Hugo witnessed the memory he least wanted to see.
As Lee Gun fell into the nightmare, the constellations connected to him were also drawn into the same nightmare.
And the memory Hugo least wanted to see was from twenty years ago.
It was right after Lee Gun’s death.
To be precise, it was during Lee Gun’s state funeral.
After the Crimson Eye was subjugated and news of Lee Gun’s death spread, the nation pushed for a state funeral.
In the end, Hugo could not bring himself to leave Lee Gun’s gravestone, set in the national cemetery.
Of course, his body was in poor shape after having just barely survived a life-or-death struggle with the other saints, but that didn’t matter.
‘If you were going to say all that, you shouldn’t have left the tower.’
‘If only you hadn’t left the tower, Lee Gun would still be alive.’
Because of those words, Hugo had let go of his bow and lost to those bastards, but he didn’t feel wronged.
Their words seemed to hold no falsehood.
Though Lee Gun had sent him out to deal with the monsters heading for the city, it was true that he had left his ailing partner behind.
What’s more, he himself had prophesied that Lee Gun would die. And because that very prophecy seemed to have caused Lee Gun’s death, Hugo could not leave the gravestone.
In any case, seeing Lee Gun’s gravestone was Hugo’s most unwanted memory.
The Cheon siblings were also seeing memories they least wanted to see.
‘Yuha, it’s not your fault. You just lost your footing.’
Cheon Yuha saw her mentor, whom she followed in the Sacred Order, die. Cheon Seongjae saw the scene of his mother and Lee Jaewon’s funeral.
‘If only you hadn’t called for Mom.’
The memory of being shoved away by his father.
Of course, he knew full well that those words weren’t meant. In the first place, they weren’t wrong, so he didn’t hate his father.
So hearing such words didn’t bother him. But he would rather die than see the sight of his father bowing his head to Libra.
‘Sorry. The kid’s still little and just talking nonsense in his sleep. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.’
When his father had done nothing wrong.
And so, Hugo kept seeing Lee Gun’s gravestone, Yuha saw her mentor die over and over, and Cheon Seongjae suffered through the nightmare of Hugo bowing his head repeatedly.
That was when it happened.
[Hey! Divine Archer! Wake up!]
The first to open his eyes among them was Hugo.
It was because of Kevin.
Slap, slap, slap!
“Argh…!”
Just how many times was he going to smack him at full power?
Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap!
Hugo grabbed him by the collar, telling him to stop hitting him.
But as soon as Hugo awoke, Kevin pointed somewhere.
“Look! Divine Archer! That is your Star God! Will you still not believe it after seeing that?!”
“……??”
Still dazed, Hugo wondered what kind of bullshit Kevin was on about now.
“What the hell did this guy see now….”
But when Hugo turned his head, his eyes went wide.
Not far away, there was Lee Gun.
Even the sight was something he’d never seen before.
Green and black light was surging into the sky, and an unimaginably sinister energy was destroying the surroundings.
On top of that, even his hair color had changed.
It was a blue suffused with light.
At the same time, Hugo’s pupils trembled.
That was only natural, because this sensation felt all too familiar.
[You must be pleased.]
It was exactly the feeling from when the Scorching Star God had descended.
Of course, if you only compared the sinister feeling, it was nothing compared to his own Star God, but…
“Anyway, Divine Archer! Are you going to deny it even after seeing that?! No matter how you look at it, that’s a Star God’s descent!”
Hugo fell silent.
His expression as he looked at Lee Gun was a sight to behold.
Because no matter what, he couldn’t possibly not know what that spectacle was.
Perhaps because of that, Hugo finally uttered a sentence.
“…Ah, I’m just going to pass out again.”
“What?”
“Ah, this is a dream. Ah, whatever, anyway, this is a dream.”
Hugo tried to lie back down, as if escaping reality.
“Wake me up later. I’d rather go back to having nightmares.”
“Hey!! Don’t deny reality!”
Hugo, who got back up, was on the verge of tears.
And that was when.
Boom!!
With a massive roar, the helmeted man flew away.
The helmeted man’s torso was completely blown through.
He had guarded with the power of a Sovereign, but it was utterly useless.
[The power of the Sovereign has been severed.]
[You have escaped the Sovereign’s influence.]
[You can obtain experience points.]
[Keuheok…!]
And now, unable to even open his mouth, the helmeted man could only curse one person.
‘Giselle, that damned woman!’
She had said it was just a baby snake!
Wasn’t the story completely different?!
‘I will not leave that woman be.’
By this point, it was almost as if she had said that on purpose to screw them over.
In the end, the helmeted man, who had signaled his subordinate to kill Libra, gnashed his teeth as he looked at Lee Gun.
‘At this level, he’s no low-ranking god.’
Of course, the size of his divine throne was barely the size of a hole-in-the-wall shop.
He still carried the scent of a human, and judging solely by value, he was indeed a god not yet fully grown.
But this power!
‘It’s nearly Sovereign-level.’
