Chapter 385: Spring Water of the Sun (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 385: Spring Water of the Sun (5)
They looked truly bizarre.
Monsters with one arm shaped like a shield and the other like a spear surrounded them.
There were only three of them, but every single one looked formidable.
Furthermore, a new presence could be felt in the distance.
This meant that if they dragged things out, the number of enemies would only increase.
"...What are these things?"
Cheon Yu-seong took a step back, gripping Ryuhwa tightly.
It wasn't simply a matter of being strong or weak.
The eerie sense of incongruity sticking to his nerves was beyond goosebumps—it was downright terrifying.
Is this the first trial?
The Eagle Owl wouldn't help them.
In the first place, he was likely bound by the system's constraints, so he couldn't even if he wanted to.
In the end, breaking through this situation rested entirely on the two of them.
'Gluttony's Eye' pierced through the target.
[Regulus - Variant Species]
Level: 85 / ? - Original / Currently unidentifiable.
Danger Level: Unmeasurable
Special Note: Possesses inherently high physical and magic defense. However, due to an undefined energy, precise details cannot be determined.
He had expected this.
He knew they would be on a completely different level compared to the monsters in the previous labyrinths.
"Right. I should at least get a taste of what they're capable of."
Just how powerful were the things he had prepared? Why were the operators, including the Eagle Owl, so worried?
...It was time to find out.
Jinhyuk extended Barnard forward.
Crackle!
A dark red sword aura surged.
"Take them on one by one. They're not easy opponents."
"If we do that, there will be no end to it. Didn't you say we only have days to find the Spring Water of the Sun or whatever it is?"
"That's true, but..."
"I'll buy time, so you secure the path inside. I can hold out against guys of this level on my own."
"Hey! Wait..."
"Here I go!"
Without waiting for an answer, Cheon Yu-seong leaped forward.
A single strike.
A blue light swept horizontally, turning into a raging torrent.
However,
Boom!
The Regulus deflected the sword head-on.
Even though he had mixed in seven feints, it had accurately identified the real strike.
"Not bad."
Cheon Yu-seong unleashed the forms of the 'Soul-Chasing Sword'.
A fluid yet domineering sword strike followed.
This time, there were no feints; everything in sight was a materialized, genuine attack.
Dozens, hundreds of sword paths scattered in a dizzying array.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Kieeeek!"
Although it covered its body with its massive shield, Yu-seong's Ryuhwa persistently dug into the gaps.
In an instant, its entire body was drenched in blood.
Yu-seong slipped behind the Regulus to deliver the finishing blow.
It was a surprise attack from a perfect blind spot, with even his presence completely erased.
Whoosh!
The moment his sword aimed for the nape of its neck,
the Regulus's spear vanished like lightning.
A counter.
A thrust as precise as if measured with a ruler.
The spear, rushing toward a single point, penetrated the space before his protective aura could fully manifest.
Thud!
With a sickening sound of tearing flesh, Cheon Yu-seong rolled across the ground, clutching his shoulder.
"Ugh! Damn it, why is the very entrance of the labyrinth crawling with such garbage? Seriously, whenever I come with you, why does it always..."
"I told you not to let your guard down."
This guy used to be so calm and composed at first.
I have no idea how he ended up like this.
If he hadn't hung around with me, he'd probably be praised as the strongest wherever he went.
Thinking about it made him feel a bit sorry for the guy.
"Are you okay?"
"A wound like this... is nothing. If only I hadn't let my guard down..."
Like hell he was okay.
The gaping hole in his shoulder was a severe injury that made continuing the battle impossible.
Well, thanks to him, at least he got a good look at what to watch out for.
"Just drink a healing potion and rest quietly."
This time, Jinhyuk moved.
Swiftly and lightly.
Tap.
Stepping in with an off-beat rhythm, Jinhyuk swung Barnard.
Sure enough, the Regulus blocked the minor attacks with its shield again, waiting for the perfect moment to counter.
"Kroooar!"
Was this what they meant by falling for a trap even when you saw it coming?
Though he didn't even blink, the spear was already closing in on Jinhyuk's heart.
If any other top-tier ranker had received this attack, they would have been helpless.
However,
the one standing here now was no ordinary ranker.
Clang!
Neutralization.
The tip of the spear, rushing in a straight line, collided with the tip of Barnard at a single point.
Creeeak!
Cracks resembling a turtle's shell spread across the spear blade, as if declaring whose magic power was overwhelmingly superior.
"Kroo?"
"A counter is nothing once you can read the timing."
No matter how fast and fierce it was, there was no reason to fear once its trajectory and speed were seen through.
Thrust!
Barnard pierced the Regulus's neck.
Red blood erupted like a fountain.
But then,
"Kroooar!"
Despite having its vital point pierced, the Regulus did not fall.
Its red eyes flashed, and it began to go wild with even greater ferocity.
All three of them simultaneously entered a berserk state and lunged at Jinhyuk.
Does injuring one act as a trigger to make them all stronger?
Crash! Boom!
The spear completely shattered the wall behind Jinhyuk.
Each and every strike was brutally, mindlessly powerful.
Thrust!
Slash!
Barnard slashed the bodies of the Regulus again, but it still had no effect.
Whether he pierced their hearts or slit their throats,
they were like zombies, continuing their attacks as if nothing had happened.
Jinhyuk's pulse quickened.
How long had it been since he last felt this?
This tension and excitement of having to find a strategy against a troublesome enemy?
There must be a breakthrough somewhere...
Jinhyuk carefully observed the opponent's movements.
Right then,
his senses caught onto something.
A faintly connected red thread.
