chapter 80
After Lee Hyun and Im Won-young both left,
Mo Jeong-gyeon bit down on his long pipe, grinding his teeth.
“…Insolent brat. I gave him something so precious, and that’s how he repays me? With ingratitude?”
If it had been him teasing his granddaughter, he could have laughed it off. But becoming the target himself only soured his mood.
A faint smile touched Geum Ji-gang’s lips.
Mo Jeong-gyeon’s eyebrow twitched.
“What’s so amusing to you? Instead of helping your superior when he’s put through such humiliation, you stand by and laugh?”
“It was simply a good sight… I thought the Guild Master himself was enjoying it.”
“You rascal?”
Mo Jeong-gyeon looked incredulous, but Geum Ji-gang only kept smiling silently.
Mo Jeong-gyeon chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
“What happened to the naive, good-hearted Ji-gang I once knew? Now all that’s left are sly old beasts… Tsk, tsk.”
“Well, they say subordinates follow the example of their superior, don’t they?”
Mo Jeong-gyeon snapped his gaze around at the sudden interjection.
Executive Director Ho was walking in, having opened the door.
“A pity. I heard it’s been a long while since the Guild Master was flustered to that extent…”
“Want me to let you experience it in his place?”
Mo Jeong-gyeon grinned wickedly.
Executive Director Ho quickly backed away.
Slash!
Where he had just been standing, three deep claw marks gouged the floor.
Sweat beaded on Ho’s forehead.
“…That’s not being flustered, that’s just attempted assassination, isn’t it?”
Mo Jeong-gyeon chuckled with his pipe still between his teeth.
“Which makes it all the more flustering. What could be more embarrassing than dropping dead while joking with your superior?”
“…”
“So, got anything else to say?”
Ho bent his back in a right-angle bow in a flash.
“Of course not! I much prefer a peaceful life! Peaceful, I say!”
“Yes. A wise thought. At our age, too much surprise only leads to heart attacks. Isn’t that right?”
“Exactly, sir. Heh heh heh.”
“…And they call him the last remaining proud warrior of this age? He has no backbone at all.”
Geum Ji-gang chided from the side.
Ho bristled.
“Backbone, my ass! First, I need to survive! What does being a warrior have to do with this situation?”
Naturally, Geum Ji-gang didn’t even pretend to listen. He only smirked.
Ho glared daggers at his old colleague for a moment before turning back to Mo Jeong-gyeon.
“All cleanup is complete. We even made a small stone mound for him.”
Instantly, all expression drained from Mo Jeong-gyeon’s face.
“…A grave, you say.”
“He was likely devoured by Pungdo Daeje, so we’ll never see his resting place. Still…”
“Even so, it makes a difference. You did well.”
“It was nothing. I only did it to ease my own mind.”
Among the executive board, Ho and Director Jeong had never seen eye to eye.
One was obsessed with martial strength, the other with power and ambition. They were never a natural fit.
Yet the two had been comrades who founded White Burn together. Bonds and memories remained.
“I know we’re reaching the age when one by one we start departing… Hah. But I suppose adapting to it will never be easy.”
“There’s nothing sadder than growing accustomed to farewells. Be careful not to lose the feelings you just felt, so your heart doesn’t grow numb.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll remember.”
Ho could sense the bitterness buried in Mo Jeong-gyeon’s voice.
So he quickly shifted the subject.
“By the way, I heard you gave him the Hundred-Day Incense Pill?”
“I did.”
“Are you planning to raise him properly, then?”
Even Mo Jeong-gyeon possessed only a few of those rare pills.
Among the executives, only Ho and Geum Ji-gang had ever received one.
That was because each pill contained part of her Myth.
From the creation myth where one must eat only mugwort and garlic for a hundred days in a cave before becoming human…
“You saw him up close yourself. How was it?”
“…He killed me. Or at least, made me want to die once.”
Ho twisted his lips, pausing.
“Made me want to experience death.”
An intense competitive spirit gleamed in his eyes.
