Chapter 46: The Press Conference (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: The Press Conference (1)
The entire arena fell into a dead silence.
The completely unexpected outcome had left everyone utterly speechless.
"..."
"..."
The people gathered here had to be shocked twice over.
First, by the sheer skill of Cheon Yu-seong, who had utterly crushed the other Bronze-rank players.
Second, by the monster who couldn't be brought down even when Cheon Yu-seong gave it his absolute all.
It was truly overwhelming power.
The goosebumps raised by the thrill of it still hadn't subsided.
How many minutes had passed?
The silence, which felt like an eternity, was finally broken by a single voice.
To be precise, it was an exclamation that was closer to a curse.
"This is fucking insane...!"
It was impossible not to swear.
The entire situation had completely shattered common sense.
They had simply blurted out their innermost thoughts.
As if they had been waiting for that cue, the rest of the crowd began to speak up.
"Did... did you see that? My eyes almost popped out just from the sword qi, but he even used magic-type skills?"
"And it's not like he just learned them as a hobby, either. That white light just now completely shattered the magic crystal barrier and even blasted through the outer wall!"
"Is he even human? It'd be more believable if a boss monster from the upper floors had broken out."
"I still can't believe it. Damn it. Is this a dream or reality...?"
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Jinhyuk approached the two people standing right next to the arena.
"Long time no see."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"...Indeed. It's the first time I've seen you since the museum."
"Ugh..."
Min Jung-woo and Lee Yu-ri flinched.
The memory of being utterly crushed at the National Museum of Korea was still fresh in their minds.
"Well, our first meeting was a bit intense, but we can't stay bound to the past forever, right?"
"Hmph. I don't want to make an enemy of you either. To be honest, if we met as enemies, I don't think I'd survive."
"M-me too."
The two of them nodded.
"Then, in the spirit of building a better relationship moving forward, I have a small favor to ask. Ideally, I'd like Lee Yu-ri, as a summoner, to put some effort into this."
"What? A favor?"
"Yes. You can hear me out and refuse if you want."
"Well, if that's the case..."
"Of course."
Jinhyuk's smile widened, his eyes curving into crescents.
"But if you're planning to throw our future relationship down the toilet and flush it, feel free to refuse as much as you like."
"...!"
Lee Yu-ri's eyebrows twitched.
It was framed as a request with a choice, but that was just polite phrasing.
If she refused, there was no telling what would happen to her, or when.
"If it's something I can do... No, I'll make sure to get it done, no matter what."
"Thank you."
Jinhyuk told Lee Yu-ri what he needed.
It was an absolute prerequisite for the boss raid. At the same time, it was an item that Lee Yu-ri, as a summoner, could prepare much more easily.
"When do you need it by?"
"The day after tomorrow. Send it all to this address by then."
"Y-you want me to get this much in just two days?"
"Why? Can't you do it?"
"No, no! I'll do it, okay? I'll do it!"
With a tearful face, Lee Yu-ri took the note Jinhyuk handed her.
"Then, I'll leave it in your capable hands."
Just as Jinhyuk gave a light nod and prepared to leave.
'This is...?'
Jinhyuk instinctively turned his head.
His senses picked up on something.
From above!
Thud!
A man leaped down from the spectator stands.
A massive, muscular build.
It was Jeong Do-hyeon, whom he had met in front of the Association.
"Well, this is quite a surprise. To think a guy I thought was just a cheerleader would possess this kind of power."
"If you're looking for a fight, you've got the wrong guy. I'm fully warmed up now, so I might not be able to hold back."
Jinhyuk spoke coldly.
At the same time, he peered at the man's status window using the 'Eye of Truth'.
——————————————————
Name: Jeong Do-hyeon
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Level: 21
Strength: 40 / Agility: 17 / Stamina: 18 / Mana: 8
Stat Points: 0
Coins: 8,535
Class: Charyeoksa
Unique Ability: Giant's Power
Skills: Lv5 'Giant's Grasp', Lv5 'Giant's Shield', Lv5 'Pain Mitigation', Lv5 'Deep Breathing', Lv4 'Contempt for the Weak'
——————————————————
[Copy Condition: The target has approached you with an ulterior motive. If you figure out what his intention is, you can copy the skill 'Giant's Grasp' from the target.]
