Chapter 24
The Hidden Boss felt deep displeasure when his lair was suddenly destroyed and exposed to the outside.
Damn outsiders. If not for them, we wouldn’t have had to hide like this…!
He still remembered vividly—
Ten years ago, the day their uncle, who had been their hero and protector, was brutally murdered.
That was why he and his friends hid in the sewers.
To avoid being discovered by outsiders.
And with the flute their uncle left behind, they fortified the city into a fortress, cutting off all external access.
Luckily, they also possessed the “treasure”—the very source of countless curses.
Paaaah!
The Hidden Boss pulled something out of his chest.
A jet-black skull, gleaming like obsidian, with a sinister blue gem clutched between its teeth.
“Take this.”
“What is it, Uncle?”
“When I was a child, I discovered this together with the magic flute. I’ve carried it as a lucky charm ever since. All the curse magic I’ve learned is stored inside it.”
“Ah…!”
“I’ll give it to you all. This will protect you from now on.”
Thanks to that black skull, they could keep playing the flute without rest, and each of them had been able to master various curse magics.
Without it, they would never have been able to repel the countless attempts by outsiders to breach the city.
“Normally, we would have completed the Grand Curse through the last ritual…! But there’s no choice now. Even if incomplete, I must attempt it.”
The very reason they had lived in darkness for all these years—
To perform the Grand Curse that would resurrect their dead uncle.
Some might ask how resurrection could be considered curse magic.
But after much deliberation, he and his friends concluded that curses could be infinitely combined into new forms.
The living usually die when cursed. Then—what if a dead soul could be brought back to life through a curse?
And it was in this black skull that they glimpsed that possibility.
A skull harboring tens of thousands of curses.
Though they did not know its true origin, it was enough to perform miracles.
The only problem: the ritual circle required for the Grand Curse was still incomplete…
But with danger closing in, he had no time for caution.
If things continued like this, their plan would be ruined.
Better to attempt something than lose everything.
“Uncle, please wait a little longer. I’ll bring you back soon…!”
He raised the black skull high.
Pouring in his magic power, he began the incantation.
“Come forth!”
Paaaah!
The gem in the skull’s mouth drank in his mana, releasing waves of dark-blue light.
At once, the ritual circles etched into the floor, walls, and ceiling all activated.
[The Hidden Boss begins to activate the Grand Curse!]
[The ritual to resurrect a dead spirit has begun.]
“Wandering wraiths of the afterlife, come forth!”
Wooooooong!
The skull’s aura burst into a greater radiance.
He realized instinctively—
The Grand Curse had a high chance of success.
Beyond the ritual—
Beyond unseen dimensions, perhaps even the netherworld—something was being detected.
The Hidden Boss smiled.
All he had to do now was call forth his uncle’s soul…!
But—it isn’t there?
What was this?
Beyond the ritual was only emptiness.
As though declaring there was no such place as the afterlife.
What in the world…!
The Hidden Boss thought perhaps the curse had gone wrong, and prepared to recheck.
But—
Whoosh—Thunk!
In the blink of an eye, it happened.
A hatchet struck directly into the gem clenched in the skull’s teeth.
“……!?”
Crack—crrrrack!
The jewel split cleanly in two and fell to the floor.
“No way!”
Whiiish—Thunk! Thunk!
Two more hatchets followed, embedding into the ground and ceiling—
Right at the central points of the ritual circle.
“Stop! Don’t—!!”
Realizing what was happening, the Hidden Boss screamed.
But too late—
Kzzzzzzaap!
The hatchets unleashed streams of blue-white lightning, weaving into a vast net of energy.
Bolts of lightning cascaded across the entire chamber.
[The wraith of the Dokkebi Oni awakens!]
KRRAAACK-KROOM!
Flashes of light flooded the cavern like day.
Waves of burning heat surged again and again, erasing the ritual circle.
Even the Grand Curse—completely destroyed.
KRRRRRROOM!!
“No! Nooo! The device to resurrect Uncle…! Ten years of work… all ruined!!”
The Hidden Boss shrieked.
The Grand Curse was gone. Just like that.
“Show yourself! Stop hiding, coward! Come out!”
