Flash!
“!”
A light burst from the doll Yeonu had left behind.
And as the doll lit up, the mysterious spirits approaching Lee Geon also seemed startled.
Their voices were faint, but they clearly seemed to say:
[That is…!]
[The baby snake who followed our master…!]
Perhaps because they had followed the same master, they recognized Yeonu.
And that was the moment they tried to say something.
Crackle!
“!”
The ghost-like subordinate gods who had approached Lee Geon grew blurry.
The Virgo’s subordinate gods immediately understood why.
[They were summoned because the sanctuary was temporarily revived, but now it is about to be dispelled!]
As if that wasn’t wrong, the hazy subordinate gods knelt before Lee Geon.
[To have so little time to behold our great master…!]
[Though we are scattered and bound to other star gods by forced contracts, our loyalty to the Serpent Lord shall never change!]
[The highest subordinates not present here surely feel the same…!]
Then Lee Geon clicked his tongue.
“Sorry, but I’m not the guy you know. I’m someone else.”
[We are aware of that. Yet you are still our master.]
“!”
[And to have beheld your noble face is already a miracle. Though we may never see you again, simply seeing the Serpent Lord’s face is satisfaction enough…]
At those words, Lee Geon smiled warmly.
“Why wouldn’t you see me? I’ll just go find you.”
Hearing Lee Geon, they trembled as if about to weep.
And then, holding back tears, they bowed deeply.
[We shall look forward to the day we meet again. Until then, please preserve your precious body…!]
They wanted to gaze at Lee Geon just a little longer until the very end.
But as if there was something more urgent, they spoke to Lee Geon.
[Please beware the wicked schemers who target the Serpent Lord!]
[Especially the Magic Star Seat—those creatures are in league with the Monarch.]
[The Monarch will soon invade.]
[D-Do not become like those buried in this land…!]
[May this be of help to you…!]
Drip.
At last, the old subordinate gods of the Serpent Lord’s Seat vanished.
At the same time, Lee Geon’s body shone.
[The deity of the Serpent Bearer awakens]
[Deity rank rises according to the covenant]
[Level rises]
[The servants of the Serpent Bearer left behind special objects and abilities]
Lee Geon smiled at the sensation welling inside him. It was undoubtedly what those guys had left behind.
Hence, as if he had never smiled so benevolently, Lee Geon grinned wickedly.
‘They were clearly powerful ones, and regardless of whether I’m their original owner or not, they’ll be incredibly useful.’
With such beings deludedly assuming he was their master, wasn’t it a gain?
But Hugo seemed troubled by something in their words.
“Those who are buried in this land…?”
And as if responding to those words, the ground shook.
[Responding to the master’s will, all objects hidden on the island are revealed]
As if to show Lee Geon something important, the earth split apart.
Craaack!
The colossal wasteland ground cracking open was truly a scene like witnessing Moses’s miracle!
And everyone was shocked by the objects visible beneath the earth.
They couldn’t help but be shocked.
“That’s…!”
Even Lee Geon smiled with interest.
“Aren’t those corpses?”
Yes. Inside the pit, unmistakably monstrous corpses lay tangled together.
Cheon Seongjae, who had descended, seemed surprised.
“Their appearance looks somewhat like giant beasts…! What is this? I sense deity ranks!”
“Why have the star gods hidden such things?”
Why indeed.
Lee Geon smiled as if disgusted.
“They’re probably the original owners they killed themselves.”
“?!”
“When you kill something, the hardest thing to dispose of is the body. Investigation would be troublesome, so they buried them here and handed them over to the Monarch. Good for the brother-in-law, good for the sister. Very clean evidence disposal.”
“……!!”
At those words, Kevin called out to the Virgo star god, but she too seemed bewildered.
Perhaps it was something she truly didn’t know about.
Lee Geon’s eyes gleamed.
“Judging by the lingering energy, it must be the handiwork of the Magic Star Gods. It’s concerning that the bodies aren’t in intact forms.”
Perhaps because of that. Lee Geon immediately took out his phone.
“Uncle?”
“There’s a specialist for this kind of investigation.”
And to investigate the subordinate gods who had appeared here, as well.
Having called someone, Lee Geon’s eyes flashed as if what followed was crucial.
“The Monarch has come near this area.”
“What?!”
As proof, the doll Yeonu had left was flickering.
And upon seeing that, Hugo’s expression completely changed.
Unsurprisingly.
“That shining means Yeonu-ssi is near here, right?”
“Yeah. More precisely, the one holding Yeonu is near.”
But at that name, the Cheon siblings and Haley tilted their heads.
“Who’s Yeonu-ssi?”
Kevin answered.
