Book 1, Epilogue 22 - You are excommunicated (1)
“Koo-ooh-oohk!! I’ll do it this time! Ooh-ahhhhh!!”
Hugo roared toward the sky. He was once again clasping his teacher’s hand and arm-wrestling him.
Hugo was trying to test how much his strength had grown since the last time.
Lee Gun smirked at his roar. “You really are a try-hard. It doesn’t matter since I’ll win again today.”
“No. Today will be different!! I have a month until I take the last test!!”
“Give me your best. You can squeeze out all the strength you can muster, but you won’t be able to win against—”
‘!’
When Hugo used his strength, Lee Gun was taken aback.
“…!!!”
Hugo’s strength was different from normal. Normally, Lee Gun’s arm wouldn’t even budge, but right now, he was being pushed back.
‘Really?’
Lee Gun quickly put strength into his arm.
“!!”
Up until now, he had never put strength into his arm during arm-wrestling with Hugo. So when Lee Gun genuinely put strength into his arm, it was very effective.
Hugo’s arm started to be pushed down.
“Koohk!”
The Archer Saint’s veins popped as if a loss wasn’t an option.
“Ooh-ahhhhhhh!”
At the same time, Lee Gun’s arm started to move in the other direction bit by bit.
“…!”
When Lee Gun’s arm started to lose ground, Hugo knew this was his opportunity. He put more strength into his arm. “Ooh-rahhhhhhh!! This will be my victory!”
Doo-doo-doohk!
Lee Gun was taken aback. Even though he was using all his power, Hugo was pushing back his arm, making him ground his teeth.
‘This is getting risky.’
Lee Gun’s eyes flashed as he infused his hand with magical energy.
Boo-oohng!
But he didn’t infuse it just in his right hand. He also infused the energy into the left hand, which was gripping the desk! Then, a strange pattern appeared on Lee Gun’s palm.
Boo-oohng!!!
Finally, the side of the table where Hugo was putting his weight on started to crack.
Crunch!
“Uh, uh?!”
Lee Gun had secretly activated a skill called Dismantle. It was one of the manufacturing skills under the “One-room Workshop” skill. This skill could destroy an item or an ingredient.
Thanks to the destruction of the table, a flustered Hugo lost strength in his arm for a moment!
Lee Gun immediately used this opportunity to pin Hugo’s hand.
Kwahng!!!
“Ahhk!!”
The table was destroyed as well. Hugo was tossed to the ground as the evidence was destroyed.
“Alright. I won. As expected, I’m strong.”
When Lee Gun laughed in satisfaction, Hugo was infuriated. “No way! You cheated!!! I won!!”
“What? There is no way you won.” Lee Gun snorted and brushed off his hands.
Aggrieved, Hugo grumbled.
On the other hand, Lee Gun pouted.
‘He’s grown a lot in terms of power.’
Even Lee Gun was in danger of losing to Hugo in terms of strength. The thought made him flinch as he looked at his hands.
‘Or did I get weaker?’
Hugo did get stronger, but was Lee Gun’s power deteriorating at a more rapid rate? After the raid in Russia, Lee Gun’s body had been getting worse. However, he didn’t show his emotions. In the end, it didn’t change what he had to do.
* * *
At that moment, someone was perturbed by Lee Gun.
‘Why can’t I cut it?’
It was Jean-Louis.
He had tried to cut Hugo’s thread, and he had failed. That was why he was grinding his teeth.
‘Damn it! I have to separate Hugo from Lee Gun at all costs.’
Despite the failures, he had other ideas. He was about to contact someone when…
“Hey, you want to die? You dare work on that pushover this time?”
“!!”
Jean-Louis was surprised to hear a voice behind him. It was none other than Kevin.
As if he knew he had caught Jean-Louis red-handed, Kevin mockingly said, “Recently, I noticed Teacher has been in a terrible mood. In the beginning, I didn’t think much about it, but his mood has worsened much more these days.”
Jean-Louis was dumbfounded. “What the hell do you want me to do about that?”
“If you want to do something naughty, you should lock yourself in the restroom and play with yourself. Stop messing with a person who did nothing to you.”
Jean-Louis innocently replied, “Something naughty—”
“You did it, right?” Kevin cut him off.
“What?”
“You did something to mess with Teacher and that magician.”
“…!?”
It was rare to see Jean-Louis flustered.
Kevin contemptuously laughed. “What? I’m right. While that magician might have a terrible personality, there is no way she would have wanted to kill Teacher.”
Jean-Louis looked at Kevin as if the latter were a nuisance.
Kevin was an outsider who didn’t like getting along with others, yet he was always quick on the uptake. So it was hard to predict his movement.
This was why Jean-Louis would get caught and tortured by Negligence in twenty years. It was all thanks to Kevin.
In other words, Kevin was the number one obstacle among the twelve Zodiac Saints. There was a reason Jean-Louis would later try to frame Kevin as the guilty party.
