“Hyung! It’s dangerous!”
At the boy’s shout, Igeon looked at the ceiling.
What fell from the ceiling was a murderous beetle larger than a person.
The beetle opened its fierce jaws, trying to devour Igeon.
But.
[Using some magic power]
Igeon vanished in an instant.
“!”
And where he reappeared was on top of the beetle’s head!
Crunch!
Igeon mercilessly crushed the beetle’s skull.
With just one fist.
The people couldn’t help but be astonished at the sight.
“Wh-what! That guy!”
“S-class?”
“He didn’t even use a weapon…!!”
Cheon Seongjae was also startled.
On the other hand, Igeon, who had bare-handedly smashed the monster, looked at his hand as if intrigued.
Because of the green power glowing from his hand.
‘I didn’t even use a skill, but its power is stronger than usual.’
This was not the power Igeon usually used.
‘It’s definitely the power of the divine star.’
But right at that moment.
Rumble!
Suddenly, an earthquake occurred inside the mart.
“Kyaaak!”
At the same time, pitch-black masses crawled out from the cracks in the floor. They were beetles the size of a person’s forearm.
In the end, the mart instantly turned into chaos due to the beetle attacks.
“Aagh! Monsters!”
Even Cheon Seongjae, an Awakened, and his friend were flustered.
“What is this! Why is this happening in a safe zone!”
“Yeah! The government should have bought city protection skills from the star sages… Aagh! Seongjae!”
“I’m fine! Stay calm! If it’s just these guys, it’s probably an evacuation level, so it’ll be okay.”
But when Cheon Seongjae turned his head, he couldn’t help but scream.
“Jimin!!”
Because a giant centipede was writhing on his friend’s shoulder.
And there were four more just around it!
Even Cheon Seongjae, a high-level Awakened, felt his body freeze for a moment at its size.
Because of that, when he hurriedly checked the surroundings, Cheon Seongjae looked panicked.
‘What, why are 1st-grade dangerous species here!’
It was unmistakable.
A few of those that appeared here were at a level that required at least ten S-classes to handle.
So it was strange.
‘There’s no way creatures like this could appear in a city protected by a god! Why…!’
Because cities are protected by barriers.
But the monsters gave no time to think.
“Aagh! Seongjae!”
“!”
The giant centipede opened its maw wide toward the boy.
“Jimin!”
Just as the boy was about to be swallowed by the centipede’s mouth.
Boom!
The monster centipede’s head mercilessly burst apart.
And what blew away the centipede’s head was none other than a red can of cola.
“You little bastards. Try brushing your teeth before you go around.”
“……!!”
At the voice that reached him, Cheon Seongjae was startled.
The one who exploded the centipede’s head with a cola can was none other than Igeon.
So Cheon Seongjae couldn’t help but be even more shocked.
‘D-did he just blow off a high-level monster’s head with something like that?’
The world’s nations had measured the danger levels of monsters and created , which was broadly divided into:
Blue [God’s Pure Sanctuary]
Green [Safe]
Yellow [Caution]
Orange [Evacuate]
Red [Flee]
Black [Absolutely No Entry]
A total of six levels.
And the ones that appeared here were, at a glance, at a level equivalent to the Red zone (Flee).
They would be Red-level monsters that even S-classes or sages sometimes failed to subdue.
‘But that…!’
However, Igeon, who was casually tossing and catching the cola can, grinned fiercely.
Well, the fortune telling had said to ‘prepare a weapon,’ and it probably meant this.
“You little bastards, just because there’s nothing to eat, you try to eat those kids.”
“!”
No sooner had the words fallen than Igeon put strength into his arm.
And threw it!
At the same time, the magic-powered cola can shot forward, shining.
There was no sign of a parabolic arc.
Boom!
A sound as if a cannonball had burst.
The cola can, flying like a bullet, blew off the heads of three centipedes in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Kiiii!”
That wasn’t all.
If the bugs so much as targeted a person, he skillfully kicked objects to draw their attention while slaughtering them.
Boom! Boom!
“Kiiii!”
At the sight of Igeon’s battle, Cheon Seongjae felt the strength drain from his legs without realizing it.