...An ulterior motive?
Does that mean he's not just trying to pick a fight?
No, more importantly, how on earth does the system know Jeong Do-hyeon's intentions?
Jinhyuk frowned at the copy condition, which was different from any he had seen before.
But it was only for a brief moment.
Unraveling the secrets of the Tower of Trials was a task for later.
Right now, he didn't have the luxury to waste time worrying about a question that had no immediate answer.
"Whoa, whoa. Don't glare at me like that. I'm not here to fight."
Jeong Do-hyeon raised both palms toward Jinhyuk, who was radiating murderous intent.
As if he truly had no intention of fighting.
"Then why are you bothering me?"
"I figured we'd be seeing a lot of each other in the future... I just wanted to say I look forward to working with you."
Jeong Do-hyeon offered a handshake with a cheap, casual grin.
However, Jinhyuk didn't take his hand.
Looking forward to working together, now of all times?
There was no way.
A guy who only knew how to look down on others was incapable of such a gentlemanly turnabout.
Just as the system said, there had to be another reason.
Jinhyuk's mind began to spin rapidly.
Though he paled in comparison to Cheon Yu-seong, Jeong Do-hyeon was still quite strong for his rank.
But why hadn't he participated in the Masquerade?
And unlike the other major guilds, why had the guild master, Hong Deok-pyo, personally come here?
'Because there's a reason he had to come.'
He didn't know exactly what it was yet, but it was undoubtedly important.
Jinhyuk stared at Jeong Do-hyeon.
Behind his mask of composure, Jinhyuk could see a mixture of inferiority and anger.
This guy hadn't come down here to make friends.
On the contrary.
He had come to show off something only he could do.
The act of shaking hands. Jeong Do-hyeon's unique ability, 'Giant's Power'. A player kept in reserve instead of being sent to the Masquerade. A guild master desperate for his guild's growth.
The clues began to piece themselves together.
And finally.
Something flashed through Jinhyuk's mind like lightning.
'Right. The reporters are here.'
Fearing that a rookie who appeared out of nowhere would steal the spotlight, they had sent Jeong Do-hyeon.
Combat aside, when it came to pure physical grip strength, Jeong Do-hyeon would have a massive advantage.
A highly anticipated super-rookie writhing in pain from a simple test of physical strength?
It would tarnish Jinhyuk's image while simultaneously boosting Jeong Do-hyeon's value.
Indeed, it wasn't a bad strategy.
'If only his opponent weren't me.'
Right then.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
As if to prove Jinhyuk's hypothesis correct, status windows announcing the completion of the copy condition popped up one after another.
[The condition has been met.]
[You have acquired the skill 'Giant's Grasp (B)'!]
[Giant's Grasp]
Acquisition Difficulty: B
Description: Allows the user to wield the strength of a giant, a massive monster. Grip strength is exponentially increased, and the user can freely wield items weighing up to ten times their own body weight.
Just as he thought.
His prediction was spot on.
'So that was his little scheme.'
This was getting interesting.
With a broad grin, Jinhyuk activated the unique ability he had obtained from the underground.
[Unique Ability 'Judgment of Anubis' has been activated!]
Hummmmm!
The air vibrated faintly.
Once the user asked three questions and the target answered all three, the condition would be met.
"Is this handshake on behalf of the entire Black Cloud Guild?"
Jinhyuk asked his first 'question'.
"Of course. Brother Deok-pyo is interested in you too. It looks like you don't have a guild yet, so if you join us, we'll give you special treatment."
Special treatment, huh...
He sure knew how to spout insincere bullshit.
Since Jinhyuk knew his true intentions, every single word sounded disgusting.
But he didn't let it show.
The Q&A wasn't over yet.
