Chapter 180: The Disciple of the Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist, the 'Dark Emperor' (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: The Disciple of the Heaven-and-Earth Dragon Fist, the 'Dark Emperor' (2)
The 8th floor of the Tower of Trials.
Composed entirely of a massive labyrinth spanning 10,000 kilometers, calling this floor a natural hazard was an understatement.
The thousands of intersecting pathways and countless traps made it clear just how difficult it was to pass through here.
I used to hang out here quite often...
Standing alone a few hundred meters from the entrance of the labyrinth, Jinhyuk reminisced about the past.
Searching every nook and cranny of the 10,000-kilometer labyrinth just to find an Easter egg hidden by the developers... It was a memory he could look back on and laugh about now that it was over.
Right then.
Someone emerged from the shadows.
"My lord. All thirty members of the Black Wind Society are ready."
A rather slight build of 170 centimeters.
A boy with long, straight hair and pale skin bowed politely.
He was the right-hand man Yang Ho-myung had sent in his stead...
His name was Wolyeong, if he recalled correctly?
Yang Ho-myung had boasted that he was one of the top experts within the society.
He had confidently assured Jinhyuk that the boy would never drag him down.
His internal energy seemed reasonably solid, but on the outside, he looked incredibly frail.
I wonder how strong he actually is?
Jinhyuk used 'Gluttony's Eye' to check the boy's status window.
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Name: Wolyeong
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Level: 47
Strength: 20, Agility: 55, Stamina: 19, Magic: 11, Internal Energy: 60
Class: Bodyguard
Unique Ability: Shadow Extreme Kill
Skills: Lv10 'Silent Steps', Lv8 'Sword Aura', Lv7 'Black Heaven Art', Lv7 'Protective Aura', Lv7 'Loyalty'
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[Detailed Description: Wolyeong is an orphan who was taken in by Yang Ho-myung before he could even walk, serving as a hidden weapon of the Black Wind Society. Specialized in assassination and escorting key figures, he will make a highly efficient tool if kept close. However, because his way of thinking is 'slightly' different from ordinary people, extreme caution is required when handling him.]
[Copy Conditions: Currently, Wolyeong is not following you out of trust, but solely due to Yang Ho-myung's orders. If you can earn his loyalty, you can copy one of his unique abilities or skills.]
'Shadow Extreme Kill'—a unique ability specialized in long, mid, and close-range attacks using shadows.
Oho.
This was quite a mouth-watering find.
Thanks to his lie about being the Dark Emperor's direct disciple, the number of cards he could play had increased significantly.
Not only Wolyeong, but also the thirty elites of the Black Wind Society he had borrowed this time would be extremely useful in conquering the tower.
His gaze shifted to the copy conditions.
Earn his loyalty, huh...
Honestly, for someone like me, loyalty will probably just well up naturally, so it shouldn't be too hard.
He had no doubt that Wolyeong would become his man even if he just acted like his usual self.
Character, skill, welfare—he had it all.
As the CEO of Veteran Corporation, he possessed every single virtue a leader should have.
Time to get moving. Let's keep our distance and assess the situation first.
Jinhyuk walked over to a spot with a clear view of the labyrinth's entrance.
Buzz, buzz!
A fairly large crowd of players had gathered at the entrance.
He could spot a few familiar guild emblems among them.
While he had been busy dealing with the banquet and other matters, it seemed the guilds that hadn't been invited were focusing all their energy on climbing the tower.
After all, with the top-tier competitors distracted, now was the perfect opportunity for the second-stringers to make their move.
But then...
Hmm?
Scanning the crowd, Jinhyuk's eyes caught a familiar figure.
A woman with long, flowing red hair.
It was Melena of the Demonic Human Association.
Although she had half her face covered with oversized sunglasses, anyone who knew her would recognize her instantly.
What is she doing here?
It certainly wasn't out of some noble desire to conquer the tower for the future of humanity...
He had thought they were being unusually quiet lately, and this smelled incredibly fishy.
The only way to find out was to ask her directly.
"I'm going to go talk to that woman for a moment. Stay hidden and don't do anything to attract attention. You can manage that much, right?"
"Is there a particular reason we must hide?"
"Well, you look decent enough, but the rest of your guys look like thugs you'd be terrified to run into in a dark alley. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
Just imagine a bunch of scarred, heavily bearded men in black clothes roaming around in a pack.
That wasn't a stealth operation; it was practically a walking billboard.
In fact, they'd be lucky not to have the police called on them.
"With all due respect, this subordinate does not understand why our appearance is an issue. On the contrary, a fierce impression can serve as a means to intimidate opponents in battle."
Wolyeong tilted his head, looking genuinely perplexed.
His stubbornness reminded Jinhyuk of a certain someone.
If there was one thing Jinhyuk had learned in life, it was that you should never try to convince people like this using common sense.
Jinhyuk brought out the magic words that were guaranteed to work on the Black Wind Society.
"To achieve the grand ambition of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the fewer people who know about us, the better. So, do as I say."
"The fewer who know... Yes. I understand your meaning."
Wolyeong finally nodded in comprehension.
* * *
Leaving Wolyeong behind, Jinhyuk walked straight toward Melena.
