Chapter 14: Give It Back

Lee Gun’s laughter made everyone’s expression change.

'His item?' The man on the receiving end of Lee Gun’s attention, Min Sunghoon, scoffed. “What the hell are you saying? Why would I have your item?”

“It should have this mark engraved on it,” Lee Gun explained.

“What?”

Soon, something caught everyone's attention. It was Lee Gun’s fingertip. Its top was curved, but the bottom was straight. Lee Gun made this gesture twice, and everyone’s expression distorted. It was to be expected. The symbol looked like two 2s drawn backward; it was a unique shape. Moreover, the whole world knew that signature.

“Wait a moment! Are you talking about Lee Gun’s holy item?”

“Yes, I’m talking about that.”

“Hey!” The first person to make a fuss was Chun Sungjae. He had been wondering what the man wanted to say in such a serious manner when he had seen that symbol. It's Lee Gun-nim’s holy item, so why are you claiming it as yours?”

For a moment, when he had seen this man's sword technique, his heart was moved. However, he still hung on to the idea that this man wasn’t Lee Gun.

As for Lee Gun, he didn't care what others thought. With a bright smile on his face, he shamelessly extended his hand. “You have it, right? My item. Hurry up and give it to me.”

“Huh!” Min Sunghoon was at a loss for words. Of course, he was keeping his mouth shut only because a blade was pressed against his neck. ‘Have you lost your mind?’

The man's words were true. Min Sunghoon was indeed carrying around Lee Gun’s holy item. If he were being honest, this item was meant for the general of his temple, but Min Sunghoon had taken it for himself. ‘I assumed Lee Gun’s holy item would greatly help me in my career.’

However...

‘I don’t know how to use it, so I’ve been just carrying it around.’ It was the same for the others. No one knew what this item did. It was the reason Saint Gemini had given it to the general without making a fuss.

Lee Gun put more strength into his blade. “Whatever! Hurry up and give me my item. I don’t want to search your body. That’s not my thing.”

“…!” Min Sunghoon trembled when he saw the light in Lee Gun’s eyes change. At first, he had thought that the man was an escapee from a mental hospital, but he had seen things he couldn’t ignore. Moreover, the look in Lee Gun’s eyes worried him more even as the blade was pressed against his neck. The man in front of him was laughing, yet Min Sunghoon felt an odd sense of pressure coming from him.

‘… Is he the real Lee Gun? It can't be!’ Min Sunghoon almost slapped his own head for having such a thought. It was nonsense. ‘Yes. Their ages are different.’

Back then, Lee Gun had been twenty-nine years old. Even if one took into account that he was superhuman, at the very least, he should've looked like a forty-year-old.

‘By the end, his face looked like that of a sixty-year-old man.’

Of course, the twelve Zodiac Saints and the disciples closest to the gods were an exception to aging. It might be their closeness to the gods, or it might be because they received the most power. Whatever it was, they aged much slower than regular Users. Then, there was the beautiful Zodiac Saint, who didn’t age, like a vampire.

‘I’ve never heard of a Saint who could turn back the effects of time!’

It was a bit too much to believe that someone who used to look like an old man in his fifties-sixties twenty years ago would now look like a person in his late teens. Moreover, unlike the other twelve, Lee Gun hadn’t received any blessings from the gods. He didn’t have any special powers.

‘Yes. This man's height, weight, and voice are completely different.’ Min Sunghoon continued to deny it, but a small voice within him continued to say this man might be the real deal. Suddenly...

Koo-goo-goong!

The ceiling collapsed, and Lee Gun had to quickly retreat. He clicked his tongue.

Boom!

“Ahhhhk!”

Koo-goo-goo-goong!

Concrete and columns started to fall everywhere. Lee Gun furrowed his brows as he looked outside. ‘So that's why those assholes have gathered outside.’ It was as he had expected...

Beep beep-

The beep of a wireless radio rang inside Min Sunghoon’s pocket.

- Frost, hurry up and get out of there.

Chun Sungjae’s eyes widened when he heard the voice. ‘General!’ The identity of the speaker wasn’t important right now.

- Hurry up and get out of there. We are going to team up with the disciples from the Golden Fleece. We are going to bury this place.

‘Bury? What the hell!’

Everyone wondered what was going on, but they soon realized what was causing it.

Koo-goo-goo-goong!

People lost their balance and fell. The floor started to collapse, creating a large sinkhole. Chun Sungjae and his friend also lost balance and almost fell into the sinkhole.

Lee Gun nonchalantly grabbed their heads and tossed them backward.

“Ahhhk!”

Lee Gun had been rough. The two of them cursed Lee Gun as they flew backward, but their curses turned into screams. It was to be expected. Something was crawling within the sinkhole.

“What the hell is that!”

“That's...”

