Chapter 379: A Perfect Victory (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 379: A Perfect Victory (1)
Wrooooom!
[The 5-Star Barrier 'Cliff of Mirage' has been activated!]
Instead of cutting his throat with a blade, Jinhyuk erected a barrier that distorted vision around them.
"W-what is the meaning of this?"
Sloth could not hide his bewilderment at the unexpected turn of events.
"Just stay still. I'm trying to have a quick chat."
"A chat? Between you and me?"
"Our relationship might be like this now, but who's to say it can't improve in the future?" Jinhyuk shrugged.
"What is it you want to say?"
"I know your loyalty to Guntaper doesn't come from the bottom of your heart. You had no choice. You were forced into a contract of subjugation."
"..."
Sloth shut his mouth tight.
As expected, Jinhyuk had hit the nail on the head.
"What you want is to escape those shackles and rest in peace forever, isn't it? A life where you aren't bound to anyone and don't have to do anything. If you make a backroom deal with me, I can guarantee that."
This was bound to work. Since Sloth desired rest above all else, he had no choice but to take the bait.
"Is that even possible? The opponent is one of the Demon Kings of the Demon World."
"You've faced me yourself, so you should know, right? That I'm capable of defeating even a Demon King."
"Absurd. To think a mere mortal would speak of battling an immortal..."
Normally, it wouldn't even be worth listening to. Even bluffing had its limits. But...
"...It's not like I have any other choice anyway."
Die or believe. If those were the only two options, the answer was already decided.
Whoosh!
Jinhyuk activated 'Brand of the Flame Soul'. A brilliant flame erupted from his fingertips, forging a new contract of subjugation engraved upon Sloth's soul.
"As you know, I cannot defy Guntaper. This means I cannot take your side if you fight the Demon King in the future."
"I know. A contract made with a high-ranking deity would carry far stricter constraints. What I want is inside information. How he moves, what plans he has... Let me know immediately if there's any new news."
"If it's just that, I can manage."
"The same goes for the remaining Seven Deadly Sins. Especially anything regarding 'Envy'—hand over every single detail."
Although the other six Deadly Sins residing on the upper floors had not entered into contracts of subjugation with Guntaper like Sloth had, they had established cooperative relationships based on mutual interests. This meant they were all obstacles that had to be eliminated.
Among them, Envy, who possessed the most troublesome ability, was the primary target to watch out for. That entity was far trickier to deal with than most heroes, let alone deities.
"Understood. I shall do so."
With Sloth's nod, the Cult of Specters declared their surrender.
With this... one of the giant factions of the 20th floor had fallen.
At the same time, system messages announcing a new beginning appeared.
[A new giant faction has emerged on the 20th floor!]
[The clear conditions have been met!]
* * *
The upper floors of the Tower, in a place known as the Hill of Storms.
Torches flared up all at once inside a cavern lined with massive statues of the Dragon Race.
Whoosh!
As the darkness receded, a small goblin began walking down the passage.
"Things are turning out to be far more interesting than I anticipated. I never expected they wouldn't even be able to breach the outer walls of the citadel," Hastings muttered to himself.
Then, as if waiting for this moment, a new voice chimed in from the shadows.
"Indeed. Honestly, I thought those winged bastards would do better than that, but they were blocked all too cleanly."
A figure with short hair wearing a short dress stepped forward. The First Dragon, Tamia. She was the absolute ruler who led the Red Dragon Clan.
"For Kizakiel, who is currently being hunted, it must have felt like fighting with a shackle around one ankle," Exencion, one of the vampire lords, added.
"Hehe. Still, we gained a lot. We were able to catch a glimpse of the opponent's strength and defensive tactics beforehand. They were highly useful pawns to use as a test."
Step.
With those words, Hastings stopped walking.
"We have arrived."
"Is this the place you insisted we see?"
"Yes. Now, take a look."
Hastings pointed toward one end of the cavern. Where the statues ended lay a massive, ominous-looking white bone.
[Bone of the Ancient Dragon '???']
"This is..."
Exencion's eyes narrowed.
Even though vampires had little to do with dragons, as a lord, there was no way he didn't know about Ancient Dragons. They were among the strongest living creatures in the Tower. After all, the Ancient Dragons were a race capable of posing a threat even to the beings on the 50th floor.
"My, my, Mr. Administrator. I wondered why you called us all the way to this remote corner, and it turns out you were hiding something like this? Ho. Judging by the skeletal structure and the lingering trace of mana, it looks like a descendant of the Destruction Dragon."
Tamia also examined the bone with intrigued eyes.
"As expected, Lady Tamia recognizes it immediately."
"Of course I do. Let's see... Destia. Yes, it's that fellow's kin."
"Isn't Destia the dragon residing on the 48th floor?"
"That's right. A former member of our clan who curried favor with the higher-ups through dirty tricks. That's how she got the undeserved title of Destruction Dragon."
Tamia smacked her lips bitterly, reflecting on the past.
A title that only Ancient Dragons could obtain. While not comparable to the Void Dragon, which was the most anomalous and rule-breaking entity, the Destruction Dragon was still a monster residing on the highest floors of the Tower.
And now, one of the corpses of an Ancient Dragon that carried the blood of such a monster... had fallen into their hands.
