Staff room of Incheon Middle school!
“Sungjae, it seems you washed your hair today.”
Chun Sungjae flinched at his teacher’s words.
The homeroom teacher ignored the young man’s reaction and laughed. “I heard the dean had to fight you to get you to take off your hat. You said something about keeping your uncle’s compliment safe and caused a big scene.”
It had been five days since the incident at his house. The next day, Chun Sungjae had appeared at school without washing his hair. Of course, no one really made a big deal out of it since this was one day. Something like that was normal. Then, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed too…
As the days passed, the situation had been getting worse. Chun Sungjae’s fellow students and teachers had realized something was off. The girls who normally admired Chun Sungjae had started to murmur amongst themselves.
Chun Sungjae was a shortie and had a geekish personality. However, he was an honor student with good looks. No one could have imagined him being in that state.
To make matters worse, Chun Sungjae was the most noticeable student in school. His looks had something to do with that, but the main thing was his status as an A-rank disciple. Civilians (F rank) were mostly ordinary, so Chun Sungjae was like a huge walking billboard in this world.
His looks confused every student who crossed his path. Still, they gave him a pass, thinking he was busy. They had tried to gloss over it.
“You’re amazing, Sungjae! Your missions must be hard, right? You can’t even wash yourself because of work.”
“What? I didn’t go on any missions. I was busy listening to stories from my uncle.”
“What?”
“Also, my uncle patted my head for the first time. That’s why I didn’t wash my hair.”
“What?”
“It’s fine. I think I can go another month without washing my hair.”
“Hey! What the hell! Go wash it right now! No, I will wash it for you! Hey! Why are you running away? Come back here!”
In the end, the dean had dragged away the young man and forcefully washed his hair. A dean was washing a world-famous student’s hair. It was quite the sight to behold.
As if he resented the action, Chun Sungjae shook. ‘How dare he ruthlessly launder my head, which was touched by Lee Gun-nim!’
“Anyway, I called you here today for this.” His teacher pushed a paper to him. “You still haven’t written the name of the high school you want to attend.”
“Ah! I have no plans to attend high school.”
The teacher was unable to shut his mouth. Chun Sungjae was a valedictorian, yet was giving up on going to school. This put the teacher in an awkward spot. “You should easily be able to get into a science high school or a school for the gifted.”
In fact, Chun Sungjae was smart enough to be admitted into a university.
The teacher continued, “Did you receive recruitment offers from foreign prestigious universities?”
Chun Sungjae’s faith was in the gutter, and that was a problem. However, he was a genius coveted everywhere.
Despite the teacher’s words, Chun Sungjae sounded apathetic. “Our family isn’t well enough where they would invest in such an endeavor. Moreover, I don’t have enough time.”
The teacher let out a sigh. He seemed to understand Sungjae’s situation. “I know you entered the Gemini temple to fix your sister’s arms, right?”
Chun Sungjae flinched. ‘There’s another bigger reason I joined them.’
That reason involved his mother. Of course, Chun Sungjae hadn’t mentioned his sister or his mother to anyone when he joined the temple. He had told everyone that he wanted to be like Lee Gun-nim, and so, he had decided to join the number-one temple in Korea.
This was why the young man was currently in a bit of a bind. ‘Tsk! I should’ve stolen the Gemini temple’s top-secret magic books before leaving.’
As he had caused a big mess, Chun Sungjae had no idea how long he could stick with the Gemini temple. Of course, he had already found the hidden location, so he didn’t really care if the temple expelled him.
‘They are the mortal enemies that caused my mom’s death.’ One of the twelve Zodiac Saints had been involved in that matter.
The teacher asked, “Does your father know about this? I was thinking about doing a parent-teach conference—”
“Not my dad! Please don’t call him!” Chun Sungjae immediately screamed.
“What?”
Chun Sungjae trembled as if he was thinking about an embarrassing and shameful past. He had a famous father. If the Archer Saint came here, it would be like scorching the school to the ground.
In truth, Hugo had been involved in Chun Sungjae’s schooling when Sungjae was in elementary school. However, all the teachers and mothers involved with the school had all fallen in love with the Archer Saint. Even the progress in the kids’ lesson plans had come to a halt.
“Anyway, you can’t involve my father. I have no plans on talking to him about my future plans. He’ll just nag at me…”
“What if we call in your uncle?”
“!” Chun Sungjae froze when Lee Gun was mentioned. He had never dared to imagine this scenario: Lee Gun coming here as his guardian. However, the young man could never ask him…
Kwahng kwahng!
Chun Sungjae slammed his head against the wall. Just the thought of it put him on cloud nine. However, that thought made him sober the next moment. ‘Wait a moment. The school will burn down even more than it’d in my father’s case!’
In terms of appearance and popularity, his father had no chance against Lee Gun. Of course, his teachers had no idea who his uncle was.
“Then I’ll call your uncle—”
The teacher couldn’t complete his sentence as the sounds of a commotion came from the class next door. No, it wasn’t just the class next door. It was the entire school. The entire block was in an uproar.
