The Tenth Floor Trial (2)
Russell Mighty.
The guild leader of the Mighty Guild, one of the five great guilds that spanned the Tower, and a sanctuary for great warriors and Barbarians.
Before my regression, he was ranked fourth overall.
Despite being a tank, he possessed devastating offensive power and his own means of health regeneration. Before my regression, he was the guy who always reliably held down the front lines.
The only problem was that he was somewhat simple-minded, brute-force oriented, and ruled entirely by instinct.
At this point in time, it's way before we actually met.
Indeed. The time when Lee Jin-hyuk and Russell Mighty were originally supposed to meet was several years from now.
Only then would they have crossed paths on the fifth floor by chance and hunted down Zinkwax.
Back then, it was after the Pathfinder, Kunaktun, unlocked the Northern Continent. That was why Russell could enter without any trouble.
Even then, Russell Mighty was a High Ranker, but his simple-minded nature had allowed Zinkwax to play him like a fiddle.
It was only because Jin-hyuk provided the strategy and brains while Russell provided the brawn that they managed to capture Zinkwax in his past life.
So right now, he's weaker than he was back then, and...
Sigh.
...probably even more simple-minded.
"Woo-hyooooot!"
"What the hell?!"
"Retreat! Retreat, quickly!"
"Aaaargh!"
To an onlooker, it might have seemed absurd. After all, that hulking brute of a Barbarian was just throwing wild punches while letting out ridiculous, playful-sounding battle cries.
But looking at the results, no one could laugh.
The Green Forest.
In the middle of the woods, Russell's fists were sending the bandits flying like autumn leaves—not just the second-class and first-class martial artists, but even the peak-realm experts of the Green Forest.
He wasn't using any skills, nor did he have any items equipped. It was pure, unadulterated punching.
In fact, far from having no items, he was completely stark naked. There was no room for doubt.
No one else could pull that off.
Even if someone asked Jin-hyuk to do that, he couldn't. He didn't want to, either.
Regardless of the outcome, that crazy bastard was hunting down the Green Forest bandits while completely naked.
"Whew."
Bam!
Having relieved some stress, or perhaps deciding he had finished what he came to do, Russell dusted off his hands and looked ahead.
"Another day of justice served! Bwahahaha!"
"..."
"Huh?"
Dozens of trees lay snapped in half, and the Green Forest bandits were writhing on the ground, each with at least one broken bone.
Standing amidst the wreckage, Jin-hyuk, who wore vastly different attire, naturally drew Russell's curiosity.
"Who might you be?"
"Put some clothes on first. Please."
"Ah."
"Bwahahaha!"
Russell laughed so hard the forest shook. He stripped the clothes off a nearby bandit and tied them around his waist.
Looking at the still-loose makeshift pants, Jin-hyuk felt a headache coming on.
How on earth am I going to civilize this guy...
Of course, strictly speaking, he wasn't human. He was a Barbarian. A race defined by their massive build and overwhelming physical specifications.
Alongside the Sacred Fire Dragon and the Phoenix, they were once considered one of the three ancient species of the Tower, boasting immense power in their prime.
Though Russell is the last descendant now. And he's a mixed-blood, not even a pureblood.
There was a saying that Barbarians traded their intelligence and reason for physical stats, and indeed, their raw stats were overwhelming.
Even Jin-hyuk, whose stats increased at double the normal rate, couldn't compare in raw physical power.
Of course, if Jin-hyuk used his skills, he would be stronger.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Well, I cleared the ninth-floor trial and ended up here automatically."
"True, this isn't a place just anyone can wander into. Hahaha."
"Where exactly is this?"
Jin-hyuk asked, looking around.
"The Green Forest! This is one of their Seventy-Two Fortresses!"
"Ah."
The Green Forest possessed seventy-two strongholds in total. To put it simply, they were like regional branches.
Their main business (?) here was extorting money or demanding tolls from travelers climbing the surrounding mountains. They weren't called members of the Unorthodox Faction for nothing.
If this was a few years ago and Russell was busy beating up the Green Forest...
Jin-hyuk fell into thought.
"Don't tell me you were rescuing animals?"
"Oh! How did you know?"
Russell nodded.
