Lee Geon was quite flustered.
Even he, who had seen it all, must not have expected this situation.
There was no other way.
‘I never thought he’d actually get caught in that trap.’
Yes.
Truthfully, Hugo’s dining chair was so old that you’d want to throw it out immediately, and it felt terribly uncomfortable to sit on.
But of course, he couldn’t just throw it away.
Because if he carelessly discarded things, Hugo, who cherished his belongings, would definitely throw a fit, so Lee Geon had just remodeled it to his own taste.
But unexpectedly, this thing provided great spinal support and turned out to be a pretty decent chair.
‘Oh oh, this is even better than I thought?’
So he crammed in data and upgraded it.
And that’s how that chair came to be.
[Comfortable Chair Good for the Spine (A)]
- Generates a special breeze to enhance cushioning — no discomfort even when sitting for 6 hours.
- Aids digestion just by sitting (solves indigestion)
- Shoulder and lower back massage effect
And since he liked the chair’s effects so much,
even though no one coveted it, he went crazy and laid traps(?), thinking that someone might come after it(?) someday.
[An SSS-class trap has been installed]
[Hurls the target into a torture world from which there is no return]
Thanks to that, a chair with no real offensive functions turned into a biological weapon.
Anyway, of all people, Hugo had to get caught in that trap.
‘Well, I roughly understand why he got caught in the trap.’
And perhaps sensing Lee Geon’s expression instantly.
“I-is something the matter?”
“!”
Haley’s voice rang out.
But Haley’s position was rather strange.
“What the. Why is she over there again?”
Haley was so far away she looked like a cotton swab.
So Lee Geon couldn’t help but look bewildered.
“Just a moment ago, it was fine standing next to me. Why again?”
At that, Kevin looked at Lee Geon as if sick of him.
Is this bastard really doing this because he doesn’t know?
Kevin was dumbfounded as he looked at the freshly awakened Lee Geon.
Having awakened into a god, Lee Geon had become far more handsome than before.
How to put it—if humans were to sculpt a statue of a god, it would probably look like that.
In truth, when humans imagine gods, they envision perfect forms and craft them with devotion, so it wasn't an inaccurate statement.
Anyway, it felt like that was given form.
‘Simply put, he’s become a CG.’
And though Kevin himself never lost to anyone in looks, in front of this bastard, he felt like a squid.
‘Seems like the effect of becoming a god, but still.’
So Kevin, now sulky, looked at the items scattered on the floor.
‘Is all of this because of that?’
It was the shed skin Lee Geon had left behind after molting(?).
Of course, even if it was molted skin, it wasn’t a disgusting snake skin-like shape, but more like looking at a rubber doll.
If someone took it and stitched it up well, it looked like it could become Lee Geon 2.
That wasn’t all.
‘I can feel considerable divinity from the shed skin. It seems like you could do something with that.’
Judging by the power alone, it seemed like schemers would appear, aiming for it.
Well, whatever.
As Kevin gathered up the shed skin piece by piece, he clicked his tongue and looked at Haley.
‘The immunity built up from photos was shattered in an instant.’
Of course, if Haley, his nemesis, couldn’t come near Lee Geon, that was a good thing for him.
And it was then.
“Lee Geon! What has happened?”
Haley’s voice came again.
But when Lee Geon looked at Haley, she had moved even farther away than before.
Eventually, Lee Geon lamented.
“Haley. I can’t see your face....”
When Lee Geon called her name, Haley nearly died of embarrassment, and her subordinates shouted.
[Princess! What are you doing?!]
[You already built up face immunity! Why act like this now, all over again!]
But Haley was dying of embarrassment.
The reason she couldn’t come close was nothing else.
“Are you not giving off an incredibly good scent, Lee Geon...!”
“Scent?”
When Lee Geon tilted his head, the subordinates and Kevin all thought “uh-oh.”
In fact, Kevin, who had caught the same scent, looked at Lee Geon and asked.
“Lee Geon, did you spray something on?”
“No.”
“Then maybe because you’ve fully awakened as a god, you got some new skill.”