At that moment, a familiar face ran into the staff room. It was Chun Sungjae’s roommate, Hahn Jimin. Hahn Jimin’s face was pale as if he had seen something. “Sungjae! Did you see it? It’s your sister!”
Chun Sungjae became desperate when he saw the expression on his friend’s face. “What! Did she lose?”
“No! Your noona is fucking awesome!”
“???”
The reason for all those shouts was the scene being broadcast live to the world.
* * *
“Saint-nim!”
Manila, Luzon Island!
The generals who had gathered at the Devil’s waters were in a state of shock.
“That’s Saint-nim, right?!”
“Saint-nim!”
Disciples from the other temples looked on with their mouths open. The sky was black, and the dark waters were turbulent. The monster had appeared from the angry ocean.
<Thousand Legs> looked like a mix of an octopus and a centipede. It was shaped like an octopus, but its vertical beak had centipede legs that crawled. The color of its skin was similar to that of wastewater. This gave the monster a slick appearance, but the hard rocks embedded in its skin were a mismatch with it. The monster’s head was larger than an island. Above all else, its legs were horrifying.
The thousand legs attached to the monster’s body looked like centipedes. A single leg was long enough to touch a cloud in the sky.
Go-ohhhhhhhhh-
The destroyer of the ocean roared. However, the shocking part wasn’t the disgusting monster.
“Saint-nim!”
This was a certainty. The man was still far away, so one had to use a telescope to see his armor. Only the silhouette of a man with a lot of muscles could be seen.
“Let it go, you beast!”
There was no mistaking it. This man was the Leo Saint, Stevens. Everyone should have been happy at his survival, but the Leo generals were taken aback. The problem was how the Leo Saint was hanging onto the monster.
“That bone…”
“That’s Lee Gun’s…”
When the generals realized what was going on, their faces turned pale.
That was right. Stevens was near the monster’s beak. To be precise, he was hanging onto the bone in Thousand Leg’s mouth. Of course, all the disciples of the Leo temple knew what the bone was.
“Saint-nim still can’t give up on that item?”
“He did pay a billion dollars for it. Even I wouldn’t be able to let it go.”
Him being alive was a miracle in itself. Even in that hanging state, he was blocking the attacks from the monster. This really drove home the fact that he was a Zodiac Saint.
“Anyway, we have to prioritize our Saint-nim’s recovery! The S ranks will man the front line! Those from Britain and Korea will distract the monster! The final blow will be applied by Ten Star Chun Yooha—”
“Ah! He would’ve been better off dead. Why is he alive?”
“Sub-general Chun Yooha!”
Chun Yooha looked disgruntled as she summoned her red spear. She was already being short-changed on the time she wanted to spend with her uncle. And now, she had to come here to find that idiot. It was the worst.
“Don’t worry about our plan to take down Thousand Legs! After we recover our Saint-nim, we’ll immediately start the raid!”
“Yes!”
Then, the Pisces Saint, who had an alliance with the Leo Saint, cast a spell. [Ocean Dash] This was the signal.
“Five seconds before we advance!”
“Four seconds!”
However, before they could charge forward, someone yelled out in a worried tone, “Are you sure we’ll be fine approaching that?”
“What?”
They had yet to see the monster up close, but its cry made their skins crawl. When they had seen the video of this monster’s fight with Lee Gun, they had been confident. However, standing in front of the monster felt different.
“Our opponent is a Red rank—”
“Stop it! Even Lee Gun was able to kill it! We can do it too!”
“However, Lee Gun is—”
“Charge!”
At the command, the generals immediately rushed forward. They were like streaks of golden lights. Then there was the Pisces Saint in the distance. He was using his magic to dash across the ocean. The next moment, something surprising happened.
[Beast Form!]
The appearance of the Leo generals changed. Each of their body parts turned into the shape of a beast. Some had their arms transformed; others found their heads or torsos go through the change.
This was the special ability that came with being a disciple of the Leo Saint. The Leo disciples could change a body part into the part of a divine beast. The rank of the skill ranged from F rank to SS rank.
The Cancer Saint had his escape skill, the Aquarius had her Innate Cup, and the Gemini had the Soul Invocation. Similarly, [Beast Form] was the Leo’s signature skill.
When the Leo generals stepped forward, the eyes of the generals from the other temples flashed as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“When the Leo temple rescues their Saint, we’ll immediately hit Thousand Legs!”
“We can’t let them steal our glory!”
The Leo Saint had built his power base in the north. The temples from the south let the Leo temple act first. They were allowing the Leo generals to rescue their Saint as a sign of respect. However, the light in their eyes had changed completely.
Confidence! Fighting spirit! Pride!
“We will erase Lee Gun’s name from history! This is the time to lift the power of our generals!”
“Lee Gun took an hour to kill it, but we are different!”
“Ten minutes is enough for us!”
Finally, they jumped into the ocean.
