Chapter 158: Scammer Zodiac (1)
The northern desert of the United States…
“This is crazy!”
Hugo screamed as he was flying through the air. His reaction was understandable. “We are riding Red Eye! This is complete lunacy!”
Yes, Lee Gun and his party were on the move by riding Red Eye. They were going to destroy the gates that had appeared all around the world. The reason for that was simple.
‘Unless the gates are destroyed, the black zone and red zone rank monsters will continue to come through.’
He was sure these gates were specially installed for this invasion. It was to send an unlimited supply of monsters through them.
Therefore, stopping the monsters from advancing through those portals was a priority. This would allow them to completely halt the invasion.
‘Afterward, I’ll hit the monarchs.’
Lee Gun had to first choose his Zodiac Saint and block the invasion.
That was why the group was moving to a different continent while riding Red Eye. Lee Gun’s temple didn’t have a flying-type Construct, so this was the method they decided on.
Still, this was the “Red Eye”!
Of course, Hugo had suggested he would go his own way. He suggested using the Sagittarius’s Construct.
“Hey. You’re the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint. Do you want a beating before you come with me? Or do you want to ride this cute little guy?”
In the end, Hugo was dragged along. He looked like he wanted to cry.
‘Shit! It is only cute in your eyes!’
The Chun siblings were having fun, but to others, Red Eye represented fear itself! It had almost caused the death of Lee Gun!
In truth, Red Eye was refraining from eating them only because Lee Gun was here. A slight movement from any human other than Lee Gun caused it to glare at them.
‘What the hell is this?’
Of course, someone here was extremely jealous of Hugo.
“That bastard always gets more than he deserves! He always receives the high-rank weapons, and he gets to ride Red Eye too?” Kevin grumbled. He was following them on the Virgo’s flying type Construct.
“I’ll probably do better work as a Zodiac Saint than him. If I’m the Zodiac Saint, Lee Gun will spar with me every day. If he doesn’t, I could request it as payment.”
These words made Stevens and the Leo disciples click their tongues. The Virgo’s Constructs, on the other hand, became nervous.
The Virgo standing to lose the precious Zodiac was a problem, but it wasn’t the only problem.
‘If Kevin leaves, many Constructs might want to leave with him!’
Lee Gun didn’t care if they were nervous or not. He heard a voice at that moment.
[Nineteen hours are left until Hugo Otis will be released as your Zodiac Saint.]
[When the Zodiac Saint entered your temple, you could use buffs. Its effects are starting to diminish.]
[The energy of the Serpent Bearer’s temple is steadily decreasing.]
[You have to choose an official Zodiac Saint.]
[You cannot use the full extent of the Serpent Bearer’s power without a Zodiac Saint.]
[What would you like to do?]
The voice made Lee Gun narrow his brows. He looked at Hugo as if he had an idea. “Hey, Taeksoo, I’m being serious. Do you want to become the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint for real?”
The Chun sibling flinched.
Hugo snorted as if Lee Gun were talking nonsense. “Your Zodiac Saint?”
He might have said something different if he didn’t know the truth, but things were different now. “At the end of the day, I refuse to become your servant…” Hugo said.
“I’m not it.” Lee Gun replied.
“What?”
“I’m not a Zodiac.”
The words baffled Hugo. “Stop lying…”
“I’m not. Do you not believe me?”
“…!” Hugo flinched at his friend’s gaze.
Lee Gun’s eyes flashed when he saw Hugo’s reaction. Those were clearly the eyes of a swindler
“Hey, have I ever said anything untrue up to this point? Everything I’ve said always comes to pass. Right? Therefore, do you believe what I’m saying?”
Hugo somewhat agreed with that. However, this was a bit different from what Lee Gun was talking about.
When Lee Gun saw Hugo’s expression, he grabbed his friend’s shoulder as if he was trying to drive the point home. “You said it before. A Zodiac cannot lie to its disciples. Any breach of faith goes against the contract. Don’t lies count as a betrayal? Aren’t you still a disciple of the Serpent Bearer?”
[Hugo Otis is not an official disciple of the Serpent Bearer.]
[He is under a provisional contract.]
Lee Gun laughed. “You should worship the Serpent Bearer with me.”
This surprised Hugo. “Hey. There are things I’ve seen…”
“You heard the voice, right? It’s the voice of a woman.”
“What? Uh!”
“She’s the Zodiac of our temple.”
Hugo was surprised. “The Zodiac is a goddess???”
“Yes. Isn’t that appealing?”
“N-No. I have Jiwoo, so I’m not really interested…” For a brief moment, Hugo rolled his eyes.