Wasn’t this something absolutely impossible unless you knew the monsters’ vital points exactly?
But Igeon, who had even finished off a beetle as large as a person with a kick, was smiling.
‘As expected, this isn’t the feeling I usually use.’
Igeon looked at his shining hand.
This power was definitely the power he felt whenever the twelve borrowed magic from the divine stars.
But still, he felt no trace of a thirteenth divine star. As if it had been his own power from the beginning.
That wasn’t all.
‘The power of my skills is different.’
He had just used a combat skill he normally used.
Originally, it was a technique that temporarily enhanced physical ability, but the feeling was a bit different from usual.
So he wondered what was going on, but soon found out the reason.
[Skill unlock conditions met]
[Condition: Engage in battle]
[You can now use the S-class skill . The locked physical senses are released.]
[As an unlock bonus, you can use God of War Instinct for 10 seconds]
[God of War Instinct used]
[Fighting Bull Instinct ▶ God of War Instinct (F)]
[Fighting Bull Instinct]
(Does not stop until the enemy is knocked down)
▶
[God of War Instinct (F)]
(Consumes all remaining magic power to unleash divine majesty for 3 seconds)
Igeon smiled at that notification.
‘They said the skills evolved as I came out of the tower.’
The skill that was merely a mental boost had transformed into a powerful finishing move.
So Igeon, looking around, loosened his hands.
‘Well, I didn’t exactly wish for this situation, but….’
Actually, it was just right.
Why?
[Skills locked due to promotion]
[The Thirteenth Sense (Special) ※ Unlock condition/Special combat required]
[Creation Workshop (Crafting) ※ Unlock condition/Possession of an S-class or higher crafted item]
Setting aside the crafting skill, all the other skills could only be unlocked by encountering monsters.
That wasn’t all.
‘I was curious about the level of the penalty anyway, so this is good.’
It had been hard to find a suitable target, but once found, it was a different story.
Grinning like that, Igeon vanished again.
And seeing Igeon like that, Cheon Seongjae couldn’t speak.
After all, he had personally seen several sages and S-classes, including his father, the Sagittarius sage.
But.
‘It’s on another dimension.’
The level was completely different from those people.
‘Just what kind of person is he?’
Cheon Seongjae’s eyes trembled.
On the other hand, Han Jimin, who was beside him, urgently shouted at Igeon.
“H-hyung! Be careful! Insect-type monsters are really dangerous!”
Then Igeon, who had been stripping even weapon materials from the monsters, paused.
He rarely agreed.
Why?
‘Insect-type.’
Among the countless monsters like the snowflake type, hatred type, etc., they brought bizarre phenomena that made one’s teeth curl.
But these guys had a talent for annoying people the most among them.
One of them was the parasitic trait.
Devouring humans and causing diseases was basic,
“And these guys parasitize anything, human or animal, making the host commit suicide or harm others…!”
“I know. That’s why I hate them.”
“Huh? Well, if you get parasitized…”
“Because of them, I couldn’t eat chicken for a month. Even the chicks all died.”
“Wh-what?!”
“On top of that, they killed all the piglets too. My pork belly!”
Looking furious, Igeon this time threw a monster corpse.
Boom! Boom!
It was clearly a venting of anger.
Thanks to that, the boy and Cheon Seongjae had to look at him with dumbfounded expressions.
No, sure, people said that in the past, livestock had nearly gone extinct because of insect-type monsters…
‘But that’s a story from over twenty years ago, isn’t it?’
Moreover, that was a story from a time when there were no domes in human society, unlike now. Cheon Seongjae had only heard it as an old tale from his father.
Nowadays, since livestock are raised within the divine star barrier, they weren’t so helpless against disasters.
So it was strange.
‘Why is he talking about a story from when Igeon-nim would have been around…?’
But there was no time to be confused.
“Kyaaak!”
“!”
A scream rang out from not far away.
***
The scream rang out from the butcher’s corner.
“Save me!”
Small spiders were swarming there.
They were baby spiders that weren’t very strong, but about twenty people were trembling and huddled in a corner.
Seeing them inside a golden-glowing sphere, they were definitely people who had rented a protection skill.
