Chapter 164: Horn of Despair (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: Horn of Despair (1)
Whoosh!
With a terrifying sound of tearing air, the spear thrust forward.
It was true he was irritated, but he hadn't let his emotions dictate his spearplay.
Speed and trajectory.
Both were near-perfect, an ultimate technique capable of ending the opponent's life in a single strike.
However.
Clash!
Jinhyuk blocked the blow with effortless ease.
His movements were as fluid and natural as flowing water, completely devoid of any wasted motion, as if he had known exactly how the attack would come.
It was a single exchange, but it instantly drew the line between victor and vanquished.
Yeomho stared at his trembling palm.
'I'm... being pushed back in spearplay?'
It was impossible.
Was he not a powerhouse whose spear skills ranked among the top five in the Demonic Cult?
He couldn't even remember how much blood and sweat he had shed to rise to the position of Blood Ghost Troop Leader.
And yet.
What on earth was this? This overwhelming pressure...
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart beat rapidly.
This tension.
This atmosphere.
He is absolutely... absolutely not below me.
Even if he went all out, he didn't feel like he could win.
And.
'Damn it.'
A mad rage welled up inside him at the fact that he had to feel this way toward a mere Player.
'Calm down...'
The opponent is just a greenhorn who recently entered the Tower.
He's wearing shackles with a debuff that makes even a graze a critical hit!
If he couldn't eliminate his opponent even with such an advantage, it would be a disgrace that would go down in the history of the Demonic Cult.
Slide.
Yeomho took his stance once more.
He gripped his spear tightly with both hands and measured the distance.
Determined to end it this time.
'If I move first, I'll be countered. I must be patient and wait for his concentration to slip.'
Surely, he must be thinking the same thing.
But right then.
Step.
Jinhyuk approached, completely unguarded.
He was so full of openings that, for a moment, Yeomho wondered if this was even real.
"Fool! How dare you step into my range!"
Yeomho did not miss the opening.
[Blood Ghost Troop Leader Yeomho uses 'Serpent Venom Spear'!]
Like a snake targeting its prey.
The spear drew a bizarre trajectory.
A half-beat slower, Jinhyuk also swung his spear.
But.
Splat!
The sound of tearing flesh did not come from his opponent.
"Huh...?"
A hollow gasp escaped Yeomho's lips.
His lips and pupils trembled violently.
Clearly... it was that guy who had approached completely unguarded.
But why was he the one staggering with a gaping hole in his heart?
Right then.
Something flashed through his mind like lightning.
If... he had read the timing and trajectory of the attack perfectly.
Under that assumption, it made sense that he could counterattack even while being a half-beat slower.
But did that make any sense? For an opponent he was meeting for the first time to completely read his spearplay?
'...The difference in our skills wasn't just by a single step.'
Only if he was looking down on him from a completely different dimension, from an unfathomable height, could this outcome be explained.
"You... monster."
Yeomho's body slowly fell backward.
* * *
A ship that loses its captain sinks.
Therefore, the fate of the Blood Ghost Troop was as good as sealed the moment they lost Yeomho.
'Looks like things are mostly wrapped up.'
Jinhyuk nodded.
Casey and Judro had smashed the enemy's defensive formation, and the remaining spirit beasts of the Five Elements had begun pursuing the fleeing survivors...
They would handle the minor cleanup on their own.
Once the storm had passed, they finally had a moment of leisure to talk.
"When did you bring guys like that along? Don't tell me you tricked them into signing a slave contract by telling them how great your 'Veteran Corporation' or whatever is?"
Cheon Yu-seong asked, dumbfounded.
"Hey, slave? They strictly signed employment contracts."
Though they worked 100 hours a week, had no health insurance, no minimum wage, and no severance pay, he still planned to guarantee their most important asset: their lives.
In times like these, there was nothing better.
"...Forget it. I shouldn't have asked. I just feel sorry for those guys who fell into the hands of someone like you."
"Still, I never imagined you could tame intermediate spirit beasts. It feels like you've gone to a completely different level now, Jinhyuk. I suppose it'll be hard to go on raids together in the future."
Teresa added with a bitter smile.
She was also one of the rankers representing Europe, but...
Every time she saw Jinhyuk, she couldn't help but feel a massive wall between them.
Indeed, Jinhyuk had defeated a formidable enemy in a single blow—one that they would have struggled against even if they risked their lives.
'As expected... my prediction was right.'
More than the highly praised prospects and rankers.
Even more than the guild masters at the pinnacle of large guilds.
Jinhyuk was far above them.
To a degree that made comparison utterly impossible.
'My skills might be far too lacking to accompany him in the future, but...'
Still, it didn't matter.
Just knowing Jinhyuk, and just having Jinhyuk climb the Tower for the sake of humanity...
...was reassuring beyond comparison.
Just then, Cheon Yu-seong spoke up.
"By the way, what are you thinking?"
"Huh? About what?"
"Don't play dumb with that innocent face. Damn it. And don't puff out your cheeks either. Do that one more time and I'll decapitate you."
Cheon Yu-seong gripped his sword.
If Jinhyuk pushed it even a little further, he would truly swing that sword.
"How terrifying. Can't even play a little joke. Fine, fine. What are you curious about?"
"There must be a reason why you chose the 25th floor out of all places."
