The Great Sage Equal to Heaven (2)
From the moment he realized the owner of the Monkey Tomb was Sun Wukong, Lee Hyun couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
In the final chapters of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong becomes a Buddha powerful enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jade Emperor and Shakyamuni. A Buddha is still a god. And gods do not die. That is why they are called immortals.
But the death of a god wasn’t entirely impossible.
If a god suffered a devastating defeat in a clash with another deity and their rank plummeted, or if the myth that formed their very existence scattered… then in theory, it could happen.
And Lee Hyun had personally witnessed a god dying.
The first 5-star dungeon outbreak incident.
Six years ago, right after Lee Hyun had joined the Cheongroe Special Task Force, a 5-star dungeon had appeared in South Africa. What had only been theorized until then had actually occurred.
At the time, Europe and the United States poured in manpower like they were grinding their forces to dust just to seal the gate.
It took four of the nine Top Rankers in the entire world to finally close the dungeon. Lee Hyun had been there too, dispatched as part of the peacekeeping force.
It was also the moment he had decided he would become a proper Ranker. The moment he resolved to bet his entire life on being a hunter.
The desire to stand on the front lines alongside the strongest humans alive. The ambition to one day surpass even them and fight against godlike beings.
Although meeting the Snow Queen had forced him to set that dream aside for a while, the passion he had felt back then still burned like an ember in one corner of his chest.
Come to think of it, one of the nine who stepped forward back then was probably Team Leader Lim Won-young’s grandmother.
Anyway, if Sun Wukong had also died for some unknown reason, just like that incident, then it made sense why he was lying in a grave like this.
In other words—
The Sun Wukong here is nothing more than the remnants of a Sun Wukong whose rank has fallen.
When he looked at it that way, Sun Wukong’s presence did seem a little smaller than his legendary fame would suggest.
You have realized part of the secret hidden by ■■■■. The ability of the ‘Holy Relic: Hwaan Geumjeong’ has increased slightly.
「Who the hell got beaten?! If those bastards hadn’t stabbed me in the back all of a sudden…!」
Sun Wukong flared up, then belatedly realized his mistake and shut his mouth. But by then, Lee Hyun was certain.
Sun Wukong had been done in by someone.
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven himself.
If that was the case—
“The reason this tomb and all these arrangements were made was so the monkeys of Mt. Hwagua could resurrect the Great Sage as a god. The Hwaan Geumjeong was a tool given to the apostle who would help with that resurrection.”
「…….」
When the myth that composed a god scattered, their rank naturally fell and they became mortal. Most likely, the duty of apostle Mun Su-chan had been ‘Sun Wukong’s resurrection’ or ‘his return as a god.’
The more the arrangements prepared for Mun Su-chan were carried out, the more the scattered myth would gather. In other words, completing the arrangements was the completion of Sun Wukong’s revival.
In that sense, the Hwaan Geumjeong is the perfect holy relic. You need good eyes to find scattered myths.
It was a glimpse into how much thought the monkeys of Mt. Hwagua had put into this.
But that apostle disappeared.
It was only natural that Sun Wukong would react so irritably.
But who on earth killed Sun Wukong?
Even before becoming a Buddha, Sun Wukong had been strong enough to clash with the Jade Emperor’s heavenly army and walk away unscathed. No ordinary being could have reduced him to this state.
Lee Hyun found the opening he needed right there.
“May I ask who the enemies were that harmed the Great Sage?”
Sun Wukong remained silent for a long time. His displeasure was blatantly obvious.
「Why? What will you do if you know? Planning to laugh at this ruined body of mine?」
“Of course not. Couldn’t I be of help?”
「You? With what qualifications?」
The sarcasm was thick, but Lee Hyun answered calmly.
“I may not be the person your divine subjects chose. But I reached this point with nothing but my own pure ability. I believe that’s more than enough proof of my capability.”
「…….」
“So wouldn’t there be areas where I could be useful?”
Sun Wukong frowned, but he couldn’t refute those words. They were all true.
Besides, Lee Hyun wasn’t even the original owner chosen by the Hwaan Geumjeong.
After a long silence, Sun Wukong’s voice finally dropped low.
「……The main gods. Bastards like the Jade Emperor, Zeus, and Odin. They’re the ones who did this to me.」
“……!”
The meaning behind those words was anything but light.
「If they hadn’t pretended to be friendly and dug a trap, if I had properly assessed the situation and prepared myself, I wouldn’t have suffered this kind of humiliation.」
“…….”
「They trampled on everything. My existence, my territory, my kingdom, my people, my friends, my brothers—everything.」
Lee Hyun pressed his lips tightly together.
The hatred leaking from the twisted corners of Sun Wukong’s mouth was so heavily suppressed that it made his chest ache.
「Tripitaka always said that everything is empty, that it’s all in vain. But not for me. They were everything that filled the emptiness in my chest. I can never, ever forgive them.」
“…….”
「So I ask you, brat. Even after hearing all this, how exactly do you think you can help me? If you’re just asking out of curiosity, then you can just—!」
“I might be able to help a little.”
「What?」
In that instant, Sun Wukong saw it.
