Chapter 217: A New Faction & The Balance of the Middle Floors (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: A New Faction & The Balance of the Middle Floors (2)
[Alice activates Lv?? 'Blood Jade of the Heavenly Decree'!]
With a light gesture, the giants climbing the castle walls slowly floated up into the sky.
A grand magic that defied gravity.
"Arghhh!"
"M-my body is moving on its own!"
Spheres made of blood droplets completely swallowed the giants' bodies.
Then, skewers made of blood shot through the air one by one.
Thwack! Thud!
The skewers pierced precisely through their joints, digging deep into their flesh.
It wasn't to inflict a fatal wound.
Rather, it was to completely destroy their mobility.
What followed was an overwhelming mana that utterly ignored the laws of physics.
The spheres compressed in an instant.
Crunch! Crackle!
There was no way any living creature could survive inside that.
It took less than a minute for all six giants to be compressed to the size of soccer balls.
'It was about time I set up a scene like this.'
A scene where he and Unknown appeared in the same place.
He didn't know for sure, but once this video was uploaded, it would undoubtedly trigger an explosive reaction.
'I already needed a lot of coins to buy the supplies for the war, so this is the perfect opportunity to rack up some views.'
Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.
And a step too late...
"Pant, pant, pant."
"We're here. Atop the wall."
The knights of the Templar Knights and the White Rose Knights climbed up onto the ramparts.
"Are you guys snails or something? What took you so long? It's already over. Why don't you go home, wash your feet, and go to bed?" Jinhyuk sneered.
"...You arrogant!"
"Stop."
One of the knights almost fell for the provocation, but another quickly held him back.
It was a familiar face.
"Sir Talmor! Wow, fancy seeing you here again. Though, your head looks a bit sparser than the last time I saw you..."
"It's Mackenzie!"
Mackenzie.
Right, that was his name.
Jinhyuk had remembered him by something else for so long that he had completely forgotten his actual name.
"So, how was it? Were you okay in the conference room? I was a bit taken aback because you got beaten so pathetically after stepping up so confidently... Ah! My apologies. I meant to keep that to myself, but it slipped out. My mouth is always causing trouble."
Jinhyuk slapped his own lips repeatedly.
A crisp, smacking sound echoed.
"Grrr!"
Mackenzie's face flushed bright red.
I think I only need one more remark to fulfill the copying condition, right?
A perfect line came to mind.
"Don't let your blood pressure get too high. It's making me crave a drink with some boiled octopus. Though it might be a bit slippery and hard to grab with chopsticks... Hmm."
Jinhyuk gestured as if trying to pinch Mackenzie's head with imaginary chopsticks.
"You're crossing the line," Alice muttered beside him, looking at him as if he were a demon.
"You... bastard...!"
Shring!
Mackenzie half-drew his sword, but none of that mattered.
What mattered right now was that the copying conditions had been fully met by his last remark.
[You have successfully copied the unique ability 'High-Speed Sword'!]
[The copied ability has been stored in 'Memory of the World'!]
He had acquired the 'High-Speed Sword', the trademark skill of Abraham, one of the great Grand Sword Masters of the Empire.
'Seriously, this is more addictive than drugs.'
The culmination of talent and effort that countless powerhouses had spent their entire lives building.
Being able to just snatch it away was, no matter how he looked at it, practically a cheat.
Of course, that didn't mean he had any intention of pursuing nonsense like "fairness."
The world was inherently unfair.
And to prevent the destruction of humanity and climb to the top of the Tower once more, he needed to secure a position that others wouldn't dare to challenge.
Right then.
"Fuuu..."
Mackenzie, who had been trembling with rage, barely managed to compose himself.
"His Grace the Duke is looking for you. If you come quietly, not only will your wanted status be revoked, but you will also receive a reward for defending the Empire from the giants."
"First threats, now conciliation..."
Well, it was a natural progression.
After displaying such overwhelming power, if the Duke continued to remain hostile, he wouldn't be a Duke of the Empire, but merely an idiot with anger management issues.
"Lead the way. Let's hear what he has to say."
"A wise decision."
Mackenzie led the way, and Jinhyuk and Alice followed behind him.
* * *
The conference room they returned to had been completely restored, leaving no trace of the previous damage. Inside, where clean tables and chairs were neatly arranged, the heavyweights of the Noble Faction, including Duke Veinstern, were gathered.
This time, Penheimer and the few ministers of the Emperor Faction were nowhere to be seen.
This meeting was likely arranged privately by Veinstern.
Once again, Jinhyuk realized just how immense the power of an Imperial Duke was.
"Welcome," Veinstern, seated at the head of the table, greeted Jinhyuk warmly.
"I see you're not ordering everyone to draw their swords right off the bat this time."
"Hahaha, that was just a slight misunderstanding. Who wouldn't be anxious if a stranger suddenly appeared here using teleportation? More than anything, treating the two who wiped out the giants poorly is out of the question. I will naturally grant you a fitting reward under my authority, so do not worry."
Seeing how he was practically showering them with praise...
Jinhyuk could easily predict the lines that would follow.
You did great. You're the best. So, let's work together. Once I become the Emperor and hold all the power, I'll make sure you get a cozy, high-ranking position. And so on.
He would undoubtedly propose some cliché, foul-smelling conspiracy and scheme.
Since it felt like this was going to be a long, tedious conversation, Jinhyuk decided to cut it short to save everyone some time.
"I don't know what you're planning to promise me, but to be honest, I don't think any offer you make will interest me."
