The Ninth Floor Trial

The reason Kaelion and Lee Jin-hyuk had crossed the cliff to come to this eerie cave was clear.

Liberation.

They were here to rescue the sacred beasts who were forcibly imprisoned, bred, modified, and driven to "corruption" in the Sacred Beast Ranch.

"Aaaaargh! Ahhh!"

"Gwoooooooh! Woooooh!"

It wasn't easy, as warlocks and Wailing Ghosts blocked their path.

Kaelion is more shaken than I expected.

Was it such a shock to realize that she, a High Elf, could wield demonic energy?

Kaelion swung her swords blankly, as if her soul had left her body.

Yet, even so, her twin swords—which had transformed from plum blossoms into sunflowers—were cleanly slaughtering their opponents.

To an outsider, it would look like nothing was wrong.

But Jin-hyuk, who had watched her from before his regression until now, knew better.

He could tell exactly what she was going through.

Kaelion was struggling immensely.

Thud!

...

Jin-hyuk had to conserve his strength as much as possible, so he couldn't step in to help her.

Instead, he silently conjured his holy fire to support her from behind.

Whine...

Whimper... Whimper!

How far had they fought through the warlocks?

Soon, they saw animals whimpering, bound in black chains.

They were bound by black chains, forcibly injected with demonic energy, or being consumed in experiments.

These were not the common bears, deer, tigers, or badgers that usually populated the Tower's wilderness.

Sacred beasts.

Literally holy creatures, said to have received the power of the gods.

They were wasting away, writhing in agony.

"Those bastards..."

"Wait."

Jin-hyuk pulled back Kaelion, who was about to rush forward, and hid their presence.

"Not yet."

"..."

"If we rush in now, the hidden witches might take the sacred beasts hostage."

The sight was more horrific than expected, prompting even some of the Constellations to vent their fury.

Not only had Jin-hyuk's own value skyrocketed, but the sacred beasts themselves were highly precious, making the base reward a whopping ten thousand points per beast.

In the first place, sacred beasts were creatures that possessed special powers granted by the gods (who were treated as Constellations in the Tower).

Very few Constellations could stand by and watch such creatures suffer.

Of course, "very few" did not mean none.

And among them...

This is...?

At the unexpected decree, Jin-hyuk's gaze immediately shot toward the sky.

Though they were inside a cave, the sky was visible as if the ceiling had vanished.

It was due to the heavy intervention of the Constellations.

Devour them?

As if unable to resist a delicious feast, the constellation representing Baal—resembling a set of massive teeth—grew larger in the sky.

Not to be outdone, the other constellations in the sky began to muster their power.

Under the sheer weight of their divine pressure, the cave shook as if it would collapse at any moment.

"Huh?"

"W-what is this?"

The warlocks, who had been quietly experimenting on the sacred beasts, panicked.

*Creeeeak!*

Like a shattering window pane, the sky of the 9th floor began to splinter.

A black furnace, a massive sword of lava, a golden throne seemingly forged from countless weapons...

And finally, pale fangs and a tongue slowly began to manifest.

"Jin-hyuk!"

Perhaps because she was the Apostle of Surtr, Kaelion realized that the chaos in the sky was centering around Jin-hyuk and threw herself toward him.

But the clash of wills among the Constellations was already far beyond what mere players could handle.

*Ruuuumble!*

Pungbaek tried to stop them.

Surtr watched with amusement, while Kagutsuchi prepared to join the fray entirely.

The sky shook as if struck by an earthquake, unable to bear the strain any longer.

"A-aaaah!"

"Run!"

"This is insane...!"

"Get the witches! Hurry!"

Thanks to the clash of divine powers, the Sacred Beast Ranch itself began to crumble.

In the aftermath, the black chains binding the sacred beasts shattered completely.

Now!

The decree handed down by Baal offered tempting rewards, but Jin-hyuk had a different goal from the start.

To rescue the sacred beasts here and deliver them to a certain someone.

To do that, he had to abandon one of the decrees.

"Kaelion!"

"Yes!"

Kaelion leaned forward, her twin swords shifting the flow of the surrounding space.

While she couldn't stop the power of the Constellations, she succeeded in slowing it down, even if only slightly.

Seizing the opening, Jin-hyuk drew Erebos.

He couldn't afford to hold back anymore.

*Whoosh!*

The equipment he wore seemed to connect in that instant, and white flames flared up.

The flames formed a skeletal structure resembling a tiger's spine, which was then covered by muscle-like fire.

Around it, dragon scales harder than anything else materialized.

"This way!"

Darting back and forth, Kaelion gathered the freed sacred beasts and placed them within Jin-hyuk's protective barrier.

*Whimper...*

*Whine...*

A Bulgasari, a Haetae, an immature Phoenix, and a partially grown Unicorn.

