Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 144

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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 144

Ritual (5)

 

 

 

Old memories flashed through his mind.

 

Military academy days, a midsummer training ground.

There was a time when they had to keep running under the blazing sun while carrying full gear weighing over 30kg.

“Huff… huff…”

Everyone was gasping for breath.

If only they could use magic power, this much would be a piece of cake.

But magic use was forbidden, and the magic detection items on their wrists made it hard to secretly use magic power.

The moment the mana circuit’s switch turned on, the item would light up too, extending the running distance for the entire class.

No one wanted to be that traitor.

But eventually, the first one to stumble was Xu Changyou… Seo Chang-woo.

Even though he had good grades in combat techniques and weapon skills, his stamina was quite weak.

“Ugh, I’m dying. Someone please save me.”

The moment he gasped and grabbed his backpack strap to lower it, someone ran over from beside him and grabbed the strap.

It was Moon Su-chan.

“Ugh…! As expected of hyung! Love for comrades, love for country! You know I love you a lot, hyung!?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Seo Chang-woo kept giving thumbs up, saying he was so grateful.

Moon Su-chan let out a dry laugh while carrying the guy’s backpack instead.

“Why should hyung carry this? I have better stamina than hyung. Just pass it to me.”

Lee Hyeon approached with a worried face, but Moon Su-chan shook his head.

“It’s fine. I’m already carrying it. And I have better stamina.”

“What hyung is better at isn’t stamina, but stubbornness.”

“What did you say, you brat?”

“Ah, just hurry up and pass it over.”

“Then let’s share carrying it. I’ll carry it up to there, then you carry it after that.”

Lee Hyeon also shook his head helplessly as if there was nothing he could do.

“You two really seem like brothers.”

Kim Min-jeong, who had been glancing at them from the side, laughed.

“From what I see, both of you are equally stubborn.”

Seo Chang-woo let out a hollow laugh.

That day, the four people crossed the final checkpoint supporting each other with faces covered in sweat and dust.

The four pushed each other away and collapsed on the ground,

but the same pride burned in their hearts.

“Together, we can endure any battlefield.”

There was a time when they thought that way.

 

* * *

 

Lee Hyeon’s view as he caught his breath and looked down.

The face of his old comrade who used to smile covered in sweat overlapped.

That friend from those days, whom he had trusted with his back.

That comrade from those days, whom he believed would never fall if they were together.

“…If it was going to end with something this pathetic, why did you do that back then?”

The bitter regret that tightened his throat, and the emptiness of a long-held promise being trampled.

But also the relief that the bitter relationship that had lasted over four years was finally over, and the comfort of having completed his brother’s revenge…

The contradictory emotions mixed chaotically, then he soon shook his head clear.

It wasn’t all over yet.

He raised his head.

The ring of light had almost closed. But the Celestial Hound was still struggling in the sky, bound by the Ruyi Chain.

 

[The Jade Emperor rests his chin on his throne and gazes at you.]

 

At the same time,

Fsssss…

Xu Changyou’s remaining body turned to ash and disappeared, being absorbed directly into the Ruyi Chain.

 

[The narrative of recovers the lost traces of the past.]

[‘Sacred Relic: Glass Sword’ and ‘Curse of Extreme Cold’ have been recovered.]

[Two sacred relics have been integrated into the ‘Insignia of Extreme Cold’, greatly increasing proficiency.]

[Proficiency has reached maximum, causing the sacred relic to transform.]

[Congratulations! The ‘Insignia of Extreme Cold’ has been upgraded to the ‘Insignia of Bitter Ice’.]

 

[Insignia of Bitter Ice]

A seal of authority created by imbuing it with her divine power.

The Ring of Extreme Cold contained within is vicious enough to create a frozen hell in the mortal world. The glass sword born from the concentrated ring will flow through your blood vessels and try to protect you at any time.

-Type: Sacred Relic. Insignia.

-Origin: Fairy tale ‘Snow Queen’

 

[From now on, you can use stronger ice-attribute skills and divine authorities.]

[You can use the Glass Sword. Transformation into various forms is possible.]

…

 

[The narrative of lets out a joyful laugh, saying she can finally regain her original self.]

[The narrative of wishes to recover the created here!]

…

[All of has been recovered. Successfully recovered a 4-star dungeon. Additional rewards will be given.]

[As an additional reward, ‘Development’ has been newly added to the narrative’s introduction-development-twist-conclusion!]

[The rank of increases.]

…

 

Rumble rumble…!!

The dungeon shook as if it would collapse at any moment.

Ice powder fell from the sky like snow.

 

[The owner of the dungeon core has been changed. The erosion phenomenon is forcibly stopped according to the new owner’s command.]

[The forced rift begins to close.]

 

[The dungeon ‘Ice Palace’ begins to close. All participants must retreat to the Safe Zone.]

[10]

[9]

……

 

On one side, the dungeon completion message rang out, while on the other side, an event completion message appeared.

