Chapter 254: Daily Vlog Life in Europe (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 254: Daily Vlog Life in Europe (1)
Three days had passed since that eventful night stroll.
Although the Empire and the Murim were still at war, they had declared a temporary truce to recover their forces.
For at least a few weeks, they would be busy repairing the damage from the demon attacks and reorganizing their ranks.
Meanwhile, Jinhyuk spent an incredibly busy three days clearing his backlog of work.
Although the Citadel of Giants had been guaranteed its status as a duchy, managing the territory required handling a mountain of tasks.
Balmung's durability had also dropped significantly, requiring repairs.
Fortunately, the dwarf blacksmith, Orun, agreed to take on the job.
Gladly, and entirely of his own free will.
—Y-you want me to repair something this incredible?
—Yes. I felt I could trust you with it, Mr. Orun. The durability is quite low, so please be thorough. Once it's done, don't forget to send it to my subspace inventory coordinates.
—W-what if I end up breaking it?
—Then you'll have to pay with your body. Ah, don't worry too much. I won't kill you before you've paid it all back. I'll just keep you in a windowless backroom, feed you one meal a day, and have you swing your hammer. No pressure at all.
—...
The heartwarming conversation was a nice bonus.
Having wrapped up his business in the Empire, Jinhyuk boarded a plane to Europe.
Originally, he had planned to relax and rest in Korea before tackling the 15th floor, but at Teresa's earnest invitation, the group decided to visit her family home in Europe.
Jinhyuk, Alice, Andrea, Ophelia, Wolyeong, and Cheon Yu-seong rode in a Rolls-Royce Ghost that met them at the airport, passing through the city center toward a quiet suburb.
Since Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min were joining them shortly after, almost all of their core members would be gathered.
After driving for some time, the car pulled up to a scenic spot surrounded by nature.
* * *
"Wow..."
"Hooh."
"Man. They really are filthy rich."
Exclamations of awe escaped everyone's lips.
The three-story mansion near the entrance was built entirely of white marble.
Antique statues, a wooden pavilion, and a small, custom-made lake surrounding it.
Indeed, the reputation of one of Europe's most prestigious families was not for nothing.
Just then.
"You're all here... Ah, but what is everyone doing in front of Alexander's house?"
Teresa approached, tilting her head in confusion.
"Alexan... what?"
"Alexander. You know him, Jinhyuk. The one I gave you myself..."
Alexander. If it's Alexander...
No way...?
Ah! Now I get it.
"You mean the hamster you let me adopt. Wait, so this mansion is the hamster's house?"
This massive mansion? Is this for real?
If this were the mainland, three generations, let alone distant cousins and the neighbors next door, could easily fit and live here.
"Yes. Our little one likes spacious places. We wanted to let him roam freely, and it ended up like this."
Teresa gave an embarrassed smile.
Looking closely, a photo of a solemn-faced hamster holding a sunflower seed hung in the center of the mansion.
A golden crown and a cape made of red fur.
It was Alexander II.
"W-what kind of hamster house is..."
"My goodness, to think I've been living in a place smaller than a hamster's."
Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min stared with their mouths agape.
"..."
Even Cheon Yu-seong's eyebrows twitched in bewilderment.
As everyone's attention focused on Teresa's wealth, Alice, standing nearby, puffed out her cheeks.
Poke, poke.
Her sharp finger jabbed Jinhyuk's side.
"What is it?"
"The palace I lived in is way bigger and grander than this. It even has statues made of bats, and Pegasuses running around the garden, you know?"
She sounded like a jealous toddler.
Whining like that, she was a total child.
It made him doubt if she was really the same noble and powerful True Ancestor from a few days ago.
"Sure, sure. Make sure to show me your house later."
Chuckle, Jinhyuk patted Alice's head.
"Mogi!"
Goguma also blinked his amber eyes repeatedly, seemingly envious of Alexander's photo.
"Hmm. Alright, I'll make a nice frame for our Guma next time. One much bigger than that."
Of course, an Ancient Species had its pride. He couldn't lose to a mere hamster.
