Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

 

Chapter 10

Temporary Apostle (5)

 

 

 

Lee Hyeon continued his forced march once again.

While reviewing what he had learned from Son Wukong, he wanted to finish the dungeon exploration as quickly as possible.

‘If I delay too long, I don’t know what kind of nagging I’ll hear from Jin-woo hyung again.’

Nothing was as frightening as a doctor’s nagging.

 

[You have crossed more than half of the desert. Entering a new area.]

[Clear Rate: 62%]

 

Crack! Crackle crackle crack!

Blue-white lightning flashed incessantly.

The output of Lightning Energy that had risen to C-rank was incomparable to the beginning. Now it was possible to strike targets at long distances.

‘After pouring it out,’

Thanks to this, blue-white flashes flickered in the sky several times.

 

[You have defeated a Fire-tailed Bat.]

[You have defeated a Burning Bird.]

…

 

‘Absorb it back.’

He attempted to control and recover the Lightning Energy that had spread in all directions.

In the past, he would have just ended with emission and tried to generate new Lightning Energy.

But after learning the concept of Condensed Lightning, this felt too inefficient.

Thanks to this, some of the emitted Lightning Energy returned this way, making the light intensity greater,

‘And pour it out again.’

Boom boom bang!

It was swept up in the lightning that poured out again, boasting even greater power.

 

[You have defeated a large number of Yellow Wolf Pack.]

[You discovered and devastated a hidden Giant Poison Scorpion nest.]

[Strength increased by 1.]

…

[Mana Control level has improved. You gradually understand the concept of Condensed Lightning.]

[Intelligence increased by 1.]

 

Applying the concept of Condensed Lightning to Lightning Energy was satisfying because the power was definite and it used less mana than before,

but there were quite a few points that needed attention.

‘Maybe because it’s energy that was once released externally, it’s too difficult to recover again.’

To properly activate Diovis, the prerequisite condition of being able to freely control Lightning Energy was necessary.

But mana that had once gone outside had essentially left his hands, so the recovery rate was abysmal.

‘I need another method. Even if it’s a workaround, a way to freely handle Lightning Energy.’

Lee Hyeon glanced at Son Wukong for a moment, but he just smiled innocently and cheerfully.

「Why? Got something you want to ask? Feel free to ask anything.」

“No, nothing.”

Lee Hyeon calmly shook his head.

This wasn’t a solution that Son Wukong could create for him. It was an answer he had to prepare himself.

Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘What if I expand the limits of Breath of Dueoksini as much as possible and deploy Diovis with Breath of Dueoksini?’

Crackle crackle crack!!

 

[The proficiency of Breath of Dueoksini (C) has increased.]

…

 

How much time had passed like that?

 

[You have crossed most of the desert. Entering the final area.]

[Clear Rate: 81%]

 

When he entered the new area,

at some point, the nature of the wind blowing in the desert began to change.

If before it was only hot, now it felt like it was stealing his breath away.

「The wind has gotten much hotter, hasn’t it?」

“Yes. It seems to have become quite fierce. It’s continuously draining stamina too.”

Lee Hyeon narrowed his eyes as he watched his already insufficient stamina being worn down.

‘There’s some secret in the wind.’

No, it wasn’t just the wind.

There was definitely some secret in the underground water veins that had been guiding Lee Hyeon all this time.

‘Wind, desert, water veins…? I see. This is the Yellow Wind Monster’s desert.’

When he laid out the keywords in order, there was a place that clearly came to mind from Journey to the West.

No, there was an enemy of Son Wukong.

Ding!

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ compiles all clues to reveal the hidden form of the !]

[The gateway to ‘Yellow Wind Ridge Where the Samadhi Divine Wind Blows’ located at the end of the desert has opened.]

[You have interpreted the myth of ■■■■. You gain some karma.]

[Your status has risen.]

 

‘As expected.’

Lee Hyeon’s eyes lit up.

This place wasn’t just a simple desert.

The range was so wide, and it was sand that made feet sink deep, so he couldn’t have guessed.

