Chapter 401: Two Swords (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 401: Two Swords (2)
The cold touch of a blade pressed against his neck.
Every single hair on his body stood on end.
Shaken by this new shock, Oh Ji-won trembled slightly.
"D-don't you know you can't die during an event? If you think you can threaten me with this..."
"Hmm. It seems you're still under a delusion. Didn't you see it just now? The message saying the event has ended?"
The grand premise of immortality was already long gone.
From this moment on, if he got stabbed, he would truly die.
"Are you saying a famous ranker like you is going to commit murder?"
Squelch!
The blade dug into his shoulder. Crimson blood spurted out.
"Aaargh!"
"You really can't tell left from right. Is it because you grew up so spoiled?"
"Stop! S-stop! I said stop! If you get caught doing something like this, do you think even you will get away scot-free? If my family finds out about this..."
"To your siblings, you're just an eyesore vying for the position of successor. Do you really think they'd actively take action? Especially when the suspect is, as you said, a famous ranker?"
They would know better than anyone that poking a hornet's nest would bring no good.
A hundred times out of a hundred, those bastards wouldn't be angry about Oh Ji-won's death; they would welcome it.
Even if there were an investigation, they would just go through the motions and quickly bury it.
"Even if they do try to pick a fight, I don't care. Surely, you didn't think I was the type of person to be intimidated by threats?"
"T-that's..."
Oh Ji-won's face turned pale.
The more he listened, the more he realized that nothing about this situation was in his favor.
...Good.
The stage was set.
Now, it was time to drag the rabbit out of its hole.
"Now, now. Don't be so scared. It's not like I'm going to kill you right this second. I just want to have a calm, quiet chat."
"A chat... what kind of chat do you mean?"
Crunch!
"Aaargh! Why are you twisting the blade...?! No more, don't twist it any further! Stop! Please!"
"Your tone is really grating on my ears. Am I your subordinate?"
"Stop... I'm sorry, no, I apologize. I was wrong, Player Kang Jinhyuk."
"Now that sounds much better."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly and stopped twisting the sword counterclockwise.
"Pant. Pant. Pant."
"Right. Catch your breath and listen carefully. Honestly, I have a lot of expenses and need quite a few things. From this moment on, you're going to be a sort of supply soldier in charge of that."
A giving tree.
He would become a beautiful entrepreneur who devoted himself with a mother's heart.
"Are you telling me... to live as your lackey from now on?"
"Even rolling in a field of dog shit in this world is better than being dead, isn't it?"
"...Are you offering that... as a carrot?"
No, of course not.
He already knew from experience that using only the whip wouldn't work.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled up even higher.
"In exchange, I'll make you the undisputed successor."
"......What!?"
"Isn't that what you wanted most?"
"T-that is true, but how on earth do you plan to put me in the successor's seat?"
"The point is just to raise the reputation of the Friend-or-Foe Guild, right? If I help, it's entirely possible. Of course, you'll just be a figurehead."
Jinhyuk shrugged and added a word.
"So, what's it going to be? Will you accept my proposal? Or will you pay the price for ruining my day off right here?"
Life or death.
There was only one choice.
Furthermore, if he just threw away his pride, the path to survival was paved with sweet, overflowing nectar.
At the very least, to the public, it would look like he was allied with the name Kang Jinhyuk.
"......I will follow your will."
"Good. Wise choice. Now, let's start by signing the contract."
"Huh? I don't have any paper or a pen on me right now..."
"Who uses things like that to make a contract?"
Whoosh!
Red flames flared up at Jinhyuk's fingertips.
'Brand of the Flame Soul'.
A skill that enforced eternal obedience once the target consented.
"Don't worry. I've branded several guys with this so far, and they didn't find it as painful as you'd think."
Of course, since he had never experienced it himself, he couldn't be entirely sure.
It was merely his assumption.
"Aaargh!"
* * *
Once the branding was complete, the battle finally came to an end.
Oh Ji-won ordered all his guild members to retreat, and thus, an alliance between the Veteran Corporation and the Friend-or-Foe Guild was forged.
"Thank you. Thanks to you... I was able to have a decent debut match. I've properly fed the reporters some bait, so the story should turn out quite plausible."
Oh Ji-won bowed politely.
At any rate, his attitude had completely flipped 180 degrees from just moments ago.
One had to wonder if he was just thick-skinned.
Or perhaps he was just highly adaptable?
Still, it was a relief that he knew his place.
"Well, cut the flattery. Did you find all the items I told you to prepare?"
"Yes. I brought every single one of them. I sent them directly to your subspace inventory, so you can take them out and use them whenever you need."
"Clean. Ah! Lastly, there's a small-to-medium guild I own."
The Black Crow Guild.
He had acquired it in name only some time ago.
"A friend named Kim Hee-woong is running it, but since I haven't been able to pay any attention to it, they're having a hard time operating. I'd like you to manage that place as well."
"Understood. I will look into it."
Oh Ji-won bowed once more, then cautiously read Jinhyuk's expression.
To be precise, he was reading the room of the three deities standing behind Jinhyuk.
Tremble, tremble!
His arms and legs shook slightly.
He was barely holding on without fainting, but his honest desire was to flee this place immediately.
Standing before such furious monsters, it was only natural that his knees would shake.
"If you're done with your business, you may leave."
"R-really? Ah, thank you. Then, I will contact you again."
Once Jinhyuk gave his permission, Oh Ji-won hurriedly left the area.