Amidst the crowd of players, the red-haired woman was lost in deep thought.
"Well, well. Look who we have here."
Jinhyuk offered a bright smile as he greeted her.
Of course, to Melena, this was like a bolt from the blue.
"Y-You...!"
"Keep your voice down. If we draw attention here, you're the one who stands to lose more, not me."
A Demonic Human roaming around in broad daylight. What a wonderful world.
If he were to blow her cover right here, he could probably watch Melena burn at the stake...
Should I actually do it? The urge to spill the beans is practically bursting out of my mouth.
"That's...!"
Melena quickly glanced around.
Fortunately, everyone was too preoccupied preparing to enter the labyrinth to pay them any mind.
At least, for now.
"F-Fine, I get it! I'll tell you whatever you want. Just let's move somewhere else first."
"A wise decision."
Jinhyuk followed Melena into the thicket.
Only after they had moved a short distance away from the entrance were they free from prying eyes.
"Spill it. Why are the Demonic Humans interested in the 8th floor? Let me hear that first before I make my judgment."
Melena flinched at Jinhyuk's question.
But it was only for a moment.
She realized that no lie or excuse would work on him.
"Actually, a unique mana signature was detected a few days ago. To be precise, one of our comrades exploring the labyrinth stumbled upon it by chance."
"A unique mana signature?"
"You should know about it. The 'double wave'."
"The phenomenon that occurs when two floors connect..."
"Yes, exactly. It means a passage has connected the 8th and 9th floors. I came here to investigate it thoroughly."
The 8th floor, which was entirely a labyrinth, and the 9th floor, which was teeming with mid-tier monsters, had connected.
The realization sent a shiver down Jinhyuk's spine.
Don't tell me... Could it be an Interfloor Alliance?
If so, it meant the difficulty of this place had just skyrocketed to an absurd degree.
"How many players have entered the labyrinth?"
Jinhyuk asked urgently.
"Quite a lot. As you know, there's no shortage of humans who want to be heroes. Right now, a major American guild is inside."
It was already too late.
He had more questions for Melena, but they would have to wait.
"Follow me."
Jinhyuk grabbed Melena's wrist firmly.
"W-Wait! Me too...?"
"Of course you're going in."
Did you think you could just slip away on your own?
A company and its employees were a community bound by fate—living together and dying together.
Melena tried to break free, but Jinhyuk was not one to let go of a fish once caught.
However...
Upon returning to Wolyeong, Jinhyuk was struck by another massive shock.
His head throbbed.
He couldn't help it.
Before his eyes stood Wolyeong, proudly puffing out his chest, surrounded by players collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Out of the hundreds of players, not a single one remained conscious.
"Sigh..."
Patience. Let's stay calm.
He's still young, he might not know better.
And above all, there might actually be a plausible excuse for this.
"Explain. The short version."
"Did you not say so, my lord? That we should avoid having eyes on us as much as possible."
"I... did say that."
He had indeed said that.
"But did you have to knock all of them unconscious?"
"This subordinate merely followed your solemn command."
Wolyeong bowed respectfully, looking slightly bashful.
Only now did Jinhyuk understand what the system meant.
That his way of thinking was 'slightly' different from others, making him difficult to handle.
Jinhyuk massaged his temples with his index finger.
"Never mind. Get ready to enter the labyrinth immediately."
Since there were already players inside, they had to hurry before everyone turned into corpses.
* * *
About 20 kilometers from the entrance of the labyrinth, a large group of players had gathered.
"Lost contact again..."
A man muttered.
The Lockheed Guild, one of the top five major guilds in the United States.
And the man was an AAA-ranker who could be considered one of the pillars of the guild, named Jack Friedman.
Despite being in a position that anyone would envy, Friedman's expression was grim.
And for good reason.
The force he had brought to break through the 8th-floor labyrinth was the 1st Raid Team, the core of the Lockheed Guild.
This meant every single member was rated A-rank or higher, handpicked from players who had experience conquering up to the 10th floor and beyond.
Yet...
Strangely, the labyrinth—which they had successfully navigated before—now felt overwhelmingly difficult.
...Something is different.
It wasn't just that the complexity of the maze or the difficulty of the traps had increased.
Rather, something fundamental had changed.
The sticky air clung to his entire body.
He had a bad feeling from the moment they entered, but as they ventured deeper, his suspicion turned into certainty.
Friedman glanced at the status window floating in the air.
[0h:0m:1s]
The timer on the status window had just run out.
Beep! Beep!
A loud alarm blared.
The surrounding atmosphere grew even heavier.
"Raid Leader. Just now... the three hours are up."
Three hours.
It was the amount of time that had passed since Katie, who led the scout team, had gone inside.
It also meant that not a single one of the thirteen scouts had returned.
"Dammit."
Friedman clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
What on earth was in there that caused every single scout team to lose contact?
He knew the primary objective was to minimize danger to the main force, but he could no longer allow these meaningless sacrifices to continue.
Ultimately...
"Rangers, stand by. Yoris, Michael. Take the lead. We're going in ourselves."
The players, consisting of tanks and damage dealers, decided to head inside.