Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 24

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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 24

Adaptation (5)

 

 

 

The Hidden Boss felt displeasure at having their sanctuary suddenly destroyed and exposed to the outside.

‘Damn Outsiders. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have had to live in hiding like this…!’

He still remembered it vividly.

Ten years ago, when Uncle, who was like a hero to them and so dependable, was brutally murdered.

So he and his friends all hid in the Underground Waterway.

To avoid being discovered by the Outsiders.

And using the flute Uncle had left them, they turned the City into a fortress and blocked all external access.

Fortunately, they had a ‘treasure’ that could be called the source of countless curses.

Faaaaa…!

The Hidden Boss pulled something from his chest.

A Black Skull that gleamed jet black as if carved from obsidian. In its mouth was an ominously glittering Blue Gem.

 

-Take this with you.

-What is this, Uncle?

-It’s something I discovered in my childhood, along with this Magic Flute. I’ve been carrying it around as a lucky charm all this time. All the Curse Magic I’ve learned is contained within it.

-Ah!

-I’m giving this to you. This will protect you from now on.

 

Thanks to the Black Skull Uncle had given them, they could not only blow the flute continuously, but each of them could also learn various curse magic.

Without this, they wouldn’t have been able to drive away the Outsiders who had attempted to enter the City several times.

“Originally, I was planning to complete the ‘Great Curse’ through the last ritual…! But there’s no choice. It’s insufficient, but I have no option but to attempt it now.”

The reason they had lived in darkness all these years.

It was to perform the Great Curse to revive the dead Uncle.

Some might ask how resurrection could belong to curse magic,

but the conclusion he and his friends reached after putting their heads together was that curses could undergo infinite variations depending on their combination.

Living people usually die when cursed. Then couldn’t dead souls also be revived according to curses? That was their thinking.

And,

they glimpsed that possibility in this very Black Skull.

A skull containing tens of thousands of curses.

Although they didn’t know its exact origin, with this alone they could perform miracles.

However, the magic circle needed to activate the Great Curse was still incomplete…

Now that they were driven to crisis, there was no time to judge such things leisurely.

At this rate, their plan would simply be ruined. His thought was to at least try it.

“Uncle, please wait a little longer. I’ll rescue you soon…!”

He raised the Black Skull high.

He poured in Magic Power while chanting an incantation.

“Come forth!”

Faaaa!

The gem of the Black Skull began to emit a dark blue light as it absorbed the Magic Power.

At the same time, the magic circles carved into the ground, walls, and even ceiling all activated at once.

 

[The Hidden Boss begins to activate the Great Curse!]

[A ritual to revive dead specters is being activated.]

 

“Specter wandering the Nine Heavens! Come to this place!”

Wooooooong!

The light from the Black Skull burst forth even larger.

He realized intuitively.

That the probability of the Great Curse succeeding was high.

Beyond the ritual.

Beyond the invisible dimension, perhaps a place that might be the Underworld was detected.

The Hidden Boss smiled.

Now he just needed to call Uncle’s soul from that very place…!

‘There’s… nothing?’

What could this possibly be?

Beyond the ritual was filled only with empty void.

As if saying that a world called the Underworld ‘doesn’t exist.’

‘What in the world is this…!’

The Hidden Boss wondered if something had gone wrong with the Great Curse and tried to recheck it.

But,

Whirlick, thunk!

In literally the blink of an eye, disaster struck.

Just as he thought he heard a slight sound of air being cut, an axe was already embedded in the gem the Black Skull was holding.

“…!?”

Crack crack crack!

In an instant, the gem split in half and fell to the ground,

“No way!”

Whiiing-

Thunk! Thunk!

Following that, two other axes were embedded in succession into the floor and ceiling.

Each was at points that served as central axes of the magic circles.

“No! Stop!!”

The Hidden Boss realized what the three axes were trying to do and screamed desperately,

Crackle crackle crackle!

But before that, blue-white lightning bolts that each axe had been holding burst out in all directions and connected to each other like a net.

Dozens of Lightning Bolts fell in succession throughout the Clearing.

 

[Dueoksini’s Specter awakens!]

 

Kwarung! Kwaring! Kwarrung!

Flash! Flash!!

The Clearing was covered with blinding luminosity. Hot aftershocks blew several times, sweeping away the magic circles.

Even the Great Curse, everything.

Kwarrrrrrung!!

“No! This can’t be! The device to revive Uncle…! The plan I spent 10 years on…!”

The Hidden Boss screamed.

The Great Curse was disappearing. So futilely.

“Where are you! Stop hiding and come out! You wicked thing!”

There was only one person who could commit such an act.

Uuuuuung!

The Hidden Boss squeezed out all his magic power and randomly fired curses in all directions.

Of course, his curses had no effect on Lee Hyeon,

 

[‘Curse: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’ is pouring out!]

[‘Curse: Self-Depression’ is pouring out!]

…

[All curses are nullified by Curse Resistance (S).]

 

“There you are!”

There was a ‘range’ where curses were forcibly dispelled.

