Chapter 287: Choices and Preparations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 287: Choices and Preparations
'Help me.'
It was a phrase ordinary people exchanged all the time.
But that was for ordinary people.
It was certainly not something that should ever come out of Jinhyuk's mouth.
He had always planned everything alone and shaken up the board by himself.
Everyone else was just there to assist.
And yet.
'This guy is asking for help?'
Cheon Yu-seong bit his lower lip.
He could guess just how serious the situation was.
Jinhyuk was undoubtedly about to bring up something on a completely different level from anything before.
"What on earth happened in the Heavenly Demon Cult?"
"It's a long story, but a real pain in the neck caught wind of us. Let's talk about the details over some food. It's a rare break for us, so shouldn't we eat something delicious?"
"Damn it. You set up this incredibly serious atmosphere, and now you expect me to just swallow food?"
"Yeah. I think it'll go down quite well."
"What?"
"They say even a ghost that dies well-fed has a nice complexion. We've got to eat well first. Right?"
Jinhyuk glanced at the others.
"We are hungry. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, We would still yearn for the meat and dessert We missed out on today."
"Jinhyuk-nim already saved my life once anyway. Hehe. Besides, if we're with Jinhyuk-nim, won't we figure out a way somehow?"
"If my Lord wishes it, I shall follow."
"I've been missing Korean food, so this is perfect. But you have to buy us that Hanwoo galbi."
It was a positive response all around.
"Of course I should buy it for you. Well, Yu-seong. They say they want to eat Hanwoo galbi."
"No. Why on earth do I have to pay for the food?"
Well, that's because...
"Obviously, because you're the oldest one here."
If he was going to wear scholar's robes, he naturally had to follow the strict laws of Confucianism.
Seniority is the absolute core of the Three Bonds and Five Relations.
The laws of heaven are absolute; how dare he try to get a free meal from his juniors?
"D-don't be ridiculous! If that's the case, what about Alice-ssi or Andrea-ssi...?"
Jinhyuk cut off Cheon Yu-seong's desperate protest mid-sentence.
"For the record, residents don't count. They don't even know what Confucianism or seniority is."
"Is Confucianism something you eat? I would prefer it to be sweet."
"I've never heard of it either!"
Alice and Andrea shrugged.
And then.
"Thanks for the meal, 'Hyung'."
Jinhyuk also used an honorific for the first time.
To top it off, his face was practically dripping with respect for his elder.
"……."
Cheon Yu-seong's face twisted as if he had just chewed on a piece of crap.
He had been completely played.
But since he had been defeated by absurd logic, and everyone was already thanking him for the meal, he was backed into a corner with no way out.
That was how they ended up at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Gwangjin-gu.
It was an ultra-luxurious restaurant serving a course meal that cost 500,000 won per person.
Soon, various special cuts of beef boasting 50% marbling were served one after another.
"Ohhh! This taste is...!"
"Wow..."
Exclamations of awe burst from everyone's mouths.
Alice and Andrea in particular kept stuffing their mouths, devouring the expensive beef in the blink of an eye.
"Is... installment pay possible?"
Cheon Yu-seong's voice trembled faintly.
Since Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min had also joined, the bill had skyrocketed to an astronomical amount.
* * *
Once their stomachs were somewhat full, the serious conversation began.
Topics poured out in rapid succession, ranging from the entities of the upper floors, the Left Dharma Protector, to what would unfold in the future.
Of course, Jinhyuk glossed over the existence of the hidden quest and a few other crucial pieces of information with plausible excuses.
He also packaged the news about the arrival of the upper-floor entities as something he had heard from his master.
"...So that's what happened in the Heavenly Demon Cult. Does that mean those bastards from the upper floors will be coming down soon?"
"Probably. I don't know exactly which floor they'll descend to, or if they'll burst out of the Tower entirely, but wherever it is, it'll inevitably turn into a living hell."
"So instead of fighting to win..."
"I mean we should only focus on survival."
It was a harsh reality, but at their current level, there was no way to face them.
Not to mention the True Ancestors and Demon Kings, even the deities couldn't defeat the entities of the 50th floor.
'Even though I've grown at a dazzling, unrivaled pace, it's still impossible in my current state.'