His fingers twitched—the impulse he had been suppressing bubbling up.
“After he consumes the Hundred-Day Incense Pill, how much stronger will he become? I’m already itching with curiosity.”
“You’ve aged plenty, yet your blood still boils so?”
“Seems like instinct. I can’t control it.”
“That way lies hypertension.”
“Haha! Then I’d best be careful. Dying in battle is honorable, but collapsing with a stroke? That’s nothing to boast about!”
Ho burst into hearty laughter.
“That’s why I held back from chasing after him. Can’t exactly cling to a man on his way home. But next time he returns…”
“You’ll challenge him?”
“I might be able to give him some good instruction. He even handles steel well.”
“Instruction, you say…”
Whoo—
Mo Jeong-gyeon exhaled smoke, lips twisting in something close to a smirk.
“And what if, in trying to instruct him, you end up devoured instead? How will I face you then?”
“Well… come now. Even with the Incense Pill, there’s no way he’ll suddenly be that stron—”
“Have you already forgotten? That boy wasn’t even a High Ranker when he closed a 4-star dungeon.”
Ho froze at once.
Geum Ji-gang too stared wide-eyed at Mo Jeong-gyeon.
“If I gave you Team A right now and told you to clear a 4-star dungeon, could you do it without massive losses?”
“…That would be…”
“Hard to answer lightly, isn’t it? But that boy did it.”
“…”
“And now he’s taken the Hundred-Day Incense Pill. If he had that much experience then, he’s grown even more since. When he comes back…”
Mo Jeong-gyeon let the words hang before finishing.
“…Even you may not be able to ‘instruct’ him.”
“…Understood.”
“If you get yourself devoured, I’ll be the one left to deal with the fallout. Got it?”
Ho pressed his lips shut, eyes sinking into seriousness.
And then—
Between his twisted lips, sharp canines gleamed.
Like a monstrous sea star flicking its tongue, hunger showed through.
“I can’t wait. What kind of being will he become? Hopefully something bizarre—like a true day goblin.”
His eyes gleamed.
Inside the unmanned taxi—
[You have equipped the Relic: Gingoa. It reacts with your existing Yeouibong and Hwaan Geumjeong.]
[Some sealed functions of Hwaan Geumjeong have been released.]
[Some sealed functions of Yeouibong have been released.]
…
[You have gained a large amount of ■■■■’s Karma.]
[Your Rank has increased.]
Fwaaash!
Brilliant, searing light filled the taxi.
Lee Hyun suddenly felt his consciousness expand without limit.
His mind spun dizzyingly—like standing on a cliff edge, overcome by vertigo.
「Get a grip! Otherwise, like that Apostle of Pungdo Daeje, you’ll end up dead!」
Sun Wukong’s roar cracked in his ears, snapping his mind awake.
「Gingoa forcibly opens the Upper Dantian, the Baihui acupoint. Do you know what it’s also called? Nae-mun—the Brain Gate. The gate of the brain.」
The Brain Gate.
「It’s the door that connects man and heaven. Shamans see the spirit world, monks see glimpses of the future, geniuses wield abnormal intellect—all because their Brain Gate has opened.」
The energy spreading from the melted Incense Pill was gentle yet profound, flowing throughout his body.
「Gingoa stimulates this Brain Gate. Depending on how you use it, you may see the spirit world, glimpse the future, or think with far sharper speed.」
By contrast, Daehwan-dan and So-hwan-dan were overwhelming—like oxen, breaking through every barrier head-on.
「Whatever comes, a new world will open before you. But that’s why you must keep your mind steady. Sharper senses mean more extreme tendencies—and down the wrong path, those lead straight to demonic ruin.」
The two energies swirled together. At first it seemed they would clash, but—
Fwaah!
His newfound divine power surged, blending them together, swelling further.
Crack, pop—
「To avoid straying, constantly reflect upon yourself. Repentance, contemplation, meditation—whatever you call it. Always look back. Strive unceasingly to better yourself. And—」
Somehow Sun Wukong’s voice echoed like a temple bell in Lee Hyun’s mind.
