Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 103

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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 103

Tower of Five Elements (3)

 

 

 

The car glided smoothly over the Geumho Bridge.

“So Executive Director Ho, that bastard tormented me throughout my entire vacation, you know? Does that make sense? To treat an office worker like this…”

Kim Min-jeong’s eyes behind the steering wheel had become dead fish eyes.

‘…Ah, I want to go home.’

She had definitely been full of motivation when she received Im Won-young’s request,

but now all she wanted was to lie in bed and catch up on her streaming shows.

“Sis, are you listening to me? You’re listening, right? Huh? Huh? What should I do in situations like this?”

It was because of the man chattering away like a sparrow in the passenger seat.

Manager Eom Ki-seon.

The man who called himself Z Team’s left arm.

He’d yield the right arm position to her?

She thought she’d die from the cringe.

‘I should have thought of this guy the moment I heard ASTRA was coming…’

Even now it was the same.

He was endlessly babbling about what he’d done during his vacation period, and she wondered how such a talkative man could possibly become a zombie in the training grounds.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t this one of the reasons I broke up with this guy?’

Being a typical ISTJ, she pressed her temples while recalling the nightmares that ESFP men had given her in the past.

“Manager Eom.”

“There you go again, sis…”

“We’re currently on company business. Please refrain from personal conversations.”

“Not only was I called in during vacation, but you want to be strict about this kind of thing too? I don’t like it.”

“……”

“Okay, okay, I got it. It’s just a joke. Smile a little. Huh?”

Even when she acted so coldly, he still smiled shamelessly.

Kim Min-jeong’s worries only grew deeper.

Then she glanced sideways at Manager Eom Ki-seon.

His forearms were covered with all sorts of bruises and bandages.

He said he couldn’t rest properly throughout his vacation and was called by Executive Director Ho for sparring.

“…Is your arm okay?”

“Oh, you’re worried about me?”

“I’ll just cancel that question. I wanted to ask about the ASTRA personnel we’re meeting later…”

“No! No! It’s fine, really perfectly fine, you know?”

Manager Eom Ki-seon mimicked doing light shadow boxing.

“He kept nagging me about why I still haven’t become a Ranker. That’s why I got worked over pretty hard.”

“…Was that supposed to be so easy?”

“That’s what I’m saying! Rankers make up less than 10% of the world’s Hunter population! And he’s giving me grief for still groveling at the threshold for years!”

Kim Min-jeong could tell how much Executive Director Ho cherished Manager Eom Ki-seon.

It must be frustrating. A guy with both talent and passion still couldn’t get his bearings.

“What about you, sis? It seems like you have something going on. Are you already a Ranker by any chance…?”

“Not yet. I’m still preparing.”

Kim Min-jeong noticed she had dropped her formal speech and thought ‘oops’ belatedly, but just pretended not to notice.

“Huh? At your level, sis, it seems like you could definitely give it a try?”

Manager Eom Ki-seon quickly looked Kim Min-jeong up and down.

Excluding Lee Hyeon, she was the person showing the most explosive growth recently.

“I’m a safety-first type.”

“That’s true. You never even attempted anything unless you were completely prepared, right? Still, it seems like it’ll happen soon. Congratulations in advance.”

“……”

Kim Min-jeong felt a strange emotion.

To think he could cheer for someone else who had surpassed him while he himself had been failing for years.

Could she do the same if she were in his position?

Of course, Manager Eom Ki-seon wasn’t without jealousy. Rather, his competitive spirit made him work even harder to polish himself desperately.

But there was no inferiority complex in it.

Kim Min-jeong thought that aspect of him was cool.

‘…What am I thinking about such useless things? Get it together. Focus.’

Kim Min-jeong quickly shook her head and changed the subject.

“Anyway, tell me about this Michael Shepherd person. He used to be your superior, right?”

Michael Shepherd.

He was the leader of the ASTRA dispatch team they were scheduled to meet.

Instantly, Manager Eom Ki-seon’s expression turned ice cold.

“Don’t you know him too, sis? You said you were acquainted.”

“I know him. But I’ve only seen him briefly on the battlefield.”

She already knew the basic information.

Codename Overzero.

Born in New Jersey. Age 38. Former U.S. Special Operations Command Strategic Office, currently a veteran who had served at ASTRA for over 10 years and a High Ranker.

His patron saint was Archangel Gabriel.

He had the ability to deliver revelations and perform prophecy.

‘Prophecy… This part was the most troublesome for us too.’

In fact, when they had coincidentally encountered him a month before Blue Thunder experienced the Gangneung incident, he had left quite meaningful words.

 

-Live fast, die young.

 

‘If he’s coming to see something from us this time too.’

Kim Min-jeong’s eyes sank deeply.

Manager Eom Ki-seon irritably scratched the back of his head.

