Chapter 154: Prospects of the Seven Great Guilds (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: Prospects of the Seven Great Guilds (1)
Murmurs and chatter filled the air!
The space in front of the luxurious mansion in the heart of the city was so packed with people that there was barely room to step.
Players from various guilds, reporters who had come to photograph them, and onlookers lingering around to see if they could catch any crumbs.
It was a scene reminiscent of a bustling, chaotic market.
"A masquerade? Who would've thought there was such a hidden event?"
"I heard only the most promising players in the world received invitations. For us, it's like hitting a goldmine."
"Man, seriously. All the big names are going to be in one place."
"Is there any way to get inside? If we could just get in, an exclusive scoop would be guaranteed."
The reporters licked their lips, their eyes burning with greed.
They were about to see top-tier rankers—whom they usually struggled to catch even one of at a time—all gathered in one place, so their excitement was inevitable.
It was no exaggeration to say this was the biggest scoop since the appearance of the Tower of Trials.
It was then.
Step, step.
Someone approached the gathered crowd.
A man with a sharp impression and a solid build.
It was the master of the Japanese Samurai Guild, Hoshikawa Yoshio.
Flash-flash-flash-flash!
Camera flashes erupted blindingly.
"He's here!"
"It's Yoshio!"
"Oh! It's the master of the Samurai Guild!"
"The rankers of the Samurai Guild are here too!"
"Thank goodness. At least we got a shot of someone."
He wore a neat navy suit and brown dress shoes that complemented each other perfectly.
Yoshio walked through the crowd, his face filled with irritation.
'Which dumbass leaked the information and gathered all these people here?'
The masquerade was a hidden event.
In other words, no one other than the players who received invitations should have had any way of knowing it was even happening.
Yet, the fact that so many reporters and pests had swarmed the place meant someone who received an invitation had leaked the info.
Curses welled up to his throat at such stupidity, but for now, getting inside was his priority.
'I should have just worn a mask before coming.'
Due to the nature of a masquerade, wearing a mask inside was a rule, but he hadn't prepared one beforehand because he hadn't expected such a massive crowd.
He had figured he could just buy a suitable one inside.
Flash-flash-flash-flash!
The camera shutters clicked even faster.
"Tch."
Yoshio pulled a pair of sunglasses from his inner pocket and put them on.
He couldn't openly show his displeasure due to his guild's image, but he had no desire to play along with this circus either.
'Insects with no dreams or future, yet they expect so much...'
The crowd was full of losers who merely parasitized off the strong, hoping someone would save their future.
Indeed, was there even a single useful person among the countless players gathered here? Not one.
If not for strong individuals like himself, humanity would surely have perished long ago.
But right then.
A chill.
"……!?"
Goosebumps broke out along Yoshio's spine.
There was something among the gathered crowd.
A monster with an aura so sharply honed it could freeze the very air.
'Did someone with an invitation arrive?'
It was a reasonable assumption.
An ordinary player couldn't possibly possess such absurd mana.
Yoshio focused his mind to trace the source of the mana.
...Found them.
A pair of players dressed in black formal wear, with white masks that particularly stood out.
'Ho.'
He could barely feel any mana from the female player, but the male player was incredibly strong.
So strong that Yoshio couldn't guarantee a victory if they fought one-on-one.
He had sparred with countless rankers and cleared all kinds of labyrinths and dungeons, but this was the first time he felt this excited.
And so, he was filled with anticipation.
To which organization did his opponent belong?
Would they be rivals or allies? He wanted to know everything.
"It seems you're also here to attend the masquerade. I am Hoshikawa Yoshio. I lead the Japanese Samurai Guild."
At Yoshio's words, the reporters gasped in surprise.
"……Huh?"
"What? Yoshio-san is talking to someone?"
"Gasp! That's..."
The spotlight shifted.
Everyone's attention focused on a single spot.
Precisely where Jinhyuk and Alice were standing.
* * *
'Yoshio...'
Jinhyuk nodded slightly.
How could he not know him?
The master of the Samurai Guild, the largest guild in Japan.
Just as rumored, his aura, honed like a single sharp blade, was impressive.
His level was high, and naturally, his innate abilities and skills would be spectacular.
'As expected, having all the rankers gather in one place is great.'
To him, the masquerade was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet of mint chocolate-themed ice cream, shaved ice, sandwiches, and macarons.
Jinhyuk quickly activated 'Gluttony's Eye'.
--------------------------------------------------
Name: Hoshikawa Yoshio
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Level: 52
Strength: 31 | Agility: 35 | Stamina: 36 | Mana: 17 | Mental Strength: 44
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Coins: 337,536
Class: Samurai
Unique Ability: 'Classical Japanese Martial Arts'
Skills: Lv9 'Cleaving in Two', Lv8 'Draw Sword', Lv8 'Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu', Lv7 'Sword Barrier', Lv7 'Houn Heart Method'
--------------------------------------------------
By now...
even the masters of the 7 Great Guilds were no match for him in terms of level.
'Even with mob-hunting to monopolize all the prey in a dungeon, they can't catch up to my growth.'
Then again, since he was defeating all the bosses guarding the paths to the next floors, the level gap was bound to widen.
Considering the time he spent acquiring 'Gap', the current level gap wasn't just a mere three levels.
'On top of that, with my adaptive stats and the newly acquired essence stats, I'm on an entirely different dimension.'
