Chapter 87: First Disciple (1)
Chapter 87: First Disciple (1)
Lee Gun’s eyes turned round from surprise.
[You have received the Reputation reward for clearing the Trial of Reputation.]
[You have acquired the Missionary Reward.]
It seemed his plan to clear the Trial of Reputation had gone exactly as he planned. To clear the trial, he had to acquire one disciple. That was why he had given that coin to Sungjae. He had chosen one of the two ways to take in a disciple.
[You can choose between <Missionary(Regular)> & <Missionary(Special)>.]
[When you created the Mission Coin, you chose <Missionary(Special)>.]
[Target(Chun Sungjae) was given a mission.]
[Target(Chun Sungjae) must fulfill the mission to awaken as the Serpent Bearer’s disciple.]
If Lee Gun had chosen <Missionary(Regular)>, he just needed the other person’s consent to turn them into his disciple.
The probability of this option’s success was 100%, but it didn’t result in many special abilities.
On the other hand, the <Missionary(Special)> option also needed consent, but it had a requirement as well. Failure was a probability here; moreover, that probability was quite high.
[The probability of failure is 70%]
That wasn’t all. The Missionary couldn’t be used twice on the same subject. Basically, if someone failed the Missionary task, Lee Gun couldn’t attempt to bring that person in as a disciple again.
[If Missionary(Special) succeeds, you will acquire a special reward.]
[Reward(Lee Gun): Missionary Reward (S rank).]
[Reward(Disciple): Special awakening, exclusive data, increase in disciple rank.]
The difference in rewards was like that between night and day. The special awakening was the most important one.
[Special awakening makes the disciple much stronger.]
[It’s a special benefit that can be used during the missionary task.]
In other words, Lee Gun could upgrade the disciple from head to toe. It was basically like a re-awakening, a high-risk, high-return option.
‘If I were a conservative person, I would’ve gone for the Regular Missionary…’
Lee Gun had felt something when he had looked at Sungjae. Sungjae was considered remarkable, but Lee Gun thought there was more to him.
‘If things turn out right, he could reach Saint rank.’ His limit wasn’t just the rank. There was a lot of room for his basic attributes to grow.
Lee Gun didn’t want to trim the sprouts. Of course, it wasn’t easy to find someone with 100% faith either. Moreover, he needed to clear the mission of bringing in a disciple if he wanted to use his <Death Instinct>.
So, he had taken an incredible gamble with that move. However, he trusted Sungjae. The young man was his friend’s son.
As if to prove this, Chun Sungjae had beaten the odds and became Lee Gun’s disciple.
‘However, what the hell is this about the bible?’ As expected, a familiar description appeared in front of his eyes.
[A new achievement has been added to the bible.]
[Achievement no. 4]
– A young genius who served a different Zodiac became your first servant. His name will be lifted by the Serpent Bearer.
[First disciple’s achievement (Achievement no. 4) has been engraved. The worth as a Zodiac has gone up.]
[As your disciple accomplishes noteworthy achievements, your divine power becomes much stronger.]
[The achievement engraved into the bible can be used to wield power]
Everything was good up to this point. Acquiring a disciple would allow him to use the achievements recorded in the bible. The problem was the next part.
[The first disciple has created a new page in the bible.]
[<Gospel of Lee Gun>]
What the hell is the Gospel of Lee Gun!
However, he didn’t have time to be flustered.
“Lee Gun! I’ll kill you first! I’ll kill you and the Virgo Saint!” Transformed into a monster, Pelio let out magical energy.
Kwahng!!
The magical energy wasn’t simple.
[Warning! A unique magical energy is restraining your body.]
“!”
Along with the warning, Goat fell to his knees.
Koohng!
“Koohk…!”
It was as if a building was pressing down on his head.
The Saints also trembled. Hugo and Kevin were enduring it, but they were having a hard time.
“Shit! This is the Libra’s…”
[Equivalent Exchange—Body Imprisonment]
By sacrificing his movement, Pelio was able to restrict the movements of his opponents. It was a debuff skill. In other words, both the user and the opponent couldn’t move now. Normally, the people in the rear used this skill. It was a support skill.
“How can a mere disciple do this…!”
The ability was stronger than the Saint.
Was it because his body was in the process of being upgraded?
Like the others, Lee Gun couldn’t move as well, but the effect lasted for only a moment.
[Caution! It is a power that absorbs abilities.]
[You are under a penalty. The opponent’s skill is restricting your movement.]
[You covet the other Zodiac’s abilities.]
However, the more frightening event started at that moment.
Koo-goo-goo-goohng!
Suddenly, the ground shook. Even assessing what was going on became hard.
“The dome is….”
The domes, which were considered humanity’s walls around Belgium, had disappeared.
It wasn’t just the fourth or the fifth domes, which were far away from the city. The first dome, which was humanity’s last line of defense, was gone too!
That was the dome protecting the cities of Belgium!
