Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 43

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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 43

House Burglary (1)

 

 

 

I should have noticed something was strange when he said the study room was underground.

The study room, no, the underground bunker looked like a bunker belonging to someone preparing for nuclear war in a movie.

Firearms and military blades hanging all along the walls.

Storage areas stacked with emergency rations and ammunition.

Even a room where dozens of monitors clustered like a honeycomb, resembling an operations center.

But what made Lee Hyeon most sick was the tank sitting right in the middle of the circular bunker.

……You could see how diligently it had been maintained, with the gun deck glistening with oil.

Clang clang.

Lee Hyeon lightly tapped the deck with his hand and let out a hollow laugh.

“This isn’t a retired display piece, is it? Does it actually run?”

“Ahem! It’s just an old man’s hobby in the back room. Those Yankees have tons of these set up in their garages.”

“This is Korea though.”

“Heh heh. That’s why I had quite a bit of trouble secretly bringing it over.”

“……”

That’s not what I meant by that.

“……What does your wife say about this?”

“I got scolded terribly, of course. She said I was immature. But what can I do? It’s a man’s romance.”

Lee Hyeon shook his head as if to say he couldn’t stop him.

“Cool, isn’t it?”

“Ah, yes, well…… But more than that,”

Lee Hyeon couldn’t bring himself to give harsh words to his mentor whose shoulders had tensed up slightly, and instead fixed his gaze on the other side.

His eyes instantly sank deeply.

“What is…… that?”

A laboratory set up in one corner of the bunker.

A glass container placed among various experimental equipment.

Inside it was a single hand.

It had blue skin, too blue to be a human hand, but looked too soft to be a monster’s hand.

The problem was that it kept stimulating Lee Hyeon’s senses.

 

[Combat Sense (B) receives familiar yet alien stimulation.]

[The narrative contained in magic power reacts little by little.]

 

His magic power kept wanting to approach that direction.

Somehow cold air was also emanating from it.

“You shouldn’t not know what that is.”

“……Don’t tell me?”

“It’s the left hand of the .”

“……!”

Lee Hyeon was so surprised for a moment that he turned to look at Lee Gun-san,

who answered with a bitter smile.

“I thought that if I kept researching, I might be able to find a clue to break your curse.”

“General.”

Lee Hyeon’s body completely stiffened.

Lee Gun-san was one of only 7 High Rankers in the country.

His class was Alchemist.

A master of Pharmaceutics and Synthesis.

“Still, I’m glad you returned safely like this. Really glad. Actually, both my wife and I have been going crazy because there’s been no research progress for years.”

A fact Lee Hyeon had no idea about.

He felt a surge of emotion.

“How did you manage to bring it out? The military would have been managing it strictly.”

“Well, I processed it as lost before it was reported and secretly smuggled it out. The remaining parts were moved along with the statue, so they’re probably still researching it? Though it’s probably just being treated as war spoils. That’s what those star-wearing bastards always do.”

Lee Hyeon didn’t know what to say.

Lee Gun-san smiled and patted Lee Hyeon’s shoulder.

“As long as the results are good, that’s all that matters. Anyway, wait here. I’ll organize the materials and bring them.”

While waiting for Lee Gun-san, Lee Hyeon quietly stared at the Snow Queen’s hand that was still emitting cold air.

His face still showed complex emotions.

He had many thoughts.

「So this is it. The bastard that tormented you?」

「Kekeke. Even though it originated from a fairy tale rather than legend or myth, to have this much resentment. It must have caused quite a lot of trouble when it was alive.」

Son Wukong and Sha Wujing came trotting over to his side.

Son Wukong glanced at Lee Hyeon and said.

「You’ve surrounded yourself with many good people. That ugly doctor fellow, and this mentor person too.」

“……Yes.”

「Then you just need to do well in return. Don’t think of it as debt, accept kindness as kindness. Instead, you can repay them with even greater kindness in the future, can’t you?」

“Yes. I will do that. No, I definitely will.”

