I Became a Mythical Hunter After Killing the Golden Goblin - Chapter 201
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 201. Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong
I swallowed hard. I could sense it now. Though it wore the guise of a star created by the laws granted to me by the System, that was no ordinary star.
Hadn’t it introduced itself as such? An avatar, it had said.
‘Akasha.’
As I felt my doubt and fear, Akasha affirmed my thoughts in kind.
〚That is correct. If Solomon represents the greatest Irregular among created beings, then the Great Sage Equal to Heaven is the mightiest Irregular across all creation and non-creation alike.〛
My eyes widened. Non-creation? What kind of bewildering concept was that?
〚A life born from a stone that flowed into this universe from beyond the cosmos in the primordial age. Not created by the Creator. Thus, it exists half-removed from the laws of the universe that the Creator established. It maintains the title of strongest living being while living as a Divine Seat without becoming a Concept Divine Seat.〛
‘That’s different from Ouroboros, then?’
〚Yes. Ouroboros, strictly speaking, was merely not created—it was born in the universe before the primordial age, like the Creator itself. But Sun Wukong was not born in this universe at all.〛
Even in Earth’s mythology, Sun Wukong’s origin is legendary. A monkey demon born within the highest stone in Flower Fruit Mountain, a mythical place.
〚Flower Fruit Mountain itself was a place prepared to seal that existence. The Creator ordered the Tathagata, who was the highest Divine Seat and a Concept Divine Being, to create it. Though ‘seal’ is perhaps too strong a word—it was more of a severance. A place to monitor and observe the stone that came from beyond.〛
The conflict between Tathagata and Sun Wukong is legendary. Wasn’t it the entity that once fought the Divine Realms alone?
As I continued this train of thought, I turned my gaze forward once more—
“Huh?”
Sun Wukong’s avatar had vanished before my eyes. As if it had never been there in the first place.
And then.
-Is the conversation over?
A presence felt from behind me. I hadn’t noticed it. Not the movement, nor the fact that it had gotten behind me.
Goosebumps erupted across my entire body. I had thought far too lightly of this. This was an avatar left behind by the mightiest living being.
Buried in the word ‘avatar,’ I had forgotten what it truly was. How could I have been so careless as to look away while facing such an opponent?
‘But that’s not even the worst part.’
A movement I couldn’t even perceive. Was this even possible? I possessed the power and strength of a Divine King. Yet even I couldn’t hope to match the power wielded by a mere avatar existing as a trial. It was chilling.
-Kekeke. Surprised, are you? Well, I understand. Having come this far, you’d think yourself impressive.
Playful, lighthearted, and frivolous. That’s what made it so alien. Behavior that clashed with the power it possessed, yet somehow fit perfectly because of that very contradiction.
-So, is the conversation done? How much longer do I have to wait?
The avatar appeared before me in an instant once more, its two eyes burning crimson as it observed me. I felt exposed, as if laid bare under scrutiny. I had never felt this way, not even before those Concept Divine Seats.
Though I willed myself to maintain control, my body trembled beyond my command. My instincts screamed danger, and my flesh tensed to its absolute limit.
“How did you know I was speaking?”
It could only mean one thing—it had sensed Akasha. I had conversed through thought alone, receiving answers through the System.
To my question, the avatar, as if it had just realized something, smacked its own head and grinned with gleaming eyes.
-Sorry, sorry~ Everything’s visible to these eyes of mine, so I ended up prying into your secrets without meaning to. Cut me some slack, yeah? It’s not like I can choose not to see things~~
It simply saw. Those eyes were no ordinary thing. They possessed a dignity far beyond comparison to the Chaos Eye I possessed.
“Fiery Eyes of True Sight.”
It was famous. Anyone who had read Journey to the West even once would recognize it. Eyes that distinguish the false from the true, that pierce through all illusions with perfect insight.
-You know about my eyes?
“What do you want?”
