Chapter 111: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: The Boundary-Breaking Mirror (1)
"Mogi!"
Having finished a proper magic crystal mukbang, Goguma stretched contentedly.
His tiny, adorable wings and tail stretched out in a straight line.
Jinhyuk watched Goguma with a warm, proud smile.
Sincerely... he hoped this little guy would eat to his heart's content and grow big and strong.
'Well, it's not like those magic crystals were mine anyway.'
Yes. That was the most important part.
There was nothing more thrilling than growing rapidly at the expense of someone else's precious assets. Even if Goguma scraped the entire bowl clean, Jinhyuk didn't feel a single shred of regret.
'Now, shall we see how much our Goguma has grown?'
Jinhyuk used 'Gluttony's Eye' to check Goguma's status window.
[Due to the level difference, you cannot view the target's status window.]
Naturally, this message popped up.
But it didn't matter.
Goguma wasn't treated as just some stranger.
[Due to the relationship between 'Master' and 'Pet', the level difference is ignored.]
[Goguma]
Race: Ancient Species
Age: 1
Level: 98
Strength: 105, Agility: 98, Stamina: 90, Mana: 192
Lv1 'Acid Spit', Lv1 'Feast Time', Lv1 'Acid Breath', Lv1 'Flight', Lv1 'Fear'
Characteristics: When an Ancient Species engages in battle, the master's Mana is also consumed. Normal combat requires 5 Mana per minute, while intense combat requires 15 Mana per minute.
[Experience distribution is supported doubly. In other words, both master and pet can acquire experience individually from the same monster.]
Though he had been strong since birth, after devouring 35,000 magic crystals in a flash, Goguma now boasted an absolutely absurd amount of Mana.
His stats at level 1 were practically on par with a hatchling's.
'He's strong, alright. But the Mana consumption to use him in battle is no joke.'
Jinhyuk's current Mana pool was 80.
If he deployed Goguma in battle, he could only hold out for barely over five minutes.
'And if I fight alongside him, that time will be cut down even further.'
It was best to think of him as a hidden card to be drawn only in absolute emergencies. Not that Jinhyuk expected to face a crisis that desperate anytime soon...
...but in life, you could never rule out that one-in-a-million chance.
Right then.
Creak!
The door swung open, and a familiar middle-aged man walked in.
It was Kang Byeong-chan.
"W-what on earth happened here..."
Seeing his previously beaming face completely crumple into a miserable frown...
Hmm. How should he put it?
He felt a tiny bit sorry for him... like hell he did.
It felt so satisfyingly refreshing, like ice-cold cider burning down his throat.
All the pent-up frustration from his days as a BJ washed away in an instant.
"Y-you used... all the magic crystals? That's a lie. Haha. There's no way this is real. Hahaha. Right. I'm still lying in bed, and this must be a dream."
They say when people suffer a shock too great to bear, they go into denial.
Kang Byeong-chan let out a series of hollow, unhinged chuckles.
But did he know?
That this nightmare was not the end, but merely the beginning.
Jinhyuk approached Kang Byeong-chan.
"I hate to kick a man when he's down, but... it's about time I received compensation for the damages from that unfair contract you made with Lee Jong-su."
"What...? C-compensation? What are you talking about?"
What did he mean, what was he talking about?
"This was strictly my appearance fee. Compensation for what you did in the past is an entirely separate matter."
If you commit two crimes, you pay two different penalties.
Did he really think he could just lump them together?
Had he never heard of a separate case?
"Don't tell me... you took everything I had, and it's still not enough? You absolute demon! Are you even human? Huh? Are you?!"
"If paying you back exactly what you dished out makes me a demon, then sure, call me whatever you want. But I don't think you're in any position to raise your voice right now, are you?"
Jinhyuk's eyebrows furrowed sharply.
At the same time, a chilling wave of Mana began to creep out from him.
This was the Mana of an S-rank player.
A mere ordinary human...
...couldn't possibly withstand it for even a second.
"Urgh..."
Only then did Kang Byeong-chan realize the weight of his words.
He had been in such a panic that he had lashed out blindly.
But now, he remembered that the person standing before him was a monster even the government didn't dare touch.
"It seems your brain has gone soft from listening to nothing but flattery from your underlings... Don't forget who holds the handle of the blade right now."
Having spoken, Jinhyuk activated the 'Broadcasting System'.
On it was the recorded video of the conversation the two of them had last night.
Not only was he crushing him with raw power, but he was also binding him with hard evidence.
From Kang Byeong-chan's perspective, he was completely checkmated.
"If you even think about doing anything foolish, you'll find yourself on the 9 o'clock news. 'The Tyranny of a Media Mogul Exploiting a Defenseless Independent Broadcaster'... Wow. If this hits right around election season, don't you think congressional candidates, desperate to sway public opinion, will swarm you like a pack of wolves?"
At the mention of politics, Kang Byeong-chan's face turned completely pale.
He had never expected Jinhyuk to go this far.
"P-please... anything but that! You can't do that. Absolutely not."
"Ah, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. That is, as long as you behave yourself."
If he acted like an obedient Golden Retriever, they could maintain a wonderful relationship.
But if he decided to act up like a crazy Beagle or a Schnauzer, Jinhyuk would make his lost magic crystals look like child's play.
