The Seventh Floor Test (5)
'Ganghon?'
Unlike the Shadow Eater, this giant snake seemed to have little to do with shadows.
However, it was an incredibly skilled swimmer, darting back and forth while looking at Lee Jin-hyuk and Kaelion, who were trapped in their cage.
The Constellation '...' flicks their tongue, saying their informant has gone there.
The Constellation '...' shrugs, saying their informant will lead you to the hidden piece.
'So this guy is the informant?'
He didn't know why snake-like creatures were on a floor themed after Murim.
But one thing was for sure: this creature wasn't hostile.
He had to gather materials to build a boat anyway, so if a faster creature was willing to carry them, he had nothing to lose.
"Wh-what?"
Amidst the varying reactions of the Constellations, Kaelion's face turned pale.
Not knowing the full situation, she seemed to think they had to fight the giant sea serpent.
'I should explain the situation first.'
"Oh my... So this snake is going to take us to where the hidden piece is?"
"Yeah."
Swoooooosh!
Five minutes later, Jin-hyuk and Kaelion were riding on top of Ganghon's head, moving at breakneck speed.
—...?
—...@@@
—...&^
Even the Shadow Phantoms sailing on giant shadow ships nearby pretended not to see them and steered away the moment they saw Ganghon.
Ganghon was literally a giant snake that had inherited the soul of the Yangtze River.
There was no Shadow Phantom capable of opposing a creature that could control waves, tides, and even the wind to some extent.
Splash!
The place Ganghon brought them to was an island on the Yangtze River.
'Was there originally an island in the Yangtze River?'
He couldn't help but feel puzzled about this.
This was the seventh floor.
It was merely a replica of the vast world of Murim, not the actual Yangtze River of the real Murim.
Hiss! Hiss!
As Ganghon lowered its head as if telling them to get off, Jin-hyuk and Kaelion stepped down.
"We just need to stay here?"
Hiss!
After dropping them off on the island, Ganghon vanished back into the depths of the Yangtze River.
And then...
An unexpected message rang out.
You have found a hidden location.
You have bypassed the territory of the boss monster, Ganghon, and discovered the location of the Yangtze River's Core.
The remaining time has been forcibly reduced to 0 seconds. You may choose one of the 'shards' obtainable in this region and acquire it in its maximum quantity.
'Huh?'
Jin-hyuk was taken aback by the sudden message.
'What is this?'
As far as Jin-hyuk knew, there were almost no hidden pieces in the seventh-floor test.
At best, the Shadow Eater in the Green Forest and Ganghon here in the Yangtze River were the hidden pieces themselves.
Since those two had rarely been discovered, let alone defeated, in past tests, he had practically given up on them.
'To think the seventh floor had a hidden element like this.'
*Rustle.*
'I guess the Tower really is vast.'
"Wow..."
Kaelion also hadn't expected this, looking at Jin-hyuk with a flushed face.
"I didn't expect it to end this quickly."
"Indeed."
The Constellation '...' wags their tail and shrugs.
The best part was that he could obtain one of the shards in its "maximum quantity."
Normally, no matter how many Shadow Phantoms you killed, it was impossible to max out a shard.
The types of shards they carried were too diverse, and they only dropped randomly.
'The maximum limit for a shard is 100, but no one has ever collected all 100.'
Fortunately, it seemed this hidden piece allowed them to acquire the maximum amount of any shard.
Since there was something he needed, Jin-hyuk chose without hesitation.
Clear Abyssal Water Breath.
A breathing technique primarily practiced by the Yangtze River Water Faction or the sects of Hainan.
Simply put, it was a breathing technique that allowed one to hold their breath underwater for an extended period.
'And the more you train it, the more beneficial it becomes.'
If mastered to the limit, the Clear Abyssal Water Breath allowed one to breathe under any circumstances.
Not just underwater, but even amidst fire or mucus.
It even granted effects like improving one's swimming ability.
Rather than just allowing one to breathe, it was a means to enhance overall "adaptability."
Given the nature of the Tower, where environments became increasingly bizarre the higher one climbed, it was a great skill to have.
He also needed to acquire it eventually to prepare for when the Ruler of the Deep Sea would invade the Tower and completely upend the environment.
Of course, there were many other breathing techniques, but among those that could be "gradually developed" in the form of "martial arts," Clear Abyssal Water Breath was the most outstanding.
"Did you choose?"
"Yes."
Looking to his side, Kaelion had also chosen the Clear Abyssal Water Breath.
It seemed she remembered his advice to gather as many shards of Clear Abyssal Water Breath as possible before coming here.
Time Remaining: 0 seconds
*You have survived the Shadow Phantoms (Yangtze River Water Faction). Moving to the next region.
Flash!
Soon, the two materialized in a bustling marketplace.
"Selling sword techniques!"
"Try some dumplings! Fresh dumplings!"
"I'm bored, anyone up for a spar? Hahaha!"
The place they arrived at looked incredibly ordinary at first glance.
It resembled a highly active commercial district in Murim.
This is the final region.
No safe zone will be formed in the final region.
Time Remaining: 10 days
The difference from before was that no safe zone would be established.
And unlike before, there were no visible shadows.
"It's just as you said."
"Yeah."
Jin-hyuk and Kaelion whispered in voices only they could hear.
"The real test starts now."
This marketplace might have looked narrow at first glance, but it wasn't.
The streets stretched out endlessly like a maze.
And the seemingly ordinary merchants, waiters, and players...
...were actually Shadow Phantoms operating in disguise.
