Translator: miraclerifle
[The opponent’s Dominance has fallen to B-Grade.]
[The opponent's contract with the Avesta is about to be released.]
Ju-Heon's expression brightened after seeing that.
Even if Rockefeller's Dominance was high, he was still human. There was no way his mental fortitude would remain when he was on the brink of death.
And at that moment...
[The Avesta has betrayed its master.]
[The opponent's contract with the Avesta has been released.]
The Avesta moved away from its master as the Dominance fell. Ju-Heon did not miss that opening and channeled his Dominance into the old Sacred Text.
Boom!
The reaction was quite intense.
[#&$#&!]
What do you want, you worthless human!
Boom! Boom!
The Avesta went on the defensive as soon as the foreign Dominance was channeled inside it. It was starting to release a strong aura without being dominated by Ju-Heon's Dominance.
But Ju-Heon laughed while looking at it.
Why?
This bastard wouldn’t react this way if his Dominance was weak. There was no way an expert would be thoroughly defending against a mere puppy.
That meant...
‘It means my Dominance has risen to a point where I can handle Divine-Grade artifacts to a degree.’
Ju-Heon peeked at his abilities.
[Artifact Dominance: S+ (The Manifestation of a Hero)]
Artifact Affinity: E- (Do not want to even approach)]
It was not enough to be at the Four Emperor-Grade level (SS+), but he would be able to deal with Divine-Grade artifacts based on the battle of will.
It was much better than when he first returned to the past. He was only at the A+ (Great Conqueror) level when he first returned. His Dominance seemed to have fallen because of his death and the shock of betrayal when he first returned, but he had gained back some of his original Dominance.
‘There was a benefit to exploiting the artifacts.’
It would normally not be possible to raise it like this in such a short amount of time.
Ju-Heon was an Expert-Grade artifact user who mainly used S-Grade artifacts prior to returning to the past. Of course, he was able to handle Divine-Grade artifacts to a degree. There were just no Divine-Grade artifacts to form a partnership.
It happened at that moment.
“Ugh, this damn low-grade artifact...!”
Austin who was being choked by the rope clenched his feet and started to resist.
‘How dare this thing.’
He couldn't believe what was happening. This rope that was choking him felt like a low-grade artifact.
It was also a Consumable Artifact that anybody could use!
‘I just need to Dominate and pull something like this off!’
Austin tried to channel strong Dominance into the rope to dominate it.
The reaction was quick.
[!]
The rope that felt Austin’s strong Dominance twitched. It choked Austin’s neck for a moment before it started to act wild like a rat that had ingested poison.
[#$&#!]
Normally, Consumable artifacts did not care about the user. It was typical for its master to change based on the user.
‘Alright, so hurry up and let go!’
Furthermore, the rope was a low-rank C-Grade artifact. There was no way it could resist Austin's Dominance that could even control Divine-Grade artifacts.
The rope felt as if it was being whipped by the strong Dominance and slowly started to lose strength.
Austin started to smile.
‘Good! Just like that!’
Austin gasped for air and gave the rope an order as soon as he was starting to be released.
"Alright, you damn rope son of a bitch! Go choke that bastard!”
However at that moment!
[$&#$#&!]
That hurt! That hurt!
“Ugh!”
The rope that had been releasing became angry and started to choke Austin again. The rope seemed to be extremely upset. Austin's Dominance must have felt terribly dirty for the rope.
[#$##&*!]
I'm angry! Super angry! You'll pay for that!
It was really strong this time. Austin couldn't breathe again but more importantly, he couldn't believe what was going on.
‘What the hell?!’
What was up with this shitty situation? How could a damn Consumable Artifact reject a user?!
But he had no time to think.
‘This hurts!’
As Austin whose airway was blocked was flailing for air...
“Young master!”
The rope artifact quickly ran away as someone called for Austin. Austin returned to his senses to see his secretary Vera next to him.
"Are you okay sir?”
She had a vicious ornamental silver knife in her hand. It was an A-Grade artifact. She must have wanted to rip the rope apart with this knife.
Austin was feeling the sequelae of being suffocated as he asked.
“Huuu......huff! W, what about that damn rope?!”
Vera looked forward instead of responding. Ju-Heon who had swiped the rope away was standing there. The rope was wrapping around Ju-Heon’s body and whining.
[#$#(#(!]