Lee Gun was amazing and famous. Some people quietly admired him. However, these people felt they were more advanced versions compared to Lee Gun; they possessed holy items and the blessing of the gods. This was their moment.
‘We are the new generation, and we are better-awakened beings than Lee Gun!’
‘We’ll crush Lee Gun’s record!’
‘The first one to kill it will win this race!’
The generals were fighting for themselves. This was an opportunity for a private exhibition of their skills.
‘I’m sure we can succeed in other raids too!’
The disciples of the Leo temple, who had been on standby, activated their skills. Beams of light headed toward the beast’s mouth.
“Where are you attacking? Idiots!”
“…!”
The Leo Saint kicked the attack coming in his direction. He then yelled, “If you send a bombardment like that, you will destroy the weapon! Just wait!”
The Leo Generals were taken aback by the order.
“Saint-nim!”
“We won’t be able to save you if we do that!”
“If we delay any longer, the other disciples will be in danger!”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make an opening—”
Suddenly…
Swiftness! A scarlet light flashed and struck the Leo Saint, catching him off-guard. It sent Stevens flying into the distance.
“Kuh-huhk!”
He was kicked at a speed faster than light. The strike had been possible only because the Leo Saint had been distracted.
“Saint-nim!”
With an apathetic expression, Chun Yooha landed on top of Thousand Legs. “Rescue the Saint is a success!”
The generals felt like fainting.
“That’s not how you rescue someone!”
“Have you lost your mind? Do you realize this is being broadcast live to the world?”
Despite their words, Chun Yooha retrieved Lee Gun’s bone, which had fallen into the ocean, with a deadpan face. She then put the weapon away. The item had been her target from the beginning.
“The Leo Saint has fallen away from the monster!”
As soon as Stevens was gone, the other generals rushed toward the monster.
“I’ll make sure no one has to recall that video of Lee Gun!”
“I will be the one decorating the front page of the newspaper!”
The disciples were filled with the desire for fame and honor.
Soon, an ear-deafening explosion occurred on top of the ocean.
Kwahng!
“Koo-oohk…!!!”
“Jacob!”
“Shit! What the hell! This bastard is stronger than we expected!”
The generals who had been fighting one-on-one battles with the monster yelled, “Everyone, attack at once!”
The battle became fierce. Thousand Legs was stronger than they could have imagined.
“Just a bit more!”
“This is too dangerous! We’ve used up all our recovery items!”
“Endure it!”
They yelled as if their vocal cords would snap.
Kwahng! Kwahng!
They struck with everything they had, and the monster finally fell on top of the ocean.
“Huh-huhk!”
The bloodied fighters started laughing.
“We cut off its body!”
The generals gulped as they looked at the fallen enemy.
‘It was much stronger than expected.’
In the video, the monster had seemed slow. In real life, it was different. However, the disciples didn’t show any of this on the outside.
“Huh! It suddenly became a group raid, but the monster wasn’t that big of a deal!”
“It’s good to spread out the EXP to the disciples. Still, the fight was pretty boring.”
“I agree. Also, the monster was much smaller than the video made it out to be.”
“That’s right! We don’t need to put Lee Gun on a pedestal as the legendary hero—”
At that moment…
Go-ohhhhhh-
“…!”
The disciples who were getting ready to attack again froze. This sound was on a different level than before.
“Wait a moment! What the— Kuh-huhk!”
A dark shadow appeared from beneath the ocean. This shadow was much bigger; it was on a different level.
The disciples finally realized the source of their fear.
‘No way!’
“Shit! We killed its baby!”
“What?”
“The mom is the real one!”
They froze.
‘Such a strong monster was a baby?’
The monster surfaced in a terrifying manner.
Go-ohhhhhh-
Its presence was on a different level compared to the other one. The tens of thousands of disciples froze.
“It… it looks exactly like the one from the video!”
This monster was the real deal that had appeared in the video. However, something was different about it as well.
“What is this sense of pressure?”
The monster was terrifying and shocking. This was to be expected.
“L-Lee Gun really killed this by himself?”
Silence descended amongst them. Then, someone had a thought. The monster in the video looked lame. However, this wasn’t because the monster had been weak. The monster might have looked like that because Lee Gun was amazing. Lee Gun had killed the monster so easily that they thought it would be easy for them.
In the end, a scream cut through the heavy silence.
“Run!”
“We can’t win!”
The cameras deployed on the drones and the disciples all retreated in a frenzy. However…
“Kyahhhhk!”
The real Thousand Legs, which had surfaced on top of the ocean, started its bombardment.
Kwahng!
The disciples started drowning in the ocean, everyone feeling a sense of regret.
“This is crazy!”
“Who the fuck said we could recreate Lee Gun’s video?”
“The fact that we wanted to try that out was lunacy!”
They were going to die. They might be slaughtered to the last man. This thought crossed their minds.
At that moment, as if he had been waiting for this moment, the Goat Saint took out something. It was a detonation button.
However, something happened before he could press the button.
“You idiots! You guys can’t even kill an octopus?”