"This is getting really interesting. So, Mr. Administrator, what do you plan to do with this corpse?"
"There are plenty of ways to utilize it."
The corners of Hastings's mouth curled upward.
Using the meticulously gathered data and this ultimate byproduct, he had to kill that damn player this time without fail and regain the trust of the 50th floor. That was the only way he, as a High Manager, could maintain the balance of the Tower.
* * *
Clearing the 20th floor.
By defeating the largest faction, Jinhyuk had conquered yet another floor.
In particular, as the betrayal of the allied raid leader, Payden, and the exploits of the Veteran Corporation—who saved everyone despite the worst possible circumstances—were revealed in full detail, the world outside the Tower cheered for yet another legend.
-MintChocoPizza: As expected, Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation are as reliable as a warm bowl of soup. Burp!
-Enry's Faithful Servant No. 1: But seriously, is it for real that some guy abandoned his entire raid team just to save his own skin while recklessly pushing to clear the Tower? Was his name Payden or something?
-Ripple4600Floor: He was a pretty well-known player, so I really don't get it.
-YouAreAlreadyDead: There are so many resources inside the Tower, so he probably gambled to gain wealth and fame. Though the result turned out to be the absolute worst.
-BusyAnt: I heard that because of this incident, even the large guilds are pulling out of clearing the Tower. The damage to the rankers must have been massive.
-NoMatterHowMuchIGarlic: True, there were so many casualties. And the newly awakened players still lack experience.
-S2LillpeS2: Honestly, clearing the upper floors is practically impossible without Jinhyuk lol. T_T
Even among large guilds, there were tiers. A massive wall that could never be scaled.
By now, most viewers agreed with this fact, which naturally caused the value of the Veteran Corporation to skyrocket to the heavens.
Everything is going exactly as I wanted.
Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.
This was one of the plans he had laid out ever since he first entered the Tower of Trials: to captivate the viewers and secure an unrivaled position.
I love how I can use editing to cut out crucial scenes and manipulate things to my advantage.
With this, not only could he monopolize the coins, but he could also be proudly recognized as a major faction when conquering the upper floors.
[The 'Citadel of Giants' currently occupied by the Veteran Corporation is a medium-to-large base.]
Hmm. I need to finish upgrading it to at least a large base before heading to the 35th floor...
His current pace was by no means slow. In fact, they possessed the largest base among all the factions established in recent years. However, to ensure a more stable conquest, he needed to push himself even harder.
It was then.
"What are you doing, grinning like an idiot all by yourself?"
Alice, who was standing beside him, tilted her head. With the banquet hosted by the Empire just about to begin, Jinhyuk, who was smiling into thin air all alone, looked bizarre to her.
"It's nothing. I'm just in a good mood."
"Hmph. Is it because of my dress, by any chance? Well? How is it? Do I look okay?"
Alice spun around on the spot as if showing off her figure.
It was a dress that perfectly preserved both extravagant and noble beauty. True to its reputation, the ancient imperial treasure, which possessed a '100% Charm' effect, shone brilliantly on its own.
Combined with the colorful, expensive jewels Alice had specially prepared for this banquet, her beauty stood out like a swan among crows.
Whisper, whisper!
Indeed, many of the surrounding nobles blushed upon seeing Alice.
Well, she might always be causing trouble, but her natural looks aren't bad.
In addition to her, Teresa, Andrea, and Frey—all the female members of the Veteran Corporation boasted outstanding beauty.
Of course, the men also drew everyone's attention. Cheon Yu-seong, who was conversing with Abraham, and Wolyeong, who possessed exotic features and still retained a boyish charm, became hot topics of conversation just by standing still. Not to mention the Soul-Chasing Shadow and the Dark Emperor.
"Stupid contractor! I asked if it was because of my dress!"
Alice shouted when Jinhyuk didn't respond. However, Jinhyuk's attention had already drifted far away.
"..."
Amidst the massive crowd, an anomalous energy was mixed in. It was so faint that he had almost missed it, but it was undoubtedly a presence he recognized.
"Just stay here and eat some cake for a bit."
"Don't give me that cake nonsense! Look at me properly!"
"Here, there's even your favorite strawberry cake. Take it."
"Strawberry my a—Mmph! Mmph!"
A large slice of cake was stuffed whole into Alice's mouth.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jinhyuk slipped through the crowd and walked toward the terrace of the grand banquet hall.
It was a quiet place bathed in moonlight. It felt as though he had stepped into a world completely severed from the noisy interior. And standing there were two men of vastly different builds.
"You should be busy running away right about now, so how did you get all the way here? And don't give me some ridiculous excuse about coming to enjoy the banquet," Jinhyuk spoke first.
"Ho. I thought I hid my presence pretty well, but you caught on this quickly?"
"It's probably because your disguise is too sloppy. Still, it's true that he's quick-witted. As expected of the player everyone is dying to recruit."
A massive, muscular build contrasted with a slender figure. Although the outer shells they wore were different, they couldn't hide the core inside.
Thor and Loki.
The Norse deities belonging to Ragnarok had come to the Empire.
To be precise...
They must be here to see me.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed. He could guess their reason for coming, but... arriving at this exact timing meant there had to be some other underlying reason.
"It looks like it's going to be a long night."