Chapter 166 – An Unexpected Luck (2)
Changseong, leading the way, began to talk nonstop.WkhsPO
“The Hero Association’s Seoul branch is the second largest in the world. Why? Because Korea plays a central role in the world of heroes. It may not have vast territory, but its influence is no small thing. And I’m personally fond of Korea. Wasn’t I a Joaquin student too? Anyway, fitting its size, the Seoul branch stores nearly half of the world’s artifacts. And one of them is the Monolith you’re looking for.”O2NdG
Kang Geom-Ma looked at his back and thought that for such a big body, he had an even bigger mouth. He talked more than most teenage girls. At first, Media seemed fed up with Changseong’s chatter but eventually let him speak—it was more tolerable that way.MfVDYq
“We’re here.”R8Ayn
At last, they stopped in front of a door so massive it covered an entire wall in height and width. It was made of processed titanium, designed to block unauthorized access.VaDO7
Changseong gave a chin-nod to one of the accompanying agents. The agent quickly placed his thumb on a fingerprint scanner.Uw7ra
Ching—KTYxYn
The titanium door split open as if it were cleaving in two. Changseong gave the agents a command:YWL0y8
“You all, wait outside.”pIxV
Walking heavily, Kang Geom-Ma glanced inside. Various objects were displayed behind glass cases. Just looking at them, it was clear these were rare treasures.iq9i
‘It feels very sci-fi.’zu45W
A chemical-smelling mist spread across the floor. According to Changseong, it was specially treated oxygen to prevent damage to the items.89qbI
Kang Geom-Ma nodded vaguely while Changseong proudly explained, smiling with satisfaction as they walked deeper.dfu
After about five minutes, they arrived at what looked like a giant dolmen.9sujA
‘…That’s the Monolith?’abM
For a rock, it was undeniably imposing—but still, just a rock. Kang Geom-Ma couldn’t hide his confusion, and Changseong immediately noticed.L65
“Ha ha ha! Just like I thought. Didn’t Director Sung tell you? From the outside, it looks like just a rock.”owCkki
“He did… but I thought it was a metaphor. It’s kind of baffling that it’s literally a rock. Hard to believe it’s an artifact.”7fk
Kang Geom-Ma commented, and Changseong replied:PSFQa
“Don’t worry, it’s been confirmed. Association researchers studied it for years before reaching that conclusion. Don’t be too disappointed. Look here—see these charcoal drawings? They show how our ancestors lived.”DUaBAr
Sure enough, getting closer revealed carvings on the stone. They depicted scenes of primitive life.EqZEE
“And that’s not all. The one who drew them was the only ancient surviv—”cdGFx8
Changseong cut himself off when he noticed Media’s stare.ftyw
Her green eyes, cold as ice, locked onto him. She said nothing, arms crossed.nZQA9a
Changseong coughed heavily and changed the subject, clapping Kang Geom-Ma on the back.oHi
“Well, this is where my tour ends. Media and I are heading up to the meeting room. If you need anything, just call an agent with that intercom over there.”byPh
Kang Geom-Ma was taken aback by the sudden kindness. Not that he minded—in fact, he appreciated it—but it still felt odd. Why was Changseong being so helpful?dfUDFu
Was it, as Media said, an attempt to coax him into joining the Association? But from Kang Geom-Ma’s perspective, it didn’t seem that way.4Zy
Even looking at his face for clues, all he saw was an honest, straightforward smile.l9IH
Now that he thought about it, Changseong hadn’t even asked why he wanted access to the Monolith. A topic anyone else would have deemed critical.Wo7
How could they leave him alone in a vault full of magical artifacts with no supervision? What if he suddenly decided to steal something?1Zs
Just before the two left, Kang Geom-Ma called out to Changseong’s broad back:mDE1c
“This is the first time we’ve met—why are you doing all this for me? Even if it’s meant as a reward, how can you be sure I won’t do anything with all this?”Eao
Changseong turned his head slightly, a heroic smile on his face.zMx
“A weak man shouldn’t question the actions of the strong. You’re stronger than me, so I’m just acting on my beliefs.”ld9j
“……”HWU
“I know what you’re thinking. How can anyone trust someone enough to leave them alone in a room full of treasures? But so what? Compared to the thousands of lives you saved, these things are worth nothing. So go do what you came to do. Us old folks are out of here. Ha ha ha!”zJc6FE
His laugh echoed off the titanium walls until his silhouette vanished into the shadows.G6C
Once the two Seven Star members were gone, Kang Geom-Ma silently stared after them. Then he turned back toward the Monolith and approached to look more closely at the carvings on the stone.usu
“An ancient mural showing a hunting scene, huh…”68v
Kang Geom-Ma frowned. The more he looked at the image, the more he felt it wasn’t just a simple mural.4YAAn
