Chapter 106: How a Veteran Trains a Pet (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: How a Veteran Trains a Pet (2)
I had known Anubis would be in the palace from the very moment the Gate opened.
Since I was already a thorn in his side, he was bound to be unreasonable.
He was sure to set a difficult challenge.
Of course.
'As long as the laws of the Tower exist, he won't be able to lay a hand on me directly.'
In that case, the only option left for Anubis was to put forward a champion.
Jinhyuk's mind spun rapidly.
'The only card Anubis can play as a champion is the [Awakened Mummy].'
After all, he couldn't summon an out-of-bounds champion against a player who hadn't even climbed past the 10th floor.
The best he could choose while barely staying within the limits of the system was that guy and that guy alone.
Once his thoughts reached that point, the rest was incredibly easy.
Now that he had read his opponent's hand, preparing a countermeasure was a piece of cake.
After simultaneously activating the holy-attribute 'Blessing of the Stars' and 'Grave of Swords', Jinhyuk let a drop of 'Royal Blood'—which he had purchased from the Coin Exchange—fall.
Royal Blood was an item that boasted maximum efficiency when dealing with mummies created to protect the Pharaoh.
In other words, it was a hard counter.
Jinhyuk was certain.
No matter how strong the opponent, if he used a power with a perfectly opposing attribute...
...he would be able to exploit their weakness.
And the result of that...
Thud!
...was this.
The completely butchered mummy rolled across the floor.
It had collapsed in utter futility, unable to land a single proper attack.
A heavy silence dominated the interior of the palace.
A moment later, the silence was broken by gasps of sheer astonishment.
"T-this can't be..."
"A player on a mere 6th floor defeated Anubis's champion?"
Horus and Osiris's jaws dropped.
It was a result that completely defied all expectations.
Even Anubis, the party directly involved, had yet to fully process the situation.
"How did this..."
Anubis stammered.
The humiliation he had suffered on the 1st basement floor of the Tower of Trials.
The wound to his pride from being played by his opponent's tricks when dealing with Pendariel.
And finally, the rage of having sold out their own protection to Rick.
He had thought he could settle all his debts in one fell swoop.
But...
The champion he had prepared with such confidence was now rolling on the floor.
The only one standing was a thoroughly detestable human.
"I'll gladly accept the Mythical Beast's egg. Of course, since it's an important item, I assume I can choose it myself?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"Cut the crap—!"
"Anubis! That was a promise you made with your own mouth. Surely you haven't forgotten?"
As Anubis was about to roar, Horus, who was standing beside him, stepped in to stop him.
This was a deal made on the name of Egyptian mythology.
Yet, in a duel witnessed even by Rick Hennessy, a middle administrator of the Tower, a deity itself couldn't accept the outcome?
That would make them a laughingstock in front of all the other mythologies.
"Damn it..."
Anubis reluctantly backed down.
He ground his teeth and growled, but that was all he could do.
Once the situation calmed down, Horus spoke again.
"We will keep our promise. The Mythical Beast's eggs are stored inside, so I will guide you there immediately. However, keep in mind that we will not give you another egg if you fail to hatch or tame it."
"Of course. It's not like I expected a return or refund policy in the realm of the gods."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
His face was completely nonchalant.
As if the option of failure wasn't even on the table.
'Is this why Rick brought him all the way here?'
Horus nodded slightly.
He had wondered why Rick, who was notoriously fastidious even among middle administrators, favored this human so much.
Only now did he begin to understand the reasoning behind it.
Understanding soon turned into conviction.
Horus's yellow eyes turned toward Jinhyuk.
"...If it's you, you will make it here someday."
It was a gaze that seemed to pierce through to his very essence.
As if he were looking at some point in the future.
"How about it? When that time comes, why not choose one of us and become a resident who rules this floor?"
It was a proposal offered lightly.
Yet, the weight of that proposal was by no means light.
"Horus!"
"Are you serious...!"
The two other deities reacted vehemently at the same time.
They had no choice but to.
Because what Horus had just said meant he intended to use his once-in-a-lifetime 'Selection' on Jinhyuk.
Granted, they had to admit he was cut from a different cloth. There was no denying that.
But what on earth was he doing, offering this to a rookie who had just started and was still far too weak to even choose a faction?
However...
"No."
Jinhyuk spoke slowly.
A rejection!
This time, even Rick, who was watching alongside the three deities, couldn't help but be shocked.
Because it was the first time they had ever seen someone kick away such a miraculous stroke of luck.
Jinhyuk raised his head with a calm expression.
Not toward the endlessly stretching desert, but higher—beyond the sky where the sun hung.
[The 50th Floor of the Tower of Trials.]
The highest point of the Tower.
The very place where the final sanctuary lay—a place even the deities did not dare approach.
"I'm sorry, but this is not where I belong."
He had no intention of hesitating.
To see the end once more.
To conquer the summit of the Tower once again.
"Because I must go higher than this."
He had to succeed.
Out of the countless players...
...the only one who could climb this Tower to the very end...
...was him, and him alone.
* * *
The treasury located inside the palace.
Here, treasures gathered by the Egyptian deities were piled up like mountains.
