Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 190
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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 190
Cup of Revival (5)
『…It’s gone. Really, just like you said.』
Go Jin-woo’s bewildered voice came through the mobile phone.
He could even sense a subtle anger.
『What the hell happened? Does this even make sense? There’s clearly no trace of anyone coming to visit either… I’m checking the CCTV right now, so I’ll tell you as soon as I find anything. Damn it.』
“Thanks, hyung. Just a little more—”
『Don’t say stuff like you’re grateful or whatever. Su-chan was my friend before he was your brother. I’m going to find whoever caused this mess and beat the hell out of them. Just wait.』
“Okay. I understand. I’ll trust only you, hyung.”
The call ended there.
Lee Hyeon lowered his mobile phone and squeezed his eyes shut.
“…Damn it.”
His head throbbed with a headache.
After the revival ritual ended in failure.
Lee Hyeon used the Golden Headband to figure out where exactly the ritual had gone wrong,
while sending Go Jin-woo to the columbarium where Moon Su-chan was enshrined.
Just in case he had a hunch about something.
And,
the phone call he received was far too shocking.
At the columbarium… Moon Su-chan’s cremated remains had vanished without a trace.
As if they had evaporated into thin air.
Go Jin-woo was grinding his teeth, saying he would find the thief somehow, but Lee Hyeon instinctively felt they wouldn’t be able to find them.
“Are there cases like this?”
「Well…」
「I’m not sure what to say to you, my lord.」
Lee Hyeon turned his gaze toward Roc King and Sha Wujing.
“Do you have any ideas about this?”
Roc King and Sha Wujing couldn’t answer hastily, looking at each other and groaning.
Lee Hyeon’s eyes hardened.
“You do have some ideas. Please tell me. I’m begging you.”
Finally, Sha Wujing sighed and spoke.
「If a ritual fails from the beginning, it’s usually because certain conditions weren’t met. But your ritual, my lord, proceeded well until the very end before failing midway.」
Sha Wujing had considerable knowledge in necromancy and curse magic. His ‘guess’ was likely to be true.
Lee Hyeon nodded heavily.
「That means the ritual itself originally succeeded. Whether your brother possessed you, my lord, or appeared as a ghost.」
“Then why on earth…?”
Lee Hyeon called up the message log again.
[Could not find the designated target for revival.]
[This target is not recorded in the Death Registry of the Underworld.]
“Are there cases where a dead person’s soul doesn’t go to the Underworld?”
「There are two reasons I can think of right now.」
Two reasons?
“Please tell me.”
「One is if someone intercepted your brother’s soul along the way.」
Lee Hyeon’s eyes blazed with fire.
“If they intercepted it,”
「It would mean your brother was very tempting material for someone.」
“…”
「For those who deal with necromancy or spirit magic, he would have been material worth drooling over. After all, he was none other than a disciple of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.」
Lee Hyeon pressed his lips tightly together.
「Even though my senior brother fell from the Heavens, that doesn’t mean his myths or legends disappear anywhere.」
“…But the only people who knew about hyung’s legacy were me and the general—”
「Hah. Can you be certain of that?」
Lee Hyeon couldn’t answer hastily.
Sha Wujing sighed deeply.
「You shouldn’t think of necromancers’ and spirit mages’ greed by ordinary people’s standards. Since they deal with vile things, most of their personalities are already corrupted.」
I was like that too before meeting my master. Sha Wujing continued with a bitter smile.
「What they might do if they accidentally discovered your brother… no one knows except them.」
“…”
「That’s why they’re demonic in nature, and called demons.」
“…In that case,”
Lee Hyeon clenched his teeth hard.
“In that case, how can I get hyung back?”
「You have no choice but to wait.」
“…”
Lee Hyeon’s face hardened.
「Until those bastards raise their heads, until they come up to the surface like moles, you have no choice but to wait.」
“…”
「But it won’t take very long. After all, patience is something only people with proper reason can have.」
“But,”
「Their greed alone has limits. When they gain power, they want to try using it somehow.」
“But until then, won’t hyung just be writhing in pain?”
「But if you search recklessly and the culprit hides again, it’ll become an even more troublesome situation.」
“…!”
Sha Wujing found it hard to meet Lee Hyeon’s bloodshot red eyes.
「So please wait.」
But this was all he could say to help right now.
Lee Hyeon found it impossible to contain his frustrated feelings.
「But since no evidence has been found yet that your brother was captured, there’s no need to think only negative thoughts.」
Lee Hyeon nodded heavily, but couldn’t shake the thought that this was actually quite likely.
