Chapter 355: Crown of Hegemony (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 355: Crown of Hegemony (3)
"T-This can't be..."
"Unbelievable."
"C-Captain Hound was defeated? By a brat like that?"
Gasps of shock erupted from the members of the Old Guard, who were locked in fierce combat.
It was only natural.
Throughout the countless high-risk missions they had carried out...
Hound had always been the one leading them from the front.
True to his alias as 'Nyarlathotep's Hound,' their captain had executed every mission more flawlessly than anyone else.
And yet.
Why on earth?
How could a ranker who hunted down mythical heroes be defeated by a mere player?
They already knew the reason.
They just didn't want to admit it.
A single, lethal arrow.
Even after activating his innate ability to destroy weapons, Hound had failed to offset that strike. It was a blow that far transcended any normal standard.
It felt as if they were witnessing a primordial being taking action themselves.
On top of that, the way he had used the crown to orchestrate all those traps was downright chilling.
On the other hand, Jinhyuk's performance sent the morale of the Veteran Corporation soaring.
"Now we finally have a fighting chance."
Cheon Yu-seong let out a small sigh of relief.
Seli's relentless onslaught had kept them on a knife's edge, but the time for a counterattack had finally arrived.
Teresa and Uasis also prepared their attacks with much more relaxed expressions.
The belief that Jinhyuk would soon join them filled them with a sudden surge of strength.
"Hmph. Well, not bad. No, wait. Of course he should be at this level if he's my contractor. Exactly."
Alice muttered to herself.
Though she didn't speak clearly, her face was brimming with pride and satisfaction.
"Mooo-giii!"
"As expected of our devil-lik... I mean, highly skilled master."
"This is why spirits need to align themselves with the right person. If we had run away, we would've been in deep trouble."
"If we did, we'd probably be tied upside down to a pole and forced to eat mint chocolate chip for 365 days straight."
Riding the momentum, Goguma and the spirit beasts began to push back the demonic beasts all at once.
"Kieee!"
"Krooo!"
Riddled with holes, the demonic beasts collapsed one by one.
With Seli, who had been directing them, falling into a panic over Hound's defeat, their entire command structure fell into chaos.
"We're winning this fight."
Frey rapidly brandished her twin short spears.
Her blue hair fluttered as her spears moved in a dizzying blur.
Boom!
Crash!
Every single strike was a deadly blow aimed at a vital spot.
"...Ugh!"
Roipeng faltered and took a step back.
The elemental magic infused in his fists wavered slightly.
The balance... was beginning to crumble.
* * *
Thud.
Hound's knees hit the ground.
The excruciating pain, which had already surpassed his limits, paralyzed his sanity.
"Urrgh..."
He could barely squeeze out a groan; he couldn't even scream properly anymore.
He had never imagined it would be this painful.
"K-Kill... me..."
Words that should never have escaped Hound's mouth spilled out.
Though he had learned torture resistance techniques long ago, the sensation currently consuming his entire body was incomparable to anything he had experienced before.
This was... the curse of the crown, meant to punish those who were unworthy.
"I'm not the type to enjoy watching others suffer, but I'm afraid I can't do that just yet."
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Ability Copying. He still had one last thing to take care of.
"But there is a way. If you do just one thing for me, I'll put you out of your misery."
"What... is it?"
If he could only end this pain, he would do anything.
He felt as though he would even sell his soul.
"That greatsword. Hand it over."
The cherished weapon of the 4th-ranked member of the Old Guard.
This would undoubtedly satisfy the requirements needed to copy his ability.
"...My sword?"
Hound hesitated for a moment. But it was only for a brief second.
"I... understand. I will give it to you. I'll hand it over... so please, just end this quickly."
[The transfer of weapon ownership has been completed.]
[You have acquired the greatsword, 'Execution Sword of the Mortal'!]
Whoosh.
Jinhyuk lightly swung the sword with one hand.
Indeed, despite being a greatsword over two meters long, he could barely feel its weight.
