Chapter 202: It is always darkest underneath the lamp (4)
Translator: miraclerifle
Boom!
The Crow's aura had attacked out of nowhere.
That aura opened its vicious wings and spread its presence around.
Dowsing McCann, the Monarch of Detection, who had barely managed to get the information from the Monarch of Fate, suddenly became full of fear.
‘I'm scared.’
She was someone who had a different kind of clairvoyance compared to the Monarch of Fate. If the Monarch of Fate was able to see the future, she was someone who could detect everything in the present.
Her power allowed her to detect any and all enemies and threats right away.
This Seo Ju-Heon or whatever bastard just became a Monarch through thievery.
‘But Seo Ju-Heon's information is still sold for quite a lot of money.’
She was also someone who had reached the Monarch grade.
‘I won’t lose a battle of will against such a bastard! Let’s just quickly get paid and go shopping.’
That was the thought on her mind. That should be how this went.
‘But what the hell........?!’
The animal that was caught in her radar might have been better not to have been noticed by the radar at all. That was how scared she was right now.
It felt as if she was looking into the eyes of a wild beast who was glaring at her asking who the hell she thought she was to look at it. The Crow's chaotic aura attacked the Monarch of Detection as if to eat her up.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
The Monarch of Detection plopped down on the floor in fear.
‘What is this artifact?!’
It wasn't a vague sense of fear! This fear felt as if she was being dragged into the deep sea. This fear felt as if she was about to be eaten by a mysterious thing.
That was the kind of fear she was feeling from Ju-Heon.
She started to think once that fear reached the top of her neck.
‘I need to run away.’
She NEEDED to do it. Otherwise, she might really be gobbled up.
However...
Boooooooooooom.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Ju-Heon was smirking, as if he wouldn't let her get away.
A vicious black aura spread out as if it was opening its wings.
It was extremely quick to the point it gave her the chills.
As the hand of the black predator started to choke the Monarch of Detection's neck...
A message popped up in front of Ju-Heon.
[Starting to gobble up the opponent’s artifact.]
[Trying to eat the power of the white god.]
[This will end with the host being gobbled up as well.]
He was certain that the message had popped up because the Crow was running wild.
However...
[Unable to gobble up because this is not the true body.]
[Lacking strength.]
The Crow's power said that while sounding as if it was sighing.
The vicious rampaging Crow's chaotic aura quickly disappeared.
The Monarch of Detection, who had barely kept her life, plopped down on the ground.
“......Huff, huff. T, this is crazy.”
Her legs and arms were shaking and she might have even peed a little.
TKBM's excavation team members and the soldiers started to whisper after seeing her reaction.
“What the hell? Why is this woman acting like this?”
“I don’t know. Why the hell is she suddenly screaming?”
‘Why else?!’
She hysterically started to shout.
“He really is here! Seo Ju-Heon is right here! You crazy shitheads were hiding Seo Ju-Heon!”
“What? What is this woman saying again.......?!”
Only the Monarch of Detection who had cast her radar seemed to have noticed the Crow's aura.
Actually, Julian had felt it too, but...
‘Seo Ju-Heon, this crazy bastard.’
Julian, who had cold sweats down his back, was looking at Ju-Heon as if he was looking at a monster.
He knew that there was a Crow’s aura that was chasing Ju-Heon around, but......
‘It's amazing that he can use such a thing this way!’
He realized something today.
The Crow's aura chasing Ju-Heon around truly was a monster.
It was just an aura and not the real body but it was already this scary.
It was almost bizarre that Ju-Heon could handle that aura so easily.
‘I'm sure there’s nobody else who can do such a thing.’
The Monarch of Detection and he had a level of mental Tolerance toward Divine-Grade artifacts as fellow Monarchs. However, the Expert-Grade and below artifact users might end up fainting.
‘Well, I'm sure he didn't only reveal the aura to that woman because he cared about the others.’
It was probably more correct to say that he purposely only revealed it to the Monarch of Detection. He wanted to turn the Monarch of Detection into an idiot.
That was the reason Ju-Heon was smiling triumphantly.
As a result, TKBM and the European soldiers were looking at the Monarch of Detection with suspicion.
‘It does seem like the Monarch of Detection used her radar.’
The Monarch of Detection started to swear, as if she realized those suspicious gazes.
“What is up with those gazes? Do you not believe me?”
“N, no......that is...”
“It was definitely a level of an artifact’s power that cannot be brought out unless the user is at the Monarch-Grade. It was Divine-Grade!”
‘No, really...we didn't feel anything? Such a person isn't here.’
She started to shout in frustration.
“He really is here! Either TKBM is hiding Seo Ju-Heon or these retards didn't know that he snuck in. It's either one or the other!”
