Chapter 358: A New Weapon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 358: A New Weapon (3)
“Come in.”
At Hastings’s permission, space distorted.
Thud!
The one who revealed himself with heavy footsteps was none other than an angel.
It was Kizakiel.
“It has been a long time, High Manager.”
A high-ranking spiritual entity belonging to Eden had approached Hastings’s domain.
“Hehe. How long has it been since we last met...? I can barely remember.”
“The last time I met you, you were still an Intermediate Manager.”
“Indeed. Back then, you were just a low-ranking angel, not a commander of warriors, Lord Kizakiel.”
It was their first meeting in tens of thousands of years.
That was how rarely the Managers made contact with the residents inside the Tower.
For that was common sense, and that was the rule.
“Mr. Panem. You may leave now. I believe we need to have a serious discussion from here on.”
“Ah, understood.”
Panem quickly vanished out the door.
“You did well to find this place. On the surface, it is a location unknown to the residents.”
“I used my own methods. Please understand, as it is a matter of that much importance.”
“Speak.”
Hastings lightly gestured for him to sit.
A somewhat chilled wine, cheese, and bread made with butter that could only be obtained on the 40th floor appeared on the table.
“I believe you are well aware of the current situation, Lord Hastings. Regarding the faction war, or the ownership of the crowns.”
“Of course. Every major and minor event in the Tower is monitored by our Administration.”
“Then, what do you think about a player who has just entered the Tower possessing one of the Tower's most noble sacred relics?”
“That is, of course... I believe any item must have an owner worthy of its status. Isn't that the same stance Eden holds?”
Kizakiel's face stiffened even further.
“Not quite. Gabriel... told us absolutely not to touch him, saying she had formed a contract with that human.”
“No way. Is that true? For a great archangel of the heavenly realm to say something so irresponsible...”
Hastings let out an intentionally exaggerated exclamation.
“I found it hard to believe as well, but it is the truth. And such indulgence is precisely what goes against divine law. If those above will not move, I felt I had to step forward myself.”
“Indeed, I see what you mean by it being unusual. Then, what is it that I must do for you?”
“Just tell me the location of the human named Kang Jinhyuk. I will handle the rest myself.”
Kizakiel drew a spear glowing with white light from his subspace.
The sacred relic, the 'Horn of Joshua'.
One of the strongest sacred relics belonging to Eden, which had once brought down fortresses, had appeared.
“I can only launch one attack to the lower floors. However...”
Yes.
Once was enough.
Because a single strike from the 'Horn of Joshua', which possessed the Absolute Judgment effect, was equal to Zeus's 'Astrape'.
Meaning it was a strike ranked at the very top for single-target attacks.
“That is... quite an interesting proposal.”
The corners of Hastings's mouth curled up subtly.
It was truly perfect timing.
Finally, a trump card to finish off that annoying leech had fallen into his hands.
* * *
Boom!
With a massive explosion, another gate collapsed.
“Pant. Pant... Haaah...”
A battered and bruised Veliel staggered as he flew up.
Seeing smoke rising from his wings, Jinhyuk felt a slight pang of pity.
This is why you shouldn't let your pride get the better of you.
“Wow. As expected, you're amazing. I really didn't think you'd be able to break through all these traps. A real Demon King is truly something else.”
“Hehe... I-I am not called the strongest in the Demon World for nothing. If I set my mind to it...”
Veliel's words were cut short.
Clang!
Because a heavy iron ball that emerged from a subspace collided with his head.
“...Urgh.”
Veliel lost his balance and wobbled in midair.
Since the exit was already in sight, he had let his guard down.
The fact that it was such a sudden surprise attack was also why he took the hit to the back of his head.
His clone was slowly fading away.
His mana was completely depleted, and he was about to return to the Demon World where he belonged.
“Ah...!”
He had clean forgotten to mention it.
He had forgotten that this trap existed in the final gate.
Once again, this was a genuine mistake.
It was absolutely not an attempt to avoid the pressure of being told to become a Black Apostle.
Jinhyuk struggled to suppress the twitching corners of his mouth as he looked at Veliel.
“It's a real shame we couldn't make it to the very end together, but I'll never forget your help today.”
“You... I'm sure... you saw where the ball was going to fall at the end...”
“You're imagining things. A fly just happened to be buzzing around there.”
“You... bloodless, tearless bastard.”
Veliel gasped for breath.
“You really must become a demon. You possess qualities far superior to anyone else.”
With those final words, Veliel's clone crumbled into dust and scattered.
'A demon, huh...'
That sounded like it could be fun in its own way.
If he made his 3rd class advancement that way, he would be permanently hostile to Eden, but that desperate, gritty flavor was something he could never experience if he chose any other path.
However, that wasn't something to worry about right now.
Faction disputes and the 3rd class advancement were topics he could easily put off for a few months.
'First, let's do some light shopping for supplies.'
Before heading inside, there were a few items on his shopping list he needed to buy.
Accessing the 'Coin Exchange', Jinhyuk quickly swept up the items.
– Caramel Milk Powder 1kg - 1,000 Coins
– 1 Ten-Thousand-Year Glacial Stone - 30,000 Coins
– 1 Sack of Autor River Catnip - 2,500 Coins
– 100 Twin Ladybugs - 10,000 Coins
Great.
With this, he had everything he needed.
Jinhyuk set off.
