Chapter 42: Infinite Proliferation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Infinite Proliferation (4)
"Keeeeeek!"
"Kieeeee!"
The two wasps let out long roars.
[The 'Fear Resistance' effect has been triggered due to the Hive's ability!]
While the 'Gap' stat Jinhyuk possessed allowed him to overcome or widen the fundamental difference between himself and his target, 'Fear Resistance' had the effect of numbing a portion of one's senses, driving them to bite and tear at the enemy until death.
It was a rather annoying ability.
Especially when dealing with a creature that split and multiplied endlessly without dying.
Whoosh!
The wasps began to fly from the left and right.
They watched for an opportunity to swoop down from above, just like before.
Now.
Jinhyuk pulled out an item he had previously purchased from the Coin Exchange.
[Giant Pill (C)]
A special item that increased the target's size by up to ten times.
It was the trump card he had prepared precisely for this moment.
"Foolish human! Do you think growing larger will save you from the poison?!"
Watching this, Anubis burst into wild laughter.
The wasp venom, enhanced by the Hive, could kill even giants who possessed poison resistance.
Swallowing a hundred Giant Pills would be utterly useless.
However, Jinhyuk didn't swallow it.
"Who said I was the one eating it?"
Instead, he threw it straight into the mouth of the incoming wasp.
It flew in a perfectly straight trajectory.
Gulp!
The pill slid down the wasp's throat.
"Kek?"
"W-What... did you do...!"
Anubis gasped in disbelief, but Jinhyuk didn't bother to reply.
Instead, he kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
I have to finish this before the pill is fully absorbed.
About one minute.
That was the window of time he had before the giantification process began.
Closing the distance in an instant, Jinhyuk arrived right in front of the wasp that had swallowed the pill.
The wasp reflexively whipped its abdomen.
Its stinger, dripping with venom, aimed straight for Jinhyuk's neck.
As expected, aiming for the carotid artery.
Targeting vital spots was their instinct.
Jinhyuk lightly tilted his head to dodge the stinger. At the same time, he reached out and leaped onto the wasp's back.
The movement was as fluid and natural as flowing water.
"Keeeeeeee!"
The wasp thrashed its body violently.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Stop thrashing.
You're going to make me motion sick.
Jinhyuk firmly grabbed the base of the wasp's wings from its back.
Then, he pressed his thumb down on the area containing its nervous system.
Immediately.
"Kiiiiii..."
The wasp's movements became noticeably docile.
Naturally, since he had stimulated its central nervous system.
With this, he could control not only its direction and speed but also its aggressiveness.
Who knew that doing insect flight races in the past would come in handy like this?
This was why even the most bizarre experiences could prove useful at times.
Of course, back then, he had far more memories of crashing mid-flight.
Bzzzzzt!
Jinhyuk rode the wasp, flying straight toward the Hive.
"What are you doing?! Kill him! Kill him right now!"
Anubis barked orders to the other wasp.
"Kieeeek!"
Receiving the command, the other wasp hot on Jinhyuk's heels.
30 seconds left.
Faster...!
Just a little faster!
Though the wind pressure made it hard to even keep his eyes open, Jinhyuk accelerated instead.
20 seconds, 19 seconds... and finally, when only 10 seconds remained.
[You have used the Unknown Cube (D).]
Jinhyuk activated another item he had obtained from the Coin Exchange.
Hummmmm!
A translucent cube, roughly two meters in size, enveloped the entire Hive.
Naturally, Jinhyuk had already escaped just before one side of the cube sealed shut.
Leaving behind both the wasp he was riding and the one chasing him.
Now for the finishing touch.
[Synthesizing 4 items to reinforce the 'Unknown Cube'!]
[Ability Booster (D)]
[Sticky Glue (F) x4]
[Kalturis Forest Spider Web (F)]
[Twin-Head Ogre's Mucus 100mg (F)]
As he used all the remaining items, a spiderweb-like pattern etched itself onto the translucent barrier.
"Keeeeeek!"
"Kek!"
Crash!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The wasps slammed their bodies against the walls, but not a single crack appeared.
For something hastily put together within his coin budget, its performance was exceptionally impressive.
Good.
With this, the final stage was set.
"An opening ceremony should always start with fireworks, shouldn't it?"
Since time was short, he would skip the opening remarks.
Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.
[Lv. 4 'Fire Element' has been activated!]
Just as the giantification was about to begin.
The spark left inside the cube with the wasps reacted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A massive blaze erupted.
Because the explosion occurred in a sealed space, its destructive power was beyond imagination.
The wasps were reduced entirely to charcoal.
Yet, as if nothing had happened, the finely shattered fragments began to wriggle.
Proliferation and regeneration were occurring simultaneously.
"Kiiii..."
"Kek!"
"Keeeek!"
Hundreds of new wasps were born, matching the number of shattered fragments.
It was a staggering number.
A staggering number, indeed.
The problem was...
The space inside the cube was strictly limited.
Screeech!
Crack!
Under the overwhelming volume, the wasps' exoskeletons began to crush against one another.
Eventually, unable to withstand the pressure, their outer shells shattered completely.
[Giant Pill (C) has been dropped.]
[You have leveled up!]
From the crushed corpses, Giant Pills that hadn't been fully absorbed rained down.
Just as I expected.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
This was exactly why he had been so meticulous about keeping to that one-minute window.
If he fed a Giant Pill to creatures that multiplied infinitely and killed them before the effect took hold...
The pills would also multiply infinitely and drop.
Of course, he could have mass-produced other items in the same manner, but there was a specific reason he chose the Giant Pill.
High-rank or bulky items couldn't be fed to them in the first place, and he needed as many Giant Pills as possible to conquer the 4th floor.
By the way, have I already leveled up twice?
