Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 269

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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 269

To South Africa (2)

“What do you mean, do I have any thoughts of becoming a disciple…!”

「Kekeke! You already understand everything, yet you pretend not to know.」

The Snow Queen stopped rebuilding the broken Ice Palace using her servants and turned to look at Sha Wujing.

But Sha Wujing, who had been helping with the work, only smiled.

「Keke. Or is there some problem that makes it impossible?」

“It’s not that, but… it’s just so sudden.”

The Snow Queen trailed off with a confused expression, speaking without realizing it.

After Lee Hyeon sealed the Bloodflower Serpent and returned,

The Snow Queen was reluctantly restoring the half-destroyed Ice Palace bit by bit.

At least the Mindscape had constant blizzards year-round due to the [Frozen Human] trait,

Otherwise, she might have given up long ago and gone on strike.

It was precisely at this time that Sha Wujing frequently came and went from the Mindscape, listening to the Snow Queen’s laments.

Kai.

A child the Snow Queen had loved long ago but could never be with,

And who also had a connection with Sha Wujing—through this child’s story, they could form a bond of understanding.

-Keke. Though I may not look it, this old man traveled through quite many in his youth.

-That’s when I met him. He seemed to have talent as a sorcerer too.

-I formed a connection then and taught him some magic arts for a while.

Sha Wujing also became her conversation partner.

The topic was mainly gossip(?) about Lee Hyeon.

About how he caused such chaos and then ran away, and how he’d recently been neglecting them almost entirely…

He listened so well to her complaints.

Even the Snow Queen came to her senses later and was startled by how much she’d talked.

Moreover, Sha Wujing used his unique curse magic to help greatly with restoring the fortress.

It matched very well with the Snow Queen’s specialty ice magic.

Was it because they were both of the yin element?

Thanks to this, the Snow Queen, who had recently been designated as a temporary apostle by Mahabali and was making great progress,

Was gaining much inspiration by observing Sha Wujing’s curse magic from the sidelines.

But then Sha Wujing suddenly brought up the disciple proposal.

The Snow Queen couldn’t help but be surprised.

[At Sha Wujing’s request, the lunar eclipse of ‘Divine Authority: Solar and Lunar Eclipse’ is illuminating the Mindscape!]

「Kekeke. There’s nothing sudden about it. In fact, I’ve been watching you for a long time.」

“But I am,”

「I know. You still have an unfinished bitter connection with our Chosen One, don’t you?」

“…Yes. That’s right.”

「Keke. This old man first took notice of you because I was worried about what might happen if you broke your ‘promise’ and harmed the Chosen One, so I understand well.」

“…”

「But I soon learned. That you are a queen with honor and pride.」

The Snow Queen felt a bit embarrassed as Sha Wujing suddenly praised her.

When had she ever felt this way before?

「Then spending time with the Chosen One, putting your heads together, worrying about growth… I couldn’t help but keep watching.」

Kekeke.

Sha Wujing continued speaking while letting out his characteristic clear laughter.

「When the Chosen One fought with beings from the Outer Sea this time, seeing you help support his inner world so firmly, I thought it would be good if I could help more too.」

Sha Wujing smiled warmly while still maintaining his cute baby turtle appearance.

「The reason I’ve been constantly coming and going from the palace lately was partly because I wanted to observe you more closely.」

Just like with the 【Pied Piper】, Sha Wujing had no hesitation in sharing his curse magic with those he formed connections with.

And the Snow Queen was definitely a talent worth nurturing.

Just as the Roc King acted as Sahŭn’s mentor.

「Or is this old man lacking qualifications as a teacher?」

“Th-there’s no way that could be! It’s just that, as you know, I recently began serving a new god…”

The Snow Queen quickly waved her hands in denial. Sha Wujing’s proposal was certainly a good opportunity for her.

「Keke. You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve already received Bali’s permission.」

[Mahabali nods solemnly.]

[Mahabali responds that he is merely a being who bestows blessings, and it’s difficult for him to look into every detail of Lower Realm affairs.]

[Mahabali smiles, saying that if it’s the Golden Arhat, he’s certainly trustworthy enough to entrust an apostle to.]

「Kekeke! An apostle cherished by Bali would be a talent anyone would covet.」

“…”

The Snow Queen swallowed nervously with a tense expression.

Even though it was temporary, becoming Mahabali’s apostle was already a huge opportunity for her.

She had actually been greatly shocked when Lee Hyeon directly demonstrated [Three Steps of Pātāla].

But if she could add Sha Wujing’s curse magic to that?

