Chapter 248: Dragon-Slaying Sword 'Balmung' (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 248: Dragon-Slaying Sword 'Balmung' (2)
'To think... we'd be exploring like this.'
Phesis denied reality over and over again as he watched the scene unfolding before his eyes.
He had no choice.
This was a disaster far too removed from any conventional, heart-pounding adventure.
"Hieeeek!"
"S-save me!"
"M-Master, that hit me right in the bone! Literally! I'm made of bones!"
By now, seeing T-Bone and the ancient soldiers getting completely frozen or set ablaze was a familiar sight.
Whenever their bodies were half-destroyed, Jinhyuk would diligently restore them with mana and throw them right back into the next trap. The cycle repeated endlessly.
But the shock didn't end there.
When high-tier traps that were too much for the undead to handle appeared, Jinhyuk summoned a new batch of familiars.
They were the spirit beasts of the five elements, creatures that spirit summoners could only dream of.
"O-Oh! You've even formed contracts with spirit beasts?"
Phesis's voice pitched up an octave.
Spirit beasts were incredibly rare.
To see all five elemental spirit beasts gathered in one place was an exceptionally rare sight.
"Ah. These guys?"
"Yes. I know they rarely form contracts with humans, but I've never seen a player contract all five. Even among the residents, it's hard to find anyone with such high affinity."
"I told them if they betrayed me, I'd show them what hell is like... Ah, I mean, I treated them with warm love and sincerity, so they opened their hearts to me. Right, guys?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
When they hesitated, Jinhyuk's smile deepened.
"Why the slow response? Am I wrong, by any chance?"
"N-No."
"We love Master more than anyone in the world."
"It's so great to see you after so long. Honestly, I wished we could have met even later, but..."
The spirit beasts trembled slightly as they met his gaze.
It was a textbook display of conditioned terror.
"See? They're all so happy."
"...I-I see."
"Now, please continue guiding us. We need to hurry if we want to get back before sunrise."
Jinhyuk hummed a tune as he set off.
Countless more traps appeared after that, but thanks to Phesis's guidance and the hard work of the summons, they managed to scrape through.
How many hours had passed like this?
* * *
After pushing through the treacherous path, they arrived at a massive, wide-open cavern.
The sheer scale of the unfathomable abyss made it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
However,
'I can feel it.'
The mana of the legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword stimulated his entire body.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk's heart beat rapidly.
If he could just overcome this final step, he would finally lay his hands on his new sword.
Whoosh!
As a dozen Primordial Flames flickered to life, the darkness of the massive cavern began to recede.
The first thing that caught his eye was a set of white bones stretching dozens of meters.
The Demonic Dragon, Fafnir.
The corpse of the dragon slain by Siegfried lay before them.
And right in the center, a sword was plunged deep, still retaining its razor-sharp edge despite the countless eons that had passed.
'It's been a while since I last saw you.'
That was Balmung, the Dragon-Slaying Sword that had severed the dragon's life.
He wanted to rush over immediately, but the toxic miasma swirling around Fafnir's corpse was ominous.
If he blindly approached, blinded by greed for the sword, he would dissolve into a pool of blood before taking even a few steps.
"We're finally here," Jinhyuk muttered, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The moment he saw the sword, all the exhaustion from the past few hours melted away.
"The most difficult trap still remains... but I don't know if it's possible with your summons in this state of exhaustion."
Phesis's gaze drifted toward the summons.
"M-Master... do not let... my death... be known..."
Clack.
T-Bone and the ancient soldiers were rolling around on the ground, battered and broken.
Hmm.
One guy had his head completely frozen. Another had his arm and leg bones swapped.
Looking at them now, he had definitely worked them to the bone.
He'd have to treat them to a calcium-rich milk bath sometime soon.
"Master. I don't even have the strength to lift a finger."
"Being happy to see you again was the biggest mistake of my life."
Cough. Cough.
"Everyone, shut up. My head hurts."
The five elemental spirit beasts also collapsed, groaning in pain.
"Mogeeeee..."
Even Goguma had his tongue lolling out to one side. It seemed he really had pushed them a bit too hard.
Well, since it had come to this, there was only one thing to do.
"Take a moment to catch your breath."
Jinhyuk pulled out a mountain of ingredients stored in his dimensional subspace inventory.
Rainbow Shrimp, Quadruple Mushrooms, and Great Phoenix Eggs—delicacies that could only be tasted in the Tower of Trials.
Cheese made from the milk of the Black Mountain goats, and so on.
A literal cornucopia of delicacies poured out.
On top of that, he had prepared 3kg of magic stone powder, which would make the ultimate nutritional meal to restore their energy.
[You have used Lv4 'Isekai Restaurant'.]
A cooking skill that transcended race, allowing everyone to enjoy the food, was activated.
Since this recipe had even satisfied elves who lived solely on dew and fruit, it would easily satisfy his summons' palates.
Soon, steaming dishes began to finish one by one.
Their visual appeal and aroma were fantastic.
It was so mouthwatering that drool practically dripped from everyone's mouths.
"To think you'd prepare such delicious food for us... And here I was, thinking Master was just a shameless, exploitative boss who worked us to the bone..."
"I told you, Master might look cold on the outside, but he's warm on the inside. Hehe."
"M-Master. I've always respected you more than anyone in the world."
"Shut up, you fire lizard. Master said I'm the leader among the spirit beasts, okay? Everyone, line up properly."
Undine flapped her tiny arms left and right.
"Master, I feel like my osteoporosis is being cured."
Clack.
T-Bone and the ancient soldiers also licked their lips as they stared at the Ogre Milk, which boasted a 99% calcium concentration.