 

[‘Emergency Event: Stop the封禪 Ritual’ has been successfully cleared.]

[You have acquired a massive amount of ■■Great■’s karma.]

[■■Great■ ■■■ gradually escapes from their fallen state as part of their lost myth is restored.]

[As a reward, you have found the second broken character ‘Kong(空)’: ‘■■Great■ ■■Kong’]

[■■Great■ ■■Kong]

 

[Due to the restoration of the myth, you have obtained a location hint for the new Sacred Relic ‘Somersault Cloud’.]

[Please check your inventory.]

……

 

Countless messages surrounded Lee Hyeon, but his gaze was fixed solely on the Jade Emperor’s message.

Though it was a simple System Message, an overwhelmingly intense malice emanated from beyond it.

 

[The Jade Emperor reads the intensified presence of his old nemesis and twitches one eyebrow.]

 

At that moment,

Rumble rumble, CRASH CRASH!

Flash! Flash!!

Heavenly thunder tearing through the sky roared violently.

The tremendous roar and heat made Dueoksini’s fury that Lee Hyeon wielded seem like nothing more than a small campfire.

The atmosphere itself twisted heavily.

He could feel a gaze looking down at him as if from above the clouds.

And then…….

 

[The Jade Emperor consumes a massive amount of causality to directly reveal his voice!]

 

The atmosphere twisted greatly again, and a massive aged voice emerged.

 

『You vermin…… have dared…… to mock us all this time……!』

 

An enormous amount of thoughts rushing in like a giant tsunami.

It was too massive and bloated.

Lee Hyeon felt his mind reel just from being exposed to it.

 

[Error!]

[Error!]

 

Both the message announcing the dungeon’s end and the message declaring the event’s completion turned red and failed to display any information.

 

[The system’s firewall negates most of the pressure you’re receiving!]

 

Fortunately, the protective barrier separating heaven and earth saved Lee Hyeon’s soul from violence,

but the blatant hostility emanating from that massive being was still enough to suffocate him as a mortal.

……Tremble tremble.

His fingertips shook slightly.

Lee Hyeon covered his left hand with his right and clenched it tightly.

At that moment,

Whoosh!

He sensed three, no, four presences approaching him.

It was Son Wukong’s group.

They had moved urgently because the Jade Emperor was revealing his rage while consuming massive amounts of causality that could cause great damage to himself and society.

However,

『I’m fine, so don’t worry. Don’t come close to this side either. I’ll handle this matter myself.』

Lee Hyeon restrained them.

Son Wukong’s appearance could actually make things worse.

‘This confirms it. He’s getting impatient.’

It was extremely rare for someone who was a chief deity to reveal emotions like this.

It was proof that he was psychologically cornered.

He must be that afraid of the resurrection of the being called Son Wukong.

Therefore,

He boldly met that gaze.

Though the pressure was still intense, using the Golden Headband made it bearable.

 

[The Golden Headband’s mental barrier completely blocks external contamination and brainwashing attempting to penetrate the pineal gland.]

 

As he focused his thoughts, he could gradually read the surface layers of the massive tsunami of thoughts.

 

『From you…… I sense something disgusting……. Great Sage Equal to Heaven……. That seditious bastard’s traces…… truly remain…….』

 

A voice stained with rage.

But at some point, there was a strangely pleasant resonance mixed in at the end.

 

『However…… how interesting……. A stain of history appears again……. In the name of the Emperor…… the reason you must disappear…… has become even clearer…….』

 

Lee Hyeon somehow felt that the Jade Emperor’s two eyes, which he had glimpsed briefly in the ring of light, must have changed violently from boredom and indifference.

“Disappear? I don’t understand what you mean. I also don’t understand why the Great Sage Equal to Heaven is being mentioned here.”

But he played dumb about the parts related to Son Wukong.

He planned to absolutely refuse to acknowledge it for the time being.

He didn’t know what other gazes might be watching this place besides the Jade Emperor.

“However, it’s strange.”

Of course, if he ended it at just that level, he couldn’t be called a disciple of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

He twisted one corner of his mouth.

“If you hate him so much, it seems you still fear that name even now.”

Provocation.

A very brief silence followed.

And then,

CRASH CRASH CRASH!!

The heavenly thunder struck much more powerfully than before.

Rumble rumble rumble…….

Even the thunder.

It was a more intense weather anomaly than when the Jade Emperor first revealed his thoughts,

but somehow, Lee Hyeon felt it was less like rage and more like the laughter of a heavenly god, unlike the first time.

Hahahaha.

 

“How interesting… To dare speak such words before me… in thousands of years… you are the only one… Both your brazenness… and your impudence… all resemble that beast…”

 

From beyond the clouds, it seemed as if the Jade Emperor’s eyes were curving into crescents.

 

“Let’s see if you have… the qualifications… to back up such words.”

 

The heavenly lightning that had densely colored the sky suddenly gathered at one point, then fell straight down.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!!

