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Chapter 161: Star, The Killer Overlord (6)

Since he had heard about the famous Celestial’s story as well, Chang-Sun was greatly surprised to learn Su Wukong had a subordinate—no, an apostle from Earth. He already knew that Jaegal Hyeon-Ryong was not an ordinary man even by the Council of Elders’ standards, but he didn’t expect his Guardian would be Sun Wukong…

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ looks at his subordinate with contentment!]

‘I don’t know why Sun Wukong’s apostle is acting as Heoju’s subordinate, but one thing?is sure.’ Chang-Sun’s eyes quietly shone as he looked at Hyeon-Ryong’s back. ‘He’s definitely not weaker than an Overlord.’

Chang-Sun wasn’t certain if Czestochowa was aware of that, however.

Czestochowa uncrossed her arms and dumbfoundedly chuckled. “You’re going to do what with me?”

Hyeon-Ryong’s aura was unexpectedly extraordinary, making her raise one of her eyebrows. However, she was confident that she could take care of one old Korean man, so she reached out for the nearest mask among the dozens that were floating in the air.

“Oh, my! Unlike this old man, who can hear just fine, it seems you already have trouble hearing despite your young age. That’s a pity. Wait, are you using that thing called earphones or something? I have heard about young people whose hearing deteriorated after listening to loud music all day,” Hyeon-Ryong randomly gave a long talk.

“What are you talking about, you old man…!” Czestochowa frowned.

Click!

Just like the ancient Chinese mask dramas, Czestochowa put on a black [Demon Face], and her dark eyes blazed up like fire. At the same time, Hyeon-Ryong flung himself at Czestochowa, riding on [Nimbus].

.

『Now!』

Paah!

Chang-Sun yelled through the Soul Link. As soon as he did, the space behind the assassin carrying Mireille Aliano abruptly distorted, and his subordinate in her shadow appeared. Reaching out its hand, it cut off the assassin’s head with its sword. It then soared into the sky and caught Mireille before she fell to the ground.

“When did—!” Czestochowa’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting that another being aside from Hyeoon-Ryong could sneak under her radar. Although she was planning to throw her dagger at Hyeon-Ryong, she quickly turned and threw it at Chang-Sun’s subordinate instead.

Swoosh―!

Czestochowa used her signature skill [Single Red Dot], which put a ‘red dot’ on the enemies’ forehead with a single strike. Before it could even get the chance to counterattack, the subordinate’s head was instantly blown away.

[Jin’s Subordinate ‘Intermediate-Level Bak’ has died!]

As if expecting that to happen, Baek Gyeo-Ul leaped out of Mireille’s shadow and prevented Czestochowa and the nearby assassins from immediately retrieving her.

[The Player ‘Baek Gyeo-Ul’ has activated the Skill ‘Shadow Steps’!]

Paah!

Holding Mireille in his arms, Gyeo-Ul covered himself with shadows and tried to flee from the fight.

“Those bastards!” Czestochowa roared in anger, having consecutively fallen into Chang-Sun’s traps. She used to be curious about Chang-Sun, but he just annoyed her now. From her perspective, she could make fun of someone else, but they should never humiliate her.

[The ‘Angry Demon Face’ roars in anger!]

She activated [Single Red Dot] again to kill Gyeo-Ul, her anger powering her up since she was wearing the ‘Angry Demon Face.’ [Demon Face] originated from the skill user’s hidden personas, so putting on one of the masks made them feel the same emotion as the mask displayed. Unlike her [Single Red Dot] earlier, which was quiet and sharp, her attack now was as violent as a turbulent wave.

Swoosh―!

Clang!

However, Hyeon-Ryong closed in and fiercely swung the [Ruyi Jingu Bang] at her, stopping her [Single Red Dot] and deflecting the daggers upward. Hyeon-Ryong then turned and pointed the [Ruyi Jingu Bang] at Czestochowa.

“Get lost, you crazy old man!” Czestochowa angrily shouted with so much mana that the people felt as if the Dungeon was going to crumble down.

Rumble!

“You have really bad hearing, huh?” Hyeon-Ryong was still smiling lightly. “Did you not hear what that young man said? He asked me to stop you.”

Beyond the ‘Angry Demon Face’ mask, Hyeon-Ryong could see her frowning.

“Let’s see if you can still keep up with that bullshit six feet under!” she yelled.

Boom!

Hyeon-Ryong and Czestochowa’s clash began.

[The Celestial ‘Big Sick Bug’ is furious due to the sudden interference!]

[The Celestial ‘Ill-Tempered Buddha with Golden Eyes’ giggles, sarcastically encouraging the Celestial ‘Big Sick Bug’ to get past his apostle if he can!]

* * *

[The Skill ‘Windstalking Tiger’ has been activated, manifesting the Skill ‘Lightness’!]

As soon as Chang-Sun saw Hyeon-Ryong and Czestochowa’s battle begin, he immediately took Mireille and fled with Gyeo-Ul. While they were running to the station, Gyeo-Ul activated [Shadow Play] and linked himself with Chang-Sun’s shadow. He then fought off Cansio and the Ring Finger assassins.

