Chapter 172: The Night's Banquet (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: The Night's Banquet (1)
Jinhyuk, briefly organizing his plans, approached Yoshio.
The key was to wave lightly, as if greeting an old neighborhood friend he hadn't seen in ages.
A bright, harmless smile was a bonus.
"W-what is it?"
However, Yoshio's reaction wasn't very warm. He glared at Jinhyuk with sharp, guarded eyes.
Well, that was only natural, wasn't it?
"Don't be so prickly. Our first impression of each other wasn't great, but we don't have to keep it that way, do we?"
Jinhyuk shrugged.
At the same time, he lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Then,
[The Subspace Inventory is opening.]
Beyond the shimmering space, a familiar object revealed itself.
It was the Cloud-Cluster Sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, boasting an impressive, pure white blade.
"Gasp!"
A sharp intake of breath echoed.
Seeing the sacred relic the Samurai Guild had lost, Yoshio's pupils trembled in shock.
He had no choice but to be flustered.
After all, the entirety of Japan was currently desperately searching for this very item.
"H-how did you...?"
At Yoshio's question, Jinhyuk replied nonchalantly.
"Liaoyu had it. You guys probably thought of them as allies, but he was actually the one who stole Japan's sacred relic."
"T-that's impossible! We are allied with China. Do you expect me to believe they plotted such a thing?"
"An alliance? You mean the kind where you wear a smiling mask on the outside but stab each other in the back the moment things go south?"
Come on, we're both pros here, why play dumb?
He surely knew that historically, no alliance lasted forever.
China and the Samurai Guild had also outwardly promised to climb the Tower together, but they were in a relationship that could turn them into enemies overnight depending on their mutual interests.
"Are you really that sure? That they are trustworthy comrades you can entrust your back to on the battlefield?"
"That's..."
Yoshio's voice trailed off. He himself doubted whether the word 'trustworthy' could be applied to them.
Reading his confusion, Jinhyuk quickly added another word.
"And it's not like I'm asking for anything grand. I just came because I wanted you to have this sword."
"...Thank you. On behalf of the Samurai Guild, I express my gratitude to you."
Yoshio nodded reluctantly.
Since he was returning the sacred relic without asking for anything in return, Yoshio couldn't keep refusing.
Though he couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling, Yoshio quickly brushed aside his doubts.
'Good.'
'That's taken care of.'
Next, Jinhyuk approached Cheon Yu-seong.
Thanks to the lingering commotion, the two of them talking didn't draw much attention.
"What kind of nonsense are you trying to pull this time?"
Cheon Yu-seong immediately clicked his tongue.
Why did this guy get annoyed just by looking at my face?
Wasn't it about time we grew fond of each other, even if it's through bickering?
"I'm trying to give you something good, but what's with that look in your eyes?"
"Something good?"
"Yeah. Remember at the tailor shop, I said I'd get you a weapon?"
Not some cheap trash, but a fine sword worthy of the Sword Saint.
He had come to keep that promise.
At Jinhyuk's words, Yu-seong raised his eyes in surprise.
"...Are you really giving me a sword without any catch?"
"Of course! It's a promise made to none other than the great Sword Saint himself, so naturally, I have to keep it."
"Seeing you boast like this only makes me trust you less..."
"Just trust me one last time. You know what they say—blessed are those who believe."
"Sigh. Fine. Where is this sword?"
...Hooked.
The prickly, ill-tempered fish had bitten the bait.
This was the crucial part.
Jinhyuk put on an expression that was a perfect blend of guilt and apology.
If a Hollywood director were here, they would have street-cast him on the spot; his emotional immersion was that flawless.
"Well, you see... I really wanted to give it to you, but it was just stolen from me."
Grit!
The sound of teeth grinding echoed exceptionally loud.
A vein popped on Yu-seong's forehead, showing he was thoroughly enraged.
"You bastard, once again..."
"No, no, wait! Whoa, don't draw your sword here. Don't slash with that. Don't even try to stab me. I'll really die! I'm telling you, I'll die!"
Jinhyuk hurriedly ducked his head.
It was no joke; Yu-seong had actually executed an overhead slash.
If it had been anyone else, their head would have bid farewell to their body and rolled on the ground.
"I'm not trying to tease you. I really did get a great sword for you, but it was taken before I got here."
"Who took it?"
"O-over there..."
Jinhyuk's fingertip pointed toward a man.
It was a man holding a sword that looked extraordinary even at a glance, wearing a bright smile.
"I told him I was going to gift it to you, but that guy said a sword like this doesn't suit an amateur who doesn't even know how to handle a blade."
These words were more than enough.
A thick, murderous intent began to bloom in Cheon Yu-seong's eyes.
"Wait here. We're not done talking."
"Of course! If you want, I'll turn into stone and wait for you forever. Do your best and get that sword back! Oh, and by the way, that sword is my gift to you, so you can't ask me for another one later, okay?"
Jinhyuk cheered him on enthusiastically from behind.
* * *
[The conditions have been met.]
[The selected skill is 'Draw Sword'.]
[The copied skill is saved in the 'Memory of the World'.]
Needless to say, the exhausted Yoshio was no match for Cheon Yu-seong.
Above all, how on earth was he supposed to block someone who suddenly started swinging a sword out of nowhere?
Thanks to that, he managed to achieve his goal without lifting a single finger.
Watching Yoshio being carried away by the administrators to the emergency room set up in the annex, Jinhyuk clasped his hands together in a small prayer.
'I trust this was enough to convey my apologies. If all else fails, I'll just buy him a drink later.'