It must have been imbued with ultra-lightweight magic and dozens of runic 'engravings.'
With this...
[You have sacrificed the 'Execution Sword of the Mortal.']
[The requirements, exceeding the threshold, have been met!]
[You have successfully copied the ability from 'Hound'!]
[Wheel of Defying Heaven]
Description: An ability that destroys targets with the blessing of ancient runes. Depending on proficiency, the target can range from living organisms to sacred relics. Additionally, possessing the Wheel of Defying Heaven increases the Strength stat by +20.
[The copied ability has been stored in the 'Memory of the World.']
Just as expected!
Sacrificing a weapon far superior to Fang had paid off.
Thanks to exceeding the threshold, he had finally laid his hands on a Unique Sacred Chant.
"Keep... your promise."
"Ah..."
Right, he had made a promise.
That he would end this pain if Hound handed over the weapon.
Even without such begging, Jinhyuk had no intention of letting a big shot like this be consumed by the crown.
He couldn't afford to pass up the unimaginable amount of experience points, setting aside the Hall of Fame.
Jinhyuk notched another arrow and drew it back to his jaw.
And then, he released the string.
Thud!
With a clean sound of tearing flesh, Hound's body fell backward.
Having been pierced cleanly right between the eyes, he would feel no more pain.
As if to prove it,
Ring!
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have...]
[...leveled up.]
Countless status windows popped up.
10 levels.
Finally, the fierce battle was drawing to a close.
'The others are tucking their tails and running, too.'
Jinhyuk turned his gaze to the side.
He saw Black Rock, Roipeng, and Seli, who had lost their leader, quickly making their escape.
He could pursue them if he wanted to, but they weren't his top priority.
'As for copying their abilities, it doesn't matter since we'll cross paths again anyway.'
Once Nyarlathotep or Hastings learned of this, they would make their move again.
So, he just needed to take his time and prepare thoroughly.
[Innate abilities 'Blessing of the Stars' and 'Mandala' have been activated!]
Crackle...
A warm energy permeated his entire body.
To avoid making the same mistake Hound did, he needed to fully restore his depleted stamina and mana.
As he circulated the 'True Great Azure Flame Wolf Heart Method,' his mana began to replenish at an extremely rapid pace.
During this brief respite,
Jinhyuk opened his personal status window.
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Level: 154
Strength: 109 | Agility: 91 | Stamina: 67 | Mana: 402 | Gap: 100 | Luck: 10 | Adaptive: 78 | Essence: 106.25
Stat Points Available: 30
Coins Held: 9,241,358
Class: Ruler of Runes
Unique Sacred Chant: Wheel of Defying Heaven
Innate Abilities: 'Fusion', 'Grave of Swords', 'Blessing of the Stars', 'Judgment of Anubis', 'Blood Demon Qi', 'Mandala', '1-Second Invincibility', 'Thousand Poisons', 'White Beast', 'All-Phase 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', 'Primordial Flame', 'Blood Explosion', 'Black Tears', 'Tombgrave's Leg', 'Supernatural Strength', 'Core of the Legion', 'Ancient Barrier', 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art', 'Mentra Taming', 'Nihilism', 'Heaven-Destroying Ten Thousand Poisons'
Skills: Too many skills to display. Switched to 'Collapsed' view.
——————————————————
Jinhyuk lightly clenched his fist as he looked at his slightly altered status window.
Above the Innate Abilities category...
A new category called 'Unique Sacred Chant' had appeared.
A ultimate technique that only the chosen among the Tower's residents could use.
Even those ultimate, lethal abilities were now beginning to be recorded in the Endless Archive.
'Now, it's time to allocate some stats.'
A whopping 10 levels.
Needless to say, the experience points granted by a big shot were on a completely different level.
Then again, it was practically equivalent to taking down a hero belonging to a major mythology.
'Even if I don't get full credit for my contribution points because of the Crown of Hegemony, this is still an outcome far beyond my expectations.'
