Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 40

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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 40

Goblin Market (5)

 

 

 

A considerable distance from the market outskirts.

An enormous pillar of light could be seen shooting up from the warehouse district.

And then came the earthquake.

Rumble…

“Wh-what the hell is that?”

“Oh my. Someone must be fighting somewhere.”

“Let’s get out of here first. Who knows who else might cause trouble.”

“What the hell is the Security Force doing! There’s chaos everywhere!”

The merchants quickly began packing up their stalls, and customers hurriedly moved away.

Even the dawdling Security Force finally started running around frantically.

They had belatedly realized that something was going terribly wrong.

‘Damn it…! Those Myeongga bastards, how the hell are they handling this!’

‘They said we just needed to turn a blind eye for a moment!’

‘What do we do? If this gets reported to higher-ups, and the Drug King finds out, we’re really screwed!’

Naturally, the Security Force had only turned a blind eye to the investigation between Myeongga and Blue Dog because they were paid under the table.

Since Korea was such a small market that even the Drug King and other major cartel executives didn’t pay much attention to it, they could commit such corruption with peace of mind.

But when conflicts broke out, the story changed.

The current situation would inevitably be reported to higher-ups.

If their corruption was exposed during an internal investigation… they could face death, or even worse than death.

The Drug King cherished his subordinates like family, but mercilessly punished those who betrayed loyalty.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

So they had to clean up the mess somehow before the inspectors arrived, but…

‘Hiiiik!’

‘Wh-when did she arrive…!’

‘D-does Mexico also have a Gate connected to this place…?’

In the butcher shop area that had already experienced chaos, Inspector Camila Duarte, who had been on a business trip to headquarters, was present.

A mixed-race person born between a South American father and Korean mother.

She was one of the ‘purebloods’ who had been with the Drug King since their bottom-dwelling days.

“I see! Ah, is that so? Oh my. That must have been frustrating. Myeongga is really bad, truly.”

Camila was listening to Han Hyeon-su’s rambling words while reassuring him with her characteristically healthy South American features.

He was one of the few survivors rescued from the butcher shop.

‘…This is just ruins.’

‘What the hell happened here?’

The Security Force members who arrived late swallowed their dry saliva.

The traces left everywhere weren’t at a level that could result from just fighting.

A catastrophe that could only be created by overwhelming firepower sweeping through like a typhoon in an instant.

Seeing that quite a few people had died horribly, they could tell that someone with extremely cruel methods was the culprit.

“Oh, of course. Don’t worry too much. I understood everything Representative Han said. I’ll try to arrange for mitigating circumstances. You trust me, right?”

Camila winked at Han Hyeon-su to comfort him, then casually gestured to her subordinates to take the survivors away.

She had heard the story about Myeongga coveting Chairman Peng’s goods. But there were many inconsistencies that needed verification.

“I-Inspector…”

“Ah, you still had over a month left before returning home, so how did you come back so early?”

“Right. I was planning to stop by Cancun and do some surfing while I was in Mexico anyway… But I had to rush through an emergency Gate because of certain people living somewhere, didn’t I?”

“…!”

“Wait. Let me smoke a cigar first.”

The Security Force members had to remain tense until Camila pulled out a thick cigar from her inner pocket and put it in her mouth.

“Phew… I couldn’t smoke for over 30 hours and thought I’d suffocate. Now I can live a little. Hey guys.”

Camila’s sharp gaze turned toward the members.

“I’m really curious, so I’m asking. Is lining your back pockets similar to cigars? Is it that hard to quit?”

The Security Force members hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground.

“S-sorry!”

“We’ll correct it, Inspector!”

“Please forgive us…!”

Their pleas for mercy couldn’t continue.

Suddenly, red lines appeared under their chins, and before they knew it, all their heads were rolling on the ground.

Spurt!

Over ten streams of blood shooting up like fountains.

Below them, red-stained mana threads glistened.

The entire area was filled with threads finely woven from magic power.

‘Arachne’ Camila Duarte.

The head of Black Market Korea Branch and also the Asia-Pacific inspector muttered indifferently.

“If you were going to beg for forgiveness, you shouldn’t have done such things in the first place. Being stupid costs you your head.”