In reality, it was a canyon region boasting considerable slopes. In other words, it was a mountain.

‘So the Samadhi Divine Wind is blowing?’

But rather than the dungeon’s identity, Lee Hyeon’s gaze was fixed on one particular part of the message.

「What? No wonder the wind was blowing like shit. This was the path to Yellow Wind Ridge?」

Son Wukong openly showed his distaste.

「Hey, the owner of this place is quite cunning, you know? He’s probably already figured out that you’ve come and prepared countermeasures, so be careful.」

“I should prepare countermeasures too.”

「Will preparing help? With your current skills, you wouldn’t even match that guy’s toenail, would you?」

Son Wukong grinned.

as if dying to see what kind of reaction he would show.

However,

“If it were the ‘real’ owner of Yellow Wind Ridge, that would be the case. But what’s over there at the end isn’t even real, is it?”

「…Ah shit, how boring.」

“If it were that dangerous, I would have been struggling to death from the moment I entered the dungeon.”

It seemed like the difficulty standard for instance dungeons selected by the Golden Eyes of Truth was ‘Lee Hyeon’s current ability level.’

If that weren’t the case, he would die immediately without any chance for arrangements.

「Still, it would be better not to ignore it. Samadhi Divine Wind isn’t such an easy technique to deal with.」

Lee Hyeon quietly nodded his head.

Just because it was at a level he could handle didn’t mean it would be easy.

Moreover, the fact that Son Wukong specifically pointed it out meant it was truly dangerous.

It was right when Lee Hyeon was about to say something.

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ alerts you to danger!]

 

Flash!

Suddenly Lee Hyeon’s eyes flashed coldly and he disappeared from his spot.

And then,

Bang!

Lee Hyeon appeared at a location not far away, pinning something down to the ground.

“Wa, wait a moment! Stop! Stooop!”

He was about to swing his axe to strike the neck of whoever was spying on him, when suddenly urgent Korean words were heard.

Lee Hyeon’s hand movement hesitated.

“Pl, please spare me! I, I absolutely wasn’t tr, trying to spy or la, launch a surprise attack!”

A woman with delicate features visible under a deeply pressed helmet.

Human.

And she was a Hunter too.

 

* * *

 

“Um, I understand that I’m being cautious but… couldn’t you untie this?”

The woman who identified herself as ‘Kim Se-jeong’ looked at the binding rope wrapped tightly around her wrists and smiled awkwardly.

However,

Swoosh!

Instead of answering, Lee Hyeon lifted his axe to show her.

“…No, no. I was being short-sighted. Pl, please do as you’re comfortable.”

Kim Se-jeong slightly lowered her gaze.

Lee Hyeon’s expressionless face looked very cold. It was the result of training during his Blue Thunder days to not let his expressions be read when dealing with hostage-takers.

“In, instead, could I have some water… ju, just one sip…”

Thud.

“Th, thank you!”

Kim Se-jeong opened the cap of the plastic bottle Lee Hyeon threw and urgently gulped down the water.

Her dehydration symptoms must have been severe as she even choked, but she didn’t spit out the water until the end.

‘Great Sage.’

Lee Hyeon called out to Son Wukong while watching Kim Se-jeong’s behavior.

「What?」

‘Wasn’t this an instance dungeon? But why is there…?’

「Someone other than you, you mean?」

‘Yes.’

「Well, I don’t know either.」

‘…?’

Lee Hyeon looked back at Son Wukong, wondering if he was playing around even in this situation.

Son Wukong shrugged his shoulders.

「It seems like she entered through a [Temporary Gate] created by some error I’m unaware of. If not that,」

For a moment, one corner of Son Wukong’s lips curled up.

「She might be one of those bastards chasing after my myth?」

‘…!’

An unexpected sharp observation.

「If you thought you could monopolize my myth, you’d better fix that thinking right now. I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who was the great king of all demons in the world, and the Victorious Fighting Buddha who ascended to the position of divine Buddha through repeated ascetic practices. How could you be the only one targeting such a myth of mine?」

‘…’

「Probably, not only the main gods who made me like this, but it wouldn’t be strange if several others noticed my condition.」

Lee Hyeon thought that Son Wukong’s golden eyes were glowing particularly like flames.

