Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 149

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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 149

New Teeth (1)

 

 

 

Screech.

A sedan stopped in front of Docheol’s Forge and two people got out.

Lee Hyeon and Kim Min-jeong.

For reference, the two had agreed to a temporary ceasefire(?).

“Old man, are you there?”

Clang! Clang!

Only the familiar intense heat and rhythmic hammering sounds could be heard.

As always, Taotie never rested and constantly pounded iron.

Did his body even hold up?

“We’re here, old man.”

Clang! Clang!

Taotie seemed focused on the weapon he was currently crafting, paying no attention to them.

But this too was a very familiar sight to the two.

“I’ll go look at the weapons.”

Kim Min-jeong figured the conversation between Lee Hyeon and Taotie would be long, so she left first.

The area where great swords like Zweihanders and bastard swords were collected.

It seemed she was indeed choosing a gift for Eom Gi-seon.

「The more I watch, the more refined his iron-pounding technique becomes.」

Clang! Clang! Clang!

「The way he puts intent into each hammer strike too… If he had become a warrior instead of a blacksmith, he would have achieved greatness long ago.」

Son Wukong’s evaluation of Taotie was extremely high today as well.

‘Intent? Are you saying the old man might not be human…?’

「How could that be? I suspected it at first too, but he’s definitely human. However, in a way, he’s also not human.」

‘…?’

Lee Hyeon wondered what this meant.

Son Wukong stared intently at the iron Taotie was diligently refining and said.

「Have you ever heard the phrase ‘all streams return to the source’?」

‘I’ve heard it roughly. All flows eventually become one at the end…’

「Originally it’s a Buddhist term. It means all streams and currents eventually gather in the sea. There are countless Buddhist sects, and teachings about Zen vary greatly, but ultimately they all lead to nirvana.」

A slight mystical energy flowed from Son Wukong’s eyes.

「This blacksmith is the same. His skill has surpassed a certain level and reached a spiritual realm.」

Son Wukong pointed to a part that had just been folded.

「A master who has reached enlightenment knows how to imbue weapons with their own mental image. But a renowned craftsman who has transcended enlightenment knows how to imbue weapons with the owner’s mental image. And,」

Hissss!

The red-hot folded steel spewed white steam as it entered cold water.

「A true sage who has transcended all realms knows how to awaken the inherent mental image a weapon should possess. This man has already reached such a position.」

‘…!’

「The more I watch, the more I covet him… Should I really ask him to craft my Sacred Relic sometime?」

He had said similar things before. Son Wukong looked seriously lost in thought.

Lee Hyeon felt a strange emotion.

Someone Son Wukong acknowledged to this extent was continuously helping him…

That made him feel even more sorry.

“Old man, I have a problem.”

He approached Taotie with careful steps.

Clang! Claaang!

Taotie put the iron back in the brazier and began pounding again.

“All the teeth are broken.”

“…”

Suddenly, the mechanically repetitive hammering sound stopped.

“I’m sorry.”

Taotie quietly raised his head and looked at Lee Hyeon.

His skin, darkened from a lifetime by the fire, looked very fierce. His eyes were more intense than the flames in the brazier.

He still said nothing. But Lee Hyeon knew this meant to take out the axes.

“This is what happened.”

Lee Hyeon took out Iron Devourer, Flesh Thirster, and Blood Biter in order and placed them on the ground.

Things shattered to pieces that could no longer be called axes.

Taotie examined the fragments one by one, inspecting them thoroughly.

And then,

“You received divine punishment.”

A voice that cracked like fingernails scraping an iron plate.

It had been a long time since Lee Hyeon heard Taotie’s voice.

“Can you tell from looking at that?”

“Iron doesn’t lie.”

Taotie gave a meaningless answer, then stared directly at Lee Hyeon.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thanks to the teeth you made for me, I’m fine. However, I’m sorry for ending up like this.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. These have simply fulfilled their purpose. They’re satisfied too.”

The saying that weapons are most desirable when they fulfill their function as weapons.

Lee Hyeon felt a strange emotion.

Taotie threw the fragment in his hand back to the ground and said.

“But these can’t be used again. Those who have departed should be seen off, and those newly met should be welcomed warmly.”

Lee Hyeon nodded.

“Yes. That’s actually why I came to request a commission, as I need to craft new weapons.”

“What will you make?”

“I want to make a heavy weapon.”

“Heavy weapon?”

Taotie’s burning gaze flickered even more intensely.

“Yes. I drew up a design, would you take a look?”

Lee Hyeon took out a rolled-up paper from his Inventory and handed it over.

Taotie wiped his hands full of coal soot with a towel, moved to a different spot, and examined the design carefully. Reading glasses hung on the tip of his nose.

Son Wukong also stuck close beside him, watching.

“You want an unusual weapon? Even though it’s the same axe, it’s very different from what you used before. This kind would be extremely difficult to handle, wouldn’t it?”

Heavy weapon.

It refers to weapons that are tremendously large and heavy in both size and weight.

Usually enormous swords or hammers are included, but the design Lee Hyeon drew was much larger than even those.

A handle as long as a person’s height.

At its end, axe blades attached to both sides, as wide and massive as castle gate doors torn off.

Weight and size that would suit the expression ‘dragging down’ rather than ‘swinging’.

It was a weapon that only ancient warriors from myths would have used.

“I was also amazed when I first saw it, but from the creator’s perspective, how much more so.”

Son Wukong let out a hollow laugh with his arms crossed.

Still looking incredulous.

“This isn’t a weapon, Inseok. It would be more accurate to call it a siege engine.”

Lee Hyeon smiled silently.

He had actually expected such a reaction.

 

* * *

 

Lee Hyeon had been having such thoughts every time he fought recently.

