chapter 50
“I wonder what will happen to this team next?”
[“Sacred Relic: Dice Left Behind by Fortuna” is rolled!]
Two dice tumbled along the table.
3 and 5.
Total: 8.
“8… Luck. A favorable outcome is expected, but it also means carelessness is forbidden. Roll once more.”
[“Sacred Relic: Dice Left Behind by Fortuna” is rolled again!]
4 and 6.
Total: 10.
“Promotion. Acceleration of fate, reward for effort. Only good omens here.”
Lee Hyun smiled satisfactorily.
He had been studying Fortuna’s dice for a while and had almost fully mapped out the meaning of each number.
“Huh? Do only good omens come out?”
“Hehe. Looks like the goddess of luck is watching our Apostle.”
A baby monkey and a baby turtle were staring intently at the dice.
“Actually, this might not be so good in reverse.”
“If it’s good, just enjoy it. Why think so negatively?”
“No, I…”
“Don’t worry. If anything goes wrong, this priest will divert all misfortune toward execution using a cursed spell.”
“What the—!?”
Clatter and tumble—today, the two animal “priests” continued their squabble as usual.
Lee Hyun rolled the dice again.
“What achievement will be gained in this mission?”
Roll… clatter.
5 and 6.
Total: 11.
“Initiation. Hidden truths will be revealed.”
This was a completely different meaning from the previous results.
“Hidden truths… what could they be?”
“Hehe. Quite a difficult number. If this was used against that Chairman Peng fellow, it must mean there’s another ally besides me.”
“Don’t get too distracted here. Focus on the task at hand. Once we clear the three dungeons this time, you’ll start hunting those guys seriously, right?”
Saoh Jeong and Son Oh-gong stopped squabbling and looked up at Lee Hyun.
A calm and resolute gaze.
“Yes. I will. Originally, I planned to keep my identity hidden as much as possible… but I can no longer do that.”
Lee Hyun had significantly revised his future plans after a conversation with Lee Gun-san.
By toppling a prestigious family, his identity as a noble envoy was no longer one-time use.
That meant he needed to utilize it as a long-term pawn in the strategic game.
Moreover, due to previous clashes and Executive Jeong’s reactions, it had become certain that Chairman Peng had some secret concerning Son Oh-gong.
So staying idle was no longer an option.
It was a faster move than Lee Hyun had originally planned, but he intended to actively exploit the fact that they still didn’t fully understand him.
“According to the commander, the person who entered the country is likely a Malryong. Then they would have thoroughly investigated Team Z’s members and discovered me too. Their curiosity must be high.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Now, how will you respond, Malryong?”
Malryong was known to be close to Seo Chang-woo—a target Lee Hyun absolutely had to capture first.
And…
“I’m thinking of finally using this guy too.”
Lee Hyun stared at the golden bracelet that never wavered, neither then nor now.
“There’s a lot to do this time, huh? This journey is going to change a lot.”
Son Oh-gong twisted his mouth.
Lee Hyun nodded.
Hehe. Saoh Jeong burst into laughter beside them, visibly excited as well.
A hot energy surrounded the three of them.
As Lee Hyun thought it was nearly time to depart, he packed his bag to leave the café.
“Then, let’s buy one of their pumpkin cakes on the way out. I read online that it’s highly rated.”
“…Now you check the internet too?”
“Sometimes while you’re training? Watching mukbangs is fun.”
No wonder his phone battery was draining fast.
Lee Hyun chuckled hollowly and headed to the kiosk.
If he didn’t buy it, he’d be nagged all day.
After finishing his personal maintenance, Lee Hyun met Kim Min-jung and headed to the underground item storage level.
“Your teammates were going crazy, weren’t they?”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you check the group chat?”
“I think they contacted me, but I just turned it off.”
Not completely. Son Oh-gong had taken it to watch mukbangs.
“Then just leave it off. Everyone is pretending not to know where you are anyway.”
“Good. Want me to pat your head?”
“If you want your hand cut off, go ahead.”
Ha. Lee Hyun laughed lightly while looking at Kim Min-jung’s axe-like gaze.
She was a playful junior, just as in their academy days.
“…Even getting older, you’re still the same.”
Kim Min-jung pressed her temple with her finger but soon joined him in laughing.
The fact that they were returning to a childhood-like rapport meant they were growing closer.
Kim Min-jung could see the ‘ease’ that Lee Hyun had previously lost.
“I wish it could stay like this… but that’s impossible, right?”
She knew Lee Hyun’s past grievances too well, understanding that this momentary ease was fleeting.
She felt pity for his life, always burdened and climbing the hill of pain.
“Starting tonight, you’ll likely increase your pace again.”
Lee Hyun informed only three teammates—Kim Min-jung, Seo Ae-ri, and Eom Gi-seon—that he would begin a new dungeon raid at midnight.
The message simply stated:
-
“I’ll be away for about half a month. Prepare well and join the raid.”
He didn’t disclose the location.
Even someone who cleared The Pied Piper in a day would find this long-term dungeon extremely difficult.
Though sudden, Seo Ae-ri and Eom Gi-seon did not protest. In fact, they seemed pleased—more research, more battles.
Lee Hyun thought, “They’ll grow even more. Each dungeon breakthrough leads to remarkable growth.”
