The Empty Afterlife
The hidden boss felt a sharp stab of irritation as his sanctuary was suddenly torn open and exposed to the outside world.
Damn those filthy outsiders. If not for them, we wouldn’t have to live like this—cowering in the dark like rats.
He still remembered it with painful clarity: the day ten years ago when the man who had been their hero, the steadfast uncle they all relied on, was butchered before their eyes.
That was why he and his friends had fled into the sewers. To stay hidden from the outsiders. Using the flute their uncle left behind, they had turned the entire city into a fortress, sealing every route in or out. Luckily, they possessed a “treasure” that served as the wellspring of countless curses.
He reached into his robes and drew out the object.
It was a skull carved from what looked like solid obsidian, gleaming jet-black. A sinister blue gem glittered malevolently in its mouth.
—Take this with you, children.
—What is it, Uncle?
—Something I found in my youth alongside this magic flute. I’ve carried it as a lucky charm ever since. Every curse art I ever learned is sealed inside it.
—Ah!
—I give it to all of you. It will protect you from now on.
Thanks to the black skull their uncle had given them, they could blow the flute without pause and master a wide variety of curse magic. Without it, they never would have driven back the outsiders who had repeatedly tried to force their way into the city.
“We were supposed to complete the Great Curse during the last ritual… but there’s no helping it. It’s imperfect, yet we must attempt it now.”
The reason they had lived in darkness for so many years was to perform this very ritual—to resurrect their dead uncle.
Some might ask how resurrection could possibly fall under the category of curse magic, but after putting their heads together, he and his friends had reached a single conclusion: curses could be combined in infinite ways. If the living died from curses, then perhaps the dead could return to life through them.
And they had glimpsed that possibility inside this very black skull.
A skull containing tens of thousands of curses.
Its exact origin remained unknown, yet it alone granted them the power to work miracles.
The only problem was that the magic circle required to trigger the Great Curse was still incomplete…
But they had been driven to the brink. There was no time left to hesitate.
If they did nothing, the entire plan would collapse. Better to try now than regret it later.
“Uncle, just wait a little longer. I’ll bring you back soon…!”
He lifted the black skull high and poured every ounce of his mana into it, chanting the incantation.
“Come forth!”
Great Curse — Ritual of Resurrection
The gem in the skull drank deeply of his power and began radiating an eerie blue-black glow. At the same moment, every magic circle carved into the floor, walls, and ceiling flared to life.
The hidden boss has begun casting the Great Curse!
The ritual to resurrect the departed spirit is now active.
“Spirits wandering the nine heavens! Come to me!”
The black skull’s radiance swelled violently. He could feel it instinctively—the probability of success was high. Beyond the ritual, past an invisible dimensional veil, he sensed something. Perhaps it was the afterlife itself.
The hidden boss smiled.
All he had to do now was call his uncle’s soul from that place…!
Nothing…?
What was this?
Beyond the ritual lay only a vast, empty void. It was as if the world of the dead itself was declaring that it did not exist.
What the hell is this—!
He tried to double-check the spell, fearing something had gone wrong with the Great Curse.
But there was no time.
Whirr—thud!
In the blink of an eye, an axe had buried itself in the blue gem clenched between the skull’s teeth.
“…?!”
Crack!
The gem split cleanly in two and clattered to the floor. Before he could react—
Whoosh—
Thud! Thud!
Two more axes slammed into the floor and ceiling, striking the exact central axes of the magic circle.
“No! Stop!!”
The hidden boss realized what the three axes intended and screamed in panic, but he was too late.
Dueogsini’s Collar — Full Discharge
Blue-white lightning erupted from each axe, lashing outward like a net. Dozens of lightning bolts rained down across the clearing in rapid succession.
Dueogsini’s Spirit Awakens!
The clearing was swallowed by blinding light. Scorching shockwaves swept through again and again, erasing every trace of the magic circle—including the Great Curse itself.
Rumble—!
“No! This can’t happen! The device to resurrect Uncle…! Our ten-year plan…!”
The hidden boss screamed as the Great Curse dissolved into nothing. So futilely. So easily.