"Actually, I'm a bit short on cash. If I join, will you give me a hefty signing bonus? You know, like how sports stars get paid upfront during the transfer season."
"Bwahaha! Well, of course! Just name your price, and we'll match it."
That was the second one.
This was why 'Judgment of Anubis' was so broken.
The conditions could be met with such trivial questions.
Best of all, unless the target possessed extremely sharp senses, they wouldn't even realize the skill had been activated.
He just had to use it with enough intervals so as not to provoke those Egyptian deities.
"I'll give it some serious thought."
Jinhyuk reached out toward Jeong Do-hyeon.
And so.
Their hands met.
* * *
'Hooked him!'
A sly smirk played on Jeong Do-hyeon's lips.
The opponent had finally taken the bait.
'No matter how outstanding he is in swordsmanship and magic, his raw physical strength is bound to be weak.'
If he could crush him here and then hold a press conference, it would yield the best possible result.
Right on cue, reporters who saw the two shaking hands began to draw closer.
Holding cameras and smartphones.
All eyes focused on the two of them.
"Who is that?"
"Looking at the emblem, he seems to be a player from the Black Cloud Guild."
"Oh! It looks like they're trying to recruit that player before any other guild. This is a guaranteed scoop!"
"A meeting between a major guild and a super-rookie... This is a guaranteed front-page story."
'Perfect timing!'
[Jeong Do-hyeon activates Lv5 'Giant's Grasp'!]
Jeong Do-hyeon's forearm expanded rapidly.
The power of a giant, capable of crushing even steel, was channeled through his human hand.
However.
"...Huh?"
The opponent's face, which should have been contorted in pain, remained perfectly calm.
Tremble.
Their clasped hands shook violently.
It was a symptom that appeared when the balance of power was perfectly equal.
How could this be...?
'Is his physical strength actually on par with mine?'
It made no sense.
He had never heard of an all-rounder player who was absolutely perfect in every single category.
Yet, no matter how much strength he squeezed out, the balance wouldn't break.
It was as if the opponent was using the exact same ability as him.
Then.
"I'll ask one last thing."
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
"Urgh! Fuck... ask what?"
Jeong Do-hyeon, his face turning beet red, barely managed to squeeze out a reply.
"Did you really think you'd have the upper hand when it came to pure strength?"
"Of course I did! Comparing a scrawny bastard like you to me... Keugh?!"
The moment Jeong Do-hyeon answered the question.
The tense balance of power suddenly collapsed.
Did the opponent get stronger?
No. That wasn't it.
The one who had gotten weaker...
'Was it me?'
It was hard to believe, but not only his unique ability, but all of his skills had been completely sealed.
Crack!
The pressure crushing his hand began to exceed his limit of endurance.
It was going to break.
At this rate, his fingers would undoubtedly be pulverized.
"Let... let go! Let go of me!"
"Hmm? Why? Does it hurt?"
Jinhyuk smirked.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Stop exaggerating. You seemed pretty confident in your strength, so you shouldn't be crying like a baby when you're built like a mountain."
"Stop, stooooop!"
In the end, Jeong Do-hyeon writhed in agony before dropping to one knee.
His initial plan to toy with his opponent had long since vanished.
His mind was entirely consumed by the desperate urge to escape this horrific pain.
Thud!
Jeong Do-hyeon instinctively swung his fist.
Rather than a counterattack, it was closer to a desperate struggle for survival.
Of course.
There was no way such a clumsy attack would land.
Jinhyuk stared blankly down at Jeong Do-hyeon's fist, which had stopped right at his abdomen.
"..."
And that was it.
Bam!
A fist thrust like lightning buried itself deep into Jeong Do-hyeon's stomach.
"Gwaaaargh!"
His body folded completely in half.
It was only natural that vomit and blood spewed from his mouth.
But Jinhyuk didn't stop there.
He intended to thoroughly crush him, if only to send a clear message to Hong Deok-pyo.
But right at that moment.
Crackle...!
An unfamiliar mana intervened.