Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 102

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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 102

Tower of Five Elements (2)

 

 

 

[You have completed part of the achievement conditions.]

[Achievement Conditions]

1. Master the Five Senses (1/5)

2. Perform Floor Missions (1/5)

3. Gain the Guardian’s Recognition (1/5)

 

[You have entered the 2nd floor.]

 

Lee Hyeon left the building where the Bright Stone Monkey had been and stepped outside.

All his other senses except touch were still sealed, making things uncomfortable,

but perhaps because of that, his heightened sense felt a wind that was both gentle and eerie.

And even the feeling of his feet sinking deep into the ground.

‘A forest. It’s a forest.’

One densely packed with trees at that.

But it felt somewhat different from the forests in typical dungeons.

‘Much more sinister. It doesn’t seem to be just because it’s night or dawn… there’s even spiritual negative energy here.’

Indeed, something was being gradually detected by his Lightning Vision.

Behind trees, above trees, or mixed in the air.

A considerable number of creatures were watching him.

‘I’d need to awaken other senses to know more precisely. Should I try it once?’

Originally, he wanted to choose sight, which would be most useful,

‘No. I’ll postpone sight until the very end if possible. Even if it’s difficult, training other senses first should help with sight too.’

Sight occupies the absolute majority in information recognition. In fact, over 80% of external stimuli processed by the brain was visual information.

Because of this, awakening sight first would likely leave no opportunity to train other senses, or the effect would be minimal.

So Lee Hyeon chose hearing, which would be immediately useful among the remaining senses.

Fortunately, opening his senses wasn’t difficult.

The moment he focused his will toward his ears,

 

[The Golden Headband focuses thought and consciousness on hearing. Will stimulates hearing.]

[Hearing among the sealed senses awakens. You have achieved part of the first achievement condition. (2/5)]

 

[From now on, you can hear and understand various sounds.]

 

The feeling of part of a world where both sight and sound had been closed gradually opening was quite novel.

The feeling of ‘me’ as an existence breaking free from something suffocating.

‘Just like with touch, the dimension of sensation is different. I can even hear the sound of insects jumping in grass much farther away.’

So this was the world that demons heard. As expected, he could learn something new.

And…

Kiiiiaaaa!

Kikikik-

He could also hear ghostly wails mixed in the gentle breeze.

「Kikikik.」

「It’s a human, a human.」

「Why did a human come here?」

「Did he come to die?」

Strangely, he could hear the creatures’ ‘conversation’ mixed in the ghostly wails.

It was surely nothing more than idle chatter among themselves,

and though only crying sounds like “woo- woo-” could be heard, he could understand the meaning.

‘Can I hear demon voices because I’ve awakened demon senses?’

A completely unexpected windfall.

Lee Hyeon pretended not to hear and continued walking forward while focusing on their conversation.

They seemed to be Specter-type creatures living in the forest, occasionally luring or devouring lost travelers.

「What about the guardian? What does the guardian say?」

「Humans who aren’t demons cannot be recognized as new apostles?」

「Then we just leave him be?」

‘What?’

Lee Hyeon frowned.

A different reaction from the Bright Stone Monkey.

What should he do if the guardian doesn’t reveal itself?

「Then can we eat him?」

「Hehe. He seems to have a lot of trauma too.」

「He looks like he has a lot of Magic Power. Let’s eat him.」

「Let’s eat him. Let’s eat him.」

As the Specters’ murmuring increased, the sinister ghostly wails surrounding the forest gradually grew louder.

At that moment,

“Huh… Are you crying…? Anyway… for a guy… to be crying like this…”

An echoing voice that resonated thunderously through the forest.

“…!?”

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened.

Four years ago.

The image of his brother dying in his arms came to mind.

「Kikik! You saw that? You saw that!」

「He’s surprised, he’s surprised.」

「Stupid humans, really.」

But to the Specters, it was nothing more than entertainment.

“Why the hell are you doing this!”

“Well… my stupid little brother… looks like he’s about to die… so his big brother has to save him… if not… who else will…?”

The Specters were reading Lee Hyeon’s memories, dragging out the trauma from four years ago.

“So I told you, didn’t I…? Don’t trust people too much… That guy isn’t the one…”

“Take my eyes.”

“But… I thought our little brother was handsome… but seeing him up close like this, he’s kind of ugly…”

That wasn’t all.

“Senior, get away!”

“Leave this to us and…”

“Why are you doing this? You don’t know why you’re asking? I’m just taking what was originally mine to take.”

The voices of old comrades who died for him and even the sneers Seo Chang-woo threw when he betrayed him.

And,

“There’s no reason. I’m sorry.”

…Even the voice of an old lover he no longer wanted to remember.

 

[The Specter’s curse continues.]

[It stimulates trauma to induce hallucinations and auditory hallucinations in you.]

