Chapter 240: Return of the Heroes (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 240: Return of the Heroes (1)
'Gandhara...'
Jinhyuk slowly turned the name over in his mind.
It was one of the Seven Great Guilds, a mid-sized force that had been growing rapidly of late.
Naturally, they had received love calls from various factions in the Tower, and he knew they had chosen 'Murim' to establish their foundation in earnest.
But.
To think they had dealt with Valmariel.
There were two possibilities.
First, a master of a higher caliber than those deployed by Murim in the siege—in other words, a master equivalent to a sect leader—had provided support.
Or, Nirasha, the ranker leading the Gandhara Guild, was stronger than imagined.
If it was the latter, it meant Nirasha was growing at a much faster rate than most residents.
With both factions entering a temporary truce to clean up the damage caused by the manifestation of the demons, things were turning out to be quite interesting.
Perhaps an interesting event would occur before he headed to the 15th floor, where the Wailing Witch resided.
And along with it, a fortuitous opportunity he could obtain.
"Phesis. Is it not possible to check other people's rankings?"
"Normally, there are conditions, but as a special one-time service for you, Jinhyuk, I'll do it. Shall I show you Player Nirasha?"
"Please."
When Jinhyuk nodded, another status window appeared.
[Nirasha (Rank 275)]
Rank 275...
She was ranked quite high.
Moreover, since these rankings constantly fluctuated, there was a possibility she would climb even higher in the future.
"Thank you. This helps a lot."
"Ah, but as far as I know, I heard that someone named Wolyeong and another named Andrea were with you, but I don't see them?"
Phesis looked around the group once more.
"They had some loose ends to tie up, so they stepped away for a moment."
"Loose ends...?"
"Personal business. You'll probably see them by the time we reach the Imperial Palace, so don't worry too much."
"Hmm. I see there's something going on. Very well. I won't pry any further. As long as I can meet them, it doesn't matter to me."
"Then, let's get moving. Monsters frequently appear here at night, making it quite dangerous."
Jinhyuk glanced between the trees.
It was quiet now, but once night fell, the giant species would wake up and begin their activities.
So, to avoid getting caught up in annoying trouble, they had to leave this forest before then.
Of course.
Though someone would never be able to escape this forest.
* * *
In the darkness illuminated by the faint moonlight.
"Pant. Pant... Huff."
Namgung Cheon was sprinting through the forest like mad.
His breathing was ragged, and his entire body was drenched in sweat and blood, but he couldn't stop for even a second.
Rustle.
Rustle!
Multiple shadows were continuously tightening the perimeter.
The companions who had been fleeing alongside him had already vanished.
He didn't even know if they were elsewhere or dead.
But he had no luxury to care about such things.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was moving as far away as possible.
"I... Namgung Cheon! I cannot die... so pointlessly."
He had struggled desperately to survive and climb higher.
Ruthlessly discarding the useless and exploiting the useful...
He had finally reached this position.
And yet.
All of it was vanishing like bubbles.
All because of that single, damn bastard, Kang Jinhyuk!
"I'll kill him. Next time, I will definitely... even if I have to drag every single Murim warrior from the Five Great Families and Nine Sects, I will slit his throat!"
It was just as Namgung Cheon, hiding behind a tree, ground his teeth.
"No, there is no next time for you."
A low, beautiful voice echoed through the air.
This voice. There was no mistake.
It was the very woman who had been continuously attacking his companions.
"Stop hiding like a coward and launching sneak attacks! Show yourself right now!"
"Cowardly... Well, I suppose it could look that way to you."
A woman with short white hair and red eyes emerged from the forest.
The boss of the 5th floor, and the master of the large base, the Psychiatric Ward.
It was Andrea.
"A mon...ster? Why would a boss monster serve under a human?"
"What does race matter when it comes to following someone?"
"I know boss monsters have high pride. I simply don't understand why you would submit to a human inferior to you."
"How amusing. The very thought that you think he is beneath me."
His martial power, which surpassed the boss monsters of each floor despite being a player, and his judgment in designing situations and orchestrating the entire board were not at a level that could be categorized as human.
No, even if it were any other existence in the Tower, they wouldn't be able to defeat Jinhyuk.
For Jinhyuk possessed... a strange power that transcended mere stats and could force the outcome of victory.
"Above all, Lord Jinhyuk saved my life from being sacrificed after living miserably as a fanatic."
She had received a debt of gratitude that she could never repay in a lifetime.
Andrea needed no further reason to raise her sword.
"Ugh!"
At the ferocious, emanating murderous intent, Namgung Cheon flinched and took a step back.
But even that offered no escape.
"There is no retreat."
A low, heavy voice came from behind.
Wolyeong, who had activated 'Shadow Extreme Kill', slowly rose from the shadow cast by a tree.
The sword light flashed with a blinding brilliance.
Furthermore, before he knew it, numerous masked figures densely surrounded the branches above.
It was Baeksa and the Shadow Unit.
With this, there was nowhere left to run.
"Ugh..."
Within the perfectly formed encirclement, Namgung Cheon's body began to tremble like an aspen leaf.
"The sin of pointing a sword at my lord. And the sin of recklessly disparaging my lord with that filthy mouth. Both are worthy of death."
Wolyeong pointed his sword forward.
