Chapter 375: Black Hill Tribe 'Tarachen' (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 375: Black Hill Tribe 'Tarachen' (3)
A tent made of skinned monster hides.
Inside, a meeting that would decide the fate of several races had begun.
"...So, your way of protecting the temple is for us to form an alliance and launch a preemptive strike?"
"Yeah. They do say the best defense is a good offense."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly, as if asking why he was questioning something so obvious.
At that innocent smile, Tarachen burst into roaring laughter.
"Bwahahaha! You've completely lost your mind. You want us to be the ones to break the balance we've tightly maintained for decades?"
"Exactly. If nothing has been resolved for decades in the first place, didn't it ever occur to you that the way you've been doing things all this time was wrong?"
It was a situation where they couldn't start an all-out war because they were keeping each other in check, nor could they form an alliance to wipe out one side.
Even in the ancient Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the reason Wei, Shu, and Wu—despite their severe imbalances in power—remained unresolved for so long was because of how sharply their various interests were intertwined.
'Besides, the Great Wing, where the Cult of Specters resides, doesn't even care about becoming the largest faction.'
Therefore, to untangle this knotted deadlock, a more unconventional method was needed. Specifically, by utilizing the variable known as Players.
"...Hmm."
Was he brave, ignorant, or just incredibly reckless? Tarachen couldn't fathom Jinhyuk's true intentions at all.
One thing was certain: the human in front of him wasn't the type to just spout nonsense. Not when Caracal, the chieftain of the Frostblade Tribe, placed such deep trust in him.
"I assume you're not just telling us to charge blindly. You must have some secret plan in mind, right?"
As if he had been waiting for this, Jinhyuk pulled out an item.
"A game with no chance of winning isn't my style."
Naturally, he had prepared at least one trump card.
Whoosh!
A torch glowing with a blue light.
This was the very item that could exploit the weaknesses of every faction—the Blue Torch.
"That is..."
Tarachen's eyes shook with shock.
He had heard of it. An artifact that existed on the 20th floor, but was only spoken of in legends. He had never seen it in person.
That distinct magical energy—there was no mistake. But...
How on earth did a Player who had just entered this floor obtain a torch that no one had been able to find for decades?
'The more I look at him, the harder he is to believe.'
Tarachen clicked his tongue inwardly.
At this point, it went beyond absurdity to the point of inspiring a strange sense of trust. Perhaps this guy really could bring an end to this long-standing deadlock.
"Certainly, it's not bad. With this, it's not a complete gamble."
His hesitation didn't last long.
When presented with such an attractive bait, he had no choice but to bite, regardless of the outcome. Especially since they had the solid backing of the Frostblade Tribe, and Cheon Yu-seong, who came with Jinhyuk, was also unimaginably strong.
"Can I take that as an agreement?"
"Yes. We will join you. We might as well take this opportunity to bring the 20th floor completely under our control."
"Great. Then, could I personally ask for one more favor?"
"A favor?"
"As you can see, I have a lot on my plate, so I'm a bit short-handed."
"Speak. If it's something I can grant, I will."
"There's a hidden ruin on the 19th floor. I'll give you the location and the way to enter, so all you have to do is find a single sheet of paper inside."
A portion of the Book of the Prophet written by the goddess Frigg lay dormant inside those ruins.
Even if he had all the contents memorized, he would still need physical proof. Considering his future relations with the Norse deities, he had to get his hands on every single page of the Book of the Prophet.
'Since that sly old man Odin won't easily be wiped out by Olympus.'
Even if Ragnarok seemed to be unilaterally pushed back in the war that had broken out, they would manage to flee while preserving their core forces. This was because Heimdall, who possessed an AoE movement skill, was superior to Olympus's Hermes in many aspects.
"...Understood. As a token of our alliance, I can do that much."
Tarachen nodded.
With that, the alliance between the Veteran Corporation and the Black Hill Tribe was officially formed.
* * *
A place lined with red, oxidized iron and gruesome torture devices.
The headquarters of the Cult of Specters looked as if hell itself had been transplanted there.
"Aaaargh!"
"Aaaah!"
In the deepest depths of the cult, punctuated by the screams of all kinds of monsters and residents, sat Sloth, the leader of the Cult of Specters.
To be precise, he was just about to finish a torture session that had been going on for quite some time.
"...Yes. Indeed, so that was the plan. What you told me about the Saintess's characteristics was also very helpful. It was a truly informative conversation."
"Ugh... Y-yes. I've told you everything I know, so please, no more... please stop."
Payden begged for his life.
The confident raid leader he once was was nowhere to be seen; only a prisoner physically and mentally devastated by brutal torture remained.
"Does this mean you have nothing more to tell me?"
"I've... t-told you everything I know."
"Is that so? You worked hard to open your mouth."
Sloth firmly gripped a hammer and nails dripping with blood.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
"Hieeeek! N-no! Noooo...!"
Payden writhed with all his might.
But no matter how much he struggled, nothing changed.
"Do not worry too much. Soon, you will be able to live again as a servant of the Seven Deadly Sins."
