BRDM 65

chapter 65

[18 Logoses have expressed interest in you. Would you like to check?]

[You have chosen Reject.]

[Your information disclosure status has been set to “Unread.” The Logoses cannot see anything related to you.]

……

[4 Logoses have requested that you disclose information.]

[You have chosen Reject.]

……

“Kak-kak. Our Apostle sure is getting more and more popular. Just two hours ago, there were only four Logoses showing interest, you know.”

Sha Wujing (Sa Oh Jeong) chuckled as he looked at the message.
He seemed to be in a very good mood.

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong had his arms crossed, wearing a sulky expression.

“What’s so funny to you?”

“Why, shouldn’t you be happy too, senior brother? This is proof that our choice was the right one.”

“The more attention that brat draws, the easier it’ll be for our movements to be exposed. And you’re saying this is good?”

“Isn’t that why Apostle-nim set his activity logs to private? As long as it’s hidden on his end, they won’t see anything. No problem.”

“And what if our trail slips up somewhere else?”

“You really worry too much, senior brother. At times like this, you should enjoy it.”

Wukong gave Sha Wujing a sharp glare as if to say “I can’t believe you”, but Wujing remained relaxed and carefree.

“And even if something does happen, won’t Apostle-nim handle it well enough? Tie your worries down.”

Wukong let out a heavy sigh.
He didn’t exactly have a brilliant solution himself.

Now that Lee Hyun had become a Ranker, his activities and records would inevitably remain on the Heavenly Tablets.

And the more outstanding his achievements became, the more frequently they would be recorded.
Naturally, that meant attracting more attention.

Wukong understood this fact all too well—yet he still couldn’t shake his unease.

Because the letter left behind by Bungmawang (Collapse Demon King) still lingered vividly in his mind.

—Wukong, I never thought I’d end up leaving you a letter like this…

—Really, you never know how things will turn out in this world, do you? After you left, I thought I’d never see you again.

—But I’ve nowhere else to lean on, so I leave this behind.

—I only hope this letter reaches you.

—And that Big Brother’s grace may also reach you.

The letter carried news of Bungmawang’s survival.

Though she claimed she had fallen into a miserable state like Wujing, she still seemed to move with some freedom.

Or so he had thought.

—I’ll get straight to the point.

—I’m currently searching for our scattered siblings.

—The problem is, those bastards are still relentlessly chasing me.

—It seems they’re not satisfied with us being cast down from Heaven.

—They mean to trample even the seeds that remain.

—Because of that, our fifth brother, Tongpoong, was annihilated.

Wukong had feared something like this might have happened, but when he learned that one of their siblings had truly been erased, his chest seized with suffocating grief.

—I confirmed this myself. It’s true.

—And now, our sixth brother, Gushin, is…

Though the letter was not long, it carried heavy truths and emotions.

Wukong could picture Bungmawang wandering the world, fleeing the grasp of the main gods.

—I only hope you remain safe.

—After all, the reason they persist like this is because they’re searching for you.

—So please… be careful.

Even the simple farewell at the end spoke volumes between the lines.

Wukong closed his eyes in silence.
Maybe Wujing was right—perhaps he was thinking too hastily.

That was why, despite knowing it wouldn’t be easy, he had asked Lee Hyun to rescue Bungmawang.

“Do you think I don’t understand your frustration, senior brother? I feel the same as she does.”

Wujing smiled bitterly.

“But let’s wait a little longer. Hasn’t Apostle-nim already begun? Since our paths are the same, we’ll hear word of them soon enough.”

Wukong remained silent, but Wujing knew it was an unspoken agreement.

The tension in the air loosened.

“…Looks like I’ve only shown that little junior priest how unreliable I am.”

Finally, Wukong scratched the back of his head in irritation and sighed.

Wujing laughed.

“Kak-kak-kak! Even you, senior brother, are just human in the end. Who in this world has no worries?”

