Chapter 5: National Museum of Korea (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: National Museum of Korea (2)
Thump! Thump!
"Eat them up."
Jinhyuk patted Horang's back twice.
With that—
"Roaaar!"
The massive beast leaped off the ground.
The distance closed in an instant.
Rip! Tear!
The jackals' bodies were torn apart like paper.
It was truly overwhelming power.
"Yip!"
"Whine!"
Like ants trying to fight a dinosaur, the five incarnations protecting Egypt drew their last breaths without putting up any decent resistance.
* * *
Tremble!
Lee Yu-ri's body shook uncontrollably.
"T-this can't be... My summons, defeated so easily...?"
It made no sense.
She had been absolutely certain they were her trump card.
She thought obtaining the Map of the Great East from the museum would be a breeze...
Why on earth did this happen?
She didn't know.
The only thing certain was that the man standing before her was a veteran player whose skills defied imagination.
"You... Just what floor of the Tower did you climb to?"
"Well, I wonder what floor I reached."
"N-no way. You didn't go past the 20th floor, did you?"
"..."
Jinhyuk didn't answer.
"The 21st floor? The 22nd...? Or is it... the 23rd? The 23rd floor?!" Lee Yu-ri pressed on.
How cute, going up one floor at a time.
She was already hyperventilating just mentioning the 20s.
How would she react if he told her he had climbed to the 50th floor?
Would she foam at the mouth and faint?
He was curious, but he decided to save that for another time.
"I don't think now is the time to be asking what floor I've reached."
Jinhyuk stepped right up to Lee Yu-ri.
She flinched, trembling.
"A-are you going to kill me?"
"I don't make a habit of killing terrified newbies."
He had graduated from giggling while slaughtering low-level players a long time ago.
"W-who are you calling a newbie?! I'm also, in my own way...!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just hand over 'Tutankhamun's Mask' from the relics you got in the Egyptian gallery."
Lee Yu-ri's eyes widened at Jinhyuk's words.
"That's practically useless in Korea. What are you going to use it for?"
"That's none of your business. If you don't want to spend tonight camping inside Horang's stomach, you'd better hand it over right now."
Jinhyuk glanced at Horang beside him.
"Grrr..."
Having already chewed and swallowed the jackals, Horang's mouth was drenched in blood. It was a sight straight out of a nightmare.
"F-fine, I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you!"
Lee Yu-ri reluctantly pulled out the mask she had kept in her bag.
A golden pharaoh's mask.
[You have acquired the Relic (Replica) 'Tutankhamun's Mask'.]
Nice.
Following the first relic he had obtained on the first floor before coming here, he had now secured his second relic.
"Are you after the Map of the Great East too?"
"The map?"
Right. There was such a thing.
He hadn't cared about it at all, so he had completely forgotten.
Supposedly, it contained information up to the 10th floor.
"Sure, let's go with that."
With a smirk, Jinhyuk gave Horang one last pat on the back.
"Guard this spot well. Make sure no one follows me."
"Roar!"
Horang stood guard at the entrance of the stairs leading to the next floor.
Well then.
Shall we go?
Jinhyuk headed up the stairs to the upper floor.
* * *
"This is truly... unexpected."
As he reached the top, Min Jung-woo was waiting for him.
He looked quite surprised.
It seemed he hadn't imagined in his wildest dreams that Lee Yu-ri would be bypassed.
However, Jinhyuk was equally surprised.
"Why are you standing here instead of going inside?"
His goal should have been the Map of the Great East.
Jinhyuk couldn't understand why he was lingering here.
"I wanted to, but someone has cast a barrier ahead."
Min Jung-woo reached his hand out into the empty air.
Thud!
His hand was repelled.
"Physical attacks, magic—nothing works. I've never seen this kind of barrier before."
Of course he hadn't.
"Because it's a 1-Star Barrier."
"Oh? You know about this?"
"More or less..."
Unlike the barrier set up around the museum, this was a 'real' barrier.
Meaning it was a barrier created through a skill.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
As expected, they're here.