He wasn’t fully grown yet, but if left alone, he would surely become a threat aiming for the necks of Sovereigns.
Moreover, if there was such a being among humanity, the damage to their side would be no small matter.
‘I must rework the plan.’
They couldn’t afford to move recklessly while there was an element that could threaten the Sovereign.
‘There can be no minor mistakes.’
In the end, the helmeted man, his head and torso blown off, shouted urgently as if having made a decision.
[Fine! We’ll offer terms favorable to humanity! We will withdraw for now….]
That was the moment.
Splat!!!
The helmeted man’s head burst apart right before their eyes.
[You little shit, spouting nonsense like terms and then keeling over.]
From the moment they first set foot in the human domain of their own accord, these bastards were not subjects for negotiation.
‘Who was it that first violated and humiliated humans?’
As Lee Gun’s ferocious gaze fell, an alert sounded.
[You have destroyed a General-class, causing experience points to rise sharply.]
[You have obtained data.]
[Your level has risen.]
[lv.15]
[You have gained 6 points.]
[Your divinity has slightly increased.]
[Penalties have been lifted, and system restrictions have been freed.]
[From now on, you may freely distribute acquired experience points as you see fit.]
[If you use them like before, you can unlock and upgrade new divine throne skills.]
[Also, from now on, you may invest experience points into raising the ranks of your vassal gods.]
[Vassal gods grown this way may use special techniques that the Star God cannot use.]
[If you raise a vassal god that increases magical power, the Star God’s magical power will also increase.]
Lee Gun laughed.
In simple terms, it meant he could now freely choose whether to use his experience points for his own growth or for the growth of his vassals.
‘So until now, I couldn’t even bring out the divinity to invest in vassal gods.’
It was just as Lee Gun picked up the lump of meat that was the helmet.
“Ack! What the!”
Cheon Seongjae’s scream rang out.
The Cheon siblings, who had been tormented by nightmares, had opened their eyes.
“Why is that thing dead! Don’t tell me Uncle killed it?”
At those words, Leo spoke as if lamenting.
“He did. Even seeing it with your own eyes, you can’t help but acknowledge his skill. I’ll honestly admit it.”
Leo was praising Lee Gun, saying he was amazing, but Cheon Seongjae got angry at Leo instead.
“You damn lion bastard!!!”
“????”
He even grabbed him by the collar. But Cheon Seongjae wailed.
“You damn lion, why didn’t you record that! Do you wanna die! How could you keep such a cool thing all to yourself!! Why didn’t you save it?! From now on, Leo is my mortal enemy!”
“……?!!”
It probably wasn’t serious, but Cheon Seongjae, having missed the live broadcast yet again, looked ready to burst into a fit of hysterics.
In the end, the nearby constellations were appalled.
‘As expected, fanboys are terrifying.’
No matter what, from the constellations’ perspective, none of them had the guts to treat a saint so roughly.
But there was something else just as appalling.
[Hey.]
When Lee Gun approached, the constellations flinched in surprise and stepped back.
At this, Lee Gun frowned.
[What. Why are you dodging?]
“Ah, no. We just felt we shouldn’t get too close to you, Mr. Lee Gun…”
[Why?]
Why else.
Because they felt like they might die if they got close.
But perhaps interpreting it differently, Lee Gun scoffed.
[Ah. You don’t have to worry about my body. The penalty’s been lifted, so my physical condition has actually improved. Before, I could only use 50% of my power, you see.]
That wasn’t what they had meant, but the constellations nodded.
“Ah, if that’s the case, then it’s helpful to you, Mr. Lee Gun. Before, you could only use 50%… pardon?”
“Pardon?!!”
Everyone’s expressions were a sight to behold. Especially Steven and Kevin, whose faces had gone completely frozen.
What did he just say?
50%?!
In the end, Steven stammered.
“What. So you, you, don’t tell me you were in a penalized state until this very moment…!”
[Yeah. Didn’t I mention it?]
“?!!”
Steven, who had been mercilessly crushed by Lee Gun before, froze up.
So that meant the power that had wrecked them was in a penalized state.
At that realization, Steven could only gulp.
‘If it’s that bastard, it might really be possible.’
It was something everyone had thought impossible, but.
‘If it’s that guy, he might truly be able to completely wipe out every unknown civilization on Earth.’
As it was, the land where humans could live was disappearing more and more.
With the emergence of unknown civilizations, the land was dying, and the venomous ground was increasingly threatening human territory, even contaminating existing cities. It was as good as time-limited.
‘But if it’s that guy.’
But perhaps he had read that admiring gaze. Lee Gun actually glared at Steven as if displeased.
“Don’t stare. I still haven’t withdrawn my suspicion that you bastards are the culprits who killed me.”
“What? Ah, you still don’t trust me? I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!”
“Hmph.”
Lee Gun completely ignored him.
From the start, the culprit who had trapped him in the tower was linked to the unknown civilizations.
But that wasn’t all.
‘That helmeted bastard.’