Before I knew it, those words had left my lips. The avatar laughed as if amused.
-Huh, you’re quick to the point—just like someone carrying that irritating golden brat around.
My body stiffened reflexively once more. Despite being merely an avatar, it had grasped everything about me. The very essence of the Creator, which even Concept Divine Seats had only recognized after its identity was revealed, dwelt within me.
-Ah! I can tell what you’re thinking. Hmm… how should I explain this? Right! These eyes are shared. My original body perceives everything we avatars see, hear, and judge through these eyes. Even now, it’s watching you. Through these eyes. And finding you quite interesting.
“And the Creator…?”
-That golden bastard caused my original body so much suffering that it ranks among the things it despises most. But that’s merely the emotion my original body feels. I was born here and have never left this place, so I harbor no particular feelings about it.
“Does it truly hate him so much? Enough to seek him out and kill him, or to come seeking revenge?”
The avatar, who had been laughing and showing interest at my question, soon shook its head and put my anxiety to rest.
-My original body has no interest in such matters. Of course, because of that golden bastard, the Tathagata and the Heavenly Realm tormented my original body relentlessly when it was first born, so it did crush them once. But that was the end of it. And besides, that Golden doesn’t seem to be in a normal state either, so why bother?
Then, concentrating for a moment on eyes that burned an even deeper crimson, it continued.
-Rather, it’s showing interest in you. It’s curious about how you consumed that Golden.
Consumed? What an odd way to phrase it. And I never did anything like that. It just happened to turn out this way.
In any case, I exhaled a deep sigh internally. If by any chance the Creator harbored a grudge and attacked me, I would have no choice but to accept death cleanly.
This wasn’t a winnable game. I couldn’t even defeat a mere 100th Avatar, so how could I possibly survive against the original body?
There was no way around this.
〚It is possible. If you open the fourth floor of the Golden Tower and completely absorb its power.〛
‘Sun Wukong is said to be the strongest life form.’
〚The Creator is an exception. There is a difference between the created and the creator. And even an irregular from outside, broadly speaking, is still a life form created by someone. No, even if a being is self-born, it cannot surpass the Creator. The gap is fundamental. So please complete the succession of power quickly.〛
As if it were that simple. What sleeps on the fourth floor is the Entity. Data of entities accumulated through hundreds of thousands of cycles. Within me lies the power to manifest that data.
-Well! Anyway, back to the original topic. I asked what I wanted, didn’t I?
The avatar’s demeanor shifted. The boundlessly light and playful manner vanished in an instant, replaced by tremendous fighting spirit and exhilaration.
-Let’s fight! Fight and fight again! You covet this peak too, don’t you? So fight me. Until I die, again and again!
The Buddha of Fighting and War. Even having become a Buddha, the epithet contained battle and warfare—a being mad for combat.
But I had no intention of refusing. I wanted to see it. The power possessed by the strongest life form. Even if it was merely an avatar, that alone was more than I deserved.
I would pour everything I had into this, developing myself through the confrontation.
‘It doesn’t seem to intend to kill me.’
This being had waited for a challenger in solitude and loneliness. It would never kill me. How long would it take before another being capable of reaching this peak appeared? The avatar would know that better than anyone.
‘Then it will become a good teacher.’
A trial that cannot kill me only makes me stronger. Suddenly, such a maxim came to mind, and I too drew my blade.
“I shall learn much from you.”
-Kuhkuhkuh. Good, good. I’ll match your level. Come on, pour out everything you’ve got.
And so the battle began.
***
At the summit of the Mountain Source of River of Flowing Stars, three months had passed—a duration both long and fleeting.
“Impressive, isn’t it? Your talent alone surpasses even the original body?”
Sun Wukong’s 100th Avatar gazed down at the unconscious man sprawled beneath him, his laughter brimming with amusement.
“Ah! How long has it been since I last sustained a wound?”