[The Player ‘Baek Gyeo-Ul’ has activated the Skill ‘Shadow Tsunami’!]

Swoosh, swish, swoosh!

Whenever Gyeo-Ul fiercely swung the Black Dragon Fang, several-meter-tall shadows would rise and spread all over the place, preventing Cansio and the assassins from approaching him, Chang-Sun, and Mireille. That didn’t mean fending them off was a piece of cake, however.

Woof, woof! Grrrr!

‘Hellhounds, huh? They have all kinds of bothersome tricks!’ Chang-Sun frowned as he glanced at the hounds that were hellbent on chasing after him and his group.

Blindly obeying their masters’ orders, the hounds never failed to find and persistently chase after Chang-Sun regardless of how hard he tried to throw them off or hide somewhere. Although Gyeo-Ul didn’t say anything, he was constantly taking damage due to the Hellhounds’ tenacious attacks and the assassins’ thrown weapons.

The best way to take care of this was to summon his subordinates and eliminate all of them, but he couldn’t. Not only did he have no time to summon them, but Hyeon-Ryong was also close by.

[The desert train ‘ANG’ has arrived at the ‘Stone Desert’ station!]

[The passengers are advised to board the train now. The train will depart to the next station in five minutes.]

Once the desert train departed the station, there was no telling when the next train would show up. They could be waiting for hours or months if they missed this train. Hence, Chang-Sun had no time to fight his current opponents.

‘I already have Mireille, so I’ll be able to get the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan] soon. I won’t be able to get Laevateinn, though.’

Chang-Sun already knew the exact location of Laevateinn. The first station the desert train would stop at after the Safe Zone was the ‘Boiling Hell’ station. A hidden underground Dungeon was below it.

‘Should I let Gyeo-Ul take Mireille away or…?’ Chang-Sun’s eyes turned cold.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ advises you to abandon that cumbersome burden and get what you need.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ fervently nods, saying that the Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ finally got something right for the first time in a long time.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ clicks her tongue for being so frustrated that she badly wants to see a good payback.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ screams when her mother appeared out of nowhere.]

Celestials normally didn’t value mortals who didn’t intrigue them, so they naturally advised Chang-Sun to just get the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan] and leave Mireille behind.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ slyly laughs, having an idea why you’re not abandoning her.]

However, J?rmungandr seemed to notice why Chang-Sun wasn’t following the Celestials’ advice.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ asks the Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ if he really knew.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ answers that it’s most likely because you are worried about how a certain Celestial would react even though they haven’t been able to meet her lately.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ grumbles and asks you why you’re trying to be on good terms with a Celestial from the hypocritic Absolute Good faction. She recommends you just come and join the Absolute Evil faction.]

‘Do they have to talk like that?’?Chang-Sun read the messages, finding them unpleasant, but J?rmungandar technically wasn’t wrong.

His every action was going to be his achievement, so if Chang-Sun deserted Mireille and only took the cryptical book, there was a high possibility that Minerva would be disappointed once she was done with her war against the ‘Gemini.’

Chang-Sun hadn’t gotten many items from her yet, so he would be suffering a loss if that happened. It wasn’t good to restrict himself too much for that reason, however, so he wasn’t above abandoning Mireille if she kept being a burden.

‘Where in the world is the cryptical book?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

He tried to use [Monster Excursion] to look for it in Mireille’s belongings, but he couldn’t find anything. Chang-Sun frowned, thinking the Highoff remnants had fooled him.

‘I’m sure she has the cryptical book, though. Xue Yong is interested in her, after all.’?Chang-Sun busily considered a variety of possibilities.

“Hmm…!” Mireille slightly flinched in Chang-Sun’s arms and forced herself to open her eyes.

“Can you hear me?” Chang-Sun asked, bringing Mireille back to reality.

Mireille hurriedly opened her eyes. “Y-you’re…?”

She instantly recognized Chang-Sun, then realized what was going on when she saw the assassins in their pursuit. Thinking it was rather fortunate that she opened her eyes now, Chang-Sun immediately inquired, “I’ll cut to the chase due to our situation. Why do the Crna Ruka assassins want you?”

“I-I’m not sure…!” Mireille murmured.

“Think hard. There has to be a reason why they’re hellbent on getting you.” Chang-Sun glanced back at the assassins.

Mireille opened and closed her mouth several times but didn’t really say anything. Rather, she just looked as if she had many things on her mind. However, when she saw Chang-Sun’s cold eyes, she shut her mouth tight, realizing that Chang-Sun would immediately toss her to those assassins if she didn’t give him a proper answer. She wasn’t sure how in the world Chang-Sun saved her. She hadn’t even known him for a long time. Nevertheless, she was certain that he was more than capable of abandoning her.

“Wait, is Father…?” Mireille mumbled in disbelief, reaching a conclusion.

‘Father?’?Chang-Sun momentarily raised one of his eyebrows, which Mireille missed.

