Temporary Apostle (1)

Thump. Thump.

His heart was racing.

‘I can start over. This time, for real… properly!’

Because now, all the suffering he’d endured wasn’t in vain.

He could truly begin again.

Lee Hyun turned to thank Sun Wukong—

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly the world spun.

It seemed the staff intended to put him in a comatose state to focus entirely on treatment and recovery. There was just one problem.

‘Wait, the dungeon’s about to collapse. What happens to me then…?’

A horrifying thought flashed through his mind, but his consciousness was already fading.

At that exact moment, the dungeon shook violently as if it were about to collapse.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa…!

At the same time, messages flooded his vision without pause.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep—

The regular mechanical sound rang in his ears.

It was a noise he’d heard often during hospital stays.

Lee Hyun barely managed to open his eyes.

‘Where…?’

A white ceiling and blankets came into view.

A place far too familiar to him—like home. It was a hospital.

Only this room was much larger than the ones he usually stayed in. It looked like a single-occupancy VIP room.

Right then, the door opened.

“What, you’re awake? If you’re awake, hit the call button. Why are you just lying there like an idiot?”

A doctor in a white coat stared at him with a grumpy expression.

“Hyung.”

“What?”

Go Jin-woo. One of the few people Lee Hyun had stayed in contact with after his discharge. He had also been close friends with Mun Su-chan.

A former military academy graduate and one of the few military doctors assigned to the Cheongroe unit. A truly grateful person.

“How did I get here? I was definitely…”

“In a dungeon, right?”

Lee Hyun nodded silently.

“You remember sending the emergency call signal, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

No matter how thoroughly he prepared, Lee Hyun knew that as long as his body was compromised, he could fall into danger inside a dungeon at any moment.

That was why he always carried a calling item whenever he entered a dungeon.

So that if anything happened to him, Go Jin-woo would know immediately.

The Twin Branch of the Intertwined Trees was expensive, but its effect was reliable.

Even while the dungeon was collapsing, it had activated strongly enough for Go Jin-woo to notice right away.

“The leaves were shaking like crazy, so I figured something was wrong and called the police immediately. But before the cops could even arrive, White Burn showed up and took you.”

Lee Hyun’s eyes widened slightly.

“White Burn?”

“Yeah, dumbass. And get this—Lim Won-young herself came. You know how shocked I was? What’s your relationship with her anyway?”

“Lim Won-young? Who’s that?”

“Ah, you don’t know her nickname? Lim the Bulldozer. Lim Won-young. She was a legend among our classmates. She went around smashing the heads of every guy who confessed to her.”

Lee Hyun could easily imagine what kind of reaction a beauty like Lim Won-young would have received in the notoriously male-dominated military academy.

‘Knowing Team Leader Lim’s personality, she probably didn’t stay quiet about it either.’

“Could you stop looking at me with those rotten fish eyes? I never confessed to her, okay?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Then wipe that impure look out of your eyes first before you speak.”

Lee Hyun grinned silently.

Go Jin-woo stared at him in disbelief.

“Look at this bastard. We barely dragged him back from death’s door and he’s already acting like this. Ugh.”

Go Jin-woo clicked his tongue lightly and continued.

“Anyway, Lim the Bulldozer kept insisting we had to save you no matter what. She was so persistent that the department head and even the hospital director came down. All the interns were scared out of their minds. It was total chaos.”

Only then did Lee Hyun understand the full situation.

‘She led a rescue team herself to come find me.’

It seemed Lim Won-young had returned with White Burn’s support team, only to discover Lee Hyun abandoned outside the dungeon gate.

“So seriously, what’s your relationship with Lim the Bulldozer?”

“Nothing.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Then don’t.”

“Ugh. The way you talk is so rude.”

“Because it’s the truth. Today was literally only the second time we’ve met.”

“And she still took care of you like that?”

Lee Hyun shrugged.

“What can I say? I’m pretty charming.”

“Bullshit.”

“Back when we were in the unit, didn’t I always win the popularity vote among the female soldiers?”

“That’s only because you were the leader and they all had rose-tinted glasses—!”

“It’s ugly when someone who never got a single vote says that.”

“Fuck!”

“Also, I wasn’t even the leader back then. I was a rookie.”

“Shut up!”

After arguing pointlessly with Lee Hyun, Go Jin-woo ended up raising his voice without gaining anything.

“Anyway, after you stabilized, Lim the Bulldozer left. She said to come return the thing she lent you. What’s that about? You owe her?”

“Something like that.”

Lee Hyun chuckled and absentmindedly rubbed his left index finger with his right hand. The warm heat from the Talisman of Protection felt like it was gently caressing him.

At the same time—

Whoosh!

‘The mana… is moving.’

Feeling the mana flowing toward the talisman, Lee Hyun’s eyes sparkled.

Although the amount was still far too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠small to truly call mana, and the frozen circuits remained icy cold,

the mana flowing through his entire body felt incredibly welcome.

“And if you get anything good later, share some with me, you brat. This room is yours until you’re fully recovered, so rest up. I’m out.”

It seemed Go Jin-woo had noticed the change as well. Though he still sounded indifferent, his voice carried clear relief as he left the room.

Now alone, Lee Hyun quickly checked every corner of his body.

