The Golden Arhat's Mask
Sun Wukong and Sa Oh-jeong’s expressions shifted in a strange, subtle way.
“Pahah! You’re telling me you plan to scam gods who rank among the finest even in the Heavenly Court?”
Sun Wukong looked thoroughly entertained.
Sa Oh-jeong turned to him.
“Did you teach him transformation arts as well, Master?”
“Hardly. But I did hand over that Zeus fellow’s signature.”
“……That sounds even worse. Still,”
Sa Oh-jeong let out a dry chuckle, scratching the back of his head vigorously before fixing Lee-hyun with a deeply settled gaze.
“The fact that you said all that means you have a plan in mind, yes?”
Lee-hyun nodded.
“Yes. That’s why I’m asking—would it be possible to borrow your holy relic, Sir Oh-jeong?”
“I see…… You intend to pretend you destroyed my remnant and claimed the relic for yourself?”
“If the mask can conceal my identity, that would be even better.”
“Katkatkat. Our senior brother’s temporary apostle certainly has quite the list of demands. However,”
Sa Oh-jeong plucked one of the black skulls hanging from the prayer-bead necklace around his neck.
“That very boldness is what I like. It reminds me exactly of my senior brother in his younger days. Katkatkatkat.”
“You dare compare me to that greenhorn?”
“In terms of personality alone, this child is far superior. At the very least, he does not behave like a reckless thunderbolt.”
“What did you just call me?”
“Katkatkat.”
Sa Oh-jeong tapped the black skull lightly with the fan he held in his right hand.
In that instant—
Whoooosh……!
The fan transformed into a swirl of light that seeped into the black skull. At the same time, the skull gradually shrank, taking on the shape of a mask. The light traced across its surface, carving itself into ornate patterns. Two small horns sprouted from the top.
It was a mask that resembled a goblin’s face.
“Take it with you. Katkat.”
◈ A mask touched by the hand of one who became a Buddha after beginning as a water demon. The ‘Demon-Subduing Staff’ he once boasted of protrudes like horns, adding to its majestic flair.
◈ Perhaps because it resembles its owner, the relic seems exceptionally friendly toward you. It contains tens of thousands of curse incantations. Examine them at your leisure.
◈ Type: Holy Relic. Mask.
◈ Origin: Myth ‘Journey to the West’
“In the myth, my Demon-Subduing Staff is described as a cane carved from the branch of the cassia tree that grew in the Moon Palace, fitted with an iron core and wrapped in jade-thread silk. That is why it can change its length and thickness at will. I have planted it here like so.”
Sa Oh-jeong held the goblin mask out to Lee-hyun.
“Furthermore, the skull that forms the base of this mask once belonged to a high monk of considerable spiritual power. It should be more than capable of amplifying your lightning force as well. Katkatkat.”
“……!”
Lee-hyun clenched his fist tightly as he accepted the goblin mask.
First the Fiery Golden Eyes, then the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and now even Sa Oh-jeong’s Demon-Subduing Staff.
One after another, the treasures from Journey to the West were finding their way to him.
Just how much stronger would this make him?
What pleased him even more was—
Ziiiing!
The fact that the notoriously picky Ruyi Jingu Bang seemed to welcome the Demon-Subduing Staff with open arms. Perhaps because they had been weapons used together for a very long time.
Click!
Lee-hyun pressed the goblin mask onto his face.
You have acquired the holy relic ‘Golden Arhat’s Mask.’ The relic has bound itself to you according to the original owner’s will.
Congratulations! You have been appointed as the temporary apostle of ■■■■ ■■■. You will inherit a significant portion of his karma.
You may now use all of the relic’s unique functions.
“……!?”
“Hey! You!”
Lee-hyun stared at Sa Oh-jeong in shock. Sun Wukong looked equally stunned.
But Sa Oh-jeong was smiling.
“If I’m going to help anyway, I might as well do it properly, no?”
Katkatkat.
“In my heart I’d like to name you my proper apostle right this moment, but that would earn me nothing but endless scolding from my senior brother. So this youngest disciple is compromising at this level. There is no limit to the number of temporary apostles one may have, is there? Katkatkatkat.”
Your perception range has expanded and your senses have grown sharper.
Your understanding of magic power has deepened.
Your understanding of curses has increased significantly.
You can now combine the relic’s various curse incantations with different skills.
……
You have obtained the original texts of the curse incantations that once made this dungeon nearly impregnable.
You have achieved a great feat. As a reward, all stats have increased by 10.
‘I had hoped I might one day receive Sa Oh-jeong’s relics or techniques, but…… I never imagined he would hand them over so readily.’
