Chapter 92: 8-Quad. A Forgotten Skill. Mimicry
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: 8-Quad. A Forgotten Skill. Mimicry
[Ding! A clone of the Epic Monster, the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, is toying with a player.]
[Ding! A clone of the Epic Monster, the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, has successfully hunted a player.]
The notifications arrived shortly after the monster’s appearance. The faces of the team members, who had fled to a nearby island to avoid the creature, turned grim.
Naturally, the unfamiliar wording of the alert piqued their curiosity.
“Toying with them? I wonder what kind of disaster triggers a notification like that,” Jin Long pondered, his expression serious.
Li Min spoke up, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. “Well, it probably wasn't a crisis on the level of almost losing your ‘precious parts’ to the Lust Demon.”
At the mention of the Lust Demon, Seo-un, Li Min, and Dump instinctively shuddered.
“To be honest, I still have trouble adjusting when I see Seo-un use that guy’s martial arts,” Dump added. “It subtly overlaps with that demonic bastard.”
Indeed, the forms of Gale Step and Blood Bone Claw—where Seo-un would charge with his head thrust forward and his arms twisted at bizarre angles—bore a striking resemblance to the Lust Demon’s movements.
“Don’t say such creepy things,” Seo-un muttered, trying his best to deny it.
No matter how identical the forms were, he had no desire to be associated with a freak like that.
While they were discussing the Great Sage and keeping a lookout, Gi-chan, who was monitoring the map, changed the subject.
“He’s incredibly fast. He’s already close by.”
Dusk was only just beginning to fall. At the news that the monster had crossed several islands in just half a day, Seo-un signaled his teammates to stay back. He pulled out his Cloak of Stealth and threw it over his shoulders.
“I’ll go scout. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
Approaching the edge of the island, he activated his map. A purple dot appeared, surrounded by a clearly defined aggro range. Watching the dot approach at a terrifying speed, Seo-un held his breath in tension, despite being invisible.
Bathed in the light of the rising moon, the figure of the Great Sage streaking across the night sky finally entered Seo-un’s field of vision.
Clad in golden chainmail layered over red armor, holding the Ruyi Staff in one hand and maintaining a slight slouch—he was the spitting image of the Son Oh-gong depicted in legends.
The Great Sage, who looked as if he would pass by in an instant, suddenly came to a halt near the island where Seo-un was hiding.
‘Wait. No way...’
The creature placed a hand to its forehead as if shielding its eyes from the sun—even though night had fallen—and craned its neck to scan the surroundings with exaggerated movements. Seo-un’s heart began to thud against his ribs.
“Hahat! I can feel it!”
The Great Sage’s shout erupted—a voice that sounded innocent and playful, yet was tinged with a strange madness and bloodlust. Seo-un steeled his resolve.
‘This is it.’
The moment the creature’s glowing golden eyes turned toward him, Seo-un prepared to stow his Cloak of Stealth and engage, but then he felt a sudden surge of mana.
Rumble!
With the sound of a localized typhoon, space itself seemed to crack as a powerful wind swirled around the Great Sage. Seo-un watched in shock as sixteen players emerged from the fractured space.
‘Hamit!!’ Seo-un called out mentally.
—They used 7th Circle Distortion magic and laid out a warped field to hide the flow of mana. Even I couldn't detect that. That monkey is impressive for finding them.—
A cold sweat broke out on Seo-un’s neck. If this squad—likely a guild, given the matching tattoos on their hands—hadn't been targeting the Epic Monster and had instead been lying in wait for his team, they would have been in deep trouble.
‘What guild is this?’
Clang-clang-clang!
Thick, long iron chains flew through the wind, wrapping around the Great Sage’s body with a loud, metallic screech. Seo-un pushed his thoughts aside and focused.
[Ding! Eye of Observation has been activated.]
The moment he activated the skill he had nearly forgotten after so long, Seo-un’s eyes began to glow with a faint green light.
[Beginning observation of the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven’s clone. 3%...]
With the skill active, he could see tiny, unknown characters engraved on the chains binding the Great Sage.
‘A seal?’
“Banebarada!”
A middle-aged man among the players, dressed in Taoist robes, chanted a spell. The chains wrapped around the Great Sage grew thicker, gradually encasing the creature’s entire body.
The rest of the players poured their attacks onto the bound monster. Powerful mana surges from high-circle spells and weapons carrying the full momentum of their Seondongun struck the target.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Perhaps he couldn't withstand the concentrated barrage?
Poof!
With a loud pop, the Great Sage sitting atop the Somersault Cloud vanished in a cloud of smoke.
