Chapter 63: Demonic Human Association (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 63: Demonic Human Association (1)
Nights in the Tower of Trials are rather unique.
The warm daytime temperatures plummet rapidly, while the monsters' ferocity and attack power spike dramatically.
Consequently, most players stop hunting and seek safe shelter once night falls.
It's only natural.
There's no need to take unnecessary risks.
About an hour after dealing with the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, Jinhyuk settled down in front of a shrine nestled within a dense bamboo forest.
This brings back memories.
The Tower of Trials—the place where he spent almost all his time, save for sleeping or streaming.
After hunting like a madman, he would always seek out a spot where he could gaze at the night sky.
It wasn't a bad place to rest.
Especially since, from here, one could watch a meteor shower rain down.
Gathering bamboo shoots and other ingredients unique to the Tower is also part of the fun.
After building a fire, Jinhyuk boiled bamboo shoots, rice, and rock salt inside a bamboo tube. He also tossed in three Armored Shrimps caught from the valley stream.
Instantly, a fragrant aroma tickled his nose.
Growl.
His appetite flared.
He scooped up a generous spoonful and put it in his mouth. The smooth, warm porridge slid down his throat.
The plump, meaty shrimp interspersed throughout gave it a fantastic texture.
Ah, now this is the stuff.
I should copy some cooking-related skills next time.
Climbing the Tower revealed an abundance of all kinds of delicacies.
Desert Calf Meat, so bursting with juices that it didn't even need olive oil.
Rainbow Crabs harvested from the sea.
And the Thousand-Fragrance Apple, said to hold a thousand different scents.
These were ingredients that could never be tasted outside the Tower.
It was truly a treasure trove of natural ingredients.
However, just as Jinhyuk was enjoying his rare feast,
"My, what a wonderful smell."
"That looks like quite a delicious meal."
A man and a woman emerged from the bamboo forest.
An alluring Western beauty and a well-built Asian man.
They were Melena and Richao.
"Ah! We don't mean any harm. We just saw the light and decided to check it out."
"We only wish to shelter from the night dew for a moment."
Melena and Richao casually approached the campfire.
What's with these two? Don't tell me...
Are they planning to act like ordinary players instead of the Demonic Human Association?
Seriously?
This is ridiculous.
At this point, he was so dumbfounded he was speechless.
Either they were unimaginably stupid, or...
They had a trump card that guaranteed victory even if their identities were exposed.
It had to be one of the two.
He hoped it was the latter.
That way, this long night wouldn't be so boring.
"I can at least offer you shelter from the cold, so please, have a seat," Jinhyuk said, pointing to one side of the campfire.
"Thank you. I'm Melena."
"I am Richao. We will trouble you for just a few hours, then."
Melena and Richao took their seats.
At the very least, their desire to escape the night dew didn't seem to be a lie.
Seeing how quickly they warmed their half-frozen arms and legs, that is.
"You two must have had a rough time."
"Don't even get me started. You wouldn't know, masked mister, but we were shivering up in the trees all day!"
Of course you were.
How exhausting it must have been to spy on me like rats, keeping your eyes peeled the entire time.
"I made quite a generous portion. Would you like some?"
Jinhyuk handed over a bamboo bowl.
The plump, appetizing shrimp and the white rice stood out beautifully.
Don't be shy.
I know your stomachs are practically sticking to your spines from starving.
"……."
Melena swallowed hard.
Conflict was written all over her face.
Yet, she didn't readily reach for the food.
She was suspicious.
She couldn't know what might have been done to the food. Still, perhaps due to a primal urge of hunger, her pupils flickered several times in that brief moment.
Richao, on the other hand, drew a firm line.
"We are fine. I'm afraid I make it a rule never to touch food offered by strangers. Especially when that stranger is hiding their face."
"The mask seems to bother you."
"Isn't that obvious? No one wears a mask unless they have something to hide."
"Hmm. If it makes you that uncomfortable, I can take it off."
"……What?"
"……Really?"
At Jinhyuk's words, both of their pupils dilated rapidly.
Since the target they had been desperately trying to identify was offering to unmask himself, they couldn't help but react this way.
"Of course, just taking it off would be boring, so let's play a simple game."
"A game...?"
"Since we both seem to have questions for each other, we'll take turns asking three questions. If you answer all of mine, I'll take off my mask the moment the game ends."
A game to exchange information.
Richao's mind raced.
There's no way for him to verify the truth of my words anyway.
Meaning he could easily feed him false information.
Meanwhile, the opponent, unaware of their true identities, would let his guard down.
We have nothing to lose by accepting this proposal.
Beside him, Melena nodded and whispered softly,
"We still need five more minutes for the relic to activate. If he wants to waste time, it works in our favor."
His hesitation didn't last long.
"……Amusing. It's not a bad way to pass the time."
Richao spoke.
And at that moment,
[‘Judgment of Anubis’ has been activated!]
An invisible ripple spread out around Jinhyuk.
* * *
...Hook, line, and sinker.
Jinhyuk wore a knowing smile.
In truth, he had known all along that they would accept.
After all, they were the ones who needed time.
Bzzzzzt!
A unique wavelength was emanating from the woman named Melena.
