Chapter 13: Labyrinth Libarintos (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Labyrinth Libarintos (7)
Crash!
Sword and axe.
Two deadly weapons collided.
Sparks flew, casting a blinding glare.
"Grrr...!"
A heavy groan escaped the Minotaur's mouth.
It wasn't because it was lacking in strength.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
In a head-on clash, a mere human should have been hacked to pieces along with his dagger.
But the moment their weapons met—
Screeech!
The opponent deftly shifted his center of gravity, deflecting the attack.
Parrying.
And it was at a level of mastery so deep it had practically rotted.
* * *
"This... can't be."
Watching from the sidelines, Park Ha-na's jaw dropped further and further.
She had no doubt it would be a one-sided slaughter.
A boss-class monster that had activated a skill over level 10.
Even if the entire Black Crow Guild came, they wouldn't stand a chance.
That was why she had only thought of finding an opening to run away.
She couldn't afford to die here with him.
But.
Jinhyuk wasn't being pushed back by the monster at all.
No, if anything, he was the one pushing it back.
Boom! Crash!
The paradox of a tiny blade overwhelming a massive hunk of iron.
Her heart pounded at the sight of a clash so fast it was hard to follow with the naked eye.
A human can actually... move like that.
Park Ha-na unconsciously clenched her fists tight.
Furthermore.
He's smiling.
This was a situation where a single mistake could cost him his life.
And yet.
Jinhyuk was smiling as if he were enjoying himself.
And at that moment.
Jinhyuk grabbed the Minotaur's horn and spun his body in a wide circle.
By the time he landed lightly on its head, the dagger had already vanished from his hand.
Crunch!
Before anyone knew it, the dagger, wedged vertically, had pierced deep into the roof of the Minotaur's mouth.
"...!"
It couldn't close its mouth.
Because the dagger was wedged inside like a pillar.
"Five minutes are up."
Jinhyuk looked down at the Minotaur with a cold gaze.
At the same time.
Whoosh!
He directed his manifested 'Fire Element' straight into the beast's maw.
Beyond its throat, he could see the bright red flesh.
No matter how tough its outer hide was, its insides were bound to be soft.
Fwoooooosh!
The flames surged down its esophagus, incinerating everything down to its entrails.
"Graaaaaah!"
A horrific scream echoed through the chamber.
[The duration of the unique ability 'Berserk' has ended.]
[The Guardian of the Labyrinth falls into a 'state of suspended animation' for 24 hours!]
The Minotaur froze solid where it stood.
That was a clean finish.
Jinhyuk retrieved the dagger lodged in its mouth.
The risk had been high since the monster was in its Berserk state.
But thanks to that, he had successfully raked in a massive amount of points.
[Gap stat points acquired so far: 57]
A whopping 57 points!
In terms of levels, it was an amount that could bridge a 19-level gap.
I'm not far from my goal of 100 points.
The remaining time was 20 days.
At this pace, it would be more than enough.
Now, all that was left...
Jinhyuk glanced back.
He saw Park Ha-na shivering in fear.
Having clearly witnessed the difference in their leagues, she seemed to have realized that even the entire Black Crow Guild would be useless against him.
Jinhyuk beckoned to Park Ha-na with a crook of his finger.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't you coming?"
"Y-Yes!"
Snapping out of it a beat late, Park Ha-na dashed over like an arrow.
"Pant, pant. Did... did you call for me?"
"From now on, Veteran Company is recruiting interns."
"An... intern?"
"You don't seem very enthusiastic. Why? Not interested?"
If you're not interested, well... I doubt you'll ever see the light of day again.
Jinhyuk lightly twirled his dagger a couple of times.
The blood-stained blade traced a smooth arc in the air.
"I-I'm interested! Please let me join! I've always wanted to work for this company!"
Park Ha-na nodded her head so vigorously that her hair became a disheveled mess.
Good. I like her attitude.
A very passionate applicant.
"Then, here's a question. Pitch what you can do for the company."
Park Ha-na's face turned pale at the sudden question.
