Chapter 360: A New Weapon (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 360: A New Weapon (5)
Ssssshhhhh...
The quicksand was rapidly sucked downward.
Naturally, the crown also vanished from sight in an instant, swallowed by the sand.
"Damn it! To do something so stupid! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Well, I told you, it really was an accident. If you're in that much of a hurry, why don't you go in there and look for it yourself?"
Grind!
"I will remember this."
Kizakiel immediately threw himself into the pit.
He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't just give up on the crown like this.
He had to get his hands on it somehow.
He couldn't bear to watch the crown disappear for another several years.
Boom!
A massive cluster of light plunged down into the pit.
"Hmm."
Jinhyuk wore a satisfied smile as he watched Kizakiel disappear.
With this, one nuisance was out of the way.
Now that Gabriel's side would catch wind of this, he wouldn't have to worry about getting backstabbed by that muscular angel—at least not today.
'Now all that's left is to retrieve the crown...'
Needless to say, he had no intention of throwing away a top-tier relic he had risked his life to obtain just to chase off Kizakiel.
The problem was...
Neither Kizakiel nor Jinhyuk knew where this quicksand led.
Even Hastings would find it impossible to grasp the exact flow of the quicksand.
But there was exactly one.
There was one being who could perfectly read the flow of the quicksand.
Jinhyuk turned his gaze to Habelian, who was standing beside him.
"I'm sorry for tearing up your home, but could you help me out just this once?"
"Kyaong?"
Habelian tilted its head.
"That thing I just threw down there. I really need it. Plus, the guy who tried to kill you is desperately searching for it too. What do you say? Want to take this chance to give that idiot a proper taste of his own medicine?"
"Kyaooo!"
Habelian stood up.
It wagged its tail vigorously from side to side as if agreeing.
Normally, this would be impossible.
As expected, protecting this guy using 'Pridwen' was worth it.
This was exactly why he had readily let go of the 'Crown of Hegemony'.
To kill two birds with one stone.
Tap!
Habelian hopped toward the pit.
Although Kizakiel had entered much earlier, the winner had already been decided.
No matter how fast he could fly, he would never lay his hands on the crown before Habelian, who knew the interior inside out.
'While I wait, I should fully master this first.'
Jinhyuk focused his mind on the long ice crystal in his hand.
A cold energy flowed from his fingertips to his heart.
Because it required delicate control, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
How much time had passed?
[The crystal has taken its complete form!]
Crackle!
The cold air emanating from 'Habelian's Soul' was perfectly contained.
At the same time.
Tring!
[The 19th Floor has been cleared!]
[Top Contributor: Player Kang Jinhyuk]
[As a reward for the first clear, you may choose one of three rewards.]
[You have achieved something marvelous.]
[This achievement will be registered in the 'Hall of Fame' for the entirety of tomorrow!]
There were three rewards to choose from.
"Hmm..."
Jinhyuk carefully reviewed the rewards.
First, the first option.
'Four times the coins is definitely tempting.'
Since a guaranteed absolute value was assured, he could use the coins to buy items or spend them elsewhere.
Having plenty of funds meant he could at least secure a baseline of success.
But considering the other two options...
It was less appealing.
Jinhyuk looked at the second option.
The 20th Floor was a place where numbers and occupation battles were key. An item useful there...
This would also be of great help.
Considering Kizakiel and the other factions, the reward to reinforce his base was also hard to pass up.
"..."
This time, his deliberation lasted quite a while.
Both had their own merits, so only future results would tell which choice was the right one.
And finally.
"I'll choose the second option."
Jinhyuk made his decision.
[A hidden reward is granted.]
[Time remaining until opening: 1D : 23H : 59M : 59S]
He would only be able to check it in two days.
Heading to the 20th Floor would have to wait until then as well.
Just then.
"Kyaoooo!"
Habelian's triumphant roar echoed from inside the pit.
Now that his business here was completely finished, it was time to head back outside.
* * *
A day had passed since he left the tower.
Having run ragged without a break, fatigue had accumulated in both his body and mind.
Thus, Jinhyuk planned to enjoy a long-overdue rest.
The place he ended up visiting was an escape room cafe in Hongdae.
Alice's eyes sparkled.
"Ooh! Is this the famous hotspot that is so renowned among humans?"
"Yeah. Yeon-hwa and Tae-min made the reservation for us. They repeatedly insisted that I absolutely had to go with you."
"They truly seem like thoughtful children. It was my first time meeting them privately, but we had a highly satisfying conversation."
"Ah, right. You met up with those two yesterday, didn't you?"
He recalled her saying she suddenly had to go out last night.
He remembered Alice rushing out of the hotel late at night.
"Y-yes. They are your acquaintances, after all, and I had many questions about this era, so I merely sought some advice. There is nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Alice hurriedly rattled off excuses.
"True. Well, I told you to rest as much as you want, so whatever you do is your business."
Whew.
She let out a small sigh of relief.
In Alice's mind, the elaborate strategy from yesterday was already flashing by.
