âWhat did you just say?"
A voice rang within NY Times Square. Times Square was considered the center of the worldâs media. It was a place with three hundred consulates and over ten thousand members of the worldâs press.
The was also located here. The world had five such large observatory stations. After the appearance of the unknown civilization, these observatories kept track of the Calamities. Most of the news around the world started off talking about Calamities. Tens of thousands of Calamities were observed each day, so the reporters had an abundance of stories.
Therefore, a piece of news had to be extraordinary to cause a stir here. Yet, on this day, an incident made the veteran reporters lose their poker faces.
âWhat? The Leo Saint fell from Drachma? Isnât he supposed to be the strongest?â
âI thought an unkillable monster had invaded the Drachma!â
âDidnât you say the Saintess was ambushed before that!â
âI thought the story was all about the appearance of Lee Gunâs legendary weapon!â
âShit! What a mess!â
The journalists felt faint. Stories that would take up the front page on a normal day had appeared one after another. And all this had taken place in half a day.
âThe news about the Devilâs Tower not too long ago was enough to cause waves around the world.â
As if that wasnât enough, in the week following that, the reporters continued to receive news pieces that felt like nuclear bombs. They felt as if their souls were about to leave their bodies.
âUh⊠Which one should be our top story?â
âDo you even need to ask? We have to put up all of them!â
âWe already pushed out three bulletins. Even CNN is wondering if these are just rumorsâŠâ
Instead of an answer, the director threw his pen at the reporter. It meant he wanted the reporter to work instead of talking so much.
âWe still have no idea who did itââ as soon as the reporter said this...Â
Another young reporter rushed into the conference room. âIt was Lee Gun!â
âWhat?â
âLee Gun pushed the Leo Saint off Drachma!â
ââŠ?â The directorâs face was a sight to behold.
However, it didnât take long for everyone to burst into laughter.
âLook! If this is about the so-called message 'Lee Gun' sent to the broadcasting station, it was a forgeryââ
âIt isnât about that! The disciples of the Leo Saint witnessed that scene themselves!â
ââŠ?â
âMoreover, the Saintess was found inside a septic tank, and it's being reported that Lee Gun wrote some words on her back!â
ââŠ!â Intuitively, the director realized something big had happened.
* * *
[Around 3 pm on Friday, the Saintess was kidnapped from the Integrated Exchange..]
[After the medical staff transported her to the hospital, she regained consciousness. However, she screamed when she saw a Lee Gun doll amongst the get-well-soon gifts. Then, she fell unconscious once again. Everyone is confused about thisâŠ]
[Coming up! Another letter from Lee Gun was found at the location where the Leo Saint fellâŠ]
The world had been flipped on its head. Hugo let out a sigh as he heard the string of new reports on the TV. He looked troubled. Of course, he wasnât troubled by the news that a Saint had been beaten. It wasnât about the weird letter Lee Gun had left there either.
âMy god! Saint-nim, how could you deceive us like that?â
As soon as he returned to his holy ground, his underlings had become angry at him.
âYou said heâs not Lee Gun-nim!â
Their gazes headed toward Lee Gun, who was carving up the bone of the beast. At this point, the Archer Saint felt a headache coming on. Originally, he hadnât planned on talking about Lee Gun to his disciples.
âHow can he not be Lee Gun-nim? We can tell by Sungjaeâs reaction! A hundred percent!â
âThatâs what Iâm saying!â
Facing the ire of his disciples, Hugo glanced toward the sofa.
His son sat there, looking at Lee Gun with starry eyes.
âHe never came here when I invited him to come.âÂ
Chun Sungjae was the main culprit behind all of Hugo's problems. The young man always refused to come to the Archer Saintâs holy ground. He used to treat his father's holy ground like a landfill. Yet now, he wanted to stay here. Moreover, he completely ignored his father to look at the only man he admired.
Chun Sungjaeâs actions spoke for themselves. Prostrating on the floor, he yelled toward Lee Gun, âI'm sorry for not recognizing you! I had no idea you were Lee Gun-nim. I'm sorry for my rash words and actions toward you!â
Lee Gun laughed when he saw Chun Sungjae feeling miserable. âYou donât have to use -nim. Just call me uncle.â
Chun Sungjae sobbed. He was glad to be alive.
On the other hand, Hugo looked as if he was feeling heartburn. He kept pounding his chest. The Archer Saint could guess the future just by how his son was acting.