"I... I..."
"You?"
"Sociability! Yes! My unique ability allows me to get close to others. I can make friends instead of enemies."
Communion.
It certainly wasn't a bad ability.
But he had already acquired it.
"And?"
"And... I will absolutely never betray you."
Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't be able to.
Once I brand you, you won't be able to betray me even if you tried.
"Is that it? Nothing else?"
Step.
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
He caressed the edge of his dagger with his fingertips.
"No! That is... ugh... W-Wait a moment! Please give me some time to think!"
Park Ha-na took a step back.
If she didn't think of something...
Something useful...
She had to make an offer that would satisfy him.
"I shall now announce the results. The number of successful applicants for the 1st Veteran Company Internship is... zero—"
Jinhyuk raised his dagger high.
It was at that exact moment.
"Braham's Ring!"
Park Ha-na shrieked.
"..."
Jinhyuk paused.
Braham's Ring? No way.
"You got that? The Black Crow Guild?"
"Not yet, but we're going to get it soon."
"I don't have trust issues, but that's a bit hard to believe."
Braham's Ring was one of the best items obtainable on the 1st floor.
It boasted three highly useful options: increased movement speed, magic resistance, and even the ability to suppress a monster's mana.
The problem was that securing that item was nearly impossible.
The key to the dungeon could be obtained at the Korean starting point.
But the dungeon containing Braham's Ring was located at the Chinese starting point.
In the very early stages of the Tower's appearance.
Especially when the two countries were in a competitive relationship, there was no way either would give up the sweet treat in their hands.
Unless one side completely crushed and plundered the other.
Park Ha-na bit her lip slightly.
"My brother said he's trading with the Chinese side. We're going to provide 'Goryeo Ginseng' in exchange for the ring."
'Goryeo Ginseng', a consumable item known to be excellent for recovering health and mana.
Ho. Well, that changes things.
To think Park Ha-jin actually had connections with the Chinese side.
"Goryeo Ginseng is good, but it shouldn't be enough to make them give up Braham's Ring. Is there some other backroom deal going on?"
"I don't know the details of the contract beyond that. Ah! S-Seriously! I only heard about it from my viewers..."
[Lv1 'Eye of Truth' has been activated!]
[Park Ha-na's words are 'Truth'.]
It seemed she wasn't lying or trying to pull a fast one.
This is getting interesting.
Maybe I can get my hands on not just Braham's Ring, but the Goryeo Ginseng as well.
Jinhyuk's mind began to spin rapidly.
In an instant, several scenarios flashed through his head.
There was only one thing bothering him.
In the end, am I destined to become enemies with them this time too?
China had just as many hardcore veterans as Korea.
In fact, the massive guild 'Zhonghua', created by the Chinese veterans, was one of the largest guilds in the world.
I should assume they've already formed their guild and finished organizing it.
He had thought it would take at least a month.
Unlike in the game, there were far more variables in reality, so he estimated it would take at least that long.
But they had compressed that entire process to an extreme degree.
Through peaceful agreements?
No way.
Such idealism could never achieve this.
It was undoubtedly the result of crushing opposition through powerful leadership and charisma.
And he had a good idea of who was at the top of it all.
...Namgung Cheon.
A genius born into a martial family who had received elite training since childhood.
A ranker who had monopolized all kinds of secret manuals and elixirs even in the [Tower of Trials].
Yes, it had to be him.
It was then that Park Ha-na called out to Jinhyuk, who was lost in thought.
"Excuse me..."
Ah. I should focus on what's in front of me first.
Park Ha-na must be sweating bullets right now, waiting for her results.
"Congratulations."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"You have just passed the interview for the Veteran Company internship! Woo! Round of applause!"
"..."
Park Ha-na stared blankly, dumbfounded by his sudden shift in attitude.
"Intern. Clap."
Jinhyuk muttered in a low voice.
How dare an intern stay quiet when the CEO is clapping?
"Woohoo!"
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Park Ha-na clapped like a seal with all her heart and soul.