Before he knew it, he had broken through all ten gates, leaving only the final gate.
From here on, it was a section he had to clear on his own, without Veliel's help.
Clack!
The final door opened.
[Entering the 11th Gate, 'Habelian's Nest'.]
Whoosh.
He felt a breath of some kind.
A long body measuring about seven meters, covered in white, shaggy fur.
Its appearance was reminiscent of the weasel family.
Habelian.
Like Pentagris, it was one of the mythical beasts residing in the Tower.
“Kyaong.”
Having spotted the intruder, Habelian let out a low growl.
It made no effort to hide its wariness toward the one who had dared to step into its domain.
“Don't worry. I didn't come here to hurt you.”
Jinhyuk raised both hands to show he had no hostile intentions.
He had only come here to secure the 'crystal' deep inside the nest, not to trade blows with Habelian.
Of course, there was no way the mythical beast would just stand by quietly.
In the first place, no matter how gentle a mythical beast was, none would tolerate an intruder barging into their own living room.
“Kyaooo!”
When Jinhyuk didn't back down, the lounging Habelian stood up.
At the same time,
Rumble!
A white frost gale began to swirl.
Extreme cold attribute.
Fitting for a mythical beast that controlled ice, the surrounding temperature shifted completely.
It was hard to believe this place had been so dry and hot just moments ago.
Here it comes.
Jinhyuk took his stance.
Whoosh!
Soon after, sharp blades made of ice rushed forward.
Seven in total, coming straight from the front.
A frontal assault focused entirely on speed.
[Lv18 'Glacial Shaping' is activated!]
Pure white crystals formed at Jinhyuk's fingertips.
The key was calculation speed.
In other words, how quickly and perfectly he could neutralize Habelian's ice magic.
Crash!
Fourteen streams of ice collided in midair.
Perfectly, without a single millimeter of error.
“Kyao!?”
Habelian's body flinched slightly.
The attack that had always finished off every intruder in a single blow had been completely neutralized.
But its panic lasted only a brief moment.
“Kyaooo!”
Crackle!
A dazzling brilliance gathered around its mouth.
Mana incomparably more powerful than before condensed.
It was a breath unique to mythical beasts, similar to a dragon's breath.
Needless to say, taking that head-on would only add another ice statue to this nest.
'Glacial Shaping'
Jinhyuk also poured his mana in without holding back.
Timing, power, and momentum.
Snow and ice began to swirl frantically.
'Sword of the Sky'.
The stream of ice descending from the sky...
And the 'Sword of the Earth' rising from the ground met as one.
A terrifying chill instantly swallowed Habelian's entire body.
Yet, even within the ice, the activation of the breath was still underway.
Rumble!
The two swords held Habelian for less than a second.
This was due to its absurdly high magic attribute resistance.
'I didn't expect to block it with just this in the first place.'
The brief opening created.
['Barrier of Bitter Cold' is activated!]
An ice shield inscribed with runic words appeared in front of Jinhyuk.
Like a giant mountain rising alone in the tundra, a wall to withstand the breath was formed.
At that exact moment, the condensed breath was unleashed.
Ruuuumble!
A tremendous impact was felt.
The breath slammed directly against the shield.
“Ugh!”
'Gap' and 'Adaptive' stats writhed frantically.
His muscles began to scream in shock.
Just a little.
Just a little longer.
Because the breath wouldn't last forever.
“Grrr...”
As if proving his point, the breath that seemed like it would never end began to subside.
...Now!
In an instant, Jinhyuk pulled out the items he had purchased from his subspace inventory.
“Kyao?”
At Jinhyuk's sudden action, Habelian once again couldn't hide its bewilderment.
It was only natural to be dumbfounded, given that he had pulled out all sorts of food ingredients instead of a weapon.
['Caramel Milk Powder 1kg' and 'Ten-Thousand-Year Glacial Stone' are being synthesized.]
The ice began to be ground into fine, white flakes.
And the mana that had melted into the air from the breath began to permeate the ice.
Then, a strange aroma began to spread.
“Kya... o?”
At a scent it had never encountered in its life, Habelian unconsciously wagged its tail.
* * *
'Your mouth must be watering.'
Jinhyuk smirked.
The items he had bought wouldn't have appealed much to Habelian individually, but when combined into one, they created an incredible synergy.
Especially when infused with the unique mana released through the 'breath', it created a delicacy that Habelian would absolutely die for.
On top of that, with the 'Isekai Restaurant' skill adding a recipe optimized for feline mythical beasts, no matter how much of a mythical beast it was that supposedly lived only on dew, there was no way it could resist.
Of course, the 'Mentra Taming' and 'Communion' skills also played their parts perfectly in breaking down its ironclad wariness.
“Kya, kyaooo...”
Sniffing the air, Habelian approached the freshly made shaved ice.
Before it knew it, its tail was wagging frantically from side to side.
Perhaps a thread of wariness still remained, as it didn't completely let down its defensive posture.
And that last remaining glass shield...
Lick.
...melted away like cotton candy the moment its tongue licked the shaved ice.
“...!!”
Habelian immediately shoved its face into the shaved ice.
This was surely the definition of devouring food in the blink of an eye.
'Now I can secure the crystal at my leisure.'
Jinhyuk's gaze turned toward the center of the nest.
A crystal holding an indescribable light.
Finally, the time had come to take care of his last piece of business in the Dunes of the Sun.