A minuscule scratch, no larger than a fingernail, marred the Avatar’s cheek. The wound was so trivial that blood didn’t even seep from it, yet the mere fact of being wounded struck him like a thunderbolt.
Before the original body earned the title of Undefeated Warrior, before the Great Sage Equal to Heaven declared war upon the Heavenly Realm, the 100th Avatar was born in this place.
When the original body, dwelling in Flower Fruit Mountain of Orae Kingdom, grew weary of constant friction and stormed into the Abyss swearing to obliterate everything, that was when the 100th Avatar came into existence.
Of course, when the original body actually marched upon the Heavenly Realm itself, fear seized him, so he hastily appointed that fool Palmion as a stable keeper to temporarily quell that rage. Yet ironically, that very appointment became the catalyst for the Heavenly Realm’s downfall.
In any case, the point was this: no matter how weak an Avatar might be at birth, being connected to the original body meant continuously receiving a portion of the original’s realm and power.
The 100th Avatar’s total strength barely reached five percent of the original body’s, yet even that pittance sufficed to crush dozens of Divine Kings single-handedly.
Considering that the two-digit numbered Avatars could even defeat Concept Divine Seats, the power was truly staggering.
Such a being had been wounded. His body operated with defensive techniques like Protective Qi Armor and Diamond Indestructibility as standard. Though he had not achieved the original body’s state of eternal youth and immortality, his physique was scarcely inferior.
“To wound such a body—that is what occurred.”
Of course, the wound healed instantly upon formation, at a speed barely perceptible to consciousness. Yet it had undeniably happened.
“Tai Chi, was it called?”
A magnificent power—one worthy of integration into sorcery. The fact that even the original body, having perceived and comprehended and studied Tai Chi through the Fiery Eyes of Truth, trembled with excitement spoke volumes.
“Unfortunately, it seems the limit is steamed buns without the filling.”
Understanding and learning were one thing, but wielding it as this creature did was another entirely. Fragments could be grafted into sorcery and martial arts, yet never could they replicate that being’s techniques.
Something fundamental was required—whether it was authority or concept, I could not say.
“In any case, what is the judgment?”
The 100th Avatar gazed into the empty sky and posed the question. As if answering, his eyes blazed with even more brilliant radiance.
“Pass? Or disposal?”
This being harbored the power of the Creator. Allowing him to live might prove a threat.
Of course, after the original body’s victory in the war with the Heavenly Realm long ago, the Creator had recognized his uncontrollability and lost interest. But this successor of sorts might harbor different thoughts, might he not?
Though, truthfully, he didn’t appear to be the scheming type.
The Avatar had woven truth with a thread of falsehood. The original Sun Wukong had now extinguished all interest in the Creator, just as the Creator had extinguished interest in him.
But had the rage vanished? No. Knowing victory was impossible, they simply maintained their respective domains and ignored each other utterly.
Yet this mighty, transcendent being was now trapped within such a trivial vessel?
Was this not an opportunity for vengeance?
Certainly, this one was formidable. But if he possessed the Creator’s power, given sufficient time, he could achieve any realm imaginable.
Of course, receiving that choice would be impossible.
“Oh? Suspended judgment? You find this amusing? Yes! That’s exactly what I wanted to say! It would be madness to kill him after orchestrating something this entertaining!”
The original body had decided: he would observe, seeking to understand what the Creator dwelling within desired.
Immense spiritual power drained from the Avatar’s form.
“Ah! When you’re reborn, give yourself some freedom this time! Yes, yes, that’s a promise. Honestly, being trapped here was driving me insane!”
The power flowed directly into Shin Ju-ha’s eyes. The Eyes of Chaos consumed the Fiery Eyes of Truth, and the heterochromatic gaze blazed with even more resplendent brilliance.
Thus, the Avatar who had reigned supreme atop Stage 100 for so long accepted defeat by his own hand, and a new master of the summit was born.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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