“Hmm, well. How should I put it…”

Then his lips twisted.

“Trash?”

Pfft.

Kim Min-jeong couldn’t help but laugh lightly.

It was a word chosen by this man who was terrible at explanations.

It contained a lot of meaning.

“Do you need more explanation?”

“No. That’s enough.”

Kim Min-jeong’s eyes gleamed coldly as she stepped on the accelerator.

“That’s sufficient.”

The car had already completely crossed the Geumho Bridge.

 

* * *

 

Lee Hyeon quickly conquered the Tower of Five Elements.

 

[You have received recognition from the 2nd floor’s gatekeeper, Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey.]

[You have passed the second trial.]

[The gateway to the 3rd floor opens.]

 

The Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey was a monkey demon well-versed in yin-yang and skilled at setting traps.

However, that was only possible when its territory remained intact,

and there was nothing it could do in a forest reduced to ashes.

In the end, the creature that had ignored Lee Hyeon for not being a demon was caught and thoroughly beaten.

‘I’ll pick up the pace a bit more.’

Lee Hyeon didn’t delay and passed the 3rd floor as well.

The 3rd floor’s mission was to swim across a great lake that spread wide like an ocean to reach the other side.

However, the great lake had severe swells and whirlpools everywhere, making it easy to get caught.

Moreover, the sense that was unlocked was smell, which seemed completely unrelated, but.

‘If the fishy ocean smell is the problem, then I just need to eliminate the fishy smell.’

Fortunately, Lee Hyeon had a method.

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Banner of Bitter Cold’ is activated to summon ice spirits.]

[Iceberg Guard ‘Samiin’ has been summoned.]

 

Ice crystals floated before Lee Hyeon and soon became a small fairy.

A semi-transparent form wearing a deeply pressed helmet, holding a spear in one hand in the shape of a soldier.

Though it wasn’t the imposing 2-meter tall soldier form he had seen at the Ice Palace,

this seemed convenient to use in its own way.

It wouldn’t easily catch the enemy’s eye.

Moreover,

though this was Lee Hyeon’s first time summoning a spirit, it felt strangely familiar.

Whether it was due to his ice attribute or the thickened narrative of the Snow Queen, he didn’t know.

Still, he could intuitively understand ‘what to do.’

“Freeze all the smells. And the swells too so I can cross comfortably.”

He didn’t need to worry about frostbite. He had cold immunity.

Thanks to this,

he could handle the 3rd gatekeeper, Penetrating-Arms Monkey, without much difficulty.

 

[You have received recognition from the 3rd floor’s gatekeeper, Penetrating-Arms Monkey.]

[You have passed the third trial.]

[The gateway to the 4th floor opens.]

 

“Intelligent-Bright praised you, and Red-Buttocked got angry. Truly, our king has taken a curious apostle. Haha.”

Penetrating-Arms Monkey had a generous personality.

Even after fighting fiercely, he harbored no grudges whatsoever.

His seemingly dull yet sharp gaze was charming.

Lee Hyeon liked him too.

“What’s your evaluation?”

“It was fun! Honestly, I like you as an apostle much more than our king with his pea-sized heart!”

“Is it okay to say such things?”

“Ah, shouldn’t I?”

Penetrating-Arms Monkey scratched the back of his head vigorously, then pounded his chest with his fist.

“Eh! I don’t know! It should be fine! Though our king is narrow-minded, he’s never banished us!”

“I agree about the narrow-mindedness.”

“Right? Hahahaha! You’ve become even more interesting! I hope we get another chance to meet!”

“I had fun too.”

Lee Hyeon arrived at the opposite shore with Penetrating-Arms Monkey’s farewell behind him.

After walking a bit, he could see a castle standing on a hill.

Step!

 

[You have entered the 4th floor.]

 

Lee Hyeon generated heat to evaporate all moisture, then focused on his consciousness once more.

 

[The Golden Headband focuses thought and consciousness on taste. Mental power stimulates the sense of taste.]

[Taste among the sealed senses awakens. You have partially achieved the first condition among the achievement conditions. (4/5)]

 

As he approached the castle, he could hear people’s laughter from inside, accompanied by musicians’ music.

It seemed like a banquet was taking place.

‘I think I roughly know what I need to do.’

Lee Hyeon stood before the castle’s main gate.

The soldier guarding the main gate bowed his head.

As expected, it was a Monkey Soldier.

“Have you come to attend the banquet?”

“It seems so.”

“Could you show me your invitation?”

“Can’t I enter without an invitation?”

Lee Hyeon was thinking of immediately throwing his axe at the roof to collapse the castle if he heard that it wasn’t allowed.

‘There’s no need for me to get caught up in the game they’ve set up.’

