Chapter 381: Spring Water of the Sun (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 381: Spring Water of the Sun (1)
Floors 21 through 29 of the Tower of Trials were territories ruled by two massive factions.
The Empire and Moorim.
This meant only players who had been granted passage by both factions could cross these floors to reach the 30th floor.
And of course...
Jinhyuk and the players of the Veteran Corporation were exempt from this restriction, allowing them to freely traverse those floors.
Currently, in a secret underground bunker in Washington, D.C., players belonging to the Titan Guild had gathered.
"Phew..."
"Hmm..."
Heavy sighs echoed throughout the conference room.
Leaning back in a plush chair was a well-built man with long, slicked-back blonde hair.
This was Snyder, an S-rank ranker and the leader of the Titan Guild's Tower Raid Team.
On the screens, other rankers were visible, including those from the Olympus Guild—whose reputation had taken a massive hit during the 20th-floor raid—as well as Japan's 'Samurai' and China's newly formed guild, 'Celestial Soul'.
They had all gathered to discuss a matter of grave importance.
Snyder broke the heavy silence.
"In the end, if we want to smoothly climb through the 20th floors, we need Player Kang Jinhyuk's permission."
Indeed.
Each guild wanted to monopolize the Tower's various resources and countless hidden opportunities.
And they wanted to do it faster than anyone else.
However, they had been forced to abandon that dream because of the massive force that was the Veteran Corporation.
In that case...
The next best option was to align with them and aim for the number two spot.
"It won't be easy to persuade him with ordinary offers. The authority to access the upper floors is so valuable that even offering billions would be a losing deal for him."
"True. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't share it either. Anyone with half a brain would do the same."
Monopolizing information was the golden rule.
There was no way Kang Jinhyuk, of all people, was unaware of this.
"Then how about recognizing the Veteran Corporation as an equal entity on a national level?"
Extraterritoriality and complete autonomy.
In short, they would treat him with the same respect and authority as a head of state.
Thanks to their immense capital and lobbying power, the Seven Great Guilds already enjoyed such privileges. However, Jinhyuk had never cared about power struggles outside the Tower, so he hadn't paid these matters the slightest bit of attention.
"That does sound rather appealing."
"After all, he can't stay inside the Tower forever."
Everyone nodded, agreeing it was a solid proposal.
Even if one fought in the Tower, they still had to return to reality and maintain a life on the outside.
Though it was like counting chickens before they hatched, there might come a day in the distant future when every single floor of the Tower was cleared.
Considering that possibility, the terms the Seven Great Guilds were offering now were by no means trivial.
It meant a single individual would wield the power of an entire nation.
"What a joke!"
Before the speaker could even finish, someone rudely interrupted.
Anger and jealousy practically dripped from her rigid expression.
It was Nirasha, the master of the Gandhara Guild.
She was an Indian ranker who had abandoned everything to grind and grow stronger after suffering a crushing defeat at Jinhyuk's hands in the Empire.
"It seems Nirasha isn't too pleased with this."
"Of course not! Everyone is treating that piece of trash like he's some sort of god, but that bastard is a complete fraud! Why should we play nice with a guy who only knows how to stab people in the back? If you don't want to get stabbed in the back yourselves, you'd better mark my words."
Nirasha was usually so calm and cold that she was nicknamed the 'Ice Witch'.
Yet here she was, so worked up that she had completely abandoned her usual polite demeanor.
She clearly harbored a massive grudge.
"I heard the Indian side lost a lot of rankers, and it seems the rumors were true."
Yang Qian, representing Celestial Soul, clicked his tongue.
"Ruining a great cause over personal feelings is foolish. How many times has Player Kang Jinhyuk saved us from disaster? He isn't a competitor; he's our benefactor. He is a hero who has shown us a kindness so immense we couldn't repay it in a lifetime."
Takeshi, the false prophet of the Samurai Guild, also spoke up in Jinhyuk's defense.
In fact, the primary reason this meeting had been called in the first place was because of Takeshi's future sight.
"In the future I saw, Player Kang Jinhyuk is absolutely essential."
For the future of humanity.
If we had to choose just one person, it must be Jinhyuk.
Takeshi took a firm stance on behalf of the Samurai Guild.
"You are all correct," Snyder said. "Just because your guild feels slighted doesn't mean we can sacrifice the collective interest. We will proceed with contacting Player Kang Jinhyuk as planned."
"Just you wait. You will absolutely regret this decision."
Nirasha let out a cold, sneering laugh.
"Regret? Are you saying that siding with you is the only way to avoid regret?"
Snyder scoffed, dumbfounded.
"Well, we'll see about that soon enough. We'll see who backed the wrong horse."
'Apostle of Balance.'
'Cheonse'—the grand assembly of Hinduism and the Vedas, formed by the gathering of India's supreme deities, including Shiva.
And.
Nirasha was one of the apostles they had recently chosen.
"You've grown quite arrogant since being chosen by a deity," Snyder remarked. "But even without your sarcasm, we will bring this matter to a successful conclusion. We've already prepared a trump card of our own."
At his words, everyone's gaze shifted to a corner of the room.
A corner of the conference room.
A figure exuding a peculiar aura sat quietly in the shadows.
If by some chance...
If Jinhyuk rejected their proposal...
Then they would simply play this card.
* * *
Three days had passed since the 20th floor was cleared.
The request he had received from Ragnarok was to gather materials to protect Yggdrasil.