“He’s Lee Geon’s lover.”
“?!!”
The expressions of the Cheon siblings and Haley were a sight to behold.
At the same time, Lee Geon spoke.
“Not a lover.”
“Right, Uncle said he’s forever single!”
Cheon Seongjae still couldn’t forget.
It was definitely after Lee Geon’s return. A large corporation wanted to use him in an advertisement.
‘Manager Jang, this proposal makes no sense. Who in this day and age is still single past 40?’
‘You’re right! Sorry! Forty is way too overboard, isn’t it? How about around 25?’
‘Yeah, unless they’re insane, who’d be single until forty—’
‘Sorry? I’m past 40 and still single?’
‘?’
The employees tilted their heads at Lee Geon’s youthful appearance, then soon screamed.
At the same time, realizing the situation, they trembled as they watched Lee Geon’s expression.
Of course, Uncle was cool about it, but the employees, pale as plaster statues begging for forgiveness, were truly a sight.
‘W-We’ve committed a sin worthy of death!! That’s right! These days, staying single until 100 is the trend! Yes! Absolutely!!!!’
‘That’s right!!! Who brought this lousy proposal! Get rid of it now! Burn it!!! Melt it down!!!’
‘Yes!!!’
Terrified, they didn’t know what to do.
As a bonus, they gifted him five years’ worth of the latest digital devices, home appliances, chicken, and all kinds of gift sets as a symbol of apology(?).
And at those words, Kevin, Cheon Yuha, and Haley’s eyes flashed.
But regardless, Hugo quickly looked at Lee Geon.
“Then the one who appeared nearby is the Owl? At the Demon God’s Tower too, they were aiming for you, Geon.”
However, Lee Geon’s eyes gleamed.
“No. It’ll be Oblivion’s side.”
“What?!”
“Pardon?”
Hugo was startled by Lee Geon’s answer, but Lee Geon himself narrowed his brow.
“Now that I’m close, I can tell. It’s familiar.”
“!”
It was definitely that day, 24 years ago.
And while he couldn’t remember the events of that day well, one thing did come to mind.
“I’m pretty sure I was swallowed by some fog-like creature that day.”
Perhaps that might be the Monarch of Oblivion.
But the one who was aghast at those words was none other than Haley and her subordinates.
[What? You say you were swallowed by Oblivion?]
[That can’t be…! There’s no way you could survive being swallowed by that bastard!]
[Oblivion is a being that even fellow Monarchs fear!]
A creature with little emotion or reason, a mysterious existence that wanders leisurely as it pleases.
If swallowed by it, you are literally erased from the world.
‘Even a slight brush makes memories and faith vanish…!’
[No, more than that, how could you be swallowed by that thing and still be remembered by people?]
“Ah, I might have been forgotten. The people I met before awakening didn’t remember me at all. Aside from objects I owned, most records vanished too.”
[??!!]
At Lee Geon’s words, this time Hugo and Kevin were shocked.
“No wonder nothing turned up when I dug into your past!”
After Lee Geon appeared, every country had investigated his background.
To figure out his blood relations and draw him into their nation.
Moreover, at the time, some adults tried to investigate Lee Geon’s relatives to use as hostages, but all failed.
‘No one remembered him.’
Even now, many are curious about Lee Geon’s past.
‘Well, the origins of most adults are unknown anyway.’
There were those who had changed nationality and even name. Such people wandered like mercenaries and eventually settled in specific countries.
But even those people’s past appearances could be uncovered.
However, for Lee Geon alone, no matter what they did, they couldn’t discover his past self.
“So could it be because you were once devoured by Oblivion? That’s why?”
“Probably?”
Lee Geon said it casually, but the Cheon siblings looked at him as if shocked, and also sad.
To not be remembered by anyone—how sad that must be, yet he was so composed.
“So that’s why, even when you appeared with that face, not a single person came forward claiming to be a former classmate…!”
Though there had been impostors.
‘Perhaps the reason I felt like a part of your emotions was missing every time I saw you was also because of that.’
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.
‘Seeing as no one remembers Bounty’s face, it seems Oblivion recently swallowed that Bounty.’
Of course, whether human or monster, the existence of the Monarch is still remembered. It must take a long time for the digestion of a supreme Monarch.
“But it’s strange. There’s no reason for him to reveal this form so easily.”
So Haley grew worried.
‘Could someone have summoned him targeting Lee Geon?’
And at that very moment.
Thud!
Hugo staggered as if struck in the head.
“Taek-su?”
“Dad!”
Hugo pressed his temples.
And this sensation, this feeling.
It was certain.
‘Future sight.’
It was his skill that had been transferred to the Serpent Bearer’s Seat.
