East of Korea.
Across the sea, on the Japanese archipelago, lay the base of the Ssang-a Jwa.
Eumyang Gung.
The Ssang-a Jwa and the Japanese government were as one. Like other saints, the wandering saint of the Ssang-a Jwa had made a pact with the Japanese government.
And so, she ruled over most Pacific nations except China, Korea, and the United States.
Her immense magic made that possible.
Of course, excluding the territories of unknown civilizations, her dominion shrank considerably—yet it remained substantial.
Her sanctuary was vast enough to cover Japan, especially the core area where the saint and her divine being resided.
The Divine Palace was jaw-dropping in size as well.
Though uninhabitable by ordinary people, its area alone exceeded that of South Korea.
The original inhabitants were driven out wholesale by the government bound by the pact.
Thus, only those of the Ssang-a Jwa remained within.
And above the sprawling Eumyang Gung,
something appeared.
Aeeeeng—
[Intrusion Alert]
[Intrusion Alert]
Eumyang Gung was thrown into a state of emergency.
“What the—what’s happening!”
“A bomb from the Magal Jwa! Impact in three minutes!”
“What?”
The direct subordinates guarding Eumyang Gung erupted into chaos.
“Are you insane? Why is something that was headed for Korea coming this way!”
“We don’t know!”
In fact, until moments ago, they had been cackling while watching the saintess’s press conference.
First, they laughed, claiming the person on TV couldn’t possibly be Lee Geon.
‘He’s handsome, though.’
‘As if that’s Lee Geon.’
Then they laughed because the Magal Jwa’s missile was heading for Korea.
The missile was something the Ssang-a Jwa had purchased to seize hegemony in Asia in the first place.
‘If anything, Korea turning into a sea of fire is perfect.’
‘Then the Korean government will have no choice but to cling to the Ssang-a Jwa.’
Ultimately, it was a huge gain for the Ssang-a Jwa. So the elite saints guarding Eumyang Gung were at ease.
But to their shock.
[You rag-wearing bastards!]
The older saints, certain it was really Lee Geon, foamed at the mouth, while the rest lost their minds crying that a bomb was flying toward Eumyang Gung.
And finally, the moment the bomb appeared above Eumyang Gung.
“Damn it, block it!”
“How did this happen!”
“Well, they say the Korean corps commander teleported Lee Geon right to the missile…!”
“What!”
“So maybe that Lee Geon sent the bomb flying this way….”
“!”
Ken, the commander of the Ssang-a Jwa’s Japanese corps, turned pale.
‘Choe Seonghyeok, that…!’
Among the seven corps commanders of the Ssang-a Jwa, the Korean commander was a talent beloved by the saint. He was one of the top three mages within the Ssang-a Jwa.
There was no way he’d betray them.
‘But what on earth.’
No, right now, who sent Lee Geon there was beside the point.
“We can’t defend!”
“We can’t teleport it away!”
The bomb burning in the sky was hurtling down like a meteor.
Furthermore, as it fell, it split into multiple pieces.
[Large-scale skill rental is in progress.]
[Arrival at target point in 30 seconds.]
The Ssang-a Jwa corps commanders gritted their teeth.
“F-First, deploy barrier magic!”
The mage saints rushed out and drew divine signs in unison.
In an instant, a magic circle etched into the air, and a massive dome formed.
But what good was that?
The bombs striking the dome wall only accelerated with greater force.
Crash! Craaack!
“Commander! We can’t hold out!”
“…Keuk!”
“Unless it’s a divine barrier seat, this is impossible…!”
At that moment.
Clang!
The protective wall formed by magic shattered to pieces.
And then.
Boom—bang!
Small lumps of stone reduced Eumyang Gung to rubble.
Though the impact had lessened from its original state, it was more than enough to devastate the sanctuary of the Ssang-a Jwa.
Boom! Boom!
“Damn! All the magic artifacts the saint treasures…!”
“Where is the saint!”
“We… we can’t reach her!”
“What?”
And then, from the blazing sanctuary, a gentle voice sounded.
[The object has safely arrived at the target point.]
[The skill has been dismantled.]
[Please use the skill again next time.]
[Thank you for using it!]
