Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 62

—————
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 62

Ranker (1)

 

 

 

Magic Dragon.

An executive of China’s Central Hero Committee.

He was also the manager of the special unit Bingxin, and lately his irritation had been beyond measure.

“……Jang Lee Hyeon, is this bastard making a fool of me again?”

He had been lying in wait around Lee Hyeon’s residential area with two subordinates.

Z Team, which they had identified as being connected to the dungeon. How shocked he had been when he learned that Lee Hyeon was on that roster.

According to the original plan, after making contact with Executive Director Jeong Gyu-han in Seoul, he should have headed straight to Ulleungdo,

but he had remained here separately under his own judgment.

‘Jet…… That bastard definitely has something.’

Magic Dragon didn’t think that Lee Hyeon, who had become废级 due to a 4-star dungeon’s curse four years ago, had been revived.

However, he didn’t neglect his wariness of him either.

‘That bastard’s most frightening aspect is his cold judgment and intuition.’

Despite not becoming a High Ranker, hadn’t he possessed comparable power,

and furthermore been the monster who closed a 4-star dungeon?

Above all,

he was also the one who had first taught him what defeat meant.

That was why he was so desperately invested in Bingxin, which could be called the successor to Blue Thunder.

‘Such a bastard had been quietly living as a freelance guide for four whole years. Then suddenly he joined Z Team. And in the place where he was active, an unidentified Gwiroae appeared. Could this really be a coincidence?’

Magic Dragon had already finished investigating Lee Hyeon’s past activities.

‘The color of lightning is like a fingerprint, so it must be a different person. But there must be some connection. Perhaps he created a monster that combined all his techniques and Blue Thunder’s know-how.’

Magic Dragon’s eyes gleamed coldly.

‘I’ll reveal exactly where you’ve been hiding for the past four years, what schemes you’ve been plotting, and why you’ve only appeared now.’

However, he hadn’t yet reported these suspicious matters to his superiors.

He only had circumstantial evidence, no clear physical proof.

But if he kept tailing him, something would come up.

That’s when he planned to strike.

If he then visited the elder with evidence in hand, he would be very pleased.

It would also help somewhat ease the conflict with India that had suddenly intensified due to Mukesh’s death.

But……

Even after a day or two passed, the bastard didn’t appear at his residence.

Then he belatedly found out.

That he had left on a long business trip from the very day he started his stakeout.

And as a team leader no less!

‘This fucking bastard!’

Of course, it wasn’t something Lee Hyeon had known and intended, but that fact wasn’t important to Magic Dragon.

He was just displeased that the bastard had made him endure the cold dawn wind meaninglessly for several days.

“What should we do? We can’t delay any longer. They say the background investigation of the other Z Team members, excluding Jet’s group who participated in the business trip, has all been completed.”

The unit member who had come with him asked cautiously.

Magic Dragon frowned.

“What’s the situation with Team 2?”

“All preparations are complete, and they’re on standby for dungeon search.”

“Then tell them to start first.”

“But the regulation states that a manager must be present……”

“Do I have to worry about every little thing like that?”

The senior unit member beside him hurriedly pressed down the back of the guy’s head.

“We’re sorry! This guy seems to need more training. Please forgive his rudeness.”

Instead of answering, Magic Dragon put a cigarette in his mouth.

The senior hurriedly took out a zippo lighter from his inner pocket to light it for him, but,

“Forget it, put it away.”

Snap!

Magic Dragon refused with annoyance and lightly flicked his index finger at the tip of the cigarette.

Then a red flash sparked and the cigarette lit.

……Gulp.

The senior unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

Though he too was a proud member of Bingxin,

Magic Dragon’s artistic and precise mana control skills were impossible to catch up to.

‘As expected, the apostle of the Thunder God…… He’s on a different level from people like us.’

The Thunder God who receives orders from the Jade Emperor and beats drums in the clouds to create thunder and lightning.

Since the Thunder God was known to punish evildoers, ghosts, or demons, folk beliefs were also quite active.

That’s why Magic Dragon could handle lightning energy, which was said to have the strongest destructive power among various attributes.

‘……Moreover, I heard he recently received recognition from Lord Xu Changyou and received ‘baptism’ too. I must never get on his bad side.’

The senior momentarily felt sorry for the surveillance target that had caught Magic Dragon’s attention.

He didn’t know why they had caught Magic Dragon’s eye, but they wouldn’t be able to die peacefully.

Magic Dragon was famous for his persistent personality as much as his meticulous nature.

“Doesn’t completing a dungeon search take at least five days anyway? There are often cases that take over a month. So it won’t be late even if we go a few days later.”