âI wanted to hide this news from my daughter. Now, sheâll know everything.â His already-disobedient son looked at him with anger in his eyes. Above all else, the most troublesome part right now wasâŠ
âHey, Oh-Taeksoo.â
â!â Hugo flinched when he heard Lee Gunâs voice.
Lee Gun continued, âWhat did you say? You said your son hates me?â
ââŠ.â
âYou said he hates hearing any story about me?â
âI meant to sayâŠâ
âFuck off! You are asking for a beating.â
Hugo had already taken one beating, so he felt disheartened.
Lee Gun ignored Hugo as he spoke in a triumphant voice, âOf course. There is no way a child of Oh-Taeksoo would hate me.â He kept grinning. It was clear that he was trying to tease Hugo.Â
Hugo wanted to throttle his friend.
Lee Gun didn't stop with the punches. âJust because you're jealous of me, you shouldnât dupe everyone like that. Just be honest and say you're jealous of me.â
âI didnât dupe anyone. My kids are just curious aboutâŠâ
âNo way! I saw it all. His room was full of figurines of me. In fact, I saw nothing related to his father, yet over five items related to me.â
'What! I had told Sungjae to throw them all away!' Hugo glared at his son, but Chun Sungjae feigned indifference.
The young man didnât care anyway. He was also keeping some stuff for his older sister.
Lee Gunâs eyes flashed as if he had caught Hugo in his trap. âYou told him to throw away all my figurines? I heard you smashed and burned some of them. You even threatened to disown your son if he spoke about me.â
ââŠ!â
Lee Gunâs eyes turned oddly cold. âYou should've treated my memory with respect, yet you acted as if I hadnât existed? Be truthful with me. All the rumors around the world about me were your doing, right?âÂ
Lee Gun smiled as if he was mocking him, but Hugo felt aggrieved. Of course, Hugo was wrong in destroying the figurine. However, if he hadnât done so, the number of figurines would've multiplied like cockroaches.
âEven looking at the figurines was tough for me.â Whenever Hugo saw the figurines, he always thought about his dead friend. It had been painful for him. Moreover, his son always talked about wanting to enter the Devilâs Tower. Other parents would've reacted the same way as Hugo. They would've threatened to disown their son.
Lee Gun knew this, yet he was having the time of his life. He laughed mockingly. âIf you're sorry, you should sign this.â
Hugoâs face crumpled when Lee Gun waved the slave contract in front of his face. âIâm pretty sure I ripped that apart!â
âHey, Sungjae,â Lee Gun suddenly said.
â!â
âGive me that pendant in front of you.â
Chun Sungjae sobbed once again. The fact that his name had been passed through Lee Gunâs lips had moved him.
Seeing this, Hugo clutched the back of his neck. âHow did he turn out like thisâŠâ
For some reason, his son had loved Lee Gun for the past 15 years. He had no idea what had caused it. However, his underlings stared at him with surprised expressions..
âYou really donât know, Saint-nim?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âYou turned on videos of Lee Gun-nim every time you got drunk. You're the one who told heroic stories about Lee Gun-nim to your childrenâŠâ
âAlso, you always told us that Lee Gun-nim was the strongest amongst the thirteen. He could kill a large monster with a single punch. You cried while touting Lee Gun-nim as the coolest. You spoke about him again and again.â
âEven I would've turned out like your son if I had repeatedly heard those stories.â
ââŠ?â Hugo was shocked. He had no idea what they were talking about.
âAlso, you might be thinking your daughter might act differently in front of Lee Gun-nim. If Iâm being honest, sheâll act similar to Sungjae.â
âRight? Anyway, we might transfer out of here if Lee Gun-nim establishes his temple.â
âPlease take good care of us until thenâ
âHey!â
Lee Gun laughed out loud; Hugo had reaped what he sowed. 'Anyway, Iâll be able to unlock more skills now that I have more points.â He had amassed a decent number of points while leveling up. Lee Gun quickly raised his abilities to match his elevated level.
ăNew Divine Skills that can be createdă
- You have 9 Points
[Act forbidden by the gods] (Needs 5 points)
[Get hit instead of me] (Needs 1 point)
[Create Holy Ground] (Needs 3 points. Needs prerequisite condition.)