‘At the very least, she’s a thousand times better than some male god that cares about only outside appearances.’
His Zodiac had said a servant of his must have a good-looking face. It claimed disciples would join its temple if the leader had a good-looking face.
Moreover, although the Sagittarius had saved Hugo from the monsters, it had kidnapped the man while his parents were on their deathbed. It was a god that said Hugo should serve it because Hugo looked the best.
There was a reason Hugo was sick of his Zodiac.
Lee Gun laughed when he saw Hugo’s expression. He had hooked Hugo. “Aside from that, isn’t the power amazing? Look how strong I became after I left the tower; it’s all thanks to my Zodiac.”
“…?!”
This time, his words had a bigger effect.
[Faith has increased.]
[Faith has increased.]
[The increase of faith is increasing the energy of the temple.]
Hugo knew better since he had consumed it. He had clearly seen the benefits of the Serpent Bearer’s buffs. Moreover, Lee Gun wasn’t the Zodiac; it was a goddess.
“Do you know this? The Serpent Bearer is an incredible beauty.”
[Faith has increased.]
[Faith has increased.]
[Faith has increased by a massive amount.]
[The Sagittarius is agitated as if it is losing its mind.]
[The Sagittarius states that, that bastard is the Zodiac.]
[The Sagittarius states that, that bastard is the Zodiac.]
[The Sagittarius states that, that bastard is the Zodiac.]
What the Zodiac said didn’t matter. Hugo was truly wavering.
Satisfied at this, Lee Gun laughed. He didn’t want his niece to do dangerous and unpleasant work. That was why he was trying to choose Hugo.
‘If I can’t choose him, I’ll choose Yooha.’
Of course, the most ideal situation would be another useful candidate showing up.
And lo-and-behold…
[A candidate(4) for the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint has appeared.]
[The person is nearby.]
“!”
Lee Gun was happy to see that notification. He had Yooha, Hugo, and two unknown people as candidates. He had gained four Zodiac Saint candidates.
‘I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble gathering disciples.’
Lee Gun wondered who the fourth candidate was. In fact, this person was supposed to be nearby.
Suddenly…
[Kevin Hazard!]
[The Virgo’s Zodiac Saint has satisfied the condition to become your Zodiac Saint.]
[Appointing him as the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint is possible.]
A sour expression appeared on Lee Gun’s face. “I want him deleted. I don’t need him.”
[Kevin Hazard has been excluded from the candidacy of the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint.]
There was no way Lee Gun would make that attention seeker his Zodiac Saint. The man would probably beg every day for a sparring match. Lee Gun already knew he would be annoying.
Unaware of what was going on, Kevin flinched. Someone had triggered the Virgo Saint’s sensing skill, which was placed across the plains of the US.
[Never let go once caught(SS)]
Soon, Kevin closed his eyes as he activated his skills. Then, he saw someone in front of his eyes. The Virgo Saint’s brows narrowed.
‘Crab Saint?’
He was sure of it. His skill had caught sight of a woman riding a Construct as she traveled somewhere. She looked like the general of the Cancer temple, but the smell coming from her was that of the Cancer Saint.
This puzzled Kevin. The Cancer Saint’s holy ground was located in the southern hemisphere.
‘Why is he here?’
By the looks of it, the Cancer Saint was looking for someone…
‘This stinks!’
It was very rare for the Cancer Saint to come out in person. Above all else…
‘He was one of the last people to stay in the Devil’s Tower with Lee Gun.’
Kevin was sticking close to Lee Gun because he wanted to find the culprit who had stabbed Lee Gun.
‘It is worth checking out.’
Kevin yelled as he narrowed his brows, “Lee Gun!”
“!”
“You can destroy the gates by yourself, right?”
“!”
“I’m out for now. I’ll see you later.”
Hugo reacted in surprise. “There are still a lot of monsters around here! You won’t be able to do much by yourself!”
“I’ll be fine by myself! I don’t need the last-place Saint to worry about me!”
From the looks of it, Kevin wasn’t going on a short trip. Was it because Kevin was someone that had enough faith to be considered a Zodiac Saint candidate, or was he trying to take from the Virgo?
Lee Gun said as he looked at Kevin, “I’ll spar with you the next time we see each other.”
Color returned to Kevin’s face. “Really?! You promised! You better not go back on your word!”
Feeling happy, Kevin disappeared. For some reason, Lee Gun flicked his finger as he looked at Kevin.
At that moment…
Koo-goo-goohng!
“Uncle!”
As Chun Sungjae yelled, an aerial assault descended on them. It was a preemptive attack by the monsters. They were here to protect the gate which was in sight now. In front of them, four black pillars stood tall to form a ‘ㅁ’ shape.