Thanks to this mass slaughter, which was practically a power-leveling session, his experience points were skyrocketing.
How should he put it?
It felt like having a frosty beer on a midsummer night, only to have freshly fried chicken served right alongside it.
He felt almost intoxicated by the incredibly sweet, double-whammy rewards.
This is exactly why I can't give up on the B1 floor.
Crawling into a damp, musty pit to fight grotesque bugs was far from a pleasant task.
Yet, the reason he could endure it with a smile was the sweet reward waiting at the end of his struggles.
"Keeeek!"
"Kiik!"
The wasps died, reborn, and died again.
A Mobius strip of endless death and rebirth.
All he had to do was fold his arms and watch.
Even if he stood still, items and experience points rolled in on their own.
[Giant Pill (C) has been dropped.]
[You have leveled up!]
[Giant Pill (C) has been dropped.]
[You have leveled up!]
[Giant...]
[You have...]
Watching the status windows flood his vision like crazy, Jinhyuk thought:
By now... Anubis's insides must be rotting and turning to ash as he watches this.
* * *
"W-What on earth is this...!"
Anubis's eyes widened so much they looked ready to burst.
This was supposed to be a foolproof, lethal plan.
Even the most renowned powerhouses would flee in terror when facing infinitely multiplying insects.
And yet.
To think there was a way to dismantle the very foundation of the Hive like that.
He had never even imagined it.
Thus, he could only watch in utter shock.
Could it be... did he provoke me from the very beginning with this in mind?
Seeing how he had prepared the items for synthesis beforehand, there was no doubt.
Everything had been a trap.
Grit!
A chilling sound echoed as Anubis ground his teeth.
The realization that he had been a mere puppet dancing in the palm of this human's hand made him feel like he would lose his mind with rage, but...
Right now, he didn't even have the luxury of being angry.
He could see Jinhyuk leveling up at an insane pace.
With every passing second, the bastard was growing stronger.
He had to make a decision.
Even a second faster.
"Damn it."
The only way to stop this catastrophe.
It was...
Anubis spread his palm wide.
A moment later, he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fist.
[Anubis destroys the 'Hive'!]
KABOOM!
The Hive inside the cube exploded.
* * *
"I figured you'd do that."
Jinhyuk, who had been thoroughly enjoying his power-leveling session, clicked his tongue in disappointment.
He knew the sweet moment couldn't last forever.
Still, when the moment actually came, he couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.
"You bastard!"
Anubis bared his teeth.
Nice teeth.
They looked so white and sturdy that if he got bitten, his flesh and bones would probably be cleanly separated.
But there was no need to be scared.
Now that the Hive was destroyed, this battle was practically over.
"I get that you're mad, but relax your face. You know the ugliest thing is being a sore loser, right?"
"Do you think you will get away with this unscathed?"
"Yep."
Unscathed indeed.
No matter how much he threatened, Jinhyuk fully intended to eat three square meals a day, live a long and healthy life, and pass away peacefully around the age of a hundred.
After all, 'short life' and 'sudden death' weren't in his vocabulary.
"Arghhhhh!"
Unable to contain his rage at Jinhyuk's nonchalant attitude, Anubis stomped his foot.
Thud! Crash! Boom!
Deep cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.
He was insanely furious and wanted nothing more than to tear the bastard in front of him to shreds.
Yet, the reality of being unable to do anything was utterly infuriating.
"Make sure, make absolutely sure you climb up alive, human! When you do, I will personally rip your head off along with your spine."
"I plan to, even if you don't tell me to. Oh, but of course, I'll be keeping my neck right where it is. I'm not some combining robot; pulling it off and putting it back on would look terrible aesthetically."
"..."
Anubis was left utterly speechless.
The more they talked, the more his stress piled up.
Every single second he stood here only added to his shame and fury.
In the end.
"I have memorized your face."
With that brief warning, Anubis shattered the statue containing his own soul.
Rumble!
[Anubis's vessel is destroyed!]
The fragments crumbled to the ground.
At the same time.
[The conditions have been met!]
[Judgment of Anubis]
Acquisition Difficulty: Over-rank
Description: Ask the target three questions. If the target answers all three questions, the conditions are met. Reduces the target's stats by 50% and restricts the activation of skills and unique abilities for 1 minute.]
[However, this ability can only be used once on the same target, and abuse of this power may incur the wrath of the Egyptian deities.]
He had acquired a new ability.
An ability classified as Over-rank, imbued with the power of a god.
I've received my Christmas present a bit too early.
Drastically reducing a target's stats just through a Q&A session.
This was a total cheat.
Although there were restrictions, it wouldn't be a problem if he used it at the right moment.
It was then.
[Deities belonging to Egyptian Mythology have taken an interest in your existence.]
[Several of them are expressing strong hostility!]
A red status window popped up.
It seemed Anubis couldn't hold it in and had run straight to his faction to vent.
For a god, he sure has a big mouth.
Tsk, tsk.
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue inwardly.
I'll worry about the upper floors of the Tower later. First, I need to distribute my stat points.
His priority wasn't those Egyptian guys whose faces he might not even see until much later.
It was his current growth and the upcoming 3rd-floor boss.
He had gained a whopping 18 levels since coming here.
He also had 54 stat points accumulated.
It was insane growth.
And naturally so.
After all, level 20 was something even a ranker with the full backing of a major guild would barely reach after hunting in an exclusive dungeon for an entire month.
Who would believe that he had achieved this all by himself, and in just a single day?
It's a happy dilemma, deciding where to invest these stats.
Just as Jinhyuk was about to open his stat window.
Vrrr!
A status window requesting a call appeared.
"This guy?"
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
The name displayed on the screen was...
...someone quite unexpected.