Lee Hyeon nodded heavily.

Son Wukong chuckled and patted Lee Hyeon.

It was a touch filled with many meanings.

「Kekekeke. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a heartwarming scene between god and apostle. But why are you like that, senior brother?」

「What?」

「You say good relationships should be made well. Then why did you torment our disciples so much all this time?」

「What the hell? I finally set a good mood and you want to ruin it all?」

「This is what they call being beaten down with facts.」

「This bastard!?」

Son Wukong and Sha Wujing bickered endlessly as always.

That sight,

somehow Lee Hyeon was so grateful for it.

 

* * *

 

-It’s been a few years since I left active duty, hasn’t it? The data has probably changed quite a bit in the meantime, but the important things wouldn’t have changed.

 

A fact that major Hunter guilds around the world, including domestically, vaguely know but don’t really feel.

That various national intelligence agencies and special forces are constantly watching them.

Since modern nation-states, countries have always monopolized violence.

But the birth of ability users that began with the opening of dungeons created an era where citizens could once again privatize violence.

Even just to prevent social chaos, nations absolutely needed to keep such guilds in check.

‘Otherwise it would become incredibly complicated like the front lines happening in the Middle East. That’s why they’re even more vigilant about surveillance and restraint of guilds.’

Korea was no different.

Crack.

He touched the documents he had tucked inside his coat.

 

-These are materials my wife and I compiled while investigating the Snow Queen together. You’ve regained your magic power so you might not need them, but you never know what help they might provide, so take them.

 

-Consider it a gift for meeting after so long.

 

Investigation reports related to the Snow Queen.

He hadn’t examined the contents yet, but they would serve as a major reference for additional functions including the Ice Prison Heart.

Thud!

Just then, he arrived at his destination.

‘Is this the place?’

Lee Hyeon looked up at Myeongga’s company building.

He was maintaining his stealth technique.

 

[Steps of Eodukseoni is becoming increasingly skillful. Proficiency has greatly increased, improving the level of stealth and infiltration.]

 

‘The company building entrance is locked. Have they finally noticed the situation at the dungeon?’

Well, it had been half a day since contact with the Guild Leader was lost, so it was a natural reaction.

‘The cartel might be moving too. Too much time has been wasted. I’ll move immediately.’

The situation had consumed tremendous time since he had to wait for the madam to come and examine Go Jin-woo’s pulse.

Fortunately, the diagnosis was that there was no threat to his life and he could return to normal after a few months of recovery,

so Lee Hyeon could now begin his new operation with peace of mind.

‘The General also said he’d help in various ways from behind, so I can raise hell to my heart’s content.’

Whoosh—

 

[Initiating infiltration.]

 

Lee Hyeon moved quietly while gripping his rune staff.

Even though the door was locked, quietly passing through something like this was no problem.

He passed through the lobby and headed to his destination on the 5th floor.

There were various security devices and surveillance equipment throughout that seemed capable of detecting even stealth skills, but,

‘These are all familiar contents.’

Lee Hyeon could bypass them all or interfere with their recognition by casting curse incantations.

All of this was content written in the materials Lee Gun-san had provided.

‘Without the General’s help, there would have been many unnecessary conflicts… It’s good that I can skip them all.’

This showed how much comprehensive information the intelligence agency had collected to keep the guilds in check.

And,

he could truly appreciate again how remarkable Lee Gun-san, who had managed all of this, was.

‘Even though I’m wearing the Dokgakgwi set and have regained my inheritance, making my power as high as a top-tier ranker, it would be difficult to handle the entire Myeongga Guild alone.’

Lee Hyeon’s movement speed gradually increased.

‘But if I can infiltrate deep into the company building like this with the General’s help, right to the heart,’

 

[Steps of Eodukseoni becomes much more stealthy.]

 

‘the story becomes completely different.’