Gods naturally emitted a good scent. Was it because they were gods?
As Han Ji-min had said, all gods faintly gave off a pleasant fragrance.
Of course, gods were beings who were revered by their mere existence and grew stronger the more they were worshipped.
‘It could be designed, visually or in other ways, so that followers will develop a liking for them.’
In fact, Kevin’s thought was correct.
[Fully awakened as a god, you have acquired several basic skills]
[The Seat Where a God Dwells (SSS)]
- A preemptive strike skill
- Regardless of age, gender, or race, all will be charmed by the god
- Can even erase hostility from enemies
- Passive
Especially, the larger the divine throne and the stronger the god, the more effective it was.
However.
[Cough! But even so, isn’t that guy particularly excessive?!]
Haley’s monster subordinates screamed.
[Damn, he’s a guy with a small throne and low rank, how dare!]
[Aagh! Hide your power! That snake bastard! Trying to seduce everyone regardless of gender!]
[That pheromone-loaded snake dares to target our Lady Haley!]
Was it that the higher the faith, the more it produced a catnip-like effect?
“It’s completely hopeless. If I get close, I feel like I’ll pounce on him without realizing it.”
[Princess?!!!!]
Moreover, Haley was from an unknown civilization with an acute sense of smell. She really couldn’t come any closer.
And Lee Geon’s aura was strangely more special compared to other gods.
The reason was unknown.
Only one thing was certain.
‘I’ve felt this around Lee Geon before... not from Lee Geon himself.’
Whatever.
“So. What’s with the Sagittarius saint?”
“Ah.”
At Kevin’s words, Lee Geon broke out in a cold sweat again.
And immediately tried to activate the Skill: Follower Tracking.
“Taek-su probably got caught in a trap.”
“A trap?!”
At this, Lee Geon subtly summoned the Scorching Lion Lord.
There was no other choice.
“Hey, they’re your saint. Didn’t you know your saint disappeared?”
At that, the Scorching Lion Lord replied as if dumbfounded.
[He says, of course he knows]
[He says he already sensed that his saint had disappeared]
At that answer, Lee Geon was flabbergasted.
“You knew he disappeared? Then why are you just sitting there? Aren’t you worried?”
[He asks why he would worry about such a thing.]
“What?”
Lee Geon’s eyes flashed for a moment in anger, but the Scorching Lion Lord answered calmly.
[He says that trap is one created by the great Serpent Lord.]
[He says there would naturally be a way out, so why bother worrying]
Lee Geon fell silent.
But whether he knew that or not.
[He praises the Serpent Lord. He affirms that the Serpent Lord must have had a plan and deliberately sent his own saint there]
Lee Geon broke out in a cold sweat.
[He asks, then, what the plan was for sending his own saint there, inquiring with interest]
“No... plan or whatever, I didn’t send him on purpose.”
[He falls silent]
“Taek-su got sucked in by sheer bad luck.”
[His pupils tremble]
[He says it is a trap of the great Serpent Lord. Naturally, there would be a way out...]
“There isn’t.”
[His eyes go blank. He asks urgently which trap the master connected it to]
[He says even at worst, like the catbell incident, it’d just be a red zone....]
“I’m not sure, but a place called Tartarus?”
[He screams]
[He falls into a mental breakdown]
[He wails]
[He says that place has an Absolute being that even gods avoid!]
[He says it is not a place even supreme gods can easily go to!]
[He asks how on earth you connected such a trap! He says that’s quite some feat in itself!]
Hearing this, Kevin turned pale.
Because there was no way Kevin wouldn’t know a place like Tartarus.
That place was under the jurisdiction of the divine realm, a great hell before entering the divine realm.
“That’s the place I once tried to throw our Virgo patron god into... mmph!”
Yang Wei, who was in despair, cast a knowing look.
25 years ago, when the saints first appeared. Unlike other saints, Kevin had a plan to assassinate the Virgo patron god.
Saying he’d rather die than become a saint.
It was strange how that guy, after first meeting Lee Geon, completely changed his attitude.
Anyway, trying to throw the patron god into Tartarus must have referred to that time.