Since his body was quite decent, once the surgery was complete, he would make a highly useful soldier—one capable of wielding power equal to or greater than a Blood Knight, a superior existence to a Death Knight.
But right then—
Crash!
An undead monster with two heads kicked open the iron door and burst in.
"I believe I clearly... told you not to disturb me during the surgery?"
"My apologies. But, Cult Leader! Enemies have appeared outside the temple."
"What?"
Sloth's brow furrowed.
Enemies?
Who on earth was crazy enough to dare come to the heart of the cult?
"Tarachen of the Black Hill Tribe... has personally led a massive army here!"
Tarachen.
The leader of one of the three great factions dividing the 20th floor, and a highly aggressive warrior.
"That foolish Orc doesn't know his place. Just because we are on the same floor, he thinks he is on my level."
The Seven Deadly Sins were originally residents of the upper floors. They were not in a position that a mere mid-floor boss monster could dare look up to.
It was already absurd enough that he was stuck here because of Guntaper's orders, but having these worthless Orcs—whom he had left alone only to avoid unnecessary trouble—picking a fight made his irritation soar.
'I just want to rest.'
Doing absolutely nothing. He wanted to lie down forever and enjoy eternal peace. That was his only wish, and his sole purpose in life.
However, due to his 'Covenant of Subjugation' with Guntaper, that dream had to be put on hold for a while.
'It's fine. It's fine. Once this matter is wrapped up, I will finally be able to achieve that dream.'
It wasn't far off now. Wearing a false mask and overworking his body would only last for now.
"How should we respond?"
"Do you have to ask me about every little thing? If the enemy is here, shouldn't you just wipe them out immediately?!"
"I-I will gather the believers right away."
The undead monster reporting bowed its head immediately at Sloth's outburst.
"...There's a damn mountain of things to do. I need to rest a bit once the surgery is over. If I just grab some magic crystals from my private lab..."
Sloth turned around with an annoyed expression to look for the tools needed to modify Payden.
Rumble!
Soon, as the ominous energy departed, a brief moment of peace returned to the torture chamber.
"Ugh... uuuugh... I-I have to escape. Hurry. Fast. I need to... undo these handcuffs first."
Payden, who had barely survived, trembled weakly. He had to use this brief opening to escape this hell by any means necessary.
Clink, clink!
He moved the chains with his trembling limbs.
"Well, look at that. You're still alive?"
A strange voice cut in right then.
Before Payden knew it, Jinhyuk was crouching in front of him, smiling brightly.
"Y-you!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down. What if that terrifying Cult Leader comes back?"
"Is this the insect who abandoned all his comrades and ran away just to save his own skin?"
"Yes. If he had held out until the end, far more people would have survived."
Cheon Yu-seong and Teresa each added their own remarks.
"T-that was..."
Their words pierced his heart like daggers. However, the instinct to survive came before shame or guilt.
"First... please get me out of here. After that, I'll go to prison, take my punishment, or do whatever you want..."
"Hmm. Get you out, huh?"
Jinhyuk scratched his chin.
"Hurry...! There's not much time before he returns."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
"What?"
"If you were just regular trash, I would have given you a chance to be recycled."
But he had learned that food waste isn't even recycled. The only answer was to burn it to ashes.
Still, on the bright side, he could play an excellent role as bait.
Jinhyuk concentrated mana at his fingertips.
Hummmm!
Blood droplets the size of Go stones fiercely spun in a clockwise direction.
"W-what is this?"
"It's black raspberry juice. It's good for your health. Very good."
The smile on Jinhyuk's face grew even wider.
It was the trademark skill of Amuram, who used to lead the Decasus Family: 'Blood Explosion'.
The blood droplets, enveloped in a barrier with a 'Stealth' effect, flew toward Payden's body.
"Hieeeek! W-what is this? What on earth did you do to my body?!"
"It's a sort of time bomb. If you reveal that we were here or show any hostile behavior, it will detonate instantly."
When he would die was up to Jinhyuk. So, if he wanted to survive even a second longer, he had better play along.
"Let's get moving."
"Right. We must hurry to make use of the time Tarachen bought us."
"If we go out through the left passage, it connects directly."
The three of them stood up. Not a shred of sympathy could be felt from their expressions.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! So please... pleeease!"
Only Payden's desperate screams echoed through the empty space.
* * *
Slash!
"Kuh... ugh?"
With a single slash, a long stream of blood spurted from a cultist's neck.
It was a sword strike that could only be described as clean.
Cheon Yu-seong flicked the blood off his blade.
"What did you say we were looking for?"
"The Holy Grail of the Antichrist. Look for something that looks like a dented red goblet. I told you just an hour ago, did you already forget?"
"..."
Shring!
The blade gleamed with a sharp aura.
"Of course! You could totally forget. Our Sword Saint is a busy man, how could he remember every little detail? But since I've told you again, you can't forget this time. Got it?"
Jinhyuk nodded hastily.
But right then—
"Jinhyuk! Look over there!"
Teresa, who had been diligently searching one side of the room, cried out.