Her ice magic and the Ring of Eternal Ice could deepen by another level.

Then the day might truly come when she could complete her 【Conclusion】 and finish her 【Narrative】.

Divinity.

To awaken again as a proper independent being rather than just an incomplete character.

‘…Honestly, I’ve been envious of that Sahŭn kid more than once or twice.’

Sahŭn’s recent growth rate was frightening, so the Snow Queen was feeling her position becoming precarious.

Right now they were still bickering with each other,

But he was not only preparing to hatch as a dragon, but also receiving teachings from both the Roc King and Brithra—he only had soaring ahead left.

When that time came, someone like her who only had an Ice Palace wouldn’t even be worth comparing to him.

However,

With Sha Wujing’s help, the story would be completely different.

‘If you think about it, if the Seven Great Sages’ progress goes to Sahŭn, then the Four Dharma Kings’ progress would come to me…’

Considering that the Roc King often borrowed help from other Seven Great Sages to assist Sahŭn, the Snow Queen naturally couldn’t help but feel greedy.

Sha Wujing would also borrow help from Zhu Bajie or Xuanzang. This too was a path to aim for greater development.

「Keke. You have a very troubled face. How will you decide? Have you organized your thoughts?」

“I will…!”

The Snow Queen nodded firmly with a determined expression.

* * *

On the way home.

‘The Mountain God’s talisman…’

Lee Hyeon let out a hollow laugh while fiddling with the jade ring Mo Jeong-gyeon had returned to him.

“It seems your grandmother took quite a liking to Manager Jang.”

Im Won-young, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at him and spoke.

Since it overlapped with rush hour, Im Won-young was giving him a ride in his personal car.

Vrooooom!

For all that, the supercar’s speed was incredibly fast and the driving was quite rough too.

‘Still, she absolutely doesn’t smoke inside the car.’

Lee Hyeon had such pointless thoughts as he asked.

“Are you talking about the Guild Leader?”

“Yes. It’s extremely rare for her to show such concern for guild members.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And she even opened the warehouse for you. Have you decided what to take?”

“I’ve just narrowed it down to a few candidates for now.”

Lee Hyeon fiddled with the jade ring again while glancing at Im Won-young.

Cat-like sharp eyes, a slender figure. The way she held the steering wheel with one hand looked like a photo shoot.

But on the battlefield, she was a warrior rougher than anyone.

He suddenly became curious.

If Mountain God Mo Jeong-gyeon really was a being who came from the Outer Sea,

what kind of person would Im Won-young, who inherited that blood, be?

And…

‘What kind of people were Im Won-young’s parents, whom the Mountain God cast out?’

“Team Leader Im’s,”

Lee Hyeon carefully began speaking while agonizing over his word choice.

“What kind of person is your grandmother?”

“Grand… mother?”

“Yes. I was wondering what kind of person she is as a grandmother, not as the Guild Leader.”

“Well… I wonder.”

“If I asked too personal a question, I apologize—”

“No. It’s not that, it’s just that I’ve never thought about it that deeply either.”

Im Won-young gave a bitter smile before continuing.

“Grandmother is…”

She mumbled without finishing until the end, then finally concluded.

“She’s a bad person. Really.”

* * *

“Thank you for the ride.”

“Not at all. I had business nearby anyway. I’ll see you at the company then.”

“Yes. I’ll see you after my vacation.”

Vrooooom!!

The supercar carrying Im Won-young disappeared onto the road with another loud noise.

“…A bad person.”

Lee Hyeon mulled over the words Im Won-young had said with a bitter smile, then slowly turned around.

This was Uijeongbu.

The place where Lieutenant General Lee Gun-san’s house was located.

A place that had now become a hideout for him and Z-Team.

Sure enough.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The smell of grilling meat was already wafting from the yard.

“Hey, waiter! Bring some meat over here! We’re all out of meat!”

“Wait a bit, you bastard! Can’t you see I’m taking it to another table right now?”

“Bring alcohol! Alcohol! Where’s the alcohol?”

“Just open the fridge and get it yourself, how many times do I have to say it! It’s self-service!”

“Ey! This place has really poor service.”

“Do these guys really think this is a barbecue restaurant!?”

They said only people with free time would gather for a light company dinner.

Nearly 90% of the personnel had gathered.

Basically everyone except those with families had come.

Thanks to that, Go Jin-woo, the hideout’s manager(?) and butler(?), was the only one dying from overwork.

Why was there so much to serve?

“You just click away in your little room, so why are you so slow?”

“Scholars are no good for this reason.”

“Ah, these bastards really…!”

