The Lightning That Condenses (3)
Kim Se-jeong couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
The man was just a guide.
A pathetic little guide who hadn’t even properly equipped himself.
Yet that same person had supposedly soloed the boss monster…?
It felt far too unrealistic.
But then—
Those eyes…!
The moment Kim Se-jeong saw the glint in Lee-hyun’s eyes, her mind snapped into focus. She finally understood the vague unease she had been feeling.
Her instincts screamed that she had to do something—anything.
“Guide-nim, I’m so relieved you’re safe!”
Kim Se-jeong stepped forward with a bright, friendly smile. Then her expression shifted into one of regret.
“I’m truly sorry we were so late! The Samjae Divine Wind made it impossible to find our way…! We ran the whole time in a panic, but by the time we arrived, you had already… You must have suffered so much all by yourself because of us…”
Lee-hyun said nothing.
He simply watched, as if waiting to see what excuse she would come up with next.
“But how on earth did you defeat the boss monster alone? You’re incredible. Even we struggled against that thing.”
Pfft.
A light, scornful chuckle escaped Lee-hyun’s lips.
“You got lost?”
“Yes. The visibility was so bad we couldn’t pinpoint our location. I’m so sorry once again…”
“The Samjae Divine Wind was completely focused on me. The sand fog should have already disappeared.”
“……”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
Kim Se-jeong felt that Lee-hyun’s entire aura had changed from just moments ago. An inexplicable pressure kept making her heart pound.
“I’ve already cleared this place, so I’ll be taking all the rewards. You people should head back down now.”
Lee-hyun pointed his axe toward the downward slope.
A declaration that he would monopolize the dungeon.
Kim Se-jeong, who knew exactly how much interest Heo Se-un had in this dungeon, opened her mouth to speak—but then,
“And what if we refuse?”
Heo Se-un stepped forward with a sneer.
Lee-hyun frowned.
“The boss monster was soloed by me—”
“You didn’t solo it. We had already worn it down. You just stole the last hit.”
Heo Se-un continued in a tone of utter disbelief.
“If we hadn’t drained its strength first, do you really think you could have handled it?”
“……”
“So obviously the dungeon rewards belong to us. What nonsense are you spouting? Look, I’m not saying we’ll take everything. Since you did work hard, we’ll give you a fair share.”
In other words, we’ll decide your reward, so stay in the back like a good little dog.
Lee-hyun remained silent.
Heo Se-un assumed the man was scared.
I can’t just hand over something this good to some nobody we’ve never even heard of.
In truth, Heo Se-un had realized the dungeon’s secret from the very beginning—he simply hadn’t told his teammates.
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. This dungeon is definitely connected to him…!
Having studied various mythologies thoroughly alongside his older brother, the guild master, he immediately understood the significance of the term Samjae Divine Wind.
Despite his fame, Sun Wukong has never appeared even once. Meanwhile, apostles of the Jade Emperor and Guanyin are already walking around openly.
Simply obtaining rewards connected to him would dramatically elevate the Myeongga Guild’s status.
And if they managed to acquire a holy relic?
I might even surpass my brother!
Heo Se-un had never particularly liked his older brother.
He had always lived in the man’s shadow, after all.
But he knew just how capable his brother was. The thought of seizing the guild from under him made his heart race with excitement.
He soloed the Yellow Wind Monster, so his basic skills must be decent. But he’s just a background-less freelancer—that’s perfect. We’ll toss him some money and send him on his way. He looks exhausted; he won’t want to clash with us.
Heo Se-un hadn’t missed how fatigued Lee-hyun was. The deeply sunken eyes, the ragged breaths mixed with the metallic scent of blood, the faint trembling in his fingertips.
Even though he was pretending to be fine, simply standing there must have been incredibly difficult.
Or… should we just kill him and silence him for good?
The idea suddenly didn’t sound so bad.
The only way a mere guide could display such prowess was if he had obtained an exceptional item.
He wasn’t wearing any defensive gear, so the weapon must be the good part…
Wait. Isn’t that Dochul?
Heo Se-un, with his sharp eye, didn’t miss the tiny Dochul pattern engraved on the axe’s teeth—the grotesque demon face that reminded one of a goblin mask.
It was unmistakably a work by the master blacksmith known among rankers as the one whose weapons were impossible to obtain!
So that’s how it is.