At the same time, Andrea also held her sharp dagger in a reverse grip.
"Wait, wait a minute! Let's... make a deal. Tell me what you want. Money? Or power? I'll give you anything. So please...!"
Namgung Cheon desperately begged for his life.
Pride be damned, his mind was filled with nothing but the single-minded desire to survive.
However.
"We don't need it."
"I'm not interested."
The only response was cold rejection.
And that was—
Thud!
Slash!
"Aaaargh!"
—the end of Namgung Cheon, who had led the Chunghwa Guild, only to abandon it in the end.
* * *
Only after several days had passed did Jinhyuk and his party finally arrive at the imperial capital.
It had been a truly long journey.
In particular, dealing with the terrifying appetites of Goguma and Alice was the biggest headache.
'I thought I was reasonably good at cooking, but that was a huge delusion. I swear, do they have subspace inventories in their stomachs...?'
Jinhyuk, waking up from a terrible nightmare, let out a small sigh.
Now, all the hardships were over.
For a grand welcome awaited them, who had prevented a massive disaster.
And as if to prove those words, a tremendous cheer erupted the moment Jinhyuk stepped through the city gates.
"Whoaaa!"
"Wow! It's the heroes! The ones who saved the Empire!"
"Welcome! Welcome back!"
Thousands of people gathered along the streets to catch a glimpse of Jinhyuk and the rest of the party.
The guards barely managed to hold them back, but the citizens' enthusiasm was so intense that it was almost impossible to control.
"Is the person at the very front the hero who defeated the demons?"
"Hmm. Well, the man behind him looks more like a hero, don't you think? You can tell just by looking at his face."
"True, the one in front is too ordinary. In contrast, that male knight looks like a cold statue... How can someone look like that?"
"It's like a beggar and a prince, ahaha!"
The young lady in the third row on the right, the middle-aged man in the seventh row on the left, and finally, the kid who looked about seven years old.
He remembered all of them clearly.
If the security guards pay you a visit soon, know that it's because of what you just said.
It was right when Jinhyuk was writing their names in his mental Death Note.
"Do their words bother you?"
Alice, who was beside him, smirked.
"No, not at all. I don't care in the slightest. I'm just memorizing their faces. Since we might run into each other again later."
"Humans really have no eye for things. I think you're better than that flashy Sword Saint."
Oh? What brought on this rare moment of her speaking the truth?
"How admirable. Is there something you want to eat?"
"...It's not like that... Never mind. Yeah, just buy me something delicious later."
Alice nodded with a bitter smile.
"Since you've worked hard, I'll let you eat until you burst once we go outside the Tower."
Feeling slightly better, Jinhyuk leisurely rode his horse forward again.
Then, suddenly...
'...?'
He felt a strange gaze from among the crowd.
Jinhyuk quickly turned his head.
However, he couldn't identify the source of the incongruity.
Because the extremely faint gaze was buried beneath the massive crowd.
For a brief moment, the thought that someone from Gandhara was spying on him crossed his mind, but Jinhyuk quickly dismissed the possibility.
If it were a player, they wouldn't be able to control their presence so skillfully.
Above all, the energy he felt just now was far too familiar.
It was as if...
...it was the same energy he felt from Alice.
Once his thoughts reached that point, his entire body went on high alert.
'...Don't tell me there's another vampire.'
There was no other way to explain it.
Furthermore, at this level, there was a high probability that it wasn't just an ordinary vampire, but a True Ancestor.
While targeting Alice might be one of their goals, they had likely come to secure 'that' in the Empire instead...
"..."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I think I was just being a bit too sensitive. I must be tired from the long journey."
Jinhyuk rode his horse forward again as if it were nothing.
There was no need to make Alice worry here.
At least, not right now.
After passing through the long welcoming procession that led to the Imperial Palace, they arrived at an incredibly lavish audience chamber.
The figures he had seen when he first came to the Empire were waiting for Jinhyuk.
The haggard old man sitting on the imperial throne was the Emperor of the Empire, Reinhardt III.
And standing on either side of him were Duke Beinstern and Penheimer.
"I have been waiting for you. You have truly worked hard."
A feeble line escaped Reinhardt's mouth.
Still, it was much better than the first time.
Unlike back then, when his eyes were dead and he had lost all hope of protecting his imperial authority, a faint light now dwelled in the Emperor's pupils.
'I will make that dream come true before long. Not just for you, but for myself as well.'
[Gain the trust of the Emperor of the Empire, 'Reinhardt III', and lead the Empire to a path of complete prosperity.]
[Upon success, the third privilege for 'The First to Conquer the Tower' will be unlocked.]
A symbiotic relationship.
To obtain the third privilege, he had to be in the same boat as the Emperor.
'In that sense, I need to show some proper etiquette.'
Originally, during the rewarding of merits, doing this was how one received extra points.
Especially so for nobles who loved empty formalities.
Recalling a scene he had often watched in movies, Jinhyuk politely knelt on one knee.
As expected.
Just as he anticipated, a faint smile spread across the Emperor's face.
"Your merit in securing the fortress and upholding the dignity of the Empire against the heinous demons is worthy of praise. Therefore, We wish to express Our small token of gratitude to you."
Finally, the long-awaited reward from the Emperor was revealed.
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.