Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 22

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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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Episode 22. The Ant and the Elephant
Whoosh. Whoosh.
A fisherman casting his line from the breakwater at Incheon Seashore turned his head. Unfamiliar presences lingered about the vicinity.
People of all descriptions had gathered at the dock, chattering away. They looked like foreigners. He couldn’t make out what they were saying.
The fisherman, unbothered, returned his gaze to the sea. That was when it happened.
Crash!!
“What, what is that?!”
The air shattered like a window struck by a baseball, dark fissures splintering across the void as a Gate tore open.
“A, a Gate!! How is it so enormous?!”
The fisherman abandoned his gear and fled at full speed. He threw himself into his car, fired up the engine, and mashed the accelerator—then he noticed something odd.
‘Why aren’t those foreigners running?’
Did they not know what a Gate was? The fisherman rolled down his window and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Get out of there! Don’t just stand there like idiots!”
A few of the suspicious foreigners turned their heads. Their eyes were wrong. They looked like monsters wearing human skin.
“Fine, then. Do whatever you want!”
The fisherman shot away like an arrow. Those awaiting the Gate turned and gazed at the S+ Rank Gate with satisfied eyes.
“Li Wei is destroyed.”
“The High Potion production has also stopped.”
“We missed the EX Rank, but since we fought Jack the Ripper, he won’t emerge unscathed either.”
“May this Gate make us all equal.”
Whoosh! Fallen leaves scattered in the desolate wind. In an instant, those awaiting vanished. A moment later.
[Entering the Gate remotely via Dimensional Portal!]
A flash of white light, and Jung Ho emerged. The moment he saw the Gate, he gasped in admiration.
“Wow. This really is massive.”
Beyond merely large—overwhelmingly vast. A fissure wide enough for aircraft and even dragons far larger than aircraft to pass through easily.
Ordinarily he would have wondered what might come out, but Jung Ho already knew what monster awaited. He hefted the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow and found his position. Then.
Crack!
Skeletal fingers forced through the fissure, hauling the body into view. A sorcerer caught between human and corpse—a Lich.
The moment Jung Ho saw the Lich, his instincts screamed in warning. The creature’s overwhelming Mana made his skin prickle.
‘It really is a Lich. The information Dae Young gave me is spot on!’
A Lich is a monster strong enough to match a dragon. It has appeared only twice in Hunter history—the Lich that appeared in Beijing eliminated one percent of China’s population, and the one that appeared in Paris destroyed the Eiffel Tower.
And that monster stood before Jung Ho’s eyes. No matter how capable, he couldn’t help but tense.
‘It doesn’t seem to have spotted me yet. I should secure a position while I have the chance…….’
“Human.”
Jung Ho, mid-retreat, froze. If he’d been seen, there was no helping it. Running now would only leave him open to a spell in the back of the head.
“Yes?”
Jung Ho turned one hundred eighty degrees and faced the Lich directly. The Lich hovered in midair, parting its withered lips.
“First human to meet me. I shall grant you a glorious opportunity. I do not yet understand this world, but if you surrender the souls of humans to me, I will spare your life and keep you as my pet.”
‘Listen to the mouth on this sorcerer.’
Jung Ho wordlessly drew the bowstring of the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow. The Lich clicked its tongue slowly, disapprovingly.
“How could humans be so foolish?”
Jung Ho released the string. A pink-hued Mana arrow shot forth and struck the Lich’s skull with a solid thunk.
‘Did that bastard really store its Phylactery inside its own head? Bold choice.’
The Lich reached up slowly to extract the cherry blossom arrow buried in its cranium. But it wouldn’t come free. Only then did the Lich understand.
“For a mere human, you make for interesting sport.”
The Lich extended its hand. A thick black beam erupted, obliterating the ground where Jung Ho stood.
“Yet it ends now. The gap between you and me dwarfs even the distance between ant and elephant…….”
The Lich, turning to depart, suddenly jerked its head back.
[Skill activated: Water Shield Original]
[Shielded by a barrier of water.]
From within the blue water barrier, Jung Ho let out a bitter laugh.