Kim Min-jung suspected that after this journey, Lee Hyun would recover close to his Jet-era level—just a few months away from an S-rank, a level all hunters aspired to. Insane growth speed.
“Well, has he ever done anything that made sense?”
At that moment, they arrived at the counter.
A place to borrow important guild-owned items based on missions or requests. Sometimes cursed items were sealed there too.
“Here to pick up an item.”
“Show your permit.”
Lee Hyun handed over the document received when accepting the mission.
“Confirmed. Please wait.”
The clerk returned with a wooden box, bound in talismans and chains.
“The rental period lasts until a separate mission-end order is issued. Keep safety instructions nearby, and never draw the item in crowded areas.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“The curse affects not only the user but all living beings in the vicinity. Any further questions?”
“None.”
“Sign here and you may take the item.”
Lee Hyun signed and carried the box out.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen something so securely sealed. How can I even feel a chill from this far away?”
Kim Min-jung kept her distance from the box.
She usually used energy and flesh, but this was different—a contaminating curse that could mutate similar energies nearby.
“It must be a dangerous item.”
“Executive Jeong can’t be sane. How can he let someone carry this around, fully unsealed?”
Lee Hyun smiled silently. Unlike her, he was immune to the curse.
[Curse Immunity (SS) activates, nullifying all curses.]
“Hehe! I’m so curious about this one! I hope it’s an exciting one.”
Saoh Jeong was practically drooling.
“Even the Phoenix Heart was given, so Executive Jeong may have been a benefactor rather than an enemy of our Apostle! Haha!”
“Seems so. However,”
“Hmm? Is there more?”
The item was instructed to be given by Executive Jeong, but someone else might have influenced it earlier.
“Oh? Who else?”
…
Saoh Jeong’s eyes widened, while Son Oh-gong sensed something, narrowing his eyes silently.
“Let’s open it here.”
Lee Hyun and Kim Min-jung arrived at a private training room on B1—large, specially reinforced to withstand most skills.
“You’re really coming in too? It’s dangerous.”
“How can I let only you handle it? It’s an SS-rank cursed item. I need to be here too.”
“As expected, Kim Min-jung. Full of loyalty.”
“No matter how much you praise me, nothing comes out,” she scoffed.
“Be careful. If you open it recklessly, the curse will—”
“It’s okay.”
She swallowed nervously and created distance, hand on her holster.
Lee Hyun inserted the key into the chain’s lock.
Click!
“The more vigorous, the better.”
The moment the key turned,
Clang! Clang!
Chains shattered from strong recoil,
Click!
The lid tilted back, talismans tearing off.
A curved-blade dagger appeared.
A powerful wave of curse spiraled.
[“Brutus’ Dagger” reveals its accumulated vampiric hunger!]
“Senior!”
“It’s okay. Stay there, it’s dangerous.”
The dagger shook violently, as if quenching its long-built thirst.
Even Lee Hyun, usually unmoved by curses, felt chills on his skin.
“Furiously angry, I see.”
“Haha! This is far more dangerous than expected!”
Saoh Jeong laughed maniacally, eyes gleaming with exhilaration.
“The item itself is great, but someone already tampered with it.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“As expected… this item seems touched by the Mountain Deity.”
[Brutus’ Dagger]
Originally a Roman legionary weapon, it became legendary after Brutus stabbed Caesar.
It grants legitimacy to the user and accumulates power with repeated use, but causes severe paranoia and fear of betrayal.
-
Type: One-handed weapon, cursed item
-
Origin: Legend “Et tu Brute”
Currently, it inexplicably carries a mental-type curse blessing.
Lee Hyun opened his Hwa-an Geum-jeong fully.
The green aura surrounding the dagger felt familiar.
Flare!
[“Sacred Relic: Hwa-an Geum-jeong” analyzes the curse on the item!]
…
[The curse identified as “Hohwan Mama” (Tiger’s Mother).]
[Hohwan Mama]
The highest curse held by those with mountain deity myths.
In East Asia, tigers descending from mountains to devour humans were feared like plagues.
Attempts to resist usually failed, killing the opponent.
-
Type: Mental, fear-type curse
-
Origin: Folktale “Hohwan”
“As expected.”
From the moment Lee Hyun received the box, he realized this was a trial set by the maternal spirit.
Past conversation:
-
“I will willingly become the blade.”
-
“Use me as you wish. It was similar in the army.”
-
“If the perspective changes?”
-
“I’ll step forward on my own.”
-
“How can I trust you?”
Having volunteered to be the blade, he had to show his sharpness.
Fail, and the blade breaks.
Pass, and…
“I’ll become sharper. Sharp enough to cut anything.”
Hohwan Mama is more akin to sharp energy than a mere curse—a teaching from the mountain deity.
Lee Hyun seemed to see a way to pass the trial.
He reached out and gripped the dagger.
[Brutus’ Dagger’s curse intensifies! Hohwan Mama strengthens the curse to contaminate you!]
[Curse Immunity (SS) nullifies it all.]
[Curse and immunity clash fiercely.]
Tremble…!
Holding the violently rebelling dagger in reverse,
“Wait, senior!”
Lee Hyun pierced his own heart.