Camila gathered her mana threads while turning her head toward the market outskirts.

Fortunately, thanks to the subordinates who returned to Korea with her, the chaos quickly subsided, but that area was still ongoing.

She also had to find the cause of the warehouse district situation.

“Ugh, when will I ever get to rest? I absolutely hate troublesome work. My back hurts too.”

Camila acted like a Korean despite having a foreigner’s face.

“But if it’s the Myeongga Guild Leader, then surely… Geez, I need to finish this quickly before it gets more complicated.”

Whoosh!

Camila quickly left the area following the path created by her mana threads.

 

* * *

 

『…Hyung.』

A voice tickling his ear.

Go Jin-woo thought that voice sounded very much like Lee Hyeon.

Before being cursed.

Like when he was still active as Jet…

『Did you lose too much blood? You can’t seem to focus.』

Go Jin-woo belatedly remembered why he was in this state.

‘I was selling the stolen goods Lee Hyeon asked me to at Blue Dog, collecting money and about to leave the dungeon when suddenly those Myeongga bastards appeared. And… I was tortured.’

He was so dizzy that he couldn’t remember clearly how far the torture had gone.

Were my arms and legs intact?

They were… intact, right?

『This won’t do. Just rest for now.』

Go Jin-woo fell back into deep slumber while listening to Lee Hyeon’s sighing voice.

 

* * *

 

[You are rapidly passing through the darkness using Steps of Eoduksini.]

 

“Haah…!”

Lee Hyeon looked at Go Jin-woo, who was lying there powerlessly, with a heavy heart.

Right after detonating Yoon Ki-hoon in the middle of the warehouse where the Myeongga Guild members had gathered.

Lee Hyeon used stealth technique to immediately infiltrate the warehouse and successfully escaped with the bloodied Go Jin-woo.

Fortunately, those bastards had no intention of hiding Go Jin-woo and were interrogating him in the middle of the warehouse.

When he first saw Go Jin-woo, how much his heart ached…

The boiling killing intent nearly caused his stealth to waver.

「They’ve turned a person into a complete rag.」

「This feels like too strong malice and purpose. It’s not simply punishing someone who touched their property, but it seems like they were trying to extract something…」

Sha Wujing used curse incantations to stop Go Jin-woo’s bleeding and worsening wounds, then tilted his head curiously.

“Purpose, what do you mean by that?”

「Look here, look at this wound. This is a technique to stimulate more pain and increase fear. It means they had another purpose.」

At Sha Wujing’s observation, Lee Hyeon’s eyes sank deeply.

“Another purpose, were they trying to extract information about a backer or something?”

「That’s possible, but it looks like they were trying to find something..」

“Find something?”

Suddenly, something flashed through Lee Hyeon’s mind.

‘The fossil egg.’

It was called [Fossil of ■■■■ ■■■■], wasn’t it.

Though he couldn’t know its exact purpose, it seemed like something Heo Se-woon treasured.

What if they were trying to find that?

And what if Go Jin-woo endured becoming like this without mentioning Lee Hyeon?

“Hyeon… you idiot… Because of you… I’m in this state…”

“…!?”

Right then, Go Jin-woo muttered in his sleep.

Such an exhausted voice.

“So… don’t… don’t come… bastard… If you… get hurt… I won’t be able to face Su-chan…”

“…”

Then his voice faded again.

Sha Wujing checked his pulse and sighed.

「It seems he briefly dreamed while falling into deep sleep. He must not have slept properly while being interrogated all this time.」

“…”

「Master, are you alright?」

“No. I’m not alright.”

Behind the goblin mask, Lee Hyeon’s eyes sank coldly.

“…What an idiot. What’s wrong with just telling them a mere name.”

Lee Hyeon poured out his resentful complaints to Go Jin-woo while speaking to Son Wukong and Sha Wujing.

“Please take care of hyung.”

Lee Hyeon set up cognitive disruption curse incantations around the area and slowly stood up.

“Aaaah! My eyes! My eyeeees…!”

“My arm! My arrrrm!”

“It’s agonizing… It hurts so much…”

The warehouse district. It was already a scene of carnage.

