Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 188
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
The Broken Ranker
Devours Myths
Chapter 188
Cup of Revival (3)
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Today’s barbecue party starting in the courtyard of Lee Gun-san’s estate had a different aroma.
“The smell is… incredible, General.”
Lee Hyeon couldn’t leave the grill like an earthbound spirit.
“Hehe! I asked the shop and they said they got some excellent pork hind leg today. So I quickly bought some. Premium Iberico that was fed only acorns during a specific period.”
“Hind leg Iberico… sounds good.”
Drool seemed ready to drip from Lee Hyeon’s mouth.
Go Jin-woo, who was busy setting the table, looked at him incredulously.
“Do you even know what Iberico is before answering?”
“Something delicious.”
Lee Hyeon answered without even looking his way.
“No, I mean do you know the definition of Iberico?”
“Something delicious.”
“Are you just saying it’s good without knowing what it is? Listen, to truly enjoy delicious food, you need to clearly understand its origins and appreciate the flavor—”
“Yeah. Something delicious.”
“…Ugh, I should just stop talking.”
Go Jin-woo thought he might have found something to tease Lee Hyeon about after a long time, but when it didn’t work at all, he decided to let it go.
But Lee Hyeon was that serious about meat.
「Kekeke. Our master, you should be careful not to let your head fall onto the grill.」
「Well, in Guam, no matter how fancy the food was, you had to stay tense the whole time, so it wasn’t easy to eat comfortably. You worked hard.」
Sha Wujing laughed heartily beside him, and the Roc King patted his head with a wing as if he was proud of Lee Hyeon.
“When you’re struggling abroad, what you miss most is hometown food.”
“Exactly. Pork belly, Korean beef, wild garlic, soybean paste stew, kimchi stew… I missed them all terribly.”
“Just tell me what you want to eat. I’ll show off my skills a bit.”
“Could I possibly ask your wife for soybean paste stew? The one I had before was so delicious.”
“What? Hehehe. My wife would be very pleased. Alright. I’ll ask her once.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Lee Hyeon felt like the aroma of soybean paste stew was already lingering at his nose tip, making him hum unconsciously.
“What? You went abroad?”
Then Go Jin-woo approached with wide eyes.
“What are you talking about? You were with me when we caused that ruckus in Hongdae.”
“No, I thought you gave up and didn’t go after that. But when did you go? I’m sure you met with me yesterday and we talked.”
A confused face.
“Oh, that? That was my clone.”
“What clone?”
“Clone.”
But Go Jin-woo looked even more confused.
“This looks well-cooked now. Could you bring some plates?”
“Roger that!”
“What kind of answer is that… Hey! Shouldn’t you explain this properly!”
Go Jin-woo shouted as he watched Lee Hyeon ignore his words and rush to the dining table.
* * *
“Oh, the taste is really unique? No gamey smell at all, and the savory flavor is even stronger.”
“The word Iberico originally comes from Spain. Long ago in Spain, pigs were mainly raised on acorns. Nowadays they systematically manage that to enhance the flavor.”
“Ah, so that’s why it tastes like this? Someone here was being ignorant, not even knowing the etymology…”
“What, you punk? I was just—”
“It’s delicious, General. This soybean paste is also amazing.”
“Hehehe. When you meet my wife later, please tell her that again. She loves compliments.”
“Hey! I wasn’t finished talking!”
Go Jin-woo was frustrated at being sidelined again today,
‘Well. You worked hard, so eat plenty. That’s how you’ll regain your strength.’
He just felt sorry for his junior who was struggling hard even in places he couldn’t see.
Other team members might follow Lee Hyeon around calling him leader or captain,
But in his eyes, he was still an immature younger brother who fooled around and couldn’t resist meat.
‘But seriously, how did he do that clone technique? Does he think he’s Son Wukong or something?’
The identity of the clone technique he still wouldn’t explain remained a mystery.
“Tell me about what happened in Guam. I’m dying of curiosity.”
“Aren’t you receiving reports from Ramon?”
“What kind of field experience can you get from stiff documents? Besides, I heard you’re running some kind of business now? Since then, only minimal reports have been coming.”
He seemed to be talking about Homerus Holdings.
Originally created as a paper company to manage businesses in Guam,
Now it was being used as a front while preparing for his own special business behind the scenes.
Of course, it was still in the preparation stage, and the situation wasn’t right to attempt anything yet.
Still… hearing that Ramon was seriously pursuing what he had asked felt good.
Even knowing his personality, hearing it from a third party felt very different.
“How did you win over that kid in such a short time? I spent years trying to gain his favor before.”
Lee Gun-san looked frustrated, but his mouth was smiling.
As if proud of his disciple’s growth.
“I wanted to ask you the same thing, General. How did you come to know that guy? He said one day a letter suddenly appeared by his bedside.”
Ramon was still curious about Lee Gun-san’s identity. Lee Hyeon figured there was a reason and didn’t answer.