‘The axe is too light.’

Even when he had just finished healing the Ring of Extreme Cold, he hadn’t thought this way.

Taotie’s Fangs were already vicious weapons in their own right.

Weapons that would devour you if you didn’t stay alert.

Therefore, he had continuously sharpened his edge while handling the axes, delivering such viciousness to his enemies.

However,

when Lee Hyeon grew rapidly and finally broke through his skill level from four years ago, completely changing his ability stats,

and when he fully awakened his fighting style,

Taotie’s Fangs could no longer serve as a stimulant for Lee Hyeon.

The reason he continued using them was because they fit his hands and feet well, but there were many areas that needed improvement.

‘I wish they were heavier so I could feel them better in my hands.’

‘I wish the blade was thicker for more impact.’

‘I wish the reach was longer.’

Each time, he consulted with Taotie and gradually modified the fangs, but his fundamental desire remained unquenched.

So Lee Hyeon decided to completely change his thinking this time.

He would take his combat style in a more aggressive direction.

‘Anyway, the fighting style I pursue, Dueoksini’s branch, and my physical abilities are all focused on destructive power. Then it’s right to take this in a direction that maximizes it.’

There were two directions he pursued.

Speed.

And destruction.

Speed and weight equal power.

So if he made his weapons as large and heavy as possible, wouldn’t he be able to make better use of his strengths?

Normally, wielding such a weapon should slow down one’s speed, but Lee Hyeon’s strength was so remarkable that it surpassed most High Rankers, so this didn’t apply to him.

‘The pressure enemies would feel when facing me on the battlefield would be immense too.’

Lee Hyeon imagined his own imposing figure standing on the battlefield wielding a great axe.

Most rankers wouldn’t be able to withstand even a single exchange properly.

Their weapons would break and their bodies would be split in half before that.

‘But what if I attached the Ruyi chain to this and swung it from a distance?’

Wouldn’t he become a monster that devours the battlefield?

So Lee Hyeon spent the night working with Son Wukong to complete the design.

A weapon specialized for his current, no, future growth direction.

Therefore, it might be difficult to handle immediately, but it would be a weapon of disaster for enemies.

This was the new weapon Lee Hyeon wanted to create.

“You plan to dominate the battlefield with pure physicality alone, without retreating.”

Lee Hyeon nodded at Taotie’s words.

“Yes. If I mix lightning energy with this, the destructive power will be amplified several times over.”

“Wait, stand there for a moment.”

Lee Hyeon stood upright as Taotie instructed.

Taotie examined Lee Hyeon with a gaze now hot enough to easily melt molten metal.

He felt the muscles in his arms and legs here and there, and held his wrist to quietly check his pulse.

Then he nodded.

“It’s a good weapon. Whoever your advisor is, they’re an excellent teacher.”

Taotie knew about the existence of the hidden helper.

Even the fact that he was a teacher.

“Ahem, did you see? This teacher is at this level.”

Though he didn’t seem to know that his childlike bragging was excessive.

“So is this the only weapon? This alone won’t be enough.”

He even knew that this axe was a set item.

He truly was an amazing person.

“Yes. I do need more. I’ll need other weapons depending on the battle situation. Here are the other designs.”

Lee Hyeon took out several more design sheets to show him.

One was a battle axe with a slightly smaller size and weight than the great axe, with a blade on only one side, specialized for close combat.

The other four were throwing hand axes the size of the currently used Taotie’s Fangs.

Six in total.

“A walking siege engine, I tell you, a siege engine.”

Son Wukong’s assessment, shaking his head from side to side, fit very well.

In reality, Lee Hyeon’s build wasn’t tremendous enough to match those axes.

Rather, he had a slender build… If he showed such armament, opponents would feel even stronger pressure from the contradiction and eeriness.

“Would all of this be possible?”

“Whether it’s possible or not doesn’t depend on me.”

“…?”

What did this mean?

Taotie stared directly at Lee Hyeon and said.

“There aren’t enough materials.”

“Ah.”

“Even though there are only three Taotie’s Fangs, many resources went into them. Enough to say I emptied my entire fortune. But this,”

“Just the great axe alone would require several times more than what went into Taotie’s Fangs. It would need to be solid since the strength and hardness must be firm.”

Taotie nodded.

“And lightning energy has destructive properties. There aren’t many metals that can fully withstand it. To obtain enough to make this, even setting aside the forging work, the material costs alone would be more than several billion.”

It was laughable. A weapon that would easily exceed ten billion.

Lee Hyeon finally realized that the world he lived in was now different from ordinary people.

“Would this be insufficient?”

Lee Hyeon opened his inventory wide and spilled out everything inside.

Crash-

“…!?”

The spoils of war obtained from fighting the apostles of . At least a dozen sacred relics poured out onto the floor.

All of them belonging to those corresponding to higher divine ranks.

Especially many were left behind by Nezha who had died twice.

Should he be called a giving tree?

Besides that, there were quite a few items Lee Hyeon had obtained so far.

‘So the old man can make such expressions too?’

Lee Hyeon felt secretly proud seeing Taotie’s surprised expression for the first time.

“……”

Taotie carefully examined the sacred relics and nodded.

“This should be sufficient. But the remaining basic materials…”

“I’ll ask for it on credit.”

Taotie frowned slightly with a disapproving expression for a moment, but soon clicked his tongue lightly.

Meaning he understood.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

Taotie didn’t respond.

It seemed there were many things to prepare in order to craft a new weapon.

‘Should I be grateful to the Jade Emperor for this?’

Lee Hyeon smiled slightly as he watched Taotie’s retreating figure.

He wondered what kind of weapon would welcome him.

He was already filled with anticipation.

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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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