"..."
Kang Byeong-chan flinched, his body trembling slightly.
He had clearly realized that Jinhyuk's words were no idle threat.
"I... understand."
Kang Byeong-chan nodded slowly.
Good.
With this, he had secured yet another useful pawn.
* * *
The 6th Floor of the Tower of Trials.
Jinhyuk pulled out the 'Boundary-Breaking Mirror' from his subspace inventory.
There was one last thing he needed to do before meeting Silvia to attend the Elf festival.
"...You said you'd show me a training method to get stronger. Was this it?"
Cheon Yu-seong looked back and forth between Jinhyuk and the mirror with an incredulous expression.
The helper he had summoned to handle various chores in this raid.
As the Sword Saint, he was a card that at least wouldn't get in the way.
Of course, considering his personality, Jinhyuk had sugarcoated his words.
Telling him that if he followed along, he would show him a crash course to get strong in a short period of time.
"Why? If you breathe some of the air up there, you'll grow in leaps and bounds. If we use this mirror..."
"I have a rough idea of what that is. You certainly have a knack for getting your hands on the most absurd items."
"I had a bit of luck on my side."
"Luck... well, I'll let that slide. More importantly, why do you need my help to conquer the upper floors of the Tower? Surely you could manage it easily on your own?"
"Huh?"
Jinhyuk flinched as Yu-seong hit the nail right on the head.
In truth, if you used this kind of shortcut to reach the boss, additional named monsters would spawn.
Those guys yielded absolutely zero rewards, yet they were incredibly annoying to deal with.
So he had planned to use Cheon Yu-seong as a meat shield to draw their aggro.
But this guy was surprisingly vigilant.
It seemed that fighting over a hundred times had made him quick-witted as well.
"Ahem. Well, you know. I'm doing this out of consideration for you because I care. Back then, there were so few players climbing the Tower together, right? Since we have that history, let's do well together. That's what I mean."
Jinhyuk rambled on with his excuse.
He tried to sway Yu-seong's mind by buttering him up and coaxing him.
"..."
However, Cheon Yu-seong still looked entirely unconvinced.
Damn it. This is why I hate quick-witted brats.
Jinhyuk quickly changed the subject.
"Ah. Before we go, there's one thing I should tell you. I've been active while hiding my identity a bit. I felt I should let you know before we start. Actually..."
"I already know that you are Unknown."
Cheon Yu-seong cut him off.
There was absolute certainty in his tone.
Yu-seong had already firmly established Jinhyuk and Unknown as the exact same person.
"No matter how much you edit your videos, you can't hide your signature movements. Others might not know, but I knew from the very beginning."
"...Is that so?"
"Because it made no sense for there to be another player who could compete on your level. Besides, just looking at that chuunibyou-esque behavior, I couldn't possibly think of anyone else but you."
Hmm.
The last remark stung a bit, but this was unexpected.
To think this persistent leech of a guy actually knew how to acknowledge someone else.
"I've lived long enough to hear you say something like that."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I admit you're amazing, but in the end, the one who will surpass you is me."
What on earth had he expected from this battle maniac?
In the end, his only vision of a conclusion was clashing swords.
"Right... I'm the idiot for being touched even for a second. What a fool."
Jinhyuk shook his head and turned around.
Enough small talk.
It was time to move on to a new floor.
'Finally, I get to use this.'
Jinhyuk looked up.
High up in the Tower, a place that should never be visible from the 6th floor.
The 'Boundary-Breaking Mirror', rated as an Over-Rank item, would allow them to leap straight to the 10th floor.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart began to beat rapidly.
It wasn't because he was afraid of going to the 10th floor while still under-leveled.
Rather, it was because a deep thrill washed over him at the thought of tackling such a high-difficulty area before he was fully grown.
'This is going to be fun for the first time in a while.'
The time they could remain on the upper floor was only 30 minutes.
But that was more than enough.
More than enough indeed.
For a veteran, 30 minutes was equivalent to 30 days for an ordinary player.
Jinhyuk channeled Mana into the palm-sized mirror.
At that exact moment,
Hummmmm!
[Boundary-Breaking Mirror has been activated!]
[Targets: Player Kang Jinhyuk and 1 other (Player Cheon Yu-seong).]
The surface of the mirror expanded rapidly, soon transforming into a massive gate.
It felt remarkably similar to... the gate Rick had opened.
'Well, an item of this caliber must be capable of interfering with causality.'
Whether it was a gate leading to the 40th floor or the gate right before his eyes, both were equally absurd.
"Oh. So this is how it works. With Mana this powerful, it certainly seems possible to skip the Tower's floors."
Cheon Yu-seong's eyes narrowed.
"So, which floor are we going to?"
Why ask the obvious?
Jinhyuk spoke slowly.
"Open the 10th floor."
He chose the highest possible destination among the 6th to 10th floors.
Specifically, the place where the boss monster with the [Invincibility] ability resided.
[The gate is being activated.]
[The path to the 10th Floor, 'Warriors' Rest', is opening.]
The surface of the gate rippled for a moment before settling down.
"A choice worthy of you, indeed."
Cheon Yu-seong smirked.
Then, he stepped toward the gate.