Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 292

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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 292

Blood Pact (2)

“By now, that child must have learned about the end. I’m already curious what expression he’s making.”

Tiamat quietly closed her eyes and savored the hot heat emanating from the Jade Throne.

This Jade Throne that Brithra had given her long ago was actually a life-support device that kept Tiamat alive when her life could end at any moment.

[Jade Throne of Suspended Breath]

A throne gifted by Brithra, the leader of 【Daeva】 and ancient dragon, to Tiamat who was once his old friend.

It contains a core that has steadily captured Brithra’s first breath (Prāṇa) exhaled upon waking at dawn for 10,000 days.

Having lost her heart, Tiamat remains alive as long as she is on this throne, but does not pulsate and exists excluded from the world’s circulation.

-Type: Sacred Relic. Miscellaneous.

[Breath (Prāṇa)]

Prana is the most fundamental ‘flow of breath’ that keeps living beings alive. It exists before the heart, blood vessels, and body, and corresponds to the temporal condition of all life activities.

It is the power that holds existence together so it doesn’t break apart, meaning the source of life, or the first beginning of cosmic and natural circulation.

-Origin: Myth ‘Rigveda’

Tiamat stopped chuckling and looked at the large serpent Kingu who was quietly staring at her.

“You look like you have much to say?”

「Is this really alright?」

“What is?”

「The brothers’ opposition is strong. They say that a mere human went to the treasury that even they couldn’t enter…」

“Hmph. Those who can’t even speak properly in front of me are just pointlessly complaining behind my back.”

「…」

“If they’re frustrated, tell them to come directly to me and speak boldly. At least that child had the spirit to boldly tell me what he wanted, despite being a mere human, didn’t he?”

Tsk!

Tiamat crossed her arms and clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Kingu silently rolled his eyes.

He knew well.

How strict she could be when she was stern, even though she appeared as only a merciful mother to her other children.

Sometimes she was an evil dragon of destruction who could boldly sweep away the world she had birthed.

That was her true nature.

「You know well that they cannot do that.」

Kingu smiled bitterly.

Tiamat snorted.

“That is exactly why I looked favorably upon that child.”

「But he will eventually learn that this world must inevitably meet its end, won’t he? If he’s an ordinary human, surely he will,」

“Go mad. Just like those fanatics over there.”

A smile appeared on Tiamat’s lips for the first time.

A different expression from when she mentioned the Eleven Evil Dragons.

Kingu felt a strange sense of incongruity.

「Even though you know that fact well,」

“There’s nothing quite as frustrating as realizing you have a terminal life. No wonder even the Celestial Beings act so sensitive.”

「…」

“But occasionally, there are those who know such truth yet don’t feel crisis and instead shine even more brilliantly.”

Kingu had several faces that came to mind.

Those who were called heroes among heroes.

Those who had the throne of Logos, the end of gods, right before their eyes.

—God King.

One of them was the mother right before his eyes. And another was someone very close to Lee Hyeon.

「Great Sage Equal to Heaven was… one of them.」

“That’s right. Really, he acted like a reckless fool who knew no fear of heaven, and truly ended up standing above the heavens, that crazy bastard. Though the result didn’t turn out well.”

「…」

Kingu was about to say that you are the same, mother, but firmly shut his mouth.

Tiamat would know better than anyone.

「Then do you believe that child will be able to overcome it well like Great Sage Equal to Heaven?」

“Like Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Hardly.”

As if asking what nonsense he was speaking.

Kingu’s expression darkened slightly.

「Indeed, it would be difficult for a human. Then,」

“Rather, I think he’ll stand above that, above the heavens.”

「…!!」

“Of course, if he fails, he’ll fall even further down. Into an abyss deeper than his master’s. So deep he could never rise again.”

There would be no second chance for that child.

That’s what Tiamat was saying.

“But well. I think he’ll do it. Wouldn’t it be worth watching?”

Tiamat smiled with interest. Kingu unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

Gulp!