“No! If they are gone…”
Humanity would become extinct in no time. As if to emphasize this point, the sounds of birds crying rang in the sky
“Kee-ehhhhhhhhk!”
Monsters from the unknown civilization always hung around the dome, trying to take down the cities of humanity.
Those monsters let out loud cries toward the sky. The fact that the hated walls protecting the city had come down was a signal for them to invade the city. As soon as the dome disappeared, the large bird monsters started attacking from the sky.
Kwahng! Kwahng!
The buildings of the city where two million people resided instantly crumbled.
Kwahng!
The sounds of screams and explosions filled the air.
“All the domes are gone!!!”
“Ahhhhhk!”
“Help!”
Absolute chaos reigned in the city.
Both Hugo and Goat were surprised. The divine walls were fine even when Kevin had temporarily lost his power.
“The domes are barriers supposed to be maintained by the Constructs!”
“What happened?”
Kevin seemed to realize something. He ground his teeth as he glared at Pelio. “Something must have happened to the Constructs maintaining the domes!”
“Is that the reason the fourth and fifth domes got destroyed so easily?”
Goat, who had come as an advanced scout, had found that odd at the time.
Even if the Virgo Saint was considered the second in terms of power, there was no way the monsters should’ve been able to reach the third dome.
Goat now understood what had happened.
“They are the ones who purposely sabotaged the fourth and fifth domes before the attack.”
However, that wasn’t important right now.
“Kee-ehhhhhhhk!”
When the scout sent out the signal, an army of monsters was approaching the city from a distance. They were coming from all directions, numbering tens of thousands. If one included the monsters that might come from farther out…
‘This will be a slaughter of two million people.’
Most of the residents in the city were normal people.
“Shit! I can’t move…”
“Ha ha ha! The Virgo Saint and the Archer Saint are nothing. I want you to feel how powerless you guys are!”
This made Hugo yell, “Gun! Do something! You aren’t the perennial second-place like Kevin! You’re always number one!”
“What the hell did you just say?” Kevin felt a surge of anger, but Hugo was reciting the truth. In this situation, they could only turn to Lee Gun.
“Lee Gun! I’m sorry, but help me just this one time!”
Lee Gun grinned. “Why should I?”
“What?! Why should you…!”
Hugo was surprised, and Kevin raged.
“The people of the city will all die! At the end of the day, I didn’t think you were the type of man to let civilians die! I’m disappointed in you, Lee Gun!”
For some reason, Lee Gun looked up at the sky. Then…
A bombardment happened from the sky.
Kwah-gwah-gwah-gwahk!
Countless fire arrows fell! The arrows came down like streaks of light, and the army of monsters could do nothing but die.
“Kee-ehhhhhk!”
“Koo-ohhhhhh!”
This surprised everyone. Lee Gun just laughed as if he wanted to show them this.
[The person who has received the power of the Serpent Bearer’s bible is close by.]
The monsters became angry as they tried to use their abilities. However, it was useless.
[Ten Million Burning Bomb]
Streaks of arrows containing incredible firepower rained down upon them. It covered the entire city.
However, something amazing happened. The arrows pierced through only the monsters. Humans were unharmed. Even if they took a hit, the arrows harmlessly dissipated into the light.
Kevin forced a laugh when he saw this. It was the skill of the Sagittarius.
“Archer, when did you call for your allies…” Kevin turned his head, but what he saw left him surprised.
For some reason, Goat and Hugo were shaking as they watched the streaks of fire descend from the heavens. It was as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“No way!”
“That technique is…”
They were sure of it.
“General…”
It was a technique belonging to Lee Jaewon, the man eaten by the monster ten years ago alongside Hugo’s wife.
Hugo and Goat had never expected to see this skill again, and they felt emotions surge in their chests.
‘Can it be?’
“Saint-nim!”
Hugo looked in the direction Goat pointed at; he almost shed tears. Using his enhanced vision of the Archer Saint, he could see far into the distance. He could easily identify that face. The face standing on top of a high-rise building was familiar.
‘Jaewon!’
Lee Jaewon laughed and nodded when he made eye contact with Hugo.
How could someone who had been comatose for the past ten years be standing there?
For some reason, Lee Gun’s magical energy surrounded Lee Jaewon as if it was protecting him. However, that wasn’t important right now.
[Thousand Rain]
Kwah-gwah-gwah-gwahng!
Finally, all the monsters trying to invade the city fell to the skill.
This scene shocked Pelio. “Yoon Taewoo should’ve taken care of him!”
“The dome side is taken care of now.”
Hearing Lee Gun’s voice, Pelio turned his head in surprise. However, he soon laughed once again. “I’m using a power greater than that of the Saint rank! There is no way—”
Kwah-jeek!
Lee Gun broke out from Pelio’s Body Imprisonment skill.
“!”
Pelio was shocked. “How…!”