In the past, it had taken him over three years just to clear the 50th floor alone. At barely over level 100, even inflicting a single scratch on them would be a monumental task.
Therefore, he had to devise a backup plan rather than the ideal one.
"I'd like the Orthodox Faction to provide some support... Their masters should at least be able to handle the lowest-tier soldiers of those entities. What do you think? Can you persuade them?"
"It'll be impossible. Right now, the Murim Alliance is preparing for war against the Empire."
The Murim Alliance was pouring all its strength into fighting for hegemony over the middle floors, a conflict they hadn't settled before.
With the Heavenly Demon Cult now poised to get involved as well, an unpredictable chaos was bound to unfold.
This was an aspect that could absolutely not be neglected.
The Left Dharma Protector... no, Samaja, that sly snake, was also connected to the vampire families and Hastings.
'The inside of the Tower is one thing, but we must prepare for the outside. At the very least, we have to prevent ordinary citizens from dying.'
As if guessing Jinhyuk's concerns, Cheon Yu-seong added a word.
"If you're that anxious, why not talk to the large guilds? They would be of some help."
"Hmm. It's not like I haven't thought about it, but if I suddenly show up and say, 'The world might end, so you must believe me,' I don't think they'll buy it. Especially since I have a track record of ripping off large guilds multiple times, they'll be even more skeptical."
"True, your image isn't exactly stellar. Even I would have doubted you first."
Cheon Yu-seong nodded without a moment's hesitation.
Hey. Agreeing that quickly hurts my feelings.
I've actually helped them out quite a lot in my own way.
"Then what about Teresa-ssi? Unlike you, she has a great image and high public recognition."
"Teresa-ssi... well."
Teresa had high recognition, but since she had withdrawn from the alliance of the seven major guilds, she didn't have much of a voice.
Asking her would only put her in a difficult position.
Elder Yu Cheon-yeong was likewise unrelated to climbing the Tower.
If possible, he wanted someone else to publicize this matter on a grand scale.
Someone who possessed a certain level of influence and could prepare for this event with high credibility.
He needed someone like that.
"First, let's start with what each of us can do. Tae-min, I'll give you a few key points, so use the Machine Lord to prepare for base defense. Yeon-hwa, gather as many people as you can to support Tae-min."
"Got it, Hyung."
"Okay, Oppa. I'll talk to Grandfather too."
"For the rest of you, I'll give you a list of things to do. Make sure to finish them within a week. If any of you have a better plan, feel free to take the initiative and adjust the priorities."
All preparations had to be completed in the remaining time.
Even if it was just to raise their survival rate by a mere 1%.
* * *
At the same time.
At the Samurai Guild headquarters in Japan.
"Pant! Pant, pant..."
Takeshi bolted upright in bed.
His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was uncontrollably ragged.
He trembled violently, as if he had just woken from a long, grueling nightmare.
"How can this be..."
Even though he hadn't activated it, 'Half Future Sight' had triggered on its own.
This was the first time such a thing had happened since he acquired his unique ability.
Judging by the vivid scene burned into his mind, this was undeniably the truth.
In other words, his ability had undoubtedly improved.
Yet, no trace of joy or ecstasy could be found on Takeshi's face.
Ash, fire, and death.
Collapsing buildings and mountains of corpses were the final scenes heralding the end.
He had to report this immediately.
Whether to the Japanese government, the World Awakeners Association, or the leadership of the Samurai Guild and other large guilds.
He had to spread this truth somehow.
But.
"What difference would it make even if I told them?"
Who on earth could possibly stop that?
'It's impossible. Even if the entire world joins forces, they can never stop it.'
This wasn't something on that level.
Like a natural disaster, it was the kind of catastrophe where one could only bow their head and pray that they alone would be spared.
Right then.
Someone flashed through Takeshi's mind.
The deity, 'Kang Jinhyuk'.
An absolute being who took the form of a player yet displayed overwhelming majesty.
If it were him...
'Perhaps he might be able to resolve this. It's possible. If it's him, surely.'
The problem was that he couldn't just readily ask him to save humanity just because they were in trouble.
If they threw a tantrum demanding he solve their problems without showing even a shred of sincerity, they would undoubtedly face yet another natural disaster.