After setting fire to the forest on the 2nd floor and freezing the great lake on the 3rd floor, he realized

that neutralizing what the examiners had prepared was actually more advantageous for him.

Whatever they had prepared in the banquet hall, they wouldn’t be able to do anything if the castle collapsed.

“Not necessarily, but…”

The soldier looked Lee Hyeon up and down.

His clothes were completely tattered from climbing three floors.

Lee Hyeon was gradually preparing to draw his axe when,

“Then would you try this?”

The soldier suddenly brought something from inside.

A dessert plated on a white dish.

“There’s poisonous gas flowing inside the banquet hall that’s harmful to humans. So if you wish to enjoy the banquet, you must eat this before entering.”

“What is this?”

“Poison.”

“Poison…?”

Lee Hyeon wondered what on earth this was about.

Telling him to eat poison when there’s poisonous gas flowing inside?

“Ah, you might misunderstand. If you eat this dessert, you’ll develop immunity in your body and be able to enjoy the banquet. Will you eat it?”

Lee Hyeon felt that this itself was part of the trial.

‘This might actually work out well. Poison resistance isn’t easy to level up either.’

The moment Lee Hyeon swallowed the dessert in one bite,

“…!?”

He clenched his fists tightly.

Intense pain coursed through his body.

His nervous system overheated as if lightning had struck through him.

 

[You have consumed poison containing ‘Lightning Seeds’.]

[The Ruyi Jingu Bang attempts Super Recovery to expel all toxins. You have developed resistance to this poison.]

[Curse Immunity (SS) neutralizes a considerable amount of toxins, boosting your body’s immunity.]

[Poison Resistance (S) has increased to SS rank.]

[Shock Resistance (B) has increased to A rank.]

 

“……!!”

Poison so intense that it raised resistances that were difficult to improve.

Lee Hyeon staggered briefly from dizziness, but a soldier quickly caught him from the side.

“Are you alright? If needed, I’ll call a doctor for you.”

“No. I’m fine.”

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened as he read the message.

‘Poison strong enough to raise my resistance? And if it’s poison that causes curses or other status ailments… this is actually good for me, isn’t it?’

He had been feeling disappointed lately because the speed at which his resistances increased was getting slower and slower,

so this was like encountering an unexpected opportunity.

‘Could it be that the poison flowing through the banquet hall is also…?’

Lee Hyeon looked toward the castle with anticipation.

“The banquet hall? Can I just go in?”

“If you insist, there are medicines prepared inside as well, so please tell a servant when you need them. The entrance is this way.”

Lee Hyeon walked toward the entrance the soldier pointed to.

As the servants opened the doors, a banquet hall filled with dancers and musicians appeared.

The sight of people in tuxedos and dresses, also wearing masks on their faces, dancing together in groups.

While Lee Hyeon found it interesting, he looked around searching for the examiner.

‘The last of the Four Monkeys was the Six-Eared Macaque, right?’

In Journey to the West, one of the most difficult parts for Son Wukong would have been the ‘fake Son Wukong’ part.

The one who ruled Flower Fruit Mountain while disguised as Son Wukong and acting like him.

His Transformation Arts were so remarkable that even the gods of the Heavenly Realm couldn’t distinguish him, and his skills were excellent enough to match Son Wukong.

Although his identity was discovered later and he was defeated by Son Wukong before joining the Four Monkeys,

the fact that his abilities made him the strongest among the Four Monkeys wouldn’t change.

‘But everyone’s covering their faces with masks, making it hard to identify them. Men, women, they all have the same build too.’

Lee Hyeon finally realized that all the dancing monkeys were actually duplicates with identical physiques and temperaments,

differing only in their outfits.

This seemed like he was supposed to find the ‘real one’ among them…

The only difference, if any, was that each showed different habits or reactions as if intoxicated by something.

 

[The examiner has prepared this banquet for you who struggled to climb the four levels.]

[The banquet hall currently has various foods, desserts, drinks, and music prepared.]

[Enjoy the feast and party while searching for the examiner until the banquet ends.]

[Various small events are also prepared for you throughout, so please enjoy them to your heart’s content.]

 

Lee Hyeon felt puzzled as he read the message.

How exactly was he supposed to connect taste and finding the real one?

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter. I’m going to eat everything here anyway.’

Lee Hyeon licked his lips as he looked around the banquet hall filled with all kinds of food and drinks as indicated in the message.

Even the subtle fragrance that had been wafting since a moment ago.

If the tasting dessert contained such terrible poison, how much more terrible and varied would the deadly poisons in the feast be?

‘Hehe.’

The high-difficulty gateway created to test apostles

looked to him like nothing less than the most comfortable training ground.

‘Ehehehe.’

If Kim Min-jeong had seen this, it would have been the kind of laughter that would make her mutter ‘here we go again’.

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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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