"Lately, these bastards have been capturing animals and shipping them off somewhere."
"Where to?"
"I don't know!"
"...?"
"But if the Green Forest is wiped out, there won't be anyone left to kidnap innocent animals! And as a bonus, people won't get extorted for points while climbing the mountain!"
If there is a problem, find the source and smash it. That was the way of Russell Mighty.
Well, that's classic Russell.
Yet, Russell's simple-minded approach was surprisingly helpful at times.
After all, wasn't Russell the one who first suggested they should launch a preemptive strike against the absolute beings known as the Constellations?
"Yeah. You've got a point."
"Bwahaha! I knew you were a man of culture!"
Jin-hyuk stood at an impressive two meters tall, but Russell was still about three spans taller than him.
His massive frame was packed to the brim with dense muscle.
Is this a human or an ogre? Ah, right, he's a Barbarian.
Seeing his boisterous nature again brought a genuine sense of nostalgia.
Jin-hyuk and Russell chatted about various things.
From Jin-hyuk's perspective, it was a series of stories he already knew inside out, but he didn't find it boring.
Seeing his old friend after so long only made him feel warmer inside.
"So, Jin-hyuk. What do you plan to do now? You need to clear the tenth-floor trial, right?"
Having been holed up in the mountains, Russell naturally had no idea who Jin-hyuk was in this timeline.
"First, there's someone I need to meet."
"Someone you need to meet?"
"Yeah. A High Elf. She's my companion."
"Hooh..."
Russell thumped his chest.
"Then I shall join you on this adventure!"
"I mean, I'd love to have you, but... why?"
"My instincts tell me you are a good man!"
After tilting his head for a brief second, Russell burst into boisterous laughter and slapped Jin-hyuk on the back.
"Bwahahaha!"
"It is truly strange. I have no memory of you, yet you feel as familiar as someone I have known for decades."
"I feel the same way."
Jin-hyuk smirked.
"I don't usually speak so casually to people I've just met."
"Bwahaha! That just proves how familiar I am to you. Excellent!"
Not much was known about Barbarians. Even Jin-hyuk didn't know everything about this ancient race.
However, Barbarians possessed a unique power. Unlike Jin-hyuk, who was known as the Wailing King, their spiritual energy developed along a pure path.
Using this spiritual and shamanic power, they could borrow the strength of animals.
My body might have changed, but my soul remains the same as before my regression.
Is he recognizing that? Or is he just sensing it intuitively? Even for a Barbarian, that should be impossible.
He couldn't be sure of the exact reason. The important thing was that Russell felt a strong affinity toward him.
This saved him the trouble of searching for or persuading the giant.
Russell was a man who possessed incredible intuition and believed in following it blindly.
Since his instincts accepted Jin-hyuk as a companion and brother, he was joining the party without needing any convincing.
"By the way, do you know where we are?"
"I have no idea!"
"...I figured as much."
Jin-hyuk chuckled, having expected nothing less, and fell into step with Russell.
"Let's move for now."
"Where are we going?"
"Sichuan."
Jin-hyuk gestured.
"There are a lot of people I promised to meet there."
The current Russell was a completely different person from the one Jin-hyuk had known before.
In truth, Jin-hyuk hadn't expected to meet Russell so early in this lifetime.
The reason was simple.
"What was I doing back then? Who knows!"
"Probably rescuing my animal friends!"
"Does a man need a reason for his journey? Bwahahaha!"
The bastard had never given him a straight answer about what he was doing during this period.
Meeting Russell this early is a massive stroke of luck.
It truly was.
Jin-hyuk had even seriously considered letting Russell regress instead of himself.
The reason was simple: if Russell went back and corrected his past mistakes, his potential would be astronomical.
Russell can imprint the power of up to twelve animals.
Before the regression, Russell had imprinted weird animals that were practically useless in battle or daily life.
For instance, he had imprinted a capybara, a sparrow, and a crane simply because he was friendly with them.
Yet, even with those bizarre and useless imprints, he had reached rank four.
What if he filled those slots with divine beasts possessing extraordinary powers?
Even if not divine beasts, what if he imprinted animals with overwhelming physical power, like elephants or tigers?
He would have been incomparably stronger than in his past life.
I had half-given up on this idea, though.