‘No way. That easily?!’
[Ding! The subject of observation has disappeared. Observation progress: 19%]
Seo-un’s eyes narrowed as the notification rang out. The guild’s attack had certainly been heavy—powerful enough that Seo-un felt even he would have been game-overed instantly if he had taken that hit. However, the weight of the name ‘Great Sage, Equal of Heaven’ carried much more presence than that.
When no notification appeared announcing the Epic Monster had been hunted, the sixteen players, who had been smiling, finally realized things weren't going according to plan.
“Pfft! Puhahaha! Did you really think you caught me?”
At the sound of the voice, everyone looked up. There, the frivolous monkey was rolling around on his back on the Somersault Cloud, clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter.
Just as the mages were about to cast new spells, the laughter stopped abruptly.
“It’s truly a sad thing that a nuisance of a human who uses the Sealing Iron Demon Chain is here.”
The Taoist’s eyes twitched. He quickly pulled two coffins from his subspace and chanted a spell.
“Banebarasi!”
Instantly, two Seondongun appeared to support the coffins. The moment the talismans on the lids burned away, the covers flew off violently, and two Jiangshi stood up amidst a cloud of red smoke.
‘He’s doing something similar to that Taoist I saw before.’
—That fellow is manipulating the flow of mana in a way different from magic.—
The Great Sage’s expression hardened as he looked at the Taoist, who now wore a relaxed expression after summoning the Jiangshi. Spinning the Ruyi Staff in his hand, the Somersault Cloud flew rapidly toward the players.
Clang!
The martial artists and knights who blocked the Ruyi Staff were pushed back dozens of meters, their faces contorting. They seemed unable to cope with the fact that their Seondongun were pushed back by sheer physical force, regardless of their will.
Thwack! Thwack!
Then, the heads of the two Jiangshi charging at the Great Sage exploded. But just as the Great Sage was about to finish them and charge the Taoist, the two headless Jiangshi jumped and latched onto him.
The moment they gripped his limbs, the Taoist shouted.
“Banebarasi! Ten Thousand Catty Technique!”
The incredibly fast Somersault Cloud faltered. As the Great Sage’s eyes widened, magic and attacks poured toward him once more.
Boom! Roar!
An imugi of blue flames swallowed him, hiding the creature’s body within the fire.
[Ding! The subject of observation has disappeared. Observation progress: 55%]
When the blue flames finally vanished, the Great Sage came into view, kneeling on the Somersault Cloud with his head bowed low. Despite this, Seo-un tilted his head; his observation progress hadn't increased.
At that moment, a knight moved his Seondongun and charged, swinging a massive two-handed sword at the singed neck of the monster. Just before the blade could touch him, the creature snapped his head up. The knight’s pupils shook violently.
Slice!
A head fell toward the ground, so far below it wasn't even visible.
[Ding! A clone of the Epic Monster, the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, is toying with a player.]
At the notification, everyone’s faces were painted with horror. The severed head falling due to gravity wasn't the Great Sage’s—it was the Taoist’s.
Everyone was stunned as they watched the Taoist’s head fall, his eyes wide with utter bewilderment. The most shocked of all was the knight who had delivered the blow.
“T-this...”
As the knight stood dazed by the team-kill penalty message, the "Great Sage" who had been kneeling suddenly clutched his stomach and laughed.
“Heh! Pfft! Puhahaha! To behead your own comrade. You must be blind!”
“You... you damn monkey—”
The moment the enraged knight tried to charge, the Great Sage appeared before him, his eyes burning with madness.
“Eyes are useless to you anyway. I’ll take them.”
“Aaaaaagh!”
In an instant, the Great Sage gouged out the knight’s eyes and began to juggle them. The panicked players could only watch in a daze. As the number of eyeballs being juggled grew to three, then four, another player who had suddenly lost their sight screamed, blood streaming down their face.
‘His speed is incredible.’
Even to Seo-un, who had high agility, the Great Sage’s movements were just a blur of white streaks. The players finally snapped out of it and began pouring out attacks again, but the momentum had already shifted.
[Ding! The Epic Monster, the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, has successfully hunted a player.]
The notification repeated itself over and over. After hunting all the players, the creature didn't even glance at the supply boxes left on the Seondongun and vanished into the distance.
“Whew.”
“Is that a sigh of relief?”
Startled by the voice coming from right in front of him, Seo-un instinctively backed away.
Ting! Ting!
“You’re lucky. I can’t enter the islands yet.”