“Wow. I thought I was done for.”
For a moment there, he really had thought this was the end. The beam had carved out a crater nearly a meter deep. Only the section protected by Water Shield remained intact.
So a Lich, no matter how strong, couldn’t overcome the original skill. Now he understood why Dae Young called it the creature’s natural predator.
No need for cowardice, hiding, fleeing. Just stand there confidently and keep firing the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow. That was all.
“Kid, since when does the ant fear the elephant?”
Jung Ho boldly drew the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow’s string once more. The Lich gestured quietly.
Boom-boom-boom-crash!
Meteors poured down from a crimson sky. The ultimate magic that had toppled the Eiffel Tower in Paris in a single stroke…….
[Skill activated: Water Shield Original]
[Enveloping myself in a Water Shield.]
Splash! Pure white steam erupted in great billows, but Jung Ho emerged unscathed. His vision obscured by the white cloud, though it hardly mattered.
-Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow (Legendary): A bow that fires mana instead of arrows. Guaranteed to hit, and a second strike on the same target means instant death.
Might as well fire blindly—it’ll land anyway. From within the mist, Jung Ho nocked a second arrow. Twang! But no matter how long he waited, he heard no impact.
The cloud slowly dissipated, and Jung Ho beheld an absurd sight. The cherry blossom arrow was spinning in dizzying circles around the Lich, never striking.
“What the—”
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I was watching through true sight beyond your fog. Before you even released the bowstring, I wrapped myself in a protective barrier—perfectly.”
The Lich unleashed another black ray from within its shield. Thud! The barrier didn’t budge an inch.
“A most exceptional shield. One that no force in creation can breach—absolute, invulnerable protection. Even a killing blow means nothing if it cannot land. Do you understand——”
Pop! The cherry blossom arrow vanished suddenly. Pop! Then burst through the barrier from inside. Crack! It struck the Lich’s skull with full force.
“What……is……this……?”
What on earth had just happened? Jung Ho himself couldn’t grasp it. Like force-quitting a game caught in an infinite loop, the arrow had simply teleported.
“It seems my Guaranteed Hit takes precedence over your shield.”
“This is……absurd……impossible……!”
The Lich’s skull crumbled like a shattered puzzle. The Phylactery, struck twice by the Sunset Cherry Blossom arrow, blazed with brilliant light and detonated.
Bang!!
The final explosion was devastatingly powerful. He could almost see how a single Lich had wiped out one percent of Beijing’s population.
Of course, this Lich’s own shield now contained the blast—it had simply imploded in isolation. Like a burnt-out lightbulb.
[Lich 1/10 Defeated]
‘I really am this thing’s natural predator, aren’t I? Maybe this is doable after all.’
Crackle! A second Lich emerged from the Gate. It regarded Jung Ho and clicked its tongue slowly—tsk, tsk.
“Human.”
‘Why does this feel like déjà vu?’
“First mortal to meet me. I grant you the honor of——”
Jung Ho quietly fired the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow. Twang! Crack!
“Why must humans always——”
Another shot. Twang!
“A most exceptional shield, one no force in creation can breach, absolute protection——”
The arrow that had been spiraling suddenly teleported, piercing the Lich’s chest with a dazzling burst of light.
[Lich 2/10 Defeated]
“Next.”
[Lich 3/10 Defeated]
[Lich 4/10 Defeated]
[Lich 5/10 Defeated]
“Just come at me all at once.”
Crash! The rift shattered into fragments, and five Liches poured forth in a torrent. The overwhelming mana prickled against his skin, but Jung Ho grinned and raised the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow.
[Lich 6/10 Defeated]
[Lich 7/10 Defeated]
[Lich 8/10 Defeated]
[Lich 9/10 Defeated]
“That leaves one. Where’d it slink off to?”
Jung Ho glanced about, searching. It must have bolted while he was busy fighting the other five.
“Run away after all that posturing, did you!”
Jung Ho fired the Sunset Cherry Blossom Bow into the empty air. Twang! The cherry blossom arrow streaked away like a comet.
* * *
Wee-ooo-wee-ooo!!
