Chapter 176: Universal Sharing (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: Universal Sharing (2)
One of the absolute powerhouses who ranked among the top ten of the Tower.
The former head of the Ataraxia family, widely considered the strongest in history even among the Great Six Families.
Alice von Ataraxia.
The unique ability of that noble True Ancestor unfolded.
"Urgh!"
"Gasp!"
Choking sounds erupted from all directions.
It was heavy, like the deep sea.
The caliber... was on a completely different level.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
As the crushing mana bore down on them, everyone in the ballroom desperately channeled their own mana to resist.
Even breathing was a struggle.
"..."
"This is..."
Only the administrators like Hastings and Rick, along with the residents representing each faction, could barely hold their ground.
Naturally, the ordinary players had no choice but to lose consciousness or faint on the spot.
"T-This can't be..."
Uasis's pupils shook violently.
When he had claimed to be a faction all by himself, she had dismissed it as a bluff not even worth addressing.
She had thought it was merely a desperate struggle to negotiate better terms.
But what on earth was this?
This absurd level of mana!
She, too, had met countless powerhouses while living in the Tower, but...
Without a doubt, this was the first time her entire body had frozen in sheer terror.
'I... felt fear?'
Penheimer also barely managed to steady his trembling hands.
It had only been thirty seconds, but the emotion he felt during that brief window was unmistakable terror.
He noticed that his hand had instinctively drawn his sword halfway from its scabbard without him even realizing it...
But instead of shame, he felt it was only natural.
Faced with such a malevolent aura, anyone would instinctively reach for their weapon.
'...He wasn't just some run-of-the-mill prospect.'
He had thought of him as a useful hunting dog.
He had planned to tame him using carrots and sticks.
But.
'I was mistaken.'
The man standing before him was no mere beast with sharp fangs.
He was a monster that preyed on such beasts.
This was the overwhelming pressure that only an apex predator at the top of the ecosystem could exude.
Though Penheimer was one of the Empire's proud 100 Sword Masters...
Penheim instinctively realized.
Even among those hundred.
No, even among the top ten who stood on the precipice of becoming Grand Sword Masters.
None possessed an aura as terrifyingly powerful as this.
However...
The one most shocked among everyone present was Alice.
Just as she was about to conclude her deal with Yang Ho-myung, Jinhyuk had unleashed an incredibly familiar energy.
Crack!
Her champagne glass shattered, spilling its contents and soaking the tablecloth, but she had no room to care about such trifles.
'Could this ability be...'
Alice's fangs bit deep into her tongue.
Blood Lord.
How could she not recognize it?
The power that governed the blood of all living things.
Her very own unique ability.
In an instant, hundreds of questions rushed up her throat. But she could not let them escape her lips.
Her duty was to wear the mask of Unknown and play her part.
For that was the promise she had made to her contractor.
Instead, Yang Ho-myung, who was sitting beside her, spat out a curse.
His face, too, had turned completely pale from the sheer force of the mana Jinhyuk had unleashed.
"Monstrous...! Can you really defeat a guy like that?"
"Yes, don't worry. As long as I have the secret manual containing the final ultimate technique of the Soul-Chasing Sword, I can easily defeat him."
"So... all I have to do is hand over the elixir. Is that it?"
"Exactly. I can't go myself, so I'll send a suitable messenger."
"...Understood. I will do so."
Yang Ho-myung nodded.
With that, the secret transaction between the two concluded.
* * *
The storm passed.
Breaking the suffocating silence was a cheerful voice that did not fit the atmosphere at all.
"I believe this is more than enough to prove my capabilities."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Within those thirty seconds, he had firmly engraved his image into their minds.
He felt like he had pulled off a bit of a scam, but then again, wasn't 'Universal Sharing' also one of his own abilities?
He was merely utilizing it appropriately, so there was really no reason to call it a scam.
"Tch."
Uasis clenched her fists.
Now that he had put on such a display of power, she couldn't just pretend nothing had happened.
No matter how thick-skinned she was, that was impossible.
"Indeed... with that level of power, no one can question Player Kang Jinhyuk's qualifications."
Seeing that even the administrators were not intervening, the establishment of this new faction was practically approved.
As Uasis conceded, the representatives of the other factions began to nod one by one.
[The minor faction 'The Third Force' recognizes the existence of the new faction.]
[The major faction 'Spirit Realm' recognizes the existence of the new faction.]
[The major faction 'Empire' recognizes...]
[...the existence of the new faction.]
[High Manager Hastings approves the establishment of the 'New Faction'.]
[Please decide on the name of the new faction.]
Status windows popped up one after another in front of Jinhyuk.
The name of the faction...
Since it would serve as his banner for all future activities, it was best to choose carefully.
In the past, he had lazily named his group 'xX_Ultimate_Mage_Xx' out of sheer laziness, only to regret it all the way to the top.
Compared to that, the name he was currently pushing, 'Veteran Corporation', was actually quite excellent.
Indeed, it was.
"Veteran Corporation."
Jinhyuk answered immediately.
[Once chosen, the name cannot be changed. Do you still wish to proceed with 'Veteran Corporation'?]
He thought he could hear the distant voices of Cheon Yu-seong, Teresa, and numerous other shareholders trying to stop him.
But it was probably just his imagination.
Most likely.
"Yes."
Jinhyuk nodded once more.
[The new faction 'Veteran Corporation' has been established.]