The problem was... where to allocate the stats.
The void left by the loss of Fang.
To obtain that weapon inside the Dunes of the Sun, he had no choice but to take some risks.
His hesitation didn't last long.
[Agility has increased from 91 to 121!]
He invested all 30 points into Agility.
Crunch...
The sensation of stepping on the sand changed noticeably.
It felt as if his body had become light as a feather.
He could feel that pouring so many points into it was well worth it.
He would be able to see exactly how much he had changed in just a moment.
Jinhyuk checked his physical condition.
'Good.'
Now, his mana and stamina had recovered to some extent.
Finally, from the battle between Shub-Niggurath and the Heavenly Demon up to this very day.
The time had come to check the fruits of his long, arduous labor.
Slowly, his fingertips reached toward the black crown resting on the sand.
[The owner of the Crown of Hegemony has been decided!]
[The owner is Player Kang Jinhyuk!]
[High-ranking factions are beginning to take notice of you.]
[Crown of Hegemony]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
Durability: Indestructible under any circumstances.
All Stats: +30
Critical Hit Rate: +30%
When facing a deity, skill levels increase by +3.
Allows the user to utilize the previous owner's innate ability to its absolute peak. (Time Limit: 3 minutes)
The detailed stats of the crown varied depending on its past owners.
This meant that if one had played the Tower of Trials ten times, the stats possessed by the crown would be different each time.
In that sense, this particular crown boasted specs superior to any other crown he had seen so far.
This was a massive jackpot.
"Hell yeah!"
Jinhyuk couldn't hold back a shout of sheer joy.
* * *
The 43rd floor of the Tower of Trials.
The endlessly soaring mountains and the clouds draping around them transcended any scenery existing in the mortal world.
Olympus.
The stronghold of a massive faction that had recently been aggressively expanding its influence.
And.
Crackle... crackle.
Several men and women stood around the hearth fire placed in the center of the temple.
They were none other than the chief gods of Olympus.
"The owner of the Crown of Hegemony has been decided."
An old man with a long black beard spoke.
At the fact that 'the owner of the crown has been decided,' the surrounding atmosphere grew highly clamorous.
"Has a player who has only been in the Tower for two years ever obtained a crown before?"
"No, it is a first since we entered the Tower."
"I heard the fastest to obtain a crown were the angels of Eden seven thousand years ago, and even that took them over ten years."
The shortest period in history.
Considering that even locating a crown was usually no easy task, it was an unbelievable result.
To them, the players currently climbing the Tower were nothing more than toddlers who had just learned to walk.
"...Enough. Even if a mere human with no decent faction backing him has obtained the crown, he won't be able to keep it for long."
A massive man sitting in the seat of honor spoke.
Zeus.
He was the highest-ranking god leading the chief deities of Olympus.
At Zeus's words, the murmuring vanished in an instant.
"Hermes."
"Yes, Father."
"Attach a messenger to that fellow, Kang Jinhyuk. Do not let him notice. Be as cautious as possible."
"Is it just surveillance?"
"Yes. Now that the other factions have caught wind of this, they will surely try to snatch the crown from him. We will watch them tear each other apart and intervene at the very end."
There was no need to step into a place crawling with wild beasts first.
It would be most efficient to make their move at the very end, when everyone else was exhausted and drained of strength.
Right then.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, a new figure appeared in the temple.
A warrior clad from head to toe in golden armor. It was Ares, the God of War.
"All preparations are complete. Please give the order."
Ares, who had leaped up from the foot of the mountain in a single bound, bowed his head.
"The soldiers and their 'weapons' as well?"
"Yes. They are perfect. See for yourself."
"Hmm."
Zeus slowly stood up and looked down from Olympus.
A massive army of staggering proportions was assembled on the ground below.
Elite forces clad in full armor were waiting for the gods' command to be handed down.
"Very well. From this moment on, we shall wipe out those Norse bastards and claim the floors they rule as our own."
The war had begun.