"Mogee!"
Goguma couldn't hold back either and bit into the largest shrimp.
Good.
This was how you managed your workforce.
If you only used the whip, they would grow resentful or rebellious.
But if you only gave them carrots, they would grow fat and lazy.
In the end, the best way to train them was a proper mix of the carrot and the stick.
Just like this.
'Besides, human psychology dictates that if you treat someone well ten times and poorly once, they'll curse you. But if you treat them poorly ten times and well once, they'll be deeply grateful.'
While everyone enjoyed their brief respite in a heartwarming atmosphere,
[The 'Coin Exchange' has been activated.]
Left to his own devices, Jinhyuk browsed the Coin Exchange.
He needed a total of six items.
[Fog Tree of the Peshan Mountains - 35,000 Coins]
[Intermediate Purification Stone - 15,000 Coins]
[Steel's Whisper (Material) - 150,000 Coins]
[Collapse Accelerator (Material) - 22,000 Coins x 3]
[Golden Thread (For 150,000km) - 50,000 Coins]
[Melmormang Clinic's Ointment 500g - 15,000 Coins]
The total came to 331,000 Coins.
'Damn, that's expensive.'
Since his current balance was around 83,000 Coins, he needed about 250,000 more.
'I hope the video on the Hall of Fame got a lot of views...'
With a fluttering heart, Jinhyuk logged into the Tower of Trials community.
[There's a Player Who Received the Title of Grand Duke from the Empire? (Feat. My pants are swelling with grandeur)]
– Views: 30,563,225
– Popularity Rank: 1st
Fortunately, the video uploaded to the Hall of Fame was enjoying explosive popularity.
Considering it had been uploaded less than six hours ago, the numbers were beyond imagination.
– Drunken Rudolph: No way lol. How does a player git a noble title? Does this even make cents?
– National Institute of Korean Language: Your spelling being completely wrong in a single sentence makes even less sense.
– Blue is Better: But seriously, it's amazing. It's not just any noble title, it's a Grand Duke. A duchy guaranteed independent status from the Empire!
– choigh-lonk: Is there any guild in the world right now that has secured a base of that scale? Including the 7 Great Guilds and other rising powers.
– Our Jungle is Terminally Ill: Not a single one. Guilds have been going crazy trying to stake claims on bases lately, but they're all struggling just to fend off monsters and invasions from other factions. And those bases aren't even that good.
There were two things guilds were currently most desperate for.
The first was being chosen by the residents of the Tower, and the second was securing a base in the middle floors to solidify their foothold.
Of course, guilds that achieved both were extremely rare.
Even then, most of them were worthless mountain outposts located in the middle of nowhere.
– Earth Defense Force Avengers: Obviously. You can't even compare those losers to the Veteran Corporation in the first place. Just look at the members.
– Ronaldo's Greed, Ramos's Foul, Bale's Glass Body: Agreed. It's literally a dream team. The Sword Star and the Saintess are absolute top priority for scouting. And Kang Jinhyuk is an out-of-bounds monster.
– Cyber Wrecker: It's just a rumor, but apparently India's Gandhara Guild went to the Empire recently and got absolutely obliterated. And their opponent was the Veteran Corporation.
– Vet. Corp Fan Club #1: Wow, that's insane. But I don't see Unknown in the video. Where did he go?
– Kimchi Fried Rice: He probably just made a brief appearance to show they're working together, then went off to do his own thing. Top rankers are always busy.
– Sae Yeong Eon Hwan: Well... Or maybe it's just a bit awkward for Unknown and Jinhyuk to be in the same place.
The flood of comments alone made it clear how hot the public interest was.
'Haha... over 30 million views.'
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
This was a massive hit.
At this rate, buying the items wouldn't be an issue at all.
In fact, if he could upload more diverse and provocative videos in the future to build a solid subscriber base, he would be able to aim for high-grade sacred relics, not just these material items.
As he envisioned such a future, a thrilling sense of exhilaration welled up from deep within his chest.
But.
His joy did not last long.
Step.
Along with the sound of light footsteps.
"This is truly surprising. We went through all kinds of trouble trying to find this entrance, yet simply following you led us straight to Balmung. I never would have imagined."
An unfamiliar voice echoed from behind Jinhyuk.
He hadn't sensed any presence until the speaker was right upon them.
The intruder possessed such formidable skill that they hadn't even registered on his mana detection.
A man with silver hair and crimson eyes.
"A vampire..."
To be precise, he was undoubtedly a True Ancestor, a pure-blooded vampire just like Alice.
"Mogee!"
"Master!"
"Master. It's an unpleasant smell. Thick and ominous."
The summons bared their hostility.
Having clashed with vampires multiple times already, they instinctively felt a deep aversion.
"Ho. I see you recognize me immediately, likely because you've contracted with that traitor. Quite impressive for a lowly human and his summons."
"When you spend all day around someone who can't stop talking about how 'noble' she is, you naturally pick up on these things."
How was it that every single vampire had that same arrogant way of speaking practically hardwired into them?
It was as if they all received early childhood education for it.
"You are not wrong. We are, after all, beings of a completely different caliber from other species from birth."
"So... which family does this 'different caliber' gentleman belong to? Did the Decasus family send another pureblood?"
"Half right, half wrong."
The True Ancestor shook his head.
"Half right? What does that mean?"
"It is true that I belong to the Decasus family, but no one sent me. I came here of my own free will."
He came of his own free will?
Don't tell me...
Jinhyuk's pupils contracted sharply.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Amuram de Decasus. I am the head of the Decasus family."