It was invisible to the naked eye, and could only barely be noticed by maintaining extreme concentration,
but the thread was undoubtedly connecting the three of them.
So that's what it was.
Those three shared a single pool of magic power, existing in a symbiotic relationship.
This meant that instead of cutting them down one by one, he had to slash all of them simultaneously to end this endless battle.
Of course, knowing the strategy didn't mean everything was solved.
It was no easy feat to simultaneously slash enemies who maintained perfect distance from each other while executing a combined attack formation.
However,
there was still no trace of anxiety on Jinhyuk's face.
...He had faced enemies far stronger,
heavier, and more absurd than this.
A mere level like this was...
'Heavenly Demon Divine Art'.
A chilling magic power surged.
One of the absolute beings whom even the existences of the upper floors dared not treat lightly.
The exclusive martial arts of the Heavenly Demon, known as the Scourge of Ten Thousand Demons, was unleashed.
Rumble!
Although he wasn't wearing the 'Crown of Hegemony', his magic power of over 400 allowed him to perfectly manifest the ultimate techniques of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
"Let's see if you can still move after this."
'Yeongjong, Nameless Single Flash'.
Three misaligned lines crossed diagonally.
Requiring no flowery words,
it was a sword meant purely and solely to cut.
Slash!
The three Regulus were slowly bisected, armor and all.
Thud!
Their severed upper and lower bodies collapsed in different directions.
"Phew."
Jinhyuk let out a soft sigh.
And,
Cheon Yu-seong, who had watched the entire battle from start to finish, bit his lip with mixed emotions.
The hand holding Ryuhwa trembled slightly.
A realm beyond heaven.
To defeat three monsters, each stronger than most named monsters...
and to do so in such an instant.
Thinking about how he had struggled against just one of them, a sense of self-deprecation welled up inside him.
Just how far do you plan on growing?
When he received the divine weapon symbolizing the Murim from the Soul-Chasing Shadow, his confidence had pierced the heavens.
Bone-carving training, flawless growth based on past memories, a great master, and a weapon he could proudly call the strongest.
He had been confident that he could finally stand a chance, but...
the result was always the same.
Like chasing an unreachable mirage, at the end of chasing the shadow, he only ever faced himself, suffering from eternal thirst.
He couldn't even begin to imagine when this damn Mobius strip would ever break.
Right then,
Jinhyuk, flicking the blood off his blade, approached him.
"Why are you sitting there with such a pouty face? I told you to drink your potion to the last drop."
"...It's nothing."
Cheon Yu-seong snapped his head away.
It was a turn so sharp it practically whipped up a cold draft.
If he had puffed his cheeks just a bit, he would have looked exactly like a pouting elementary schooler.
"Still, thanks to you stepping up and damaging them first, things went smoothly."
"My attack... actually worked?"
"Didn't you see it? They were hit by your Soul-Chasing Sword, which exposed openings all over them."
"I knew it... I knew that was the case. No wonder I thought you won too easily. Huhu. It wasn't that I was weak. In fact, I might have done most of the work."
The corners of Cheon Yu-seong's mouth twitched slightly.
With this, he had successfully cheered up one pouting kid.
* * *
Night in the labyrinth.
The first day's raid ended here.
This was because Cheon Yu-seong's wound was deeper than expected, and they wanted to proceed more cautiously due to the newly emerged variables.
Jinhyuk and the Eagle Owl sat facing each other in front of a campfire.
Jinhyuk, who was cooking some Armored Shrimp he had pulled out, broke the silence.
"Since we finally have some time to ourselves, do you mind if I ask you a few things I've been curious about?"
"If it's something I can answer, I will."
"I'm still a bit unfamiliar with the concept of operators. Do the High Managers follow your orders too? And do you manage the Outer Gods as well?"
At Jinhyuk's words, the Eagle Owl stroked his chin.
"Indeed... it seems we need to clear things up a bit. Our relationship is somewhat ambiguous, so it's best to clarify it once and for all."
Hummmm!
A hologram of the Tower appeared in front of the Eagle Owl.
The faces of Kaman, the Low Manager they had seen before... Rick, one of the Middle Managers, and Hastings and Bendivia, the High Managers, were shown.
Seeing them as just floating heads in a hologram made them look almost a little cute.
"You can think of the Managers as those who oversee the entire Tower. Their primary duty is to check all the minor occurrences in the Tower and ensure there are no issues on each floor."
Observing the floor movement rights and conflicts between factions, and intervening when necessary.
That was the reason for the Managers' existence.
Of course, they were divided into High, Middle, and Low based on their respective authorities.
The hologram shattered, and this time, a sphere with a pure white surface and a red mouth appeared.
...These were the Operators, including Sae Yeong Eon Hwan and the Eagle Owl.
"We, the Operators, are the ones who created the Tower. While we recruit the Managers ourselves or they are naturally selected by the system, the ultimate authority over the Tower fundamentally belongs to us."
The Tower of Trials.
They had created a massive world consisting of 50 floors. The virtual reality game that Jinhyuk had first played was also a creation of the Operators.
"Finally, the Outer Gods. That is, the ones called the ancient existences. They are classified under the category of out-of-spec 'variables'. Since you've fought them yourself, you know better than anyone what level they are at."
Although they were technically subordinate to the Tower and thus positioned below the Managers, their power was so absurdly immense that even High Managers could not treat them lightly.
They could only be constrained through the system itself.
Because of this, they resided on the final floors of the Tower, serving as the ultimate gatekeepers against those who sought to reach the summit.
"And..."
The Eagle Owl slowly spoke.
"The one who exists outside of all of that is none other than him."
The most crucial piece of information was finally beginning to surface.