BRDM 79

chapter 79

After Executive Director Jung’s defeat.

The follow-up deployment team belatedly entered the battlefield.

They were shocked at the destructive traces left everywhere, but even more shaken by the fact that just two people—Lee Hyun and Im Wonyoung—had faced off against Executive Director Jung.

“So now White Burn’s future…”
“It’ll revolve around those two.”
“And the new Z Team Leader was Jet all along? No wonder Deputy Director Im treasured him so much.”
“To think the central figure of the Gangneung incident ended up in our guild.”

The way they looked at Lee Hyun had completely changed.

But there wasn’t any immediate change in treatment that Lee Hyun himself could feel.

The urgent priority was dealing with B Team and E Team, whose betrayal had just been exposed.

Not to mention, the battlefield itself needed to be cleaned up.

So while everything busily moved along for the aftermath—

Pop!

After everyone had left, a small turtle lifted its head.

「Kak-kak. It’s been ages since I’ve moved around apart from my apostle.」

Thanks to Lee Hyun’s recovery of much divine power through the Gingoa, Saohjeong could now act freely on his own to some degree.

He was carrying an egg in his arms—

The ancient fossilized egg that Lee Hyun had taken briefly from Igunsan’s bunker.

「I was told to leave this here, wasn’t I?」

Because Lee Hyun couldn’t return to the site himself, he had entrusted this task to Saohjeong.

Saohjeong gladly accepted—he too was eager to see what creature might hatch from it.

Thud!

He carefully set the egg upright.

「Kak-kak. What are you doing? The thing you love most is right here.」

The moment he tapped the surface lightly with his finger—

Wooooom!

The egg suddenly twitched, then shot into the air.

It began spinning midair—

Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!

And then Saohjeong clearly saw it.

Dark, lingering thoughts and resentful energies from all around were being sucked toward the egg.

Screeeech!
Ki-ki-kiii!

「Aagh! Aaaagh!」
「I meant to linger here longer, but what is thisss?!」

The vengeful spirits of the Sulfur Corps who hadn’t yet been exorcised, and even the malice left behind from the Great Wind Emperor’s descent—

The egg devoured it all, greedily, like savoring a fine delicacy.

Its surface markings grew more distinct, its size swelled larger and larger.

Meanwhile, the eerie atmosphere that had shrouded the field dissipated rapidly.

And when the absorption was complete—

Plop.

The egg fell to the ground again, weakly.

「Whoops! Can’t let it crack.」

Saohjeong quickly darted forward to catch it.

Coo…

Strangely enough, the once-ferocious thing had gone calm, as if it had fallen asleep inside.

「Dragons are known to be the laziest of creatures, kak-kak. Even without a soul or self, its instincts remain strong.」

He chuckled while tapping the egg, now about one and a half times bigger than before.

It reminded him of the White Jade Dragon horse he had once traveled with on the journey west, and somehow he felt a fondness toward this egg.

「Kak-kak. Well, no more evil spirits will arise here now, so my work’s done. Time to return.」

He collected the two orbs lying beside the egg, tapped it gently—

Clack!
Whoosh!

—then vanished with a curse-breaking incantation.

Lee Hyun and Im Wonyoung returned to the mansion upon receiving Mo Jung-gyeon’s summons.

“…So he really left like that in the end. Foolish man.”

Her voice carried a faint bitterness when she first saw them.

But soon Mo Jung-gyeon recovered her expression, put her pipe between her lips, and even smiled.

“You both look worn out.”

“Well, if you get a sudden call from your boss right when you’re about to head home happy after finishing work, you’d look like this too.”

Im Wonyoung pouted as she replied.

“Ho? So now you’re taking care of him like that already?”

“He’s part of my guild now, isn’t he?”

“This old granny hasn’t stepped down yet, mind you.”

“You said you’d hand it over to me once we drove out Executive Jung.”

“And that’s the same thing?”

“There’s no difference.”

“Ha?”

Mo Jung-gyeon looked exasperated, while her granddaughter simply acted as if nothing was wrong.

She shook her head.

