared similar domains, each myth held a different essence.
That’s why there were countless thunder gods across the world—yet each had its own hierarchy and unique traits.
But the one thought to be a disciple of Zeus was not only absorbing Indra’s thunder freely, he was commanding it.
Whoooom!
A whirlwind swirled around Hyeon, sweeping the brown lightning into it and expanding its reach in an instant.
[A Thunderstorm is forming!]
『Die.』
Hyeon thrust his hand forward.
Krrr-boom!!
The thunderstorm unleashed a colossal surge of brown lightning.
[‘Myth: The One Wreathed in Thunder and Storms’—Tempest unleashed!]
The target: Cheong Xiao.
“…!!”
She forced out every last drop of her spent mana.
If this hit, she might truly die.
Flash!
Every relic she had leapt to block the storm.
Boom!
Rumble—!
“Kyaaah!”
The impact hurled her across the ground.
[‘Relic: Fire-tipped Spear’ partially damaged.]
[‘Relic: Armillary Sphere’ surface corroded.]
…
Even so, thanks to her relics, she had escaped death—though she was battered with internal injuries.
[Nezha frowns, foreseeing the political turmoil to come.]
Struggling to her feet, Cheong Xiao realized what Nezha had sensed.
“…Mukesh.”
The man who had rolled across the ground with her now had half his head crushed, his face twisted in agony.
[Indra curses his foolish apostle for dying.]
[Indra eyes the one who twisted his own myth to kill his apostle with keen interest.]
‘What do I do now?’
Cheong Xiao’s mind spun.
A clandestine operation in another country’s dungeon was already grounds for major international conflict. But now an S-rank ranker was dead.
And not just any ranker—an apostle of <Deva>, one of their foremost divine agents.
How was this even supposed to be contained?
What unsettled her most was that the god himself showed no grief.
‘…Well, gods don’t follow human logic, do they.’
Suppressing her nausea, she forced the Windfire Wheels to spin again.
Even with her mana depleted, her only thought was to escape.
Creak… creak…
The wheels groaned ominously, threatening to break.
And in her heart, the shadow of that newly emerged absolute powerhouse loomed heavy.
“…She’s gone.”
Only after sensing through his combat instincts that Cheong Xiao had fled through a [Temporary Gate] did Hyeon collapse onto the spot.
[Overuse of mana circuits has caused severe overheating.]
[Ice-Jade Heart slowly cools the heat.]
[Fatigue has risen sharply.]
[Fatigue: 81]
“If she’d pressed the attack again, I’d have been in trouble… Haa.”
Exhaling deeply, Hyeon removed his mask.
His face was drenched in sweat.
Drip.
Drip.
“Cheong Xiao… not easy. Lucky I invoked Chairman Peng’s name. Guess he’s still influential in China.”
He recalled the kindly old man who had once tried to scout him.
Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to his message log.
“Well, at least I learned the nature of Indra’s thunder. That’s a gain.”
He spread his right hand wide.
Crackle—spark!
Beside Zeus’s white sparks danced the brown sparks of Indra.
[Congratulations! You have successfully perused and understood ‘Myth: The One Wreathed in Thunder and Storms.’]
[You have comprehended Indra’s thunder attribute.]
[The types of Wrath you can manifest through ‘Dokkaebi’s Deep Breath (A)’ have increased.]
[Currently held Wraths (3/??)]
-
Dokkaebi (Specter)
-
Zeus (Dioüs)
-
Indra (???)
From the moment Mukesh appeared, Hyeon had been keen to try absorbing Indra’s thunder.
It was the perfect match for one of Saojeong’s curse inscriptions.
[Curse Inscription: Vampiric Mana]
‘If I unraveled Energy Drain, the basis of vampiric curses, into lightning form… It worked exactly as I guessed.’
Of course, it wasn’t something just anyone could do—if it were, every fool would become a god.
‘But snatching, analyzing, and discarding quickly? That’s doable.’
[‘Relic: Golden Fire Eyes’ has successfully analyzed Indra’s thunder. Skill proficiency has skyrocketed.]
[Golden Fire Eyes delights in your evolution.]
Having finished analyzing, Hyeon discarded Indra’s thunder without hesitation, flooding it with his Sammae Windstorm.
That had triggered the thunderstorm that killed Mukesh.
‘Cheong Xiao won’t be able to return with reinforcements immediately. She’s drained dry, and she has Mukesh’s mess to clean up.’
Which meant he had gained more time.
Just then—
Ding!
[‘Event: Collector of Lightning’ has begun!]
[Since ancient times, thunder and lightning have been the attributes of sky-ruling gods and great warrior deities.]
[As a dokkaebi, you have begun collecting, comprehending, and mastering these thunders.]
[Collect 99 bolts of lightning. Once the collection is complete, a new path awaits you.]
[Success: ???]
[Failure: Divine Punishment]
[Currently collected: 3/99]
“Ninety-nine bolts, huh.”
Hyeon stroked his chin as he read the event message.
The lack of a clear reward was disappointing, but—
‘An event this big never has a small payoff. It’ll be something beyond imagination.’
Since he already intended to learn as many thunder attributes as possible, this was a welcome opportunity.
[‘Relic: Ruyi Jingu Bang’ hastens your recovery—fatigue dropping rapidly.]
Once able to move again, Hyeon stood.
‘Still not safe. Cheong Xiao surely has reinforcements on standby. She won’t leave things at this.’
Especially now, with Mukesh dead, she would have to resolve the situation somehow.
‘I’ll close the dungeon before they return.’
[Clear Conditions]
-
Defeat the Piper. (clear!)
-
Find the missing children. (clear!)
-
Ensure safety of Hamelin citizens.
-
Stop the plague. (new!)
Only two remained.
And really, three and four were connected, so it wouldn’t take long.
Though his body ached, he could still move.
‘But before that…’
Hyeon swept his hair back and glanced upward.
“Heading topside again. Want to come?”
『……』
He was speaking to the curse-bearers.
But no reply came.
“You know now, don’t you? The resurrection ritual was never meant to succeed in the first place.”
『……』
“Even if it did, what came back would never be the person you remember.”
Only a god could restore life. No one else. And that was something Hyeon knew better than anyone.
“Accept reality. Stop clinging. You’re not children anymore.”
『……』
“Don’t make the mistake of losing the family you still have.”
Why had the curse-bearers stopped at merely turning Hamelin’s citizens into zombies, instead of slaughtering them?
Hyeon believed it was because of their mixed feelings.
He didn’t know the full story between the children and the adults, but…
They couldn’t bring themselves to hate them completely.
‘That’s why they couldn’t leave this city.’
Without waiting for an answer, Hyeon walked silently toward the exit.
And then—
Rustle—
The curse-bearers appeared where he had stood.
“…Brother.”
The Hidden Boss looked at the children staring back at him.
Under his hood, emotions tangled in his gaze.
He sighed. He had known all along.
That the children’s resolve had been wavering.
They had forced themselves to ignore the guilt they felt seeing the injured adults, but this incident had shaken them again.
‘We even kept the sewers maintained, afraid the city might collapse. I was no different.’
“…Alright. Let’s go.”
In the end, the curse-bearers followed Hyeon’s path as well.
The Hidden Boss gazed at the shadow Hyeon left behind.
It really felt… like watching someone he once knew.