“Monsters are coming out from there!”
The monsters were coming out from the black light within the pillars.
“Shit! They are all red rank!”
The disciples looked closer at the gate emitting black light. It caused a stir amongst them.
“What the hell is that?”
The monsters that exited the gate were odd; they were all babies. They grew into adults after they walked past the pillars. These monsters were maturing at an unbelievable speed.
At the same time, the black light emanating from the gate hit the disciples.
“Ahhk!”
Something frightening occurred next.
“Their appearances…”
Yes, all the people exposed to the light turned into old people.
Lee Gun, who was getting ready to get off Red Eye, clicked his tongue.
‘That light accelerates time.’
He found out why there was an endless parade of monsters that were hard to kill. This was all thanks to the light emanating from that gate.
‘It must be the power of the monarch.’
In the tower, a power kept rewinding time. And this power was the complete opposite.
Grinding his teeth, Hugo raised his bow. “We can’t fight at close-quarters. We’ll all die from old age if it gets close.”
However…
“Gun?!”
With an unworried expression, Lee Gun jumped down toward the gate.
“Gun!!”
The light emanating from the gate caused Lee Gun’s body to age, but Lee Gun didn’t care at all.
[Super Regeneration has been activated.]
[Your aged cells have recovered beyond the point of reference.]
At the same time, green and black light surged into the sky.
Kwang!!!
It truly was an incredible beam of light!
Kwah-gwa-gwa-gwahng!
The gate fell, and the monsters that were about to jump out were turned into chunks of meat.
[You have gained EXP.]
[You have gained EXP.]
[You have acquired data.]
The gate on which the unknown civilization’s second invasion hinged had been destroyed.
[You have acquired data]
[You have acquired monarch’s data(SSS)]
[Piece of “Prosperity”]
– Develop a partial immunity to the unknown civilization
[Piece of the “Abyss”]
– Instant teleportation (Reacts to the movement of monarch-rank magical energy)
Having acquired something unexpected, Lee Gun laughed. That wasn’t the end. Lee Gun activated his skill.
[Open holy ground]
– For the next 3 minutes, a fixed location can be turned into the Serpent Bearer’s holy ground. (Basic: Super Regeneration)
– The size increases as the Zodiac’s level increases (Current Size: 300m2)
– The status “Designate Holy ground” can be used to pick the Serpent Bearer’s holy ground.
With Lee Gun at the center, a green magical circle appeared on the floor. The green light surged into the sky, covering the people who had turned old.
[The Serpent Bearer’s temporary holy ground has been opened.]
[The holy ground’s special attribute “Super Regeneration” has been activated.]
The Leo disciples were moved when they turned back to normal. They yelled out loud.
“Lee Gun-nim! Huzzah!”
They could see a path to victory for humans.
“With this, we can reclaim the red zone and the black zone! It isn’t a complete dream!”
“We can give a massive contribution to our Zodiac!”
Suddenly, Lee Gun approached them and pushed his hand forward.
“!”
Lee Gun extended his hand toward Stevens. Stevens looked bashful as he extended his hand too.
“Yes. You did a good job. Thank—”
“I want a hundred thousand dollars for each person I regenerated.”
“W-What?!”
“Of course, you should pay if you receive treatment from me. Hmm?”
“…?!!!”
“It’s fine. I’ll claim it as debt toward your temple. You can deposit the amount in ten days.”
“Hey!!!”
At that moment…
[Warning! The flow of time has been distorted through an enemy’s attack.]
[One hour is left until Hugo Otis will be released as your Zodiac Saint.]
[Warning! When the Zodiac Saint will be released, all the Zodiac Saint’s buffs will disappear. The basic function of the Serpent bearer will stop.]
[Zodiac Descent skill will be stopped.]
Lee Gun furrowed his brows when he heard the notification. Once he picked the Zodiac Saint was picked, that wouldn’t change. That was why he wanted to take time in choosing his Zodiac Saint, but he seemed to be running out of time.
Therefore, he looked at Hugo. “Hey, Taeksoo, this is the last time I’ll ask. Do you want to become the Zodiac Saint or not?”
“!”
“This is your final chance. I’ll never ask it again.”
Chun Yooha waited for her father’s answer. If her father said no, she planned on immediately volunteering herself.
Soon, Hugo spoke. “I’m fine. I’m tempted, but I have mouths to feed.”
As Chun Yooha was about to raise her hand…
“Uh! Do you mind if I do it?”
Lee gun turned his head at the woman’s voice.
At the same time, everyone was surprised.
[A candidate(3) for the Serpent Bearer’s Zodiac Saint has appeared.]
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