The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero
chapter-238

[The Taurus Temple ceases to exist!]

[Will they get merged into the Serpent Bearer?]

Around this time, Joseph, the Ten Star of the Taurus temple, was having a mental breakdown. His Zodiac had been eliminated, and his Zodiac Saint was missing. As if that wasn’t enough, the Taurus Saint’s holy ground had ceased to exist.

Everything had disappeared like ashes. The Taurus temple, a battle-type temple with a deep history that ruled the southern hemisphere along with the Libra temple, had disappeared.

“What? The Zodiac’s palace is gone too?”

“This includes the items we gathered over time?”

The location was Egypt, the main palace of the Taurus temple. This was to be expected since the Taurus was the holy beast Apis of Egypt. It had established itself in this place for a reason.

Moreover, Egypt wasn’t the only part of the Taurus Saint’s holy ground. The holy ground spanned West Asia and the Middle East, including India.

Any arid region where the ancient civilizations blossomed was under the territory of the Taurus temple. Since the cultures of these countries revered bovines, the Taurus temple had been able to spread its roots faster.

Moreover, the Taurus temple was ranked third amongst the temples. The Virgo temple (second) was the overlord of Europe, and the Leo temple (fourth) was the ruler of the US. Both were battle-type temples that had made contributions to the world. They were outstanding and distinguished temples…

“The palaces are really gone without a trace.”

Outstanding temples…

“It was consumed by Lee Gun’s temple, including the Zodiac and Zodiac Saint?”

It was supposed to be an outstanding temple…

In the end, Joseph clutched at his face as he looked at the Taurus Saint’s holy ground, which was now a barren lot. He had a crying expression on his face.

The great holy ground of the Taurus was supposed to be filled with the energy of earth and sand. Yet…

The reason was simple.

“The buildings are all gone. The only thing left is the sand.”

“I think they were flown somewhere else. The disciples confirmed it last night.”

“That’s right. The dormitories for the disciples turned into sand. It caused a big commotion during the night.”

“I heard the buildings were seen heading toward Korea.”

“What? Isn’t Korea part of Lee Gun’s holy ground?”

“Isn’t it the Sagittarius temple’s holy ground?”

“What? The Sagittarius temple still exists?”

Joseph despaired when he heard the commotion around him. It was said that the snake had swallowed the cow. That really seemed to be true.

‘Shit! It would have been better if we were an affiliate!’

A while ago, the last-place and the second-rank temples had become Lee Gun’s affiliate. Joseph had derided them for being unmanly. He had thought they had no pride.

‘However, they didn’t lose everything they possessed.’

The Taurus disciples had lost their living places and possessions. Technically, they had lost everything related to the Taurus temple.

[All the holy items given to the disciples have turned into sand.]

[Everything belonging to the Taurus has been absorbed into the Serpent Bearer.]

It seemed a merger meant that the temple and everything related to it would be taken away. That was why all the different structures had disassembled, then headed toward the Serpent Bearer.

They had been transferred over as data.

It was up to Lee Gun’s will to take the items as they were or make them anew.

‘This is more like a pillaging, instead of a merger.’

At the very least, Lee Gun should have left the original items of the Taurus.

Even the sculpture of the black bull had disappeared into ashes, giving Joseph a mental breakdown.

As if to make matters worse, the great energy of the Taurus no longer circulated through his body. An energy akin to a poisonous snake had appeared there. The reason was simple.

[You can temporarily possess the energy of the serpent.]

[You can temporarily receive the serpent’s magical energy to use skills.]

[Provisional Contract Duration: 2400hrs 0 min 0 sec.]

[If you do not achieve 100% faith in this time frame, all the skills and physical abilities you have developed will cease to exist. You will be returned to being a normal human.]

[If you do not like it, please raise your faith.]

Was it because he had changed Zodiacs? Joseph suddenly heard a threatening voice.

The voice spoke in encouragement(?) toward all the elite disciples of the Taurus temple.

[Hang in there. If you do well, your holy items might be returned in order.]

Joseph’s mind felt like it was collapsing when he heard the devilish voice of Lee Gun. However, he wasn’t the only one.

“Why me….”

Puffin had the same reaction after being suddenly sent to Egypt.

Puffin was the Serpent Bearer’s fifth disciple. He was part of the attack force of the Leo temple. However, he had unfortunately been present in the stadium where Lee Gun had defeated him and his fellow disciples in three seconds. Puffin had been one of the fighters who Lee Gun had then taken notice of.

At the time, he had felt like he would be killed if he didn’t join the Serpent Bearer temple. Moreover, his abilities were approved by Lee Gun, so he had entered the temple. Everything was fine up to that point.

