Chapter 347
Jinhyuk stared intently into the eyes of the homunculus.
Its blue eyes sparkled as if they were about to draw him in.
Hmm…
No matter how much he thought, there was only one name he could give it.
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“Frey.”
“Frey…?”
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll call you Frey.”
“A good… name. I like it.”
Frey nodded slightly.Seeing him almost believe there was a special meaning behind it… I kind of felt sorry.
Frey (pray: to pray)
It was a name given to commemorate a miracle that had properly exploded in the luck-based game.
‘At first, I thought about calling her Mincho, short for mint chocolate, but Frey seems better. It has a certain presence.’
It was fortunate that Frey liked the name as well.
But just then, a forceful vibration occurred.
The ‘Ring of Braham’ on his right hand began to move intensely.
At the same time.
A heat different from before enveloped his entire body.
Could this reaction be…?
Whooosh!
Elis, with her eyes fiercely opened, appeared with flames.
“Elis?”
“You… you… you! You fool of a contractor! Why did you bring another one like this!”
Elis screamed as if she would obliterate the entire hotel at any moment.
It was a high-pitched scream that made his ears numb.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Frey cocked her head in confusion.
“No, you did nothing wrong. And Elis. Calm down and listen to me. No, put that skewer away. What in the world are you doing in this sacred hotel?”
If Elis’s innate powers were triggered here, the hotel would turn to dust.
There was no need to mention that they would make the 9 o’clock news.
“Explain. Briefly. Summarize in three lines.”
Elis swallowed her bursting anger barely.
Of course, she was only barely holding back.
If it took more than three lines or she was not convinced within that time, she would destroy the Earth.
“Frey is merely a combat support. And excellence at that. Plus, being a homunculus, she doesn’t need to absorb nutrients through food, so you don’t have to worry about your meals decreasing.”
Jinhyuk rapidly unfolded his explanation.
It was a compelling and objective summary.
But,
“You thought I was doing this over food now? Honestly… did you really think so little of me?”
“What? Wasn’t it?”
He thought she was happiest when her cheeks bulged full with food.
So, wasn’t she actively against bringing in a new member?
Jinhyuk’s eyes widened.
And at that sight,
“You idiotddddd!”
Elis’s silver hair stood on end.
This was not a good sign.
The power rising from the abyss was so immense that its depth couldn’t be measured.
“Elis…?”
“Die!”
Kwaaang!
The entire hotel floor was engulfed in a massive blaze.
***
The 19th floor of the Tower of Trials.
Among the magnificent scenery of falling waterfalls, the shadows of several people began to appear.
“Timed to the minute.”
Jinhyuk waved to the man approaching.
“Darn it. Why did you choose a place like this? You should’ve at least given a map from the start. I roamed for hours.”
Cheon Yuseong grumbled with dissatisfaction.
The wet rocks were quite slippery.
Plus, this place on the 19th floor was so remote that it wasn’t easy to reach.
On the other hand,
“Thanks to you, Jinhyuk, I can visit such a great spot.”
Theresa looked around curiously.
The gentle mist rising beneath the waterfall and the beautiful rainbow.
Cute monsters of a new species gathered in small groups, playing around.
Simply from the scenery, one might even mistake they had arrived at a famous tourist spot overseas.
“But, Jinhyuk. Who is this next to you?”
Theresa pointed at the girl standing next to Jinhyuk.
With long blue hair, holding a short spear.
She was a person they had never encountered before.
“Her name is Frey.”
“Not a player…”
“Nor a resident. She exudes a strange energy. A summoned beast… or a doll, maybe?”
Quick on the uptake as ever.
“Correct. A homunculus. I incidentally met her on the upper floors.”
“Indeed… So you weren’t just playing around.”
Cheon Yuseong added after, nodding as if things were falling into place.
“That’s why Elis isn’t here. I was wondering why she wasn’t around. That’s the reason, then.”
“Huh? Yeah. She told me to leave her alone for a while. But how did you know that?”
“Hoo. You’re such a dull guy… Never mind. I should stop talking.”
Cheon Yuseong clicked his tongue with even more disdain.
While exchanging pleasantries and small talk, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from afar.
Finally coming.
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
The rest turned their heads towards the direction of the noise.
After a while, a familiar figure emerged from between the trees.
Four legs.
The upper body of a woman and the lower body of a deer belonging to a resident.
A member of the Dryad race, ‘Eusis.’
He had met her once before at the masquerade ball. He made a special contact to ask her to come for this raid.
The 19th-floor ruins couldn’t be entered without the permission of a resident belonging to a third force.
“We meet again. Player Kang Jinhyuk. And a long time no see to the rest of you.”
Eusis greeted them warmly.
“Thank you for making the time. If you had declined, we might’ve had to give up the raid entirely.”