“Then what’s the second reason you’re thinking of?”
Sha Wujing couldn’t answer for a very brief moment.
About 3 seconds. That short silence felt as long as an eternity to Lee Hyeon.
Then the words he spoke,
「If your brother had already come back to life before you even performed the ritual.」
“…!?”
Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened.
「Among demons, there are occasionally very rare cases like that. Especially among those with very outstanding bloodlines.」
“…!!”
* * *
‘There’s nothing I can do right now. I have no choice but to take time and look for clues little by little.’
Lee Hyeon decided to follow Sha Wujing’s advice for now.
His advice was correct.
Whether there were ominous signs or not, moving rashly in the current state would likely turn everything into nothing.
For now, he planned to take time to search for his brother’s whereabouts first.
If he had been captured by a sorcerer, there would be some trace left behind,
And if by an extremely slim chance he had been revived, that would be something to welcome.
‘However, if it were the latter case… the key issue would be why my brother hasn’t come to find me all this time.’
In the end, there was nothing he could do about it right now.
Therefore,
‘I’ll put the matter about my brother on hold for now. I’ll use the Cup of Revival for something else meaningful.’
There was no reason to save this item.
Lee Hyeon immediately took the Cup of Revival and headed to the subspace that Son Wukong had created with his earth vein technique.
Whoooosh!
As his vision inverted, the place that appeared
was a separate world resembling Flower Fruit Mountain.
「Are you really sure it’s okay to use that on an old god?」
Roc King, perched on Lee Hyeon’s left shoulder, asked cautiously with an apologetic yet expectant expression.
“Didn’t I tell you? I think it’s right to use this on someone who needs it. My brother would have said the same thing.”
「But you went through such hardship to obtain it with difficulty…」
「Kak kak kak! Sister-in-law, the problem is you worry too much! Since this must be a conclusion our leader reached after various considerations, just accept it with peace of mind!」
Sha Wujing laughed heartily from the side instead.
Lee Hyeon also nodded.
“And Wuyong Wang is also my sworn brother, isn’t he? So please let me use it.”
「Still…」
“If you keep worrying about it, I’ll just use it on my own and leave.”
「…Thank you. Truly.」
When Roc King bowed his head and raised it again, his eyes had changed.
「Then could you go to the medical room and wait first? There’s someone who wanted to be present during the treatment.」
Lee Hyeon realized who it was and nodded.
“Yes. Please do so.”
「I’ll be back soon.」
Roc King flapped his small wings and quickly disappeared into the sky.
Lee Hyeon watched his retreating figure quietly, then spoke to Sha Wujing.
“Let’s pick up the pace a bit.”
「Kak kak! It’s been a while since I’ve traveled alone with our leader!」
Swooooosh-
The two moved to a cave prepared deep within Flower Fruit Mountain.
The place called Sullyeom Cave in 【Valley of Sun and Moon】.
In a room filled with the scent of moxa, a middle-aged man with a gaunt frame lay straight.
“His complexion looks much better than when I saw him before.”
Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly upon seeing the change in Wuyong Wang’s complexion.
Sha Wujing jumped down from Lee Hyeon’s head, transformed into human form, and nodded.
“The Jade Emperor’s Heavenly Furnace that our leader gave during the sworn brother test was very helpful. Kak kak kak. The elixirs you brought afterward were also effective. Without our leader, the treatment would have been very sluggish.”
“What did I really do? It’s all thanks to Sha Wujing’s excellent acupuncture skills.”
“Kak kak kak kak. Of course, my acupuncture skills did provide much support too. Kak kak!”
Sha Wujing pulled out the long needle that had been inserted in Wuyong Wang’s crown and replaced it with another long needle.
The existing needle had turned black and was dripping with pus.
“The poison is still severe.”
“It’s the result of forcibly patching up a broken myth. Yin energy leaks out from there. Like pus coming from a rotten wound?”
Lee Hyeon nodded and took out the Cup of Revival from Kibisis, placing it at Wuyong Wang’s bedside.
The Cup of Revival, true to its name, quickly restored its broken parts and sparkled beautifully like new.
While Sha Wujing’s eyes sparkled as he touched it,
Flash!
Roc King returned in human form with a burst of light.
In one hand, he gripped a long chain that hung down.
“Can’t you let go of this! What exactly are you trying to do to me…! I see! Are you finally showing your true colors? Are you trying to offer me as a sacrifice to that guy lying there!?”
Jiaoma Wang, bound by the chain, screamed frantically with eyes filled with madness.