Anyway, the cheeky Kevin headed toward Lee Gun. “I’ll spill everything to Teacher.”
Jean-Louis’s eyes flashed as he tried to stop Kevin, but he couldn’t.
‘!’
As soon as he was about to lay a hand on Kevin, Kevin terrifyingly unsheathed his sword. As expected of the rare genius swordsman, he was about to decapitate Jean-Louis!
Kwah-jeek!
“…!”
However, Kevin suddenly froze in place.
A surprised Jean-Louis looked behind Kevin and caught sight of a familiar woman.
“You should be careful. It would be a shame if our plans unravel because of this.”
“Monarch of Negligence….”
This monarch had taken on the form of Giselle, and she could use a variety of debuffs. One of her names was also the name of her ability: Negligence.
In simple words, this debuff demoralized her opponent. It also messed with the memories and the will of the target.
The Indolence debuff made Kevin’s eyes glassy as if he were a doll.
Jean-Louis laughed as though this gave him a headache.
“Since it’s a skill that can’t be overused, I wanted to use it at the perfect moment.”
Jean-Louis smirked as he looked at the threads of connection emanating from Kevin’s body. He was aiming for the one called “Admiration.”
Kevin admired Lee Gun so much that he referred to Lee Gun as his teacher. What if Jean-Louis got rid of that?
Jean-Louis made a hand gesture and cut Kevin’s thread.
Suh-guhk!
At that moment, Kevin lowered his sword, which had been pointed at Jean-Louis.
Jean-Louis laughed. “Virgo Saint. What did you say about your teacher??”
“Teacher….”
“What will you do to your teacher?”
“Why am I referring to Lee Gun as my teacher?” Befuddled, Kevin turned around. “Ah! It suddenly makes me feel dirty.”
Jean-Louis cackled. Since his ability hadn’t worked against Hugo, he had been worried. It seemed his worries were unfounded now that he saw what had happened to Kevin.
‘It was a temporary problem.’
Jean-Louis wasn’t a human. He was an enemy of the Zodiacs. Since he was a monster, he sometimes lost connection with his Zodiac. Well, it didn’t matter in the end.
‘It won’t take long for that bundle of trouble to look at Lee Gun as if he’s a bug.’
Since he had gotten rid of Kevin’s admiration for Lee Gun, Kevin would treat Lee Gun as a bug. That wasn’t all.
“I also used my Negligence (Scorn) ability. There is no way he’ll treat Lee Gun as a human.”
“Yes. That’s how it should be.”
Negligence and Jean-Louis cackled as they disappeared.
The hidden Giselle had been watching this. She clasped her hands as if she was praying.
‘I hope it was effective.’
She had used a skill nullifying ability. The real Giselle kept praying over and over again.
* * *
“Lee Gun! Lee Gun!”
“Hugo! Hugo!”
Two weeks had passed since the raid to Russia had ended. All the people around the world were calling out Lee Gun’s name. Everyone knew who he was now.
However, the darkness became deeper as one received more light. As his reputation grew each day, useless noise followed as well.
[Lee Gun is too focused on killing the monsters. He is too scary.]
[There have been times when he prioritized killing monsters over saving humans.]
[Is Lee Gun really a hero? Or is he a hunter who is obsessed with killing monsters?]
The reporters also became dogged in asking questions to Lee Gun. This was true today as well.
“As Lee Gun’s partner, haven’t you ever thought Lee Gun’s actions are a bit off?”
After a monster raid, the reporters came rushing in like wraiths and punched on Hugo.
Lee Gun always hated the media, so if he caught sight of reports, he chased them away with a stick.
“Didn’t Lee Gun leave the rescue of humans to Mr. Hugo today? Lee Gun wasn’t interested in saving humans. He seems to focus on only killing monsters.”
“It’s because Teacher trusts me…”
“Ah! You guys shared duties?”
Hugo flinched. If he were being honest, this bothered Hugo too.
‘It’s true. Recently, Teacher has been more focused on killing monsters than rescuing humans.’
It made Hugo worried, so he had asked Lee Gun about it. Lee Gun had merely snorted.
- Are you kidding me? Of course, we should be prioritizing killing the monsters.
It seemed a reporter had read the uncertainty in Hugo’s eyes. The eyes of this reporter flashed as he moved closer to Hugo.
“Many speculate that Lee Gun isn’t getting rid of monsters for humanity. It’s said that he’s addicted to fighting, and he feels a thrill from killing monsters. What do you think about this?”
“There is no way that’s true.” Hugo looked offended as he got out of there. However, he also seemed anxious.
The reporter who had just interviewed him— No, Aquarius snickered as it looked at Hugo.
It seemed the Zodiac’s attack had worked. After returning to their lodging, Hugo didn’t even bother washing. He glared at Lee Gun. “Teacher.”
“What?”
“Why did you prioritize killing monsters today?”
“I told you to eat your food, so why are you bringing up this nonsense?”
