Chapter 387: The Gatekeeper of the Labyrinth (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 387: The Gatekeeper of the Labyrinth (2)
Salamander.
Although these fire spirit lizards were famous for their aggressiveness, the Salamander belonging to Veteran Corp was on a completely different level.
Whoosh!
Red flames danced around its mouth.
The searing Calamity Fire scorched the air.
"Kyaooo!"
The Salamander roared fiercely.
A wave of terror, as if facing a Dragon's Fear head-on, washed over everyone present.
That is no mere spirit beast.
It's a dragon... in the shape of a fire spirit.
At least, that was how it looked to the Salamanders summoned by the fire statues.
"Kyao. What on earth is that monster?"
"I-is it a high-grade spirit beast?"
"I thought we were the only fire spirits contracted here..."
"I'm... scared."
The Salamanders in charge of the trial trembled violently.
It was only natural for them to be terrified, given that an entity several times stronger than them had suddenly appeared.
Of course, if the opponent hadn't been of their own kind, they would have charged without hesitation.
After all, rushing in blindly was the defining trait of fire spirits.
But of all things, their opponent was a fellow Salamander—and a high-ranking one at that.
The fire statues administering the trial were equally bewildered.
"W-what? A human who can control spirit beasts?"
"And... it's a pretty high-ranking one, too?"
"An elementalist. I've never even met one in the Empire."
The statues muttered among themselves.
Seeing their shock, Jinhyuk felt that raising his spirit beasts so robustly had truly paid off.
Pat, pat.
Jinhyuk patted the Salamander's head.
Well, I did raise them with plenty of love and affection.
Was that why?
Its growth seemed exceptionally remarkable.
"M-Master, what do you want me to do?"
"I'm currently taking some kind of trial, and I need to get those guys to submit. But as a pacifist, I feel like resorting to violence wouldn't be right."
"R-right. Master loves peace."
"So, go ahead and persuade them for me."
"Persuade them? Me? How?"
"Hey... do I really have to spell it out for you?"
"Hieeeek! I'm sorry! My mistake!"
The Salamander raised its tiny front paws to shield its head.
Anyone watching would think Jinhyuk was actually about to hit it.
"You know, tell them how great our company's employee benefits are. How well you're treated. Use that to lure them in. Just tell them the truth, so it shouldn't be too hard."
Voluntary persuasion was always the best option.
Jinhyuk planned to pass the Trial of Fire using their fellow Salamander.
If I tell them the truth, Master will kill me. Absolutely. I can never tell them the truth.
Sometimes, one had to lie to survive.
I just have to say the exact opposite of my actual situation.
Entrusted with this grand mission, the Salamander stepped in front of the gathered spirit beasts.
Every eye locked onto it.
"You guys must be suffering so much, coming all this way under contract. The conditions are terrible, and they probably feed you a measly amount of tasty fire. And what's with the working hours? You work without any breaks, don't you?"
"How did you know?"
"Oh, it's obvious. Let me guess. Your contract says 24/7, 365 days a year. Day or night, you have to pop out the instant your contractor summons you. And there's probably a mountain of other terrible conditions."
"...!?"
"T-that's exactly right."
"That was literally my schedule yesterday!"
The spirits' eyes widened in shock.
They wondered how it could understand their struggles so perfectly.
"I was also contracted to an unscrupulous contractor at first. I suffered so much back then. But now, I'm living in absolute paradise."
Veteran Corp was different.
"I mean, Master treats me so... so... whew... so well. Look at me. I ate well and slept well, which is why I grew this big."
Abundant mana, guaranteed rest, and the support of reliable colleagues.
If they joined, not only their retirement but also their golden years and afterlife would be fully secured.
Seeing its plump belly and the glossy, vibrant flames surrounding it made its words strangely convincing.
"Is it really that good?"
"Seriously?"
"Can we eat as much as we want and escape being low-grade spirits too?"
The Salamanders' eyes sparkled with hope.
"Krrgh! What do you think you're doing?! Do not forget your contract! You are bound to our Labyrinth Lord!"
The fire statue roared at the top of its lungs, but its nagging fell on deaf ears. The Salamanders were already completely hooked.
"M-me! Me! I want to go!"
"Me first!"
"I'm tearing up this crappy contract right now!"
The spirit beasts clamored to surrender, one after another.
[You have received the recognition of the fire spirits.]
[A large number of Salamanders show High Affinity toward you.]
[You have passed the 'Trial of Fire'.]
"Nice. That was incredibly easy."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
Thanks to his usual good deeds, things had resolved themselves effortlessly.
"To think it would end so anticlimactically..."
"Impressive."
"No matter. You have merely passed the first gate. I shall end this myself. There will be no luck for you this time."
The water statue stepped forward.
Vroooom!
With a swirling spray of water, an even greater number of water spirits materialized.
They were higher-grade species, larger and possessing far more powerful mana than the Salamanders.
"Hehe! Water and fire are natural opposites. No matter how much you run your mouth this time, it will be useless."
Granted, having an elementalist among the challengers was an unexpected variable.
But that was all.
Against opposing elements, even a mid-grade or higher spirit beast wouldn't stand a chance.
"I will finish this in an instant, human brat."
The water statue sneered.
And that expectation...
"Undine. Come out."
...was shattered to pieces by the very next words.