The reason they looked like normal humans, unlike those from the Green Forest or the Yangtze River Water Faction?
It was simple.
They belonged to the Haomun and the Assassin Guild.
"You mentioned the Haomun, right? The masters of disguise who are everywhere."
"Exactly. Right now, this is a world where the Haomun and the Assassin Guild coexist."
The Haomun.
An organization embedded everywhere, specialized in gathering information.
The Assassin Guild.
A group of assassins who used single-strike kills, stealth, and presence concealment—completely different from the Green Forest bandits.
Despairingly for the players, the Shadow Phantoms of these two organizations, which permeated the entire area, were present here.
"Oh my, what a lovely couple."
"How about it? Our tavern has delicious food, refined rice wine, and snacks!"
"We also have rooms upstairs. Our dumplings are especially delicious."
"Ahaha..."
The most troublesome part was that real people were mixed in here.
There were people actually running taverns or buying and selling goods.
There were also players who had climbed to this floor.
Distinguish them?
There was no way to do so.
Most of the power these Shadow Phantoms possessed lay in disguise and assassination.
To go to extremes, just as Surtr suggested, wiping everything out was indeed an option.
In fact, some players pushed to the brink had previously committed the madness of blowing up the entire area.
'But I can't do that.'
Jin-hyuk didn't want useless sacrifices.
If he were cornered and had no choice, he might use it as a last resort.
But right now, he had the power.
"Shall we get started?"
"Yes."
Truth-Seeking Eye
*Crackle!*
As one of Jin-hyuk's eyes dyed gold, all the surrounding information began to flood into his vision.
The Truth-Seeking Eye.
An eye that could discern the power, texture, and flow within the Tower, as well as truth and falsehood.
Since he had already been analyzing the characteristics and power of the Green Forest's Shadow Phantoms,
Jin-hyuk could now easily distinguish between real humans and the Shadow Phantoms.
Green and red energies began to coexist in Kaelion's eyes.
Though abandoned by the spirits and the Mother Tree, she was still an elf at her core.
She was naturally more sensitive to life, mana, and flow than other races.
Learning the Clear Abyssal Water Breath made her even more sensitive to the flow, and this combined with her innate elven senses.
As a result, although not to the extent of the Truth-Seeking Eye, she gained a vision that could distinguish things to a significant degree.
*Flash!*
Jin-hyuk and Kaelion leaped into the middle of the marketplace simultaneously.
"Kyaaa!"
"What is that?"
"A-an attack!"
The people here didn't actually launch overt attacks like this.
After all, the motto of the Haomun and the Assassin Guild was 'kill without anyone knowing.'
Over 90% of the players who died here met their end without even realizing it.
Even if the Shadow Phantoms didn't touch the local residents, the players couldn't trust anyone.
Unable to sleep, wash, or eat properly, the players were extremely high-strung.
Because of this, they avoided making a scene or standing out.
A single mistake could lead to paranoid players fighting and killing each other.
However, Jin-hyuk and Kaelion unleashed their power openly, completely disregarding such concerns.
*Crunch!*
*Slash!*
And then, they began to cut down the Shadow Phantoms with their swordsmanship.
—...###
—...))))
You have defeated a Shadow Phantom (Haomun). x2
You have defeated a Shadow Phantom (Assassin Guild). x6
You have acquired shards for the Footwork Technique. x2
You have acquired shards for the Stealth Technique. x4
You have acquired shards for the Sword Technique. x2
*Frizzle...*
"...!"
"W-what is that?"
In that moment, the players witnessed it.
Shadows dissolving in an instant.
And the two players swinging their swords without a shred of hesitation.
"My god..."
"They can tell them apart?"
The Haomun and the Assassin Guild were tricky.
They rarely dissolved easily, and only revealed their shadow nature upon death.
This meant that from a player's perspective, they had to kill the target in a single strike to prove they were a Shadow Phantom.
If they made a mistake and killed an innocent resident or another player, they would be lynched.
Furthermore, the enemies could only be killed using the power obtained on the sixth floor.
In other words, killing them in one blow was incredibly difficult.
'Yet, despite all these unfavorable conditions...'
'...they're picking them off like that?'
*Crunch!*
Of course, the Shadow Phantoms of the Haomun and the Assassin Guild had a weakness.
Once exposed, their combat power wasn't as formidable as those of the Green Forest or the Yangtze River Water Faction.
*Crunch!*
It meant they could be dissolved using only a minimal amount of the *Martial Arts* or *Magic* acquired on the sixth floor.
Moreover, these two were peak masters with overwhelming stats and swordsmanship.
No matter how much they blended in with the crowd, as long as their identities were clear, the two could adjust their power to selectively eliminate them.
—...%%
Multiple Constellations widen their eyes and look at you.
The Constellation '...' begins to show strong curiosity about your 'eyes'.
The Constellation '...' pays attention to the relationship between you and the descendant of the Lizardman Lord.
*Crumble...!*
*Stab!*
As Jin-hyuk and Kaelion continued to eliminate the Shadow Phantoms, other players began to gather around them.
"L-let's band together too!"
"Yeah! Let's group up!"
"Whoaaa...!"
At that moment, the players who hadn't been able to rest properly joined Jin-hyuk.
Seeing this, Jin-hyuk's eyes gleamed as he activated his skill once more.
Activating a skill.
The scales on his armor flew off and attached themselves to the foreheads of several players.
"Those guys."
*Point.*
"The ones with scales on their foreheads are the Shadow Phantoms."