It was a type of mana he had felt a few times while playing the Tower of Trials in the past.
Caligula's Coin, huh...
A coin engraved with the likeness of the Roman tyrant Caligula.
He had wondered what card they had prepared, and it turned out to be that.
It was certainly not a bad choice.
Though it had the drawback of taking time to activate, once fully triggered, it completely dismantled the target's wariness.
A mental-type relic that could make a target confess everything they knew without the need for time-consuming physical torture was indeed a highly useful card.
Even though they must know my body hasn't fully recovered, they're still trying to secure an absolute victory.
Their intention to avoid even the slightest injury was clear.
Impressive.
Impressive, indeed. But...
They should have realized that once its existence was exposed before activation, Caligula's Coin was nothing more than a simple commemorative coin, not a sacred relic.
I'll show them that there's always a bigger fish.
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
"I'll let you have the first turn. Ask away."
"There's no point in asking for your name or affiliation, since you won't answer..."
"If I revealed my identity on the very first question, this Q&A would be pointless. Taking off the mask only happens after the game is over."
"Then I'll change my question. Are there other companions here with you?"
Hmm.
I expected them to ask something else.
But that's a pretty practical question.
Logically, it was hard to believe anyone would come to a boss raid alone, so they had to assume he had companions.
Since the range of Caligula's Coin was ten meters, they wanted to eliminate any potential variables.
"I came here alone, and I will leave alone."
"……I see."
"Now it's my turn. It seems you two also came here to hunt the boss monster, so why did you just stand by and watch?"
"We were waiting for the right moment to enter the temple. It's a notoriously dangerous place, so we had to be cautious."
Cautious, my foot.
Still, that concluded the first round of questions.
Two left.
Just then, Richao asked his second question.
"Anyone who climbs the Tower must desire something. Is it power, wealth, or perhaps fame? That is what I wish to know."
Oh?
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed at Richao's words.
I thought they came to kill me...
But it seems they're open to recruiting me if the conditions are right.
"I do have something I want, but even if I tell you, do you actually have the power to grant it?"
They were shivering from the cold and starving.
Having spent the entire day up in the trees, Richao and Melena looked like a complete mess.
"True, we must look quite pathetic right now. But you don't need to worry—we have more than enough power to make it happen."
That made two...
Only one answer left.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth twitched upward.
At the same time, his polite tone turned ice-cold.
"More than enough power, you say... Then, can you give me a seat at the 'Round Table'?"
"W-what did you just say?"
"How do you know about the Round Table?!"
Both of them shouted at the same time.
The Round Table—the symbol of the highest-ranking executives of the Demonic Human Association.
They couldn't help but gasp in shock, never imagining that such a closely guarded term would slip from an outsider's mouth.
But did they know?
That there was a veteran player who had figured out the origin and reason behind the term 'Round Table' before anyone else.
"I haven't heard your answer yet. So, can you give it to me or not?"
"Of course we can't!"
Richao gritted his teeth.
"How dare you speak of that place so lightly!" Melena barked, suddenly leaping to her feet.
I knew they'd say that.
"Actually, I wouldn't care even if you did offer it to me."
He wouldn't take an executive position in the Demonic Human Association even if it were handed to him on a silver platter.
And there was no longer any need to keep up this clumsy acting.
[The conditions have been met!]
Because Judgment of Anubis had just been unleashed.
Rumble, rumble!
The ground began to shake violently.
"Ugh!"
Richao hastily backed away.
It was an instinctive reaction to the ominous mana.
Right on cue,
"Five minutes are up!" Melena screamed.
The long-awaited moment had finally arrived.
As long as they could use Caligula's Coin, they could subdue any enemy, no matter how strong.
After all, no player to date possessed the ability to defend against mental attacks.
However...
"No, the relic won't activate," Jinhyuk chuckled.
"What?"
Richao, drawing his dagger, furrowed his brow.
"That coin. It's completely useless right now. I've delayed its activation time by about five minutes."
"Cut the bullshit! How could you possibly...!"
"Wait! He's telling the truth."
Melena's face paled rapidly.
There was no mistake.
"The coin hasn't been infused with enough mana yet. He... he did something. He must have done something to suppress our mana!"
"What are you talking about?! We didn't even touch the food!"
The only possibility was the dish Jinhyuk had offered.
But how could he have tampered with them using food they hadn't even eaten?
"That's because this dish takes effect just by smelling it."
There was no way suspicious bastards like them would readily eat food given by a stranger.
So, he had used his brain a bit more.
A slower but far more meticulous method than direct ingestion.
"When the sap flowing through the bamboo shoots reacts with the Armored Shrimp, it produces a toxic substance that suppresses mana. Of course, you won't be poisoned if you chew on this leaf, though."
Jinhyuk lightly showed them the Eucalyptus leaf inside his mouth.
"T-this... can't be. You planned all of this? Not just our identities, but the relic's effect and the way to neutralize it?"
"We... weren't the ones buying time?"
The two muttered in disbelief.
They thought they had laid a perfect trap.
They thought time was surely on their side.
But everything had crumbled to pieces.
"From now on, I'm the one asking the questions."
Jinhyuk beckoned with his finger.
At that exact moment,
[Anubis selects the challenger!]
Something began to move.