The reason he ultimately decided against letting Russell regress was very simple.
Russell's "Animal Imprinting" didn't align well with the vessel of a Constellation.
Moreover, even if he did regress, instead of sweeping up hidden pieces, the blockhead would have just wandered around doing whatever he pleased.
Upon checking, Russell currently had no animals imprinted.
He didn't even know how to perform the "Imprinting" yet.
In other words, if Jin-hyuk could guide him properly and have him imprint divine beasts, Russell would achieve overwhelming power.
Which means he'll be a much better asset in the fight against the Constellations.
Since Russell himself desired power to protect his animal friends, this was a win-win situation.
"Hmm... Sichuan. That sounds incredibly far away."
Seeing Russell scratch the back of his head, Jin-hyuk chuckled.
I never imagined I'd be traveling with this troublemaker.
Sichuan.
It was home to both the Dang Clan, where Dang So-wol was lying low, and the Mount Emei Sect, where he had agreed to meet Kaelion.
I told her to head to the Mount Emei Sect if we got separated, so she should be there.
Truth-Seeking Eye
As Jin-hyuk activated the skill, Russell flinched.
What is this?
Even the usually jovial Russell felt a sudden chill.
Possessing a keen sensitivity to animals and spirits, he could tell immediately. Jin-hyuk was utilizing the power of something far from ordinary, even among beasts.
A dragon? I thought dragons were extinct...
This feeling had nothing to do with raw strength.
Just who is this guy...?
Crackle...
Scanning the surroundings with his skill, Jin-hyuk gestured to Russell.
"Let's go."
"R-Right."
"What's wrong? Why are you frozen?"
"No, it's just... I felt a strange power..."
"It's nothing strange."
Jin-hyuk patted Russell on the shoulder and walked ahead.
"Let's move. We have a long way to go."
"Really? How far is it?"
"Hmm..."
Jin-hyuk frowned, feeling a headache coming on.
"Right now, we're in the Western Regions."
Jin-hyuk grumbled in frustration.
No wonder I didn't recognize the area. I've only been to the Western Regions a few times, and the land is ridiculously vast.
Originally, the tenth-floor trial allowed players to choose from several options, just like on the fifth floor.
Just as they had chosen between the Knight, Magic, or Holy Empire back then, here they were supposed to choose between the Wicked Sect Alliance, the Murim Alliance, or the Demonic Cult.
Yet, due to some error or unknown glitch, he had been dropped in the middle of the remote Western Regions.
Talk about bad luck.
Actually, I can't call it bad luck. It's more like a blessing in disguise, considering I've already run into this guy.
In terms of physical distance, it had to be at least two thousand kilometers.
Since he didn't know exactly where they were in the vast Western Regions, it could be even further.
For an ordinary player or martial artist, the journey alone would take months.
Under the current circumstances, they had no choice but to travel at full speed.
"Maybe I should have brought Elruin along."
"Elruin? Who's that?"
"Just a bird I'm raising."
"Haha! Taking responsibility for a pet! I knew it!"
Russell's estimation of Jin-hyuk seemed to rise even higher as he laughed and thumped his chest.
"Don't worry! I'll guide us!"
"You don't even know the way."
"..."
"Just follow me, man."
"...Alright."
As they bickered and made their way forward,
"Found him!"
"You damn lecher!"
"Exhibitionist!"
"Get him! He's the trash who ruined our home!"
From all over the mountain, Green Forest bandits wielding massive swords began rushing toward Russell.
"Haha. These guys still haven't learned their lesson."
Russell cracked his knuckles at the sight.
"Hold on a second, friend. I'll clean this up and be right back."
"No, we don't have time for that."
Jin-hyuk shook his head.
"Let's just break through."
"That works too! I've already saved all my animal friends anyway!"
*Whoosh!*
Jin-hyuk and Russell kicked off the ground simultaneously, leaping high into the air.
As they bounded across the treetops, the Green Forest bandits could only stare blankly, like dogs chasing a chicken that had flown onto the roof.
"W-What?"
"How are they so fast?!"
*Thud!*
As they continued running, Jin-hyuk felt a sudden sense of incongruity.
Something is wrong. Something is off.
Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
Why aren't the Constellations intervening?