The Mountain Deity (4)
Mo Jeong-gyeon sat with a crooked posture, a long pipe clenched between her lips.
The collarbone faintly visible through her disheveled clothes added a decadent touch.
“The way you’re running over makes you look exactly like a dog desperate to piss.”
“Grandmother, what on earth…!”
“What on earth?”
Lim Won-young saw the twist in Mo Jeong-gyeon’s lips and calmly steadied her breathing.
“What exactly… did you call Chief Jang here to discuss?”
Lim Won-young had come to visit Lee-hyun, only to hear he was meeting Mo Jeong-gyeon and rush over in a panic.
“Even this old woman can come check on a subordinate who caused an accident. I don’t believe I did anything that deserves such pointed interrogation.”
Even while pretending to scold, the smile never left her grandmother’s lips. Lim Won-young let out a sigh.
As expected, her grandmother lived for the pleasure of teasing her.
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“It sounds that way to these old ears. Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Huu—
Mo Jeong-gyeon exhaled a long plume of smoke and spoke.
“I wanted to see whether he was someone you could handle.”
Lim Won-young narrowed her eyes.
“Did you find my decision that untrustworthy?”
“It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s the world.”
“…”
“Isn’t this a barbaric world filled with nothing but bastards plotting how to stab someone in the back for their own gain? This world.”
Her lips twisted even further.
The world Mo Jeong-gyeon looked upon was always cold.
“…So what is your conclusion?”
Enveloped in cigarette smoke, Mo Jeong-gyeon looked both mystical and fiercely savage—like a tiger commanding the mist.
“He is absolutely not a child you can tame.”
“I…”
“It’s not because you’re lacking or incompetent. From the start, that child was born untamable. He’s the same kind as this old woman.”
Lim Won-young’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Her grandmother rarely praised anyone so highly.
Chief Jang has passed Grandmother’s test.
Lim Won-young swept her hair back.
With her worries about Lee-hyun gone, her mind settled into calm.
“Even so, do you truly believe you can take him? What if you’re the one devoured instead?”
“If that happens, it would be even better for me.”
“What?”
“Because I don’t intend to tame Chief Jang. I intend to embrace him.”
One of Mo Jeong-gyeon’s eyebrows rose.
“I will not be the tiger, Grandmother. I will be the mountain.”
“…!”
“A tiger permits nothing besides itself. Even a mate is a territorial animal that cannot tolerate sharing the same domain. However,”
“The mountain embraces even such a tiger?”
“Exactly.”
Lim Won-young spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“A mountain that holds a fierce tiger becomes a spiritual mountain. Because it is mysterious. Wouldn’t that be an even greater blessing?”
Instead of answering, Mo Jeong-gyeon brought the long pipe to her lips again.
A smile that could have been praise or ridicule.
Yet Lim Won-young maintained a resolute gaze, as if to say her grandmother could think whatever she liked.
She has grown too, this child.
Mo Jeong-gyeon felt proud of her granddaughter.
After meeting that boy… her field of vision has widened.
It meant that even in their short time together, the experiences between her and Lee-hyun had been incredibly profound.
They could become positive stimuli for each other…?
Mo Jeong-gyeon still harbored doubts about whether such a harmonious combination was truly possible, but
There’s no harm in it.
She cherished Lim Won-young deeply.
Not simply because she was her granddaughter.
It was because Lim Won-young possessed genuine talent and capability.
Perhaps even the kind that could one day reach her own level.
She wanted to nurture that.
“Very well. Since you like the child so much, let’s do this.”
Lim Won-young straightened her posture.
“You want him seated at the top of Z Team immediately, yes?”
“To be blunt, yes. His achievements and ability have been sufficiently proven.”
Mo Jeong-gyeon was pleased to see her granddaughter steadily expanding her influence within the Dungeon Strategy Headquarters.
However,
“I cannot simply place a child who caused such a scene in front of so many people into that position.”
“…”
“Executive Director Jeong will raise a fuss as well. Therefore…”
Lim Won-young quietly listened to the mediation plan Mo Jeong-gyeon offered.
After the meeting with Mo Jeong-gyeon, Lee-hyun was released immediately.