Indeed, relevant information appeared in Igeon’s eyes.
[The babies dislike getting near the light]
[Predator’s Scent (C-class) (Leo)]
-Time used 00:13:54
-Emits a scent that monsters dislike, blocking their approach.
-Caution: Only blocks approach. Though effective, it provides no physical defense at all.
-Protection type
Rental fee $10,000 per minute (per person)
But Igeon frowned.
It wasn’t because of the skill of these disgusting things that offended his stomach just by looking.
This familiar description and this familiar scent.
‘What. Why does it smell exactly like an item I made?’
Since it was made by combining special things, it shouldn’t have had such an identical smell.
In the end, Igeon could only let out a hollow laugh.
‘These bastards.’
They had even stolen something like this and were making money off it.
It was absurd.
But right now, that wasn’t what was important.
“There’s a child being eaten over there!”
“!”
In the direction the citizens pointed, Igeon’s lip curled up.
After all, there was a spider even bigger than a person there. The baby spiders were small-time, but this one was different.
A spider of different size and level.
Seeing it, Igeon immediately realized.
‘The arthropod from the fortune telling is that one, huh?’
Of course, he didn’t know why that was related to the Aries sage, Yang Wei.
But he quickly learned the reason. It was because of Cheon Seongjae.
“What, why are they here?”
“Why, what is it?”
“Huh? No. But they look just like the monsters the Aries sage said he captured recently… Am I mistaken?”
At his words, Igeon, who caught on to something instantly, curled his lip.
‘Idiots.’
They must have pretended to catch them and let them escape. And they popped out again.
But as if it wasn’t important now, Igeon looked at the spider’s mouth.
‘If left like that, it’s dangerous.’
Indeed, a child’s leg was sticking out from the spider’s mouth.
That was definitely an elementary schooler.
The spider had likely been staying still because it was eating that child.
And inside the protection skill, someone who seemed to be the child’s mother was losing her mind.
If the people hadn’t held her back, saying it was dangerous, she would have rushed out long ago.
Right at that moment.
“Damn, if only Igeon-nim were here at a time like this…!”
Along with someone’s murmuring, a strange thing happened.
[The power of the Ophiuchus star grows a little stronger]
As if responding to people’s words, the green light enveloping the body grew stronger.
It was interesting, but right now, that wasn’t what was important.
When Igeon headed toward the spider, Cheon Seongjae and the boy were surprised.
“Hyung! It’s dangerous! It’s already too lat…!”
“No. It’s still alive.”
“Huh?”
There was no time to ask what that meant.
Boom!
Igeon threw a chunk of frozen meat from the freezer at the spider.
The meat hit precisely under its jaw, causing the startled spider to drop the child in its mouth, and screams burst out.
“The child!”
The child, fallen to the floor, was wrapped in spider silk like a cocoon.
And.
“Ah…! It’s still alive! It’s moving!”
“Oh my god!”
Seeing the child without a single wound, Cheon Seongjae and the boy looked at Igeon in surprise.
Igeon grinned.
“It’s not the type to eat right away, you see.”
“……!”
They couldn’t speak, astonished.
Igeon seemed to know very well how to deal with those spiders.
“Well, if you don’t bring it back quickly, it’ll get eaten eventually, though.”
So Igeon gathered magic power into his hand.
[Warning. Remaining magic power is 28%.]
[Combat skills cannot be used.]
At that, Igeon frowned as he looked at the spider.
It was clearly a guy with high defense, and bare-handed it would probably only hurt his own hand, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘There’s no one suitable to use as a meat shield either.’
Just as Igeon was about to approach the spider.
Crack!
“!”
Someone blocked Igeon’s path. It was a menacing ice wall.
[Warning. Strong magic power.]
[The Two-Faced Master Seat, a formidable power of the magic holy god is felt]
And a voice reached them.
“Hey. I clearly said a mere worker ant shouldn’t be sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong, didn’t I?”
“!”
At the sharp voice, Lee Geon turned his head.
There stood the S-rank he had met earlier. Min Seong-hun.
Cheon Seong-jae scowled the moment he saw him.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘That guy who barely turned S-rank is acting all high and mighty again.’
