Chapter 222: Citadel of Giants (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 222: Citadel of Giants (1)
A massive white tree towered in the center of the Citadel of Giants.
[Fantasy Lost Paradise]
A 12-star barrier with an Absolute Judgment effect, it was one of the strongest barriers below the 30th floor.
Stepping inside not only inverted one's perception of up, down, left, and right, but it also distorted the flow of mana running through one's veins.
For knights and martial artists, whose very lives depended on precise control, fighting giants inside this barrier was nothing short of suicide.
'On top of that, there are so many curses that confuse the senses and abilities that it's impossible to even estimate their exact number.'
And those were just the major ones.
Even at this very moment, the Fantasy Lost Paradise, where the white tree was planted, was likely synthesizing new curses.
It was not without reason that people said the giants were invincible within their citadel.
'But it's well worth the risk.'
Conquering the citadel counted as clearing an entire floor.
In other words, humanity could buy another 90 days. Furthermore, defeating the boss monster would yield massive additional rewards.
'First, I need to slowly map out the area around the citadel.'
Hiding in the thicket, Jinhyuk scanned the surroundings using 'Heaven's Net'.
But then...
'Well, look at this.'
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
The wide-range scan of Heaven's Net picked up multiple mana signatures.
It wasn't just the giants.
Both the Empire and the Murim had set up camp here.
In particular, the Empire was stealthily deploying its forces as far back as possible.
'They talked about leaving it to me, but they were plotting this behind my back?'
He wasn't sure why they had suddenly changed their tune, but they definitely had some shady scheme up their sleeves.
On the other hand, some very familiar faces appeared on the Murim side.
Namgung Cheon.
China's top ranker, who once led the Zhonghua Guild, stood at the forefront.
And beside him was Baek Seol-rin, idly twirling a plum blossom petal, and...
'Cheon Yu-seong.'
That dreadful nemesis of his also revealed himself through Heaven's Net.
He had wanted to believe, even by a one-in-a-ten-thousand chance, that it wasn't true, but this confirmed that Cheon Yu-seong had sided with the Murim.
"Hmm. Did that Sword Saint guy join the other side too?" Alice muttered, resting her chin on her hand.
"He probably has his reasons."
"What do you mean, 'reasons'...? It's obvious he ran away because his boss is so exploitative. I told you to treat your employees better, didn't I? You just order them around all day, so of course they all run—Mmph! Mmmph!"
Alice, who had been talking animatedly, suddenly began to thrash around.
Something had been shoved into her mouth.
A lump with a highly unusual aroma and taste.
She tried to spit it out immediately, but Jinhyuk had already clamped his hand firmly over her mouth.
"Dog poop is the best medicine for kids who talk nonsense..."
"Do—Mmph?!"
"Don't worry. It's not real dog poop. Instead, I stuffed it with a generous amount of a condiment I prepared for our next company dinner."
It was wasabi, which he had brought along thinking he might make sushi since the Empire's fish were so fresh and had a great texture.
Adding mint chocolate—intended for dessert—to the mix created a rather perfect treat.
This would serve as a fitting punishment for defaming the company with groundless rumors.
"Mmph... Mmmph!"
The back of Alice's neck flushed bright red, and soon her entire face turned crimson.
But it only lasted for a brief moment.
"..."
After a few dozen seconds, Alice, who had been wildly flailing her limbs, went quiet.
"Next. Anyone else have something to say? Please, share your opinions without hesitation."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
As the CEO of Veteran Corp, he was always ready to listen to his employees' grievances with an open mind.
"M-Master! I have absolutely no complaints. As your loyal subordinate, I will fight until my bones turn to dust!"
Sensing the danger, T-Bone hurriedly clattered his jaw.
He seemed to have quick wits, perhaps having heard a thing or two from Sweet Potato and the spirit beasts.
"...I-I am also satisfied. After all, my Lord has truly become the top disciple of the Dark Emperor."