At that notice, the saints of Eumyang Gung spewed a torrent of curses.
“Die, Sin Gung Jwa!”
“Use it again my ass!”
“That damned Magal Jwa!”
Shouts spat venom through the collapsing sanctuary.
Meanwhile, at that time.
Hugo was trembling as he stared at his phone.
Countless articles flooded the screen.
Only thirty minutes had passed since the incident, yet the number of articles was already in the tens of thousands.
Lee Geon’s attention on the matter was truly immense, it seemed—but that wasn’t what mattered now.
[Package (bomb) has been successfully delivered.]
[Skill rental has been completed.]
[Coordinates (Eumyang Gung).]
[Usage fee has been deposited.]
Hugo nearly threw his phone away.
“What the hell did that bastard pull in the meantime!”
Grabbing the back of his neck, Hugo eyed articles like [Miracle of Three Seconds!], [Lee Geon saves Korea!], [Truth hidden by the government!].
“I took my eyes off him for just a few hours! This…!”
Hugo had come straight from the Blue House without rest.
After all, everyone at the Blue House had been saved without incident.
Thanks to the defense skill of the Gyeolgye Sin Jwa.
The technique of the Gyeolgye Sin Jwa, regarded as the mightiest of defensive god seats, was something even saints could not easily breach.
And the plan had been to handle the missile using that barrier skill and his own accuracy skill overhead.
‘But this damned brat couldn’t hold back!’
He probably hadn’t even considered the relationship with the Japanese government.
Wasn’t he the type to clench his fist and dare anyone to come at him if they dared?
‘He even went and rented my skill under my son’s name without permission…!’
But whether Hugo got angry or not, Lee Geon only furrowed his brow.
“Still, the Sin Gung Jwa is trash.”
“What??”
“Why does the location designation only cover places? At least let you designate a divine being or a person.”
“Hah, did this punk just say…!”
“And yet they boast some pretentious title like ‘Absolute Accuracy God Seat.’ No progress whatsoever since I taught them.”
“It can do that, you know? That’s a Sin Gung Jwa VIP skill, you know?”
“Oh, really? Then make me a VIP.”
“Hey!!”
In the end, Hugo lectured that there was no way the Ssang-a Jwa, who were his sworn enemies, would leave him alone, but Lee Geon just sneered.
It couldn’t be helped.
[The Two-Faced Master’s nest has been destroyed.]
[The Two-Faced Master’s influence diminishes.]
[The followers within Eumyang Gung are shrieking.]
[The morale of the Serpent-Holder Jwa’s followers rises due to the Master’s exploits.]
[Sin Jwa experience gained.]
The very perpetrator who terrorized Eumyang Gung was grinning with immense satisfaction.
The effect was far greater than he’d expected.
If there was one regret, it was that he hadn’t destroyed it with his own hands, so no data came in.
His trait only activated when his hand made contact.
‘Well, it’s a shame about the data, but….’
But at that moment.
[There is a follower who has declared total surrender.]
[They can be taken as captives of the Serpent-Holder Jwa.]
[The followers say they will offer tribute as a sign of surrender.]
[Will you accept?]
“!”
Lee Geon’s eyes widened.
He’d been regretting the lack of data, and now something else rolled in like a windfall.
‘A follower deity that surrendered, huh.’
Even a low-rank follower deity was still undeniably a god-like being. Even the weakest among them ranked at least A-class compared to human saints.
Accepting them would naturally be a gain.
Moreover, a follower deity from that troublesome Ssang-a Jwa had to be at least legendary rank.
‘It doesn’t seem like a trap.’
But there was a slight problem.
[The surrendering followers are trapped in a place untouched by your hand.]
Lee Geon’s brow furrowed.
He thought of using Pishu to transport the tribute, but.
[Impossible.]
[The tribute the followers wish to offer is too heavy in scale.]
[They must be met in person and brought into the sanctuary.]
Lee Geon tilted his head.
Just what was it that exceeded even the capacity of Pishu’s belly?
‘In any case, that means I have to go there myself.’
But to raid the Ssang-a Jwa’s lair, he had to pass through a special entrance.
It was a sanctuary teleport zone accessible only to the saints of the Ssang-a Jwa.
