Chapter 383: Spring Water of the Sun (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 383: Spring Water of the Sun (3)
The 23rd floor of the Tower of Trials.
This floor, under the protection of the Empire, was considered quite peaceful even among the Tower's first 50 floors.
This was because the Empire's knight orders had already cleared a significant number of its dungeons and labyrinths.
However, there were still places that even the Imperial Knights could not touch. One of them was the 'Valley of Eternity,' where the 'Spring of the Sun' flowed.
It was a massive area spanning approximately 300 kilometers.
Home to seven lakes, it was a vast ecosystem inhabited by countless monsters.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this valley a labyrinth in itself.
Jinhyuk carefully scanned his surroundings.
"Grrr..."
"Grara!"
He could see a herd of Black Boars, boasting three-meter-long tusks, moving together.
Extremely aggressive and prone to herding, they were an incredibly troublesome species to hunt.
"Are we just going to pass them by?"
Cheon Yu-seong toyed with the hilt of his sword.
Seriously, this guy seemed unable to satisfy his temper unless he cut down everything in his path.
To think a guy like this wanted to be a doctor who saved lives... Tsk.
"For some reason, I don't like the look in your eyes. Are you cursing me in your head?"
"W-what are you talking about? I was just thinking how reassuring it is to have such a reliable companion, and that I don't have to worry about this raid at all."
Jinhyuk subtly averted his gaze.
"Your pupils are trembling slightly, and you're looking down at a ten-degree angle to the left. That's your tell when you lie. You did exactly that 293 times when you streamed as Colonel Teemo."
"Are you some kind of stalker? Why do you even know that?"
"What an entertaining duo. There's never a dull moment with the two of you."
The Eagle Owl chuckled softly, finding the situation highly amusing.
Jinhyuk had introduced the Eagle Owl to Cheon Yu-seong as a veteran player he used to know, rather than an Administrator.
As a result, Cheon Yu-seong accepted the Eagle Owl's presence without any fuss.
To be precise, his attitude was that he didn't care who it was, as long as they didn't interfere with his business.
What on earth is his motive for coming here?
Even as Jinhyuk moved cautiously through the underbrush, he kept a close eye on the Eagle Owl's movements.
Administrators were beings capable of things players couldn't even begin to imagine.
In other words, they were transcendent entities that surpassed even the gods.
And yet, there was something even monsters like them couldn't resolve on their own.
I'll have to subtly probe him before we tackle the labyrinth.
For now, it was best to focus on what could be done immediately.
* * *
They walked and walked, passing the herd of Black Boars and avoiding countless man-eating plants and insects.
The place they finally arrived at was a massive valley.
Rumble! Crash!
As the roaring waterfall drowned out all other sounds, they were finally able to catch their breath.
"...Are you saying there's a hidden passage to the labyrinth inside this valley?"
"Yeah. I have a rough idea of the location. The key is the real problem, though..."
Jinhyuk's gaze drifted down to the water.
Plump crustaceans were moving energetically in the water.
Armored Shrimp.
A specialty of the Tower of Trials that mainly inhabited valleys, they were famous for their delicious taste.
The ones on the 23rd floor were exceptionally large. Out of the tens of thousands here, only one possessed the claw that allowed entry into the labyrinth.
"It's like finding a needle in a haystack. At this rate, it'll take months."
Cheon Yu-seong frowned.
How on earth were they supposed to pick out the real one from this massive swarm?
He wasn't wrong.
He wasn't wrong, but...
there was no need to search so mindlessly.
"There should be some colorful fruits around here. Look. See those growing along the rocks over there?"
Thousand Apples.
It was a fruit with an incredibly hard shell.
"Are you telling me to go fishing with those fruits?"
"They're the Armored Shrimps' absolute favorite food. However, the shrimp that serves as the key lives forever without needing to eat, so it won't show any interest in the fruit."
The goal was to use the bait to filter out the one individual that ignored it.
"Looking for the one that doesn't react... That doesn't sound easy either, but I suppose it's better than having no clues at all."
"Exactly. Let's see... I'll need you to gather about thirty of them. That should be enough."
"Understood. I'll be right back."
Cheon Yu-seong moved out without another word.
With Cheon Yu-seong gone, only Jinhyuk and the Eagle Owl remained.
As Jinhyuk set up a trap made of wooden branches, he casually broached the subject.
"What is it that you absolutely have to check? Was a new hidden piece added to the labyrinth?"
"You're asking rather bluntly."
"I figured this would be my only chance. Besides, I let you join the raid, so you can at least tell me this much, right?"
"...It's to verify a possibility."
"A possibility?"
"Yes."
The Eagle Owl replied in a heavy tone.
"A troublesome bastard has emerged. The kind that even we cannot control. Three Administrators have already lost their lives to him. And there may be even more victims in the future."
"...!?"
To think the Eagle Owl, who had always played a confident and mischievous role on his broadcasts, would show such a side.
Sae Yeong Eon Hwan had also warned him about the changes at the top of the Tower.
That it would be vastly different from the place he once knew.
Something... something highly unusual was definitely happening.
"It's a bit surprising to hear that Administrators can die. I thought you guys could eliminate any variable with just a flick of your finger."
"While it's true we occupy a transcendent position, we cannot defy the system and the laws of causality. In fact, even being here with you right now is pushing our limits."
"Just who on earth is this guy? Surely he's not stronger than Azathoth or Shub-Niggurath?"
No matter how absurd things were, he couldn't possibly be stronger than those ridiculously overpowered Outer Gods.
Surely... that couldn't be.
"I cannot tell you that. Even if I did, it would be meaningless. We simply want to see. Your potential... and whether you can win in a confrontation with 'that man.' We came here to verify that possibility."
