Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 118

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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 118

Blue Thunder (4)

 

 

 

A bloody smile crept across Executive Director Ho’s lips.

As if asking whether he couldn’t read an attack of this level.

As he twisted his body and swung his sword upward, it collided with the blade of Iron Devourer, sending sparks flying.

The sparks became embers that called forth lightning bolts.

And such embers,

Rumble—

Were not just one or two.

 

[Fire lightning rains down!]

 

The magic path of blazing heat further heated the high-temperature lightning fire. This was thanks to lightning fire being a type of flame.

So the summoned fire lightning struck like arrows at Executive Director Ho’s position.

Crack, crack, crack—

Flash! Flash! Flash!

Every time Executive Director Ho retreated backward, fire lightning struck down.

Several of them hit him directly, but were deflected by his sword strikes.

And such lightning energy,

 

[Legend ‘Iron-Eating Immortal’ deliciously devours the magic power contained in the fire lightning!]

 

Was completely absorbed by the legend, then,

“Let me show you how delicious your magic power is.”

Along with Executive Director Ho’s fierce slash, it became a tidal wave that lashed the earth.

 

[Legend ‘Iron-Eating Immortal’ spits out the magic power it consumed!]

 

The blue-white lightning had become the sticky black color that Executive Director Ho took pride in.

It boasted a much more destructive and irritating feeling than Lee Hyeon’s.

 

[Dueoksini’s Deep Breath (SS) burns fiercely!]

[Dueoksini’s Collar flutters.]

[Activating Fury Strike (SS) to attempt Bull’s Stride!]

 

Lee Hyeon didn’t dodge it, but instead made the lightning clothing wrapped around his body even thicker as he charged forward.

Crack crack crack!

Every time he swung his axe, the black lightning was torn apart,

“I didn’t really want to taste it… but it’s quite spicy.”

“Is that so? I find it very sour. Every time I digest it, I get a tingling sensation in my fingertips.”

“Isn’t that nerve pain? You should go to the hospital.”

“Hehe. I’m already going regularly and consistently.”

Whoosh—

The distance with Executive Director Ho narrowed again.

“To fight with young people like you for even one more day, shouldn’t this old man stay healthy for even one more day?”

Crash!!

Axe and sword collided at the midpoint.

“This doesn’t seem like a level where you should be talking about health.”

“You don’t know because you’re young. These days, each day keeps getting different. My joints creak.”

“If your aching joints are at this level,

Lee Hyeon immediately swung his left axe horizontally, and Executive Director Ho extended his left hand in that direction.

Thud!

“What were you like when you weren’t in pain?”

Lee Hyeon unhesitatingly released both axes from his hands.

Then he sharpened his right shoulder and delivered a body slam.

Speed is power, and lightning energy boasts the greatest destructive force among all attributes.

The power when these two were mixed together transcended imagination.

Bang!!

Executive Director Ho was pushed back several steps.

He barely blocked Lee Hyeon’s charge by crossing both arms, but Lee Hyeon applied even more force and pushed Executive Director Ho all the way to where the transparent barrier was.

Thoom!

The transparent barrier shook as if it would break immediately.

As soon as Lee Hyeon’s advance was blocked, he drew his third axe, Blood Biter, with his left hand and struck Executive Director Ho’s side.

Screech!

Knowing that the only advantages he had over Executive Director Ho were strength and speed, he actively sought to utilize them.

A dangerous situation where he could suffer serious injury if he made a mistake.

But ecstasy spread across Executive Director Ho’s lips.

Crash!!

The moment Blood Biter struck his side, it was blocked by something solid in the middle.

Scrape scrape scrape!

The terrible sound of metal being ground away.

“You asked what I was like when I wasn’t in pain?”

Before he knew it, there was no sword in Executive Director Ho’s hand.

The sacred relic had melted to become a protective guard that only protected that part.

“Well, back then, I was the best!”

Executive Director Ho laughed like a demon as he violently kicked his knee upward.

Since Lee Hyeon’s body was so close, it was perfect for striking his abdomen.

Bang!

Lee Hyeon pulled Blood Biter inward and defended against the knee strike.

‘…Ugh!’

Intense pain as if his internal organs were ringing.

Lee Hyeon instantly bit down hard on his teeth.

And then,

 

[Stepping on Whirlwind (S) to exchange positions with the opponent!]

[Lightning bolt falls.]

 

Flash!

Lee Hyeon instantly reversed positions with Executive Director Ho and even called down a lightning bolt.

The awl-like pointed strike narrowly grazed past Executive Director Ho’s crown.

Executive Director Ho wasn’t surprised at all by the sudden skill activation and responded calmly.

He kicked his leg upward. Like drawing a treasured sword, his shin aimed for Lee Hyeon’s nape.

Paaaat!

Black lightning born from devouring Lee Hyeon’s lightning energy exploded at supersonic speed.