 

[Hidden Boss activates ‘Skill: Sewage Waterfall’!]

 

Sewage shot up to tremendous heights centered on Lee Hyeon’s stealth position, then poured straight down.

It was the same acidic sewage that Lee Hyeon had found difficult to deal with during their first encounter.

This time was no different.

Swoosh!

Lee Hyeon burst out, cutting through the darkness. The acidic sewage swept through where he had been moments too late.

“Using the nullification of curses to find my stealth position instead… That was quite a decent approach.”

Thud!

Lee Hyeon landed at a considerable distance away.

Maintaining stealth limited his lightning energy output. He switched from Night Goblin back to Fire Goblin and pulled out Dueoksini’s Collar.

Crackle!

Blue-white lightning wrapped around him densely, spinning.

“Plus using water currents and acidic liquids like this. Since it’s Sha Wujing, it’s definitely not to be underestimated.”

Lee Hyeon grinned wickedly like a goblin.

“That’s why I need to retrieve that.”

Swoosh-

Lee Hyeon moved.

Grrrrrr!

 

[Dueoksini’s Specter is causing a rampage!]

 

“Who gave you permission!!”

The Hidden Boss couldn’t understand everything Lee Hyeon was saying, but he could instinctively sense that he was targeting the black skull.

He raised the skull high. Curses spread wildly, multiplying the volume of the sewage waterfall several times over.

Blue-white lightning and the sewage waterfall collided.

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

Rumble…!

 

* * *

 

The moment Lee Hyeon became certain that ‘Sha Wujing’ was the cause of the adaptation in this dungeon was when he discovered this underground waterway.

There were several specific clues he could identify.

First was the sewage-mixed waterway.

‘Sha Wujing was originally a water demon who lived in swamplands and sand deserts.’

Second were the curses.

‘Because of such origins, before meeting Son Wukong and Tripitaka, he was notorious for devouring people and bringing plagues and curses.’

But after becoming Tripitaka’s disciple, he became the most reliable pillar of the group.

Even Son Wukong, who was always reckless, would rely on Sha Wujing when he needed mental support – he was that wise and trustworthy.

So when he judged that this dungeon might be related to Sha Wujing, Son Wukong showed emotional disturbance for the first time.

Though it was brief, it showed how specially Son Wukong regarded Sha Wujing.

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ has uncovered the secret held by through the clues obtained.]

 

[1. Acidic Sewage]

[The waterways built beneath the city have long been polluted to the point where proper life forms cannot survive. This is precisely why Rotten Rats made their nests here in large numbers.]

…

 

[2. Widespread Contamination and Curses]

…

 

[All clues have been compiled to reveal the hidden form of !]

[You can see the ‘traces of Sha Wujing’s stay’ hidden in the underground waterway.]

 

Whoosh!

The world centered around Lee Hyeon underwent a great transformation.

The map of the maze-like complex underground waterway was etched into his mind, and he could see the locations of Rotten Rat nests scattered throughout the pipes.

 

[You have interpreted ■■■■’s myth. You have gained a large amount of karma.]

[Your rank is rising.]

[The connection between soul and body has been strengthened. Your five senses have become much clearer and your sixth sense is beginning to awaken gradually.]

[Congratulations! As a reward, Combat Sense (C) has been upgraded to B rank.]

 

Ding!

Ding!

Lee Hyeon felt his senses becoming sharper each time a message appeared.

The sense that had saved his life several times during crises.

At the same time, he had this thought.

‘How much stronger could I become if I got my hands on that skull too?’

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ has confirmed that ■■■■’s myth is connected to this item.]

[Retrieving item information!]

 

[Prayer Beads Left Behind by Sha Wujing]

Sha Wujing, Son Wukong’s youngest fellow disciple, was originally a water demon who lived in swamps where sand flowed like water and devoured travelers.

He particularly favored high monks with great spiritual power, collecting only their skulls and stringing them like prayer beads to wear around his neck.

The spiritual power of high monks corrupted by demonic energy each possessed tremendous power capable of causing miracles.

-Type: Summoning Item

-Origin: Myth ‘Journey to the West’

 

Lee Hyeon was already confident that he could develop Dueoksini’s Sigh in many ways based on the curse combinations used by the curse mages.

Dueoksini’s Sigh was also a combination of Rage Energy and Condensed Lightning.

Depending on the order in which these were used, the power and effects could vary tremendously.

‘Sub-skills like Dueoksini’s Specter, rage, and collar are all like that when you think about it.’

So when he mastered all of Sha Wujing’s curse magic, he expected the ways to use Condensed Lightning would become incredibly diverse.

What if he could imbue each lightning bolt with different curses?

Or what if he could give various debuffs to opponents trapped in a net made of lightning bolts?

He could really create many results like ‘goblin tricks’.

Therefore,

Lee Hyeon was thinking of taking the black skull first.

However,

「Something’s strange.」

Son Wukong had been deep in thought with a troubled expression for a while now.

Even though he should be happy about reclaiming the myth related to someone who had been closest to him.

「No matter how I look at it, something’s off.」

‘What do you mean?’

