chapter 66
The Demon Dragon slowly regained consciousness and thought,
‘Jet… Jet has returned.’
Lee Hyun, who had broken the great curse called Ring of Permafrost, had come back like a ghost.
‘He’s become an even more troublesome opponent… could Gui Lei… could he actually be that man…?!’
The thought sent a chill through his mind.
He knew he had to somehow inform the Committee of this fact.
But—
‘How the hell do I get out of here? I… I don’t have any strength left…!’
The grim reality quickly crushed him.
Thunder Lord had abandoned him and left.
His mana circuits were completely drained.
Even worse, perhaps his nervous system was ruined, because his body was nothing but pain—he couldn’t even twitch a finger.
‘Still… I’ll endure.’
His despair lasted only a moment.
The Demon Dragon forced himself to rekindle his will.
He was a proud pioneer of the Chinese people.
This sort of hardship was something he had to endure with a smile.
‘If I survive… an opportunity will come somehow. For now, I should pretend to cooperate as much as possible…’
Following the protocol left behind by Seo Chang-Woo—what to do if captured—he reviewed it in his head, thinking about how to respond to Lee Hyun’s interrogation.
“You’re awake. You can open your eyes now, right?”
Thankfully, he could still understand Lee Hyun’s words.
The Demon Dragon barely managed to lift his eyelids.
But—
Something was wrong.
‘Those eyes…?’
Lee Hyun’s eyes glowed with a brilliant golden light.
Fwaaa!
[An unidentified eye is observing you.]
It felt as though his very soul was being laid bare.
Still, he thought he had to deceive him somehow, but—
“Trying to act as if you’re cooperating, just to put me at ease?”
“……!?”
The Demon Dragon felt his heart sink into his stomach.
“Chang-Woo taught you so many useless things, didn’t he? Did he even tell you the entire prisoner protocol?”
“……!”
His mind went blank, like a sheet of paper.
“Don’t worry. I never expected you to answer me honestly from the beginning.”
“……”
“So just hold onto that mindset until the end. Otherwise, I might actually feel disappointed.”
The Demon Dragon couldn’t understand what Lee Hyun was getting at.
He tried to squeeze out some words, but—
Crack!
Suddenly, a horrific sound of joints twisting echoed inside his body.
At the same time, a freezing chill raced up his spine.
Before he could even register what was happening, his entire body—inside and out—was covered in frost.
“……!!”
Crunch!
He couldn’t even make a sound.
It felt like every muscle contracted all at once.
His blood began to freeze, veins threatening to burst, while icy spikes seemed to pierce through his bones.
A hellish cold engulfed him, as though he had been cast into frozen hell itself.
‘The Ring of Permafrost…!!’
He realized the source of the curse and wanted to scream.
How the hell did Lee Hyun wield this power?!
Crackle—!
“……!?”
“Painful, isn’t it?”
“……ghhk.”
“You want to say something, but can’t. You want to claw it away with your hands and feet, but it’s deep inside your body.”
“……ugh.”
“Pathetic. It’s only been three minutes. If you’re already suffering from this, how could you survive? I endured it for over four years.”
Impossible!
This wasn’t a pain a human could endure.
How could anyone withstand this for four years?
‘This is worse than even what Chang-You wielded…! Impossible!!’
No, it had to be intimidation.
This was probably the worst it could get—the actual effect must normally be far weaker.
He must be trying to break his will before he realized it was bearable.
But then—
“Oh, by the way, the Ring of Permafrost is cumulative. The longer it lasts, the deeper the freezing, and the more intense the pain. Eventually, your pain receptors will be paralyzed, and not even adrenaline will help you.”
“……!?”
“But do try to endure, won’t you? You’re the great Demon Dragon, after all.”
And just like that, the Demon Dragon plunged into despair.
“P-please… stop… this…”
“That depends on your attitude.”
“Ask… your questions… please!”
“Name?”
“Wei Gang-Ning…”
“Age?”
Lee Gun-San let out a bitter laugh as he watched the Demon Dragon, body frozen over.
It had taken exactly fifty-seven minutes.
The notoriously tenacious Demon Dragon had completely collapsed in less than an hour.
‘He really endured this horror for four years…?’
Lee Gun-San sighed as he looked at Lee Hyun.
Though he was supposed to be the teacher, perhaps he didn’t truly know the real depth of his disciple.
“……”
Ko Jin-Woo, who was closest to Lee Hyun, had been silent for some time.
Meanwhile, the interrogation reached its core.
“What were you planning in Korea?”
“An investigation into Gui Lei…”
“Details.”
“A month ago… in a dungeon under separate Committee supervision… signs of movement were detected in a target we had been monitoring…”
「Heh-heh. Seems this concerns me.」
Sha Wujing’s cold chuckle.
Lee Hyun looked at Lee Gun-San and Ko Jin-Woo.
“Could you excuse us for a while, General?”
“You…”
“Please.”
“…Very well.”
Realizing Lee Hyun wished to conceal something, Lee Gun-San paused the recording and stepped out with Ko Jin-Woo.
“Continue.”
“But at the site where the target disappeared… Gui Lei first appeared…”
From there, the story matched what Lee Hyun already knew.
But the most important part came next.
“By the Elder’s order, I entered Korea to carry out an operation…”
“What operation?”
“Investigation of Gui Lei… and searching for Z-Team, who were in the dungeon when he was first found…”
“And you suspected me?”
“…Yes.”
His voice was drained of strength.