With those words, the Eagle Owl fell silent.
As if drawing a line to indicate that was the limit of the information he could share.
Though Jinhyuk still had many questions, he had managed to glean a few things.
This won't be an ordinary raid.
Undoubtedly, there was a high probability that the Eagle Owl and the other Administrators had drastically raised the difficulty of this labyrinth.
By presenting him with unprecedented challenges, they wanted to see how he would solve them, and test his adaptability and situational judgment.
To test all of that, adjusting the difficulty was an absolute prerequisite.
...This is going to be fun.
If it were just a matter of climbing to the top of the Tower again, the motivation would have been a bit lacking.
This wasn't some cliché about an incomparable wall existing between achievements in a game versus reality.
For a veteran, newly added content was a far greater stimulant than any material reward.
And if it was something that surpassed even the Administrators who designed this Tower...
his excitement could only soar.
Right then.
"I brought them all."
Cheon Yu-seong, who had gone to gather the fruits, returned.
The fruits piled high in his arms easily numbered over thirty.
"Great. Shall we get started?"
Jinhyuk picked up a Thousand Apple.
He made a cross-shaped incision exactly 3.6 centimeters below the center, then submerged it in the valley water.
This was the method to make the juice spread as quickly as possible.
Scurry!
Catching the scent of the fruit, the Armored Shrimps swarmed into the trap.
"We just need to keep repeating this."
"The reaction is better than I expected. You said getting the key to the labyrinth was difficult. Were you just exaggerating?"
Not at all.
While it's true this fruit was highly effective, the problem was...
the sweetness of the fruit didn't just attract the Armored Shrimps.
"The real show starts now."
At that exact moment,
Boom!
The entire valley shook.
Crash! Rumble!
The water in the deep section churned violently, and a massive tentacle burst forth.
A giant octopus, spanning over ten meters, began to thrash wildly.
Crash!
In an instant, a black tentacle tore the spot where the three had been standing to shreds.
"Damn it!"
Cheon Yu-seong immediately drew his sword.
Characters unique to Murim faintly glowed along the blade.
Is that...?
Jinhyuk had wondered where he'd left his Plum-Blossom Sword and what new weapon he'd brought, and it turned out he had obtained that demonic sword.
[The Demonic Sword 'Ryuhwa' awakens!]
It was the sword once used by the Soul-Chasing Shadow.
To be precise, it was a weapon that had been kept in storage due to its overwhelming demonic energy, but Cheon Yu-seong must have tamed it.
I was planning to use that as bait for him later. Even if he's a genius, to think he's already mastered it completely...
It was downright absurd to see him casually pocketing a divine weapon ranked among the top five in all of Murim.
"I'll handle the octopus! You keep setting up the traps!"
"Don't push yourself too hard. Its defense is beyond imagination."
"Ha! Are you worrying about me right now?"
Cheon Yu-seong wore a confident smirk.
The demonic energy residing within Ryuhwa not only bypassed defense but also possessed a special ability to continuously worsen wounds.
These effects were powerful enough to more than compensate for the drawback of potential demonic corruption.
However,
Boom!
"Ugh!"
As Cheon Yu-seong attempted to slice through the octopus's tentacle, he realized something was wrong.
"What is the meaning of this...?"
"That's why I told you not to push yourself."
Normally, a single strike from Ryuhwa would have easily severed that thick tentacle.
Even without sword aura, the sword itself possessed ridiculously overpowered stats.
They really jacked up the difficulty to an insane degree.
He hadn't expected this raid to be easy, but...
this raid was going to be damn hard in more ways than one.
* * *
The point where the territories of two factions overlapped.
The 44th floor was a floor managed by 'Eden,' a giant faction of the upper floors.
And stepping into this place, which was called a Sanctuary and avoided by everyone, was...
a clan with silver hair and crimson eyes.
"We have arrived, Lord."
Bellus pointed toward the entrance lined with pure white castle walls.
"This place is just ridiculously huge and grandiose. Why on earth did they waste so much money on this?"
Alice grumbled, looking around.
"This is completely insane. Everyone has lost their minds. Eden is hostile to vampires, so why did I align myself with the wrong side and end up here...? And with only three of us, in the enemy's stronghold... Sigh..."
Ophelia muttered, completely resigned to her fate.
"Please, quiet down, Ophelia. What's there to be afraid of from those winged idiots? In the past, they couldn't even look me in the eye."
"Sigh. That was back when you held the position of the head of the Ataraxia family, Lord. Right now, we are in actual danger..."
"Honestly, the Decasus Bloodline is always so cowardly. More importantly, isn't it 6 o'clock already? Why is this guy breaking our appointment time as he pleases..."
Right then,
"I apologize for the delay, Lady Alice."
An angel with beautiful wings appeared in front of the castle wall.
He had a gentle impression and long blonde hair.
He was a man with a smile that naturally made anyone who looked at him feel at ease.
"Where did Gabriel go, and why are... you... Ah, all angels look exactly the same, so I can't tell you apart. What was your name again?"
"I am Hatoel. Gabriel is waiting inside."
"Inside? Wasn't the meeting supposed to take place at the border?"
Bellus immediately protested.
"I apologize, but the situation has become a bit complicated. If you wish to meet Gabriel, you must enter inside yourself."
However,
"The rest of you must wait here. As I said, the situation inside has become rather complicated."
Only Alice was allowed to enter.
"That's absurd!"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Bellus and Ophelia shouted at the same time.
No matter how formal the meeting was, a dark-attribute faction could not simply enter the territory of a holy-attribute faction.
Especially not alone.
"..."
Alice's face also stiffened.
"You must decide now. What will you do?"