“You have been given a five-day suspension and a three-month pay reduction. Details regarding personnel matters will be provided separately upon your return to the company in five days.”
The agent who had escorted Lee-hyun to Mo Jeong-gyeon briefly stated the disciplinary measures.
“Is there anything else you wish to know?”
Lee-hyun briefly considered asking about Mo Jeong-gyeon but swallowed the question.
“No. There isn’t.”
“Then I will see you in five days.”
When he stepped outside, the sunlight was blazing down.
It was spring.
“Want some tofu?”
Kim Min-jung was waiting with a plastic bag full of tofu.
“Weren’t you going home?”
“After something like that happened, how could I just leave? It didn’t feel right, so I waited.”
Lee-hyun let out a dry laugh.
“How did you know when I’d come out?”
“It was a situation that could be taken into consideration. I was killing time at a nearby café, so it was fine. Are you not going to eat it?”
“No soy sauce?”
“Should I run to the supermarket and buy a bottle to drown it in?”
“I was joking.”
Lee-hyun took a bite of the tofu while looking at Kim Min-jung’s pouty face.
Only then did it start to sink in.
What he had just experienced inside.
The powerful impression Mo Jeong-gyeon left behind still lingered vividly in his mind.
It would probably be difficult to erase for the rest of his life.
She really was a monster.
How his heart had pounded the entire time he spoke in front of that massive, ferocious tiger.
It almost made acrobatics on a knife’s edge seem preferable.
Still,
She seemed somewhat unstable…
Lee-hyun was certain Mo Jeong-gyeon was merely wearing human skin and was in truth a genuine god.
Yet gods were noble and perfect beings.
Mo Jeong-gyeon was noble, but not perfect.
That is because she forcibly crammed a soul so massive it could overwhelm the world into the narrow prison of a physical body.
Sun Wukong cut the reason short and definitive.
Does that mean she’s intentionally refusing to leave the human realm?
“It appears that way… but who knows the true reason?”
Sun Wukong tilted his head at a crooked angle.
“Still, continuing to wear clothes that don’t fit must be causing her tremendous suffering. It’s probably as painful as her soul rolling in hellfire.”
…!
“The fact that she’s forcing herself to remain here must stem from some powerful wish. Or lingering attachment.”
Sun Wukong’s Fiery Golden Eyes glowed with mysterious light.
“She is already a demigod. She could ascend at any time.”
“Kakakat. A demigod who could even fight Senior Brother. Truly a fearsome existence without equal.”
“Who said anything about fighting! In my prime, huh? The chief gods, huh? Something like that was nothing but a single punch!”
“For a single punch, you seem awfully sensitive about it. Kakakat.”
“That’s because I don’t know what kind of harm it might inflict on a youngster…!”
“Your tongue is growing longer, Senior Brother. Kakakakat.”
“This bastard!?”
Lee-hyun shook his head as he watched the baby monkey and baby turtle continue bickering.
He was tired. He needed to go home and rest first.
But why hasn’t Brother Jin-woo contacted me yet?
Was the deal not going smoothly?
“Seeing the youngster eat tofu makes me crave some too… No good. Let’s go eat soybean pudding! I spotted a decent dessert shop nearby.”
…When exactly did you see that?
“I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who sits in place and sees a thousand li. Something like that is as easy as eating cold porridge—no, fish-shaped bread—while lying down!”
Lee-hyun could only marvel at Sun Wukong’s tenacity in seeking out snacks on his own without any prompting.
Lee-hyun finished the tofu and brushed off his hands.
“Shall we get going? Since we’ve met anyway, let’s discuss future plans.”
“Sounds good. I parked in the nearby lot, so let’s head there.”
“You bought a car?”
“For commuting. Unlike someone, I don’t drive recklessly.”
“…?”
“There is. Such a person.”
It was right then, as the two began walking.
“Chief Jang Lee-hyun.”
Two men in suits stepped in front of Lee-hyun and Kim Min-jung.
Hunters who looked formidable at a glance.
Lee-hyun’s eyes sank deeply.
“What do you want?”
Kim Min-jung’s eyes sharpened as well, but the two hunters kept their gazes fixed solely on Lee-hyun.
