Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 51

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

 

 

 

The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

 

Chapter 51

Tiger Calamity (1)

 

 

 

“……So currently, besides China’s Central Hero Committee and Mexico’s City Cartel, movements of High Rankers from the United States and Russia have also been detected domestically.”

Mo Jeong-gyeon was looking out the window with a Long Bamboo Pipe in her mouth.

A report on various global trends from her subordinate.

Recently, the domestic situation had been the biggest issue due to various incidents.

“And Greece is also claiming exclusive rights to and requesting a fact-finding investigation…….”

“I don’t see sparrows much these days. Don’t you think so?”

Mo Jeong-gyeon suddenly threw out this random comment.

The secretary, as if accustomed to this, stopped the report and quietly listened to her monologue.

“When I was young, there were so many on the street trees. I wonder where they all went.”

“Is that so?”

Whoosh-

Smoke billowed out in clouds.

“But the sparrows that should return don’t come back, and only strange sparrows from across the sea keep coming in. How peculiar.”

“…….”

“But that might be interesting in its own way. When foreign species come in, it might be very chaotic at first, but somehow the environment always adapts. Just like how bullfrogs and spotted lanternflies disappeared at some point.”

Mo Jeong-gyeon’s gaze was fixed on the white smoke.

She was looking at somewhere other than here.

“And just in time, someone has started running again. Much more than I had hoped for.”

The secretary finally seemed to understand who Mo Jeong-gyeon was talking about.

Not long ago, she had brought curse items to the CEO Office under her instructions.

“How greedy he is. Such an impudent fellow.”

Despite her tone, there was quite a bit of laughter mixed in.

“But that’s what makes it so interesting. You never know where he’ll bounce to.”

Mo Jeong-gyeon’s eyes curved.

“Yes. Go ahead and temper yourself. See how sharp and hard you can become. What kind of white tiger will you be?”

Whoooosh-

The thickened smoke was as white as a white tiger’s fur.

 

* * *

 

Kim Min-jeong felt a chilling sensation when Lee Hyeon gripped Brutus’s Dagger.

He looked like someone under a curse.

Madness flickering in his eyes.

So she urgently called out to him, but,

Thunk!

The dagger was already embedded in his left chest.

“……!”

She was so shocked that she couldn’t even scream properly.

Right at that moment,

Flash!

Light bursting from the dagger filled the personal training room.

 

* * *

 

Lee Hyeon felt his consciousness being sucked somewhere.

 

[Curse Immunity (SS) nullifies all curses possessed by Brutus’s Dagger.]

[The curse ‘Tiger Calamity’ is weakened.]

……

[The combination of Curse Incantations seals the body’s wounds.]

……

[Tiger Calamity flashes its eyes coldly like a tiger stalking prey in the forest.]

 

[Tiger Calamity invites you to where it resides.]

[A mental world appears!]

 

Whoosh!

When he opened his eyes with intense light,

Lee Hyeon was on a mountainside.

A forest densely packed with pine and fir trees commonly seen in Korea.

Colorful ropes and cloths hung here and there, and beside stone piles scattered on the ground were bowls and incense burners.

A village shrine that could only be seen in old countryside areas.

The sun had set and only thick darkness lay over everything.

“Did I… enter properly?”

Lee Hyeon let out a slightly relieved sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

Actually, stabbing his heart with Brutus’s Dagger had been a gamble for him too.

But Lee Hyeon didn’t want to ‘just’ receive Mo Jeong-gyeon’s teachings.

That way, he would surely miss something.

He wanted to devour everything.

So this was the move he made.

Fortunately, it seemed to have succeeded.

But…….

“I can’t see it at all. Where is it?”

It felt like something was hiding somewhere, watching him closely.

It seemed he would have to search through the mountain.

Lee Hyeon looked down at his body.

Fortunately, his hands and feet were intact.

The clothes and equipment he wore were exactly the same as in reality.

“My physical senses seem the same too…… Fortunately, it’s not much different from reality.”

But this was a mental world.

There would surely be aspects different from reality, so he had to be careful.

Just as he was about to take out his two axes and move forward while surveying his surroundings,

 

[Combat Sense (B) sharpens its edge!]

 

Lee Hyeon turned his body around at the chilling sensation flowing down the back of his neck.

Crash!

‘……Ice?’

Ice fragments scattered as he swung Flesh Thirster upward.

Lee Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly at the attribute that didn’t match Tiger Calamity,

Whiriririk!

Before he knew it, the Iron Devourer in his right hand was flying toward that direction.