“Where are you?! Stop hiding and show yourself, you vile bastard!”
Only one person could have done this.
He wrung out every drop of his power and hurled curses wildly in every direction.
Curse: Obsession — pouring down!
Curse: Self-Loathing — pouring down!
……
All curses nullified by Curse Resistance (S).
“There you are!”
The area where the curses were forcibly dispelled had given him a clear target.
Filth Waterfall
A towering column of acidic filth erupted from Lee Hyun’s hiding spot and crashed down like a waterfall. It was the same corrosive sludge that had given him trouble during their first encounter.
This time was no different.
Lee Hyun burst from the shadows. The acidic filth swept across the spot he had just vacated a split second too late.
“Using the failure of your own curses to pinpoint my location… Not a bad tactic.”
He landed a good distance away. Maintaining stealth placed too much strain on his lightning output. He switched from night dokkaebi back to flame dokkaebi and drew out Dueogsini’s Collar.
Blue-white lightning coiled around him like living serpents.
“And using water currents and acid like this. As expected from Sa Oh-jeong—you’re no pushover.”
Lee Hyun grinned, vicious as any dokkaebi.
“Which is why I’ll be taking that skull back.”
He shot forward.
Dueogsini’s Spirit Rampages!
“Like hell you will!”
The hidden boss couldn’t understand every word, but he instinctively knew the man was after the black skull. He raised it high. Curses surged outward, multiplying the volume of the filth waterfall several times over.
Blue-white lightning collided with the tidal wave of filth. The entire clearing trembled as though it might collapse at any moment.
Rumble…!
The moment Lee Hyun became certain that Sa Oh-jeong was the root cause of this dungeon’s adaptation was the instant he discovered the sewer system. Several unmistakable clues had pointed directly at him.
First, the filth-choked waterways.
Sa Oh-jeong was originally a water demon who lived in swamps and sand deserts.
Second, the curses.
Before he met Sun Wukong and Xuanzang, he was infamous for devouring travelers and spreading plague and curses wherever he went.
Yet after becoming Xuanzang’s disciple, he became the party’s most reliable pillar. Even the reckless Sun Wukong would lean on Sa Oh-jeong when he needed someone steady and wise.
So when Lee Hyun suspected the dungeon might be connected to Sa Oh-jeong, Sun Wukong had shown genuine emotional disturbance for the first time. Brief as it was, it revealed just how deeply he cared for his junior brother.
The sacred relic Hwaan Geumjeong has analyzed the gathered clues and revealed the hidden truth.
1. Acidic Filth — The underground waterways have been polluted for so long that no ordinary life can survive here. This is why the Rotten Rats have nested here in such numbers.
2. Widespread Contamination and Curses…
All clues synthesized. The concealed form is now revealed!
The traces of Sa Oh-jeong’s presence hidden within the sewer have become visible.
The world around Lee Hyun transformed in an instant. The labyrinthine map of the sewer system imprinted itself in his mind. Every nest of Rotten Rats scurrying through the pipes became clearly visible.
Sha Wujing’s Myth Unlocked
Significant karma acquired.
Rank has increased.
The link between soul and body grows stronger. The five senses sharpen dramatically; the sixth sense begins to awaken.
Every time a message appeared, Lee Hyun felt his senses grow sharper. The same instinct that had saved his life countless times in critical moments was evolving.
At the same time, a new thought occurred to him.
If I can claim that skull as well… just how much stronger will I become?
Confirmed via Hwaan Geumjeong: This item is connected to the myth of ■■■■.
Retrieving item data.
Type: Summoning Item
Origin: Myth — Journey to the West
Sun Wukong’s youngest disciple, Sa Oh-jeong, was once a water demon who devoured travelers in a swamp where sand flowed like water. He especially favored high monks with powerful dharma energy. He would collect their skulls, string them together like prayer beads, and wear them around his neck. Each skull, tainted by demonic energy, contained enough power to invoke miracles.
Lee Hyun had already confirmed that he could evolve Dueogsini’s Breath to any degree he wished by studying the curse combinations used by the sorcerers. The breath itself was a fusion of rage and condensed lightning. The order and method of that fusion changed its power and effect dramatically.