Of course, that wasn’t the biggest reason he hated him.
‘The bastard dared to take even Lord Lee Geon’s sacred item, claiming he was more suited for it.’
Cheon Seong-jae looked at him like a cockroach, but his friend welcomed him gladly.
He was the hero Korea sang praises of.
“Please help! There’s a child over there! And suddenly red zone-level creatures came out of the green zone…!”
But the boy soon flinched. It was because of Min Seong-hun’s contemptuous gaze.
“Red zone? Stop spouting nonsense.”
“!”
“This is the heart of the city, covered by the holy god’s protection. Red-grade? There’s a limit to disrespecting the power of the Twelve Saints.”
Min Seong-hun scoffed and drew his sword.
“Step aside. Only an S-rank can take that thing down.”
“Oh! As expected of the aide of the Gemini Saint!”
“S-rank!”
But that was when.
A voice came from the fully blocked ice wall.
“Hey, ostrich egg. You won’t be able to catch that, so get out of the way.”
“!”
At Lee Geon’s laughter, Min Seong-hun shot his gaze at the ice wall.
“You… what did you just say?”
“Buzz off before I smash you along with it, punk.”
At that, Min Seong-hun let out an incredulous chuckle.
A guy trapped in an ice wall, completely immobilized—what could he possibly…
‘That ice wall is magic imbued with the holy god’s power, capable of withstanding even the red zone….’
But that moment.
Boom!!
“!?”
In an instant, the ice wall trapping Lee Geon was shattered.
At the same time, Lee Geon’s hand shot out from within the broken ice!
“……?!”
There was no time to be surprised.
In a flash, Min Seong-hun was grabbed by the collar and sent flying toward the spider.
Crash!
“Argh!”
Min Seong-hun collided violently with the spider.
At the same time, Min Seong-hun, who saw Lee Geon’s murderous glare, recoiled in horror.
How could he break the holy god’s ice…!
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time, Incheon.
The Saint of the Aries Seat, who had just arrived in Korea due to an issue with a follower god.
Yang Wei, who had just gotten into the car, was now hearing an unbelievable story.
“What? What did you just say?”
- I’m told a calamity has occurred at a mart building in the Bucheon area.
“No, I mean, that’s not the important part. What kind of calamity happened there?”
- Well… presumably a Spider Queen.
Yang Wei nearly spat out a curse. It was a natural reaction.
‘That’s that red zone bastard we tried to subjugate and failed not long ago!’
It was the very place where he’d gone out unofficially and returned with his tail between his legs.
Among calamities, the spider species was one Lee Geon had caught all by himself as if showing off, so they had also challenged it.
But in the end, they couldn’t handle it and resorted to sealing it away.
‘Don’t tell me it broke out?’
Of course, the media didn’t know they had failed.
They had thoroughly publicized their achievement and the Spider Queen, claiming they had caught it.
It didn’t matter. This fact must not reach the media. There must be no witnesses either.
If word got out that the monster they let slip had appeared in Korea, it would be a headache.
Yang Wei came to one conclusion.
“Send our disciples in Korea and have them bury the entire building. Say everyone inside is dead.”
- Huh? Then the people inside…!
“Bury them alive.”
- B-but what if by some chance someone inside catches the Spider Queen? The media will go into an uproar…
At that, Yang Wei burst out laughing.
It was the funniest joke he’d heard recently.
“There’s no way that’s possible. Even the Twelve Saints failed, so who on earth could catch it?”
- Well, I misspoke. It’s not like Lee Geon is inside there anyway.
“Don’t even mention that name.”
- My apologies.
Yang Wei casually ended the call. At the same time, the driver asked,
“My lord, where shall I take you? Still to the performance hall you said you wanted to go to first?”
Then he chuckled readily.
“No. First, let’s head to the mart where that Spider Queen appeared. I need to see with my own eyes if it’s handled properly.”
“Understood.”
He leisurely gazed at the scenery outside the window.
Without even imagining what would happen to him if he met Lee Geon there.
‘As expected, Korea without Lee Geon is truly wonderful.’
He was humming a delusional tune to himself like that.
(Continued in the next episode)