'Good, good. Very good.'
Jinhyuk nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.
Indeed, comrades were truly precious.
After all, they could be used to his heart's content whenever the need arose.
Now then...
Shall we organize the long-awaited rewards?
From allocating the bonus stats accumulated through leveling up to deciding which ability to copy, there was a mountain of work to do.
Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
Tring!
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 67
Strength: 25 | Agility: 25 | Stamina: 34 | Mana: 110 | Gap: 100 | Luck: 10 | Adaptive: 78 | Essence: 17.53
Available Stat Points: 36
Available Coins: 421,350
Class: Rune Interpreter
Unique Abilities: 'Fusion', 'Grave of Swords', 'Blessing of the Stars', 'Judgment of Anubis', 'Blood Demon Qi', 'Mandala', '1-Second Invincibility', 'Thousand Poisons', 'White Beast', 'Universal Sharing'
Skills: Lv9 'Fire Element', Lv9 'Gluttony's Eye', Lv6 'Communion', Lv7 'Brand of the Flame Soul', Lv6 'Monopolize', Lv6 'Shallow Breathing', Lv11 'Glacial Shaping', Lv8 'Daylight', Lv5 'Giant's Grasp', Lv7 'Soul-Chasing Sword', Lv1 'Double Agent', Lv5 'True Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method', Lv6 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss', Lv1 'Faint Body Scent', Lv4 'Mental Barrier', Lv3 'Heavenly Melody', Lv3 'Otherworldly Diner', Lv3 'Crimson Magic Bullet', Lv2 'Heaven and Earth Net', Lv1 'Soul Vampirism', Lv1 'Demon Soul Sword', Lv1 'Draw Sword'
Barriers: The number of learned barriers is too high, so it has been switched to 'Collapsed' status.
——————————————————
Staring at the blissful number of 36 stat points, Jinhyuk fell into deep thought.
He carefully organized his thoughts on where and how much to invest to achieve the most efficient synergy.
'When I fought that Nameless guy... I was definitely lacking in strength.'
His reaction speed had kept up, but he had felt a significant amount of pressure when actually neutralizing the attacks.
It was proof that his strength was lacking compared to his other stats.
[Strength increases from 25 to 50.]
He boldly invested 25 stat points.
Instantly, he felt a change in the muscles throughout his entire body.
It felt as if he couldn't control his surging power, almost like he had been injected with steroids.
His muscle size hadn't increased, but their density had become incomparably firmer than before.
Jinhyuk lightly gripped the marble table.
Crack!
As if he were playing with modeling clay, his fingers dug deep into the marble.
'This is insane...'
Even without using Giant's Grasp, his ordinary grip strength had reached a monstrous level.
The reward of doubling his strength stat was immediately apparent.
'With this, I won't have to worry about lacking strength for a while.'
Next, of course, was mana.
To utilize his diverse unique abilities and skills, mana was a stat that could never be overemphasized.
Without hesitation, Jinhyuk invested all of his remaining points into mana.
[Mana increases from 110 to 121.]
“Phew...”
Jinhyuk closed his eyes gently, feeling the mana circulating through his entire body.
Hummmmm!
The smoothly circulating mana spread pleasantly to every corner of his body.
Now, only one last thing remained.
The most important thing of all.
Jinhyuk calmed his racing heart.
He had seen countless skills and unique abilities, but to be honest, he still wasn't sure which one to choose.
'First, let's rule out players.'
He would have plenty of opportunities to copy player abilities in the future.
More than anything, with so many delicious targets like residents, administrators, and boss monsters lying around, it would be a waste to use this opportunity on a player.
'Nameless's ability isn't bad either.'
Having fought him directly, Jinhyuk was certain of it.
The ability he used allowed him to switch between offense and defense at will, and its balance was flawless.
'The Black Death of Pendariel, whom I fought in the Zombie Plant, was also an ability I wanted to collect if possible.'
Goguma's unique sacred spear and Alice's unique ability were also top candidates, but since he had Universal Sharing, he ruled those out as well.
His dilemma deepened.
Because he had crossed paths with so many powerful entities, making a decision was far from easy.
How many minutes had passed like that?
Finally, Jinhyuk opened his mouth.
“I will copy Osiris's unique ability.”
An ultimate lifeform that didn't pale in comparison even to ancient species.
If it was an ability possessed by an absolute being who governed the rules of the Tower...
He was certain it was a choice worthy of this hard-won opportunity.
[You have copied the unique ability 'Sanctuary of the Sun'.]
[The copied ability is saved in the 'Memory of the World'.]
The unique ability that had encompassed the entirety of the 42nd Floor, [White Oasis].
He had obtained the ultimate area-of-effect skill capable of replicating the power of the sun.
“Hahahahaha!”
Jinhyuk burst into a mad, hysterical laugh.
The people around him stared as if he were a madman, but he didn't care.
He felt like he owned the entire world, so he could easily laugh off the stares of others.
* * *
About five hours later.
The Tower's administrators, including Hastings and Rick, finished cleaning up the aftermath of the incident.
The Murim and the Chinese Guild, who had recklessly interfered with the system, faced appropriate consequences.
Of course, since the Chinese Guild was practically half-destroyed anyway, the penalty itself was somewhat meaningless to them.
However, the Murim had all the coins they had accumulated so far confiscated, a loss so devastating that it would be difficult to recover from no matter how much time passed.
Only after all those eventful incidents were wrapped up was a grand banquet held in the ballroom.
It was the conclusion of the Faction Selection Battle, and the place where factions and players would sign their contracts.
Finally.
The final act of the masquerade ball began.