Trembling like a baby bird shaking from the cold, she bit her lower lip and determinedly said, “My father is an archaeologist. Two years ago, I followed him to an unknown ancient ruin and got a… ring.”

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened, instinctively feeling that he was about to get his answer.

“I heard a voice back then. That was how I met with my Guardian and became a summoner despite having zero innate talent ” Mireille shrugged.

Using [Monster Excursion], Chang-Sun quickly observed Mireille and found an old, ordinary-looking iron ring on her right index finger. He wasn’t sure if they were letters or symbols, but some incomprehensible things were neatly engraved on the ring.

“However, Father suddenly started to act hostile toward me and believes that I stole his dear treasure… He even tried to kill me.” Mireille bitterly explained.

‘He got affected by [Mama],’?Chang-Sun thought.

[Mama] was an evil energy that could easily be found in the Changgwi Cave, where Chang-Sun ended up after decrypting the [Fourth Cryptical Book]. Ordinary people were bound to go mad if exposed to it. Even Jin, the heir of the Prezia family, gave in to the pressuring evil energy in the Changgwi Cave.

“And Henri saved me afterward…” Mireille started her sad little story.

However, Chang-Sun didn’t pay any attention anymore because that often happened in planes where Dungeons opened up. Her story could honestly be summarized as Henri and her relying on each other since they had no one else to rely on.

“Can you give that ring to me?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Pardon?” Mireille said.

“If they’re really after that ring, then the only way to lose them is to get rid of it,” Chang-Sun explained.

“No-no, this is the relic that connects me and my Guardian!” Mireille desperately argued.

Mireille acquired the <Talent> she lacked through the ring, so she naturally didn’t want to give it up. Moreover, considering she had been trying really hard to keep it out of her own father’s hands, it was to be expected that she wouldn’t want to give it to Chang-Sun, whom she barely knew. Chang-Sun didn’t think he could easily persuade her into giving him the ring either, though.

Woosh!

[The ‘Inferno Sights’ have opened up!]

The moment Chang-Sun ignited the navy-blue fires in his eyes by activating his [Stigma], Mireille stiffened up like a log. Beyond his deep eyes, Mireille could see a swamp of death encouraging her to come.

“If so, then I will have no choice but to leave you behind,” Chang-Sun concisely declared.

“…!” Mireille bit her lower lip.

“What are you going to do? Will you give me the ring?” Chang-Sun asked.

The Inferno Sights made Mireille panic. She could feel her mind going blank as she turned pale and grew silent.

『Mireille! Pull yourself together, Mireille!』

Mireille’s summon and Guardian ‘Wind-Hating Daughter’ screamed several times, but Mireille couldn’t escape from the fear of death.

『Who in the world is he…!』

The ‘Wind-Hating Daughter’ held her breath as she looked at Chang-Sun, but she couldn’t say anything since she knew Chang-Sun was holding <Darkness>.

“I’ll return it to you once we have thrown them off,” Chang-Sun continued. Hearing that, Mireille finally took off her ring, her hand still trembling, and handed it over to Chang-Sun as if she had been bewitched.

“I’ll see you on the train later.” Chang-Sun nodded, then called, “Gyeo-Ul.”

Following Chang-Sun’s order, Gyeo-Ul took Mireille from Chang-Sun and prepared to run away with her in his arms. Although Gyeo-Ul had pulled his black helmet over his face, Chang-Sun could sense how worried he was.

“Don’t worry. I’ll join you soon.” Chang-Sun reassured Gyeo-Ul.

“… Okay, hyung,” Gyeo-Ul concisely replied as he held Mireille in his arms and sprang forward.

Choo, choo, choo!

From afar, the desert train honked and prepared to depart, puffing out a large cloud of smoke.

[The given time limit has been reached.]

[The desert train ‘ANG’ is now departing!]

Looking at Gyeo-Ul running as quickly as possible toward the desert train as he held Mireille in his arms, Chang-Sun turned in the opposite direction.

Paah―!

Instead of going after Gyeo-Ul, Cansio and the Ring Finger assassins simultaneously pounced at Chang-Sun, realizing the iron ring that Chang-Sun had acquired was their target.

“Kill him!” Cansio urgently shouted.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ bursts into laughter as he looks at the new cryptical book that fell into his arms!]

“You’re all too late.” Chang-Sun shoved the iron ring into his right index finger.

The ring fit Mireille’s finger perfectly, but it was too small for Chang-Sun. However, it soon automatically became bigger to fit into his index finger. At the same time, the [Peter’s Key] that Chang-Sun hung around his neck trembled.

Ooong, ooong—!

Click!

It sounded like cogs were meshing together.

[<Darkness> has been imbued into the ‘unidentifiable ring’!]

…

[The decryption process is now complete.]

…

[The locking device has been deactivated.]

[The locking device has been deactivated.]

…

[You have acquired the ‘Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan’!]

Woosh, swoosh, swish!

With Chang-Sun in the center, a gigantic storm raged and devoured Cansio and the assassins.