How long had they walked while taking in the scenery?
Only after walking a long distance from the front gate did they finally reach Teresa's family home.
It was a grand mansion on an entirely different level from before.
The mansion stretched past the edge of the forest, its end nowhere in sight.
They said even Middle Eastern billionaires would bow down to them, and it turns out it's true.
Already a prestigious noble family, the Rosenberg family had been on a roll ever since the Tower of Trials appeared, securing mana stone refining technology.
On top of that, with Teresa saving Amsterdam from the Outbreak and performing brilliantly in the Tower, it was like giving wings to a tiger.
"Oh! We've been waiting for you. Welcome, everyone."
A genial-looking middle-aged man came out to greet them.
"I am Teresa's father. Please, feel free to call me Dustin. Haha."
Dustin de Rosenberg.
Yes. This was the man often seen on the news as Teresa's father.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Jinhyuk."
Jinhyuk replied with a bright smile, followed by Alice, Cheon Yu-seong, and the rest of the group briefly introducing themselves.
"It is truly an honor to meet such famous figures in person, whom I've only seen on the Hall of Fame or ViewTube."
"You know of us?"
"Of course. Who in this day and age doesn't know of the Veteran Corporation? Especially Player Kang Jinhyuk—you are more widely known than any other ranker. After all, you saved all of Europe from the Lich. And single-handedly, at that."
As if remembering something, Dustin pulled a letter from his breast pocket.
"Oh, where are my manners? I was so excited I almost forgot this. This is a letter of appreciation written personally by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. And this is a letter the President of France insisted I deliver. Not just them, but all of Europe is deeply grateful to Player Kang Jinhyuk."
A thick bundle of letters spilled out.
Hmm.
He hadn't realized it because he had spent so much time inside the Tower.
But his name had indeed become incredibly famous.
Seeing how the leaders of various nations were scrambling to reach out to him.
The corner of Jinhyuk's mouth twitched subtly.
Well.
The gratitude is just a facade. Their real intention is to build a connection with me through Dustin...
He understood.
The influence of a ranker who could perform in the Tower carried more weight than an entire army.
"I only did what was natural. I'm humbled that you think so highly of me."
"Haha. Humble as well. As expected of a top-tier ranker. I really want you."
Want me, huh...
As expected, was he planning to tie him to a European guild?
He had received scout offers like this countless times, so it didn't bother him.
But at the words that followed:
"How about it? Why don't you start seeing my youngest daughter seriously? It's a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I can guarantee Teresa is second to none. Conveniently, you're both at a marriageable age, so holding a grand engagement ceremony wouldn't be a bad idea."
Even Jinhyuk, who had been through all kinds of trials and tribulations, couldn't help but be flustered.
"...Pardon?"
"Father!"
"No way!"
Three voices rang out simultaneously.
A dazed Jinhyuk, a blushing Teresa, and finally, Alice, who was baring her fangs.
"We came here to relax, but it seems that's out of the question."
Cheon Yu-seong clicked his tongue in exasperation.
"Wow. Heh."
Only Andrea watched the soap-opera-like scene with sparkling, intrigued eyes.
* * *
A storm swept through after Dustin's bombshell statement.
It was his first time seeing Teresa so flustered, and also his first time seeing Alice so furious.
He wasn't entirely sure of the reason, but Alice was probably worried that her contractor would get distracted by marriage and break their contract.
"Father... we need to talk. Alone. Jinhyuk, I am so sorry. My father is just talking nonsense..."
"Now, now. Haven't you been saying nothing but good things about Player Kang Jinhyuk all this time? You said you couldn't find anyone you liked, but now that such a wonderful man is right here, you should grab him immediately. Player Kang Jinhyuk, please consider it seriously. Our family will never be a detriment to you. We recently discovered a new technology to reinforce weapons using mana stones..."
"Father!"
The incident was temporarily resolved as Dustin was half-dragged away by Teresa.
Afterward, the group decided to explore the mansion and enjoy some free time before dinner.