"You're right. I didn't choose this place just because I was bored."
However.
"I can't tell you the reason right now."
"..."
As Jinhyuk shrugged, Cheon Yu-seong bit his lip, as if he had expected this.
It wasn't the first or second time.
He had already anticipated that Jinhyuk would keep his plans to himself.
"Fine. I'll change the question. Then, how long will it take to escape this labyrinth, and where do we go from here?"
He could at least tell him that much.
"It'll be over in about an hour or two. And we don't need to go anywhere. If we just stand still for a moment, a new path will appear."
"...What?"
"We can clear the labyrinth that quickly?"
This time, both Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa widened their eyes in surprise.
Only Alice, who remained silent, seemed to anticipate what Jinhyuk was about to do.
Well, a True Ancestor was a True Ancestor, after all.
She probably knew about the secrets of the labyrinth as well.
Right on cue.
The runes carved on the passage walls began to shimmer with a faint light.
It had begun.
The moment he had been waiting for ever since entering the labyrinth.
– Several hidden routes are concealed within the 25th-floor labyrinth, the 'Valley of the Former Kings'. Among them, the area containing the Tomb of the Kings can be accessed using a special key at 11:00 PM every day, the hour designated to honor the kings.
Jinhyuk pulled out 'Fang' and lightly sliced his palm.
Beads of crimson blood quickly welled up.
This was the special key.
The key to the Tomb of the Kings.
Gulp.
He heard the bloodthirsty vampire licking her lips right next to him, but Jinhyuk deliberately pretended not to notice.
Soon after, he placed his palm against the rune carved with 'ỽ' among the numerous runic characters.
At that very moment.
Hummmmm!
A dazzling radiance burst forth from the character.
[The path to the 'Royal Tomb' is opening!]
A magnificent gate adorned with gold.
The only route that allowed one to clear the labyrinth through an exploit rather than the normal method... had now appeared.
'Good.'
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
It was finally time for the highlight of this labyrinth.
* * *
As they stepped through the gate, their darkened vision brightened.
What appeared before them was an unimaginable, vast hoard of gold.
"My goodness..."
"...Incredible."
Teresa and Cheon Yu-seong gaped in awe.
If El Dorado, the city of gold, truly existed, would it look like this?
From a massive temple made of gold and ten-meter-tall golden statues...
...to diamonds larger than fists and all kinds of precious gems.
It was a sight one would only see in movies—no, it was far grander than any movie, forcing gasps of admiration from them.
"If we put these treasures into our subspatial inventory and leave, we'll be richer than any tycoon."
"It's not just that. With this amount, you could buy an entire country."
The sheer volume of treasure here was so off the charts that even these two, who had relatively little greed, reacted this way.
But.
"I understand how you feel, but if you touch the treasure recklessly, you'll regret it."
As if to prove his words.
Additional status windows popped up.
[The former kings warn the grave robbers who have trespassed into the tomb.]
[You may claim only one treasure from this place.]
[Those who violate this rule and succumb to greed will be struck by the 'Curse of the Kings'.]
"I trust you've all seen Aladdin."
If they touched anything other than the lamp, they would end up like fried chicken dropped into boiling oil.
Of course, the curse of this world would be far more horrific than simply dying in magma.
"I see... I understand what you mean."
"We'll have to choose carefully."
The two nodded.
"And there's something we need to do before we look at the treasures. Follow me first."
Obtaining treasure was merely a secondary reward.
The most important task was solving the trial to escape this place.
Jinhyuk took the lead.
How many minutes did they walk past the mountains of gold and treasures?
Finally, a structure with an entirely different atmosphere from the rest came into view.
With long staircases on all four sides—north, south, east, and west—leading straight up...
"It looks like... an altar?"
Indeed.
It was an altar.
And the most eye-catching thing was a square table at the top of the stairs, upon which sat a 'black warning bell'.
Ancient runes were also engraved on the bell made of Black Iron, but they were of a completely different kind than the ones they had seen in the passage.
'Double Runes...'
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
It was evaluated as the closest language to the 'Forgotten Language', and in the past, Jinhyuk had also sought to find clues to the Forgotten Language through it.
'Since I've changed my class to a Barrierist and even secured the Moon's Engraving this time, I will definitely master all the languages.'
For a veteran who was already rotten to the core, the mere fact of being able to learn something new was thrilling in itself.
Because of this, Jinhyuk already felt his fingers itching.
"Is that our target?"
"Yeah. We have to get our hands on that to leave this labyrinth. It's a sort of key to the outside."
"Then there's no need to drag our feet. I'll secure it right away."
Cheon Yu-seong made to dash toward the stairs immediately.
"Wait a second."
"Why? Is there a trap there too?"
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
It was a tomb, after all. There was no way the most important treasure would be left without a trap.
The most difficult and annoying traps in the entire labyrinth were scattered across those stairs like grains of sand.
"Seeing how quickly you stopped me, it must be a trap you don't know much about either."
"No, I know how to avoid them. It's just that with someone breathing down our necks, I can't exactly focus on avoiding traps, can I?"
"Don't tell me..."
Indeed.
We aren't the only guests here.
"Why don't you come out now? It's useless to use a clumsy barrier in front of me."
Jinhyuk nodded his head toward the pile of gold on the right.