No, it wasn’t just transferred—it had evolved entirely to suit the Serpent Lord’s nature.
And since it was still developing, he couldn’t discern exactly what future it showed.
[Warning: Serpent Lord, juice, losing something precious, star god swapped, crumble, oh yeah]
Though some nonsensical words were mixed in, what else could it mean?
‘Something will happen to Geon.’
Could it be because of the Monarch?
Unsurprisingly, Lee Geon’s lips curled up.
It was because of a notification.
[The Magic Star Seat has summoned the Monarch of Oblivion]
“So that’s why it lit up. The Fish and the Twins summoned Oblivion.”
“What? The Magic Star Seat gods did?!”
Wondering how they could summon a Monarch, but it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.
‘If it’s the Magic Star Gods, it might be possible.’
And then it happened.
“Anyway, I’m going to those bastards. You don’t have to follow.”
As Lee Geon placed the newborn baby snake on his head and turned, the Virgo’s subordinates hurriedly stopped him.
[B-Baby Snake-nim! It’s dangerous!]
“!”
[Did you not hear the warnings of the subordinate gods who appeared here earlier…!!]
[That’s right! We understand your thoughts, but it was those Magic Star Gods who killed the previous Serpent Lord Star God!]
[The Magic Star Gods possess the power to weaken the Serpent Lord!]
[Indeed. The reason you, Geon-nim, had difficulty breaking through the Taurus’s defensive barrier was also because of that!]
[If that happens, you too could end up like the previous Serpent Lord-nim…!]
At those words, Lee Geon sneered.
“Hey.”
“!”
“Why do you think I captured Taurus?”
“Because you’re an M, but the Holy City residents aren’t, so they needed defensive powers?”
Hugo got smacked.
“Th-Then was it because the armor you made was ruthlessly pierced by Monarch-level beings?”
The Serpent Bearer’s Seat has absolutely zero defensive skills.
Thus, while offensive blessings get tremendously boosted, defensive blessings remain at bare-body level.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Super regeneration only works if there’s a remaining body to regenerate from.’
But a Monarch or a Magic Star God could annihilate a body in a single blow.
“No matter how strong your regeneration, you need to at least block one hit. So defensive powers…”
“Well, there’s that, sure. But.”
Lee Geon grinned ferociously.
“You know that Taurus’s defensive power also includes magic resistance.”
“!”
Lee Geon had always detested the Magic Star Gods and their magician adults.
Simply tearing them apart with his axe, true to his nature, would be annoying because of all their spells.
It was no coincidence that the Leo type, similar to himself, was like cats and dogs with Gemini.
But with defensive powers, there was no problem.
And that wasn’t all.
‘The higher the level of the Horned God’s authority, the stronger the defense.’
Meaning now he could even withstand the Monarchs’ attacks.
And seeing Lee Geon, the Virgo’s subordinate gods gazed at him reverently.
[Goodness…!! Then the subjugation of those seemingly difficult Magic Star Gods is no longer a dream!]
[As expected of Baby Snake-nim…!!]
“No. Can’t subjugate them.”
[Pardon?!!]
“Because I haven’t transferred the Taurus authorities to the Serpent Bearer’s authority yet.”
[!]
As if responding to those words, a notification rang.
[All Taurus authorities can be transferred to the Serpent Bearer’s Seat]
[Transfer (random) requires Dalants]
[10,000,000 per authority]
[VAT 1,000,000 Dalants separate]
[Total transferable Taurus authorities: 287]
Excluding VAT, about 2.8 billion Dalants.
‘For a random pick, it’s ridiculously expensive.’
Lee Geon glanced at the Aries star god, who was wearing a leash.
And at that familiar gaze, the Aries star god flinched, wondering if it was her again, but only briefly.
[This slave has accumulated too much debt. No more debt can be erased.]
“Tch.”
As expected, the divine realm wasn’t foolish enough to keep letting it slide.
“Even transferring just one authority costs 10 million Dalants.”
“T-Ten million?!”
The startled Hugo looked at Kevin, the rich one.
But.
“I can’t just give Dalants for free. You need to receive something in return…”
“Ah, forget it. There’s a way to earn a ton of Dalants in one go for free.”
“What? That’s nonsense! No matter what, how could you earn 2.8 billion Dalants in one shot…?”
How indeed.
Lee Geon glanced at the sky.
“Hey, Samnami!”
[Yes, Master!]
Up there were hundreds of Berserkers replicated from Aries’ treasury.
And the replicated Berserkers joyfully approached Lee Geon.
[For what reason have you called u…!]
“You guys. If you were sold, what kind of master would be best?”
[…Pardon?]
(To be continued in the next episode)