[Emergency Alert: Gate Manifestation Warning!]
[Gate has appeared 1.3 km off the western coast of Incheon!]
[Estimated to be S Rank or higher. Primary monsters unknown. Citizens, please evacuate to safety until Hunters arrive.]
While Jung Ho fought, Hunters arrived late to the scene. Gwon Min-gi, Baek Mi-na, and Cho Jae-hyung, as well as Britain’s top-ranked Oscar and the world’s first-ranked Ronald.
Dozens of other Hunters had assembled off the Incheon shore. Everyone remotely close had come. An S+ Rank Gate, no less—Legendary items might even drop.
“Hunter Gwon! It’s been ages.”
Baek Mi-na spotted Gwon Min-gi in the crowd. Min-gi smiled warmly in return.
“Hunter Baek. I heard you’d retired.”
“I live nearby. I was about to flee, but that Gate looks terrifyingly dangerous even from several kilometers away, doesn’t it?”
“Look over there. Hunter Cho Jae-hyung is here as well. What could you possibly fear?”
South Korea’s second-ranked Cho Jae-hyung stood sandwiched between Britain’s top Oscar and France’s premier Martin, mediating between the rival hunters spoiling for a fight.
Whoosh! A portal opened on the opposite side, and Li Wei and Ryu Je arrived as well.
“The very air of Korea is filthy,” Li Wei grimaced sharply.
Ryu Je added his voice to the complaint.
“The master’s savior, in a manner of speaking.”
“It was the worst mistake of my life. I should have died back then—if it hadn’t been for you, Ryu Je.”
Mi-na smiled faintly. So many powerful hunters had gathered in one place. Whatever emerged from the Gate, they should be able to handle it. But then something unexpected occurred.
“What? Gwon—is Ronald leaving?”
The departure of the world’s number-one ranked hunter, Ronald. Gwon Min-gi and several others rushed after him, trying to stop him, but—
“Fighting here would be meaningless.”
With those words, Ronald boarded his private helicopter and departed.
The world’s number-one hunter’s withdrawal caused a visible shift in the atmosphere. Mi-na, bewildered, turned to Gwon.
“Why would Ronald leave at a time like this? An S+ Rank Gate is dangerous, yes, but it’s also an opportunity to obtain Legendary items.”
“I don’t know either. Wait—here it comes! Everyone, focus! A monster is emerging—!”
Boom!!
Gwon Min-gi’s vision blurred in an instant. The blast was more powerful than the Inferno once wielded by a Red Mage from China, a ball of flame slightly smaller than the sun created by a Korean EX Rank hunter—and it detonated.
Dozens of hunters gathered at the site were instantly incinerated. Those merely grazed by the unquenchable flames writhed on the ground in agony. In a single moment, hell itself had opened.
“Flames. Is it a dragon? No, that’s—!”
From the opposite side of the Gate emerged an Undead clad in tattered priestly robes. Gems seemed embedded in both its eye sockets, glinting with an eerie brilliance.
“A Lich.”
Someone spoke the name. A funeral-like silence fell over the scene. An unsettling wind whistled from the Lich’s mouth, carrying something like cruel laughter.
“Yes. I am the Lich. All of you will die here today. Your souls shall serve me well.”
“It’s a Lich! A monster that wields powerful magic. Everyone, be careful—!”
The Lich pointed a skeletal finger at Gwon Min-gi. A black lightning beam shot toward him—
Clash!
Martin deflected the Lich’s beam with his Rapier.
“You alright, my friend?”
France’s number-one hunter, Martin, brushed off the counter with ease. Immediately after, Britain’s number-one, Oscar, drew his Revolver and squeezed the trigger repeatedly.
Boom-boom-boom-bang!!
Oscar alone unleashed a barrage with his Revolver. The Lich reeled under the explosions but remained unharmed. Instead, as it chanted some twisted incantation, a black concentric circle rippled outward from its body.
“Dark Aura! If you draw close, your Mana will become corrupted. Retreat unless you wish to die!”
Li Wei instantly fell back. Conversely, Cho Jae-hyung surged forward.