[Be careful of nervous breakdown.]

 

It seemed the mission on the second floor was overcoming trauma.

‘And yet it won’t show itself, will it?’

Lee Hyeon felt a surge of irritation.

The fact that moments he could never forget had become mere entertainment for someone else.

「Your steps have stopped. Your steps have stopped.」

「Not saying anything?」

「Looks like he’s being consumed by trauma. Kekekeke.」

「Can we devour him now? We can, right? Right? Right?」

When the Specters saw no reaction from Lee Hyeon, they appeared one by one, giggling with glee.

Figures draped in white sheets, gripping long scythes.

They intended to slice up Lee Hyeon’s massive soul with their scythes and devour it.

However,

 

[Curse Immunity (SS) activates, nullifying all of the Specter’s curses!]

 

「……Huh?」

「The curse suddenly disappeared?」

The triumphant Specters hesitated for a moment,

And Lee Hyeon silently drew the Flame Magic Sword from his inventory and plunged it into the ground.

Thunk!

“You won’t show yourself to the very end, will you?”

Now Lee Hyeon could speak aloud again. Anger flowed from the corners of his mouth.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Flame Magic Sword’ ignites hellfire!]

 

Whoosh!!

In an instant, crimson flames erupted from the Flame Magic Sword.

The firepower was on a completely different level from when it was simply Death’s main weapon.

Lee Hyeon intended to burn this entire forest to the ground.

 

[The flames grow uncontrollably!]

[You have gained recognition from the Flame Magic Sword. Your proficiency has greatly increased, allowing you to use various forms of fire lightning.]

 

「This, this crazy bastard!」

「The forest is burning! The forest is burning!」

「We need to put that out quickly…… Kyaaak! It’s hot! I feel like I’m going to achieve nirvana!!」

The Specters panicked and either rushed at the flames or swung their scythes at Lee Hyeon.

But the flames of the Demon King were on a completely different level from ordinary fire.

They burned not only matter but also spiritual things. Unless they borrowed the power of an Underworld lord, mere Specters couldn’t do anything about it.

Moreover, these flames had the flame attribute.

The more there was to burn, the more fiercely they would blaze, eventually devouring the world.

That was precisely the characteristic of the flame attribute, which was completely different from the lightning attribute despite both being yang-type.

The lightning attribute was fast and destructive, but its duration was only momentary.

But the flame attribute was different.

While it might take time for the fire to catch and build up power, once it gained momentum, it rarely went out.

Theoretically, with enough fuel, it could continue forever.

And,

‘There’s plenty here that can be burned.’

No matter how much the gatekeeper was neglecting their duties, they couldn’t just stand by while their home turned to ash.

There were occasional Specters targeting Lee Hyeon,

Crackle!

Flash! Flash!!

But each time, fire lightning that Lee Hyeon drew from the Flame Magic Sword would strike.

The creatures couldn’t do anything and were split in half, disappearing one after another.

He especially thoroughly crushed those who had mimicked the voices of his brother and comrades.

「No, no! At this rate!」

「The gatekeeper! We need to call the gatekeeper!!」

As the Specters fled in panic,

Whoooosh-

Lee Hyeon began walking, trailing long tails of fire behind him.

In the direction the Specters had flown.

Toward the point where the gatekeeper was expected to be.

 

* * *

 

“I’m really sorry, Manager Kim. Given the nature of the situation.”

“It’s fine, Deputy Director. These things happen.”

“For such an answer, you look quite dissatisfied?”

Im Won-young let out a wry smile as he looked at Kim Min-jeong, who had a slightly sulky expression.

She was originally his secretary and partner, but now she had become Z Team’s ace, and he found his junior quite adorable.

But apart from such feelings, he genuinely felt sorry.

Originally, Kim Min-jeong had been granted special extended leave as a reward for the last mission.

For an office worker, those would have been incredibly sweet days,

But he had interrupted that and summoned her back to the company.

However, Im Won-young really had no choice.

“How is Team Leader Jang doing?”

“You contacted the team leader too?”

“Did he go on vacation?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been in contact with him for quite a while either.”

Kim Min-jeong answered in a listless tone.

“He’s probably holed up somewhere training.”

“Training……?”

But that fact was quite surprising to Im Won-young.

Kim Min-jeong nodded.

“He did that during his Blue Thunder days too. When others would go to their hometowns or enjoy vacations in Jeju Island after missions, he’d hole up in the training grounds alone, training day and night.”

“……”

“He said it was good because he could concentrate without any interruptions? Because of that, we felt awkward going on vacation for no reason…… Anyway, he’s not the same species as us.”

Im Won-young couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

While others called him a terrible workaholic, Lee Hyeon was terrible in a different sense.

‘But that’s how he reclaimed his position. That’s also Team Leader Jang’s charm.’