Of the 40-odd guild members who had been gathered in one place, 30% were swept up in the explosion and turned to ash,

and the remaining 70% were also crying out in pain, pierced or severed by the lightning bolts created by the White Tsunami.

But the biggest problem was.

 

[The ‘blindness’ effect is added over a certain area!]

[‘Pain amplification’ is being amplified!]

[‘Massive bleeding’ is being amplified!]

[‘Toxic infection’ is being amplified!]

…

 

The curse incantations plastered all over the warehouse district.

This was the terrifying aspect of White Tsunami, the third magic Lee Hyeon had created.

Curse stacking that remains after the explosion.

Each one might seem insignificant and have weak effects, but when layered upon layers, they’re no less than a great curse.

And,

Thud!

Lee Hyeon struck his rune staff on the ground.

 

[‘Stonehenge’s Rune Staff’ is used to activate new lightning magic!]

 

Crackle!

The fragments of lightning floating in the air connected to form dozens of lightning chains.

The sight of them sharpening their ends like spears and pouring down all at once was quite a spectacle.

Of course, the result was the stench of blood.

Thud! Thud thud!

“Gah!”

“Wh-where is the attack coming from…!”

“Damn it, I can’t see ahead! The sound is also strange… Aaaah!”

“Let go! Let me go… Urgh!”

“Save me…”

The lightning chains smashed the survivors’ heads one by one.

They cunningly slipped like snakes through the tiny gaps between helmets and armor to pierce through the napes of necks.

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ activates to increase accuracy!]

 

The same method Lee Hyeon used when hunting zombie monkeys with his magic gun when his mana circuits were frozen.

If he couldn’t finish them off in one blow due to their defense, he would bring more chains to bury them in curses and make them die slowly in agony.

“Run away!!”

Those trying to flee were followed even faster by lightning chains.

Crack!!

“Damn it! Where are you! Stop hiding and come out right now!”

Those who tried to resist became even better prey to hunt.

Not a single one could escape from Lee Hyeon’s demonic grasp.

Son Wukong on Buddha’s palm.

That was exactly the idiom that described them.

Whoooosh!

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes Mirror’ is overheating!]

[‘Trait: Frozen Human’ is applied, cooling the overheating at rapid speed. Golden Eyes Mirror has broken through its limits.]

[Additional functions are unlocked, expanding the size of the thinking domain. More information reception and thought computation have become possible.]

…

[ has increased!]

…

 

[‘Legacy: Goblin Dance Formation’ is unfolding wildly!]

 

“Senior Brother, doesn’t it seem like our master is getting a bit too excited? Was the Golden Eyes of Truth really such an amazing item…?”

Sha Wujing tried to calm down Son Wukong with a bewildered expression,

“Golden Eyes of Truth? Of course it’s amazing. Look who used to wield that Sacred Relic. But what’s even more amazing is that guy.”

“Senior Brother.”

“He’s reorganizing all his skills and Sacred Relic functions around the Golden Eyes of Truth as the core.”

“…”

“That guy is probably more furious than anyone else in the world right now, yet his mind is also colder than anyone else’s.”

“…!”

“Without that, he could never pull off such actions and calculations. Look over there.”

Just as Sha Wujing looked back at the Warehouse District as Son Wukong pointed,

“How dare you! To commit such acts in my presence…!!”

An enormous gust of wind erupted from the center of the collapsed Warehouse District, deflecting all the Lightning Chains.

Kwarrrrrrung!

At its center,

Heo Jae-woon stood there.

His entire body was half-burned from being caught in the White Tsunami, presenting a miserable sight.

 

[‘Legacy: Deokdaegol Field Mouse’ emanates strong resentment as it searches for enemies!]

 

“There you are! I won’t forgive you!!”

Heo Jae-woon, his face twisted like a vengeful spirit, kicked off the ground violently the moment he spotted Lee Hyeon.

Swaaaash-

But Lee Hyeon showed no signs of panic, simply pointing his Rune Staff at Heo Jae-woon.

“Do you think that looks like the skill of a beginner who just started handling curses?”

“…That can’t be possible.”