Because there were four young, uncorrupted sacred beasts, the Constellations grew even more furious.

Ugh...!

At the center of it all, Jin-hyuk was barely holding on, hovering on the brink of death.

No matter how powerful a Myth-grade Constellation was, they could not descend directly to devour the sacred beasts.

Thus, Baal was trying to use Jin-hyuk's mouth to consume them.

"Hehehehehehe! How long do you think you can block me?!"

It was a voice that literally shook heaven and earth.

By the sheer pressure of his voice alone, the Tiger-Dragon shield surrounding Jin-hyuk began to crack and splinter.

"Eat them! Devour them and grow stronger! Isn't that what it means to be a player?!"

Baal was determined not to miss this golden opportunity with the sacred beasts gathered in one place.

As the Constellation closest to a Great Demon King, when he threw his full weight behind his intent, Jin-hyuk was rendered completely helpless.

All the stats he had accumulated...

Even when focusing all his holy fire and swordsmanship entirely on defense, he could barely withstand the pressure.

"Jin-hyuk!"

H-hurry...

While Jin-hyuk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠held the line, Kaelion succeeded in rescuing all the sacred beasts in the ranch.

It was only possible because Baal had focused all his power solely on Jin-hyuk.

"Jin-hyuk..."

Kaelion, standing beside him, unleashed her swords to resist Baal as much as possible while feeding Jin-hyuk their remaining holy water.

"I know what you desire."

"Power! You desire the kind of power that can slay and devour even the stars."

"Why does someone like you... refuse to eat the sacred beasts? Because of some cheap, petty morality?"

"Don't make me laugh! Do you really think a mere human can destroy the stars while clinging to morality and heroism?!"

As if he had truly lost his patience, the cracks in the sky widened, and a pale hand began to loom over the world.

The other constellations nearby began to react.

*Whimper!*

*Kyuuu!*

Did they realize that Jin-hyuk was risking his life to protect them?

Despite their youth, the sacred beasts clung to Jin-hyuk and began to channel their power into him.

You guys...

*Shhhhhh!*

The fundamental energy used by sacred beasts was divine power.

Since it shared the same root as Jin-hyuk's holy fire, his shield grew increasingly solid.

*Crack...!*

Of course, this alone was not enough to withstand Baal's might.

However, it bought him precious time.

Having made up their minds, the other Constellations unleashed their full strength.

*Sssssss!*

An eternal black furnace sealed the pale hand.

Countless weapons pierced through it.

And lava wrapped around the entire spectacle, dragging it back up into the sky.

"Hehehe... Damn... bastards."

"It is far too difficult to claim a popular one. Hehehe..."

"I shall return. O overwhelming one..."

Realizing that further struggle was futile, Baal withdrew from the clash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of wills.

*Slam!*

Finally, the cave and the sky returned to their original states.

"Haa... Haa..."

Having barely blocked Baal's assault, Jin-hyuk's vision spun.

He had expended far too much energy and stamina.

*Kwoo!*

*Kyu!*

The surrounding sacred beasts tried to support him, but he could no longer hold on.

"Jin-hyuk!"

"Sorry. Take care of these kids..."

*Thud.*

"I'm counting on you."

With that, his vision went dark, and Jin-hyuk lost consciousness.

"Jin-hyuk!"

Kaelion cried out as she watched Jin-hyuk collapse completely.

No! I have to protect Jin-hyuk...

She raised her swords, warily scanning their surroundings.

"...!"

But there was no need.

The Sacred Beast Ranch had already been utterly devastated by the overwhelming might of the Constellations.

The warlocks and necromancers who had been conducting experiments here, as well as the various witches who had come to check on the commotion, had all been turned into corpses.

Even the sturdy facilities and magic circles that filled the area were destroyed.

Everything lay in ruins.

The most chilling part was that all of them looked as if they had been "devoured" by something.

The only things left intact were herself, whom Jin-hyuk had protected, and the young sacred beasts.

"Is this... the power of a Constellation?"

"..."

Despite Surtr's words, Kaelion couldn't bring herself to smile.

I am... so weak.

*Tighten.*

If I stay like this, I won't even be able to walk by his side, let alone protect him.

Of course, her contribution had not been small.

While Jin-hyuk stood firm like a deep-rooted tree to block Baal, she had successfully rescued all the young sacred beasts.

But given Kaelion's strict nature, she couldn't help but fall into self-reproach.

*Kwoooo...*

*Kyu? Kyu-kyu?*

Holding Jin-hyuk in her arms, Kaelion perked up her ears.

"Right."

Jin-hyuk's words flashed through her mind.

"If I happen to pass out or if anything goes wrong..."

"Take the sacred beasts and head to the place Erandir mentioned."

"We have to go first."

*Step.*

Following Kaelion, who carried Jin-hyuk on her back, the young sacred beasts began to move.