Lee-hyun found himself quite fond of the generous Sa Oh-jeong.
“Thank you.”
“For what? You are the one receiving help. Katkatkat. Then I leave the rest to you.”
“You…… really…… Anyway, we’ll talk after this is over.”
Sun Wukong let out a groan, then waved his hand as he drifted toward Sa Oh-jeong’s shoulder. The presence of the two deities vanished as if it had never been there.
They had probably moved to an even deeper secret location within the underground waterways.
“Huu……”
Lee-hyun let out a long breath.
00:01:46
There wasn’t much time left before the apostles arrived.
‘But it’s more than enough to prepare to greet them.’
Lee-hyun’s mind spun rapidly.
‘The ones coming are the apostles of Nezha and Indra, right? Then it must be Qingxiao and Mukesh Ambani.’
Both were fairly well-known rankers.
They were more famous by their aliases—‘Lotus Queen’ and ‘Vajrason.’
People Lee-hyun had met before.
‘Especially Qingxiao—she was close with Seo Chang-woo as well.’
It only made sense. When the gods were close, their apostles tended to be close as well.
‘I can’t let my identity be discovered, so I need to hide it even more thoroughly.’
Lee-hyun turned his gaze toward the hidden boss who still lay unconscious in the corner.
“If you’re awake, you might as well get up.”
“……How did you know?”
The hidden boss’s eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. His pupils were still filled with hostility.
* * *
“The breathing of someone truly unconscious and someone pretending is completely different.”
“What do you plan to do with us now?”
The hidden boss could not understand Lee-hyun.
Why had he spared them?
At first he thought it was to steal their curse arts, but—
‘That strange man in the bizarre outfit earlier…… He was undoubtedly the owner of the skull. If he has received that person’s recognition, then we no longer hold any value……?’
He had not seen everything, but the hidden boss had witnessed Sa Oh-jeong. The mental pressure he had felt at that moment was difficult to put into words.
“That depends on what you do from now on.”
“What are you……?”
“Don’t you want to live?”
“……”
“Then help me.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No. I’m asking you to help me in earnest. You have eyes. You must have sensed that something terrifying is heading this way.”
The hidden boss bit his lower lip hard.
As the man said, although Lee-hyun had turned off the core’s switch, his senses were still vividly alive. The entire underground waterway was his domain. Two enemies that were truly terrifying even for him were racing toward this place at high speed.
“Those people won’t care in the slightest whether this place is destroyed or not. No matter how much damage is done, they won’t bat an eye.”
“……”
“At the very least, shouldn’t you protect your brothers and friends?”
“None of this would have happened if you outsiders hadn’t come!”
“That’s not certain. They came because they saw the power you possess.”
The hidden boss ground his teeth.
The eyes visible behind the mask were ice-cold.
“Anyway, will you help or not? Just answer that.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Lee-hyun pointed a finger at him. The hidden boss reflexively jerked backward, thinking he was about to be attacked, but—
‘……This is?’
The lightning embedded in his core was drawn out and returned to Lee-hyun. His magic power came flooding back.
“You’re more of a coward than I expected.”
“……”
Beneath the mask, Lee-hyun let out a light chuckle.
“Go.”
“……You’re really letting me go just like this?”
The hidden boss’s mind went blank for a moment. He could not figure out what Lee-hyun was trying to do.
“Should I keep you here instead? Just leave. Keeping you around would only get in the way. Your comrades are all gathered in the room right next to this one, so take them and go.”
“……!”
“What are you waiting for? Get moving.”
What was this?
Why was he simply releasing an enemy?
Was this also a trap?
Countless questions flashed through the hidden boss’s mind, but Lee-hyun no longer paid him any attention and began walking toward the passageway.
He had even turned his back.
It was as if he were saying, If you want to attack, go ahead.
An attitude that suggested he did not even register the hidden boss as a threat.
“……What if I aim for your back?”
Somehow, it stung his pride.
“You can try if you think you can pull it off.”
“!?”
“But if I were you, I wouldn’t. If you’re truly a proper leader, you won’t do anything stupid that gets your brothers and friends hurt.”
“……”
It was a sound argument. One that left no room for rebuttal.
“They’re almost here. If you delay any longer you really won’t be able to leave, so hurry. I have no intention of capturing you, but I also have no obligation to protect you.”
As the hidden boss stared at Lee-hyun’s back, a complex mix of emotions swirled in his eyes.
The enemy who had destroyed their home, yet a strange man who did not harm them even though he could have. He was different from the outsiders they had met before.