From the dense black fog inside the sinkhole, a large leg extended out. Lee Gun smirked. A curious expression appeared on his face as he watched the thing crawling within the fog. His current expression was completely different than the earlier one. The expressions of everyone else also changed.

‘No way! Why is that here?’ Min Sunghoon was especially terrified.

A purple spider walked out from the fog, but everyone knew what it was. It had yet to fully emerge, but its shape and oppressive presence were familiar to everyone. They were unmistakable.

‘That’s the Spider Queen!’

Of course, Chun Sungjae and Min Sunghoon knew about this monster. It was normal for them to knew since a big raid had happened just a while ago. The Sheep of China had hosted it, and the first- and second-ranked temples of Korea had also taken part in it. These two men were also there, and they had gone inside a red zone.

‘We saw it in Manchuria!’

A fortress of the unknown civilization was located north of the Korean peninsula and east of China.

A while had passed since the members of the twelve Zodiacs had participated in a large-scale raid, and they had encountered this monster. Chun Sungjae was young, but his peers acknowledged his powers. It was why he was allowed to participate in the raid. That was the reason he was shocked to see the monster in front of him right now.

‘I’m pretty sure the Saints killed all of them!’

The Zodiacs and the Saints directly under them had entered the fortress. One had to be over SS-rank to join them, so Chun Sungjae had no idea what had occurred inside the fortress. However, most media organizations had reported that the Spider Queen had been killed.

However, Min Sunghoon had heard otherwise. ‘They said they didn’t kill that spider but sealed it.’

The disciples officially known as the strongest had a hard time against this monster, and they had given up midway. The monster was incredibly powerful, and no one here stood a chance against it.

‘Why is it here? How did it get here?’ Min Sunghoon finally realized what was going on and why were they talking about burying this place.

- We are going to bury that place. That's why I want to know if there are any survivors there. How many?

“!” Min Sunghoon’s eyes fell. 'Survivors?'

He looked at the people falling to the floor. The poison that was flowing out of the sinkhole had affected them.

- Are you listening to me? How many survivors...

Chun Sungjae quickly stepped forward to speak into the radio. “A lot of people are trapped— Koo-oohk!”

Min Sunghoon kicked Chun Sungjae, then yelled into the radio, “There are no survivors.”

“?!”

“We’ll be out soon.”

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After saying those words, Min Sunghoon ended the transmission. Chun Sungjae spoke up in protest, but Min Sunghoon yelled in his face, “Are you an idiot? They are going to bury this place. Do you really not know what that means?”

“!”

“It's obvious that they are trying to silence the people here! What would happen in the media if a calamity sealed by the Saints shows up again?”

Chun Sungjae was baffled. “Are you out of your mind—”

“Just shut up and follow me. You are lucky. I rented a teleportation skill for two people. You're insolent but skilled. If it's you, I think I can...”

Chun Sungjae let out a string of curses. He pointed at his friend, who had fainted due to the poison. “What about my dying friend?”

“Burn him!”

“What?”

“Once he got poisoned by the gas, his fate was sealed. Do you not know about the Spider Queen? That's why you should burn your friend, then save yourself. And what even is the point in saving him? He’s not a high-rank disciple like us. He won’t be of any help to humanity.”

“…?”

“If you don’t like that, you can stay here and die with him.” Min Sunghoon broke away from Chun Sungjae as he turned on his phone. He used his rented skill and drew a holy symbol in the air.

Flash!

The air rippled, and a tear appeared in the space. Min Sunghoon laughed in derision as he put his hand through the portal. “Go fucking die, kid! I’m going—”

“Where do you think you're going? Give me my item!”

Ba-gahk!

“Kuh-huhk!”

A hit sent Min Sunghoon flying. The attacker was Lee Gun, who had made himself scarce for a moment. Min Sunghoon’s phone fell into the sinkhole, and the gate disappeared.

“Where do you think you're going, you frilled lizard-looking asshole?” Lee Gun angrily cracked his knuckles. Chun Sungjae, who had an annoyed expression, screamed alongside Min Sunghoon.

Min Sunghoon freaked out the most. It was a terrible situation, and his only escape plan was gone! “Have... have you lost your mind? Do you realize what you’ve done?” He tried to berate Lee Gun, but Lee Gun just waved his hand in annoyance.

“Whatever! You should just keep your mouth shut. I’ll take it myself.”

“Fuck!” 'This crazy asshole!' Min Sunghoon got an urge to kill the man in front of him. He couldn’t escape this place or use his other rented skills now. Suddenly—

Koo-goo-goong!

The Spider Queen crawled out of the sinkhole. In the end, Min Sunghoon couldn’t help it. He cursed. “Hey! You're a bitch! I can’t get out of this place because of you! What are you—”

Spittle flew from his mouth as Min Sunghoon turned his head. “Shit! Where did that bastard go?”