Screech—

Throughout the corridors, he could frequently see guild members running around frantically.

“Why can’t we reach them! What the hell happened!”

“What about the cartel side? Did we contact them?”

“The Korea branch has also been silent since a while ago!”

“Then shouldn’t we hit the hotline directly to Mexico City!”

There were those trying to understand the exact situation at the black market,

“What happened to the team that went to Uijeongbu?”

“They say the gate closed. The abandoned building disappeared with it…”

“Damn! The dungeon really was cleared! What the hell are those cartel bastards hiding?”

“Troops! How many hunters can we mobilize right now?”

“Director, surely you don’t mean…!”

“Then are we just going to sit and watch? We should storm those drug dealers’ building and protest at least! Gather the raid members immediately!”

“Yes, yes!”

On one side, there were those gathering hunters and acting as if they’d wage war on the cartel immediately.

「Most of them are moving under the assumption that the Guild Leader is dead?」

‘Companies are ultimately about justification battles. People with good heads are already taking care of their image with employees.’

Since Myeongga was large, there was plenty to devour. For Lee Hyeon, the greater the chaos, the better.

‘What’s funny is that even in this situation, no one dares to touch the CEO office yet.’

Lee Hyeon opened the door to the CEO office on the 6th floor and entered.

When he held up the employee card he had collected from the dead Heo Jae-woon, it opened very naturally.

‘It should be somewhere around here… Here it is.’

Lee Hyeon recalled Lee Gun-san’s materials and felt around the wall before pressing somewhere firmly.

Then the wall split open, revealing a touchpad.

Beep.

 

-Please authenticate user.

 

Apparently the employee card didn’t work here.

Lee Hyeon placed his hand on it.

A message appeared saying user authentication failed, but,

‘I’m going to hit and run quickly anyway. Should I just start right away?’

Lee Hyeon had no intention of moving quietly from the beginning.

He had already downed plenty of mana potions, so his mana circuits were full.

Crackle!

 

[Beginning to draw Keraunos. White lightning rains down!]

 

White lightning erupted roughly from his palm and instantly destroyed the security device.

Weeee!

As the siren sounded,

Boom!!

The entire wall exploded outward, revealing a secret vault prepared separately inside.

They said Heo Jae-woon kept all his precious items and company confidential documents here.

It was certainly huge, with a width equivalent to an entire room.

“What’s that sound!?”

“It’s the CEO office!”

“Run!!”

He could hear employees rushing frantically from the corridor.

But in the meantime, Lee Hyeon had already collected all the important items and documents and put them in his large-capacity inventory.

The Myeongga-related materials Lee Gun-san had provided even clearly depicted the structure of the secret vault.

This showed how closely the intelligence agency was watching the guilds.

He briefly wondered if White Burn was being monitored like this too.

Moreover,

‘At times like this, the Golden Eyes of Truth are definitely more convenient.’

Using the sacred relic would have been much faster.

Eventually, when the temple members arrived at the CEO office, what they saw was,

A man in a goblin mask standing in the midst of flickering white flashes.

“You had quite a lot of interesting things. No wonder you got greedy for my belongings without knowing your place.”

“Who the hell are you! Get out of there right now!”

The temple members shouted, but couldn’t approach carelessly.

The intimidating presence of the white lightning was too overwhelming.

“I’ll teach you that not knowing your place only invites death.”

Lee Hyeon struck his rune staff against the floor.

Wooooong!

White ripples spread out extensively, shaking the entire company building.

Lightning bolts rose up simultaneously.

Crackle!

“Try blocking this.”

 

[White Tsunami strikes!]

 

Rumble—

“The, the building!”

“Run…!”

The temple members’ screams were soon drowned out by the thunder that followed. The entire 6th floor CEO office was bathed in white flashes before exploding.

Crash—

Bang! Bang bang!

Rumble…!!

All the windows shattered as the entire company building shook as if it would collapse.

