chapter 73
[Jeonseung, “The Eight-Footed Ghost with a Bamboo Head,” lashes out in a fiery rage!]
The symbol of Team B’s leader, Park Geon-il, was Jeonseung: the Eight-Footed Ghost.
The vengeful spirit of a giant crushed to death under a fire-ravaged house lent its power to Jeonseung. The grotesque face of the giant, scarred from burns, appeared briefly over Team Leader Park, hidden beneath its bamboo headpiece.
Park stretched out his spear, towering over three meters in length. Flames erupted from the blade, deflecting the steel plate.
BOOM!!
“Ugh…!”
The force behind the steel plate was formidable, pushing him back several meters.
[Jeonseung, “The Big Python of the Shaman’s House,” lets out a scream!]
Nearby, Team E’s leader, Cheon Do-dam, was thrown backward, unable to withstand the shockwave.
Squeeaaak!
Above him, Lee-hyun appeared like a bolt of lightning, swinging his axe down.
[The rage of Du-eok-shini erupts!]
“……!!”
As Cheon’s eyes widened,
“Damn it!”
Park charged at Lee-hyun just as the axe was about to strike between Cheon’s brows. Flames erupted from his spear in rapid succession.
Cha-cha-cha-chachang!
Kwahng! Bang!
Lee-hyun leaned back, deflecting the axe strikes with precision. Meanwhile, Cheon scrambled to his feet and swung the whip in his hand.
Whirrrrr!
The whip swept across the ground, its tip tipped with poison needles.
“Where do you think you’re going!!”
[Jeonseung, “The Mountain Tiger of Tobacco Days,” attempts an intrusion!]
The poison needles were deflected by a newly appearing Mountain Tiger. The thick hide broke the needles instead. At the same time, another Mountain Tiger appeared, aiming at Cheon’s side.
Realizing the danger, Cheon quickly pulled the whip, binding the legs of both tigers and buying some time…
[The shadow of the night attempts a stealth attack!]
Lee-hyun struck from behind Cheon, appearing from the darkness like a guillotine blade. But Park’s spear attack forced him to redirect.
Kwarrrr-
Flash! Flash!!
The frantic clash continued without pause. The four combatants tangled in chaotic battle, leaving no clear one-on-one fight.
‘As expected of the team leaders… not easy at all.’
Lee-hyun had initially thought he could handle them with his current skills, even as the White Burn strategy team leaders, but he was mistaken.
The White Burn team leaders were mostly disciples who had learned from the elite Mojeong dogs, with abundant experience—far from shallow.
‘Then,’ Lee-hyun twisted his mouth, ‘I’ll have to crush them with overwhelming force.’
The stronger the opponent, the more stimulation Lee-hyun felt.
Pajijijijik!!
[Du-eok-shini attempts a dash, wrapped in its collar!]
Lee-hyun dashed, clad in a lightning-woven garment.
“You bastard!!”
Park, barely handling two Mountain Tigers, stomped the ground with a grimace. He intended to crush Lee-hyun in this moment.
[Jeonseung, “The Eight-Footed Ghost with a Bamboo Head,” channels vengeful flames even in death!]
Jjeojjeojeojeok!!
The ground split for over ten meters, flames erupting from the footsteps. Even as the ghost’s level reached Jeonseung, the hellish flames still pursued. No matter how skilled with lightning, facing flames that consumed souls was no easy task.
Or so it seemed.
BOOM!!
[The vengeful spirit of Du-eok-shini shatters the flames of resentment!]
Lee-hyun pierced through the flames himself.
“……!?”
“So this is all you’ve got?”
He emerged amidst a scorching wind of heat and fire, baring his cold fangs. Even the two Mountain Tigers cornering Park were stunned by the sheer intensity of the heat.
“If there’s nothing stronger…”
[The narrative of <Sahoon> scoffs, claiming this level of flame is nothing to the Devil King.]
“Then you die.”
Having already fought Sahoon and won, this level of flame was nothing to Lee-hyun.
Kwarrrr!!
His axe, charged with lightning, fell vertically, threatening to tear Park apart with its blue-white flash. Park’s face paled; whether from fear or the lightning’s reflection, it was hard to tell.
“You damned bastard!!”
Park bit his teeth and thrust his spear upward with all his strength. Flames from the cracks intensified on the blade.
Kwak-kwang!
Gik-gi-gik-
The axe and spear clashed. Park staggered under the shockwave, while Lee-hyun’s axe struck in repeated blows. Sparks and thunderous sounds followed with each hit, lightning streaking across the air.
Flash! Flash!!
Kurururung-
[“Rampage Strike (S)” continuously bombards!]
[Stack rapidly accumulating.]
Park swayed like a willow in the wind.
‘What… is happening!? No overflowing magic, yet the bombardment won’t stop…!’