Master, I'm in pain. I'm in pain.
Vera must have cut it a bit with the knife. Ju-Heon who was holding the rope was frowning. He had noticed the secretary appearing and called back the rope with almost perfect timing.
The rope would have been instantly destroyed if he left it to be attacked.
“How dare you try to destroy an artifact?”
Yoo Jaeha started to pout next to him.
“Says the guy who destroys artifacts almost daily...”
“Shut up.”
It was fine for him to do that. But others couldn't destroy them.
He couldn't allow that to happen.
“By the way.”
Ju-Heon scoffed while looking at Vera who was standing next to Austin.
“I remember you were George Holten's servant......”
It definitely was that woman. It was that Russian woman who had given Ju-Heon a massage on the Holtens’ private plane.
“But you were the Rockefeller's spy?”
“Ah yes, how is that disgusting dimwit doing?”
Ju-Heon laughed out loud at Vera’s sneer.
It was quite interesting.
How can it not be when the Holten couple became ill at someone’s deliberate action? That was why Ju-Heon and George were trying to find the culprit.
But there was a Rockefeller spy?
Then wasn’t it a simple story?
“Was it you guys who got the Holten couple sick too?”
“!”
Vera flinched at his voice that had instantly become cold.
However, Vera quickly snapped out of it and snorted.
“I'll tell you in advance since it will be revealed eventually, but all we did was introduce them to an artifact merchant. Those idiots must have touched artifacts without thinking and gotten sick.”
Vera was sneering as if she had no intentions of hiding it, but at that moment...
“Will you look at that?”
“!”
“I guess these shitheads really did get them sick on purpose.”
Vera started to shake in fear at Ju-Heon's heinous Dominance.
‘W, what is this?’
She was scared.
It wasn’t that Ju-Heon was ever a nice person, but he was much more vicious right now.
However, that was an obvious reaction.
Ju-Heon had been a victim of tomb syndrome as well. That had been the reason for his pain and for his life of slavery under Chairman Kwon. It was no wonder he would not look kindly on people who spread it on purpose.
And a person's Dominance was the materialization of the person's charisma or overbearing nature. It was the type of pressure one would feel in front of charismatic leaders, past sovereigns, experts in different fields with strong persistence, and even tyrants who committed terrible deeds throughout history.
‘He’s at a completely different level.’
His Dominance seemed to be at the Monarch-Grade.
As Vera whose legs became weak fell on her butt...
“Well, it doesn't matter. It’s not my job to get rid of you guys.”
“!”
The heinous Dominance disappeared as if it had never been there.
Ju-Heon nonchalantly threw the Sacred Text to his luggage boy, Yoo Jaeha. It wasn't important right now even if it was true that these bastards were the ones who messed with the Holten couple.
“Number 1. Put that away for now. We're ditching this joint before some weird bastards get involved.”
The hyenas aiming for Ju-Heon's Sacred Text started to appear as expected.
“That bastard took that weird Sacred Text, right?”
“Yes, I saw him take it.”
“It looks like a possession-type artifact and not a consumable artifact, right?”
“Yeah.”
There were at least forty of them who had been suppressed by the believers earlier but were free now.
He saw some familiar Monarch-Grade and Expert-Grade people.
Even Chairman Kwon was there.
Ju-Heon chuckled at that reaction.
Honestly speaking, a possession-type artifact that had lost its master was quite precious.
Possession-type artifacts were rare items compared to Consumable Artifacts that could be stolen and also had limited uses!
‘It's normal that the artifact users would try to steal it.’
People soon charged toward Yoo Jaeha who was holding the artifact.
“It is a master-less artifact! Steal it!”
“Take it away! Get it now!”
Austin was grinding his teeth as he sat on the ground.
How dare they act this way with my artifact!
He started to growl toward people involved with Pandora who were trying to take the artifact.
“Hey, you morons! I'm cutting off all of my support for Pandora if you even touch my artifact!”
His words made Chairman Kwon and Richard who were trying to steal the artifact flinch.
Austin quickly shouted as the people all stopped for a moment.
“Vera! Proceed with the original plan! Do it now!”
“Ah, yes sir!”
Austin seemed to have been plotting something in this party hall. It was time to put it into action.
But as Vera tried to activate the artifact they had secretly installed inside the party hall...
“!”
Vera’s eyes opened wide in shock. Austin became angry and shouted again.