Min Sunghoon’s face instantly froze. A suspicious shadow appeared above his head.

* * *

“Shit! I’m going to kill that son of a bitch!” Chun Sungjae called forth his flames as he protected his dying friend. For some reason, he couldn’t see other people. However, that wasn’t important right now. 'Why?'

“What the hell? You're still fine? Go get your fallen friend’s bag and empty it.” Lee Gun, who had disappeared for a short time, had returned.

Chun Sungjae became angry at the bullshit he spouted. He then heavily breathed as if he were about to cry. “Wow! You're a real piece of work, you imposter. That other bastard wanted me to set my friend on fire. Now, you're trying to steal from my dying friend!”

“No. I don’t care about his money. Mask.”

'Huh? Mask?' Chun Sungjae quickly rummaged through his friend’s back. He became surprised when he found a mask. ‘Why is this here!’

In Chun Sungjae's hands was the mask Lee Gun had worn when he came out of the tower. The mask was made out of black leather. Aside from the eyes, it covered the nose and mouth, almost half of the face. For some reason, it looked like a mask only a movie villain would wear. It had a very unique look where a girdle and steel pieces adorned the mouth region.

Lee Gun laughed. “He said it looked worn out and took it to a dry cleaning shop. I told him that was unnecessary, but he did it anyway. He’s a good kid.”

“Huh!”

'Why does he suddenly want this mask?' Chun Sungjae's question was answered soon. Lee Gun put the mask on the young man’s face. He then injected magical energy into the mask, and something amazing happened.

“Uh!” The black mask changed its shape a little. Exuding light, it changed into the shape of a gas mask. Chun Sungjae's friend’s purple face started to regain its healthy color. The mask had a detoxifying effect.

When Chun Sungjae looked up in surprise, Lee Gun laughed at his foolishness. “Do you think I wore it for its appearance?”

However, Lee Gun kicked himself at the next moment. ‘Well! Ninety-nine percent of why I wore that mask was to cover my face. I guess I wore it mainly for appearance.’

Chun Sungjae blankly stared at Lee Gun. He had heard a story from his father. Lee Gun’s mask had a respiratory system that could detoxify any poison emitted by monsters. The mask was embedded with an item Lee Gun had made himself. However, most people were unaware of this. ‘How could he... Could it be?'

Lee Gun didn’t wait for Chun Sungjae to come to a conclusion. He headed toward a particular direction. The people in the store had been far away from the sinkhole, so they weren’t in too much of a danger.

The survivors just had to drink a lot of water, and they would be fine. He tossed them water bottles, then arrived at his destination. It was the place where Min Sunghoon was supposed to be. However...

“What the hell?” Lee Gun spat in disgust as he looked at the shoes and the torn clothes near the sinkhole. There was no mistaking it. The Spider Queen had already eaten Min Sunghoon. “That big bird-looking asshole said that he was an S-rank disciple, yet he couldn’t even last a couple of minutes?”

Lee Gun had thought that the other people in the store had a worse chance of survival than Min Sunghoon. That was why he had checked on them before coming here. However, this had happened now. Lee Gun looked at the Spider Queen, who was at the bottom of the sinkhole, with annoyance.

It seemed he was right. Min Sunghoon had already been consumed. The Spider Queen glared at him, and he could see blood around its mouth. This monster gave off immense pressure, and it seemed understandable why the twelve Zodiac Saints had run away.

Lee Gun smirked. He hadn’t taken his item back from Min Sunghoon. “This means I have to gut it open.”

A burst of savage laughter came from his mouth as he raised his blade. Aside from his item, he would also acquire special by-products.

* * *

“What the hell? Are they still burying that place? They aren't done yet?” Yang Wei arrived at the scene and furrowed his brows.

The discount warehouse was as big as a department store, and a lot of people surrounded it. Of course, most of them were either his disciples or the disciples under the Gemini temple. As if to prove that it was a red zone calamity, the sky was dyed black. Bugs were crawling around the nearby location.

“How long does it take to bury a building?”

It happened at that moment.

Kwahng!

The building that these men were burying blew up. Yang Wei jumped out of his car in surprise.

“What’s going on!” He was inwardly disconcerted. The seals his disciples had placed on the building were destroyed. At the same time, the people who had been trapped inside rushed out of the building.

“A spider appeared there!”

“Hey! This is breaking news! Hurry up and get in there!”

“I’m not sure, but a red rank spider was killed!”

“…!” Yang Wei became desperate as reporters started showing up. With no other choice left, he headed toward the building.

However, his subordinate spoke in surprise. “You shouldn’t go in, Saint!”

"Shut up. This isn’t the time to do nothing." Yang Wei quickly entered the building. He was confused. ‘Shit. What happened? Who’s capable of killing that spider?’ At that moment, Yang Wei heard a voice.

“Hey. It has been a while.”

It was a hair-raising voice.

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