Very noisily.

Buuung!

Pajijijijik!!

 

[Dueoksini’s Rage explodes!]

 

Kwareureurung!

Blue-white lightning struck directly, completely shattering and scattering several dense pine trees.

Not far from where the Iron Devourer had embedded itself.

A woman stood there proudly.

A white dress reminiscent of medieval Europe,

Silver hair fluttering like snowflakes.

It was a face familiar to Lee Hyeon.

A face that absolutely should not be here.

“…Snow Queen?”

“It has been a long time, human.”

“…!”

The Snow Queen smiled eerily.

Like an ice sheet.

“I was worried you might have forgotten my face in the meantime… Fortunately, you still remember.”

Cold snowflakes began to fall.

“Yes. That makes it worthwhile to turn you into an ice statue and place you in my castle.”

Lee Hyeon realized why she could exist in his consciousness world.

‘It’s because the has awakened. While I was creating the Ice Jade Heart and Snow Soul Arm Strength with her narrative.’

“That’s right. I am grateful to you in that regard. Originally, I would have fallen into eternal sleep, but thanks to your help, I have opened my eyes again.”

The Snow Queen twisted her lips while reading Lee Hyeon’s thoughts.

“…Did you read my surface consciousness?”

“Quite a lot is shared between you and me. You are me, and I am you. Do not resent me. You are the one who made it this way, are you not?”

“So what do you want to say?”

Pajijik! Pajijijik!

Lee Hyeon drew up Dueoksini’s Rage.

Blue-white lightning sparked violently.

“Are you going to take revenge for the past here?”

Lee Hyeon was ready to fight her at any moment.

Although he didn’t know when Tiger Calamity, hiding somewhere on the mountainside, might target him,

The settlement he had to make with the Snow Queen also couldn’t be postponed.

However,

The Snow Queen smiled bitterly and shook her head.

“I would like to if I could, but it would be meaningless.”

“What?”

“I who am here am merely a speck left behind by the real .”

“…”

Her voice was mixed with self-mockery.

“Now I live by parasitizing on you, so there would be no benefit for me in killing you.”

“No benefit?”

“Did I not say? That you are me and I am you. If you die, the foundation I barely found will also disappear.”

“For someone saying that, your earlier attack was full of killing intent.”

“Hmph! Considering my dignity that was mercilessly trampled by you, consider that level of venting as cute.”

The Snow Queen snorted while crossing her arms.

However,

“It would be good to keep your bullshit to a reasonable level, Snow Queen.”

Lee Hyeon didn’t like her attitude.

Pajijijijijik!!

Lightning boiled like hellfire.

“If I weren’t using your narrative, I’d want to tear you apart right now.”

Lee Hyeon still hadn’t forgotten.

The swirling snowflakes. The surging ice.

The sight of his comrades growing cold within it.

And,

Even the sight of his dead brother.

He still occasionally had nightmares from that time.

Her act of playing the victim was only disgusting.

But then…

“That is exactly why.”

The Snow Queen twisted her lips.

“What?”

“The hatred accumulated between you and me pierces the sky, does it not? You lost comrades to me, and I lost subjects to you.”

“…”

“But now you are awakening your potential by taking my abilities, and I am rebuilding my identity by awakening my narrative with your help.”

Lee Hyeon quietly stared at the Snow Queen.

“What does this mean?”

“Take only what benefits each other?”

The Snow Queen nodded.

“Exactly that. Since forming an alliance with empty words is also reluctant, let’s take a strategic relationship.”

Lee Hyeon opened his Golden Eyes of Truth wide.

 

[Truth]

 

Perhaps because it was the consciousness world, the Snow Queen’s thoughts were easily read.

“Ho, are those the eyes of the one called Great Sage Equal to Heaven? I have heard of them. Many chief gods were greatly troubled by them.”

Lee Hyeon slowly lowered both axes.

An uncomfortable strategic relationship.

Indeed, that distance seemed just right for her.

“Does that mean I can take it as permission to use your narrative more actively from now on?”

“Of course. I will cooperate from this side too, so awaken it to your heart’s content. You could even make it your main attribute… How about it? The sight of all the snow and ice in the world loving you. Wouldn’t that be truly ecstatic?”

Lee Hyeon just ignored the latter part.

“So what do you get?”

“What a truly boring man.”

The Snow Queen crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly.

“I would like to build my castle, however small, in one corner of your consciousness world.”

Whioooo!

At that moment, the clouds covering the moon parted slightly.