Wolyeong also nodded in a hurry.
"Great. It seems there are no more complaints. Now, listen carefully, because I'm going to explain what each of you needs to do from here on out."
Jinhyuk began to outline the plan in a gentle, soothing voice.
* * *
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy, echoing thuds reverberated along the path leading to the citadel.
"Grrr..."
A giant, roughly seven meters tall, was patrolling with a two-handed battle-axe.
The wild animals and monsters in the vicinity had all fled the moment they sensed the giant's presence, leaving the area so silent that not even the chirp of an insect could be heard.
That was only natural.
And the giant had always accepted it as a natural part of his daily routine.
That is...
Until now.
"Grrugh?"
A tiny, speck-like human was standing right in the giant's path.
Was he delighted at the prospect of an unexpected snack?
Saliva began to pool and drool from the corners of the giant's mouth.
There was no need to think.
He would devour him, bones and all.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just as the giant quickened his pace to close the distance in an instant—
Thwack!
With a sudden, heavy impact, his body lurched violently.
An excruciating pain pierced straight to his brain.
"Argh! My... my l-leg! My leg!"
The giant clutched his leg, which now had a gaping hole through it, with both hands.
"Hmm..."
Before the giant knew it, a bow was gripped in the man's hand.
"Mixing Blood Demon Qi with a Crimson Magic Bullet increases the pain by nearly twofold. I didn't expect it to work so well even on giants with high resistance. Fascinating."
Jinhyuk nodded, looking intrigued.
"Graaaaaah!"
Enraged, the limping giant gripped his battle-axe once more.
Whoosh!
A terrifying, wind-splitting sound roared, as if it would cleave heaven and earth.
However,
He didn't feel the satisfying sensation of tearing flesh and crushing bone.
Instead, a completely different kind of agonizing pain flared throughout his entire body.
"Aaaargh!"
A brilliant golden wave seemed to rise from the dirt on the ground, and in an instant, dozens of ropes tightly bound the giant's body.
It was a crowd-control skill based on the holy-attribute mana of 'Mandala'.
With the addition of frost created by 'Glacial Shaping' clinging to the soles of his feet, a rather decent makeshift prison was formed.
'Now that I've copied so many skills, the ways I can utilize them are endless.'
Though he still had a long way to go...
Looking at his steadily growing arsenal of unique abilities and skills, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
'It's only going to get more amazing from here.'
If he could copy the abilities of the top rankers, the residents... and eventually, even the deities themselves.
And if he could fuse those abilities to create higher-tier skills!
When that time came, he would be able to face the entities on the final floor of the tower once again.
At that thought, his heart began to beat with a pleasant, rhythmic thrum.
"Grrr... Aaaaargh!"
"Don't bother struggling. You'll never break free with your strength."
"What... are you? How can a human... have such power...?"
The giant had encountered the Empire's mages multiple times, but none of them had a casting time this short.
It was a combo that left him with absolutely no opening to even think of approaching.
"Cut the chatter. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I expect you to answer them honestly."
"I have nothing to say to you. Just... kill me!"
"Oh? You'd rather die than sell out your own kind?"
"Yes. Rather than betraying everyone just to save my own skin, I would rather die alone...!"
Oh, my.
It was enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
Was this what they called camaraderie?
Jinhyuk pretended to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.
Of course, his bone-dry eyes didn't have a single drop of moisture.
"Well, I hope you keep that resolve."
Jinhyuk took a few steps back to create some distance.
Then, he notched an arrow.
If there was anything unusual about it, it was that instead of a sharp arrowhead, it was tipped with a blunt piece of iron.
It was an arrow designed to crush rather than pierce.
The giant gritted his teeth with a resolute expression, as if he had no regrets even if he died right here.
But then—
Thud!
The moment the arrow struck a certain part of his body...
The giant felt the convictions he had held onto crumble like a sandcastle.
"Uh... ugh... ah?"