The hunter and the prey were eerily similar. The only visible difference was that the hunter had wings sprouting from his back while the victim did not. It was deeply unsettling.mfErhY
After a moment’s hesitation, Kang Geom-Ma extended his hand. Despite his confusion, there was a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.wPL
‘Will the status window appear again like it did with “The Swordmaster’s Longing”?’ he thought, just as his palm touched the stone’s cold, rough surface.kAiy7
========apHu
[NEW! Emergency Mission Activated.]pys
You are about to witness the memories of someone from the mythical era.P4DFFq
[※ You can obtain the second Memory Fragment of 【???】. Total collected (1/7).]1lBzrQ
[※ This mission is completed just by viewing.]pNllt3
[※ However, moving will prevent you from receiving bonus rewards.]DlwFA
========4kSPtV
Would you like to accept the mission? (Y/N)VRBdg
[???? Time remaining to accept – 0:03]DIyly
========7kb
He stood frozen for a moment, stunned by the pop-up window. ‘You complete it just by watching?’ Last time, he had to duel himself with swords. Compared to that, this was sheer luck… a real steal.J8Elz3
Rrrrraaaaarrrrr…pPkYt
But immediately, a gut-wrenching emotion surged from his fingers to his ears. A muffled voice, like a resentful lament.2QzoN
By reflex, Kang Geom-Ma shook his head in confusion. The emotional weight felt like needles piercing his spine.fpVL
…!IyS
He almost pulled his hand away in shock. But before he could, his consciousness faded faster than he could think.0YHh
(Y/N)
▲GZHWxE ***wpFZe Reception Room – Seoul Branchyf0 “For now, our Academy will present it to the press like this… Annoying to think those reporters won’t have any trouble getting news for a while.”W6eX2c “In return, the Hero Association will handle everything else. Just hang in there until then.”uGfpF Changseong replied seriously to Media’s words.zvYW3P Media, who had left a stack of documents on the table, let out a short laugh.17F0J “Gorilla, since when did you get so smart? Are you really the same guy who used to be involved in shady business back at the Academy?”PPNA “The human brain is also a muscle! If you train your body constantly, intelligence increases naturally too!”Alq9W Media shook his head. He was far too exhausted after several sleepless nights to respond properly.qCQI1 “…My fault for asking. By the way, earlier you nearly mentioned my ancestors, didn’t you?”vVI7Tw “A-ah, sorry. It just slipped out. I’ll be more careful going forward.”emO “Forget it. I never planned to keep it secret forever anyway. Most people around me already know. Still, I wanted to tell Geom-Ma myself.”vbvU9 “……”ii3bbF “That I am a descendant of humanity that received divine punishment.”6BtaON ***gM92 Whooosh.Mc2ZI A gentle breeze blew. The golden rice swayed like waves. People dressed in tanned hides were in the middle of harvest.NcCl They held crude tools, cutting rice with what they considered swords.necbU From a modern point of view, they were more like a cross between a sword and a sickle, but to the ancients, they were simply swords.F3LI Swords brought convenience to the ancients. They made harvesting easier and improved the quality of the hunt. Thanks to this, the problem of survival was resolved.1TZEH2 This progress was granted by the sword. Until a few years earlier, the ancients had bowed to the sky begging for rain, worshipping celestial beings. Their lives were trapped in an endless cycle of prayer.I6c The sword freed them from that mundane cycle. Now they could sustain life with their own hands, and for that, they never stopped smiling with satisfaction.DD16W They no longer needed to beg the sky.sW9JWI Their passive outlook on life became active. And thus, the celestial beings quickly began to vanish from human memory.U6inXc It didn’t take long for them to realize that would be the beginning of the end.E4fM ·
·
·nKQdz A little girl was braiding flowers. She carefully made a crown for her father, who had gone hunting.2B5g “Daddy’s going to love this!”4eF3 Having prepared her surprise gift, the girl looked around. The harvest was in full swing, the adults gathering the rice with their tools.q1L “Hehe, we’re having rice with meat again today~.”zx5r Just the thought of it made her feel full. A smile spread across her face.Ftvo …Boom!FAx A thunderclap rumbled through the clear sky. The girl quickly looked up. Her wide eyes sparkled with surprise.MNf “Hm?”11V Someone floated in the cloudless sky. How could they be floating like that? Then she noticed something else—this person was walking majestically through the air, shedding white feathers.miT2vw On the figure’s back was a pair of wings made of pure white feathers. Suddenly, she remembered something her grandmother had told her: that back when she was a child, there were still beings people sought after, and occasionally their emissaries would appear…p6E “It’s an angel!”QKpS She