“There is someone who wishes to see you, Chief Jang. Please come with us for a moment.”
The two hunters glanced pointedly behind them.
A large black sedan was parked on the roadside with its emergency flashers on.
The coercive atmosphere made it clear this was not a friendly visit.
Lee-hyun’s response was equally cold.
“If you have business, the person with business should show their face and come find me personally. Let’s go.”
As Lee-hyun tried to turn aside, the two hunters blocked his path again.
“The person dislikes showing their face unnecessarily. You must come with us.”
“I have no intention of doing so.”
“Then make one.”
They forcibly grabbed Lee-hyun’s shoulder as he attempted to ignore them and pass.
Blatant contempt flashed in their hard eyes.
“You’d better take your hand off me.”
“If you refuse to follow, we will use force—”
The hunter’s businesslike tone did not continue.
Because Lee-hyun had already seized his arm and twisted it in the opposite direction.
Crack!
“Aaaargh!”
The hunter caught by Lee-hyun struggled desperately to free his wrist, but it wouldn’t budge.
His arm was already broken at an unnatural angle.
It was inevitable.
Lee-hyun’s strength stat had already surpassed 100 following the last dungeon rewards.
Snow Soul Arm Strength (S)
For four years you endured a horrific curse with an indomitable will, ultimately reclaiming your power.
That unyielding tenacity remains in your muscles, granting you a cold, stubborn strength like snow in any situation.
Effect: Instant explosive power increase. Attack power increases in proportion to accumulated damage. Overcome fatigue.
Type: Strength Additional Function
Origin: Fairy Tale «Snow Queen»
Lee-hyun’s additional functions were now all infused with narrative.
Naturally, this new S-rank ability granted him physical strength on par with—perhaps even exceeding—rankers.
Ordinary hunters could not possibly withstand it.
Even if their abilities reached team leader level.
“This bastard!”
The other hunter tried to draw his weapon to save his comrade, but
Whoosh!
Before he could move, an axe flew past, grazing the side of his head.
Trickle—
Blood flowed from the shallow cut on his cheek.
“…!!”
“Take one more step and the next one takes your head.”
“…Even if you do this,”
“I’ll bury you if you keep talking nonsense.”
“…”
“Try me if you’re curious.”
The hunter clamped his mouth shut.
Just looking at Lee-hyun’s murderous eyes made his heart sink.
Moreover,
Goooooo—!
Killing Intent Revealed!
The vengeful will mixed with magic power rides upon the aura.
The killing intent Lee-hyun emitted was sharp enough to slice flesh, like a blizzard from the North Pole.
No—it hurt.
The grudge left behind by the Snow Queen within it was not something the two hunters could withstand.
“…!”
“…!!”
Their faces turned deathly pale in an instant.
“Get lost while I’m still asking nicely.”
With their momentum completely broken, the two men flinched and stepped back.
Yet they still glanced nervously at the sedan behind them, clearly terrified of their employer.
The moment Lee-hyun pulled out another axe and unleashed lightning to force an easy decision,
Crackle!
“How about we stop there? These two were simply following my orders.”
Click!
The sedan door swung open.
Inside sat a middle-aged man who resembled the late Team Leader Jeong Sun-il but possessed far deeper, sharper eyes. He was looking their way.
“…It’s Executive Director Jeong Gyu-han.”
Kim Min-jung whispered cautiously.
Lee-hyun gave a small nod.
Jeong Gyu-han spoke.
“I came because I wanted to speak with you alone. I ask not as a company executive, but as the father of my dead son.”
Lee-hyun quietly stared into Jeong Gyu-han’s eyes.
Eyes whose depths could not be read.
It was hard to believe this was a man who had just lost a beloved son. He was far too composed.
He had no idea what might happen if he got in that car, but
“Looks like I’ll have to go with them. Sorry, but let’s talk next time.”
Lee-hyun gave the worried Kim Min-jung a reassuring gesture, then climbed into the sedan.
He had many questions for Executive Director Jeong as well.
“Let’s go.”
“As you wish.”
Thud!
The sedan door closed and the car began to move.