The creature tapped the edge of the island with his fingertip, producing a clear sound as if striking an invisible, transparent barrier. However, Seo-un couldn't take the creature’s words at face value. Even though Seo-un had revealed himself after quickly stowing his Cloak of Stealth, the creature didn't look surprised at all.
“Son Oh-gong...”
“Oh! There’s a human who knows this old man’s name. For some reason, there are many humans here who don’t know me.”
“It’s impossible not to know the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, Son Oh-gong,” Seo-un replied, moving dangerously close to the barrier.
Curiosity filled the Great Sage’s eyes. “You’re a human I can talk to. How about it? Why don’t you join me and talk while we streak across the night sky?”
Seo-un shook his head at the nonchalant offer. “You know very well that anyone who knows you wouldn't take those words at face value.”
“Aw, come on. Do you think I’d eat you or something? I gave up cannibalism ages ago. I proved it by resisting the urge to eat my delicious-looking Master until the very end. Even the Heavenly Realm acknowledged it.”
Seo-un, watching the creature nonchalantly pick his ear, felt the corners of his mouth twitch.
‘Just a little more...’
“You’re quite convincing for a clone. If you were the original, I would have enjoyed the honor of flying through the sky with you, even if it meant risking my life.”
At those words, the creature’s expression crumpled.
Boom!
Transforming like a wild beast, the creature snarled and punched the barrier.
“You lowly human! I won't forget your face. I’ll make sure to tear you limb from limb and make you beg for death!”
Seeing the creature transform so completely, Seo-un felt his heart drop. Even though he knew the barrier was there, the primal, animalistic bloodlust radiating from the creature made his legs tremble.
As the Great Sage turned his back to leave, Seo-un managed to squeeze out one last sentence.
“The Golden Headband...”
With that one phrase, Seo-un, whose observation was at its peak, saw Son Oh-gong’s shoulders flinch ever so slightly.
“You’re not wearing it.”
With his back still turned, Son Oh-gong replied, “It’s been a long time since I took it off after doing many good deeds.”
Leaving only those words, the creature vanished in an instant. Seo-un slumped to the ground.
[Ding! Observation of the subject is complete. Clone of the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. 100% observation achieved. You can now mimic the clone of the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, for 5 minutes.]
“Whew.”
Exhaling a long sigh, Seo-un looked regretfully at the Seondongun floating peacefully outside and the supply boxes sitting on them.
‘Map.’
After checking the map, Seo-un shook his head, put on his Cloak of Stealth, and returned to his teammates. Although Son Oh-gong had moved so far away that he was no longer visible, the purple dot representing him on the map hadn't moved at all. He was still nearby, lurking.
“Cunning bastard,” Seo-un muttered.
At the same time, Son Oh-gong muttered the same thing as he watched Seo-un move away.
*
“Junior! You were gone so long, I thought something had happened.”
Seeing Jin Long run toward him, Seo-un recounted the events.
“He’s completely on another level!”
“It’s more than just another level,” Li Min added, her face pale. “I couldn't even see him properly even though he was moving in the sky. If he were to move on this cloud island...”
“Didn't you say he can’t come in here?” Gi-chan asked. “Isn't he a monster that hunts players while traveling between islands?”
“Probably not. He definitely said he can’t come in here yet. Of course, that itself could be a lie.”
The team members’ faces turned serious. “Is this crazy? Why on earth would they release a monster like that?”
“Probably to speed up the game,” Seo-un replied.
Most of the team shot him questioning looks.
“The value of a day here is not small for any player. We’ve already had our basic stats increased by 11 today. Even if you do nothing and just hide, this value is distributed equally to everyone. There’s no way the operators would just sit back and watch that.”
When Seo-un spoke on behalf of the operators, Li Min protested. “Then they shouldn't have made a map like this in the first place.”
“It’s a basic rule of games that the greater the reward, the greater the risk.”
Li Min couldn't think of a rebuttal. After waiting for the Great Sage to move further away on the map, Seo-un led his team to the site of the battle to scavenge.
[Basic Jiangshi Creation Technique]
[Basic Jiangshi Control Technique]
Seo-un, who had obtained two seemingly useless items, learned the basic Jiangshi techniques just in case. Gi-chan tilted his head in wonder as he looked at a small chain that fit in the palm of his hand.
“It’s amazing that this small chain binds a designated target the moment it’s thrown.”
“It’s similar to magic. Keep it safe. It’ll definitely come in handy.”
“Yes, sir!”
Since it had been a powerful guild, the items they dropped were high quality. Despite finishing a satisfying round of free farming, the team members’ expressions remained tense. As they returned to their original spot to rest, the only one in a good mood was Dump, who had fallen in love with Korean instant food.