* * *
Elementalist was a class that only a tiny fraction of Tamers could ever obtain.
Though talented individuals gathered and so-called geniuses flaunted their worth...
...those who actually became elementalists were fewer than a handful of sand.
In fact, even among those who had resided in the Tower for ages, there were fewer than a hundred active elementalists.
Even among those outstanding elementalists, only a select few could contract with two mid-grade or higher spirit beasts simultaneously.
Contracting with three or more was a legendary feat achieved by only a historic few.
And yet.
What on earth was this absurd guy?
A whopping five spirit beasts.
And all of them were mid-grade or higher monsters.
Consequently, all the spirit beasts painstakingly prepared for the trial defected to the opponent.
"T-this... makes no sense..."
"To think someone capable of harboring spirit beasts of all Five Elements actually exists."
"He doesn't even possess divinity... He must be a ranker from the upper floors at the very least."
The statues muttered in disbelief.
"I think I've passed all the trials now. How about you hand over the resistance stones?"
Jinhyuk gestured with his finger.
"...Very well. Since you have passed the trials, you are worthy of holding these."
Thud.
Thud.
The thick resistance stones hanging around the statues' necks popped off.
Nice.
With this, I've met the minimum requirements to reach the boss.
And as a bonus, I've acquired a bunch of reliable little spirit beasts.
Since I've already bound them with the Brand of the Flame Soul, they can't back out even if they wanted to.
Looking at their beaming faces made his conscience prickle slightly, but what could he do?
The world only consisted of two kinds of people: those who eat, and those who get eaten.
Since they've learned how dangerous it is to sign a contract through this experience, it's a cheap tuition fee.
Indeed. This was merely teaching these growing sprouts a bitter lesson about the real world.
It was absolutely not exploitation.
Before leaving, Jinhyuk suddenly came to a halt.
"Ah, right. I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"If we leave like this, won't you run straight to the master of the labyrinth and report that you lost all the resistance stones?"
"What...?"
"Exactly. You'll spill all our information. Why should I take that risk?"
Minimizing risk was always the best policy.
If there were no witnesses, there would be no need to worry about leaks.
"Are you... planning to kill us?"
"Impudent! We are protected by the system. Like the administrators, we are the very laws that govern this labyrinth!"
"Besides, a measly weapon like that won't do a thing to us."
Yes, that's probably true.
Barnard won't be able to damage them.
In that case...
Shhh.
The space split open, and a colossal greatsword emerged.
Balmung.
The dragon-slaying relic revealed itself.
"Sorry, but keeping this raid a secret is an absolute rule."
Wielding this would consume a significant amount of mana, but handling this matter took priority.
"Nothing personal."
He was simply doing what was necessary to climb the Tower.
Jinhyuk raised the greatsword high with both hands.
"Aaaargh!"
"S-stop!"
The statues screamed.
But Balmung slammed down mercilessly, completely shattering their heads.
Amidst the debris flying in all directions...
...Jinhyuk brushed the dust off his face with an expressionless look.
As if resolved to use any means necessary to achieve his goal.
* * *
Gush, gush...
In a place where golden spring water cascaded like a waterfall, there stood a massive training ground reminiscent of a martial arts arena.
And.
"Hup!"
...there was a man swinging a massive spear upon it.
He was none other than the boss monster, the Labyrinth Lord.
Whoosh!
The flashing spearhead sliced through the air.
Superheated air lingered, tracing the trajectory of the spear.
Boom! Crash, crash, crash!
Deep gashes formed along the floor made of blue steel stone.
Though the weapon looked incredibly heavy at a glance, his skill in spinning it like a windmill seemed to have reached the realm of the gods.
How much time had passed?
Finally, the spear came to a halt.
"Splendid as always. I lost track of time just watching you."
Clap, clap, clap.
Appearing alongside the sound of applause was a beautiful elf.
One of the intermediate administrators, 'Sherry'.
Though she was a nature-loving wood elf, at this moment, she was merely a messenger delivering words from above.
"I was so focused on loosening up my stiff body that I didn't even notice your arrival. My apologies."
"Thanks to the traps, intruders wouldn't dare dream of coming this far... yet you still never skip a single day of training."
"Indeed. Thanks to those damn sturdy defenses, it has been far too long since I last tasted blood. If only they had left the path to me wide open, I wouldn't be this bored... Tsk!"
The hulking man clicked his tongue.
A dense battle aura emanated from his entire body.
When was the last time he had fought in person?
He was practically dying for a life-or-death struggle.
At his words, Sherry spoke up as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"That is precisely why I am here. Actually, it seems some intruders have arrived whom even the traps will struggle to stop."
"Oh? Are they strong?"
"They are."
"...Now that sounds entertaining."
The man's mouth split into a wide grin.
If even the notoriously fastidious Sherry acknowledged them, he wouldn't be disappointed.
Finally, an opportunity to enjoy a proper fight had arrived.
Thud!
The spear drew a large semi-circle.
"Even if they aren't on the level of the Five Tiger Generals, I hope they are at least enough to knock the rust off my spear."
Labyrinth Lord 'Lu Bu Fengxian'.
One of the 'Heroes' of the Tower gripped his Fangtian Halberd.
"Awaken all the lieutenants. We shall prepare to welcome our guests."
"Yes, General."
The shadows surrounding the training ground moved in unison.