 

[Combat Sense (S+) warns of danger!]

 

Lee Hyeon instinctively received a threat that if he took that hit, his cervical vertebrae would be shattered to pieces.

A completely different temperament from before.

It was like a beast’s maw had rushed right up to his face.

Executive Director Ho was now truly trying to reveal his full power without holding back against him!

“……!!”

Lee Hyeon squeezed his mana circuit with all his might to block it.

 

[Dueoksini’s Specter explodes!]

 

Kwaaaaang!!

Lee Hyeon staggered as if he would break, then was roughly pushed backward. Fragments of shattered lightning energy tore through various parts of the training ground several times over.

Huuu-

Executive Director Ho let out a long exhale and straightened his posture.

His face looked much more relieved.

He smiled.

“Even though that was an attack I gave my all to, you blocked it like it was nothing. Not bad, eh?”

“……It wasn’t exactly like it was nothing.”

Lee Hyeon lowered his crossed axes with a frown.

His arms were tingling.

He even had internal injuries.

If his defense had been even half a beat late…… he would have died.

“Hehe. That much means you’re fine. Back in my day, there weren’t many people who survived taking that hit.”

Somehow that statement didn’t sound exaggerated.

“What exactly was that?”

“I named it Tiger Hunt Kick.”

Hunt and tiger?

A leg technique for hunting tigers?

“It’s this old man’s secret technique that I’m honing to someday defeat the Guild Leader.”

“……!”

“You’re the first to taste it in sparring. Consider it an honor. I don’t easily show such things even to the other old-timers in the executive group.”

Executive Director Ho twisted his lips.

Now he was fully revealing the fierce temperament unique to demons without hiding it.

Truly the appearance of a hunter targeting a tiger.

“Actually, I’m not the only one hiding techniques like this. That bastard Golden Statue is the same, and the other executives are probably the same too.”

Lee Hyeon momentarily recalled the executive personnel who boasted various temperaments.

“We’re all people who gathered under the Mountain God to catch the Mountain God.”

“……So the Guild Leader became a goal.”

“She’s like a mountain we must someday overcome. We who used to run around saying the world was small had to get our heads beaten in quite a bit by the Guild Leader.”

Lee Hyeon gained a new feeling about the executive group, whom he had simply thought of as White Burn’s founding contributors and guardians.

The relationship between the executive group and Mo Jeong-gyeon was fascinating.

The executive group wouldn’t neglect their self-training even as they aged because they had Mo Jeong-gyeon as a goal,

And Mo Jeong-gyeon would also continue to reflect on herself to avoid being caught up to by such an executive group.

They only gave each other good feedback.

And,

He thought that deep trust was the foundation for such a healthy relationship to be formed.

‘The image of Blue Thunder and myself that I dream of……’

Lee Hyeon felt like he was learning another important something.

“That’s why I’m telling you to quickly master the Tiger King Style too. The Guild Leader’s enlightenment must be embedded in it, so if I can break even a fragment of it, I might be able to get a decent hint.”

So this was the main purpose behind his obsession with sparring.

「Stop it, you fool.」

Son Wukong jumped down from somewhere next to Lee Hyeon.

‘Great Sage?’

「That human is still too much for you. That thing is a monster targeting a god. From the moment a human begins to target a god, he is no longer human.」

It was a high evaluation of Executive Director Ho.

「Unlike that human called Executive Director Jeong that you faced before, that one is ‘real’. Among introduction, development, twist, and conclusion, he’s already used up to the ‘twist’ and begun to see beyond it – a true transcendent.」

‘……!!’

Executive Director Ho was that amazing?

「Moreover, to gain enlightenment from looking at a picture bestowed by such a god? For you who just entered the fighting style and haven’t even properly grasped its meaning yet, it would only be poison.」

Son Wukong didn’t seem to be saying this out of jealousy. He was genuinely concerned.

“So hurry up and unleash the Tiger King Style. I’m curious what form you’ll create.”

「I won’t tell you to throw away that picture, so just put it aside for now. Now isn’t the time for reckless courage, I tell you.」

Lee Hyeon recalled the picture of the Tiger and Magpie.

He had looked at it so intently that even the detailed parts of the picture came to mind vividly.

‘Executive Director Ho and the executive group developed their own techniques to someday defeat the Mountain God, and the Great Sage worries that my clumsy learning of the Tiger King Style might damage the fighting style……’

 

[The Golden Headband spins fiercely!]

 

‘Then what if I flip both thoughts?’

Suddenly, Lee Hyeon’s eyes deepened.

‘If I also research the Tiger King Style to someday defeat the Mountain God like the executive group…… And if I put the fighting style at the center of it?’

Thoroughly dismantling the Tiger King Style and using it as a key to unlock the fighting style.

Flash!

Lightning sparks flew around his eyes.

Something flashed through his mind.

The Tiger and Magpie painting with tiger and magpie together.