Entering another way meant crossing the sea, getting attacked by saints, and becoming a hassle.
So he considered.
‘Should I just give up on those followers?’
But then, Lee Geon grinned.
‘Wait. Come to think of it, aren’t I a saint of the Ssang-a Jwa now?’
When he thought about it, hadn’t he already made a pact with the Korean corps commander of the Ssang-a Jwa?
Of course, he hadn’t received the baptism of the divine being or the saint, so he couldn’t draw on the abilities of the god seat—but using the implements was free.
‘Then I just need to teleport to the sanctuary.’
Having made a pact, he could enter the sanctuary anyway.
He could just use Seongjae or the Korean corps commander as a guide.
Still, it was a bit surprising that the Ssang-a Jwa’s saint hadn’t appeared even in this situation.
‘With her hot temper, she’s still not showing?’
It was absurd.
With this level of provocation, she should have stormed out long ago, hidden schemes be damned.
So Lee Geon was smirking slyly when.
“Dad!”
“!”
From a secluded corner of an alley, a familiar face appeared.
It was Cheon Yuha.
She had apparently been searching for Lee Geon and her father. Cheon Yuha bounded over like a deer.
“Seongjae was summoned away briefly by the Ssang-a Jwa corps commander.”
At his child’s words, Hugo felt genuine relief.
Though he had already made a phone call, seeing her face in person was different.
The truth was, even now, thanks to Lee Geon, the breaking news could air so calmly—but this had been the worst-case scenario where Seoul, no, Korea, could have vanished.
‘This whole situation is a miracle.’
On top of that, his children had been at the very epicenter where a red zone could have erupted.
‘A red zone is a place even saint-level beings must stake their lives on.’
Just thinking about it made his head spin.
So he thought to himself.
‘Right. This is all thanks to Geon.’
Lee Geon’s actions couldn’t be excused even with ten mouths, but since the outcome was good, all was well.
He could let this much slide.
After all, wasn’t this something he’d faced countless times twenty years ago?
It was barely even a tantrum.
So Hugo calmly patted his daughter’s head. And just as Cheon Yuha looked as if she was glad her uncle was safe too—
Perhaps misinterpreting her gaze, Hugo smiled.
“Ah, right. Did you have a good talk with your uncle?”
“!”
“You always said you wanted to meet him, your role model. Did you say everything you wanted to?”
Cheon Yuha’s dark eyes sparkled.
“Yes. He decided… —mmph!”
It was faster than light.
Igeon, who was beside her, covered Cheon Yuha’s mouth in an instant.
Hugo’s eyes rounded.
“Geon?”
Igeon broke into a sweat, looking flustered. Because he knew what words might pop out of Cheon Yuha’s mouth.
So he said.
“We just had a nice, normal, fun conversation. Right, Yuha?”
“Yes. He dec— mmph!”
Igeon covered her mouth again. Even faster than lightning.
Naturally, Hugo’s expression was a sight to behold.
“…Dec?”
“Nothing at all.”
“…Dec??”
Hugo stared at Igeon with a suspicious look.
“…Dec???”
“Decision disorder. Yuha had decision disorder about her career path, and I helped her sort it out.”
At that, Hugo looked at Igeon as if dumbfounded.
“You were stressing over your career?”
And even went to Igeon for it?
“You know how to counsel people like that?”
“What?”
“Why. Back in the day, whenever I tried to confide in you, your only reply was a three-punch combo: ‘Smash. Kill. Beat it.’”
“Hey. Are you seriously dissing me?”
Under that stare, Hugo flinched. Then he quickly took out his car keys.
The idea was to leave before the reporters tracked down the divine beings.
“Anyway, thank you for today! It’s all thanks to you. Tonight’s dinner’s on me, so feel free to…”
But at that moment.
“Oh? There’s Dad!”
“!”
It was Cheon Seongjae. The boy came running, looking excited.
“Dad! Did you hear? It’s insane!”
At his expression, Hugo clicked his tongue.
“Yeah, yeah, I know your uncle is amazing…”
“Noona proposed to Uncle! She asked him to marry her!”
“?!”
Hugo’s neck cricked as he turned.
(Continued in the next chapter)