Thunder shook his body from within, while lightning slashed at his skin, leaving burns and gashes.
Lee-hyun wasn’t unharmed either. He bled from the spear strikes but seemed unaffected by the injuries. Even when his thighs were pierced, he burned the wounds with lightning and pressed on. Madness drove him, focusing solely on the fight.
Cha-cha-cha-chachang!
Kwak-kwak-kwang!
Puh-puh-puh-puk!!
Amid the smoke, steel orbs whirled relentlessly, piercing Park’s body multiple times.
‘Damn… how… how is this possible…’
“Team Leader Park!”
Cheon risked himself, extending the whip between the two Mountain Tigers, but couldn’t stop Lee-hyun.
Wood-deudeuk!
Lee-hyun instead pulled the whip toward himself, forcing Cheon into a terrifying struggle. His strength wasn’t enough to withstand Lee-hyun’s fully powered battle technique.
[Two Mountain Tigers greedily target Jeonseung, “The Big Python of the Shaman’s House”!]
The tigers leapt at Cheon’s lower body.
“Aaah! Aaahhh!!”
Cheon’s screams ended abruptly as a Mountain Tiger’s claws smashed his skull. The flamboyant E-Team leader of White Burn, Cheon Do-dam, met a pitiful end.
Thud-thud!
Watching this from afar, Park’s face turned even paler.
‘Do I really have to die like this?’
Squeak!
Fwoooosh!
“Ahh! My arm! My aaaarm!”
The axe sliced through his left arm. Blood sprayed, then quickly evaporated in the extreme heat. Fear overtook Park.
The blue-white lightning-wrapped fire demon pressed like a relentless reaper.
‘We haven’t even spent all our money… just got married, had a kid… why must I die now?! What did I do to deserve this…!!’
If not for the weaknesses exposed by Executive Jeong, none of this would have happened.
But those weaknesses arose from interactions with Jeong and the Central Hero Committee. Small mistakes due to ignorance of the Committee’s schemes in Korea. Yet the furious fire demon showed no mercy.
Cheng-kang!!
Park’s spear split under Lee-hyun’s axe strike. Lee-hyun’s second dash pressed even closer, cloaked in the flames of the Eight-Footed Ghost.
The fire was now overwhelmingly hot, no longer just the flames of a fire ghost. The axe gleamed close enough to reveal fangs.
“Ah… no…!”
Flash!!
The axe slashed diagonally in a blue-white streak.
[“Rampage Strike (S)” stacks. Lightning storms pour down!]
The axe cut through his legs effortlessly, burns suppressing bleeding. Successive strikes smashed Park’s armor and struck his skull.
Phooouu!!
Half-shattered and half-torn, his head flew upward, hitting the ceiling, and fell limply to the ground.
Park’s face remained frozen in terror.
“Huff… huff…”
Lee-hyun exhaled heavily.
[Fatigue: 71]
[Rest recommended.]
Sweat and the smell of burnt flesh clung to his lips. Though the battle lasted only minutes, his fatigue rivaled weeks of dungeon raids.
‘Pushing my output in the final phase raised fatigue significantly. Not easy.’
Still, he felt invigorated. This first major battle as a ranker reignited the senses of his Zett era—a new awakening.
[Bingok Heart (SS) activates to rapidly dissipate overload.]
[Yeowibong’s divine power aids stamina and mana recovery.]
Now, even brief rest restored energy.
“Are you okay, Team Leader Jang?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy. Let’s continue.”
“But…”
“Really, I’m fine.”
Im Wonyoung gave a small laugh seeing Lee-hyun’s eyes calm in contrast to battle.
“Better rest a bit more. Ride this one’s back.”
He patted the nearby Mountain Tiger.
“Then I’ll accept your help.”
Pah-aaat-
The two rode the Mountain Tigers to the next point.
Deeper inside, the Yeowibong in Lee-hyun’s right arm vibrated intensely.
Jiiiiiing! Ziiing!!
A stronger reaction than the Hwa-an Geum-jeong. The staff sought its long-lost partner, Gingoah.
‘Not much farther.’
At the final chamber of the underground lab, Hwa-an Geum-jeong and Yeowibong glowed.
Fwaaak!
[“Holy Relic: Hwa-an Geum-jeong” discovers Gingoah and resonates strongly!]
[Yeowibong’s divine power reacts, magnetically drawn to Gingoah.]
Lee-hyun, however, had no time to react.
“……!?”
“What is this stench…?”
A suffocating odor mixed with poison, intense enough to stun the senses. Even the five Mountain Tigers growled in disgust.
Lee-hyun and Im Wonyoung pushed the doors open, discovering dozens of corpses piled into a mound, with a man sitting atop them: Executive Jeong Geon-han.
Like Sun Wukong from myth, he wore a circular headpiece… but his eyes rolled back, lifeless.