“Have you seen the recent news about you, Teacher?”
It seemed Lee Gun had lost his appetite when the news was mentioned. “Idiot. Now that you’re famous, you are worried about what the media says?”
“I’m not trying to worry about it. However, I have no choice but to pay attention to it!!”
“!”
Hugo glared at him. “I’ve told you this several times before, but I believe you ignore the hostages a bit too much!”
“What?”
“Today is a great example. The hostages were in danger, so why did you choose to kill the monsters first?”
“You rescued the hostages.”
Hugo’s face brightened a little. “That means you would have saved them first if I wasn’t present?”
“No.”
All the humor left Hugo’s face. He had felt the frostiness in Lee Gun’s answer. It made the constant worry change into distrust a bit.
“May I ask why you prioritized killing the monsters first?”
“It’s a feeling I had.”
“What?”
“I can’t explain it with words. It’s like asking you to describe how you can raise your arms. You can’t explain it.”
“Huh! You made a judgment call because you had a feeling that the monsters had to be prioritized over the hostages. Why?”
Lee Gun clicked his tongue. “When have you understood my intentions because I explained them? You should do as always. Just follow my orders..”
“Are you sure you don't just enjoy killing the monsters?”
At that moment, all humor disappeared from Lee Gun’s face. “What did you just say?”
The question continued to bother Hugo, so he spoke up. “In my opinion, you like killing monsters more than saving humans.”
“Hey.”
“This is reflected in the commissions you take on. You’re the first one on the battlefield because you don’t like your prey being stolen by the Zodiac Saints— Koohk!”
A piece of meat, which Lee Gun had been eating, struck Hugo’s face.
Lee Gun never threw food. Murderous intent emanated from him. “Fuck off! Get out of my face.”
“No…!”
“It seems you let it go to your head because you almost won a couple of arm-wrestling matches.”
“Teach—”
“Don’t call me teacher. You’re excommunicated.”
“…!”
“Our values have always differed. There is no reason for incompatible people to stay together. I hope to never see you again.” Lee Gun had an expression as if his mood had been spoiled.
Dumbfounded, Hugo gritted his teeth. “Alright, Lee Gun. You are full of yourself. You are a psycho who is crazed about fighting.”
Finally, Hugo packed his belongings and left.
Lee Jaewon, who witnessed this, looked anxious. However, another person was even more anxious.
[No! The Faith thread is disappearing!]
It was the real Giselle. She had believed Hugo would be fine, but that seemed to have been a mistake.
She tried to tie the two of them once again, but…
“I knew something funny was happening.”
[?!]
The real Giselle jumped in surprise. Jean-Louis and Negligence were standing behind her.
“I never expected you to be still alive after I consumed you. That’s why I never thought about exploring this possibility. Ah. I guess you’re a soul, so does that mean you aren’t alive?”
Jean-Louis was flabbergasted. He had worked on Heiji, Kevin, and Hugo. He had finally made it so that they looked at Lee Gun as if he were a bug. He even made one of them want to kill Lee Gun.
However, he had always felt that his work hadn’t been as effective as he wanted it to be. And now he knew why.
“It seems you’ve been secretly working against us. Despite dying to a monarch, you’re still acting heroic. ”
[…!]
The real Giselle quickly tried to run away.
[Koohk!]
Jean-Louis yanked the real Giselle back by her hair. “The monarchs will love being given the soul of a Zodiac Saint.”
Negligence laughed.
“You weren’t that tasty, so I’ll let the other monarchs have you.”
Along with those words, a monster appeared behind Jean-Louis. It was none other than the monarch that followed Abyss.
“Please take her to the world of monarchs. If she is taken to Time, she’ll never be able to die. She’ll become a useful source of nutrition for the monarchs.”
The monster nodded as it summoned dark holes in the ground. There were a total of six holes, and the one at the center was connected to the world of the monarchs.
Giselle was about to be dragged away by the monster when…
“Damn it! That maggot should’ve taken all his items!!” An angry Lee Gun threw a bag toward the sky. It was a bag containing Hugo’s belongings.
The bag hit the monster holding Giselle.
Kwahng!!!
“!!”
It had happened in an instant, so Jean-Louis and Negligence were surprised.
Since Lee Gun was powerful, the trash bag had turned into a cannonball. In the end, the monster holding Giselle fainted, and they fell into a different hole.
[K…Kuh-huhk…!]
Instead of the one in the middle, they had fallen into the one in the 12-o’clock position.
A flustered Jean-Louis and Negligence rushed toward them, but they didn’t even have the chance to catch her.
Koo-oohng!!!
‘!’
The monster and the soul fell into the 12-o’clock hole and disappeared.
Jean-Louis and Negligence were shocked since they knew where this hole led to.
“That one is connected to the Divine world…!”
“What? We won’t be able to chase after her there!!”
On that day, the Libra Saint Giselle fell into the Divine world. She had fallen into the Underworld, the crappiest part of the Divine world.
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