Alice, who was still sulking, vanished somewhere.
Cheon Yu-seong sat in the pavilion overlooking the lake, engrossed in anatomy and osteology PPTs saved on his iPad.
And Jinhyuk...
...headed deep into the forest alone.
This should be far enough.
The most important tasks after a raid still remained.
Checking his growth and rewards.
I told Taemin and Yeon-hwa to come in thirty minutes, so I should check quickly before then.
First, Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
Tring!
--------------------------------------------------
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 94
Strength: 89 | Agility: 30 | Stamina: 40 | Mana: 221 | Gap: 100 | Luck: 10 | Adaptive: 78 | Essence: 4,367
Stat Points: 24
Coins: 0
Class: Rune Interpreter
Unique Abilities: 'Fusion', 'Grave of Swords', 'Blessing of the Stars', 'Judgment of Anubis', 'Blood Demon Qi', 'Mandala', '1-Second Invincibility', 'Thousand Poisons', 'White Beast', 'Universal Sharing', 'Sanctuary of the Sun', 'Black Heaven Demonic Emperor Art', 'Triple Magic', 'Colossus Strike', 'Fire Dragon's Breath', 'High-Speed Sword', "Tombgrave's Right Arm", 'Berserker', 'Domain of Wind', 'Shadow Extreme Kill', 'Blood Explosion'
Skills: 'Primordial Flame' Lv13, 'Eye of Gluttony' Lv12, 'Communion' Lv9, 'Brand of the Flame Soul' Lv10, 'Monopolize' Lv8, 'Shallow Breathing' Lv8, 'Glacier Sculpting' Lv13, 'Daylight' Lv11, "Giant's Grasp" Lv8, 'Soul-Chasing Sword' Lv9, 'Double Agent' Lv2, 'True Great Clarity Hwarang Heart Method' Lv7, 'Sword Demon Emperor Stepss' Lv12, 'Faint Body Scent' Lv3, 'Mental Barrier' Lv5, 'Heavenly Melody' Lv4, 'Isekai Restaurant' Lv4, 'Crimson Magic Bullet' Lv10, 'Heaven and Earth Net' Lv3, 'Soul Vampirism' Lv4, 'Demon Soul Sword' Lv3, 'Moon-Shrouding Claws' Lv9, 'Draw Sword' Lv2, 'Undead Creation' Lv5, 'Battlefield Selection' Lv4, 'Diplomacy' Lv2
Barriers: The number of learned barriers is too high, so they have been set to 'Collapsed'.
--------------------------------------------------
Looking at the unique abilities and skills that reflected his hard work, a satisfied smile spread across Jinhyuk's face.
As expected, the experience points given by a family head are on a completely different level.
A whopping 8 levels.
After defeating Decasus, he had secured 24 stat points.
Considering his level was now close to three digits, gaining 8 levels all at once was nothing short of absurd.
To wield Balmung properly, I need to allocate some points to Strength.
[Strength increases from 89 → 101.]
[Mana increases from 221 → 233.]
Good. With the stat points allocated, it was finally time to check the long-awaited reward.
Jinhyuk's gaze fell upon the red accessory he had just pulled from his subspace inventory.
The Seal of Decasus.
Honestly, he hadn't expected this to drop.
He had hunted family heads in the past, but those were official raids after the 40th floor.
Fighting under such disadvantageous conditions was a first.
So the reward must be fitting for the challenge.
The Seal of Decasus not only granted dominance over all vampires belonging to the Decasus family, but also bestowed authority equivalent to a family head.
In short, it meant a new family head had been born.
However, the true value of this seal did not stop there.
The sacred relic Amuram used during his lifetime.
Being able to summon the ultimate artifact, comparable to a unique holy spear, from the floor he resided in to this place...
...was the reason why this seal was overwhelmingly superior to any other reward.
"Whew."
Jinhyuk calmed his racing heart.
Mana flowed from his fingertips into the seal.
At the same time:
Vrooooom!
[The 'Seal of Decasus' is activated!]
A blinding light flashed.