[Familiar] (Needs 5 points. Needs activation of Holy Ground)
Lee Gun released the first two skills.
[You have released and .]
[The special requirement for skill has been satisfied. It will be released.]
[Prerequisite condition: Deification (One or more persons.)]
[You have created your .]
[With the release of the new skill, you have solidified your status as a god.]
[The holy ground of the has been created. Your Divine Level has increased!]
[Rookie God Lv. 6]
[A holy ground is the minimum area a god needs to preserve and use their power.]
[You can oversee your holy ground.]
A magic circle emitting green light appeared beneath Lee Gunâs feet.
[Serpent Bearerâs Holy Ground / Ophiuchus (Lv. 1)]
[Area 1.6㥠(0.5 pyeong)]
[You can set your base position.]
[Would you like to move low-rank slave god to your holy ground?]
[It can receive the power of the Serpent Bearer. It will defend the holy ground as it recuperates.]
[No Holy Ground Skill]
[You can evolve human familiars depending on their level of contribution.]
Lee Gun was very interested in what he had heard. âHuman familiarsâŠâ He was about to dig for more information when someone interrupted him.
âExcuse me, Lee Gun-nim. Are you sure it's ok to mess with the Leo Saint like you did?â
Hugoâs underlings had serious expressions on their faces as they looked at Lee Gun. The incident with Saintess was a problem, but the bigger problem was the Leo Saint.
âSince he fell into the land controlled by the unknown civilization, we have no idea if he is alive. However, what will happen if his disciples track him down?â
âThe Leo Saint is considered the strongest amongst the battle Saints. MoreoverâŠâ
The two men monitored how Lee Gun would react.
âIâve always heard that Lee Gun-nim lost to the Leo SaintâŠâ
It was a roundabout way to ask if Lee Gun was weaker than the Leo Saint.
Chun Sungjae sulked. He wanted to refute that statement, but he couldnât. Lee Gun really had indeed lost against the Leo Saint in a fight. The Leo Saint had himself released the official video of that fight.
âAccording to the video, Lee Gun-nim canâtâŠâ
For some reason, Lee Gun started laughing and clutched at his stomach.Â
Hugo let out a sigh. âI knew you guys would be under that false assumption.â
âWhat? What do you meanâŠâ
Hugo explained, âDonât worry about it! He purposefully threw that fight.â
âWhat?â
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
Lee Gun cackled. âAt the time, I was broke. That rabbit bastard said he would give me a million dollars if I threw a fight against him on live TV. I thought I had hit the jackpot since I could use the money for living expenses.â
ââŠ!â
Hugoâs underlings were shocked. What would happen if this truth became known to the public?
Chun Sungjae grinned when he heard Lee Gunâs words.
Hugo said with a sigh, âAnyway, the disciples of the Leo Saint saw your face. Theyâll cause a ruckus.â
âI donât care about that. I want you to give me your bow. I need to extract physical data from it.â
âWhy?â Hugo asked.
âWhat do you mean why? I have to make arrows for you.â
â!â Hugo was surprised. He was so flustered that he just stared back at Lee Gun.
Lee Gun narrowed his eyes. âDo you really think I didnât notice? I have no idea why, but you donât have any decent arrows.â
ââŠ!â
âYou're using weird junk items.â Lee Gun laughed in contempt. He hadnât asked before, but for some reason, Hugo couldnât use his divine bow, a royal holy item. Lee Gun further said, âI wouldnât use that bow even if you give it to me for free.â
âHuh? It might look like this, but it was a pretty expensive itemâŠ!â
Suddenly...
âHuh? Do you know how to use a bow, Uncle?â
The conversation revealed an unexpected piece of information to Chun Sungjae. When he asked the question, Hugoâs underlings laughed.
âNo way. Heâs just saying that. Iâve never seen him use one.â
âThatâs right! He may be Lee Gun-nim, but there is no way heâŠâ
Hugo sighed for the umpteenth time. âNo. He might not look it, but he's very good with the bow and arrow.â
âWhat?â
Hugo had to admit the truth when it was the truth. In fact, there was no weapon that Lee Gun was unable to handle. As a Manufacturer, Lee Gun could create all types of weapons and test them all out. He was one of the best in archery as well. Even Hugo, who was known for his sniping, had to acknowledge Lee Gunâs skill.
âWhoâs better at archery? Dad or Uncle?â
âWhat?â
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