「Be the master of what you hold. Then, wherever you stand, truth will follow.」
Waves rippled deep inside.
The process of mastering his mana brought wrenching physical pain—yet paradoxically, Lee Hyun felt calm.
Whether it was thanks to Gingoa, or Sun Wukong’s voice, he didn’t know.
But one thing he knew for certain—
He was finally returning to the place he had longed for.
Boom!!
A thunderous crash rang in his skull, jolting his body.
Fwaaa…
His expanded thoughts settled, bringing countless realizations.
[The <Snow Queen> gazes upon her old nemesis preparing to return, her expression unreadable.]
And then—
Shhh…
Gingoa scattered into light particles and disappeared, embedding itself fully in his mind.
A clean ending, unlike with Director Jeong.
Ding!
[You have successfully mastered your inner power. You have opened the Brain Gate wide.]
[All impurities in your mana circuits have been removed. Circulation is far swifter.]
[The number of circuits has expanded.]
…
[New Trait: Beolmo-sesu added.]
…
[All stats increased by 10.]
[Rank increased.]
…
[Gingoa has acknowledged you as its master. You are the first to be chosen by Sun Wukong’s relic.]
[You have gained a large amount of ■■■■’s Karma.]
…
Lee Hyun slowly opened his eyes.
So many messages—all welcome.
A new Trait. Gingoa’s recognition.
But the one that truly thrilled him—
[You have successfully restored all lost stats.]
[The last locked Skill has been released.]
[All five Skills are now open. You may now unseal the locked Authority.]
“…Now I can finally activate Raigui (Thunder Demon).”
Lightning crackled at the corner of his eye.
The Authority he needed to become “Jet” was open once more.
[Through the Relic Hwaan Geumjeong, you summon your Status Window.]
[Jang Lee Hyun]
-
Age: 27
-
Traits: Leader, Indomitable, Frozen Human, Beolmo-sesu, [Locked], [Locked]
-
Stats:
Strength (Snow Soul Power): 183
Agility (Cold Wind Clone): 171
Stamina (Extreme Endurance): 175
Mana (Ice Jade Heart): 191
Intelligence (Clear Reason Insight): 161
Dexterity (Auspicious Play): 164 -
Authorities: Hwaan Geumjeong, Cold Blood, [Locked (Unlockable)]
-
Skills: Oni’s Deep Breath (S+), Combat Sense (S), Frenzied Strike (S), Monstrous Pressure (A), [Locked (Unlockable)]
-
Resistances: Cold (S), Pain (C), Bleeding (B), Paralysis (C), Physical (D), Fatigue (A), Poison (S), Heat (A), Electric Shock (B), Stench (D)
-
Immunity: Curse (SS)
-
Current State: All past stats restored and surpassed.
-
Note: Many new traits and functions acquired. Stronger than ever before—be careful not to lose control.
Just looking at his stat window filled Lee Hyun with pride.
His numbers might be the same, but he was no longer the man he had been four years ago.
And the greatest difference—
Ding!
[Yeouibong has begun acknowledging you. You are eligible to take the Apostle’s Trial.]
[Event: Apostle’s Trial – Begin now?]
The Journey to the West was finally opening to him.
「Keh keh keh! At last that arrogant staff has begrudgingly acknowledged our Apostle!」
Sha Wujing (Sa Oh-jeong) laughed heartily.
「Well? Will you start right away?」
“The trial will be long, won’t it?”
「Most likely.」
Both Hyun and Wujing looked at Sun Wukong.
He silently nodded, eyes blazing with intensity.
No words, but the emotions were clear—powerful pride in Hyun for finally earning the right.
“Then I’ll postpone for now.”
[You have chosen to delay.]
[The event window closes. You may reopen it anytime.]
“For now, saving Bungma King comes first.”
As Sun Wukong shut his eyes tightly—
Screeech!
The unmanned taxi stopped.
Uijeongbu.
Where Lee Gun-san and Go Jin-woo were waiting.