– Alright. Your faith toward the Serpent Bearer used to be 50%, but now it is 100%, right? You should head toward the Taurus temple and train the disciples there. Give them some advice, too.

Puffins despaired. He had reached 100% faith toward the Serpent Bearer. He had been dragged away by Sungjae and trapped for three days to watch documentaries about Lee Gun. Instead of reading the newspaper, Puffin had to read Lee Gun’s bible. He had to hear Lee Gun hymns as a lullaby.

He had been brainwashed by Sungjae and his Constructs to print a 100% faith. That seemed to be why he was sent to raise the faith of the Taurus disciples.

‘How am I supposed to do those things in good conscience?’

Moreover, it was unknown whether their faith would go up if the same thing was done to them.

At that moment, someone patted Puffin on the back.

“Don’t worry too much about it. We’ll throw them away if it doesn’t work.”

It was none other than Hugo. The Archer Saint had crossed Kevin’s holy ground to reach this place. Why?

“Please eat your food and watch your movies without me.”

Yes, something had happened before Hugo had come here. With the incident in Drachma, Lee Gun had received numerous presents. One of them was an invitation to dinner at a seven-star hotel.

Normally, Lee Gun would have given away the present to someone else, but the menu made using monster meat seemed to have intrigued him. Moreover, he didn’t want to go by himself.

Since it was an invitation for 2 people, Lee Gun had tried to go with Hugo, and Hugo had told him to go with Hailey before heading out.

Back to the present.

‘Anyway, the disciples of a battle-type temple will be helpful.’

If the Taurus disciples could be safely transformed into the disciples of the Serpent Bearer, it would be a boon to Lee Gun.

‘Gun’s target is the monarch of Time.’

Among the monarchs, six had taken earth’s territory. Two of them had been killed, leaving only four. Time was one of them.

Like the other monarchs, Time was an existence that traveled through different worlds. It couldn’t be found on the earth. To find it, Lee Gun needed the power of other monarchs and Zodiacs.

According to Hailey, the remaining monarchs were extraordinary. They could change the scale of time. If Lee Gun were unlucky, he could be dropped into a strange world.

‘Anyway, Gun’s divine status and disciples need to increase. We’ll grow in power too.’

Since Hugo was an affiliate under the Serpent Bearer, Gun’s growth meant his growth. Of course, it wasn’t as if the situation was without problems.

“Faith? Who the hell would like someone with a trash personality like him? How can the faith toward him rise?”

Lee Jaewon, who had tagged along as Hugo’s guard, burst out laughing when he heard Hugo’s words. “Shall I go buy some alcohol for Saint-nim?”

“Alcohol?”

“When you’re drunk, your faith goes up quickly.”

Hugo looked at Lee Jaewon as if he were offended.

When Hugo had received the notification that he had reached level 5, he had become able to see a function.

[Lee Jaewon (S rank)]

[Sagittarius Faith: 91%]

[Serpent Bearer Faith: 120%]

It was an ability that allowed him to see the faith of other people. This was the reason he became angry.

“Hey! I’m close to Gun, but I’m nowhere close to you! Do you realize Gun looked out for you when you were his porter….”

“Yes, yes. When Lee Gun-nim passed away, I was a student about to take an examination. I had to listen to your drunken words about you missing Lee Gun-nim. You did it every day.”

“W-What?”

“When you met Madam, you kept saying you don’t deserve this type of happiness since you were unable to save Lee Gun-nim. You were the one who made it impossible for me to study for my tests.”

“I never did that!!!”

“I did get into a good university, but it was very hard. Anyway, I’ll go buy some alcohol. Do you think ten boxes will be enough?”

“Hey, Lee Jaewon!!!”

Lee Jaewon was about to order alcohol through his phone when his eyes turned round. “Saint-nim! Look at this!”

“!”

* * *

The Great Sandy Desert, Australia.

World Workshop was the tower where all of humanity’s equipment and holy items were made, and this place was abuzz right now. The reason was the declaration sent out by the Capricorn temple.

“Are they being serious?”

“What? You’re talking about the membership?”

“Aside from the membership, they are saying anyone who puts an order in with the Serpent Bearer will be blacklisted. They won’t even take on orders for repairs.”

The disciples who came to leave their items here became agitated when they heard the speech of the Capricorn temple’s disciples. They were acting high-handedly.

Yet, the Capricorn disciples acted as if their actions were justified.

“Reputation is very important to a temple. This is especially true for a manufacturer temple that has a deep connection with our reputation. Since we have suffered massive damage, we believe the proper measures were taken.”

“We are saying how can we trust those who are actively trying to hurt our temple.”

This caused a commotion.