「Even if it’s difficult for them to come down to earth directly, they could easily try to find my myths by moving their apostles, right?」

Lee Hyeon had no choice but to nod.

Certainly, thinking about it, White Burn had also been trying to continue exploring the without forcibly raising its grade.

Even if they couldn’t figure out the secret about Son Wukong, they might have grasped that there was something there.

‘Then is that person also chasing after the Great Sage’s myth?’

「Who knows. She doesn’t smell like that right now, but she might be connected? Or she might have just gotten caught up in it.」

Son Wukong shrugged, but Lee Hyeon thought it was probably the former.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to enter a dungeon where the gate wasn’t even completed yet.

Moreover,

‘Her equipment is too perfect to say she just got caught up in a dungeon.’

It was proof that she had entered the dungeon with proper preparation.

However, it seemed like she had failed in her strategy.

Her armor was almost completely worn out and on the verge of being damaged, and the weapons she wore were all chipped.

‘First, I need to figure out what happened inside.’

The opponent was a skilled person with stealth abilities excellent enough to deceive even his senses.

If she hadn’t been in an exhausted state, or if Lee Hyeon hadn’t brightened the Golden Eyes of Truth to the maximum, he might not have been able to properly read her presence until the end.

If he had been ambushed, it would have been a disaster. So he needed to examine her carefully.

‘Especially that stealth skill the woman used, she hid her presence by conserving mana to the maximum. Perhaps…!’

Lee Hyeon didn’t miss that the secret of the stealth skill was a ring item worn on her left index finger.

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ is used to analyze the ring the opponent is wearing.]

…

[Analyzing.]

…

[The ring is ‘Steps of Eoduksini’, which has the effect of condensing mana to lay the body in shadows…]

…

[You have obtained a small clue about Condensation.]

 

‘As expected.’

Lee Hyeon forcibly suppressed the laughter that was about to come out without him knowing.

“You said your name was Kim Se-jeong?”

Kim Se-jeong, who was trying to consume even the remaining water from the empty plastic bottle, was startled and looked at Lee Hyeon.

“Yes…”

“May I ask what happened inside?”

Kim Se-jeong hesitated to answer for a moment and rolled her eyes around.

‘There’s a 100% chance that this woman and her companions will interfere with conquering this dungeon. I need to find out exactly what she’s after and how much she’s related to the Great Sage’s myth, then definitely kick her out.’

Lee Hyeon had no intention of sharing Son Wukong’s myth with others.

“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. You’ve quenched your thirst enough, so let’s part ways here.”

Lee Hyeon stood up from his seat without any lingering attachment.

At that, Kim Se-jeong desperately threw herself forward and grabbed Lee Hyeon’s foot.

“P-please help us! In the desert at the top of the dungeon! Our guild members are being held captive! If we leave them like this, they might die. So please…!”

In that moment, Lee Hyeon’s eyes calmly settled.

If it was the desert at the top, that would be the Boss Room.

“You know Myeongga Guild, right? We’re members there! Among those being held captive is the Guild Leader’s younger sibling! So if you just help us, you’ll be able to receive a lot of compensation!”

Kim Se-jeong mistook Lee Hyeon’s lack of response for internal conflict, and desperately tried to persuade him while showing the Guild Mark near her shoulder that was heavily weathered and barely visible.

At that moment,

‘If I use this well, not only can I get clues about Condensed Lightning, but the strategy will become much easier too.’

Having finished all his calculations, Lee Hyeon asked.

“How many people in total are being held captive in the desert?”

Lee Hyeon was a natural-born Hunter.

He was a predator.

‘If they were chasing the Great Sage’s myth, I’ll intercept it and send them away, but if they’re deceiving me or acting foolishly because of the myth,’

He knew how to hide his true intentions and seize his desired goals.

‘I’ll eliminate them right on the spot.’

The Golden Eyes of Truth gleamed for a moment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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