A pillar of light pierced through the clouds and struck the ground.

Divine punishment.

That was the first word that came to Lee Hyeon’s mind.

The very thing that had originally intended to give him…

PAZIZIZIK!

Lee Hyeon protected his body as much as possible with his cold-blooded trait, absorbed massive amounts of magic power from the Mantle of Bitter Cold—no, Ice Cold—and concentrated it into the axe in his hand.

‘Let me recall it.’

He focused all his fighting spirit’s will.

‘In the Tower of Five Elements, during the final trial, when the Great Sage looked down at me on his palm.’

And he conjured that will like a single blade.

‘If I can capture that giant’s eyes here… I can cut down even that…!!’

The moment those eyes came to mind. And the moment he thought he had captured those eyes in his Golden Eyes of Truth.

 

[Enlightenment has come to you!]

[You have acquired part of the fighting spirit’s profound understanding.]

 

He squeezed out his remaining magic power and stamina to their limits and swung fiercely.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG!!

RURRURR-

KUKUKUKUKU…!!!

The pillar of light and the axe blade collided.

The pillar shook violently as if it would shatter the axe at any moment, but the axe didn’t retreat even an inch and held firm.

Blood vessels bulged in Lee Hyeon’s forearms, neck and jaw, and both eyes. Capillaries burst randomly, and when the axe was finally drawn completely diagonally,

KWAAAAANG!!

The divine punishment was pushed back slightly while the axe blade shattered into pieces. Fragments scattered in all directions.

But Lee Hyeon paid no heed and drew the next axe, swinging it in the opposite direction.

KWANG!

KWAKWANG!!

Then came the third axe after that.

With each swing, Taotie’s Fangs shattered and fragments scattered.

The moment all three of Taotie’s Fangs were completely destroyed in succession,

KWARRRRRR-

The divine punishment, having exhausted its power, also shattered and scattered in all directions.

A tremendous heat storm swept away not only the sky but the entire earth.

The icebergs and ice sheets that had covered the dungeon all evaporated and disappeared.

…KUOOOO.

Into the vacuum swept by the heat storm, outside wind rushed inward again, creating a massive whirlpool.

“Haa… haa…”

Lee Hyeon, his body pale as a sheet, breathed out roughly. Still, his gaze remained fixed on the sky.

‘He didn’t appear out of impatience.’

Lee Hyeon had to revise his assessment of the Jade Emperor after experiencing the divine punishment.

‘He appeared to confirm what kind of person I am.’

The Jade Emperor could be defined in just one phrase.

‘One whose emotional changes are as great as the weather…’

 

[‘Event: Lightning Collector’ has been activated.]

[Congratulations! You have successfully read and understood ‘Myth: Master of All Things’.]

[You have comprehended the Jade Emperor’s lightning attribute.]

[You have successfully collected that lightning.]

 

[Currently collected lightning (5/99)]

– Dueoksini (Specter)

– Zeus (Diovis)

– Indra (Vajramudra)

– Thunder Lord (Thunder Method)

– Jade Emperor (Divine Punishment)

 

Pazik, pazizik…

Lightning energy and electricity of the same transparent color as the divine punishment sparked repeatedly over Lee Hyeon’s shoulders.

 

“You seem to have… the skill to back up… your insolent words…”

 

The thunder still remaining in the sky sounded like gentle laughter.

 

“Good… I’ve changed my mind… Let’s see just how far… you can perform your tricks…”

 

With those words, the lightning split and the voice grew distant.

The heavy pressure also gradually lifted.

And,

KWAJIK!

PASSS-

The Heavenly Path that had still been bound in midair completely shattered and was absorbed directly into the Ruyi Chain.

 

[The closure that was temporarily halted for unknown reasons resumes.]

[6]

[5]

 

The Jade Emperor’s intervention was completely over.

Only then could Lee Hyeon breathe a sigh of relief.

“Kid!”

Just then, Son Wukong appeared with an urgent expression. The Bull Demon King and Sha Wujing followed behind him.

Particularly, on Sha Wujing’s back was an unconscious man with a thin frame.

Though his energy was greatly depleted, the soul he harbored was solid.

“Fortunately, you rescued him.”

“Yes. Thanks to you. But your body…?”

 

[4]

[3]

 

Was it because he met Son Wukong?

As the tension left his body, fatigue washed over him.

“I’m… fine.”

Son Wukong hurriedly caught Lee Hyeon as he collapsed.

 

[2]

[1]

 

“The rest… I leave to you…”

Lee Hyeon fainted without being able to finish his last words.

Son Wukong let out a hollow laugh.

“You worked hard, Inseok.”

 

[0]

[Count ended.]

[The Dungeon is closing.]

 

The Dungeon disappeared along with clusters of light.

Son Wukong slightly raised his head and gazed at the Sky where remnants of the Jade Emperor’s presence still lingered.

His gaze held complex emotions.

—————
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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