Chapter 380 - Master (4)
‘After twenty years, the earth will cease to exist.’
The culprits had to be the gods of the Pantheon. The first step to that was swapping out the existing Zodiac Saints for the new ones.
‘Well, the others are none of my business.’
Why would he worry about the Zodiac Saints? Nothing was endearing about them. He didn't care if they died or not. It was their problem. But his most treasured niece and nephew were a different story. The cat that he had raised was also off-limits.
Jaewon was also one of the thirteen Zodiac Saints, so that changed the story as well.
The disciples looked at him with worry in their eyes.
“We heard the other Zodiac Saints are dead. Two were purposefully kidnapped. I’m sure they had a purpose for doing so.”
“Their aim doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
‘We must get them back.’
The problem was their location.
‘They aren’t appearing on the disciple management system.’
Goat must have realized this too. He looked at Lee Gun with an awkward expression. “We tried to search for them for the past couple of months… However, we couldn’t find a single clue.”
“We wondered if they were dragged away to a different colony, but we couldn’t track them down.”
The Sagittarius temple’s disciples were wizards of tracking. They were better than the disciples of the Serpent Bearer temple in that aspect, yet they were unable to find a single clue.
It meant the previous Zodiac Saints couldn’t be found using conventional methods.
That was why Goat was trying to get a hint from Lee Gun.
Lee Gun contemptuously looked at him. “Idiot! Do you think I went to the Divine world just for looks?”
“!”
Lee Gun smirked as if to say he shouldn’t be underestimated. “I need an item. It has to be an item precious to that person and irreplaceable.”
“What? Jaewon Hyung-nim doesn’t like to talk about himself. We don’t know what is precious to him.”
“Ah. It’s probably this.” Quick on the uptake, Chun Jiwoo quickly went to grab something.
Lee Gun unexpectedly laughed when he saw the item.
Chun Jiwoo had brought a framed picture of Hugo, Lee Gun, and Lee Jaewon in their youth.
Pleased at this, Lee Gun took the item. “Next is Sungjae.”
Lee Gun was about to enter Sungjae’s room, but Goat quickly got in his way. “Excuse me, Lee Gun-nim. Only we should enter Sungjae’s room…”
“Ah. It’s fine. I already know he’s a big fan of mine.”
On the other hand, Hugo didn’t have any memory of his son, so his heart was pounding. His figurine not being on top of his casket had shocked him a bit.
‘I’m sure he’s embarrassed, so he hid his father’s figurines inside his room.’
Hugo was full of anticipation as the door to Sungjae’s room was opened. His next expression was a sight to behold.
“…???” Hugo was shocked to realize the room had no figurines of him. There was even a figurine of Stevens and Kevin.
However, his shock lasted only a moment. He despaired for a second time when he saw Lee Gun activate his skill and pick up an item. It was a large pillow with Lee Gun printed on it. Lee Gun held an ax, making a cool pose.
Hugo’s expression was comical as he looked at the Lee Gun pillow. “My son… is a pervert?!”
“You want to die? It’s just a normal pillow.”
Hugo didn’t hear him. He continued to search Sungjae’s room as if he was in disbelief. “He has nothing related to his father? I’m sure it’s here!”
Hugo kept searching and searching, yet found nothing related to him. He wailed. “There is no way my son is like this! I’m sure he’s a son who thinks about his father… He’s someone who thinks about…”
Goat looked at the spectacle in disgust. He whispered to Lee Gun, “Why is Hugo-nim acting that way?”
“Ah! He has a bit of a defect right now. You should give him a bit of latitude.”
“What?!”
“For now, let him get used to reality.”
G…Get used to reality? Goat looked at the wailing Hugo in pity, but it lasted only a moment.
Lee Gun spoke in a low voice, putting Divine power into his words. “As the master Zodiac, I command you. Come out from my underling’s shadow.”
The goddesses of fate appeared from Hugo’s shadow.
Goat and the Archer disciples freaked out when Lee Gun mentioned they were the goddesses of fate.
Of course, humans knew about their existence.
‘This is nuts…! He went to the Divine world and came back with the goddesses of fate as his Constructs?’
Divine status of that caliber belonged to the end bosses! Moreover, when they saw the goddesses, their expressions were a sight to behold.
“L-Lee Gun-nim…?!’
The three goddesses had changed into female versions of Lee Gun. Moreover, one was a child, one a high schooler, and the last an elder sister!
“L…Lee Gun-nim! Their appearances… What’s going on?”
“Ah. There was an incident.”
“???”
What the hell had happened in the Divine world??
Lee Gun acted oblivious as he placed a hand on the book taken out by the goddesses of fate.
[The omniscient and omnipotent goddesses have forcefully activated the Akashic records (5 star), which is in their care.]
[Since they are affiliated to the Serpent Bearer temple, there is no problem with you using it.]
[You do not need a permission ticket if you want to browse through it.]
Lee Gun’s vision shifted.
‘!’
The first thing he saw was his own room. It seemed Sungjae had entered it to feed Junwoo. Then he carried out the one-day, ten Lee Gun schedule. Sobbing, he watched the Lee Gun’s exploits recorded on video and ate the tear-soaked bread.