There was only one person who could have done this.
Wooooooong!
The Hidden Boss wildly unleashed curses in every direction.
Of course, no curse could affect Lee Hyun—
[‘Curse: Obsession’ rains down!]
[‘Curse: Self-Despair’ rains down!]
…
[With Curse Resistance (S), all curses are nullified.]
“There you are!”
He realized—the area where curses were nullified revealed the intruder’s location.
[The Hidden Boss activates ‘Skill: Filth Waterfall’!]
From Hyun’s position, torrents of acidic sludge erupted high, then came crashing down.
The very same acid he had once found troublesome.
Again—
Fwaaash!
Hyun cut through the darkness and leapt out.
The acid flooded the spot he had just vacated.
“So you used the nullification field to pinpoint me… not a bad tactic.”
Thud.
Hyun landed a fair distance away.
Maintaining stealth consumed too much lightning power.
He shifted from “Night Goblin” to “Fire Goblin” form, pulling out the Collar of the Oni Wraith.
Zzzzzap!
Blue-white lightning coiled violently around him.
“Not bad—using streams of sludge and acid. As expected of a Sha Wujing figure, you’re no pushover.”
Hyun grinned like a goblin.
“Which is why I’ll be taking that.”
And he moved.
Rrrrumble—
[The Dokkebi Oni Wraith goes on a rampage!]
“Over my dead body!!”
The Hidden Boss might not have understood Hyun’s words, but he instinctively knew—the black skull was his target.
He raised it high.
Curses poured out, multiplying the acid waterfall several times over.
Blue-white lightning collided with acidic torrents.
The ground trembled as though it would collapse.
Rrrrumble—
Hyun had suspected the cause of this dungeon’s Adaptation was “Sha Wujing” ever since discovering the sewers.
There were several clues:
First, the sewage-filled waterways.
Sha Wujing was originally a water demon dwelling in swamps and shifting sands.
Second, the curses.
Before meeting Sun Wukong and the monk, he was notorious for devouring humans and spreading plagues and curses.
But once he became a disciple of Tripitaka, he became the party’s most dependable pillar.
Even the reckless Sun Wukong relied on him in moments of crisis.
So when Hyun suspected this dungeon related to Sha Wujing, Sun Wukong himself showed rare emotional turmoil.
Though brief, it revealed how much he treasured Sha Wujing.
[Through the relic Golden Fiery Eyes, you’ve uncovered the secrets of <The Pied Piper>.]
[1. Acidic Sludge]
The underground waterways have been polluted for so long that no living beings can survive. This is also why Rotten Rats established massive nests here.
…
[2. Rampant Pollution and Curses]
…
[Piecing together all clues, the hidden truth of <The Pied Piper> is revealed!]
[Traces of Sha Wujing’s presence are discovered in the sewers.]
Fwoooosh!
Hyun’s world shifted drastically.
The labyrinthine map of the sewers imprinted itself in his mind, showing the nests of Rotten Rats.
[You’ve deciphered the ■■■■ myth. You gain great Karma.]
[Your rank rises.]
[The bond between soul and body strengthens. Your senses sharpen, and your sixth sense begins to awaken.]
[Congratulations! Combat Sense (C) has been upgraded to B.]
Ding! Ding!
With each message, Hyun felt his perception sharpen.
The very senses that had saved his life time and again.
At the same time, a thought came—
If I can get that skull too, how much stronger could I become?
[Through Golden Fiery Eyes, you confirm that the item is linked to the ■■■■ myth.]
[Retrieving item data…]
[Sha Wujing’s Beads]
The youngest disciple of Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, was once a water demon dwelling in sandy swamps, preying on travelers. He especially favored devout monks, stringing their skulls into beads he wore around his neck. Each bead, corrupted with demonic power, contained immense energy capable of miracles.
-
Type: Summoning Item
-
Origin: Myth “Journey to the West”
Hyun, already confident from curse combinations like Sigh of the Oni (Rage + Condensed Lightning), now believed he could evolve infinitely further.
‘The Oni Wraith, Wrath, the Collar—those are all sub-skills formed the same way.’