'I need to talk to the guild and gather all our most expensive treasures. What do we have? I know we have a few things that might catch his fancy.'
Relics, coins, magic crystals.
Now was not the time to be stingy with anything.
And.
They had to notify the entire world and assemble a raid team to support him from behind.
If they did that, perhaps he might forgive them for their insolence.
His hesitation didn't last long.
Takeshi immediately pulled out his phone.
Ring... ring...
After a brief ringtone.
Click!
"What is it?"
Yoshio, the master of the Samurai Guild, answered.
"Please arrange a video conference right now with all the guild's rankers... and the president of the Japanese Awakeners Association."
"Don't tell me...!"
"Yes. I saw something in my future sight. We don't have much time."
"Understood. I'll contact them immediately."
Things began to move rapidly.
* * *
A prophecy from a ranker who could see the future.
At the news that a disaster of immeasurable difficulty was about to strike, the entire world was thrown into an uproar.
-Kkomani: Seriously, they're overreacting again. Why is everyone freaking out over some dream or whatever from a fake shaman?
-jsh3: I know, right. Aren't they all just falling for fear-mongering words meant to squeeze out some funding?
-white: No, no. I know that ranker Takeshi, and he actually gets a lot of things right.
-kc27: Yeah. Even in the joint US-Japan raid three months ago, his prophecy saved the raid team from total annihilation. It was uncanny.
-Emperor of Shurima: Seeing how the governments and large guilds are scrambling, it doesn't seem like a complete bluff.
-Kringnya: So does this mean we could all be doomed?
-Yerina: Surely there's a way.
-Haenaeng: Don't worry too much. Look at how many players we have. It'll be enough. Probably.
Voices of concern gradually grew louder.
Though they comforted one another on the surface, they couldn't hide their growing anxiety.
However.
A familiar name slipped from Takeshi's mouth as he made his statement on the broadcast.
"We have agreed to mobilize all our resources and manpower to support the S-rank player, Kang Jinhyuk-nim, and we have completed preparations to move immediately as soon as we receive his permission."
-ksb: Kang Jinhyuk? The Kang Jinhyuk I know?
-I Am An Idiot: Whoa. Right, we have Kang Jinhyuk!
-Mujin: ^^
-Just Trust Me: Plus, if all the rankers around the world join forces, we might actually stand a chance?
-fore: Gathering around Kang Jinhyuk.
-YJH: This is getting epic.
-Myoil: [Breaking] Large guild masters and vice-masters are going to introduce the entire raid team and give an interview on ViewTube in a bit.
-Richa: It's true. Oh my god. This might be the largest raid scale ever?
-Backscratcher: Both the rankers and the number of players... it's going to be massive. I hope Unknown joins too. He's been a bit quiet lately, but surely he'll show up, right?
-JeLuce: I heard Northern Europe has prepared highest-grade relics too. We can really look forward to this.
'As expected, keeping him alive back then was the right choice.'
Watching the Tower of Trials community and Takeshi's actions, Jinhyuk nodded slightly.
He had figured a day would come when 'Half Future Sight' would be useful.
It had fulfilled its role even more brilliantly than expected.
His personal inbox was on the verge of exploding from the flood of support promises pouring in from various guilds.
Right then.
"I have exchanged all of the Yaksha item sets for the ones you requested, Jinhyuk-nim. You can check the items in your Large-Capacity Subspace Inventory. But are you really sure about this? That weapon is..."
Rick asked back, unable to comprehend.
He had observed all of Jinhyuk's battles so far, but he had never seen him use this kind of weapon.
"It's the weapon... I used to favor the most in the past. Anyway, thank you."
"No, thank you for such a great deal. It just so happened that someone was looking for Yaksha-related items. Ah! And..."
Ahem! Ahem!
Rick cleared his throat.
He was about to bring up the commission fee, the most sensitive part of any transaction.
"How much was it?"
"Including transaction costs and labor fees, it comes to 2.5 million coins."
"Hmm."
2.5 million coins...
He was grateful for the exchange of the necessary items, but paying that many coins as a service fee felt like a waste.
"Tell you what. Why don't we make a simple bet?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.