And then—

Lee Hyun clenched his fist tightly as he read the “Mana: 4” entry on his status window.

Although he had gained S-rank in both Cold Resistance and Curse Resistance, this tiny, insignificant change moved him far more.

‘This is the power of a sacred relic… and a Myth-grade one at that.’

And this was while most of the Ruyi Jingu Bang’s functions were still sealed. Just how incredible would it be once everything was unlocked?

Right at that moment—

When he turned his head, a small white monkey—Sun Wukong—was sitting on the bed railing, grinning mischievously while swishing his tail back and forth.

“Great Sage!”

Ziiiing!

The Ruyi Jingu Bang, still wrapped around his right wrist, hummed softly.

Only after sensing that vibration did Lee Hyun truly realize that this dreamlike moment was all real.

* * *

How many hours had passed?

Lee Hyun slowly opened his closed eyes.

Flash!

A golden gleam flickered across his eyes before vanishing.

At the same time, a message appeared.

Lee Hyun circulated his mana to the limit and spread his palm wide open.

Crackle! Snap!

Blue-white sparks leaped across his palm.

Though small like static electricity, they moved with wild freedom, as if possessed by ghosts.

“Yes. It’s been so long since I’ve used it that controlling it isn’t easy yet.”

Sun Wukong watched Lee Hyun with curious eyes. He had recovered his body much faster than expected and was already releasing his power.

Even though Lee Hyun still possessed divine power and karma, this was far quicker than anticipated.

Lee Hyun nodded.

“It’s the skill that essentially made me who I was before.”

Dueogsini’s Breath was a skill he had inherited from his mentor during his time in the military unit.

Depending on the intensity of his emotions, it could explode with destructive power, or be used for delicate, precise work.

It had been classified as a top-secret skill within the unit, so there had been significant internal opposition when it was first granted to him.

But with his mentor’s full support, Lee Hyun rose to become the leader of Cheongroe and silenced all complaints.

Back then, the blue-white lightning storms he commanded had been so powerful that they became the very symbol of the Cheongroe unit.

“But I’m still far from where I need to be. I wonder when the Authority will unlock.”

What Lee Hyun needed most was the Authority that awakened once Dueogsini’s Breath was complete.

It was his signature move—the one that had defined Jet and served as his ultimate technique against the Snow Queen.

‘Only once I can activate Thunder Yaksha will I be able to fight properly.’

His enemies had already climbed far higher during the past four years.

‘Still, I have many options. Especially the ice crystals left throughout my mana circuits.’

The traces left behind by the Ring of Bitter Cold. Although the curse itself had vanished, clumps of mana remained in his circuits like frozen ice.

Lee Hyun had named them ice crystals.

‘If I can melt all of them and bind them to my mana circuits, my mana capacity will increase dramatically.’

In the end, to achieve even greater and faster growth…

“What should I do first to receive the Ruyi Jingu Bang’s recognition?”

“I’ve rested enough for four years.”

Sun Wukong seemed quite pleased with Lee Hyun’s drive.

Lee Hyun recalled the names written in the Ruyi ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jingu Bang’s description.

Pangu, Yu, Taishang Laojun, Sun Wukong…

Each one was a supreme deity who held absolute status in Eastern mythology.

When he thought about it that way, his own position as a mere mortal felt endlessly insignificant.

“Then what should I do?”

Suddenly, something flashed through Lee Hyun’s mind.

“Before the Ruyi Jingu Bang, I need to fully claim the Fiery Golden Eyes as my own first.”

For the first time, Sun Wukong laughed with genuine satisfaction.

In truth, the Fiery Golden Eyes had been in an ambiguous state—neither fully choosing Lee Hyun nor rejecting him.

It had only continued to help him out of respect for its original owner, Mun Su-chan’s last wishes.

But now that he had regained his mana and planned to seek out the scattered myths of Sun Wukong across the world,

their relationship needed to evolve from something vague into a true bond between owner and sacred relic.

‘To do that, I need to absorb as much of Sun Wukong’s karma as possible to raise my own status. Only then can I fully accept the Fiery Golden Eyes.’

Conversely, only after his eyes had evolved could he properly search for Sun Wukong’s myths.

They fed into each other.

Receiving the Ruyi Jingu Bang’s recognition could wait until after.

‘And it’s not just the Ruyi Jingu Bang. All the sacred relics that symbolize Sun Wukong—Nimbus, the Tightening Headband, transformation arts… I need them all.’

Perhaps because his thoughts had reached that point,

Lee Hyun suddenly considered the next step.

‘If I claim all of Sun Wukong’s karma and sacred relics, and regain Jet’s Authority… what happens then?’

No, what if he didn’t just regain it, but completely rebuilt and improved Jet’s Authority?

At that point,

‘Could I ascend to an even higher existence?’

Like the top rankers he had seen in South Africa.

Or perhaps…

‘Like Sun Wukong himself…!’

Lee Hyun clenched his fist tightly.

There were now many paths he could climb.

But he had no intention of rushing and making mistakes.

‘One step at a time. Steadily.’

Right then—

Whoosh!

“…!?”

Mana suddenly writhed from his core, surged upward, and poured into his eyes.

The Fiery Golden Eyes had accepted Lee Hyun’s mana for the first time.

Lee Hyun’s eyes widened.