The sub-skills—Dueogsini’s Spirit, Rage, Collar—were all variations of the same principle. Once he mastered every curse art Sa Oh-jeong had left behind, the possible applications of condensed lightning would multiply beyond counting.
What if he could load a different curse onto every single bolt?
What if he could trap enemies inside a net of lightning and inflict multiple debuffs at once?
The possibilities were endless—true “dokkaebi pranks” on a divine scale.
That was why he had decided to secure the black skull first.
But then—
Sun Wukong had worn a deeply troubled expression for some time now. He should have been delighted to recover a myth connected to someone once so close to him, yet—
What do you mean, Great Sage?
After meeting Xuanzang, he had changed completely—that was Sun Wukong’s explanation. Lee Hyun nodded. The image of children hiding in sewers for ten years, plotting in the dark, truly did not match the Sa Oh-jeong depicted in Journey to the West.
“I’ll hurry.”
At Sun Wukong’s urging, Lee Hyun accelerated. The wind of the Three-Flame Divine Gale carried him straight to the hidden boss in an instant. In both hands he held the two axes he had retrieved using magnetic force.
“Hmph! Did you think I’d fall for the same trick twice?”
The hidden boss raised the black skull. Although the blue gem that formed the core of the Great Curse had been destroyed, it still contained a massive reservoir of demonic energy.
Whoosh!
Blue-black flames erupted from the skull’s empty left eye socket.
Acid Rain
The vapor that had evaporated from the earlier lightning clash thickened again, unleashing a torrential downpour. At the same time the filth that had risen to ankle height surged upward in violent waves, trying to trap Lee Hyun.
He twisted mid-charge, spinning like a top.
Dueogsini’s Rage Scatters in All Directions!
The rotational force of muscle and blood surged. Dueogsini’s Collar expanded its range, deflecting every drop of rain and every wave of filth.
“Pointless!”
Having successfully bound Lee Hyun’s feet, the hidden boss moved to deliver the finishing blow.
The hidden boss attempts Phase 3!
All filth scattered throughout the sewer is drawn to a single point.
The level of contaminated water is rising rapidly!
“I’ll drown you so deep in an acid sea that not even your corpse will ever be found.”
At that moment, blue-black flames ignited in the skull’s remaining right eye socket as well.
Legion of the Dead — Summoned!
Skeleton knights began rising from the acid rain and rising filth. Each one wore the gear of a hunter rather than a dungeon native.
Don’t tell me…
Lee Hyun’s eyes widened.
Analysis via Hwaan Geumjeong complete.
These are hunters who died while attempting to clear the dungeon. They have all been used as test subjects for the boss monster “Flute Player’s” resurrection ritual.
His suspicion had been correct. Moreover, each skeleton knight retained combat strength close to what it had possessed in life. Another product of curse combinations, no doubt.
This was no longer a fight he could win alone. It was a full raid party—no, an entire legion.
“Die.”
The hidden boss smiled coldly and unleashed every attack at once. Stealth had made Lee Hyun troublesome, but now that he was fully visible, there was nothing left to fear.
The skeleton knights adjusted their weapons and charged.
Yet Lee Hyun only laughed.
“I was wondering when you’d finally max out your curses… so this is it?”
He had been waiting for exactly this moment.
The hidden boss scoffed, but before he could retort, Lee Hyun swatted a poisoned arrow from the ceiling aside and pulled something from his inventory.
A grotesque finger covered in strange runes.
It was the specially commissioned item he had picked up from Docheol’s Workshop right before entering the dungeon.
Hwangpunggoe’s Finger.
“What is that…?”
Even the hidden boss, versed in curse arts, could tell at a glance that the demonic energy sealed inside the finger was anything but ordinary.
“Not sure if it’ll taste good. Why don’t you try it?”
Lee Hyun hurled the finger toward the legion of skeletons.
The hidden boss fired a poisoned arrow to intercept it, but the finger detonated first.
A swirling blizzard exploded outward.
The magic that once drove Lee Hyun to despair has returned after four years.
The entire sewer system is being frozen solid.