It was certain.
He gave off a scent similar to the one who killed a precious person who had been with him before he became an Awakened.
‘I will definitely find and kill those bastards.’
At that murderous intent, even the Crimson Eye, whose mouth was full of monsters, froze with a shiver.
The Crimson Eye, which was hungry and inwardly contemplating whether to lay a hand on humans, quietly tucked its tail.
Steven outright stepped backward.
But it was then.
Boom!!
Steven, who had stepped back, was pushed away.
‘!’
Suddenly, the magical power enveloping Lee Gun began to surge wildly.
“Aack!”
At that tremendous force, everyone screamed and was sent flying.
Boom!!!
“Mr. Lee Gun!”
“Uncle… kuk!!!”
They wondered what had suddenly happened, but Lee Gun soon realized the reason.
[Warning. The Star God’s power is too strong.]
[The surrounding environment cannot withstand the Star God’s power.]
Lee Gun narrowed his brow.
Well, it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand. Star Gods emitted tremendous energy when they descended to Earth.
It was practically a double-edged sword.
The power of the descent was too much for the humans and the environment to withstand.
‘Maybe that’s why I was in a 50% penalty state.’
Anyway, if things continued like this, the surroundings would be devastated.
In fact, the body of the helmeted man in his hands was also beginning to be destroyed.
It couldn’t withstand the destructive force of a Star God.
At that, Lee Gun frowned as if troubled.
‘Tsk, at this rate, I can’t even sleep in a bed.’
And that wasn’t all. The helmet mustn’t be destroyed yet either.
But that was when.
Lee Gun looked at the helmeted man’s fingers and the corner of his mouth rose.
What he saw was none other than a ring.
[General’s Black Ring (SSS)]
And Lee Gun, who had pulled it off, activated a skill.
[Initiating Creation Workshop.]
[Utilizing accumulated data to create a new item.]
[Applying .]
It was the data of the Toad. That bastard that had given Hugo a headache by devouring a Star God’s power.
But now, that actually turned out to be useful.
’s Data (SS)
- Devours a god’s power and stores it in its stomach
At the same time, green light burst forth as the data was applied to the ring.
[Black Ring Consuming Divine Power (SSS)]
- Devours and stores a god’s power until full
- Can be used as a temporary control device
And the moment he put on the ring, an astonishing thing happened.
Flash!
The green and black light that had shot up into the sky gradually converged toward Lee Gun, dimming.
It was as if the power was being sealed into Lee Gun’s body. At the same time, his hair color, which had changed, returned to its original black.
The sinisterly emitted energy also vanished.
And all that remained were the red snake eyes.
[The ring is storing divine power and is extremely delighted.]
[It says it will diligently gather power.]
[You have learned a new skill.]
[Star God’s Descent]
Lee Gun laughed.
In simple terms, he had used it as a control device.
And when he returned to the appearance of Lee Gun they were familiar with, the constellations felt relieved.
Hugo muttered.
“The Star God has returned to his place, returned to his place. Returned to his place. Returned to his place. He has ended the descent and returned to his place.”
Hugo, muttering like that, eventually got punched once.
And that was when Lee Gun took something out.
Flash!
What Lee Gun took out was none other than his inventory!
And the item he pulled from it made everyone puzzled.
“Ahgwi?”
Yes.
The item Lee Gun took out was none other than Yangwei the Ahgwi.
Yangwei, emerging from the book, screamed the moment he saw Lee Gun.
[You bastard! What the hell are you! After keeping me locked up until now, what on earth are you…!]
But instead of answering, Lee Gun tore Yangwei in half.
[Keu… keuheok!]
Simultaneously, Lee Gun placed his hand on the torso of the helmeted man.
And light burst out.
Flash!
[Using Hyper Regeneration.]
[Using Scorpio’s .]
Along with that, an invisible dark curtain fell over a 50-meter radius.
People wondered what Lee Gun was doing. But at that moment, something astonishing happened.
[Using Capture skill.]
[You have taken the helmet corpse as Capture 4.]
[You have inserted Yangwei’s soul into the body of the helmet corpse.]
With that, the helmeted man rose to his feet.
People looked at Lee Gun in disbelief, and he spoke to the dumbfounded Yangwei.
“It’s an order. Go to the enemy’s main base and gather information. If you succeed, I’ll return you to your original body.”
Yangwei’s eyes, caught completely off guard, trembled.
But he soon realized Lee Gun’s intention.
‘He’s trying to find out the unknown civilization’s movements by using the General-class.’
Perhaps because of that.
Yangwei grinned and shouted.
[Alright! I’ll go find out right away.]
In the end, as Yangwei vanished into the enemy crowd, Hugo cried out in alarm.
“Yangwei is treacherous to the core! If you send him over there, he’ll betray us 100%!”
At that concern, Lee Gun gave a ferocious laugh, as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting.
“That’s the point?”
“What?”
If he doesn’t betray us, that’s when it’s a problem, isn’t it?
(Continues in the next episode)