Sha Wujing thought that Son Wukong’s attitude in evaluating Lee Hyeon with crossed arms was both cold and somehow mixed with excitement.

They were two people who resembled each other more than anyone.

Just then, they could see Lee Hyeon raising his Rune Staff high.

As if Heo Jae-woon wasn’t even worth having a conversation with.

“That guy, I originally thought he had thorough talent as a warrior, but maybe the field where he truly has talent is ‘intuition.'”

“Intuition?”

“Right. Intuition. The instinct to know how to quickly achieve victory no matter what profession he chooses or how he fights.”

“…!”

Chwarrrrrruk!

Above Lee Hyeon’s head, dozens of Lightning Chains began twisting together like braided rope.

“With that intuition, he extracts the maximum potential from each Sacred Relic’s functions. He instinctively knew that the Golden Eyes of Truth shouldn’t just be used as [eyes], but when connected to his thinking process, when linked to his senses, it could maximize the Golden Arhat Mask’s abilities.”

It was like watching dozens of giant serpents intertwining in the sky to become a dragon.

“Is that all? He instinctively knows how to combine Curse Incantations so his skills can appear in various ways. When he’s a warrior, he combines them to suit a warrior; when he’s a mage, he combines them to suit a mage.”

“…”

“Every time he gains something new, his intuition keeps growing. His sense for victory grows accordingly. I’ve never seen such talent before.”

A talent that wasn’t bound by types or professions, capable of seizing only victory and burning with fighting spirit.

A quality that never assumed defeat, thinking only of goals reachable through struggle and achieving them.

An Indomitable capacity that wouldn’t break under any humiliation or adverse conditions.

Therefore,

Lee Hyeon had no need for distinctions like warrior or mage.

They were merely tools used toward the goal of victory.

Usually, those born with such natural talent, qualities, and capabilities are called this:

‘…Genius.’

Sha Wujing swallowed his dry saliva once more.

During his centuries of immortal life, there had been only one person in this world he could call a ‘genius’…

At that moment,

The completed giant chain became a lightning bolt and fell upon Heo Jae-woon’s head just as he reached Lee Hyeon.

Flash!

Kwarrrrrrung!!

“This mage life that started as a way to hide his identity might end up being an even greater help in the future.”

Son Wukong stroked his chin with his hand and twisted his lips into a smile.

“Should I give him a bunch of other chief gods’ techniques besides Zeus and Shiva? Wouldn’t you be curious to see what kind of monster would be born?”

They could see the lightning bolt instantly shatter Heo Jae-woon’s Magic Power. Heo Jae-woon bounced away with an incredulous expression and rolled on the ground.

“Kuhuk…!”

It was a single strike.

That’s all it took to completely shatter all of Heo Jae-woon’s limbs.

‘…Isn’t that exactly describing Senior Brother?’

Sha Wujing had to quietly look back and forth between the similar Son Wukong and Lee Hyeon, forcibly swallowing his words.

“But there’s still one strike missing. Just one more.”

Just as Sha Wujing was about to ask what was still lacking,

Chwarrrruk-

At that moment, the lightning bolt split into dozens of chains again and pierced through Heo Jae-woon’s limbs and torso.

The sparks that followed became smaller lightning bolts that relentlessly pounded the ground.

Peoooooong!

Urrrrr-

Now in that place where neither the Warehouse District nor a single intact corpse remained,

“How… could this… happen…? Who… are you…!”

Only Heo Jae-woon stood there, completely charred black, with one arm blown off, his original face unrecognizable.

Bound tightly by Lightning Chains, he looked like a marionette hanging from strings.

With Lee Hyeon still not making a proper sound in front of him, he forced out his voice and shouted.

That was arrogance.

A mockery that scum like them weren’t even worthy of seeing his face or hearing his voice,

Or contempt.

Could he be the backer behind that Go Jin-woo bastard?

Or something else…?

He wanted to hear an answer somehow before dying, but

Kwarrrrrrung!

 

[Dueoksini’s Rage falls!]

 

As if Heo Jae-woon’s final wish didn’t matter at all,

The concentrated lightning bolt smashed his head to pieces like a hammer.

Peoook!!

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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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