“No matter how hard I raised you, you turned out useless…”

“I raised myself, didn’t I?”

Mo Jung-gyeon considered smacking her granddaughter’s head with her pipe, but instead just let out a laugh.

Her attitude had clearly changed since before confronting Executive Jung.

It was as if she had finally shed the burdens of her past.

“So she’s finally letting go of everything… that must be it.”

She was pleased to see her granddaughter more relaxed now. If she could hold onto this composure, she could lead White Burn well.

The girl who had always distanced herself because of her parents’ deaths…

Now, after Executive Jung’s demise, a part of her locked heart seemed to have opened.

“So she’s beginning to understand why I had no choice back then.”

And—

“Which is why she can now stand calmly beside a blade as sharp as this one.”

Mo Jung-gyeon’s gaze slid to Lee Hyun.

He had dismissed the guise of Jet, but she could still recognize the remnants of the Day Goblin in him.

“They say you fought like a madman?”

“I don’t know if it was that much.”

“The more I see, the stranger you are. So calm and rational here, but on the battlefield a different beast… What kind of man did Gunsan raise?”

She shook her head.

『Thank you.』

Her voice echoed in Lee Hyun’s ear alone.

It was warm—so unlike the always-dignified tone she showed.

『That’s why I called you here. To say those words.』

Lee Hyun chuckled.

「Contrary to appearances, you’re not very honest, are you?」

‘Seems she’s too embarrassed to say that in front of her granddaughter.’

For the first time, Mo Jung-gyeon felt closer, more human to him.

Even praised as saint or god, she still couldn’t hide her affection for her own blood.

Perhaps that was why—

『So as thanks, a gift for you—』

“Team Leader Im.”

Lee Hyun mischievously cut her off.

“Yes?”

『…I wasn’t finished! Why are you calling her all of a sudden—』

“The Guild Master says she’s deeply grateful you supported her.”

『…!?』

Mo Jung-gyeon’s face froze in shock.

Meanwhile, Im Wonyoung blinked, then grinned slyly as she caught on.

“Really? Ah, so that’s why she called us here. Because she’s so grateful to you, Team Leader Jang.”

“…Ahem! I don’t know what you’re talking about. I merely meant to commend your hard work—”

She coughed hastily, trying to regain composure.

But Lee Hyun pressed on.

“She said she’s so grateful she wants to give me a gift, and insisted I accept even though I said no. It shows how much she worries for you. Maybe you should give her a hug?”

Im Wonyoung’s smile widened.

“Oh my, I should. Grandma, it’s been what, over ten years? Let me hug you.”

She strode toward her, and Mo Jung-gyeon’s face flushed bright red.

“You brat!!”

「So she can react like this too, huh?」

‘Indeed. I didn’t know either.’

Both Sun Wukong and Lee Hyun found the mountain god’s flustered reaction amusing.

Im Wonyoung too.

“Come on, Grandma.”
“Stay away!”
“Why keep running? Just let me hug you.”
“Begone!!”

The sight of the embarrassed elder fleeing from her granddaughter’s chase was rare indeed.

“…Were you always like this?”

At that moment, Division Chief Geum Jigang approached Lee Hyun, looking bewildered.

They had briefly met when he first joined.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“So you’ve got a sly side too. I worried you’d be too stiff like a soldier, but this way you’ll lead the team well. Not that Jet needs worry.”

He had served Mo Jung-gyeon for decades, but today was the first time seeing her so human. For that, he felt grateful to Lee Hyun.

Unlike Executive Jung, he wanted her to remain human.

“This was meant to be given directly by the Guild Master. Open it later at home.”

Lee Hyun accepted the small wooden box. A pleasant fragrance wafted from it.

「An elixir. Perfect for you, brat.」

‘Yes. With mana, the more the better.’

Especially since his skills like Breath of the Duokshini consumed enormous mana, it was all the more welcome.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

Then Geum Jigang asked, “By the way, what of the Dragon God’s soldier? Did you already kill him—”

“No, he’s still alive.”

Geum Jigang’s eyes lit up.

“Then can you hand him over? We’d like to extract information.”