Even world-class rankers couldn't dare to compare.
He had grown that much.
But there was just one thing.
The conditions for copying an opponent's abilities remained as ridiculously demanding as ever.
[Copy Condition: Yoshio, the Greatest Swordsman of Japan, is a ranker representing Japan. To copy one of his innate abilities or skills, you must satisfy the following conditions:]
'Damn it.'
Subdue him using someone else?
What kind of crazy bastard would willingly fight the master of one of the 7 Great Guilds?
Furthermore, even if he succeeded in sweet-talking someone through all kinds of schemes and political maneuvering, subduing that samurai guy was a whole different story.
He could step in himself, but having to choose such a ridiculous weapon to fight with was utterly absurd.
'I'll kill him.'
I'll definitely kill him.
No matter what, I will find the bastard who designed this system one day.
And I'll make him fulfill every single copy condition I've had to do so far.
If he experiences it firsthand, he'll realize just how insane the crap I'm going through is.
Whew...
Sighing softly, Jinhyuk quickly composed himself.
It wasn't his first or second time dealing with this, so he had learned to just accept it.
It was then.
"Hey. Didn't you hear Big Brother asking you a question? When someone asks you something, you should answer. What's with this rudeness?"
The man who had been clinging to Yoshio's back like an attendant stepped forward.
Yoshio was already 180 centimeters tall, but this man was on an entirely different scale.
He stood around 210 centimeters tall and easily weighed over 150 kilograms.
He was massive enough that anyone would believe it if told he was a sumo wrestler.
"Tsutomu. Stop."
Yoshio lightly reached out a hand.
But the man named Tsutomu grumbled with a face full of discontent.
"I know you are generous, Big Brother, but there's no need to be like that to these rude bastards. Even Namgung Cheon of the China Guild doesn't dare act rashly before you, so how dare these faceless punks ignore your greeting?"
"Tsutomu!"
Yoshio raised his voice, but it was already too late.
Jinhyuk wasn't the type to just sit back and take those words.
"Ha..."
Just as Jinhyuk opened his mouth to speak.
"It's not about hiding cowardly behind a mask. It's a masquerade, so isn't it just stupid not to wear a mask? More importantly, I don't get why an idiot who didn't even receive an invitation is butting in."
Alice, who had been quiet, chimed in.
"W-What did you say?"
"Is there fat in your ears too, preventing you from hearing? I mean that you should stay quiet instead of stepping up and losing some flesh when even that bearded mister told you not to. Ah! Don't answer. The smell of grease from your mouth is starting to annoy me."
Hmm.
She used to be a graceful and noble vampire at first.
But after hanging around him, she had somehow reached a level where she could deal verbal damage too.
'They say you become like those you associate with...'
Jinhyuk shook his head, feeling a slight sense of responsibility.
Her words were enough to make any onlooker click their tongue, so the target of her mockery must have been absolutely furious.
As if to prove that prediction.
"You damn midget, who do you think you're talking to?!"
His face turning beet red, Tsutomu lunged forward.
"I'll crush that apple-sized head of yours to pieces!"
[Tsutomu activates Lv7 'Single Point Crush'!]
A monstrous strength capable of grinding even boulders into dust.
An attack carrying the characteristic weight of a sumo wrestler unfolded.
However, just before his palm could grab Alice's head.
"How absurd."
A cold voice slipped from Alice's lips.
At the same time.
Boom!
Something defying gravity slammed into the back of Tsutomu's head.
"Gah!"
His scream was cut short as an unimaginable pressure bore down on him.
It felt as if a massive, invisible hand was crushing him.
"Grrr..."
Thick veins popped out on Tsutomu's forehead.
Like a high-ranking player, he layered defensive skills, but that was all he could do.
Since Jinhyuk didn't spare his mana supply, Alice was able to manifest a highly dense skill.
There was no way a mere player could withstand the annoyed attack of a True Ancestor.
Rumble!
Tremble, tremble!
Tsutomu trembled all over, unable to even draw a breath.
"A damn midget? How dare you speak to Us in such a manner?"
"Gggh..."
"Why can't you speak? You were wagging your tongue so well just a moment ago. Did your fat solidify in the meantime?"
The anger in her voice grew even deeper.
Crack... Crack!
The ground began to crack like a turtle's shell.
At this rate...
the massive man would be crushed to death.
Unable to watch any longer, Yoshio finally stepped in.
"I will make sure to discipline him for his rudeness. So, how about we stop here? Crossing the line won't benefit either of us."
"Why should I listen to you?"
Alice snorted.
Then, Jinhyuk chimed in.
"That's enough. Stop. It's almost midnight, we don't have time to bicker here."
"B-But!"
"Alice. I said stop."
"Fine. I have no choice."
Alice withdrew her mana.
"Cough! Gasp! Wheeze..."
Tsutomu, barely escaping with his life, collapsed onto the ground.
Though the suffocating tension dissipated,
Yoshio's face was still filled with apprehension.
He couldn't help it.
'I thought the woman was just an entourage...'
That assumption was completely wrong.
Her strength was on an entirely different level.
Even if he had been the one in Tsutomu's place, the outcome wouldn't have been any different.
If so...
just how strong was the man who could make such a woman submit so easily?
As that thought crossed his mind, Yoshio swallowed hard.