“Damn it! I should have followed Uncle like Noona. I never expected him to be gone for over a month.”
Lee Gun furrowed his brows as he watched his nephew. In fact, something had puzzled him from the start.
‘If he was kidnapped, I would have noticed, and he isn’t someone who would allow himself to be dragged away.’
What method had they used to take Sungjae? He was trying to discover this information when…
Geeeng-
Lee Gun flinched when he felt an odd energy.
‘!’
Sungjae was currently recording shows from foreign channels, which merely mentioned Lee Gun’s name, when his expression suddenly changed.
When Sungjae headed somewhere, a surprised Mimir jumped out of his body.
[Little master!!]
Mimir was always with Sungjae. It quickly grabbed a hold of the young man.
[Little master. You shouldn’t go there. That is Eden…]
At that moment, a suspicious symbol was reflected in Sungjae’s eyes, and power emanated from his body.
Kwahng!
It was a powerful magical energy that Sungjae usually didn’t show.
‘This power is…!”
The power was strong enough to push back even the fairy monarch.
Kwahng!!
[Koohk!]
In the end, the fairy monarch had been forcefully sealed somewhere, and Chun Sungjae had teleported to an unknown location.
Lee Gun furrowed his brows.
‘It looks like he was mesmerized by something.’
Well, it didn’t matter.
Lee Gun picked up the unexpected item, which was used to seal the fairy monarch. When he broke it, the fairy monarch came out.
The fairy monarch immediately had a realization about Lee Gun.
[Big Master! You used the Akashic records. You came using such a dangerous path…!]
“It’s fine. Follow me.”
Mimir was one of the three great treasure houses of knowledge in the Divine world. It was considered to be one of the great sages. So Mimir was ideal as a guide.
After taking Mimir out, Lee Gun read the next record. It was Lee Jaewon’s.
Flash!
The scene that appeared in front of his eyes was a stadium with thousands of spectators. Mimir furrowed its brows when it saw this.
[It’s the incident where Lee Jaewon fought the one trying to claim the seat of the Archer Saint.]
“Oh oh! Is this the passing of the torch for the Archer Saint too?”
Two people were fiercely fighting for the seat of the Zodiac Saint. Of course, Sagittarius had turned into a human, so Lee Jaewon was unable to use his skills and magical energy.
“Oh! You fight well despite losing your power!”
“As long as Lee Gun-nim was here, this seat was occupied by Hugo-nim. Do you think I’ll cede that seat to some unknown woman? Lee Gun-nim wouldn’t want that.”
‘I don’t mind if he hands it over. He should have just given it up.’
[Master?!]
In the first place, most of the ones trying to become the new Zodiac Saints were beautiful women.
‘They are better than the original ones. They should have just let the switch happen.’
[Master!!!]
At that moment, Lee Gun-nim saw an unexpected scene.
“Jaewon Hyung-nim!”
Lee Jaewon, who had been putting up a good fight, suddenly faltered.
[A very powerful ability of Eden has been activated.]
[Call from the Heavens]
[Good people and the people needed by the heavens will be taken.]
[This is especially effective against those with high faith and those treasured by the gods.]
It was said that heaven took the good people first.
It was as if god had called them up.
Eden had used this ability to call up humans from their colonies and turn them into heavenly soldiers.
Similar to Sungjae’s case, Lee Jaewon’s eyes became unfocused and he lost. An angel flew down, and Lee Jaewon was about to be sent to some unknown location.
Mimir spoke when it saw this.
[They were sent to Eden’s colony. They were sent to a very high-rank facility.]
“Of all the pigeon’s dens, they were sent to a good one??”
[That is correct… M…master?!]
Lee Gun’s eyes flashed.
Mimir yelled in surprise when he had a realization.
[Big Master! We are within the Akashic records! While you may browse it, you’ll accrue Karmic debt if you take action! The memories of this place might get tangled, and we might not be able to exit this place!]
Lee Gun didn’t care as he turned into a shadow. Then he appeared in front of an angel.
The angel who had been trying to take Lee Jaewon became surprised. “S-Sagittarius?”
Lee Gun had taken the appearance of another.
The angel tried to call for his allies, yet he didn’t have the time to do so.
Bba-gahk! Bba-gahk! Bba-gahk!
It was unclear as to how much time had passed.
[You have learned the Mimic ability.]
Lee Gun had acquired a new skill as a bloodied angel slumped to the ground. He had gained what he wanted from the angel’s body.
[Eden Colony (Garden of Eden) Express Ticket]
Lee Gun learned his lesson during his incident with Hades, so he smirked as he took away the item.
When he was about to put away the item, the sound of a notification and a different voice could be heard from the sky.
[Who dares steal a glance at Eden’s record?]
“!”
An unfamiliar voice rang out from the sky, and the space started to distort.
Since Mimir was the greatest treasure house of knowledge, it immediately recognized who the voice belonged to.
[Master!]
Soon, Lee Gun disappeared.
* * *
“Kuhk!”