This technique was born through Equivalent Exchange. It was a powerful restriction skill. As if to prove this, the two Zodiac Saints and another SS-rank disciple had become incapable of moving!
However, the skill didn’t work against Lee Gun.
Of course, his body’s upgrade was still in progress. Lee Gun had just used the power that was upgraded to break free.
[You have fulfilled the requirement needed to use the bible.]
[You decided to use the <Gospel of Lee Gun>.]
Lee Gun laughed. ‘I don’t know what the Gospel of Lee Gun is supposed to be.’
The only part he was sure about was that the gospel contained an account of him from the perspective of Sungjae. Sungjae’s strong faith powered the gospel, and the power manifested in reality.
Scripture! The content engraved in the bible could be used as power. All the thoughts within Chun Sungjae’s mind had been engraved into the first page of the bible.
<In the beginning, Lee Gun-nim existed. He unexpectedly walked out from the crumbling tower!>
Accompanying the bible verse, Pelio’s restriction skill got eradicated.
Kwah-jeek!
What the ability did was simple.
[The effect of the <Gospel of Lee Gun> has dismissed the abnormal status.]
[Gospel of Lee Gun – Page 1: Abnormal status of a certain level will be forcefully removed.]
Divine rank! To affect Lee Gun, a monster needed to be stronger than Red Eye, which was considered humanity’s worst Calamity. That was the minimum needed to stop him. Of course, it didn’t end there.
After Lee Gun broke the restraints, Pelio sent bizarre tentacles toward him.
<Gospel of Lee Gun – Page 2>
<Lee Gun-nim has returned. Nothing can hurt him.>
Koog-goo-goong!
“What…what the hell! All his wounds…”
[The effect of the <Gospel of Lee Gun> has neutralized all physical damage.]
[Gospel of Lee Gun – Page 2: Physical damage under a certain level will be nullified.]
The tentacles, which surrounded Lee Gun, tried to rip him apart. However, their efforts were useless.
This left Kevin dumbfounded. ‘He isn’t using any skills…!’
What was that?
Lee Gun was also taken aback. ‘Even if this is an ability that manifests the belief of a disciple, this is a bit…’
The power was broken; it was a cheat.
Lee Gun, who was testing the power, got flustered. ‘How highly does Sungjae normally think of me?’
The bible didn’t care about his reaction as it continued to activate.
<Gospel of Lee Gun – Page 3>
<The know-it-all Archer Saint was sent flying with one blow. All monsters fell to their knees in front of his fists.>
Lee Gun’s fist let out a light, and he punched Pelio’s head.
Bbah-gahk!
The incredible power collided with Pelio, and light erupted.
[You have finished using your bible.]
[Your bible will be sealed until it is filled with faith.]
Pelio screamed as he exploded.
Kevin was unable to close his mouth. Finally, the light dissipated.
Boom!
Pelio groaned on the ground. His skin was completely peeled off. He was disfigured everywhere and was barely breathing.
“You aren’t even a Saint, so how…!” He sounded aggrieved. “I will restore the power of the royal family! I will regain my country!”
They had used the Zodiacs as an excuse to turn his country into a theocratic state. That was unacceptable.
“The Libra Saint should have come to Belgium instead of the Virgo Saint! The Virgo Saint can’t even hold a woman’s hand…”
Hugo decided to hold his tongue.
“Lee Gun! The Libra Saint is different! The Libra Saint is willing to work with us to bring power back to our kingdom!”
Poo-hahk!
Lee Gun decapitated Pelio as if his words weren’t worth hearing. “What are you talking about, bitch?”
[You have acquired data]
[You have received a reward for the Trial of Reputation.]
[Trial of Reputation Reward: Serpent Bearer’s Awakened Skill (SSS)]
[You have acquired the Missionary reward.]
Lee Gun picked up Pelio’s head.
Hugo was taken aback. “Are you sure you didn’t want to ask more questions about who was behind all of this?”
“We already have the answer.”
Well, he had a point. Moreover, it was easier to read the memories instead of conducting an interrogation.
Hugo asked a question as he watched Lee Jaewon, who was walking toward them. “What was that? That’s not how you usually look. Also, how is Jaewon here….”
“Ah! It’s all the effect of the bible,” Lee Gun explained.
“Bible?? Religious scripture?”
“Something like that. I can use it now that I have a disciple.”
The expression on Hugo’s face was a sight to behold. “You have a disciple now? Who…”
Hugo stopped himself from asking who the disciple was. He didn’t care who had become Lee Gun’s disciple. It was a good thing in the end if that wasn’t one of his children. He replied, “That’s great! I don’t know who it is, but I hope you found a disciple that can give up his life for you.”
If that happened, Lee Gun knew Hugo would cry. Well, it didn’t matter.
Flash!
“!”
Lee Gun was surprised.
The coin that was connected to Chun Sungjae let out another light.
‘Just one was enough for me to do this. It flashed twice?’
What was going on over there?