“You’re right. I’ll need a shaved ice to clear my head.”

“I hear mango bingsu at that hotel is quite the delicacy. Why not suggest it to Apostle-nim later to relieve your stress?”

“That sounds good. But let me correct one thing in what you said.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s not our Apostle. He’s my Apostle! Stop claiming him like he’s yours!”

“Wait, wasn’t that argument over already!?”

“When did I say it was!?”

And so, the bickering between Wukong and Wujing continued as always.

Bzz. Bzz.

Lee Hyun’s phone buzzed.

—Unidentified stalkers detected.
—We’ll handle it.

A message from Kim Minjung and the Z-Team members.

As he had warned them earlier, it seemed Pingxin’s stalkers had indeed followed them.

They should be able to handle it, right?

He trusted in his teammates’ skills after safely completing their dungeon training, but he wasn’t about to underestimate Pingxin either.

Their strength could easily rival that of the old Cheongroe.
From their combat focus to their basic protocols—
It was like looking at Cheongroe all over again.

Changwoo… so this is what you wanted all along? How ridiculous. Was playing commander such a dream of yours?

As Hyun was silently repeating his enemy’s name, something happened.

Sniff, sniff.

The moment they entered the underground bunker, Sha Wujing suddenly clambered up onto Hyun’s head and flared his nostrils.

What’s wrong all of a sudden?

“Mm? This…! Senior brother!”

“Yeah, I smell it too. Didn’t expect to run into this here.”

Wukong’s eyes sparkled with interest as he sat cross-legged on Hyun’s shoulder.

What’s going on? I don’t smell anything.

Hyun sniffed around, half-wondering if there was a fire in the bunker, but detected nothing.

“Of course you wouldn’t. This isn’t a physical scent—it’s a kind of spiritual fragrance.”

A spiritual fragrance…?

“Kak-kak. No need to overthink it. It just means there’s a trace of a great being here, something you normally wouldn’t find in the mortal world.”

Wujing added.

Hyun wanted to ask more, but set aside his doubts for now.

Inside, Yi Gunsan was wearing the gold robe symbolizing an alchemist, scrutinizing a flask.

In front of him sat a glass container.
Inside, the Snow Queen’s severed left hand writhed as if it were alive.

Twitch. Twitch.

[<The Snow Queen> reacts to seeing a fragment of her former body!]

“…So you’re saying you can’t figure it out? Why would it suddenly start moving when it was still before? Did I miss something?” Yi Gunsan muttered.

“I think I know why.”

“Hm? Oh, you’ve come. And what’s that on your shoulder…?”

He greeted Hyun warmly, then caught sight of the limp Ma Ryong and his eyes widened.

“I picked it up on the way. A gift.”

“Ma Ryong…! Ho-ho! Quite the catch you’ve brought.”

“Where should I put him?”

“Follow me this way. If my wife sees him, she’ll faint.”

Yi Gunsan led him to a narrow secret room tucked into the bunker’s corner.
The walls were painted stark white, dizzying to the eyes.

Hyun seated Ma Ryong on a metal chair at the center and bound his limbs with cable ties.

“He’s in tatters. I’m amazed he’s still breathing.”

“Just keep him alive. I’ll handle the rest.”

Seeing the murderous gleam in Hyun’s eyes, Yi Gunsan gave a dry chuckle.

That man wasn’t going to leave the prisoner in good condition anyway.
Not that Yi Gunsan had planned to let him go himself.

“Give him this. He’ll regain consciousness soon.”

Hyun reluctantly poured the potion over Ma Ryong’s head instead of making him drink it.
The liquid touched his face and chest, and visible recovery began.

Twitch.

As Ma Ryong stirred faintly, Yi Gunsan asked:

“By the way, what did you mean earlier? That you knew why the Snow Queen’s left hand was reacting?”

“It’s trying to return to its master.”

“Its master…? Wait, don’t tell me—!”