“Sorry.”

“We’ll pay handsomely for him.”

“It’s not that. He’s simply no longer in my hands.”

“…Where then?”

Lee Hyun smiled faintly.

“I sent him somewhere… very interesting.”

The unmanned taxi carrying Lee Hyun drove north past Gangnam, toward Uijeongbu.

He needed to check what had happened at Ulleung Island.

‘I got over a week of reward leave… Now the only thing left is to wipe out the Committee’s schemes.’

Ping.

Seo Chang-woo’s awakened special forces, created by imitating Cheongroe, were still hidden across Korea.

They might be plotting elsewhere too—he had to eliminate them all.

‘And to achieve that—’

Lee Hyun opened the wooden box Geum Jigang had given him.

Click.

Inside were two thumb-sized pellets, exuding a refreshing mint scent.

[Hundred-Day Fragrance Pill (Baekilhyangdan)]

A sacred pill distilled from mugwort and garlic harvested at sunrise every day for 100 days, along with ginseng, gujeolcho, and Bongrae leaves.

It was crafted during ancient sky-worship rites to absorb heavenly yang energy. Upon consumption, it floods the body with vitality and mana. Some say it can even turn beasts into humans.

• Type: Elixir, Spirit Pill.

• Origin: Goguryeo’s “Dongmaeng” Ritual.

「Kak-kak. That’s a spirit pill brimming with pure yang. Exactly what my apostle needs.」

Saohjeong grinned at the fragrance, then produced two orbs.

「And here are the Great Return Pill and Minor Summoning Pill you asked for. Kak-kak-kak. How did you know they’d appear?」

Lee Hyun’s eyes sparkled as he accepted them.

“I figured Executive Jung couldn’t absorb the elixir properly due to his pact with the Great Wind Emperor. He may have consumed it, but with his body dead afterward, it wouldn’t have been absorbed. The excess energy, plus the pact, and the Gingoa… it all ended up elsewhere.”

「Kak-kak. True enough. Elixirs are meant to nourish living bodies.」

The orbs gleamed like glass as he smiled.

“So once the dragon egg absorbed all the malice, I thought the two pills’ energy might remain. Luckily, I was right. A scumbag like Executive Jung didn’t deserve such treasures.”

「Kak-kak-kak. Agreed.」

Wukong burst into laughter.

But then his eyes turned serious.

「Taking so many elixirs at once is dangerous… You plan to use the Gingoa, don’t you?」

Lee Hyun nodded.

“This won’t make me a High Ranker immediately, but I should fully regain my past strength. And if I can wield the Gingoa as well—”

「Then you can use the Ruyi Staff and Fiery Eyes in earnest, hm?」

“Yes. War with them begins now.”

His gaze deepened.

“And the trial to truly become the Great Sage’s apostle begins.”

「……」

Saohjeong swallowed nervously.

Becoming Wukong’s true apostle meant defying interference from other gods, even from Cheon-kyo.

Wukong’s lips twisted into a wry smile.

「A harsh path you choose. Ambitious brat. Do as you will.」

Whether it was encouragement or a taunt, Lee Hyun simply smiled back.

That was always Wukong’s way.

“Then let’s not waste time. I’ll begin now.”

He placed the Baekilhyangdan and both orbs into his mouth.

A sharp fragrance burst out—

Whoooosh!

“Kh…!”

His mana circuits instantly swelled.

[You have consumed the Baekilhyangdan.]
[You have consumed the Great Return Pill and Minor Summoning Pill.]
[Warning! Mana overload from excessive elixirs. Circuits expanding rapidly. Take care to avoid core damage.]
[Warning! Mana runaway in progress. Circuits overheating. Trait: ‘Frozen Man’ cannot keep up—]

…

Scarlet warnings filled his vision.

Agonizing pain followed, so intense it felt like his body would explode.

But Lee Hyun clenched his teeth and pulled out the Gingoa, placing it on his head.

[Sacred Relic: Gingoa activates!]

Click!

The sound of it locking onto his head—

Wiiiiing!

The Gingoa spun like a halo.

White-hot radiance filled the room.