Heo Se-un felt like all the puzzle pieces had finally clicked into place.
No wonder. I was wondering why someone with that level of skill was working as a guide… If his power all comes from the Dochul weapon, it makes perfect sense.
Heo Se-un thought things were unfolding far too smoothly.
First the traces of Sun Wukong, and now a Dochul weapon.
What had started as a casual dungeon exploration had turned into an absolute jackpot.
“……”
Heo Se-un signaled his subordinates with his eyes.
The raid members who had worked with him for a long time immediately understood. They slowly began to surround Lee-hyun.
“Oh, and before that, there’s one more thing we should settle.”
“Settle?”
“Yeah. Because you took the last hit on the boss, our original contribution share dropped quite a bit. We’ll need you to compensate us somehow.”
The raid members grinned as they tightened the encirclement. A few even openly drew their weapons.
Unlike the visibly exhausted Lee-hyun, they had all taken time to recover and were in peak condition.
Heo Se-un laughed coldly.
“That weapon of yours should be enough. How about it?”
“……”
Lee-hyun silently looked at Heo Se-un and the surrounding raid members for a moment.
Then his gaze fixed on Kim Se-jeong, who was standing behind the encirclement, fidgeting anxiously because she couldn’t decide what to do.
“So this is how you repay someone who helped you?”
“…I’m sorry. But I will definitely keep my promise to speak well of you to the guild master.”
“Forget it. It doesn’t look like you had any intention of doing so anyway.”
Lee-hyun turned to Heo Se-un.
“What if I can’t accept any of your suggestions?”
Heo Se-un scoffed, thinking Lee-hyun was just putting on a brave front.
“Then things are going to get very difficult for y—”
Slice!
Shuuuuaaah!
Heo Se-un’s words were cut short.
His left forearm had been severed, and unbearable agony flooded in.
“Do you know what the biggest flaw of bastards like you is?”
Before anyone realized, Lee-hyun had already closed the distance and stood right in front of Heo Se-un.
“Your tongues are too long.”
“U-ughhh! My arm! My aaaarm!”
“Why is it that you never even consider the possibility that I might strike first?”
Lee-hyun had suddenly shoved Heo Se-un forward without warning. The encirclement collapsed instantly.
Crash!
The second axe strike flew toward Heo Se-un’s neck.
A blow wrapped in blue-white lightning.
“Raid leader!”
“You crazy bastard!”
“Die!”
The raid members belatedly activated their skills, either trying to block the attack or stepping in to protect Heo Se-un, but—
Swish!
It had been a feint.
The second axe strike had never been aimed at Heo Se-un.
Its true target was behind him.
The foolishly standing Kim Se-jeong.
“……!”
Thud!
The axe that left Lee-hyun’s hand buried itself squarely in the crown of her head.
Her skull shattered, and she collapsed lifelessly.
Since she possessed a stealth skill powerful enough to fool even his Combat Sense, he had eliminated her first before she could interfere.
“Se-jeong!”
“Deputy Kim!”
And furthermore—
Swish!
Lee-hyun swiftly slipped through the stunned raid members, approaching Kim Se-jeong’s corpse.
He retrieved the thrown axe and, in the same motion, severed her left hand to pull off the Eodukseoni’s Footsteps ring.
“Stop that bastard! Don’t let him take the ring—!”
Heo Se-un, who had finally realized Lee-hyun’s aim, shouted desperately, but it was already too late.
Lee-hyun had already slipped the ring onto his own finger.
◈ The goblin Eodukseoni is so shy it lives hidden within dark shadows. Therefore, it leaves no trace even after passing by.
◈ Type: Item — Ring
◈ Origin: Folk Tale Stepping on Shadows
◈ Bound Skill: Shadow Step
Shhh…!
Lee-hyun’s presence melted into the darkness rising from the shadows and vanished completely.
“……!”
“……!”
“Find him! Find that bastard right now!”
The raid members, who knew exactly how dangerous the Eodukseoni’s Footsteps were, were thrown into panic, but—
Splurt!
It was already too late.
Before they could even locate him, the rearmost member’s nape split open, spraying blood into the air.
A strike that had slipped through the gap in his helmet. His carotid artery was severed—instant death.
“Hye-jeong!”
“Damn it!”
“You cowardly piece of shit! Come out and—!”
Another shadow flew between their own shadows.
