Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 302

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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 302

Six Stars (2)

Lee Hyeon let Sha Wujing’s laughter flow past his ears as he looked at Dionysus.

The attitude of enjoying his golden cup and watching whatever he had to say was nowhere to be seen from just moments before.

That meant his pride had been deeply wounded.

‘Gods can endure having their reputation tarnished, but they absolutely cannot stand being dragged through the gutter.’

「Kekeke! That is precisely the limitation of those divine beings.」

‘Ah! Of course, I don’t mean Master Sha.’

「Kekekeke. Don’t worry, I’m not misunderstanding. But my senior brother would fall into that category, wouldn’t he?」

‘No comment.’

「Kekekekeke! Very well! That answer is sufficient!」

Sha Wujing grinned wickedly above Lee Hyeon’s head as he looked at Dionysus.

「The gods of 【Olympus】 especially pride themselves on their narcissistic nature, so this kind of provocation works very well on them.」

But contrary to his smiling lips, coldness gathered around his eyes.

「Like a pitiful actor who became consumed by the role of god while playing it… Still not knowing that this only drags them deeper into the swamp of madness.」

[Brithra sits on the sofa with great interest, watching your performance.]

[Mahabali looks displeasedly at Dionysus disguised as a god.]

[The Yarhibol-Agribor siblings watch you with sparkling eyes.]

“…But what if this is your scheme to drive a wedge between us and the Dijiang Sect?”

Then Dionysus momentarily stopped his rage and glared at Lee Hyeon.

「Oh! It seems his intelligence hasn’t completely flown away. Kekeke. But stirring up trouble won’t work on our Chosen One.」

“If you don’t believe it, read the lingering thoughts in that fragment.”

Lee Hyeon replied indifferently.

“As far as I know, Apollo has prophetic abilities. Wouldn’t it be clean if you asked him? Take it and verify it.”

“…”

“How those fanatic bastards tried to corrupt Olympus’s legacy.”

Pfft.

Lee Hyeon shrugged his shoulders and let out a sneer.

“Well, the damage to your brothers will be quite severe while you’re verifying it.”

A leisurely attitude that whatever choice he made wouldn’t be wrong in the end.

Lee Hyeon’s lie was mixed with ninety percent truth.

It was true that the Dijiang Sect was targeting Moon Su-chan, and he had seen with his own eyes the circumstances of their attempted cooperation with Russia.

Lee Hyeon had simply thrown in the catalyst of ‘insult to Olympus.’

Of course, Dionysus still didn’t withdraw his suspicion.

Kiiiaaa!

The moment he clenched his fist, the grape vines growing around them screamed and writhed.

“You… why are you helping us? What reason does a Korean ranker have to interfere in this matter?”

“I’m not helping. I’m proposing a deal.”

Lee Hyeon gestured toward Tabo Director with his chin.

“If South Africa falls, Korea and America’s investment stakes will also disappear. If the Dijiang Sect takes this land, not only will the poison of the Outer Sea run wild, but even the 【Nest】 will experience breaks.”

Lee Hyeon said coldly.

“We simply don’t want that.”

Thorough pragmatism.

Rather, that worldly reason was more persuasive to Dionysus.

‘From the gods’ perspective, humans are originally beings who move based on such petty desires.’

Lee Hyeon had designed this game while thinking thoroughly from Dionysus’s perspective and mindset.

It was a way of thinking that only someone mysterious who could freely move between the two viewpoints of human and demon could achieve.

[The myth ‘Vineyard That Calls Madness’ trembles with deep anger!]

“I drove away Oleg. Now it seems only those mole bastards who disgrace your father’s legacy remain.”

Lee Hyeon brought up his terminal and marked coordinates at the northern end of the Drakensberg Mountains.

A location hundreds of kilometers away from here.

It was a place that the dungeon giant queen Hela had identified in advance while pursuing the Dijiang Sect.

“What will you do? Will you go? Or would you rather drink more with me?”

“…Wine brewed with the blood of those fanatics would taste much better.”

Whoooosh!

Instantly, a massive purple storm arose where Dionysus had been standing.

“Six Stars, Six Stars, so they sing… Now I understand why they call it that.”

‘Six Stars?’

Dionysus muttered something Lee Hyeon couldn’t understand, then

Whoosh!

With the sweet scent of wine, he flew like an arrow toward the distant north and disappeared.

Where the storm had passed.

Tabo Director finally let out the breath he’d been holding and slumped to the ground.

Thud!

“…Insane. Really insane.”

Tabo looked up at Lee Hyeon.

The man who had made the leader of an axis of evil, equal to nine thousand and steeped in arrogance, into his hunting dog.

But thanks to that, his homeland was now safe from danger, and his awe only grew greater.

“What… exactly are you?”

Pfft.

Lee Hyeon pulled down the mask that had been half-covering his face and smiled lightly.

“I told you. An expensive mercenary.”

* * *

International waters near South Africa.