He knew a player who frequently used this ability.
Someone he had met to the point of sickness within the game.
After a brief moment of thought, Jinhyuk spoke.
"I know how to break it. However..."
"However?"
"You must keep casting fire magic, Elder. That's the only way to weaken the barrier."
"For how long?"
"Until I go in, grab all the relics I need, and come back out."
"Haha. So, while you are inside, I am to stand outside the barrier and just cast magic?"
Wow, he was quick on the uptake.
Jinhyuk felt like stamping a 'Good Job!' stamp on his forehead.
"I understand if you don't trust me, but this is the only way. Dawn will break soon, and we can't both leave empty-handed, can we?"
Going through all this trouble only to walk away with nothing.
That would truly be the worst outcome.
"Of course, I'll let you have the map. I need something else more than that."
"..."
Min Jung-woo shut his mouth.
He began to calculate furiously in his head which choice would benefit him more, and which choice he had to make.
But no matter how much he pondered, there was only one conclusion.
He had no choice but to trust him.
It must have felt unpleasant for Min Jung-woo, but what could he do? It was the only way.
"Are you certain you will hand over the map?"
"Of course. I don't want to remain on bad terms with a unique ability user of the magic class either."
"Fine... I will trust you."
Min Jung-woo finally made his decision.
"Please keep going without a break. Otherwise, I'll get trapped inside."
"I will do my best."
Jinhyuk stood before the barrier.
Then, he located its weakest point.
The spot where the flow of mana was misaligned.
Here.
...carpo.
The Latin word written in blood glowed.
"Now!"
Whoosh!
At Jinhyuk's shout, Min Jung-woo unleashed a stream of fire.
The hot flames rapidly heated the surface of the barrier.
At that exact moment—
Crackle!
A crack began to form right in the middle of the barrier.
It worked.
Jinhyuk quickly slipped inside.
"H-hurry up."
Min Jung-woo broke out in a cold sweat.
"Understood."
He did plan to make an effort.
In my own way, that is.
* * *
Unlike the floor below, this gallery showed no signs of being disturbed.
No.
To be precise, there was exactly one change.
They've already finished their business and left.
Jinhyuk stared at an empty display case.
It was the display case where the 'Iron Sword Inscribed with Qianlong' had been kept until just moments ago.
Whether people fought elsewhere or not, they had clearly secured only what they wanted and left.
As expected, still unwilling to take even the slightest risk.
Just cherry-picking the most delicious-looking parts, huh?
But even that person wouldn't know.
That what they took from this museum was merely a second-rate relic.
I remember it being around here...
Jinhyuk strolled between the display cases.
Then, he stopped at one spot.
A round, circular relic made of rusted iron.
Sangpyeongtongbo.
A currency minted during the reign of King Injo of the Joseon Dynasty and used until its late period.
Of course, now it held a value far beyond mere currency.
Finally found it.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
A unique ability meant solely for him.
And the final puzzle piece required for it.
At last, everything was in his hands.
It was then.
"W-what are you doing right now?!"
Min Jung-woo, who was outside the barrier, shouted.
"What do you mean, what am I doing?"
"Why are you stopping in front of something completely unrelated instead of securing the Map of the Great East first?!"
"Just wait a moment. It's not like the map has legs. I'll take care of my business first, then wrap it up nicely and hand it to you."
Interrupting me at such a crucial moment.
Jinhyuk leisurely sat down.
Then, he laid out the relics he had gathered from the museum on the floor.
'Tutankhamun's Mask (B)'.
What he needed here was the part corresponding to the 'right eye'.
Crack!
Using a pocket knife, he gouged out the eye area and placed it into the 'Persian Ritual Mold (E)'.
[Two relics are reacting.]
A brief message appeared.
It was a message that only showed up when the correct relics met.
At the same time, it meant that if he wanted to proceed further, he had to pay a fitting price.
Clatter!
Jinhyuk dropped the fifteen 'Sangpyeongtongbo (D)' coins he held in his hand into the mold.
With that—
Hummmmm!