“Not at all. We needed to investigate this place ourselves, so the timing was perfect.”
Investigate?
Here?
“Was there a problem?”
Jinhyuk asked cautiously, noticing a change in Eusis’s expression.
“Do you remember when a massive magic wave swept through the entire tower?”
A tower-wide mana wave… That would be the time when Shub-Niggurath and the Black Goats surfaced to the lower levels.
“I’m aware of it.”
“At that time, this relic was also affected. Likely due to the pervasive foreign magic,”
Eusis observed the waterfall and beyond with a troubled face.
While players couldn’t sense it, she, being affiliated with the third force, could feel the discord.
“Let’s go inside. I can guide you halfway.”
Eusis walked towards the waterfall.
Kwa, kwa, kwa!
Behind the cascading water, a dark cave appeared.
This was the entrance leading into the relics.
However,
To enter this place, specific conditions had to be met.
‘I also tried to go in without thinking before and died several times over.’
Eusis picked up a stone and threw it into the cave.
Then,
Kakakaka… kagagagak!
Lines appeared on the stone’s surface as if a centipede had crawled over it.
“If you just try to enter, this happens. It’s what has allowed us to avoid outside interference.”
“So how do we safely get in?”
“Just wait a moment.”
Patsut!
Eusis channeled mana into a staff woven from vines.
Runes appeared following the blue mana, and tangible mana gently revolved around the entrance.
At that moment,
[A 10-star barrier ‘Water’s Seal’ has been lifted!]
[An SS-rank curse ‘Whirlwind of Destruction’ has been lifted!]
[Illusory and hallucinatory effects have been dispelled.]
One by one, the status windows emerged.
The obstacles covering the cave’s entrance disappeared all at once.
As expected.
This is why Eusis was essential to tackling this relic.
Although it was uncertain how things had changed inside due to Shub-Niggurath…
The truth would soon be revealed.
Eusis led the way as everyone entered the relic.
And thus,
Darkness engulfed their sight.
***
Scorching and
hot winds struck their skin.
“Kuk!”
“Where is this…?”
Cheon Yuseong and Theresa shielded their faces with their hands.
Even standing still felt suffocating, as if their bodies were burning up.
A desert… no, it was even hotter and drier.
Only Frey looked around with an expressionless face.
“For players, the environment might be a little tough. The temperature rises up to 70 degrees Celsius during the day and drops to minus 100 at night. You can somewhat protect your bodies with mana, but you’ll need to manage it correctly.”
Makes sense.
They were likely to stay here for over a week.
Managing mana and physical strength was an essential virtue.
But then,
“There’s something. There.”
Frey, who had been surveying the surroundings, spoke up.
Half a beat slower, Cheon Yuseong also detected the presence.
“Under the sand. Looks like about ten. Predators native to this place?”
“Sandworms. If they live near the entrance, they’re likely outcasts from the food chain, so we don’t need to worry too much. You’ll feel vibrations underfoot, and precisely 3 seconds later, they’ll leap out. Let’s time it together.”
“How does player Kang Jinhyuk… know all this?”
As Jinhyuk smoothly explained, Eusis widened her eyes in surprise.
“I’ve dealt with a similar environment in a dungeon below the tower.”
“Ah… But that place and here are…”
“Here they come!”
At Theresa’s shout, the sand started shaking vigorously.
Kukukukukuku!
One second, two seconds… three.
“Kwooo!”
“Kieee!”
From the split seams in the sand, giant mouths gaped open.
The sandworms, bearing hundreds of teeth, tried to swallow the group whole.
However,
They had chosen the wrong prey.
[Unique ability ‘Sword’s Song’ activated!]
Swish!
The sandworm’s body was cleanly cut.
“What a tough start. It’s always tiring following you around.”
After Cheon Yuseong swung his sword, he flicked off the greenish bodily fluid on the blade.
“Keeee!”
The sandworms quickly switched targets.
Sand spewed in all directions.
They were trying to obscure vision and attack through the confusion.
Of course,
[Unique ability ‘Blessing of the Stars’ activated!]
That attempt, too, was futile.
Woooooong!
Light descended from the sky.
The holy unique ability devoured the sandworms alive.
Chiiiiik!
The sandworms turned to ash before they could scream, fading away.
“It seems there won’t be any dull moments on our desert journey.”
Regardless of anything, his companions were reliable.
The monsters dwelling here were considerably stronger than those in other places.
Perhaps…
With this group, they could delve deep into the relics.
There might be challenging places, but with the right preparation, it was definitely possible.
Jinhyuk’s gaze drifted to a far-off spot in the desert.
‘The crown the Heavenly Demon abandoned has to be here somewhere…’
Although conquering the relics was important, the top priority was to recover the crown.
The time to obtain one of the Tower of Trials’ most significant sacred relics had finally arrived.