The prideful TKBM members started to frown. TKBM was one of the top excavation teams in the world with extremely talented individuals.
“This woman thinks she can say whatever she wants......!”
“What the fuck is she talking about when she randomly started to scream while using her artifact?!”
“Did she even use the artifact?”
They started to shout as they were already extremely upset.
“Where the hell is Seo Ju-Heon?!”
“You should know if you detected him. Tell us which person is Seo Ju-Heon!”
The Monarch of Detection immediately stared at Ju-Heon.
‘I'm certain it’s that man.’
She immediately grabbed Ju-Heon by the collar.
His face was completely different than what she had seen in the picture, but......
“It’s you!”
Both Julian and Seol-A were shocked. But Ju-Heon completely feigned ignorance.
"What are you talking about, ma'am?”
“Feigning ignorance won't work.”
The Monarch of Detection started to roughly pull at Ju-Heon's shoulder, making Ju-Heon scream while asking why she was doing this.
The reactions were split in half.
“Is he really Seo Ju-Heon?”
Ju-Heon put on an expression as if he was the most wronged person in the world.
“How could someone like me be a Monarch......?! Furthermore, Seo Ju-Heon, that son of a bitch is my hated enemy as well. That motherfucking scammer and criminal bastard. This is serious slander.”
The Monarch of Detection's subordinates started to pull at Ju-Heon as well.
“It’s true if the lady says it is. He is someone in Seo Ju-Heon's excavation team at minimum.”
“No, why would I join an excavation team like that?! It's got a thug for a captain and he doesn’t even treat the members as people!”
After seeing Ju-Heon's truly wronged expression, Julian was in a state of disbelief even though he was on Ju-Heon's side.
‘What the hell did this guy just say?!’
The Monarch of Detection started to sneer while looking at the shameless Ju-Heon.
“Ho, is that how you want to play it? Whatever, as long as I activate my radar again......!”
The Monarch of Detection immediately activated her artifact.
[Horn infused with Heimdall's sight and hearing (SS-Grade:Divine-Grade - Possession Artifact)]
Heimdall, the shining god of Norse mythology, was a sort of watchman of the gods and Loki's enemy. He was said to have clairvoyance and extreme hearing that allowed him to even hear the grass growing. That was how he would sense danger.
The highest-grade radar ability would be cast to live up to that ability, however......
[The power is not being activated.]
[Heimdall's power is unable to activate properly as it was ripped apart by the Crow.]
Ju-Heon started to smile while reading those messages.
‘I guess I won’t need to use the artifact I prepared to deal with the Monarch of Detection at this rate.’
This seemed much more effective than what he had planned.
Furthermore...
[A portion of Heimdall's power has been absorbed after ripping it apart.]
[You have learned about the existence of predation.]
Ju-Heon was very satisfied with that message.
‘That Crow bastard. I did hear that he was a predator that gobbled up artifacts.’
Of course, it didn't seem to be able to use its full powers as it was just a chunk of aura right now without its true body.
‘Does that mean I will be able to steal abilities if I get that Crow bastard in my hands?’
Would he be able to steal the powers of artifacts and tombs?
Ju-Heon was quite amused.
It was at that moment.
“Fuck!”
The Monarch of Detection, who could not detect anymore, was grinding her teeth.
‘I'm certain it is this bastard! Why is my artifact not working now of all times?!’
“You bastard, I will reveal your true identity!”
She would end up being reprimanded by Pandora at this rate.
‘It’s obvious he is using a Doppelganger artifact or a transformation artifact right now!’
If her artifact won't work, she would just rely on the power of an artifact she had borrowed!
"What, that is...?!”
“That's the Pandora system artifact's...!”
Something flashed in the Monarch of Detection's hand.
She grabbed Ju-Heon by the collar with one hand and tried to pull his hair with the other.
Seol-A's eyes flashed while Julian was thinking this was dangerous.
‘The transformation will be removed if you are injured! Please keep that in mind! Captain-nim!’
That was what Jaeha had told them!
‘His Dominance will give his identity away if he uses an artifact, it’s dangerous......!’
The problem was the mysterious artifact this woman was trying to use.
‘What the hell is that artifact?’
He couldn't tell very well because it was covered in light, but it seemed to be shaped like an eye. ‘Is that the Pandora system artifact?’
She then started to speak.
“I know that a few of Seo Ju-Heon’s excavation team members have infiltrated here. Show yourselves if you don’t want to see your captain being injured!”
“!”
She must have thought that she would be able to prove Seo Ju-Heon's identity and drag out the other members of his tomb raiding team by doing this.
"This artifact can send this bastard’s head off.”
As that artifact was about to touch Ju-Heon...
“Excuse me, Miss Dowsing!”
"What?! What is it?!”