exclaimed with excitement, clapping in awe. She never thought she’d actually see an angel! She was too shocked to even question if it was real—too young to judge it properly. She decided to remember the image clearly.KSpTP “Wow, so beautiful.”oxD1O She murmured in bliss. The more she looked, the more enchanted she became.cDj Then, suddenly…hBXP2C Swish, swish, swish.iXZz The number of angels began to multiply rapidly. Five, six, seven… The girl stopped counting once they surpassed her fingers. She could only stare, stunned, as they multiplied endlessly.eeb2mv Soon, the angels’ shadows covered the entire plain. The sky filled so heavily that the adults finally looked up.2QvasP “W-what is that…?”OU5 The village elder shouted, his face paling with terror, and fear shook the cane in his hand.lu8EW The girl tilted her head in confusion when a voice echoed in her mind. She grabbed her head from the sudden pain.EVgQ7a 「How pitiful.」qfn4W The voice came in fragments. They were emissaries of the stars—a single voice, yet all voices at once.VZUP7 「In the end, this generation too has failed, drowned in the corruption of Evil.」VtkT3t Doong!GGN A trumpet blared. The angels lowered their stances.FzW 「O stars.」Vl8A8 Countless white wings stirred in unison.kl3II 「We shall carry out divine punishment in your name.」L1HuS The ivory feathers radiated light before scattering swiftly. They tore across the land at speeds invisible to the eye. In an instant, the golden field was dyed deep red.hEZt The girl looked around in confusion.a4W The heads of women harvesting rice fell like seeds. The men returning from hunting were gutted in seconds. The angels’ wings hung heavy, soaked in blood.bbYD She knew she would soon share the same fate.7arC “……”WSw A pair of crimson wings spread out in front of her. The girl dropped the flower crown she had been holding. The winged being spoke:LBB 「You are young. But do not fear. The stars have promised not to interfere with the next generation.」pcF48L The angel raised a hand drenched in blood and viscera.Gb4ZMq 「Close your eyes in peace, little failure.」xJi The girl did not cry. Her eyes shone blankly, like porcelain.i7F Tsk!aWl Just then, someone clicked their tongue behind her. She turned to look.Tyl67q “How am I supposed to sit still watching this? You expect me to endure even an illusion attacking a little girl?”veOg3C A man with dark hair and strange clothes. He was the only shadow of darkness in this white hell. Slowly, he drew a short sword.L1IRVT “Also, you call yourselves angels? Ridiculous. You’re just pigeons pretending to be divine messengers.”4cql Click! Steel rang out, and all the angels frowned. Every gaze locked onto Kang Geom-Ma.olY The blade roared with fury. Kang Geom-Ma closed and then opened his eyes.N1FN The sword was the will to live forged into iron—a tool of humanity imbued with a pioneering spirit.ui8FK [The Blessing of the God of the Sword manifests.]oluOv And also a weapon made to kill enemies.EkVv
▲GZHWxE ***wpFZe Reception Room – Seoul Branchyf0 “For now, our Academy will present it to the press like this… Annoying to think those reporters won’t have any trouble getting news for a while.”W6eX2c “In return, the Hero Association will handle everything else. Just hang in there until then.”uGfpF Changseong replied seriously to Media’s words.zvYW3P Media, who had left a stack of documents on the table, let out a short laugh.17F0J “Gorilla, since when did you get so smart? Are you really the same guy who used to be involved in shady business back at the Academy?”PPNA “The human brain is also a muscle! If you train your body constantly, intelligence increases naturally too!”Alq9W Media shook his head. He was far too exhausted after several sleepless nights to respond properly.qCQI1 “…My fault for asking. By the way, earlier you nearly mentioned my ancestors, didn’t you?”vVI7Tw “A-ah, sorry. It just slipped out. I’ll be more careful going forward.”emO “Forget it. I never planned to keep it secret forever anyway. Most people around me already know. Still, I wanted to tell Geom-Ma myself.”vbvU9 “……”ii3bbF “That I am a descendant of humanity that received divine punishment.”6BtaON ***gM92 Whooosh.Mc2ZI A gentle breeze blew. The golden rice swayed like waves. People dressed in tanned hides were in the middle of harvest.NcCl They held crude tools, cutting rice with what they considered swords.necbU From a modern point of view, they were more like a cross between a sword and a sickle, but to the ancients, they were simply swords.F3LI Swords brought convenience to the ancients. They made harvesting easier and improved the quality of the hunt. Thanks to this, the problem of survival was resolved.1TZEH2 This progress was granted by the sword. Until a few years earlier, the ancients had bowed to the sky begging for rain, worshipping celestial beings. Their lives were trapped in an endless cycle of prayer.I6c The sword freed them from that mundane cycle. Now they could sustain life with their own hands, and for that, they never stopped smiling with satisfaction.DD16W They no longer needed to beg the sky.sW9JWI Their passive outlook on life became active. And thus, the celestial beings quickly began to vanish from human memory.U6inXc It didn’t take long for them to realize that would be the beginning of the end.E4fM ·