Thus, mastering Sha Wujing’s curse arts would grant endless new possibilities for lightning manipulation.
If each lightning bolt carried a different curse?
If an enemy trapped in a lightning net suffered multiple debuffs?
The results could be limitless.
So—his priority was to claim the black skull.
But—
“Something’s off.”
Sun Wukong looked deeply troubled.
He should have been glad to recover a myth tied to his closest comrade—yet he wasn’t.
“No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t make sense. Wujing would never do something this vile.”
Since meeting Tripitaka, he had completely changed, Wukong explained.
Hyun nodded.
Indeed—the image of Wujing hiding in sewers, plotting for ten years, didn’t fit the Sha Wujing of Journey to the West.
“I must find out what really happened.”
“I’ll hurry.”
At Wukong’s words, Hyun pushed forward with greater urgency.
[The Oni’s Sprint activates!]
With the Wind of Samadhi, he instantly closed the gap to the Hidden Boss.
In his hands—two hatchets, retrieved with magnetic force.
“Hmph! You think I’ll fall for that again?”
The Hidden Boss raised the skull high.
Though its jewel was shattered, the skull still brimmed with dark power.
Whoooosh!
From its left eye socket, black-blue flames erupted.
[The Hidden Boss activates ‘Skill: Acid Rain’!]
Steam from earlier clashes thickened into a downpour.
Meanwhile, sewage surged like waves, attempting to drown Hyun.
He twisted his body mid-charge, spinning like a top.
[The Oni’s Wrath rains down everywhere!]
Zzzzzap! Krrrboom!
Thirst and Bloodlust rotated around him.
The Collar expanded its range, deflecting both rain and waves.
“Futile tricks!”
Succeeding in binding Hyun’s ankles, the Hidden Boss sought to end it.
[The Hidden Boss attempts Phase 3! The sewage in the sewers is drawn into one place.]
[The water level rises rapidly!]
Krrrushh!
He diverted all currents to flood the chamber.
“I’ll bury you so deep in this acid sea, your corpse won’t even remain.”
At that moment, the skull’s right eye flared with black-blue flames.
Whooosh!
[The souls bound by curses are summoned as familiars!]
From the rising acidic sea, Skeleton Knights emerged.
Crack-crack!
[The Hidden Boss summons ‘Army of the Dead’!]
But these Skeleton Knights had a unique feature—
They weren’t dungeon natives.
They wore hunter gear.
‘No way…’
Hyun’s eyes widened.
[Activating relic Golden Fiery Eyes to analyze Skeleton Knights.]
[Analysis complete.]
[These are hunters who once raided the dungeon and died. Their bodies were used as experimental vessels for the Pied Piper’s resurrection.]
“……!”
So his suspicion was right.
And each Skeleton Knight’s strength was nearly the same as when alive.
Another product of curse combinations.
They formed an entire raid party—no, an army.
Too much for Hyun alone.
“Die.”
The Hidden Boss sneered, unleashing everything.
If stealth made Hyun difficult before, now that he was exposed, there was nothing to fear.
Paaah!
The Skeleton Knights charged with swords and spears, swift and deadly.
But—
“I was waiting for you to go all out with your curses… and finally, you have.”
Hyun smiled.
As though this was exactly what he wanted.
The Hidden Boss scoffed, thinking him bluffing—
Paaahh!
Hyun deflected a poison arrow from the ceiling and at once pulled something from his inventory.
A grotesque, rune-inscribed finger.
A special item he had picked up at Dochul’s Workshop before coming here.
The Finger of the Yellow Wind Monster.
“What is that…?”
Even the Hidden Boss, well-versed in curses, sensed its extraordinary demonic energy.
“Not sure if it’ll taste good. Have a bite.”
Hyun hurled it into the Skeleton Army.
Whooosh!
The Boss tried to shoot it down with arrows—but too late.
The finger erupted with blinding light.
And a blizzard roared forth!
Whoooosh!
The world froze in an instant.
[The ‘Blizzard of Eternal Winter’ left by the Snow Queen descends!]
The very magic that had once crushed Hyun—
The sorcery of the Ice Palace, now returning after four years, engulfed the sewers.