Indeed, Kevin spoke.
“That place can even shatter the divinity of supreme gods! How did you even connect to that place?”
“I had his data. He’s a guy who can teleport through space, and one of his movement paths was there.”
“?!”
Both Kevin and Haley were stunned.
[He despairs]
[He says no one can come out from there]
“But before that, how did the Sagittarius saint get there? Only gods can go there, can’t they?”
However, Lee Geon seemed to have an inkling.
‘As his level rose, he showed signs of gradual spiritization.’
As the saying went that upon reaching a certain level, one would be promoted to a vassal god, he must be slowly harboring divinity.
‘Still human, though.’
“Th-then, is there no way to go?”
“It was meant to repel intruders, so I didn’t think about returning.”
“What?! Then if we go into that trap as well...”
“Then we all won’t be able to return.”
[He sobs]
[He says even the Saint Summoning won’t work]
[He says that place is a labyrinth, so even if we go, it would be hard to find him]
Lee Geon was drenched in cold sweat.
“Well. It’s fine. If it’s Taek-su, he’ll find a way out.”
Although he said that, he glanced sideways at Yang Wei.
* * *
And around that time.
“500... 500....”
Hugo was in a mental breakdown for a different reason.
The damn patron god didn’t answer no matter how desperately he called, but that wasn’t important right now.
“...Who did you say has 500%?”
Hugo was going insane and mad over the faith stat reflected on his blade.
Was it because his level had gone up? Or because he became a vassal of the Serpent Lord?
Being able to see even his own faith stat was something to be happy about, but well.
“Damn it, this is swapped! Swapped between Sagittarius and Serpent Lord! How does it make sense for Sagittarius to be 50% and Serpent Lord to be 500%?! Can’t you show the numbers properly?! Huh?!”
But the numbers were solid.
[Serpent Lord Faith 500%]
[Sagittarius Faith 50%]
In the end, Hugo slammed his head into the ground.
“Agh! No wonder that bastard Lee Geon kept laughing his ass off whenever I talked about faith!”
Muttering that there’s no law like this, he tightly shut his eyes and cursed his friend in rapid-fire.
“Die, Lee Geon, die, Lee Geon, die, Lee Geon.”
Now that it had come to this, the only way was to drop his faith in the Serpent Lord.
Otherwise, the humiliation was unbearable.
And there were plenty of ways to drop faith.
‘Just recalling the times that bastard bossed me around, my hatred rises.’
The times when Lee Geon, acting like a master, mistreated and tormented him.
Of course, it had an effect.
[Serpent Lord Faith 499.9999%]
‘It drops by the smallest speck!’
At this, Hugo got worked up and recalled the time Lee Geon had been at his most obnoxious.
Right after becoming the 13th Awakened. Was it when he first met him?
The time he tried to kill him the moment he saw him.
‘Right. With this, my faith should drop!’
But that was when.
As Hugo recalled that incident, he inadvertently also remembered the sight of Lee Geon hunting a monster.
And then.
[Serpent Lord Faith 550%]
“Agh!!!!”
Eventually, as the despairing Hugo was about to hit his own head with the scabbard.
Boom!
[Found you, bastard]
“Damn it!”
Hugo was immediately chased by enemies. He didn’t know where this place was, but one thing was certain.
‘I’m going to die here.’
At least, probably because it was stuck under the chair, a notebook that looked like Lee Geon’s had fallen along, but there was nothing helpful inside.
‘Damn, it’s all design sketches drawn by Geon, so it’s useless to me.’
It was Lee Geon’s handwriting, but he didn’t even know what content was written.
But right then.
[Aaaaaaagh!]
A familiar face fell in front of Hugo.
And it was none other than Yang Wei!
“You!”
[Aagh! What’s that behind you!]
At the same time, the gods chasing Hugo were looking at Yang Wei.
[What’s this, a human-origin slave?]
[Didn’t think we’d see a guy like that again]
What? Again?
But it was then.
“!”
Hugo was startled by a figure that flashed by in an instant.
It was the face of a woman who had once transformed.
(Continued in the next chapter)