Inside a Zarya stealth transport ship.

Vrrrrrr!

The air inside the transport ship was ice-cold.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The Zarya members who had prided themselves as the world’s strongest just yesterday couldn’t lift their heads.

Dozens of elite forces had their path blocked by just five people, got caught in Astra’s surveillance network, and were retreating as if driven out with the disgrace of sovereignty violation.

Their pride had already been torn to shreds by Lee Hyeon’s blue-white lightning.

“Director…”

The first squad leader spoke with a trembling voice.

His gaze lingered on Oleg’s empty right shoulder.

It was a trace of lightning energy.

A vicious magic poison that made even a high ranker’s body refuse to regenerate.

“It’s our oversight. We underestimated their capabilities. To have the entire unit’s feet tied by just five people… It’s Zarya’s shame.”

The members’ fists clenched with strength.

Someone bit their lips in frustration until they bled.

At that moment, Oleg, who had been silently drinking vodka with one hand, roughly slammed the bottle down.

“Lift your heads.”

A heavy voice mixed with metallic undertones.

Oleg Perunov’s eyes still gleamed like those of a wild beast.

“Zarya didn’t lose. I lost.”

“No, Director! This was ultimately our failure to properly carry out orders…!”

“No. It’s my defeat.”

“…”

“And Astra’s… no, Jet would be the main character here. Anyway, we just fell into a trap that bastard set up well.”

Oleg patted the Squad Leader’s shoulder with his remaining left hand. It was a rough but deeply trusting touch.

“You all moved perfectly. It’s just that the opponent… was a big shot who exceeded the standards of the ‘inland sea’ we knew. Don’t be consumed by resentment here. That’s what weaklings do.”

“But Captain, your arm…!”

“Didn’t we learn the identity of such a big shot by giving up one arm? Then it’s more than worth it.”

Oleg gazed at the South African coastline receding outside the window.

In his mind was etched the look in Lee Hyeon’s eyes as he wielded his axe and Yeo-ui Swae without hesitation.

‘Jang Lee Hyeon.’

Oleg analyzed coldly.

Jet wasn’t just simple military force. He was the focal point who used Dionysus as a chess piece and made Astra come all the way to South Africa on their own.

If such a person wasn’t a monster… no, a giant, then what would he be?

Being young didn’t make those achievements disappear.

However,

“…”

“…”

“…”

The members all had to either bite their lips tightly or clench their fists while swallowing their anger.

The word defeat, so unfamiliar to them, came too bitterly.

‘These guys and their competitive spirit.’

But Oleg didn’t particularly try to dissuade them further about this.

Sometimes such stimulation would become the driving force to make the unit grow more.

Oleg trusted the will and talent of his subordinates whom he had raised and nurtured like children that much.

“Now the axis of the world will change.”

The members listened to Oleg’s muttering.

“If the Dark Side of the Moon has been pulling strings from the shadows until now, now a cooperative organization centered on Astra will try to seize hegemony in the light. And Jet will be sitting at the heart of that organization.”

The premonition that Lee Hyeon’s existence would go beyond being a simple Hunter,

to become both a symbol and blade that unites awakened ones around the world.

It was a scenario like a disaster for Russia.

‘Things like Astra and the Foreign Legion, and White Burn too, will all just become supporting actors for that guy.’

Oleg recalled a term the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had once mentioned about Lee Hyeon.

One of the new starlight to shine in the sky following the Nine Heavens?

So they call him a next-generation Nine Heavens who leads the Six Luminous Stars or something…

To Oleg, it was ridiculous talk.

Lee Hyeon was already an existence that couldn’t be compared by such standards.

An existence who would soon stand shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Heavens, or perhaps had already reached there.

“We return to Moscow.”

Cold anger and fighting spirit rose simultaneously in Oleg’s eyes.

“Go and make sure to tell the other members. Moderate training is no longer enough.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The members’ eyes shone piercingly.

The anger and will that Oleg harbored was transmitted to them completely.

“To kill a dokkaebi that even devours Perun’s lightning, we have no choice but to become myths ourselves.”

The severed shoulder muscle spasmed. The pain was vivid, and that pain soon became Oleg’s narrative.

“…Jang Lee Hyeon. Next time we meet, I’ll treat you in hell, not in my belly.”

The transport ship turned north, cutting through the red sunset.

The beast that had swallowed defeat began sharpening its claws more viciously.

* * *

Several days later.

The low rumbling of blue-tinted hydrogen engines filled the runway of Johannesburg Military Airbase.

A special Astra transport aircraft provided by Logan Redsky.

In front of that massive fuselage, Lee Hyeon breathed in the dry dawn air.

“You’re really leaving.”

Lee Hyeon turned his head at the voice from behind.

Tabo Director’s attire was much more neat than a few days ago, and his eyes carried the weight of one who had regained real power.

Over the past few days, South Africa’s political world had undergone very big changes, both in shadow and light.