Whenever a hot gust of wind blew, a blue-white flash would follow, always aiming precisely for their necks.
Flash!
Thud! Crunch!
“Uwaaaagh!”
“Guhk!”
“N-no…!”
Not a single raid member could properly detect Lee-hyun’s presence.
Some of them even had higher base stats than him, yet they flailed uselessly at empty air before losing their heads.
“This is impossible! Even with the Eodukseoni’s Footsteps, there’s no way he could use it this well right away…!”
Heo Se-un felt like he was being toyed with by a goblin.
Lee-hyun’s presence was simply too elusive.
No matter how sharply he focused his senses, he couldn’t keep up.
The moment he thought the man had appeared here, he would already be over there, targeting another member.
Even Kim Se-jeong, the ring’s original owner, had never used the skill with such proficiency.
How could someone display greater mastery than the original owner?
Had he truly become an Eodukseoni himself?
At least this—!
Heo Se-un frantically activated an emergency item from his inventory.
Bound Oath of Grass
They say that those who receive great kindness will appear as spirits after death to repay the favor.
But those who abuse this force the dead to serve them by binding them even in death.
Origin: Folk Tale Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals
Whoosh!
Blades of grass shot up from the sandy floor, attempting to seize the invisible Lee-hyun’s ankles, but—
Slice!
The axe-wind cut through them far too easily.
N-no…!
The last thread of hope had been severed so pathetically that Heo Se-un’s face turned deathly pale.
Finally—
Crunch!!
The last remaining raid member collapsed, his helmet and skull both shattered.
Where the shadows receded, Lee-hyun appeared, half-wrapped in darkness.
Crackle! Crackle!
In contrast, blue-white lightning danced wildly across his shoulders.
“You… just how… the hell…?”
Lee-hyun didn’t answer.
He simply smiled.
If these bastards hadn’t tried to pull this crap, such a good item would never have come rolling into his hands.
They didn’t know it, but Lee-hyun had given them multiple chances.
It was because of his belief.
The belief that civilians were people he had to protect.
It was the pride and teaching of the Cheongroe Special Task Force.
But the moment they crossed that line, the story changed.
The enemy became a target that must be exterminated.
From then on, he pursued only the most efficient movements.
That was exactly why he had secured the ring first.
Fatigue: 89
If he fought them head-on in his current state, he would be the one in danger.
Removing the most troublesome targets first, securing their weapons, and then turning those advantages against them—this was the absolute basics of warfare.
Eodukseoni’s Footsteps… Maybe it’s because I’ve realized the Cheongroe, but the compatibility is perfect.
Thanks to it, Lee-hyun could now move with complete stealth.
The Cheongroe that used to roar like thunder with every swing had become completely silent. Depending on how he used it, it would become an incredibly efficient weapon.
Crackle—!
The lightning surged upward as if echoing his emotions.
In contrast, Heo Se-un’s face grew even paler.
Step.
Lee-hyun took a step forward.
Heo Se-un unconsciously stepped backward.
“You’re… going to kill me…?”
Step.
Another step.
Heo Se-un retreated again.
“Do you even know who I am? I’m Heo Se-un! The younger brother of Heo Se-hwi, master of the Myeongga Guild! If you kill me, do you think my brother will just sit still?!”
His face flushed red with humiliation at being overpowered in a battle of presence.
He felt ashamed that he—an A-rank hunter considered the strongest below the rankers—was showing such a pathetic sight.
Still, his only thought was that he had to survive. Once he got out of here, he could take revenge as much as he wanted.
“If you don’t want to be marked by the Myeongga Guild and destroyed, get on your knees right now and beg for—!”
Crunch!
A hand axe flew in and embedded itself squarely in Heo Se-un’s forehead.
Just before the light left his eyes, his violently shaking pupils asked one final question.
Why aren’t you afraid?
Until now, simply dropping the name Myeongga had been enough to make even the most arrogant rankers back down.
Just who the hell are you to not fear the name Myeongga?
Lee-hyun’s answer was extremely simple.
“Myeongga?”
Pfft.
A light chuckle escaped him.
It was closer to a sneer.
“So what?”
“……!”
An attitude that showed not the slightest trace of fear.
Only then did Heo Se-un realize it.
This man was someone who simply didn’t care about such things.
But the realization had come far too late.
Splat!
After that, only pitch-black darkness awaited him.