And revealed was a snow-covered mountain range covered in white snow.

“It seems I need permission from you, the landowner, to create something like that.”

The Snow Queen looked at the crystal-clear ice castle situated on the mountainside.

“It won’t be bad for you either. The more solidly that castle is built, the thicker my narrative will become. It’s mutual benefit. How about it?”

Lee Hyeon vaguely imagined what kind of monsters might be swarming in that ice castle.

How similar would it be compared to when he opened the castle gate with his companions?

‘I should think of it as building the dungeon in my consciousness… Should I call this crazy, or insane?’

But one thing was certain.

The day that Ice Palace was completed, the Snow Queen could be reborn as well.

“And after that, you plan to devour me whole?”

That’s why he could read the essence hidden behind this agreement.

But the Snow Queen only continued to smile.

Tsk.

Lee Hyeon clicked his tongue and nodded.

“Fine. Let’s do it. It’ll be a great help to me too. And… I’m quite interested in the myself.”

A declaration that if push came to shove, he would kill her again and monopolize the entire narrative.

The Snow Queen’s noble smile deepened.

“Please don’t show any openings.”

“You should watch your back too.”

“Ho ho ho ho… I was only bored being trapped here alone, but now things will become very interesting.”

Ding!

Ding!

 

[‘Sudden Event: Encounter with the Snow Queen’ has been successfully completed.]

[As a reward, your Magic Power stat increases by 10.]

[Your narrative with becomes more intimate. You begin to possess the origin of .]

……

[Your affinity with ice-cold attributes increases.]

……

[The ‘s narrative contained in your magic power is strengthened. ‘s will is embedded, gradually granting divinity to your magic power.]

[From now on, your magic power begins to possess its own spirituality!]

 

Magic power possessing spirituality meant that now Lee Hyeon’s magic power would move on its own even without his conscious control.

Moreover, as his perception range expanded significantly, he could see a single footprint stamped in the middle of the distant snowfield.

“What a truly meaningful day. My dear, in that spirit,”

The Snow Queen lightly flicked her hand.

“It would be best to drive out all uninvited guests other than us!”

Snap!

Whoooosh!

A blizzard suddenly swept through the mountain slope that had only been filled with silence.

At that moment,

Flash!

A shadow that had been hiding in the darkness moved and pounced on Lee Hyeon.

 

[Tiger Calamity appears!]

 

A speed far too agile for its massive size.

It moved the moment it realized its ambush had been discovered.

Lee Hyeon, who had already heightened his senses and noticed the ambusher’s presence, responded immediately.

 

[Dueoksini’s Rage is revealed!]

 

Crackle!!

Turning his body, he drew Blood Biter and crossed the two axes in an X-shape in front of his chest.

Crash!!

Tremendous force.

Lee Hyeon was violently thrown back and rolled several meters across the ground.

However,

 

[Dueoksini’s Collar flutters and deflects the offensive!]

 

Crackle!

Lee Hyeon, who had already created armor by densely weaving lightning strands, got up nonchalantly and

swung the axe in his right hand upward from below.

Flash!

Blue-white lightning erupted like a volcano.

It scratched past the left eye of the house-sized tiger that had appeared and was about to leap at Lee Hyeon again.

Grrrrowl!

 

[Tiger Calamity lets out a fierce roar of pain!]

[A curse approaches.]

[Curse Immunity (SS) nullifies the curse again.]

 

“I don’t know where you came from, but you have a very fierce temperament indeed. You’ll be worth catching.”

When the Snow Queen lightly waved her hand, dozens of icicles formed in mid-air and fell toward the tiger.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

But the tiger avoided all attacks with speed far too agile for its size.

And it kicked off the ground again, attempting another offensive.

Roooooar!

It was heavy and ponderous, as if trying to trample everything in the world.

‘Strong. Much stronger than I thought. The Mountain God really intends to put me through my paces.’

This must be the majesty of the mountain king who ruled the mountain alone.

It was dozens of times more intense than what he had felt from the dagger.

A situation where he could die if he showed any opening.

However,

Lee Hyeon rather found himself wanting to possess that majesty.

“I heard that goblins in folktales wear clothes made of tiger hide… Should I try to get some proper clothes this time?”

Flash-

This time Lee Hyeon attempted a dash.

 

[Fury Strike (E) begins!]

 

The tiger, as if displeased with Lee Hyeon’s attitude, opened its mouth wide and charged.

And so,

Crash!!

The goblin and the mountain king collided.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————