"I am the most powerful man in the Empire. Wealth, fame, information about climbing the Tower, items... or, if you wish, I can even arrange marriages with the daughters of noble families. I guarantee they are beauties unlike any you have ever seen."
"Oh? If they are such beauties..."
Jinhyuk couldn't finish his sentence.
It was because Alice, who was standing next to him, jabbed him in the ribs with her finger.
"Urgh..."
A scream almost escaped his throat.
She called it a jab, but it felt more like a heavily armored knight charging at full speed with a lance.
"...You're dead," she added, glaring at him with murderous eyes.
"Thank you for the consideration, but I'm not interested. Besides, it's not important which Duke I side with. Isn't the priority for the Empire to secure the key strongholds before the Murim does?"
Jinhyuk quickly changed the subject.
"Hmm..."
"That is indeed an important matter."
"I agree with that man, Your Grace."
The nobles nodded in agreement one after another.
The giants had launched a preemptive strike on the Empire.
With such a massive justification, the Empire had to retaliate against the giants as soon as possible.
Veinstern knew this as well, but because he was secretly holding hands with the Murim behind the scenes, he couldn't easily make a decision.
"That is not a decision to be made lightly. We also know the importance of the stronghold, but do you have any idea how many knights have died trying to attack it so far?"
"How many?"
"Over fifty of them were at the Sword Master level. And those were elites I personally poured my heart and soul into raising!"
Hmm...
"Doesn't that just mean... all the subordinates under your command are incompetent?"
At his blunt remark, the Duke's mouth froze.
The faces of the nobles also turned as pale as sheets.
Only one person, Abraham, who was standing next to Veinstern, let out a chuckle.
His eyes shone with interest.
The way he looked over with a strange smirk was incredibly pressuring.
"I understand that you are formidable," Veinstern managed to speak through gritted teeth.
"But you can only say that because you've never been to their citadel yourself. Anyone can talk big from the safety of this room..."
"I'll do it then."
"Huh?"
"That raid. We'll clear it ourselves."
Jinhyuk's words threw cold water over the conference room once again.
* * *
The night deepened.
Guided to a suite with over ten rooms, Jinhyuk and Alice took a hot bath and satisfied their hunger with a splendidly prepared meal.
"Ohhh! I never expected to eat such a luxurious dessert. Those Empire bastards actually have a decent side to them."
Alice's eyes sparkled as she stared at an ice cream shaped like a miniature castle.
When did she develop such a sweet tooth...?
She used to be a bloodthirsty boss monster who carried herself with a certain gravity.
"Stop eating so much. If you eat like that at this hour, you'll gain weight."
"Why are you nagging me about eating? Haven't you heard that if you enjoy your food, it has zero calories?"
"Where on earth did you learn that phrase?"
"It's all over ViewTube."
Damn it.
At this point, he couldn't tell if she was a True Ancestor or a college freshman.
"I hope you eat your fill and get a stomachache."
Clicking his tongue, Jinhyuk stood up first.
Now that they had eaten and drunk to their hearts' content, it was time to handle his backlog of work.
Lying down on his private bed, Jinhyuk edited the footage he had recorded since arriving in the Empire.
After a few minutes...
[The video has been uploaded.]
Along with a short message, a video was uploaded to ViewTube.
Since Jinhyuk's popularity was already beyond imagination worldwide, the view count began to skyrocket less than a minute after it went live.
An unknown floor that even the giant guilds had yet to set foot on.
The chance to witness the psychological warfare and battles between the legendary major factions of the Tower was more than enough to capture everyone's attention.
-The King: Seriously, the more I watch Jinhyuk, the more I think he's not human. Just how strong do you have to be to pull that off?
-Chicken Mayo Mint Choco Rice Bowl: It felt like a Zergling vs. Ultralisk fight, and then a Carrier suddenly showed up.
-Techrates: No, at this point, it's like the developers deployed a bugged unit.
-Small Folk Are Precious: Meanwhile, the dwarf getting startled is so cute. If he even has blacksmithing skills, isn't he literally all-powerful?
-The Thief Next Door: He's turning the dwarf, the Imperial knights, and the court mages all into side characters. Lmao.
-Class 3 Normal License: I saw a European ranker talking about the Empire and the Murim before, and they said we shouldn't even think about challenging them because their level is completely different from players. But looking at Jinhyuk, they all look so cute.
But the shock didn't end there.
A moment later, when Unknown wearing the geometric mask appeared on the same wall as Jinhyuk...
A cold shiver ran down everyone's spines.
-Unknown Is the Future: I'm not dreaming right now, am I?
-Japle longnight: Wow... crazy.
-Mom's Back-Smashing: Isn't this literally Marvel meeting DC?
-Watch All Premier League: It's Messi meeting Ronaldo.
-Back in My Day CCL: The two strongest players in one place. My heart is swelling with grandeur.
Comments were being added at a frantic pace.
The speed at which the view count was rising was also extraordinary.
'I knew the reaction would be great.'
Jinhyuk clenched his fist.
The meeting of the two most talked-about players.
At this rate, reaching 5 million views by tomorrow would be a piece of cake.
In fact, the Gandhara Guild's raid video, which was currently sitting in the Hall of Fame, was already having its position threatened.
But it was right when he was fully enjoying his joy.
Knock, knock!
He heard a knock on his room door.
"...!"
Just in case, the barrier he had set up around the area should have reacted if anyone approached.
For someone to reach the door without triggering it...
'This isn't just room service.'
Jinhyuk reflexively bared his fangs.