“Hehe. Reading the flow of world affairs, I somehow made that connection.”
“For that, you pinpointed Ramon’s hideout too accurately when he was hiding from the Jiseo Order.”
Go Jin-woo couldn’t follow their conversation, but he knew well how vast Lee Gun-san’s network was from what he’d experienced.
‘Just looking at his network, he’s no different from a mastermind secretly ruling the world.’
No matter how active he was in the shadows in his youth, that wasn’t something a mere general of a small country could build.
“Actually, the truth is.”
Lee Hyeon and Go Jin-woo’s gazes naturally focused on Lee Gun-san’s mouth.
Lowering his voice tone slightly created a secretive atmosphere.
“I can see the future.”
“…Excuse me?”
“General… sir?”
Lee Gun-san smiled slyly.
“I pick out talents who will become great in the future and secure them in advance.”
“…”
“…”
“How about that? Isn’t it amazing? This old man’s secret?”
“…Yes. Very amazing. You’re out of alcohol. Shall I refill it for you?”
Go Jin-woo sighed and poured soju into Lee Gun-san’s empty wine cup.
Lee Gun-san smiled broadly.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I know your track record, so how could I believe that? No, if you could see the future, you wouldn’t have been dismissed from general. Or you would have won the lottery. Don’t you know the lottery numbers?”
“Why do you only hit where it hurts?”
“As the old saying goes, when you’re sick, you treat it with soju. Drink up, drink up.”
“If alcohol goes in when you’re sick, doesn’t your liver get ruined?”
“Don’t you know about egg liquor for colds?”
“A doctor forcing folk remedies on me. I should report this.”
“Yes, yes. Please do.”
Lee Gun-san and Go Jin-woo enjoyed their drinking session, bantering back and forth.
But Lee Hyeon felt strangely odd for some reason.
Should he call it déjà vu?
“Anyway, tell us some stories about Guam. Isn’t it true that drinking sessions are nothing without heroic tales?”
“Ah, yes.”
Lee Hyeon shook off the strange sense of déjà vu and slowly began to share what he had experienced.
The story of hacking into the City Cartel’s rabbit hole and crossing over to Guam, meeting Ramon through Lee Gun-san’s introduction to form a raid team, and the process of entering the Deep Sea Dungeon…
Lee Gun-san listened with an expression of fascination, treating the story as his drinking snacks, while Go Jin-woo looked at Lee Hyeon with a fed-up expression.
“…That’s how it happened. This is the Astrape I retrieved this time.”
Lee Hyeon finished his story, having completely omitted everything related to the Seven Great Sages,
and took out the Astrape Staff from Kibisis to show them.
It was in the form of a massive staff with oak wood wrapped around a stone pillar. The Snow White at the very tip sparkled beautifully.
Crackle!
Even electric current sparked.
“…It is impressive. The masked ones would go crazy for it. So you really did go to Guam? How on earth did you manage that clone thing?”
Go Jin-woo let out a hollow laugh.
Lee Gun-san narrowed his eyes.
“Still, the situation has gotten too big. The City Cartel was unavoidable since we had to take them down out of necessity, but making enemies of the Sons of Zeus too was going too far. And even Mossad on top of that?”
Lee Hyeon listened to Lee Gun-san’s advice while storing the Astrape Staff back in Kibisis.
“No one in the underworld doesn’t know about the persistence of Zeus’s sons. What about Mossad? Among all intelligence agencies, their intelligence capabilities are almost second only to the United States. Israel’s dominance in the Middle East region is because of that, so what are you planning to do?”
A voice mixed with concern.
He was worried that Lee Hyeon might get hurt.
However,
“I understand well what you’re worried about, General. If the tail is too long, it’s bound to get stepped on.”
“But even so, why—”
“So I’m thinking, what if we make the tail so long that it becomes completely unrecognizable instead?”
“Make the tail… longer?”
Lee Gun-san blinked his eyes.
Go Jin-woo sighed from the side and put his hand to his head.
“General, don’t you know this guy even after all you’ve been through with him? He’s just saying he’ll cause a ruckus openly, but in a roundabout way. Hey you bastard, just say it properly.”
“…!?”
Lee Gun-san’s eyes widened without him realizing it,
and Lee Hyeon grinned and nodded.
“Yes. Since we’ve already started this, I’m thinking of developing the identity of Gwiroae a bit more. So that Jet won’t come to mind at all.”
“Develop the identity…?”
“I’m thinking of properly developing the company that Ramon mentioned earlier.”
Huh.
Lee Gun-san now realized why Ramon had been frantically busy and let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
“What kind of company is it?”
“An intelligence agency.”
“An intelligence… agency?”
Lee Gun-san’s expression changed strangely.
Lee Hyeon nodded.
“Yes. What I realized while being active this time was that whether or not you have someone’s support from behind is very important. There’s still too much information in the world that I don’t know. Just look at the Heracles Gang.”