“Understood! I’ll keep that in mind. You, follow me!”

The senior grabbed the junior’s head and dragged him away.

Whoosh-

Magic Dragon sent smoke into the wind that was still cold from the late cold snap.

“So he became a team leader? In such a short time?”

He wanted to look deeper into the information, but beyond that, access was absurdly impossible.

So he could gain certainty that there was definitely something there.

“I’ll definitely pay you back for making me wait in vain like this, Jet. So hurry up and come.”

Magic Dragon’s eyes gleamed coldly.

And……

He had to spend ten more days enduring the cold wind.

 

* * *

 

Express Bus Terminal located in Banpo.

“Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader. You know we’ll have another sparring match next time, right?”

“Team Leader, you worked hard.”

Leaving behind the greetings of Manager Eom Ki-seon and Chief Seo Ae-ri, who had now grown accustomed to calling him ‘Team Leader,’

Lee Hyeon got into an unmanned taxi with Kim Min-jeong and headed toward Seongsu-dong.

Since their homes were in the same direction, Kim Min-jeong had agreed to drop Lee Hyeon off on the way.

The two also had things to discuss privately.

“Manager Eom’s eyes were practically on fire.”

“Well, senior’s aura has completely changed……”

“He was looking at you though?”

“…….”

“You did that in the dungeon too,”

“Don’t you think it would hurt quite a lot if I fired magic bullets right next to you, senior?”

Lee Hyeon chuckled lightly and waved his hand dismissively.

“Just kidding. But really, Manager Eom still has that face dripping with lingering attachment.”

“I never chase after a car that’s already left.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Lee Hyeon didn’t ask any further.

Anything beyond this was truly personal business.

“More importantly, please give me a proper answer now.”

“About what?”

“You know what I’m asking about…! Huu! Are you really not going to answer?”

The question she’d been persistently asking since they came up from Gyeongsan.

Whether he had become a ranker.

Lee Hyeon nodded briefly.

“No. What you’re thinking is correct.”

Kim Min-jeong’s upper body shot forward.

“Then…!”

“No. I’m not quite at that level yet.”

“…Ah.”

Meaning he hadn’t fully recovered his abilities from his Jet days.

Kim Min-jeong unconsciously leaned back against her seat in disappointment, then startled herself.

Still, considering it had only been a little over a month since his return, to have regained this much ability.

An impossibly terrifying speed.

So in a few more months, no, even just one more month, perhaps his former skills…!

“But if we’re just talking about output and efficiency, I think I could put up a decent fight.”

“…!!”

Kim Min-jeong trembled without realizing it.

“You mean… even if you fought against your past self…?”

“It would be worth trying, I suppose? Though winning would be difficult.”

But Kim Min-jeong knew well that those words were an understatement.

From what she could see, Lee Hyeon’s current skills had already far surpassed those from four years ago.

Whether it was because his experience had accumulated over time, or because his skill tree had changed, she didn’t know,

but if he utilized his current abilities with his transformed skills and judgment, she could easily predict victory even in a fight against Jet.

“Haha, hahaha… I thought it was fast, maybe too fast, but I never imagined it would be this fast…”

Kim Min-jeong laughed helplessly. Her strength drained away as her suspicions became reality.

Instead, hope filled that empty space completely.

Now Lee Hyeon had truly earned the qualifications to be called a ‘team leader’ at White Burn, hadn’t he?

And what that led to was…

Kim Min-jeong swallowed dryly and asked.

“But why on earth have you been hiding this fact all this time?”

“Because your reactions were entertaining?”

Kim Min-jeong’s hand moved toward her holster again.

“I’m kidding. There’s still something I need to confirm.”

“Confirm?”

As always, Lee Hyeon answered with a silent smile instead of words.

Kim Min-jeong pressed her temples firmly.

“What kind of man has this many secrets… Anyway, fine. So when are you planning to report this fact to the company?”

“When I submit the strategy report.”

“Really… It’s going to cause quite a stir. Executive Director Jeong’s expression should be worth seeing too.”

Kim Min-jeong let out a hollow laugh as she imagined the company’s reaction that would soon sweep through like a tsunami.

A man who had not only solved 15 long-standing unsolved dungeons in less than two weeks, but had now even become a ranker.

Lee Hyeon’s presence would be impossible to erase now.

People inside and outside the company would be talking about him non-stop.

‘When the deputy general manager finds out, he’ll keep adding fuel to the fire… Internal politics will become even more intense.’

Im Won-young’s position, having recommended Lee Hyeon, would become that much more solid too.

It seemed there wouldn’t be any quiet days for a while.