·
·nKQdz A little girl was braiding flowers. She carefully made a crown for her father, who had gone hunting.2B5g “Daddy’s going to love this!”4eF3 Having prepared her surprise gift, the girl looked around. The harvest was in full swing, the adults gathering the rice with their tools.q1L “Hehe, we’re having rice with meat again today~.”zx5r Just the thought of it made her feel full. A smile spread across her face.Ftvo …Boom!FAx A thunderclap rumbled through the clear sky. The girl quickly looked up. Her wide eyes sparkled with surprise.MNf “Hm?”11V Someone floated in the cloudless sky. How could they be floating like that? Then she noticed something else—this person was walking majestically through the air, shedding white feathers.miT2vw On the figure’s back was a pair of wings made of pure white feathers. Suddenly, she remembered something her grandmother had told her: that back when she was a child, there were still beings people sought after, and occasionally their emissaries would appear…p6E “It’s an angel!”QKpS She exclaimed with excitement, clapping in awe. She never thought she’d actually see an angel! She was too shocked to even question if it was real—too young to judge it properly. She decided to remember the image clearly.KSpTP “Wow, so beautiful.”oxD1O She murmured in bliss. The more she looked, the more enchanted she became.cDj Then, suddenly…hBXP2C Swish, swish, swish.iXZz The number of angels began to multiply rapidly. Five, six, seven… The girl stopped counting once they surpassed her fingers. She could only stare, stunned, as they multiplied endlessly.eeb2mv Soon, the angels’ shadows covered the entire plain. The sky filled so heavily that the adults finally looked up.2QvasP “W-what is that…?”OU5 The village elder shouted, his face paling with terror, and fear shook the cane in his hand.lu8EW The girl tilted her head in confusion when a voice echoed in her mind. She grabbed her head from the sudden pain.EVgQ7a 「How pitiful.」qfn4W The voice came in fragments. They were emissaries of the stars—a single voice, yet all voices at once.VZUP7 「In the end, this generation too has failed, drowned in the corruption of Evil.」VtkT3t Doong!GGN A trumpet blared. The angels lowered their stances.FzW 「O stars.」Vl8A8 Countless white wings stirred in unison.kl3II 「We shall carry out divine punishment in your name.」L1HuS The ivory feathers radiated light before scattering swiftly. They tore across the land at speeds invisible to the eye. In an instant, the golden field was dyed deep red.hEZt The girl looked around in confusion.a4W The heads of women harvesting rice fell like seeds. The men returning from hunting were gutted in seconds. The angels’ wings hung heavy, soaked in blood.bbYD She knew she would soon share the same fate.7arC “……”WSw A pair of crimson wings spread out in front of her. The girl dropped the flower crown she had been holding. The winged being spoke:LBB 「You are young. But do not fear. The stars have promised not to interfere with the next generation.」pcF48L The angel raised a hand drenched in blood and viscera.Gb4ZMq 「Close your eyes in peace, little failure.」xJi The girl did not cry. Her eyes shone blankly, like porcelain.i7F Tsk!aWl Just then, someone clicked their tongue behind her. She turned to look.Tyl67q “How am I supposed to sit still watching this? You expect me to endure even an illusion attacking a little girl?”veOg3C A man with dark hair and strange clothes. He was the only shadow of darkness in this white hell. Slowly, he drew a short sword.L1IRVT “Also, you call yourselves angels? Ridiculous. You’re just pigeons pretending to be divine messengers.”4cql Click! Steel rang out, and all the angels frowned. Every gaze locked onto Kang Geom-Ma.olY The blade roared with fury. Kang Geom-Ma closed and then opened his eyes.N1FN The sword was the will to live forged into iron—a tool of humanity imbued with a pioneering spirit.ui8FK [The Blessing of the God of the Sword manifests.]oluOv And also a weapon made to kill enemies.EkVv
What did you think of this chapter?
0 reactions
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
Reader Settings
Page mode
Timer
Text Indent
Auto scroll
Tap to read
Pin menu
Translate page
Select language to automatically translate chapter content.
Audio & AI Voice
This chapter has pre-loaded audio
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaGo get them My bro.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaPathetic they are shame on name of angels.