“Yes, you! You said your name was Jang Lee Hyeon! That youngest one’s apostle…! Release this damn thing right now! If you do, I’ll forgive the humiliation you put me through last time! Hurry!!”
“It had to be when his madness is at its worst… But he begged to see the old god’s treatment with his own eyes. Please understand.”
“Yes. It’s fine. Then I’ll start the ritual right away.”
Roc King tied Jiaoma Wang to one corner to prevent him from causing a disturbance, then stood next to the bronze brazier to help with the revival ritual.
‘It would be best to do this when the Great Sage is here, but… it’s better to use it right now instead.’
Lee Hyeon didn’t want to dwell on regrets while looking at the Cup of Revival.
Glug glug.
Sha Wujing filled the Cup of Revival with wine.
[The revival ritual begins!]
A message window appeared.
Lee Hyeon’s gaze fixed firmly on the window.
* * *
[Stage 4…]
…
[The revival ritual has been completed successfully.]
[1 revival count stored in Kantaros is forcibly deducted.]
[Revival begins!]
Whoooosh…
Red waves symbolizing life began to envelop Wuyong Wang’s body.
Color… gradually returned.
Roc King clenched his trembling fists tightly. Sha Wujing burst into joyful laughter.
Kak kak kak kak!!
[Congratulations! You have succeeded in reviving a Logos on the brink of extinction.]
[Old God Wuyong Wang slowly awakens from deep slumber.]
[Revival is complete, but his status is still very precarious. Gather more myths to complete a perfect revival.]
[You have achieved an incredible Achievement. As a reward, your Magic Power and Intelligence stats increase by 10.]
[Your understanding of Logos has deepened.]
[You have acquired a large amount of ■■Great■’s karma.]
[Your status increases dramatically!]
…
Messages appeared without pause.
With each one, Wuyong Wang’s breathing became much more comfortable.
[News of Wuyong Wang’s revival begins to spread throughout the 【Heavenly Realm】. Jiaoma Wang’s joining is also reported together.]
[The beings of the Divine Society, 【Heavenly Teaching】, read the heavenly signs and harden their expressions.]
[The Divine Society, 【Deva】, sends another strongly protesting letter to 【Heavenly Teaching】, asking if they really know nothing about this matter.]
…
[The Demonic Society, 【Niflheim】 shows a strange reaction.]
…
[The giants show interest.]
[The dragons observe the movements of the gods.]
…
[Based on your Achievement, you have found the third character ‘Wu’ among the broken characters of ■■Great■ ■■kong.]
[■■Great■ ■Wukong]
As a bonus, great changes were added to Lee Hyeon as well.
Crack, creak!!
Craaack—
The myths of the Seven Great Sages, including Son Wukong, were intricately connected.
The moment Wuyong Wang’s revival was completed, he could feel Son Wukong’s status rising dramatically.
The same went for Roc King and Sha Wujing.
Whoooosh!
The medical room instantly heated up with the storm of dignity emanating from these great beings.
And….
[Jiaoma Wang is gradually breaking free from his madness!]
Flash!!
In the end, it had a positive effect on Jiaoma Wang as well.
The turbid energy in his eyes had greatly subsided.
“Ahh….”
Tears were streaming down Jiaoma Wang’s face as he looked at Wuyong Wang.
Tears mixed with sadness, guilt, and joy for not being able to stay by his suffering brother’s side.
“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. Instead of being the center and helping you all, I only became a hindrance… showing such a pathetic appearance….”
“…Elder brother.”
“Bah! How could that be the fault of the Flood Demon Great Sage? You have done nothing wrong. All this guilt should be placed on those disgusting beings up in the Heavens.”
Roc King approached Jiaoma Wang and embraced him tightly. Sha Wujing glared murderously at the gods’ messages floating in the air.
“Lee Hyeon.”
Jiaoma Wang stared intently at Wuyong Wang’s peaceful face, then slowly turned his gaze toward Lee Hyeon.
Eyes that reminded one of the deep sea.
However,
Right there were pupils that contained a sea roughly churning with storms and tsunamis.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know when my madness might strike again. So before that happens, I have a request for you.”
“Please tell me.”
Was he asking to form a contract of friendship?
However,
Jiaoma Wang’s request far exceeded that.
“You know that my heart is the heart of Ymir, the primordial giant, don’t you?”
“That’s true, but,”
“Though it’s called a replica, it’s not fake. Rather, it’s closer to a [fragment] of the ‘real thing.'”
“…Don’t tell me.”
Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened with unease.
“I will give it to you. You take it instead.”
“…!!”
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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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