Im Won-young smiled faintly as he thought of Lee Hyeon, who was now like a benefactor to him.

“Can’t be helped. Then I’ll have to ask our Manager Kim for even more help?”

“……What exactly are you asking me to do that you’re scaring me like this? Do I have to go on another mission?”

“It’s not a mission…… but it might be more troublesome than a mission.”

Kim Min-jeong received the documents Im Won-young handed her, then soon narrowed her eyes.

“Is ASTRA coming to Korea?”

“No. They’re already here.”

It was an official document.

A formal cooperation request from the United States’ ASTRA, the world’s most famous awakener unit.

The content stated that several unit members would soon be dispatched to Korea on official missions, and they hoped White Burn could provide support.

But Im Won-young’s response was even more remarkable.

They were already in Korea carrying out missions…

“This seems like something that should have gone to the Ministry of Defense was mistakenly delivered to us.”

“I thought so too, but as you can see, it’s accurately addressed to headquarters’ Dungeon Strategy Department, specifically to Z Team.”

“Our team has become quite global without us even knowing, hasn’t it?”

Kim Min-jeong was now at a loss for words.

But Im Won-young nodded with a serious attitude.

“It has become global. After all, the team leader is none other than Jet.”

“……”

“On top of that, once the Ulleungdo incident became known, it caused even more of an uproar.”

Kim Min-jeong could only click her tongue and nod.

The Ulleungdo operation was a secret mission, so it wasn’t publicly announced.

But since the matter was so significant, it had become known to most countries’ intelligence networks.

Even if they didn’t know the exact scale, they knew the operation was carried out by the former Blue Thunder with Jet as the commander.

Especially the United States, which has US forces stationed in Korea and is even an ally, couldn’t possibly be unaware.

It was only natural that ASTRA would move, saying they wanted to see Lee Hyeon.

‘…They said that not only the committee but also ASTRA had a hand in forcing Blue Thunder’s dissolution.’

Kim Min-jeong felt like she could see ASTRA’s true intentions.

The return of a legend they thought was finished. When they received the report, what would have been their first thought?

“Headquarters has been continuously at war with the committee lately, right? They probably can’t just stand by and watch anymore, so they’re stepping in while they’re at it.”

“Those who have been waiting for headquarters’ power to be weakened are now rushing to get their piece of the pie?”

The reason the United States and ASTRA didn’t intervene while Korea and White Burn were fighting with the committee.

It was to weaken Mountain God Mo Jeong-gyeon’s power as much as possible.

No matter how great White Burn’s military strength was, they thought it couldn’t match the Central Hero Committee backed by the great nation of China.

But all their calculations were completely overturned.

Far from being pushed back, White Burn had actually seized the advantage on all domestic and international battlefields.

It was a situation where talk emerged that the committee’s forces might face complete annihilation at this rate.

The problem was that White Burn was continuing to escalate the pressure.

Thanks to this, White Burn’s reputation was now reaching the sky.

And in the midst of all this, Jet was added to White Burn too?

It would be like a bolt from the blue.

The United States couldn’t just sit back and watch White Burn’s position grow uncontrollably large.

So they hastily sent ASTRA, but…

‘If they knew that Jet, whom they’re so wary of, is even planning to directly strike the Chinese mainland, what kind of expression would they make?’

One corner of Kim Min-jeong’s mouth kept twitching.

Im Won-young said.

“At this rate, headquarters will really grow uncontrollably large. Their insides must be burning.”

“They wouldn’t want to see their influence on the Korean Peninsula diminish either.”

Im Won-young nodded.

“Right. That’s why they’ve expressed their intention to mediate with the committee publicly, but they won’t spare military support if necessary.”

“Suppress White Burn’s position and lock China back on the mainland… killing two birds with one stone.”

“Yeah. So I’d like Manager Kim to escort them in place of Team Leader Jang.”

“Understood. If that’s the case, I should naturally do it.”

Kim Min-jeong readily agreed.

She also agreed with Im Won-young’s thinking that it would be best to hide Lee Hyeon from the outside as much as possible.

“Thank you. Really. Thanks to you, I can breathe a sigh of relief.”

Im Won-young let out a sigh filled with relief.

With the brilliant Kim Min-jeong, she would handle those people well in Lee Hyeon’s place.

Then he belatedly remembered another matter.

“Oh, and all the personnel measures have been completed this time? Z Team’s vacancies will be filled soon…”

“Ah, could you hold off on that part for a moment? We don’t know how many people might apply soon.”

Im Won-young tilted his head, then chuckled at Kim Min-jeong’s smile.

“If that’s the case. If you think they’re needed talent, bring as many as you want. I’ll actively support you.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Im Won-young was already curious about what it would look like when the soon-to-be-completed Z Team met ASTRA.

He was already looking forward to it.

—————
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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