Pharaoh Slain, Debt Obliterated
From the moment he got the obsidian axe, Hyunwoo's hunting speed exploded, shattering records left and right.
This axe is way better than that spear I had before.
The gleaming black axe whistled through the air, sending mummies with their sturdy shields crumpling helplessly.
Every throw took down at least one mummy. And he was hurling it every ten seconds—that meant six kills per minute.
"We've got even less to do now."
Even the mage-looking ones didn't get a chance to chant their spells. The second the axe buried into their skulls, they stiffened and toppled backward.
"We can just chill, toss in heals at the right moments, snag all the EXP and loot—it's perfect. Why complain?"
"Still, this feels kinda scummy..."
"You think opportunities like this grow on trees? Shut up and support properly. If she changes her mind and we can't leech anymore, we're screwed."
The party's levels were still low, but Hyunwoo's skills kept skyrocketing, letting them blast through floor 54 without a hitch and reach 55 in no time. In the process, the party members hit LV.45, and Hyunwoo reached LV.52.
"You all picked your traits, right? Alright, heading in."
"Yep."
The mage summoned a flame golem the instant they entered floor 55.
It was the fire-attribute counterpart to the ice golem she'd called earlier. Not as versatile with crowd control as the ice one, but it granted perfect fire immunity to party members while ignoring defenses on its attacks—totally broken.
The floor 55 boss was a pharaoh, infamous for its vicious patterns backed by hordes of mummies and elite guards.
Flame and ice golems charged into the mummy swarm. One froze them solid; the other melted them away. The mummies relied on sheer numbers, so the two golems handled them just fine.
"Leave the trash mobs to the golems and..."
The archer's trait was straightforward: Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits. Once per minute, every arrow guaranteed to land—pure cheat.
She also had Petrify Arrow: hard to hit, but 100% stun on contact.
The petrifying arrow struck the pharaoh square. It pierced the heart, but the tough bastard didn't drop, raising a hand for a counterattack.
"Hyunwoo-ssi!"
"I know. No way I'm letting it."
Hyunwoo rushed the pharaoh, Valkyries flanking him in a flash.
"Die."
Death Gaze. Stops the heart of anyone who meets its eyes. Only once per fight, but no delay—instant and deadly.
Death Gaze stops Player Park Hyunwoo's heart.
Hyunwoo took it head-on. His eyes slowly closed, and he collapsed like a puppet with cut strings—dead.
The pharaoh, seeing this, tried to petrify another player before the effect fully set in.
"Who the hell are you looking at? You pathetic bandaged freak. A monster like you doesn't deserve to call itself king! Get back in your damn grave!"
Schwick—!
The Valkyrie's spear pierced the pharaoh's left arm, exploding it. Hyunwoo's axe followed, embedding in its forehead.
Obsidian Axe curses the Pharaoh.
Plague of Locusts
A swarm of murderous locusts appeared out of nowhere, swarming the pharaoh and devouring its flesh. It screamed and thrashed. The locusts spawned endlessly as long as the curse lasted.
"Revive! Hurry and revive him!"
Meanwhile, Hyunwoo got the priest's LV.45 trait: Desecration of Death. Not only did it revive corpses, but it granted 5 seconds of invincibility.
"This isn't how it's supposed to go... The future I saw was way—" "Snap out of it. Still dreaming at your age?!"
Amodius's Scythe swung, severing the pharaoh's head at last. A massive EXP wave flooded in.
Floor 55 cleared!
◈ Causes massive bleeding on hit.
◈ Grants ability to summon Pharaoh's Hand while equipped.
◈ Pharaoh's Hand: Chance to instantly kill enemy.
The whole party cheered at the black dagger in Hyunwoo's hand.
"Congrats, Hyunwoo-ssi! You're insanely lucky. An obsidian dagger..."
"Is this good?"
"Duh! It's amazing."
Obsidian daggers were rarer than even the axe.
Hyunwoo checked its value right away.
The party went wild again at the absurd options.
But Hyunwoo didn't need it. He had Amodius's Scythe.
"Sell that and you're looking at tens of billions easy."
"Really?"
Hearing that, Hyunwoo decided to sell it.
Pay off the debt with this, and we're square.
He had no intention of actually settling things, but after hearing his master's declaration of war the other day, he figured it was smarter not to poke the bear. Who knew what nightmare she'd unleash if he pushed too far.
"Lots of people after this?"
"Plenty would buy it, rules be damned."
"Got it."
This should smooth things over. Hyunwoo thought lightly.
Two hours until new positions unlocked.
Ryu Ga-eul drummed her long fingers on the table, deep in thought.
How should I fuck this little shit?
The usual ravaging wouldn't vent her rage. She needed something special to ease this burning grudge even a little.
"I'm home."
As she pondered, the front door burst open. Ryu Ga-eul bolted to the entrance like a 12-year-old kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Her towering, superior frame loomed over tiny Hyunwoo.
"Master, why'd you rush over like that? Think I was running?"
"If you were, I'd have hunted you down myself."
"Fair enough."
Hyunwoo shrugged off his coat. Ryu Ga-eul read it as resignation.
"Wanna rest first? My poor Hyunwoo... gonna get fucked all day."
"Tomorrow's a holiday anyway. And all day?"
"Don't play dumb. You know what's coming."
She ran her fingers through his glossy hair, wrapping an arm lightly around his waist.
"Ready? You're done for. Gonna ruin your life."
"Talking like a villain. What, did I wrong you that bad?"
"Two hours from now, no more lip."
"So you'll leave me alone for two hours, then."
Hyunwoo swatted her hand away casually, muttering.
"I'm beat, so don't touch. Eat the dinner I prepped."
"...Hmph."
Oh, playing it like that? Fine.
Ryu Ga-eul decided she had zero reason to go easy.
If you'd begged for mercy, I might've softened—kidding, no mercy!
She eyed Hyunwoo lounging shamelessly on the sofa. Tiny bastard... gonna fuck you till you cry and beg. How dare you insult your master? Never forgiven.
"Master? I see you lurking. Quit grinning like a rapist and sit properly."
"Heh heh heh."
"Sigh... here we go again. Cut it out."
Hyunwoo rolled around defiantly despite her threats. Her mood soured further, escalating beyond a laughing matter. How do I make this punk cry? She brainstormed dozens of methods.
Why's he being such a brat?
Time flew: 10 minutes, 20, 30...
Ten minutes before the deadline, Hyunwoo got up and toddled over to his master.
"What? Finally kneeling to beg? Too late..."
"Gimme your account number."
"...Huh?"
"Account. Just got paid—can wire it now."
...What?
"Nah, the one you gave before works. Done. 4 billion, paid in full."
"Hey."
"That settles it, right? I'm gonna—"
"HEY!!!!!!"
The Sword Saint finally erupted.