“Lee Gun-nim!”
“Gun!’
Lee Gun had exited the book. Hugo was surprised since Lee Gun had come out faster than expected. He asked in surprise. “What happened?”
Instead of answering, Lee Gun went to his room and picked up a Hugo figurine.
Hugo tilted his head. “What the hell? That’s my figurine— Ahhk!!!”
Lee Gun ruthlessly broke off the head of the Hugo figurine. It was the only Hugo figurine in the house, so Hugo couldn’t believe this. He was about to scream when…
Flash!
[Big Master!]
Mimir, whom Sungjae had sealed within, shared its memories within the Akashic record. It lowered its head.
[You used the Akashic records. What made you use such a dangerous method?]
“Who was the one to chase me out of the Akashic records?”
[The pillar god of Eden… His name is Michael. He’s the archangel and leader of Eden. It seemed they joined hands with Valhalla’s goddess of fate (Norn). I’m pretty sure they kidnapped the Zodiac Saints to awaken the Great Spirit of Eden…]
“What? They are going through all of this nonsense to wake a god from his sleep?”
[Yes. That’s why they swapped out the Zodiac Saints. Since the Zodiac Saints had become affiliates, they possess great power now.]
[They are trying to awaken their Great Spirit, who went into eternal sleep.]
[If we dither too long, even their life force may be drained.]
The disciples turned pale when they heard the Constructs.
“Then we have to quickly find where they are…!”
“I know where they are. They were taken to their colony.”
“Their colony… Can it be? Eden!”
“Yes. It’s outside of the earth, and they are placed deep within their territory. That’s why we couldn’t track them.”
However, it didn’t matter since Lee Gun had taken out the express ticket from the Akashic records. “We can get there quickly with this.”
The Constructs spoke up as if they were worried.
[Master. Eden is one of the eight great forces, and it’s their colony. It’s a dangerous place. If you wreak havoc… If you use your power there, it might start a great war amongst the Zodiacs. You have to focus on taking them out discreetly. You must not destroy…]
They sighed when they realized their words had no effect on Lee Gun. So, they spoke.
[Master. The ticket isn’t enough to reach the colony of Eden.]
“The ticket isn’t enough?”
At that moment, another voice rang out.
“Yes. You need a key instead of a ticket.”
“!”
Everyone was surprised by the unfamiliar voice. They looked outside. Angels stood outside with their wings spread.
They furrowed their brows as they thought about the information that they had received from the Divine world.
‘That bastard pushed down the ranking of our father?’
They were not showing it, but they were about to explode.
‘Damn Divine world.’
Their Great Spirit had been pushed down in ranking, but he had been asleep for a very long time. This meant measuring the power of the Great Spirit of Eden was useless since the measurement couldn’t be taken.
Thus, Lee Gun hadn’t passed their Great Spirit in terms of skill…
‘How dare he pass our Great Spirit to take the eighth spot?’
It had caused shock in the Divine world, and Lee Gun was being seen as the new candidate to become a Great Spirit. Pandemonium had erupted inside the Divine world.
They became angry when they thought about it. However, they soon took deep breaths.
‘It has to do with his Divine status.’
With the power of Cycle, they wouldn’t need to take the lifespan of the high-rank disciples. They’d be able to use it to awaken the Great Spirit of Eden.
So they laughed as they spoke.
“We heard the snake god was back, so we were looking for you. Yet you were having such thoughts about us.”
“We understand why you would take such actions, but your Zodiac Saints are already servants of Eden. Moreover, your power isn’t enough to visit our colony.”
They smiled.
“However, we aren’t the bad guys. Since things have turned out like this, we’ll return your Zodiac Saints.”
“If you wait, we’ll go for them soon.”
Lee Gun snorted. They were speaking nonsense.
Mimir spoke worriedly, since he could discern what the angels and Lee Gun were thinking.
[Big Master. I’m sure you don’t like taking suggestions from others, but instead of signaling a war, we might be better off cooperating with them.]
“As expected, Mimir is knowledgeable. Also, you have no way of reaching our colonies.”
[I resent this, but they are right. That is why we should—]
Flash!
It could be only seen by Lee Gun, but something flashed as it entered his shadow. It was a key!
[Sagittarius has quickly sent the item called Eden’s Key.]
[Sagittarius has quickly sent the Heavenly Peach.]
[Sagittarius says acquiring it was very hard.]
[That’s why he wants to barter with you right now.]
[He really thinks his chastity will be taken by the Great Spirit of Kunlun.]
[He says it’s an emergency!!!]
[He shouts as he asks you to quickly turn him back into a god!!!]
After receiving the items, Lee Gun grinned as if he had been waiting for this.
The angels asked him a question.
“Will you wait here? We’ll quickly go get—”
Lee Gun interrupted them. “Yes. I don’t need idiots like you guys.”
“What?”
“Did you guys really think I wouldn’t figure out your plan? You’ll make me wait a thousand years, right?”
“!”
“This is war, bastards.”
After receiving the key, Lee Gun ignored the angels and Sagittarius. He used the ticket to the colony of Eden.