There was something to gain from that image.

‘Let’s try it.’

Lee Hyeon stepped forward again to not miss the inspiration that just arose.

“I’ll try blocking Tiger Hunt Kick with Tiger King Style.”

“Hehe. Something came to mind, I see?”

「Hey! You!!」

Executive Director Ho smiled, and Son Wukong frowned.

However,

Crackle crackle crack!!

The moment Lee Hyeon revealed his lightning energy again,

“You, that is……!”

「That thunder-struck bastard, haha! Ha!」

The two’s expressions were reversed.

Executive Director Ho showed shocked eyes,

Son Wukong let out a strange laugh.

“I’ll begin. There really isn’t much time left.”

Lee Hyeon twisted his lips.

 

* * *

 

6:50 PM.

Uijeongbu.

 

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The smell of grilling meat was wafting from the front yard of Lieutenant General Lee Gun-san’s residence.

“Wow! General, that smell is amazing!”

“Haha. Is it? That’s good to hear. Actually, I asked my regular butcher to set aside some good meat specially for today.”

With as many as 16 people packed together, it was bustling with activity.

“Alcohol! Where’s the alcohol?”

“Check that ice box over there. There were all kinds of varieties, weren’t there?”

“This is Green Wine? It must be quite expensive domestically. General, aren’t you overdoing it?”

“I’ve opened up my entire liquor storage today, so feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

“Ooh! Then can we drink the Petrus ’09?”

“…That costs over ten million won per bottle. Please hold back on that one.”

“Ooh, ten million won!”

“Hey! Open it! Quick! It’s much easier to ask for forgiveness than permission for things like this!”

“Are you all planning to completely bankrupt me!?”

Everyone’s reactions were varied and colorful.

Some people hovered around Lee Gun-san helping with the grilling, others searched for alcohol first claiming they were thirsty, some were already enjoying the gathering after meeting for the first time in a while,

and others were sharing stories while looking at photos of newborn babies or nephews and nieces…

Lee Gun-san was able to experience Blue Thunder once again, just like he had experienced it as part of daily life four years ago.

Even as time had passed,

these people really hadn’t changed at all.

‘Thank goodness. I was worried everyone would feel awkward. But then again, this is the magic that Blue Thunder possesses.’

And at the center of it all was Lee Hyeon.

That fact made him incredibly happy.

“Go senior, what are you doing? Hurry up and bring the lettuce! How long ago did we order it? This place doesn’t know how to do business?”

“Shut up, you bastard! Can’t you see I’m carrying the perilla leaves first? And don’t just stand there, help out with the work!!”

On the other hand, Go Jin-woo looked extremely exhausted.

“Hey, Go senior should be the servant of this house.”

“I’m not a servant! I’m working part-time!”

Go Jin-woo had been frantically busy since dawn helping Lee Gun-san prepare for the gathering.

The problem was that the busier he got, the more people looked for him.

“Same difference.”

“It’s different! You little shit, want to try getting lined up under me like four years ago?”

“Boo! How long has it been since discharge and you’re still stuck in old military culture! Even today’s military doesn’t do that! You’re such a boomer, a boomer! Boo!”

“You little…!”

“Senior! We’re out of meat here!”

“Where’s the salt? I can’t find it anywhere no matter how much I look?”

“Jin-woo senior!”

“Jin-woo hyung! Where are you?”

“Aaaahhh!! Stop calling for me!!”

Then and now, Go Jin-woo was good prey(?) for his juniors.

“Jang Lee Hyeon! Kim Min-jeong! Why aren’t these bastards coming!!”

Go Jin-woo finally looked at the clock showing 7 o’clock and grabbed his temples.

“Seriously. I even used half a day off. They’re so slow, so slow.”

“Hey. I used a full day off to come up from Daegu today. My precious annual leave…”

“It’s probably not because of Min-jeong, but because of Lee Hyeon senior again, right? That guy always gets late because of training, doesn’t he? During operations he keeps time like a knife, but at times like this, he always…”

“That’s true too, isn’t it?”

The former Blue Thunder unit colleagues chattered while looking at their watches.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t there a lateness fine? Ten thousand won per minute?”

“How much do you think? 100,000 won? 150,000 won?”

“Well. Still, if it’s Lee Hyeon senior, it should be at least 300,000 won…”

“No. There isn’t.”

Just then, the front gate swung wide open and Lee Hyeon appeared looking tired. Whatever he had been doing, his clothes were completely covered in dust and sweat.

Behind him was Kim Min-jeong, panting heavily.

All eyes turned toward them.

“Sorry… huff huff! I tried to leave early for sure, but… because of Jang senior…!”

“There’s no fine, right?”

The moment Lee Hyeon stepped into the yard with a dignified posture,

Go Jin-woo pointed at the wall clock with a sullen face and said.

“Ten thousand won. The hour hand just moved a little while ago, buddy.”

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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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