“Vera!”
“N, no. The artifact is not activating! I know I hid it between the planters!”
That was their plan.
Austin and Vera knew that there would be a lot of prey at this party. They had installed an illusion-type artifact in advance and were trying to activate it. They had been planning on stealing artifacts from the invited guests while they were under an illusion.
She had hidden the plant-shaped artifact among the plants in the party hall.
‘So why?!’
At that moment...
“Ah. This was yours?”
“!”
She heard someone's nonchalant voice.
Yoo Jaeha was the one who said that. He seemed to have sucked up all the people charging at him with van Gogh's painting.
Yoo Jaeha nonchalantly showed her the Sansevieria plant.
“Aigoo, I'm sorry. I thought someone threw it away.”
He was planning on running to Ju-Heon and asking for praise and a bonus for finding an artifact.
Yoo Jaeha started to chuckle.
“Well, I'm going to take it since I found it, pretty sis. I only have so many chances to get a bonus.”
Of course, Vera who heard that could only foam at the mouth.
“T, then what about that one over there?”
“Ah, that’s a fake.”
“W, what? A fake?”
It was at that moment. Austin who saw something started to shout.
“Vera! That’s not the problem! Look at the painting in his hand!”
“!”
They started to curse at them for a different reason.
It was understandable.
“That’s definitely the thing you lent to General Keira, young master...!”
“Why the hell do they have that van Gogh painting?!”
Had it not been burnt?
“It’s fine! Steal that first!”
However...
“Steal it my ass. Goodbye you stupid idiots!”
Yoo Jaeha gave a F*ck you as Ju-Heon started to laugh. Ju-Heon had purposely made Yoo Jaeha catch everyone’s attention while he drew an image on the ground.
He was using his escape artifact, the Ink belonging to an artist on Paris’s Montmartre Hill!
The image flashed and the superior and the subordinate completely disappeared.
[300 of the 400 artifact users who were invited to Pandora’s meeting have received minor injuries, 80 have received serious injuries and there are some who are missing.]
[A fight that started with one artifact user stealing a Sacred Text artifact became bigger and...]
[Civic groups have started to criticize Pandora for being an organization that fosters fights.]
[Pandora, the responsible party claims to be nonplussed at the situation and......]
Ju-Heon, who had returned to his New York penthouse, was laughing while watching the news.
“They deserve it. Anyway, this is the greatest gain from this Pandora meeting.”
Ju-Heon threw something on the desk.
That was the Avesta Sacred Text.
“Wow, all that ruckus happened because of this thing, right? What kind of artifact is it? The news didn't say anything about it.”
“What is it? Basically, it is an artifact that turns you into a religious leader.”
"A religious leader?”
“It is a religion-type artifact.”
Ju-Heon was smiling.
The Avesta was originally supposed to belong to the Monarch of Evangelism. But it had ended up in Rockefeller's hands as the future changed and now it was in his hands.
That meant that...
‘The Four Emperors have inevitably been changed.’
He had sent the Monarch of War, one of the Four Emperors off already, and he would hinder Chairman Kwon from getting there. The future was continuously changing as the Monarch of Evangelism didn't have the artifact to become the Monarch of Evangelism anymore.
‘I wonder which bastards will end up as the candidates now.’
The Oh Seung Woo group who had become quite connected with the community now were worried about Ju-Heon.
“Umm, will you be okay? Based on rumors, this incident made not just Chairman Kwon and Rockefeller, but... Other people are starting to focus on you as well, hyung-nim.”
Ju-Heon smiled after hearing that.
There were definitely others beside Chairman Kwon and Rockefeller who were monopolizers in the past and could be Monarchs in the future. There were some colossus who weren’t at the party, but this was a great chance.
‘It’s a greeting of sorts.’
He was sending a greeting in advance to all the bastards he would meet from now on.
Now that the Four Emperors were changed, he would end up fighting with them for the positions that would influence the world.
Of course, he would end up taking one of those spots.
As he was having that shameless thought...
“Ah, Captain-nim. What do we do about that one?”
Yoo Jaeha who had been stuck in the room restoring artifacts was huffing as he walked out.
Ju-Heon started to frown.
“What is it? What’s the issue?”
“No, you see, the rope!”
Ju-Heon walked into the room. He could see the rope moving around in front of him.
Huh, but the rope's condition...?
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