“You wouldn’t have entered Korea alone. Who did you meet?”
“White Burn… Executive Director Jung Kyu-Han.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes gleamed.
Now they were getting to the real matter.
“What did you discuss or exchange with him?”
“He promised to pave the way for the Committee’s entry into Korea… and in exchange, we would support him becoming White Burn’s next CEO, giving him global recognition…”
“Stop circling. The main point.”
“……”
“You exchanged something, didn’t you? What was it?”
“……”
A long silence.
“If you don’t want to talk, fine. You’re the one suffering, not me.”
When Lee Hyun started to rise, the Demon Dragon cried out desperately,
“No, wait! I’ll tell you! Just don’t leave me! It was… Ghhhkkk! Aaaghh!!”
Suddenly, his body convulsed violently. This wasn’t from the Ring of Permafrost.
His eyes rolled back, veins bulged across his neck and face.
「Heh-heh. A geas (forbidden seal)!」
‘Yes. A fairly advanced one, too.’
It was a subconscious brainwashing spell, forcing self-destruction if he tried to reveal crucial information.
But to Lee Hyun, it was useless.
A geas was still just a curse.
[‘Holy Relic: Golden Eyes of Truth’ activates! Beginning to decode the geas afflicting the target.]
[Applying curse-script: Curse Detection, Geas Interference, and Suggestion Reversal.]
With a few gestures in the air, Lee Hyun shattered the geas.
[Geas forcibly removed!]
[You’ve deciphered its fundamental principle. New curse types are now available for you to use.]
Fwoom!
“Hah… hahh…”
The Demon Dragon’s body heaved before collapsing weakly.
His eyes were filled with utter disbelief.
“You trusted the geas as a last resort? Sorry, but it doesn’t work on me.”
Now he was submerged in despair’s deepest abyss.
Even his final trump card had been seen through.
It was as though Lee Hyun could see straight into his mind.
「Heh-heh-hehh! No matter how you struggle, you’re still within the Buddha’s palm, just like Sun Wukong! How dare you try tricks before our Apostle?」
「…Whose palm did you say?」
「Heh-heh. No need to be embarrassed. Everyone knows about your dark past, Senior Brother.」
「Why you little—」
Wukong wanted to smack his cheeky junior disciple, but for now, he had to focus on the Demon Dragon’s testimony.
Sha Wujing as well.
Though he teased Wukong to lighten his mood after the Phoenix Demon King’s letter, he too was eager to hear what the prisoner would say.
Perhaps—
‘Heh-heh. Maybe he knows the whereabouts of our missing sister-in-law.’
Finally, the Demon Dragon spoke, broken by despair.
“Executive Jung provided cover so our identities wouldn’t be exposed. With groups like ‘City Cartel’ and ‘Sons of Zeus’ already in Korea, we didn’t want any interference.”
City Cartel belonged to Camilla’s underworld organization, and Sons of Zeus was an apostolic alliance invoking the god Zeus.
“And in exchange, what did you give him?”
“Daehwandon and Sohwandon.”
“Elixirs of Shaolin. What else?”
The Demon Dragon hesitated, lips trembling, but those golden eyes pierced him. He dropped his head.
“What was it?”
“…Ah.”
“Speak clearly.”
“…Gingoa.”
“…!”
「…!!」
「Those insane bastards!!」
The bombshell made both Wukong and Sha Wujing bristle.
Even gentle Wujing was enraged.
Wukong clenched his teeth, ready to crush the Demon Dragon’s skull.
But Lee Hyun, after the initial shock, calmly pressed on.
“Why give him the Gingoa?”
“Gingoa not only clears the mind but can raise one’s mana rank. It was expected that after taking Daehwandon and then using Gingoa, Executive Jung might reach—or come close to—the level of a top ranker.”
Now the words poured out unstoppably.
“The stronger his influence, the more it benefits the Committee. And…”
“…And you could control him. Right? Since Gingoa is also a shackle.”
“……”
The Demon Dragon stayed silent, but Lee Hyun took it as confirmation.
The Gingoa was the very circlet Xuanzang received from the Buddha to control Sun Wukong.
By chanting the special tightening spell, it inflicted unbearable pain, bringing Wukong to heel.
‘Jung can’t be stupid. He must have realized their scheme. Did he throw it away, knowing it was a poisoned chalice? Or did he wear it?’
Either way, a few things were clear.
First: Jung had to be dealt with immediately, and the Gingoa retrieved.
Second:
‘The Central Hero Committee knows far more about Journey to the West than expected. If they’re pursuing the Phoenix Demon King, it must be them—or their allies.’
At last, things in his head began to fall into place.
“What’s the origin of the Gingoa?”
“I don’t know… I only received it from the Elder.”
As expected. Chairman Peng never revealed all his cards, not even to subordinates.
Then, the Demon Dragon’s eyelids twitched violently, as if realizing something.
“You’re not surprised at the mention of Journey to the West… So it really was you, Jet… You’re the one who took Sha Wujing…!”
“Last question.”
Lee Hyun cut him off coldly.
“Your answer will decide your fate. Choose wisely.”
“……”
“You’ve been hiding something important all along.”
“……!”
Lee Hyun almost admired his stubborn loyalty to the Committee, trying to protect their plan until the very end.
But that was exactly why he had to crush it completely.
“Several Pingxin squad members who entered Korea with you suddenly disappeared. Where did they go? And what are they searching for?”
“……That is…”
“Is it… the Phoenix Demon King you’re after?”
“……!!!”