This wrapped up much cleaner than I expected... If I can just shake off these troublesome guys, I'll finally be able to catch my breath.
His gaze flicked backward.
Toward Veliel, Anubis, and Thor—the idiots who were still growling at each other, claiming to be the best.
"Speak! Am I not obviously the strongest among us? To be compared to a nauseatingly narcissistic Demon King or a muscle-brained hammer-wielder who fights every single day under the pretext of going to Valhalla... This is an insult to us!"
"I am simply amazed to see an Egyptian dog speaking human language. Barking would suit you much better."
"Valhalla is the ultimate dream of all warriors! Are you mocking that?"
Rumble!
Once again, mana began to fluctuate violently.
Hmm. If left alone, this place might turn into another battlefield.
"It's not that I'm intentionally refusing to choose one of you. Of course, I want to join hands with a massive faction too. Why would I refuse when it would allow me to climb the Tower with reliable support?"
Jinhyuk began to spin his web of words in earnest.
"But if I sign a contract with one of you right now, the factions that didn't get chosen will be disappointed, right? In the worst-case scenario, a war might break out among yourselves... and wouldn't that be quite troublesome?"
Veliel was currently embroiled in a ranking competition with other Demon Kings within the Demon World.
Anubis was also extremely on edge lately, as the Seven Deadly Sins had begun to run rampant on the 42nd floor.
And there was no need to even mention Thor, who was at war with Olympus.
In such a situation, wasting their strength on infighting would be foolish.
"Ugh..."
"Well, that is true, but..."
"He has a point."
The three deities nodded with sour expressions.
"I also need some more time to think. Of course, I won't forget your help this time."
He had no intention of just taking their help and running.
He didn't plan on using such precious marks... no, sponsors, just once.
Besides, the floors where these three deities resided were tied to tasks he absolutely had to complete sooner or later.
"Very well. I shall withdraw for now."
"Tch! Consider yourselves lucky, you third-rate gods."
"Thank you once again for allowing us to protect Yggdrasil, human."
In the end, they calmed their tempers and agreed to a truce.
Just as everyone was about to return to where they came from...
-Veliel. Don't leave just yet. Stay behind. I have something to discuss with you.
Jinhyuk called out to Veliel.
-...? Understood.
Crackle...
A moment later, after Thor and Anubis vanished, Veliel, left alone, wore a strange smile.
"Hmph! You didn't show it in front of those guys, but it seems you favored me after all."
"Cut the greasy talk and stop talking nonsense. I asked you to stay because I have a proposal. If not for an event like this, we wouldn't have many chances to meet face-to-face in your manifested state."
"A proposal?"
"First, take a look at this."
Jinhyuk pulled out a few items from his subspace inventory.
The Key to the Rift's Fissure.
Pibayan's Compass.
These were items he had kept safe for a long time, finally seeing the light of day.
"Originally, I planned to use these for some light training. But I figured it would be better to use them in another way rather than just growing on my own."
With Veliel's help, he could use these items to create a gate leading to the Demon World.
And if he could go to the Demon World...
"I have a way to deal a blow to Guntaper. Interested?"
Veliel's ranking competition and the highest-grade sacred relics in the Demon World.
He could kill two birds with one stone.
* * *
A blacksmith shop located in the Empire.
Inside the well-equipped forge, the rough sound of hammering echoed continuously.
"Khmm! Hup! Please. Pleeease!"
Blacksmith Orun swung his massive hammer, sweating profusely.
The atmosphere was a bit too strange to be called the "artisan's spirit."
It felt more like a desperate struggle, as if failing would cost him his life.
And of course, it would.
The item currently being enhanced was 'Crimson'.
If the enhancement failed by any chance, it might literally be better for him to take his own life.
Knowing this, Orun was burning his very soul to create a masterpiece that would last a lifetime.
Right then.
A brilliant golden light flashed.
[[+4 Enhancement Successful!]]
"I did it! I actually did it! Bwahaha! I survived! I survived!"
Orun burst into cheers.
"Whew. Hyung, it's a success."
"He really is a skilled blacksmith, just like you said, Oppa. I heard the success rate for a +4 enhancement on an S-rank or higher item is atrocious."
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa, who were watching, let out sighs of relief.
No matter how experienced a veteran who had rolled around the Tower was, they couldn't help but feel tense during the moment of enhancement.
"Good work."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"Haha. Oh, it was nothing. A piece of cake. Well, now that we've reached this point, shouldn't we stop? A +4 enhancement on an item of this caliber should be more than usable."
"No. We have to go to the next level. The momentum is great, so why kill the vibe?"
"Y-you want to go for +5?"
"Yes. Please start."
"B-but, if it fails..."
If it fails...
"Then, I think I'll be in a very bad mood."
Who would be in a good mood when their precious new weapon blew up due to a failed enhancement?
And...
"When I'm in a bad mood, I tend to lose my mind a bit. I honestly don't know what might happen."
He couldn't guarantee anything, but for some reason, a murder might just take place in the blacksmith shop today.
Of course, it was merely a prediction.
"...I will do my absolute best."
"Doing your best isn't enough. Just deliver the result."
Sob stories and the importance of the process were all useless words.
Only the result mattered.
That was the only thing the world remembered.
Of course, he had appropriately used the items he received from Oh Ji-won to ensure the safety of the enhancement, but he didn't bother telling Orun.
Because this way was much more helpful in pushing Orun to improve his skills.
"Urrgghhh!"
Orun's tearful hammering began once more.