“There’s an emergency call from Pandora’s European branch........!”
"An emergency call?”
“Umm, you are to return immediately.”
“Get lost. Who do you think told me to capture Seo Ju-Heon in the first place?!”
“No, they’re saying that the country is about to go bankrupt.... There is someone they need to find!”
“The country is going bankrupt? What the hell are you talking about?!”
The Monarch of Detection turned around and started to walk away while glaring at Ju-Heon every few steps.
Ju-Heon was not even paying attention, but...
Julian saw it.
Julian saw how the corners of Ju-Heon's lips were twisted up.
The Detectors then moved away from TKBM's excavation teams. All of them started to talk, wondering what the heck just happened.
“What the hell did they come here for? What’s up with them?”
“Right? Why did they suddenly go back?”
Why else?
[Weird phenomenon with the world stock index]
[Exchange rate emergency]
[Stock price paralysis]
[Money evaporation at the bank]
The world was in quite the chaos.
The stock price was in a state of emergency and the exchange rate jumping up and down was making the different countries suffer.
The countries that had received the major blow of this weird phenomenon were the US and China.
“My goodness, what the hell is this...?!”
The Detectors, who were heading back to Pandora, could not close their jaws after reading the related information in the car.
“We ignored the request of the Monarch of Destitution and......all this happened in just 10 minutes!”
"Request? What did she want?!”
“That... You know how you asked us to attack Seo Ju-Heon's friends? We were told to cancel that mission... if we don’t, she will do something about it."
"What? Why didn’t you tell me about that?!”
"Well, we didn't think something like this was really possible...”
“Ow!”
Just as they were trying to use the opening where Seo Ju-Heon was missing to attack his surroundings...
What nonsense was this?
At the same time...
“The order to withdraw has been given!”
“Ex, excuse me? Are we really withdrawing?”
The US troops who had charged into the hotel room with the farmers who were raising the Herb of Eternal Youth were becoming anxious.
The Oh Seung Woo group farmers, who were almost in danger of being dragged away by the Pandora soldiers, had cast a defense-type artifact and were gulping inside.
It was fine that they were working hard to raise the Herb of Eternal Youth today as well, but they had almost fainted because Pandora soldiers suddenly barged in with guns.
But withdrawing?
Korea was facing a similar situation at that time.
"What do you mean withdraw?! Why are we withdrawing?! Seo Ju-Heon won't be able to do anything if we capture these people!”
“It’s fine, just withdraw! I'm dead if we don't withdraw!”
Both the Chinese Team Red and Pandora soldiers started to grind their teeth. They were withdrawing when they were right outside the Finish line! But they had to do it.
‘The Monarch of Destitution will kill me if we don’t withdraw.’
She confirmed this before contacting Pandora.
"Why did you stop us?! We could have dragged Seo Ju-Heon out if I had some more time!”
[Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?]
“Excuse me?”
[Seo Ju-Heon appeared in the English party hall along with Yoo Jaeha.]
They became anxious.
“There’s no way...! No, there is no way that could have happened. I'm certain it was Seo Ju-Heon. I can go back and confirm with this Pandora system artifact...!”
It was at that moment.
[No, there is no need to confirm.]
“!”
The person on the other side of the call seemed to have changed. She flinched in shock.
"Who the hell are you?!”
[What’s wrong, we were just together until a moment ago.]
“......!”
“Is this perhaps Seo Ju-Heon?!"
Ju-Heon started to laugh and respond through the static noise.
[Oh, it’s nothing much, I'm just curious about the Pandora system artifact you brought.]
“!”
[Show it to me.]
The Monarch of Detection quickly started to speak.
“Turn the car around! Seo Ju-Heon really was the...!”
[Ah, you don’t need to come back. Just hand it to that thing.]
“!”
She turned her head to see the rope suddenly pop out and start to move up and down. It must have been hiding under the Monarch of Detection’s skirt.
[#$&!]
Give it to me! Give it to me!
The Monarch of Detection was in disbelief but quickly clenched her bag.
However...
Screeeech-
The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes... And they lost balance.
The orb-shaped artifact had rolled out of the bag in the process.
This was the so-called Pandora system artifact.
The rope, which grabbed it with its head, started to move in joy.
[$#&*!]
Thank you. Thank you.
The rope then almost instantly left through a gap in the window.
“Ah...!”
As the Monarch of Detection and her subordinates tried to chase after it...
[Oh right, I forgot about something.]
“!”
She heard the voice in the call she had forgotten about.
[If you make such bullshit threats ever again, I won’t let you get away with it.]
“......!”
Was he talking about how she had tried to use his life to lure out his team members?
[Well, I don’t think there will be a second time though.]
‘What?’
The car they were in burst into flames and exploded in an instant.