“Whether he can become one who continues writing rather than concluding… in a world where the ‘end’ has been foretold.”

Tiamat’s gaze turned toward the Abyss below.

* * *

[You have acquired a large amount of information about the Outer Sea!]

[You begin to perceive the Outer Sea. Access authority has been elevated. Filtering is partially removed.]

[The madness of the Outer Sea begins to surge through your perceived senses.]

[Your mind begins to be contaminated by the Outer Sea’s madness!]

…

[Curse has been added!]

[‘Status Abnormality: Madness Infection’ occurs.]

[‘Status Abnormality: Mental Derangement’ occurs.]

[‘Status Abnormality: Abyss Terror’ occurs.]

…

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Headband’ rotates to block external mental intrusion!]

Whiiiiiing…!!

The Golden Headband began rotating faster than ever before.

White heat so intense that steam rose from it.

Just by perceiving the Outer Sea, the incoherent narratives that composed the Outer Sea began to be heard like whispers in his ears.

Whisper whisper.

—It has been truly long since I’ve seen a mortal. How admirable. I shall devour you.

Whisper whisper whisper.

—No. I shall devour you. Dwell in me. Whisper to me. Call my name. If you do, you shall receive glory.

Whisper whisper whisper whisper.

―Insect. If you are an insect, then crawl like an insect and dwell within me. You fail to properly recognize us and cannot properly see us, nothing but vain delusions, vain moments, vain instants, for we are.

―Do you not wish to live? Stories ultimately shatter. What you call immortality is not immortality. I shall give you true immortality. I will make a mayfly live for two days. I will give you a crown. Since you have seen us, I cannot help but acknowledge that. Surrendering to the Outer Sea is the highest glory your soul can achieve. Do you see it there? The moment you see the Jade Throne where you will sit.

A festival of words that were utterly incomprehensible.

Countless voices,

And an intention so enormously vast that it made even the Logoi seem like tiny fireflies,

Kept shaking Lee Hyeon and tempting him to come to them.

‘This is a bit… dangerous.’

The more he learned about the Outer Sea, the more the whispers continued to grow.

Was this why the System kept applying filters? It certainly wasn’t good.

‘If simply recognizing it causes this much, what happens when you actually witness it directly? Can the Logos even withstand it?’

Lee Hyeon recalled the ‘Left Hand’ that the Outer Sea’s existence had extended, and clenched his molars tight.

Truly, the deeper he learned about the truth of this world, the more terrifying things there were.

On one hand, his curiosity about the ‘System’ also grew.

Decades ago, the System Messages that began with the appearance of dungeons.

This not only gave power to humans, but also protected them from the approaching threat of the Outer Sea.

What could be the secret behind this?

Perhaps this too was some kind of breakwater meant to block the Outer Sea.

Something someone had intentionally created…

「You should stop looking now, Chosen One! If this continues, it will be dangerous!」

Sha Wujing now tried to dissuade Lee Hyeon. Lee Hyeon had been continuing to read intently like someone possessed by something.

【…■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■■■■ ■■■■ will■ ■■■ ■■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■■■■…】

Even though most of the booklet’s contents were now unreadable,

Lee Hyeon suddenly realized something.

‘I need to confirm more.’

A conclusion drawn by combining all assumptions and speculation, newly obtained information, and existing knowledge.

10. This world might be a dungeon.

He didn’t know why such an intuition had emerged.

Operating the Golden Headband to its limit, fast-forwarding his thought acceleration to maximum,

And half-entranced by the madness of the Outer Sea, it might have been mere speculation.

But,

‘…This is it.’

Lee Hyeon somehow felt that even if some delusion might be mixed in, he wouldn’t completely stray from this hypothesis.

When you think about it, ordinary dungeons also float on the ocean called Earth like ‘islands,’ each having different ecosystems.

‘And just as high-ranking recognize the outside of dungeons, if the Logoi also recognize the outside of the world…’

It felt like matryoshka dolls.

Like a nested structure where progressively smaller dolls are contained within a large doll,

The thought that dungeons might actually be made of continuous layers.