It felt like she was forced to bow, but she didn't care.
She had already experienced this kind of thing to death during her days as a BJ.
"Ahem!"
Clearing his throat, Jinhyuk continued.
"Now, our company does not pay interns. You'll have to cover your living expenses by working a part-time job or something. And most importantly: whenever and wherever I call, you must run to me. Whether it's 3 AM or you're in Jeju Island, I don't care. Keep that in mind."
Naturally, being late or absent without leave means termination.
And by termination, it meant leaving your body behind and having only your soul depart.
"...I understand."
Park Ha-na bowed her head in resignation.
Then she added a word.
"Do I need to sign a contract or something?"
"Of course you do."
Since he needed proof of the agreement.
Only...
...it was slightly different from a normal contract.
Hummmmm!
Jinhyuk activated the new skill he had obtained through Fusion.
His index finger ignited with a blue light.
"That's... the contract?"
"Yes. Did you really think we'd stamp a piece of paper?"
That kind of stuff only worked outside the Tower.
Not here.
How should he put it?
A slightly more definitive and fiery method was Jinhyuk's style.
Jinhyuk pressed his index finger against Park Ha-na's right shoulder.
[Imprinting Lv1 'Brand of the Flame Soul' on Park Ha-na!]
Sizzle!
"Ngh..."
Park Ha-na frowned, but she didn't scream.
In truth, it probably didn't hurt that much.
Though if she ever betrayed him, the pain would be beyond imagination.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
His routine was simple: raising his 'Gap' stat through battles with the Minotaur, and resting otherwise.
Though it was a repetitive, treadmill-like daily life, Jinhyuk never once found it boring.
I'm getting stronger.
Every single day.
He could feel himself growing by leaps and bounds with each passing day.
So, naturally, there was no room for boredom.
Boom!
The Minotaur's fist aimed straight for Jinhyuk's face.
But the fist didn't connect.
Just a few centimeters away from his face.
Right there.
Jinhyuk caught the opponent's fist with one hand.
"Why does it feel like you're getting weaker by the day?"
Mocking and provoking it was a bonus.
"Graaaah!"
The Minotaur's arm muscles expanded rapidly.
Even so, nothing changed.
Because he had raised his stats so much that the gap had not only closed, but had completely reversed.
Thud! Thwack!
Instead, when Jinhyuk's fists buried themselves into its flank.
The massive Minotaur's body folded in half.
"Ack! Urgh!"
It didn't even take five minutes for it to foam at the mouth and lose consciousness.
I've already done this over a hundred times.
Having fought it for an entire month, he now felt a sense of familiarity just looking at the Minotaur's face.
Seeing it knocked out was beyond familiar; it had become a daily routine.
If daily life is like this, I could easily live here for a year, let alone a month.
It was just as he was thinking that.
"Great work, CEO!"
Park Ha-na brought over a dish made of moss and mushrooms on a plate.
Ah...
I take back what I just said.
This food. No matter how many times he ate it, he could never get used to it.
Spicy kimchi stew.
Crispy fried chicken with ice-cold beer.
Sizzling grilled pork belly with soju.
Baskin-Robbins' Mint Choco ice cream that makes your mouth feel clean even without brushing your teeth!
He wanted to eat things like that.
...Desperately.
"...Let's go. Outside."
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth.
He was almost there.
* * *
[The Gap has increased by 0.015 points.]
The instant he dodged the attack.
Jinhyuk's roundhouse kick exploded.
Boom!
The Minotaur's neck twisted nearly 90 degrees.
He didn't even talk to the beast anymore.
The moment he got the stat point, it was a one-way ticket to unconsciousness.
And finally.
[Current Gap stats: 100]
100 stats...
He had reached the point where he could maximize his output relative to the time spent.
A surge of emotion welled up from deep within.
It felt as though something that had been building up deep inside him was finally bursting forth.
At the same time.
"L-Look, I see light over there!"
The end of the labyrinth was beginning to show.
They had finally arrived.
At the end of their long, long journey.