Lightning bolts continuously shot up and struck down. Similar scenes unfolded on each floor, creating chaos.

What Lee Hyeon had aimed for anyway wasn’t killing guild members but destroying the building.

What mattered was dragging the prestige of the guild called Myeongga through the mud in front of the world.

He intended to instill in society the awareness that Zeus’s Apostle should not be carelessly touched.

‘The more infamy builds up around this identity, the more Jang Lee Hyeon’s presence will fade.’

Crackle!!

Sizzle—

 

[Lightning Chains are running wild!]

 

Chains appearing one after another in mid-air continuously destroyed walls and pillars, making the building tremble.

“Kyaaah!”

“Outside the building! Evacuate outside!”

“Ahhh! The building! The building is collapsing!”

Temple members and Hunters fled outside.

There was no one trying to stop Lee Hyeon. With no CEO present, they couldn’t afford to die a dog’s death.

Rumble!

Eventually, the building collapsed straight down from the top,

And countless crowds including the temple members who had fled outside and onlookers who came after hearing the commotion witnessed the final moments of the Myeongga building.

Rumble…!

“……”

“……”

“……It really collapsed.”

“Myeongga, suddenly like that……”

All the witnesses watched the situation with bewildered expressions.

Myeongga, one of the domestic top 5 guilds.

It was too shocking for people as it seemed to declare the end of such a place.

But that wasn’t the end.

Crackle!!

White lightning shot up from the collapsed concrete debris,

Whoooosh!

The building stirred as the mage presumed to be the culprit of this incident appeared, stepping on stairs woven from countless chains.

Simultaneously, swirling hot winds and intense pressure.

Just looking up at him standing on the ruins made the witnesses’ spines tingle.

“Captain, what should we do?”

“We should step forward now and catch that guy…!”

“No. We wait here.”

The six raid teams that were Myeongga’s main force all just hesitated and absolutely wouldn’t move rashly.

“But!”

“He’s someone who boldly infiltrated to the building core and committed such acts. And none of us noticed it. That means his skills already rival a High Ranker.”

“…!”

“Moreover, committing such acts so brazenly requires considerable confidence… If we attack rashly, only we’ll get hurt.”

“……”

“And,”

“There’s… more?”

“I heard that the culprit who killed Mukesh recently wears such a mask.”

“Was it true that Mukesh died?”

“I thought it was just a rumor too, but it seems it was the truth. Even the appearance and the eerie white lightning are identical.”

“……”

“So everyone stand by.”

“Order confirmed.”

“Order confirmed!”

The mysterious High Ranker known to have killed Vajrason with a one-turn kill.

The Hunters all watched his appearance with tense, wary expressions.

Though there was considerable misunderstanding mixed in due to Lee Hyeon’s intended deception,

The six raid captains also had no intention of sacrificing themselves for Myeongga, which was already as good as finished.

‘Myeongga will be hard to recover anyway. Then…!’

‘It’s better to take the members and go independent.’

‘Or should I just transfer? If we move as a whole raid team, we could probably get a high price.’

With everyone having different dreams in their heads, how could there be unity?

Of course, this was also a result Lee Hyeon intended.

‘As expected. It’s a mess now as it was then. Well, they were originally like empty gangjeong candy anyway.’

After confirming no one would chase him, Lee Hyeon spoke when the atmosphere had ripened.

『I’ll end this punishment here, but if something similar happens again,』

Golden eyes beyond the goblin mask emitted a cold gleam, no, lightning gleam.

『Whoever it may be, I’ll trample them without leaving a single blade of grass.』

“…!”

“…!”

“…!!”

Flash—

After confirming all the witnesses were stunned,

‘I found a lot of materials related to the fossil egg too, so I guess I can leave now.’

Lee Hyeon quietly disappeared while bursting with light.

Flash!

Even after Lee Hyeon disappeared, the witnesses remained frozen in place for a long time.

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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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