The corner of Lee Hyun’s mouth, which had been listening seriously the entire time, twisted upward.
He was enjoying this.
“One of the traitors who killed both me and your apostle was the Jade Emperor’s apostle.”
「……!”
In Sun Wukong’s slightly widened golden eyes, Lee Hyun burned like raging flames.
“And I know their movements. If you use me, I believe it could be of help to the Great Sage as well.”
For a moment, another of Tripitaka’s words flashed through Sun Wukong’s mind.
Cause and effect are like the net of heaven—too tightly woven for anything to escape. In the end, everything must connect.
Could it really be mere coincidence that someone connected to his enemy, the Jade Emperor, shared a grudge with the brat standing before him?
Fate.
The two letters settled deeply into Sun Wukong’s chest.
Before he knew it, laughter burst out of him.
「You’re saying I can use you however I want?」
“Yes. In return, please heal my body.”
「A deal?」
“That’s right.”
「Your confidence is impressive. Fine. Let’s see if you’re qualified to say such things.」
Sun Wukong leaped off the Yeouibong.
「Receive this guy’s recognition. If you do, I will acknowledge you. As my new apostle.」
Lee Hyun nodded and slowly approached the Yeouibong.
「Just so you know, this guy’s personality is extremely nasty. It’s very different from the gentle Hwaan Geumjeong.」
Event: Yeouibong’s Selection
📍 Objective: Pass the test of the Yeouibong and receive its recognition.
🎁 Success: Position as ■■■■’s Apostle
🎁 Failure: Injury
Lee Hyun already knew very well that fatal accidents occasionally occurred during the process of receiving a holy relic’s recognition. And something like the Yeouibong, which carried such an enormous legacy, would be even harsher.
But if he hadn’t been prepared for that much, he wouldn’t have come this far.
The moment Lee Hyun took a deep breath and reached out his hand—
Click.
The Yeouibong suddenly crumbled and slithered up his arm like a snake.
Clack!
Before he knew it, a golden bracelet had settled on Lee Hyun’s wrist.
And then—
“……Hup!”
An enormous amount of divine power poured into his body.
It felt similar to when he had first received the Hwaan Geumjeong, but the nature of the power was incomparably rough. It felt like his body would shatter at any moment.
Lee Hyun realized this was the Yeouibong’s ‘test.’
Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud!
In an instant, both of his eyes turned bloodshot.
Like hell I’ll lose!
Lee Hyun clenched his teeth and desperately tried to control the Yeouibong’s divine power in the direction he wanted. He had once reached the Ranker level. When it came to mana control, he had confidence.
But the way I used to handle mana won’t work. Divine power is a far higher concept than mana. In that case…!
Thinking of something, Lee Hyun activated the Hwaan Geumjeong once more.
Whoosh!
At the same time, the flow of mana revolving around Sun Wukong became visible at a glance.
I’ll imitate the original!
Attempting to control divine power based on the absorbed karma of ■■■■!
「Oh? Look at this guy. You’re copying me?」
While Sun Wukong let out a brief exclamation of admiration—
Crack!
The divine power reacted with a startled, furious surge. The more it did, the harder Lee Hyun pushed for greater control.
The moment their fierce standoff reached a perfect equilibrium where neither side yielded even an inch—
The ‘Holy Relic: Tiger God’s Protective Talisman’ has activated!
A red light suddenly flowed out from the jade ring Lim Won-young had given him and seeped into his body.
The treasure Team Leader Lim gave me…!
◈ The four Gul-gak and one I-ol residing within the ring have come forward to assist you according to the Tiger God’s command.
The changgwi sealed inside the ring had stepped forward to help Lee Hyun. Although they were far inferior to the Yeouibong’s divine power, they were still holy relics, and their assistance was a great help to him.
Go in!
The right to control completely shifted to Lee Hyun.
Boom!
Whoosh!
The divine power spread gently along the wide mana circuits.
「You’re not fully acknowledging him yet, but you’ll watch the situation a little longer? Something like that?」
Sun Wukong laughed cheerfully.
Lee Hyun had truly proven himself exactly as he had claimed.
The ‘Holy Relic: Yeouibong’ has read the karma of ■■■■ planted within you and selected you as a ‘Temporary Recognized Candidate.’
……
Accumulate more of ■■■■’s karma and complete the event to be reborn as ■■■■’s Apostle. The more karma of ■■■■ you recover, the more hidden functions of the Yeouibong you will be able to use.
Temporary Apostle authority has been granted.
Physical recovery has begun.
No way?
The moment Lee Hyun’s eyes widened—
The Yeouibong dispels the curse ‘Ring of Bitter Cold’ with divine power.
Treatment initiated: 1%, 2%, 3%……
“……!!”
Lee Hyun was shocked by both the fatigue melting away and the changes occurring in his mana circuits.
Until now, even absorbing a little of Sun Wukong’s karma had only managed to loosen his tangled circuits slightly. But now they were actually recovering…!
He could even feel the damaged core being restored. Although it was only a tiny amount, mana began to flow through the dried-up circuits like a small stream.
Ah…
It was mana he had regained after four years.