‘How on earth did he do it? Could it be related to the opportunities he gave us?’

Kim Min-jeong still couldn’t forget the ecstasy she had experienced in the last dungeon.

A vast basin. Seven large bowls arranged in a circle at its center.

Though they were all old and cracked from the passage of time, the lingering thoughts embedded in them were truly vicious and malevolent.

Just standing next to them was enough to make breathing difficult.

‘It was definitely demonic energy, but different from ordinary demonic energy. Much more fundamental and pure…’

During her Blue Thunder days, she had hunted countless demons, but it was on a completely different level from the sewage-like demonic energy they boasted.

That’s why Kim Min-jeong couldn’t leave that place for a long time.

Normally, when a demonic energy source is discovered, the first rule is to report it to government agencies,

but she camped out near that area and devoted herself entirely to cultivation.

Demonic energy and killing intent differed by a hair’s breadth. Misfortune differed by two hair’s breadths.

So Kim Min-jeong was able to extract seven different types of demonic energy, process and refine them into magic bullets.

Also, she filtered out only the pure parts of what remained and imbued them into her legacy.

Thanks to this,

 

[The grade of your legacy, ‘The Story of Janghwa and Hongryeon’ is currently A+. Proficiency has exceeded the limit.]

[Prepare to carve your name on the tablet.]

 

As her legacy’s grade rose significantly, she too now had becoming a ranker right before her eyes.

She didn’t dare attempt ‘awakening’ yet as her preparations weren’t complete, but she planned to try soon.

‘It’s not just that the grade increased. The depth of the legacy has deepened considerably, and the efficiency of magic bullets has improved too.’

In fact, Kim Min-jeong had no idea,

but the opportunity she had gained was actually the meeting place of the Seven Great Sages.

The place where Great Sage Equal to Heaven Son Wukong had sworn brotherhood with six demon kings, including the eldest Bull Demon King.

Therefore, the thoughts of the Seven Great Sages who had played and mingled there remained intensely in that place. Kim Min-jeong had refined killing intent and misfortune right there.

With that effect, her soul’s potential was already tremendous. Her senses regarding spirits and demons had changed too, though she didn’t realize it yet.

‘Moreover, I wasn’t the only one who gained such an opportunity.’

Manager Eom Ki-seon and Chief Seo Ae-ri had all been transformed to a different level. Similarly, they seemed to have noticed Kim Min-jeong’s changes too.

Therefore, an implicit rule naturally formed among the team members.

They agreed not to ask about or speak of what each had gained.

They intended to keep it as their lifelong secret and completely bury everything about Lee Hyeon.

‘Anyway, since the dungeon is closed, there’s no way for anyone to verify it.’

Kim Min-jeong chatted with Lee Hyeon about various future plans and soon arrived near Lee Hyeon’s house, their destination.

“Thanks for the ride. See you next week.”

“Yes. Get plenty of rest.”

Since there was extended leave following the extended business trip, they made plans for next time, and Lee Hyeon got out first.

Thud.

Lee Hyeon watched the unmanned taxi leave, then slowly stretched his body.

“Still, she cultivated quite well. I thought it would be a lot if she extracted three or four. Who would have thought she’d take all seven.”

「Kekeke. What an ambitious girl. Having big dreams is a very good thing.」

Sha Wujing suddenly appeared and stroked his chin with his hand.

「She seemed especially compatible with the eldest, Bull Demon King. She probably has no idea what an amazing feat she’s accomplished. I just hope it doesn’t become dangerous for her. Kekekeke.」

“She’ll handle it well enough. That’s the kind of person she is.”

Lee Hyeon chuckled lightly and swept his gaze around the surroundings.

“More importantly,”

Lee Hyeon planned to visit Docheol’s Forge and Lieutenant General Lee Gun-san’s mansion first before going straight home.

He had been away for too long, and he needed to share information about his changed combat strength.

‘There are also many things I need to bring them.’

Lee Hyeon thought of the Heart of Bennu that would be sleeping soundly in his inventory.

‘I also need to investigate more about Son Wukong’s request.’

And the Demon King of Chaos’s scroll that would be placed next to it.

There were many things to organize.

However,

“It seems there are more flies around than when I last saw this place.”

He didn’t want to be followed while handling all those matters.

The gazes watching him.

There happened to be three pairs. It would be perfect to give each of them one of Taotie’s Fangs as a gift.

“What’s strange is that it really turned out exactly as the Lieutenant General predicted, didn’t it?”

Along with those incomprehensible words to himself,

Flash!

 

[Dueoksini’s Swift Thunder is activated!]

 

Lee Hyeon became lightning and disappeared.

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