「Everything that’s happened so far, there’s too much that doesn’t make sense for Sha Wujing to have participated in this . That guy doesn’t have the personality to do such evil things.」

According to Son Wukong’s explanation, he had completely changed after meeting Tripitaka.

Lee Hyeon nodded.

Indeed, the picture of hiding children in the underground waterway for 10 years while plotting something didn’t match the Sha Wujing depicted in Journey to the West.

「I need to find out what exactly happened.」

‘I’ll hurry.’

At Son Wukong’s words, Lee Hyeon nodded and picked up the pace.

 

[Dueoksini’s Sprint is activated!]

 

Along with the wind of Samadhi Divine Wind, he instantly reached right in front of the Hidden Boss.

Before he knew it, both his hands held two axes retrieved using magnetic force.

“Hah! You think I’ll fall for that again!”

The Hidden Boss raised the black skull he was holding high.

Although the blue gem that was the foundation of the Great Curse had shattered, there was still an enormous amount of demonic energy contained within.

Whoosh!

Dark blue flames erupted from the left eye socket of the black skull’s empty eye sockets.

 

[Hidden Boss activates ‘Skill: Acid Rain’!]

 

At that moment, the water vapor that had evaporated from colliding with the lightning bolts thickened even more and began pouring down rain heavily.

At the same time, the sewage that had risen to ankle level created turbulent waves and pressed in on Lee Hyeon.

Lee Hyeon, while still aiming for the Hidden Boss, sharply twisted his body and spun like a top.

 

[Dueoksini’s Wrath rains down everywhere!]

 

Crackle! Rumble!

Flesh Thirster and Blood Biter rotated. Dueoksini’s Collar expanded its range, deflecting both the rain and the waves.

“Futile!”

Having succeeded in binding Lee Hyeon’s ankles, the Hidden Boss tried to put the finishing touch on his advantage.

 

[Hidden Boss attempts Phase 3! Sucking all the sewage scattered in the underground waterway into one place.]

[The water level of contaminated water begins to rise!]

 

Splash splash splash!

He was trying to change the water flow of the underground waterway to completely fill the clearing.

“I’ll bury you so deep in this acid sea that they won’t even be able to recover your corpse.”

At that moment, dark blue flames also erupted from the remaining right eye socket of the black skull.

Whoosh!

 

[Summoning the souls of the deceased who have been held captive by curse chains to serve as familiars!]

 

In the clearing where acid rain poured and water levels rose, Skeleton Knights began rising.

Rattle rattle!

 

[Hidden Boss has summoned ‘Skill: Army of the Dead’!]

 

However, the Skeleton Knights summoned by the Hidden Boss had a unique characteristic.

They were all dressed as Hunters rather than dungeon natives.

‘Could it be?’

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly as he was busy deflecting the contaminated water.

 

[Activating ‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ to analyze the Skeleton Knights.]

[Analysis results are in.]

[These are all Hunters who died while attempting to conquer the dungeon. They have all been used as test subjects for the resurrection of the boss monster ‘Piper’ until now.]

 

“…!”

He had suspected it, but his prediction was really correct.

Moreover, the individual combat power of each Skeleton Knight didn’t seem much different from when they were alive.

Was this also the result of curse combinations?

It was raid-level, no, legion-level combat power that would be difficult for Lee Hyeon to handle alone right now.

“Die.”

The Hidden Boss smiled grimly as he unleashed all his attacks on Lee Hyeon.

He had been difficult to deal with when using stealth techniques, but now that his form was fully revealed, there was nothing left to fear.

Whoosh!

The Skeleton Knights all gripped their swords and spears properly and launched themselves toward Lee Hyeon in unison.

Their movements were indeed agile.

However,

“I was wondering when you’d activate your curse at maximum power… you’re only doing it now?”

Lee Hyeon smiled.

As if he had been waiting for this very moment.

The Hidden Boss tried to sneer, telling him not to bluff,

Whoosh!

As Lee Hyeon deflected a poison arrow stabbing down from the ceiling to the side, he simultaneously pulled something from his inventory.

A finger of unknown, grotesque shape.

Various forms of runic characters were written on it.

A special crafted item that Lee Hyeon had obtained by stopping at Docheol Workshop just before coming to .

‘Yellow Wind Monster’s finger.’

“What the hell is that…?”

Since the Hidden Boss was also versed in curse magic, he immediately noticed that the demonic energy contained in Yellow Wind Monster’s finger was by no means ordinary.

“I’m not sure if it’ll taste good. Try eating it.”

Lee Hyeon threw Yellow Wind Monster’s finger hard toward the skeleton legion.

Whoosh!

The Hidden Boss urgently tried to shoot it down with poison arrows, but the finger burst into light before that could happen.

Simultaneously, a raging blizzard!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…!

The world was instantly covered in ice.

 

[The ‘Bitter Cold Blizzard’ left behind by rages!]

 

The magic that had once frustrated Lee Hyeon,

The magic of appeared in this world again after 4 years and began covering the underground waterway.

—————
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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