On the other hand, it was also a desperate situation for the Capricorn disciples.

‘Thanks to Lee Gun, a big order that we were supposed to receive large support from is on the verge of being canceled!’

Yes, it was occurring in Europe where the Abundance had been disposed of. After a Green Zone had appeared in the middle of the Black zone, humanity had become hopeful that they would be able to retake its lands.

Therefore, an expedition was being discussed.

‘A variety of equipment is needed in an expedition.’

And so, governments all around the world, including different classes of countries, had asked for support from the Genius workshop and the Capricorn temple. They had made an agreement, yet the appearance of Lee Gun caused…!

‘Our funding will be cut in half.’

Words they couldn’t believe were spoken to them.

– Wouldn’t it be better if both sides produce the items?

– It would be best to work together for the sake of humanity.

These words had hurt the pride of the Capricorn disciples.

‘Have they lost their minds?’

‘There is no reason to build up an amateur to this extent.’

‘Do they think the path of fighting and manufacturing overlap?’

‘Thanks to him, the Capricorn temple’s reputation has been damaged.’

This was the reason all the workshops affiliated with the Capricorn temple were of one opinion.

“Anyone who wants the Serpent Bearer to manufacture their items should stick to that side.”

“Even if you went to get a quote, you’re barred from entering any of our affiliate workshops.”

“What?! That’s bullshit!”

Their decision caused a commotion among the other disciples.

“What should we do?”

“Will we be ok?”

“That’s right. I heard Lee Gun can quickly make items that are below S-rank.”

“I guess… However, we can’t even enter the Genius Workshop if we order from Lee Gun.”

“That’s right. The royal holy items and Heaven’s Punishment were said to be made by the Capricorn… They are overpowering…”

The Capricorn disciples laughed when they heard those words. It was working as they had planned.

“However, the monster from Drachma was defeated by the Archer Saint’s bow. Didn’t Lee Gun make that?”

“Really?”

The eyes of the Capricorn disciples suddenly flashed.

“Bow? If we have the blueprint, we can make it too!”

“That’s right! Tell him to make the blueprint public!”

Hearing this, someone who had come here to monitor the situation spoke up. “Blueprint? God-nim doesn’t use such a thing…”

“!”

It was the Secretary. “When Lee Gun manufactures items, he doesn’t make a blueprint. He plans it all out in his head.”

The master craftsmen were dumbfounded.

“This isn’t some art project! Do you realize how complex it is to make equipment?”

“Aren’t you a disciple of the Serpent Bearer? That’s why you’re taking his side.”

“It really is true…”

“Anyway, it takes Lee Gun four weeks to make an S-rank weapon. If we expedite it, we can make it in two weeks. If you order it with Lee Gun, you will have to wait a long time. Please think carefully.”

At that moment…

“Two weeks?”

Everyone was stirred when they heard the familiar laugh.

“It is Lee Gun!”

“Lee Gun??”

The master craftsmen were surprised when the man in question showed up before them.

“You guys speak so highly of your weapons, so I came to see them.”

“!!”

Lee Gun soon picked up a sword from the display, an A-rank weapon.

“How long did it take you to make this?”

“That? Three days will be enough for us. Isn’t that fast?”

Lee Gun scoffed, looking dumbfounded. “Three days? This? I can make it in thirty minutes.”

“?!”

The words caused a stir amongst the master craftsmen.

“Are you trying to insult us?”

“There are words you should and shouldn’t say…!”

Kwahng!

As if the master craftsmen had been waiting for Lee Gun, they rushed forward with their blueprints.

“We’ve just received our funding.”

“Oh?”

“The ones who sent it said that we should split it with the temple of the Serpent Bearer. Our Zodiac has been impatiently waiting for this funding and items in particular. Our Zodiac does not want to share it.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why we should use the same blueprint to see who can make it better. We’ll compare in a fair manner. It’s a blueprint for an S-rank weapon.”

Lee Gun laughed at those words. He had come here thinking he could steal ingredients. And here he was, now confronted with the blueprint and the funding that the Capricorn had been eagerly waiting for.

“Alright. Call forth the one who is best at making weapons.”

The craftsmen immediately moved to call for the Ten Star and the Zodiac of their temple.

“You can use the ingredients over there.”

The Secretary followed Lee Gun toward the storage room, and her eyes turned round.

“Those bastards! How dare they give such ingredients!”

At a glance, the ingredients within the storage room looked fine. There was enough. However, their quality was too low.

What one did with them wouldn’t matter; only a B rank item could be made from these ingredients.

The Secretary had sharp eyes, so she was about to protest. “I’ll go talk to them right now….”

However, Lee Gun grabbed her. “It’s fine. This is enough.”

“What?”