Among those materials, the one Jinhyuk had taken charge of was a special item called the 'Spring Water of the Sun'.
"Hmm..."
Walking along the edge of Seokchon Lake, Jinhyuk stroked his chin.
It was nice to enjoy a rare day off outside the Tower, but knowing he would soon have to venture into a troublesome place gave him plenty to think about.
‘It's been a while since I've had to stay on my toes. I'd better organize my strategy.’
The Spring Water of the Sun was located in a labyrinth on the 23rd floor of the Tower, and simply obtaining the key to enter was an absolute nightmare.
Furthermore, even if he managed to get inside, the Gate Guardian guarding the labyrinth was immune to all damage unless hit by a very specific attack pattern.
‘There's a reason Thor and Loki dumped this task on me.’
Though, to be fair, neither of them even knew the exact location of the spring in the first place.
By the way, when on earth was that idiot Cheon Yu-seong going to show up?
It had already been an hour since he said he was just going to feed some stray cats.
At this rate, I almost hoped he'd gotten eaten by those hungry cats...
But just as that thought crossed his mind—
Vroooom... Screeech.
A black Mercedes-Benz S-Class pulled up right next to Jinhyuk.
Fully armored and bulletproof, it was clearly no ordinary vehicle.
Click!
The door swung open, and a man with stylishly slicked-back blonde hair stepped out.
It was a face Jinhyuk recognized.
He had seen him on the news multiple times.
Snyder of the Titan Guild.
He was an S-rank player specializing in long-range sniping.
Smiling warmly, Snyder pulled a business card from his breast pocket.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Player Kang Jinhyuk. I am Snyder, from the American Titan Guild—"
"I saw the footage of your raid in the Bellemos Labyrinth," Jinhyuk interrupted. "Your ability to suppress boss monsters from long range is truly exceptional."
"...You watched that?"
Snyder sheepishly tucked his business card back into his pocket.
"I make it a habit to keep close tabs on the top rankers."
"I'm truly honored. I never imagined you would take an interest in me, Player Kang Jinhyuk. Haha, I can't help but feel a bit proud."
"So, what brings a major American guild all the way out here?"
"Well..."
Snyder glanced around.
Although it was early and the area wasn't crowded, there were still a few early-morning joggers passing by.
Standing around talking like this risked drawing unwanted attention.
Especially with someone as famous as Jinhyuk.
"Would you mind moving to a more private location to talk? We've booked an entire floor of a nearby hotel."
"I'll have to pass. I'm waiting for someone, so I can't leave right now."
"I see. In that case... I'll get straight to the point."
Snyder took a moment to compose his thoughts before speaking.
"We've heard that the Veteran Corporation currently holds exclusive passage rights from both the Empire and Moorim."
As expected.
Jinhyuk knew he would bring that up.
After all, it had only been a matter of time before the major guilds reached out once the 20th floor was cleared.
"If you want passage to the upper floors... you must know that a mediocre offer won't even get you a foot in the door, right?"
"Of course. We wouldn't dream of offering pocket change. If you grant us what we want, we can guarantee you a blank check, extraterritoriality, and a global visa that allows you to operate freely in any country."
Snyder added with a subtle smile,
"And if you'd like... it wouldn't be a bad idea to secure citizenship in a superpower capable of truly accommodating someone of your stature."
Whether it was one billion, ten billion, or a hundred billion dollars.
All he had to do was write down a number, and it would be paid out in cold, hard cash.
The other privileges were also extraordinary rights, far beyond what any single individual could ever hope to obtain.
They were offers so lucrative that anyone else would have jumped at them without a second thought.
But that only applied to ordinary people.
"Hmm. If it's not Coins, I have no interest in money. And since there isn't a single faction on Earth that can touch me right now, the other privileges are equally useless."
To Jinhyuk, the offers were utterly worthless.
"B-But...!"
"Let me ask you this. If I were to commit a crime in the United States... do you actually have the power to arrest me?"
It was a brief, casual question.
Yet, the weight behind it was crushing.
Even if they mobilized the entire strength of the Titan Guild, could they actually subdue the monster standing before them?
No, even if they combined the forces of every single major guild that had gathered three days ago?
...It was highly unlikely.
He couldn't say for certain what the outcome would be.
"I already know how incredible you are, Player Kang Jinhyuk. Takeshi highly recommended you as well."
But.
"But according to official records, the Veteran Corporation has barely ten members. Do you really think you can maintain your position as the dominant force with so few people?"
"You seem to be deeply mistaken about something..."
Jinhyuk chuckled.
"Our numbers are small simply because we have no need to expand them."
Elite few.
When every single member possesses the strength of hundreds or thousands, there is absolutely no reason to bloat our ranks.
"..."
Unable to refute a single word, Snyder fell silent.
The Sword Saint, Cheon Yu-seong, whom no one dared to face one-on-one; Saint Teresa, the savior of Amsterdam; and even the silver-haired ranker known as Alice.
Every single member of the Veteran Corporation was peerless.
'I didn't expect him to readily naturalize to the US, but... is there really no room for negotiation at all?'
No.
It wasn't over yet.
Had they not prepared a hidden card specifically for a situation like this?
"I guess I have no choice... I really didn't want to resort to this..."
Snyder nodded toward the Mercedes-Benz.
Then.
Click.
The door swung open, and someone stepped out.
"……!!??"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Jinhyuk's eyes.
For the person Snyder had brought along was someone who should absolutely not be here.