“…”
“The same goes for Chairman Peng’s case. Even though we’ve identified where he is, it’s difficult to take immediate action. But if we had even one hidden hand in the shadows,”
“We could try touching him. We could also prepare new countermeasures while observing the surroundings in real time.”
Lee Gun-san continued while stroking his chin with his hand.
“But do you really need something so grand? You’ve already become a member of the massive organization called White Burn. Z Team is also definitely following you.”
“Yes. I know that if I asked, the Guild Leader and Team Leader Im would actively help me. But what they aim for is the legitimate world, isn’t it?”
“The underworld is different?”
“Yes. Of course, White Burn wouldn’t neglect intelligence work, but the ecosystem is completely different.”
“So you need a blade that can be used in the underworld.”
“The more hidden cards you have, the better. The identity of Gwiroae is perfectly specialized for that side too.”
“If that intelligence agency eventually acquires military power, it could become a means to shake the world’s power balance?”
“I’m not sure about the power balance, but I think it would be very helpful.”
Go Jin-woo had been half-dazed since the company talk started and couldn’t fully follow the conversation.
But one thing he could understand clearly.
‘These two people… they’re looking not just at what’s right in front of them, but much further ahead.’
He felt ashamed of himself for not being able to properly handle even the projects right in front of him.
But on the other hand,
‘Let’s work harder. So I don’t become an incompetent secretary, and an incompetent older brother.’
He thought he should work harder.
The guy who had seemed nothing but annoying until just moments ago now looked incredibly cool.
Is this what they mean when they say a leader is a leader?
‘Su-chan, your little brother who used to be a snotty kid has grown up this much. You should have seen this.’
Bitterness followed as well.
“It can also be used for cross-verification of information. While your network is people-based, General,”
“Your business would operate based on data like finance and trade?”
“Yes. If we combine the two, we can operate more efficiently in the order of breaking news, analysis, and action.”
“Complementary goods…”
Lee Gun-san now had a satisfied expression too.
“Even though it’s overseas, since it has official legal status, it can also be used as a shield against external shocks.”
“If we utilize the foundation of ‘Guam’ well, it would also be possible to grasp underworld affairs more quickly and thoroughly. Good.”
Lee Gun-san smiled bitterly.
“Actually, I’ve had similar thoughts myself, but being tied to the military and having my identity already heavily exposed, I just couldn’t find the time… You’re solving it like this. Haha.”
“I think I can also provide modest support for funds needed for investigations and operations.”
“I won’t refuse that. I’ve always felt sorry when asking for work with empty pockets anyway.”
Lee Gun-san seemed to already be planning how to operate the organization in the future.
“Why are you talking so roundabout? You’re just saying you’ll keep your main character here and run an alt character too, right?”
Go Jin-woo said indifferently.
“Main character? Alt character? What’s that?”
“It exists. Gaming terminology.”
“…?”
Leaving Lee Gun-san tilting his head in confusion, Lee Hyeon laughed.
Pfft.
“Let’s call it multi-expansion.”
“Either way. You’ll be busy. Good luck.”
“Right. So please take care of me from now on, hyung.”
“Huh? Why are you asking me?”
“Business management, you’ll have to do it from now on, hyung.”
Go Jin-woo’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Hey, my workload is already insanely heavy, you know? And it’s your company, so why should I…!”
“When have I ever managed stuff like this? I’m busy.”
“What the—”
“Instead, I’ll pay you a salary.”
“…How much are you going to give me?”
“About this much?”
Lee Hyeon spread out all five fingers wide.
Go Jin-woo barely managed to suppress his lips from twitching for a moment.
After all, shouldn’t a person play hard to get at least once for the full experience? That way, that arrogant bastard would know how precious his hyung is.
“500? That’s not bad, but if I work as a pay doctor, I could earn more—”
“What are you talking about. 5,000.”
“…!?”
“Of course, if there are losses, you’ll cover them. If there are profits, I’ll add that much as a bonus. Deal?”
“I will devote my complete loyalty to Chairman Jang Lee Hyeon! Loyalty, loyalty!!”
Go Jin-woo shot up from his seat and bowed his head down.
Ahem.
Lee Hyeon acted pompously.
“From now on, address me as Chairman.”
“I will devote even greater loyalty to you, Chairman!! General, I apologize. From now on, the only benefactor in my heart is Chairman Jang Lee Hyeon here! Saluting the Chairman!!”
Go Jin-woo’s head looked like it was about to drill straight through the ground.
Lee Gun-san let out a hollow laugh as he watched the comedy duo, then asked about something that suddenly came to mind.
“By the way, you said you obtained the Chalice of Resurrection? What are you planning to use that for?”
“Oh, that?”
Lee Hyeon answered as if it were nothing special.
“I’m going to use it to revive Su-chan hyung.”
“…What?”
“…!?”
Lee Gun-san’s eyes widened. Go Jin-woo raised his head high again.
However,
Lee Hyeon’s eyes, who had dropped the bombshell declaration, were blazing fiercely.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