Amandla Khoetsi’s surrender and the absorption of Draconis Watch. And the thorough purge of political forces that had been aligned with the Dark Side of the Moon, including Russia.

In just a few days, South Africa’s power structure had been completely reorganized along the lines drawn by Lee Hyeon and Astra.

Naturally,

At the center was SSA Director Tabo Mncwolisi, backed by Lee Hyeon and Astra’s protection.

Now his influence reached every corner of South African society beyond just politics.

However, given Tabo Director’s disposition, these changes weren’t revealed externally.

He was truly a soldier who wished for his homeland’s peace and security.

“Isn’t this farewell too late? I know you’re busy with official duties.”

At Lee Hyeon’s indifferent reply, Tabo smiled bitterly.

“There are still many of those messes you scattered lying around. Even after Zarya withdrew, there were so many bugs hiding.”

After sharing hardships for several days, the two had become quite comfortable with each other.

But that didn’t mean Tabo Director’s reverence for Lee Hyeon had disappeared.

No, he had even gone beyond that level to worship him.

The more he experienced Lee Hyeon, the more he could see what an amazing person he was.

“Still, thanks to you… the homeland breathes. Though we’ll have to watch the Yankees’ mood a bit, at least we’ve completely escaped from the shadow that held knives to our backs.”

Tabo gazed toward the Drakensberg Mountains visible in the distance beyond the runway.

Now that place, the Nest, had become a completely neutral zone managed by UN-affiliated international organizations.

The justification was ‘preventing ancient dragon rampage and joint resource management.’

But the few people who knew the truth were well aware that Lee Hyeon now held complete control of this place under Astra’s protection.

Mine excavation would only be permitted to the extent that it didn’t harm the Nest’s stability.

Of course, the hand holding those controls was also Lee Hyeon’s.

「Kak kak! All the profits gained in between belong to our Chosen One. Just how much money are you trying to make? Such a cunning fellow.」

‘It can’t be helped. Brother Suchan will also need more than just a penny or two to live from now on.’

「Oh my? Are mining fees at the level of just a penny or two? Now you’re deceiving even this Chosen One? Kak kak!」

Lee Hyeon responded to Sha Wujing’s laughter with a smile instead of words.

“Take this with you.”

Tabo pulled out a leather folder with a black emblem from his chest.

“What is this?”

“Haven’t you already secured enough money and honor? So I added some power that suits you.”

“Power… you say?”

Lee Hyeon opened the folder.

Inside was a letter of recommendation from the soon-to-be-established International Cooperation Organization Promotion Committee.

―International Awakener Cooperative Organization: Strategic Special Director and Special Advisor Recommendation Letter.

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly for a moment.

“Special… Director?”

“Once the organization is officially launched, you’ll no longer be a mercenary rolling around in the field. The direction the organization will take, its identity, strike points, and even budget execution authority… You’ll essentially stand at the pinnacle of practical affairs.”

Tabo’s voice dropped low.

“This is the strongest recommendation the South African government can exercise. I believe that you… can serve as a shield for weak nations like ours while preventing Astra’s monopoly.”

“If you think about it, I’m on the same side as Astra though?”

“Then let’s call it a bribe to get in good with those in power early. Haha.”

Lee Hyeon couldn’t help but laugh at Tabo’s jest.

“Being an advisor means a lot of work, which I’m not thrilled about, but since you’re giving it to me, I’ll accept it gratefully.”

Tabo raised his hand in salute toward Lee Hyeon, who was gathering the documents again.

It was the highest respect that the head of a nation’s intelligence agency could show to a single Ranker.

“Mr. Jang Lee Hyeon, thank you. Neither South Africa nor I will ever forget this debt. I will constantly strive to be a good partner on the journey you’re taking.”

Lee Hyeon grinned as he climbed up the transport aircraft’s trap.

Inside the transport, Moon Su-chan and the Z Team members had already taken their seats.

Moon Su-chan looked at Tabo outside the window and gave a light nod.

And then…

Kuuuuuung!

The engine roared as it pounded against the ground.

The transport left South Africa’s red earth and soared above the clouds.

The night view of Cape Town receding outside the window.

“How does it feel to leave your second hometown and return to your original home?”

“I don’t know. It’s a bit unsettling and strange.”

Moon Su-chan made an odd expression at Lee Hyeon’s question.

A face that was both welcoming yet somehow tinged with bitterness.

Lee Hyeon wondered why that was, but figured his mind was complicated about returning to Korea and sat back down in his seat.

Then he gazed at the Indian Ocean spread wide beneath the transport and fingered the recommendation letter in his chest.

‘A director of the cooperative organization…’

He had really made it big this time. Beyond being just an individual, he now stood on the giant chessboard of the entire world.

Only now did he truly realize that something was changing dramatically.

Lee Hyeon closed his eyes.

It was time to return to Korea, the country he missed.

Together with his longtime brother, Moon Su-chan.

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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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