“Hehe. Scholars are best when you give them a hard time. Oh? Isn’t that the Team Leader? Team Leader, come over here!”

“Ooooh! Our master! Our hero! I’ve been warming this chair with my butt for the Team Leader!”

The team members who spotted Lee Hyeon all waved their hands cheerfully.

Everyone’s faces were flushed, showing they’d already had a drink or two of soju and beer.

Lee Hyeon wondered if he should really go in there, but ended up being dragged by Kang Tae-gyun and Nam Geon-o and seated in the designated spot.

“The Team Leader is here, you guys! Raise your glasses high!!”

“Ooooh!”

Everyone shouting and raising their glasses high was starting to feel scary.

In the end, Lee Hyeon had to drink more than four glasses of soju and beer on the spot as punishment(?) for being late before he could finally be released.

“…Ugh, did you all accumulate resentment from not being able to drink?”

“We suffered like hell in the desert. So we need occasions like this.”

Oh Su-heon, sitting next to him, smiled brightly while taking a bite of cabbage.

Lee Hyeon stared at her intently.

“What are you looking at?”

“…I’m wondering if what you’re doing right now is good for the baby’s emotional development.”

Oh Su-heon was boldly wearing a baby carrier in front while holding a glass of soju and beer in one hand.

Giggle! Giggle!

The cute baby was laughing happily.

“The baby’s dad can’t drink. He’s cooking with his wife in the kitchen.”

“That’s not what I meant… Never mind. Forget it.”

Lee Hyeon chuckled and lightly clinked glasses with Oh Su-heon.

“But those guys came too?”

Lee Hyeon glanced toward Lee Gun-san.

There, Eom Gi-seon and Seo Ae-ri were receiving drinks from Lee Gun-san.

Even those who weren’t originally from the Thunder Unit had joined.

“It would be weird to exclude them from the company dinner just because they’re not from Blue Thunder, right? Those two said they were curious about the Lieutenant General too. So I just told them to come.”

“Good call. I was actually worried about that.”

Through this business trip, the Blue Thunder veterans had perfectly integrated into Z-Team. Eom Gi-seon and Seo Ae-ri were also adapting well to their new teammates.

“But why did the Guild Leader suddenly call you? What did she say?”

“Nothing much.”

“…?”

“Just had a light discussion about the next operation.”

“What? Operation? We just got back and she’s giving us work again?”

Oh Su-heon openly frowned in displeasure, but

“No. I was the one who asked for it.”

“…You really, ugh. Persistent, so persistent.”

She trembled her fist at Lee Hyeon’s nonchalant answer.

She had momentarily forgotten while intoxicated by the drinking party.

Even when Lee Hyeon was leading the Thunder Unit, he almost never just rested quietly.

Jang Lee Hyeon was someone who got restless if he wasn’t always doing something.

No wait. It wasn’t just the Thunder Unit, he was like that in private school too, wasn’t he?

What a frustrating guy.

“Then this mission should be an easy one….”

“It looks like it’ll be another long business trip though.”

“Hey! If that’s the case, I’m really going to have a hard time!”

Oh Su-heon screamed while showing his baby.

Pfft.

Lee Hyeon chuckled lightly as he answered.

“Don’t worry. Would I keep dragging around guys who have families like that? This time I’m planning to only take volunteers. I’ll probably take just two or three people.”

“Volun… teers?”

“Yeah. We’re going to South Africa.”

“…That’s really far. How long has it been since you came back from the Middle East and you’re going even farther? I’m out.”

“Do whatever you want.”

Oh Su-heon rolled his eyes at Lee Hyeon’s nonchalant response.

Since he answered so casually, it made him curious about the details.

He wondered if it might be something they could handle quickly and get out.

Long-distance missions paid very well in allowances.

As a new father, it was talk that couldn’t help but pique his interest.

“But… what exactly is this mission about?”

“It’s nothing special.”

Still the same indifferent tone.

Oh Su-heon couldn’t contain his terrible curiosity.

“So what is it exactly?”

“Su-chan hyung might be alive. I’m going to check.”

“…??”

Oh Su-heon blinked his eyes for a moment, thinking he might have misheard,

“!?!?”

When he finally came to his senses, his face had turned bright red.

Lee Hyeon was still calmly drinking his beer and soju mix.

“If that’s not a big deal, then what the hell would be a big deal!!”

Oh Su-heon shot up from his seat and yelled. The baby started crying in surprise, and all the team members who had been chattering noisily turned their attention this way.

Lee Hyeon’s eyes had grown serious.

“What the hell does that mean! Explain it properly!!”

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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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