Only then did Yi Gunsan notice Hyun’s altered aura.
Completely different from before.

“A Ranker! You’ve become a Ranker! Ha-ha, I knew you’d manage it!”

Hyun smiled faintly.
“I was fortunate.”

“If luck alone made Rankers, lottery winners would all be one! Ha-ha!”

Yi Gunsan laughed loudly, then nodded gravely.

“So by becoming a Ranker, you awakened the Snow Queen’s narrative?”

“The research papers you lent me were a great help.”

“Bah, that was nothing.”

Though he brushed it off, Hyun was sincere.
Without that research, he would have made far more mistakes when meeting the Snow Queen in the spiritual realm.

“Then that means… there’s no point keeping that grotesque thing locked up anymore, is there?”

Yi Gunsan snapped his fingers lightly.

Snap!

Fshhh—

The glass case vanished—it had only been a barrier he set up.

And then,

[<The Snow Queen> yearns for the fragment of her lost body.]

Fwoosh!

The freed left hand shot toward them.

“Whoa!”

Startled, Go Jinwoo flinched at the horror-movie-like sight.

But Hyun calmly extended his right hand.

The moment their index fingers touched—

Fshhh—

The Snow Queen’s hand shattered like ice, then merged seamlessly into Hyun’s right hand.

At once, a pale sigil appeared on the back of his hand.
Like a snowflake crystal, brimming with immense magic.

A chilling cold power, the exact opposite of the dusky fury of the Dokkebi’s Breath.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the ‘Emblem of Permafrost.’]

[Emblem of Permafrost]
A divine relic, an emblem born of the Snow Queen’s own authority.
The once-tormenting chain of permafrost now becomes a guardian shield that protects you.

• Type: Sacred Relic, Emblem.

• Origin: Fairy Tale, “The Snow Queen.”

“…!”

Hyun’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected gift.

[<The Snow Queen> expresses her gratitude for partially restoring her lost body.]
[The narrative of <The Snow Queen> has been strengthened.]
[All skills and attributes related to <The Snow Queen> have deepened.]

“Heh-heh… A sacred relic. And one infused with authority, no less.”

Yi Gunsan marveled at the transformation before his eyes.

“The Dokkebi’s Breath and the Permafrost Chain… polar opposites, yet somehow harmonized.”

[The yin energy from ‘Sacred Relic: Emblem of Permafrost’ clashes with the yang energy of ‘Skill: Dokkebi’s Deep Breath.’]
[The Ruyi Jingu Bang’s divine power activates.]
[Its divine force embraces and unites the incompatible energies.]

[Your understanding of mana has deepened.]
[Mana +5]
[Dexterity +4]

[Your Rank has increased.]

Though the two energies were polar extremes, before Sun Wukong they were nothing more than a handful of ice and embers.
The Ruyi Jingu Bang, partially unsealed, fused them effortlessly.

Hyun felt his mana circuits overflowing—
No, his very soul felt uplifted.

…So this is possible too.

The chain of permafrost that had tormented him for four years now became his weapon.
It was ironic.
But that only made it more satisfying.

Because he knew better than anyone how terrifying the Permafrost Chain could be.

A tool was just a tool.
There was no need to hate it.

Besides—

My understanding of the Permafrost Chain is far deeper than Changwoo’s. I no longer need to fear him.

Hyun’s lips curled into a smile of satisfaction.

[<The Snow Queen> expects more offerings of body and devotion.]

The Snow Queen’s message carried a subtle request.

Hyun briefly thought of the frozen corpse stored at the Ministry of Defense, then shook his head.

“…Tch.”

At that moment, Ma Ryong’s eyelids fluttered open.

Shall I try it out?

Hyun pressed his right hand against Ma Ryong’s crown.

[‘Sacred Relic: Emblem of Permafrost’ activates!]

Whoooosh!

A bone-chilling blizzard-like cold instantly filled the small chamber.