[The achievement of founding the world's first player-led faction will be registered in the 'Hall of Fame' for the entirety of tomorrow.]
[Members belonging to the faction may use the emblem symbolizing the faction and will obtain the authority to govern floors.]
The official goal of a faction was to govern a floor and monopolize the various benefits that came with it.
At least on the surface, everyone was fiercely competing for that very purpose.
However.
The true purpose hidden beneath the surface was nothing of the sort.
It was to build up their strength and challenge the summit of the Tower once more—a summit where they had already failed once before.
That was the ultimate desire of all the residents who had failed in their climb in the past.
'It won't be easy.'
Because they were the ones guarding the summit.
At the thought of having to fight those absolute beings again someday, the corners of Jinhyuk's mouth twitched with excitement.
'I just hope that now, in this reality, they've become even stronger than they were back then.'
Only then would climbing the Tower again be worthwhile.
It was then.
"It seems we've been outmaneuvered this time. I shall take my leave first. If there are any players who wish to align themselves with the Empire, please speak to Chancellor Alfredo here."
Penheimer stood up with a complex expression on his face.
Since he had failed to win Jinhyuk over, there was no longer any reason to remain.
Rather, his urgent priority was to report what he had just witnessed to the Empire's high command.
Because of this event, the balance of power among the factions might completely shift in the future.
"I'll be off as well. I'll leave the rest to the Namgung Clan."
Yang Ho-myung also turned away without hesitation after sharing a strange, lingering look with Alice.
I've already achieved my greater purpose.
That was likely what his look meant.
The bait Alice had cast was indeed incredibly enticing. Now, they just had to wait patiently for the fish to bite and pull itself out of the water.
Jinhyuk licked his lips as he watched Yang Ho-myung walk away.
As expected, when big game like this gathered in one place, he had to squeeze out as many copying conditions as possible.
'Should I get going too?'
His business here was finished.
It would be fun to watch which faction Cheon Yu-seong or Teresa chose to align with, but he could always hear about that later outside the Tower.
Besides, now that a major event had concluded, he was planning to host a modest after-party.
To celebrate, and also to discuss their future plans.
Just as Jinhyuk was preparing to leave, however...
"Before you go, may I address one thing?"
Meirena, the water spirit representing the Spirit Realm, stopped Jinhyuk.
"Address something?"
"Yes."
"What is there to address? I don't believe I've done anything wrong to your side."
"You forcibly subjugated our spirit beasts in the labyrinth. I would like you to return them to us."
Hmm?
What kind of bullshit was this?
Jinhyuk's eyebrows furrowed into an inverted 'V'.
"Are you implying that I threatened them?"
"If not, there is no way all five spirit beasts would have chosen you."
The criteria for spirit beasts to choose a contractor were notoriously strict.
In particular, elemental spirit beasts with conflicting attributes would be extremely reluctant to let their contractor form contracts with other spirits.
By Meirena's common sense, it was utterly unbelievable that five spirit beasts had chosen Jinhyuk.
"I'm sorry, but I dislike using coercion. They all joined our company very enthusiastically and voluntarily."
"That is exactly what I cannot believe. After all, those are your words, Player Kang Jinhyuk, not the spirit beasts'."
"If you're that skeptical, why don't we just ask them directly?"
"What?"
Meirena's eyes widened.
She had not expected him to act so confident.
But Jinhyuk had already summoned all the spirit beasts from his subspace inventory.
"Huh?"
"What's going on? Why did you call us?"
"Are we fighting again?"
Salamander, the fire spirit; Golem, the earth spirit; and even Sylphid, who took the form of a haughty young girl.
The five elemental spirit beasts looked around as they emerged.
Of course, Jinhyuk was the one standing right in front of them.
"Sorry for calling you out while you were resting. It's just that the water spirit over there claims I threatened you into forming a contract. I'd like you to tell her yourself that it's not true."
"Don't worry, feel free to speak comfortably. If any foul play was involved in the contract, I will nullify it immediately and personally ensure you are returned to the Spirit Realm."
Meirena offered them a benevolent smile.
And.
Behind her, Jinhyuk's eyes gleamed with a thick, murderous intent.
I trust none of you will try to play the hero. Unless you have a spare life lying around, that is.
They flinched.
The five elemental spirit beasts trembled slightly.
It was a split second, but they instantly realized which choice they had to make.
For nothing other than...
Survival.
"W-We formed the contract because we wanted to. Right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Hanging out with humans is re-al-ly fun. Hahaha."
"It's true. We were never threatened... I mean, absolutely not threatened."
"Watch your mouth, idiot. He's still a bit clumsy with his words. We're sorry about that, hehe."
"Alright, everyone shut up. You're giving me a headache."
The spirit beasts scrambled to speak over one another.
But for some reason...
Their words, pouring out like a broken dam, were laced with deep, underlying terror.
"Is that really true?"
"Yes. We're really fine."
"We did it because we wanted to."
Since they adamantly denied it even on pain of death, what else could she do?
Meirena ultimately had no choice but to give up.
"I... see. If you say so, then I must have been mistaken."
However.
This time, Jinhyuk grabbed Meirena's shoulder as she turned to leave.
Hold on. Where do you think you're going?
"You know, the worst thing in the world is accusing an innocent person."
Did she think she could just stab someone and walk away saying, "Oh, my bad"?
If you accuse someone, you have to be prepared to take responsibility for it.
At the same time.
His pale palm reached out toward Meirena.