Don’t get your brothers hurt.
Those words kept echoing in his chest like a refrain.
……They somehow reminded him of someone.
In the end—
“What do you need us to do?”
The hidden boss did not ask why he had spared them, nor why he was going so far to protect the people of the city. He simply thought about how he and his comrades could survive.
Lee-hyun turned around with a light, approving smile.
And then……
“……Understood.”
After hearing the full explanation, the hidden boss disappeared from the spot with a mysterious expression.
00:00:37
“Still, I’m glad the conversation worked.”
The smile on Lee-hyun’s lips grew slightly wider.
The quest’s completion condition was [Safety of Hameln’s Citizens]. Naturally, the category of [citizens] included the hidden boss and his band of curse casters.
That was why he had spared them instead of killing them.
The hidden boss seemed to have misunderstood his intentions, but Lee-hyun did not bother correcting him.
‘It’s not exactly a lie, either.’
He had seen the tight bonds of friendship and loyalty among the curse casters. It reminded him of the old Cheongroe. He did not want to see that destroyed.
Even if this was a ‘false’ world.
‘I hope he does well.’
Lee-hyun recalled the boy who had tried so hard to act like an adult and slowly began circulating his magic power.
Well, he had been rather cute in his own way. With that thought—
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!
“Shall we begin, then?”
Keraunos awakens!
The components of Diovis have been bound to the Sigh of the Two-Horned Demon (B+).
Skill potential has risen dramatically.
……
The holy relic ‘Golden Arhat’s Mask’ and the Sigh of the Two-Horned Demon (B+) have linked. The unique function ‘Curse Incantations’ has gained the lightning attribute.
Skill proficiency has increased.
……
Rapid changes in magic power have overheated the magic circuits.
The Snow Sapphire Heart has activated and is rapidly cooling the heat.
……
Lee-hyun swiftly connected everything he had gained. Thanks to that, he was able to—albeit clumsily—infuse each bolt of lightning with curse incantations, just as he had originally planned.
The Sigh of the Two-Horned Demon (B+) has been promoted to the Deep Sigh of the Two-Horned Demon (A)!
Thanks to that, by the time the two apostles appeared, Lee-hyun had completed a lightning bolt boasting tremendous output.
‘First impressions should be intense from the start.’
What Lee-hyun was currently trying to imitate was the chief god of Olympus, Zeus. His personality was so famous that almost everyone knew it—arrogant, haughty, cruel, lecherous, and so on.
But it was also true that he possessed outstanding ability. Therefore, his apostle should follow both his personality and his power.
At the same time, Lee-hyun had not forgotten that his own real ability was still just short of the ranker level.
So he would fill that gap with the abilities of the holy relics, the various curse incantations, and the destructive power of the lightning attribute.
He would also need appropriate bluffing and threats.
‘Keraunos’s trait is compression. In that case—’
00:00:01
00:00:00
The moment Qingxiao and Mukesh stepped into the plaza—
‘I’ll mix in curses as a welcoming greeting.’
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
The Wraith of the Two-Horned Demon awakens and runs amok!
Lee-hyun unleashed the lightning he had compressed to its limit. Pure-white bolts poured down in front of them.
“……!?”
“……!!”
The two rankers’ faces turned white from the flash.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang!
Ruuuumble—
Since Qingxiao and Mukesh had naturally assumed Sun Wukong and Sa Oh-jeong would be here, the sudden lightning strike left them screaming in shock. They scattered to either side and rolled across the ground.
Kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwaang!
Ruuuumble—
Kuuuukuuuu……!
‘What the hell is this power……!’
‘No, more importantly—this lightning!’
Qingxiao and Mukesh broke out in cold sweat as they lifted their heads.
The underground waterway that looked ready to collapse at any moment was filled with clouds of dust. The white sparks flickering between them sounded like the cries of a beast, sending chills down their spines.
Kyaaaaaaa—
On top of that came a bone-chilling cold.
They interpreted the sudden heat wave that swept over them as ‘tension.’
Something…… was standing right in front of them.
Curse: Chilling Cold – Successful.
Curse: Overwhelming Pressure – Successful.
……
‘The curses I infused into the lightning seem to have worked quite well.’
Lee-hyun could tell from their expressions that his plan had succeeded. Individually they were low-level curses, but when detonated together with condensed lightning, their effect was strong enough to fool even rankers.
Satisfied, Lee-hyun smiled and—
“How dare you set foot on my land without permission,”
—slowly parted the dust cloud and revealed himself.
Wrapped in the pure-white lightning that symbolized Zeus.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!!