Pain usually had its limits, but this went far beyond any reasonable threshold.
"Hmm. Maybe it's because I haven't used a bow in a while, but I hit a really bad spot. I was aiming for your head, but my aim went way too low. Let's see if I can do better on the next shot..."
Jinhyuk notched another arrow.
"Aaaargh! W-Wait! Hold on...!"
Crack!
What a satisfying crunch. Something had definitely broken this time.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
"Sorry, sorry, haha. My hand slipped again. Maybe it's because I met old man Orun, but my hands keep slipping too."
"S-Spare me! I'll... I'll answer whatever you ask. So please, just stop!"
By this point, nothing but pure despair remained in the giant's eyes.
But it was too late.
The time for a peaceful resolution had already passed.
"You had the face of a battle-hardened corporal heading to the front lines earlier. Why are you tucking your tail now?"
Since he had made things difficult, there had to be a price to pay.
"I have no intention of stopping until I've used all of these. If you still have something to say, I'll give you another chance to speak then."
"T-The remaining arrows..."
The giant's gaze drifted to Jinhyuk's waist.
Even at a glance, the number of arrows left in the quiver easily exceeded twenty.
Mother...
The giant closed his eyes tightly.
* * *
As the sun dipped completely below the mountain ridge, countless stars blanketed the night sky.
At the camp located to the west of the Citadel of Giants, where the elites of the Murim had gathered, numerous torches burned brightly.
To prepare for any sudden raids by the giants or a surprise attack from the Empire's detachment, sentries had been deployed to form an airtight perimeter.
They were confident that not even a mouse could slip through.
At least, they were until a human figure rippled out from the shadows.
Evading the guards, a man dressed in black appeared between the tents.
"An intruder?"
"This presence..."
"..."
Three people reacted instantly to the shift in energy.
Namgung Cheon, Baek Seol-rin, and Cheon Yu-seong, who had been resting in their respective tents, darted toward the direction where the shadow had appeared.
Standing there...
was a boy with a youthful face.
It was Wolyeong, the top assassin of the Black Wind Society.
"Aren't you... the one who was with Kang Jinhyuk during the outbreak in Europe?"
Baek Seol-rin instantly recognized Wolyeong.
Namgung Cheon's eyebrows furrowed into a sharp V.
"Kang Jinhyuk. That bastard I'd love to tear to shreds. Why has one of his lackeys come here?"
"I have come to deliver a message from my Lord," Wolyeong replied calmly.
"Tomorrow night, a portion of the barrier surrounding the Citadel of Giants will disappear. It will be the perfect opportunity to strike. My Lord hopes you will not miss this chance."
"How absurd. Do you honestly expect us to believe that?"
"Whether you believe it or not, you can see it with your own eyes tomorrow night, can you not?"
If the barrier remained intact, they simply wouldn't attack.
If it weakened, they could seize the opening.
Either way, they had nothing to lose.
Except for one thing.
"Even assuming your words are true, why is Kang Jinhyuk sharing this with us?"
There was no way that sly snake would share such valuable information out of the goodness of his heart.
If anyone knew that, it was Namgung Cheon, who had been burned by him multiple times. He was suspicious of anything that came out of Jinhyuk's mouth.
"I do not know my Lord's inner thoughts. What is certain... is that if you do not act, the Empire will."
There was only one base, but two factions were targeting it.
This meant one of them would inevitably be left empty-handed.
"Keep this in mind. The barrier will weaken tomorrow at midnight."
Having delivered the message, Wolyeong prepared to dissolve back into the shadows.
Then, as if remembering something, he glanced toward Cheon Yu-seong.
"And one last thing."
A cold voice pierced Cheon Yu-seong's ears.
"He said he would hang you upside down in front of the Korea University pre-med student lounge. He added that out of consideration for your past friendship, he would at least let you keep your underwear on."
"..."
A chill ran down Cheon Yu-seong's spine, and cold sweat began to bead on his back.