And,

Lee Hyeon knew of one more place with this kind of structural environment.

‘…Tiamat’s Nest.’

The ancient evil dragon known to have existed since the primordial creation of this world, from the first day it awakened as an island.

What if she had created the current 【Nest】 while glimpsing the structure of the world?

“Within a single speck of dust, all the worlds of the ten directions are contained (, )… All lands are adorned by consciousness (, ), and all those worlds are connected as one land (, )…”

Suddenly, Lee Hyeon’s confused mind settled calmly.

A verse contained in some Buddhist scripture.

Lee Hyeon’s soliloquy was not something Lee Hyeon had spoken.

It was what Xuanzang Tripitaka, who had been sleeping on Flower Fruit Mountain, warmly said to him as he opened his eyes.

「Master!」

Whoooosh!

The white light gently spreading from the Golden Headband slowly transformed into Buddha’s light.

A scene as if Lee Hyeon wore the Buddha’s aureole.

His eyes also sank deeply.

“All things in the world overlap and overlap endlessly without end . One is all, and all is one, so what is there to worry about (, )?”

Lee Hyeon quietly nodded his head.

The confusion that had filled his mind disappeared like a lie. His mind snapped to attention as if ice water had been poured on him.

Perhaps thanks to Xuanzang Tripitaka, all the whispers from the Outer Sea had also disappeared. He actually felt relieved.

“Thank you, Master.”

Lee Hyeon saw the vision of Xuanzang Tripitaka smiling and moving away.

At that moment,

Enlightenment struck like lightning. It was Zen.

Ding!

Ding!

[You have successfully escaped from the madness of the Outer Sea. Mental contamination has disappeared.]

[You have achieved an unbelievable Achievement. Your rank increases dramatically.]

[Your rank increases.]

…

[Your demon resistance has risen to maximum. Curse Assimilation (SSS) has been promoted to Curse Dominion (EX).]

[The Dominion category has been unlocked.]

[‘Dominion’ means absolute authority or absolute superiority over the corresponding item.]

[As long as you have Curse Dominion (EX), you will never suffer from curses and can instead gain superiority over opponents.]

…

[Mental defense has risen to the extreme. ‘Trait: Indomitable’ has gained strong resistance even to the madness of the Outer Sea.]

…

「Are you alright, Chosen One!?」

“Yes. I’m fine. More than that…”

Lee Hyeon calmed the worried Sha Wujing, then glanced at the countdown message.

[10:59:41]

“…There’s still a lot left to see, but I’ve spent too much time here.”

「Good grief! You nearly got into trouble, and the first thing you think of is inefficiency?」

Lee Hyeon smiled silently. Sha Wujing shook his head as if he couldn’t be helped.

“For now, I think I’ve gathered enough information about the Outer Sea, so I’ll move on to the next category right away.”

Lee Hyeon decided to temporarily set aside his thoughts about the Outer Sea and the structure of the world.

He needed more information to reach certainty, and just recognizing the facts to some extent would make dealing with future situations much easier.

And,

‘In the end, the most important thing isn’t anything else. It’s my own power.’

Lee Hyeon immediately moved to the area with the martial arts category.

* * *

[You have visited the ‘Martial Arts’ category area.]

[You can acquire any martial arts manual or secret technique book you desire in this place.]

The very first thought that came to mind upon entering the area was just one thing.

“Sha Wujing.”

「Kekeke! What is it, Chosen One?」

“Is this Heaven?”

「Kekekekeke! It certainly might look that way to you, Chosen One!」

There were too many things to enjoy.

So much so that he wanted to live here for the rest of his life.

What particularly caught Lee Hyeon’s attention

was not the commonly known martial arts of the Logoi.

‘I was originally thinking of looking for Lasya, which is said to form a set with Dance of Shiva (=Tandava)…’

—Martial arts.

What caught his eye were old martial arts texts said to originate from the civilization of some world called the ‘Island’… which had supposedly met its end.

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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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