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

His holy item?

The man on the receiving end of Lee Gun’s attention, Min Sunghoon, scoffed. 

As the name implied, a holy item was an item.

“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. “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. ‘Have you lost your mind?’

The man's words were true. Min Sunghoon was indeed carrying around Lee Gun’s holy item. ‘I don’t know how to use it, so I’ve been just carrying it around.’ 

No one knew what this item did. It was the reason Gemini Saint had given it to the general without making a fuss. It was given to him as a reward for his promotion.

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-five 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 Zodiacs were an exception to aging. It might be their closeness to the Zodiacs, or it might be because they received the most power. Whatever it was, they aged much slower than regular awakened beings. Then, there were the beautiful female Zodiac Saints, who didn’t age, like vampires. 

‘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 Zodiacs. 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. 

‘Is it Yang Wei?’

Moreover, he could feel the energy of many awakened beings outside the building. 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 Aries temple. We are going to bury this place.

Chun Sungjae and Min Sunghoon were surprised by those words.

‘Bury? What the hell!’

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

Koo-goo-goo-goong!

“Koo-oohk!”

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

Lee Gun nonchalantly grabbed their heads and tossed them backward.

Boom!

“Ahhhk!”

Lee Gun had been rough. The two of them didn’t even have the time to register the pain as they screamed. 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. It was just a leg, but they felt suffocating fear. Chun Sungjae reacted in fright when he met gaze with the eyes looking out from the hole. 

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

A purple spider walked out from the hole. Both Chun Sungjae and Min Sunghoon knew what it was. 

‘That’s the Spider Queen!’

They were sure of it. A while ago, the Sheep Saint of China had hosted a joint raid. They had met this monster in the red zone. It was in Manchuria. 

A while had passed since one of the twelve Zodiac Saints had participated in a large-scale raid, and they had encountered this monster. That was the reason he was shocked to see the monster in front of him right now.

‘I’m pretty sure the Saint killed it…!’

Of course, the one to kill this monster had been the Sheep Saint and the SS-ranks directly under him.

Aside from them, no one had seen the process in which the Spider Queen was killed.

“The Sheep Saint said he decapitated the Spider Queen… They had the corpse.”

Most media organizations had reported that the Spider Queen had been killed. However, Min Sunghoon knew the truth unlike Chun Sungjae. ‘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 had been that strong.

Why was it here? 

‘Did the seal unravel?’

Min Sunghoon started stepping backward without realizing it. It lasted only a moment.

Min Sunghoon had been about to run away, but he became surprised. Everyone became fearful when they exchanged glances with the monster except Lee Gun. 

Lee Gun laughed as he looked at the monster. Moreover, his expression was completely different from the one that he had on when fighting the earlier monster.

For a moment, Min Sunghoon wondered if this man had lost his mind.

Suddenly, Lee Gun disappeared.

‘!’

The surprised Min Sunghoon looked at his surroundings, but a voice once again from the radio.

- Are you listening to me, Frost? You know this already, but the monster there is a special one. It can’t be killed.

Min Sunghoon’s face hardened.

The Saints were the strongest amongst humanity, and they hadn’t been able to kill it. So who was going to kill it? If there was one, the world would be turned on its head.

Min Sunghoon finally realized his current situation. The Spider Queen was the reason they were trying to bury this place. The building itself would be buried underground and sealed. The monster would be buried alive.

As expected, the person continued to speak through the radio.

-That's why I want to know if there are any survivors there. How many?

“!” Min Sunghoon’s eyes shook. 

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.”

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—”

“I’ll be blunt! Even if Lee Gun that you admire shows up, it’ll be impossible! Do you understand me?”

“....!”

“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. “What about my dying friend? He’s been poisoned!”

“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?” Lee Gun angrily cracked his knuckles. 

Min Sunghoon had an annoyed expression on his face as he screamed. 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?” 

“Whatever! You still haven’t given me my holy item. How dare you try to run away in secret? Hand it over, asshole..”

“?!”

Min Sunghoon was dumbfounded. He was having a hard time speaking.

“That’s not important right 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—”

“What’s the problem? I’ll just kill it. That is all there's to it.”

Min Sunghoon was baffled. “What? Hey! 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! That psychopath!” 

He wondered how much time had passed.

Chun Sungjae was protecting his dying friend in the dense fog. Of course, he couldn’t see Lee Gun or Min Sunghoon. However, their whereabouts weren't important right now. 

“Jimin! Wake up!” Chun Sungjae desperately monitored his friend when he stopped breathing.

It happened at that moment.

“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. 

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. ‘I tossed the water bottles to the nearby people, so they should be fine.’

There was a reason he had disappeared in a hurry. It had to do with the people trapped inside.

His holy item was a priority, but it wasn’t important enough to let people die. Since he had a lot of experience in this matter, it didn’t take long for him to take appropriate action. Now, it was time to take care of his own business.

However...

“What the hell?” Lee Gun sighed in disgust as he looked towards the sink hole.

“He said he was an S-rank disciple, yet he couldn’t even last a minute while I handed out water?

Min Sunghoon was nowhere to be seen. There were only his shoes and the torn clothes near the sinkhole. There was no mistaking it. The Spider Queen had already eaten Min Sunghoon. 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 Zodiac Saint 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.

* * *

At that moment outside the mart…

“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 it was painted in red.

The building and the floor was colored in the color of blood.

It was proof that a red zone monster had made an appearance, and a lot of people surrounded it. Of course, most of them were either his disciples. Yang Wei bit his lips. “How long does it take to bury a building?”

Yang Wei ground his teeth. He was about to park his car next to the building..

Kwahng!

Magical barriers were being set up around the building when they 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. 

Something even more shocking happened next.

“Kyahhk! A spider appeared there!”

The people that weren’t supposed to exit the building were exiting en masse. Moreover, they were yelling some shocking words.

“All the spiders inside are dead!”

“The purple spider is dead too!”

Yang Wei’s face turned pale at those words.

‘The spider is dead?”

Yang Wei couldn’t kill this particular spider, so he had sealed it. He even ordered people to create a fake corpse. Yang Wei became desperate as reporters started showing up nearby. “Shit!”

With no other choice left, he headed toward the building.

However, his subordinates quickly tried to stop him.. “You shouldn’t go in, Saint!”

“It is weaker, but there is still poison…!”

Yang Wei pushed his subordinates aside, and he 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.