“No—let me hold the line!”
Korea’s number-two hunter, Cho Jae-hyung, unfurled his aura. His aura and the Dark Aura collided, neutralizing each other and creating a buffer zone.
“The Korean has his uses, it seems.”
Within the buffer zone, Li Wei used the Looking Down Eye and located the Lich’s Phylactery. It was inside the Lich’s body—specifically, in the right thigh.
“Its Phylactery is within its body, in the right leg. If you want to accumulate Contribution Score, destroy it before I do.”
“Is that so? Let me give it a try.”
Baek Mi-na extended her hand toward the Lich. Healing magic was anathema to the Undead—it would inflict damage instead.
“Regenerate!”
[Skill activated: Regenerate]
[Rapidly heals injuries.]
At the same moment, the Lich’s right eye flashed blue.
[Skill activation has been canceled.]
“A Counter Skill?! Be careful! This Lich is stronger than it looks!”
“Madam. Strength is no reason to believe something cannot be killed.”
Martin kicked off the ground and launched himself at the Lich, which hovered in mid-air. He bounded through the empty space, raining blows upon the creature.
It couldn’t counter every swift attack he unleashed. Just as Martin’s Rapier was about to pierce the Lich’s leg—
Boom!!
A massive explosion. The Lich detonated flames, including itself within the blast radius. Martin flew back and tumbled across the ground before landing.
“The vulgar tactics of the French. Observe: the British way.”
Oscar, Britain’s number-one, aimed his Revolver precisely at the Lich’s right leg. The Lich’s right eye flashed, and a blue barrier enveloped it—then abruptly vanished.
“Hmm?”
A bewildered Lich. A black car arrived, and Section Chief Oh Seung-woo stepped out.
“I apologize for the delay. Section Chief Oh Seung-woo of the Korea Hunter Management Bureau. I’m here to provide support.”
A blue light flashed in Section Chief Oh’s right eye as well. Oscar smirked and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Crack! Oscar’s shot struck true, but the Lich’s leg bore only a scratch.
“Foolish humans. Do you truly believe such trivial attacks can kill a Lich—”
Then—thwack! A cherry blossom arrow suddenly flew through, piercing the Lich’s leg. Between the scattered bone and flesh fragments, shards of a destroyed Phylactery went flying.
“Gaaahhh!!”
Just before the immortal, invincible Lich could explode in a blinding light, Section Chief Oh’s eyes flashed once more. The Lich, without so much as a detonation, rapidly desiccated into dust.
“Look! The Lich is dead! We defeated an S+ Rank Gate together by combining our strength—didn’t we?”
The joy was short-lived. Status Windows suddenly bloomed before every hunter’s eyes.
[Lich 10/10 Defeated]
[S+ Rank Gate Clear!]
[Contribution Score: ???(100%)]
The hunters stared at the Status Window and gasped three times over.
First, it was the S+ Rank Gate in all of recorded history,
and second, despite the world’s top hunters throwing themselves at it and barely managing to kill one Lich, ten had appeared instead—
and third, a single hunter had taken down all ten of them.
Shock and bewilderment left the hunters gaping like goldfish, their mouths hanging open.
“Ha ha ha. I was uncertain about it, but… it seems Korea truly does have an EX Rank hunter.”
Ronald, the world’s number-one hunter and America’s strongest, who had hung back alone, stumbled forward with hollow laughter.
“I wondered if I might glimpse even a single strand of an EX Rank’s hair by withdrawing. But the EX Rank surpasses our imagination by fathomless measure. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Oscar of Britain, Martin of France, Li Wei of China, and the various world-class ranked hunters who had joined late all lingered in hesitation for a long moment.
But in the end, they could only accept it.
“The gap between us and an EX Rank seems greater than the difference between an ant and an elephant, would you not say?”
Someone spoke, and everyone nodded.
Continued next episode ▶
Got an endgame item for a bowl of ramen
Author
Hayan Gotgam
Publishers
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and duplication are prohibited, and violation may result in criminal and civil legal liability.
※ Pentagram awaits the author’s precious manuscripts.

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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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