—Unni, you like Jinhyuk, don't you?
Yu Yeon-hwa had dropped that bombshell with a sly smirk.
Naturally, Alice had denied it immediately, but there was no escaping the sharp eyes of Yu Yeon-hwa, who was thoroughly well-versed in the ways of modern romance.
Alice only knew about family, honor, fighting, and tug-of-wars of pride.
When it came to romantic feelings, she was the ultimate newbie.
—Don't be like that. Just listen to me. I'll tell you how to break through his iron wall.
—She's right. If you want to make a good impression on Jinhyuk, it's better to use a more proactive approach.
Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min.
The two continued to offer their advice.
They detailed exactly how to capture someone's heart, explaining in depth why they had booked an escape room with a 'horror' theme.
And that suggestion...
...sounded quite plausible to Alice.
—Pretend to be as scared as possible. You're incredibly strong, Unni, so don't go smashing everything to pieces when a ghost pops out.
—It's a classic tactic, but the basics are always the most important. Since you don't seem to know even this much, Alice Nuna.
Alice had diligently written down all the details in her notepad.
Yes.
The plan was perfect.
She was currently armed with a fragile, delicate image, a far cry from her usual self.
She had even adorned herself with an heirloom ornament passed down through generations of the Ataraxia family and completed a crash course via various popular ViewTube channels.
But.
She had prepared so hard!
"..."
Standing next to Jinhyuk was a blue-haired girl.
It was that homunculus named Frey, or whatever, whom she had met at the Dunes of the Sun.
"What is this thing doing here?"
"Huh? What do you mean 'what'? You know her. Fre—"
"I know who she is!"
Alice clenched her fists.
Her silver hair bristled.
"W-why are you getting so angry?"
"I thought I was going to spend time with just the two of us!"
Ah. Just the two of us?
Was that the key point?
Only now did Jinhyuk understand why Alice was angry.
True, the portion of the 'Monster Bingsu' we're going to eat later is a bit small to share among multiple people.
They said it's incredibly delicious and limited to fifty bowls a day.
It makes sense she'd want it all to herself.
Nod, nod.
Jinhyuk nodded in understanding.
And at that sight...
Snap.
A thread snapped inside Alice's head.
"You idiot!"
Alice's fist swung through the empty air.
* * *
[The Cabin Where the Moon Vanished]
It was a theme with a 5-star difficulty and a 5-star horror rating.
With rooms scarier than horror movies and missions requiring teamwork, a rumor had spread that any couple with mutual feelings who entered together would surely end up dating.
That was why Yu Yeon-hwa had highly recommended it.
'Okay. Calm down. It's not over yet.'
Alice composed her breathing.
She had already memorized all the traps and hidden passages in this room.
She hadn't spent the entirety of yesterday mapping out the route beforehand for nothing.
A gloomy room covered in cobwebs.
Creeeeak...
A bizarre sound pierced their eardrums.
The atmosphere grew chillingly heavy, as if a madman wielding a chainsaw might burst into the cabin at any moment.
"C-Contractor..."
Alice tugged tightly on Jinhyuk's sleeve with an awkward tone and expression.
"I... find this place frightening."
Wide, vulnerable eyes and a thoroughly curled-up posture were the key points.
However...
"Stop lying. You wouldn't even bat an eye if an entire tribe of ogres showed up, so what are you scared of? Ah, unless a dragon egg or some deity manifested here, then maybe. Actually, even then, they'd probably take one look at you and run."
"Hey."
"Yeah...?"
"...Do you want to die?"
The words slipped out against her intentions.
There were a few more key moments after that, but none yielded any significant results.
Instead, her stomach churned repeatedly because of Frey, who walked around with an expressionless face.
"No, Frey, that's not how you do it. Look here. It means you have to turn the lock to the left three times."
"Lock... three times. Okay, I understand."
Jinhyuk stayed close to Frey, explaining things step-by-step.
Seeing their hands occasionally brush against each other, a thick vein popped on Alice's forehead.
"I... I do not know how to solve this either. Do I turn this to the left as well?"
Alice struggled, twisting a circular padlock back and forth.
But Jinhyuk, busy explaining things to Frey, didn't pay the slightest attention to Alice's request.
"Contractor! I am asking you a question!"
"Try turning that to the left too. Or just try the opposite direction."
"L-left three times..."
"Frey, that's a different kind of lock. Remember what the manager said? Look, first you unlock it, and then like this..."
"To... the... left... three... ti... mes..."
Crunch!
Snap!
The iron padlock began to crumple like a piece of paper.
"Left three times, my ass!"
At the same time.
Ruuuumble!
Thick droplets of blood gathered around Alice.
"A-Alice? Are you crazy? What's wrong with you all of a sudden? You're the one who kept begging to come here."
"I don't care anymore. I don't care about any of this. Just..."
An unimaginable amount of mana swallowed the entire escape room cafe.
"Die, you idiot!"
BOOM!
Soon after, massive flames erupted throughout the entire building.