The golden statues and colorful jewels were dazzling enough to blind anyone.
However, Jinhyuk didn't spare them even a single glance.
What he needed right now wasn't common gold or jewels, but something far more valuable and important.
Just then, Rick, who was walking beside Jinhyuk, spoke up.
"At first, I thought I was showing you a rare sight, Jinhyuk. Opportunities to visit the upper floors of the Tower don't come by very often."
A strange bitterness lingered on Rick's face.
This was likely due to a sense of self-deprecation.
"But instead, I'm the one who got to witness a rare sight thanks to you. I suppose you really never know how things will turn out in this world."
An opportunity to see a Mythical Beast's egg was not something easily obtained, not just for players, but even for middle administrators.
Because highest-grade 'Mythical Beasts' or 'Spiritual Beasts' were entities that even deities found difficult to handle.
Yet, to actually see one in person.
Rick looked at Jinhyuk with eyes full of complex emotions.
'Oh, dear...'
It would be troublesome if he was reacting like this already.
How much more shocked was he going to be later if he was like this over just this much?
'Come to think of it, in the past, I used to be dragged around by this old man quite a bit.'
It seemed the saying that you never know how things will turn out was indeed true.
Who would have thought Rick would take such a humble stance?
Realizing that the power dynamic had completely flipped, Jinhyuk felt a strange sensation.
It was then.
"It's here."
Horus, who was leading the way, stopped.
The deepest part of the treasury.
A place where layers of runic and ancient languages were spread out came into view.
Three eggs rested upon a golden altar.
Green, red, and black.
Eggs that were completely different in both color and appearance.
"Which one will you choose? Ah, though since you don't know what's inside these eggs, there's really no point in agonizing over it."
"Even if you did know their identities, it would be useless. No matter what you choose, as long as you don't know how to hatch it, it'll be worth less than a pebble on the side of the road."
Anubis and Osiris each chimed in.
They really couldn't mind their own business.
It seemed the two of them wanted nothing more than to see me despair right this instant.
I suppose that would be entertaining.
What could be more amusing than watching someone fail right before their destination?
'Keep praying for my downfall all you want. It'd be faster for the desert to turn into an ocean, though.'
Jinhyuk let the cheap provocation slide in one ear and out the other.
Treating their bullshit as a lullaby made him feel at ease.
'First, I need to accurately identify what's inside the eggs.'
First, the green egg.
[Lv. 5 'Gluttony's Eye' has been activated!]
[Due to the level difference, only partial information of the target can be viewed.]
[Green Egg]
Name: Grass Spirit Heshimius
Acquisition Difficulty: SS+
Description: ...Possesses healing abilities, and can survive for approximately 100 days even if the supply of mana from its master is cut off.
Heshimius was a grass spirit specialized in recovery abilities... Well, it wasn't a bad pet.
Since it could be used as a personal heal pack, he wouldn't need to hire a separate healer. Naturally, he would be able to challenge dungeons above his current level.
The only thing was, there was no joy in raising this guy.
It couldn't speak, and it was completely unresponsive no matter what he did.
He had actually raised one of these in the past.
Growing weeds in the backyard would have been more interesting.
'Pass on this one.'
Efficiency was fine and all, but he needed to at least be able to raise it with affection.
It was no fun if it was just too rigid.
Jinhyuk used his skill again on the next egg.
[Lv. 5 'Gluttony's Eye' has been activated!]
[Due to the level difference, only partial information of the target can be viewed.]
[Red Egg]
Name: Fire-Spitting Cat '???'
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Description: ...Uses fire-attribute abilities, and...
'The viewable information is getting scarcer.'
It was an inevitable result of the higher acquisition difficulty.
No matter how much support he received from his Luck stat and Adaptive stats, there were limits.
But Jinhyuk was able to identify the target's identity from just the fragmentary alias.
'A fire-spitting cat... That's the Mythical Beast Kiriya.'
This was also not a bad option.
Kiriya pulled its weight perfectly as a sub-dealer, making it one of the beloved pets even in the later stages of the Tower.
However, this guy had the downside of being far too prickly.
The fact that feline Mythical Beasts didn't even recognize their own masters was common knowledge among the deities.
'I'll have to pass on this one too.'
Alice alone was more than enough when it came to being sassy. At least she had calmed down a lot after being disciplined early on.
I have no desire to play butler to a prickly cat and cater to its every whim.
'I hope the downside of the last one is something manageable...'
Jinhyuk's gaze shifted to the black egg.
Please, God.
'I'll make proper donations starting tomorrow, and I won't tease newbies anymore.'
Jinhyuk offered a prayer to some plausible deity residing higher up the Tower.
Then, catching his breath, he activated his ability one last time.
[Lv. 5 'Gluttony's Eye' has been activated!]
[Due to the extreme level difference, only partial information of the target can be viewed.]
[Black Egg]
Name: ???
Acquisition Difficulty: ???
Description: ...However, it can only be hatched through one specific method.
This is it!
Looking at the status window, Jinhyuk clenched his fist.
The pet he had wanted most since long ago...
...and yet had never been able to obtain, was sleeping inside that very black egg.