An indescribable energy began to flow from the mold.
[Three relics are reacting!]
[Fusion successful!]
[You have acquired the Relic 'Eye of Truth (SS)'!]
[Eye of Truth]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Description: Allows the user to view other people's status windows. Can determine the 'truth/falsehood' of statements made by the target (3 times a day).
It's a success!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jinhyuk's heart beat wildly.
Of the five 'eyes' that existed in this world, the 'Eye of Truth' was evaluated as the best.
And for good reason.
This eye possessed a special effect that could determine the truth of what others said three times a day.
It was an effect that could only be described as broken.
However, the reason he was so excited wasn't simply because he had acquired the 'Eye of Truth'.
It was because he knew an even greater reward would follow shortly.
[You have successfully fused the items against extreme odds.]
[You have achieved a miraculous coincidence.]
[You have acquired the Unique Ability 'Fusion (Over-Rank)'!]
Fuse three replicas of Grade B or lower to create an item of Grade S or higher.
This was the condition to obtain the unique ability 'Fusion'.
And out of countless relics and items, there was only one single combination where this was possible.
Fusing those exact three.
[Unique Ability: Fusion]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable (Over-Rank)
Description: By completing specific quests, you can store others' unique abilities and skills in the 'Memory of the World'. You can fuse the stored skills to create higher-dimensional abilities.
*Note: If the difficulty of the copying conditions rises sharply, the conditions may be partially modified.
Copying and storing the countless abilities that existed in the world, then fusing those stored abilities to create even more powerful skills.
This was the very reason and purpose he had come here today.
"Whew."
Jinhyuk let out the breath he had been holding.
He had spent the entire evening preparing to obtain these two things, and everything had gone smoothly.
Just then—
"Hey! I don't know what you did, but if you're finished, hurry up...! I can't hold on much longer!"
Min Jung-woo shouted through gritted teeth.
His face had turned completely pale.
It was the side effect of mana depletion.
Let's see. What do I need to do to copy that old man's ability?
[Copy Condition: Min Jung-woo has always hidden his emotions behind a mask. Make him reveal his true feelings.]
In other words, make him pissed off, right?
Of course, that was easy.
Especially in a situation like this.
Jinhyuk took out the Map of the Great East and walked over to Min Jung-woo.
"You can stop using that skill now."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"Actually, there was no need to do that in the first place."
Using offensive magic continuously just to weaken a barrier?
What kind of nonsense was that?
The way they operated was completely different to begin with.
Simply writing a Latin breaking spell on the misaligned flow of mana was more than enough.
After all, the guy who cast this barrier was still only level 1.
"T-then why did you tell me to use my skill...?"
Why?
"So that your mana would be completely depleted, Elder."
Exactly for this reason.
He had thoroughly enjoyed watching him sweat buckets while casting magic so diligently.
Now, the old man wouldn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
Even if...
He burned the map right in front of his eyes.
Whoosh!
Jinhyuk used a lighter to set the Map of the Great East on fire.
In an instant, the flames began to consume the entire paper.
"W-what are you doing?! Why on earth are you burning it?! Why...?!"
"Like I said earlier, I don't need this."
He already knew the Tower inside out.
A map meant absolutely nothing to him.
But then again, it's a waste to let anyone else have it.
If someone else got the map, they could find out information up to the 10th floor.
That would risk erasing his advantage.
In that case, the most foolproof method was to eliminate that possibility entirely.
Just like this.
"Y-you son of a bitch! I'll kill you! I'll grind you to dust and drink you down, you piece of shit!"
Min Jung-woo completely lost his mind.
Wow. So the old man has quite a foul mouth when he's angry.
This is why you should never judge a book by its cover.
Right on cue—
[The condition has been met.]
[You have successfully copied the skill 'Fire Element (B)'!]
[The copied skill will be stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
[Fire Element]
Acquisition Difficulty: B
Description: Allows the user to manipulate flames and increases affinity with fire.
A status window appeared, confirming that the copy condition had been met.
Fire Element, huh...
Not a bad start for his first copy.