Chapter 105: The Way a Veteran Tames a Pet (1)
The deal was struck.
Of course, the location for the trade was not within the labyrinth.
“I’ll come to you. I’ve been missing that coffee we had at the library. Indeed, good coffee is best enjoyed in a cozy place to enhance its flavor.”
Jinhyuk said, making small talk he didn’t mean.
But then.
[Hmm. Well, I’ll open a gate to this side for you, but…]
Rick trailed off.
It was kind of —
An indecisive tone, as if he was contemplating something?
Hesitation was lacing his voice.
However, it was only brief.
[Hehe. No, I retract that. This might turn out to be more interesting than I thought. For others, I can’t say, but someone like Kang Jinhyuk, you definitely have the right to come here.]
Rick dropped his meaningful words.
What?
Did he redecorate the Grand Library or something?
Jinhyuk tilted his head.
Just then.
Woosh!
A massive gate materialized before him.
‘Is this…?’
Jinhyuk’s brows drew together in thought.
This gate looked different from any he had seen before.
The white ivory foundation and the golden mist swirling at its center were visibly extraordinary at first glance.
‘So that’s what it was.’
Now, Jinhyuk understood what Rick meant.
He had planned to kill some time in the dungeons on the lower floors before heading to the elf village.
‘Interesting.’
This was probably not going to end with just the trade.
Jinhyuk walked forward.
As he passed through the surface of the rippling gate, his vision immediately darkened to black.
Woosh!
When his vision returned, the scenery had completely changed.
An endless desert.
A radiant ancient civilization was laid out below a burning sun.
“Wow…”
Jinhyuk exhaled a dry breath.
His lips felt parched already.
At that moment.
“Welcome, Player Kang Jinhyuk. We’ve been expecting you.”
Rick, clad in a black suit, greeted Jinhyuk.
As always, couldn’t he give up wearing a suit even under this scorching sun?
The mere sight made Jinhyuk feel hotter.
“I thought we were going to the Grand Library, but I didn’t expect the gate to lead here. Are you enjoying a vacation?”
Jinhyuk teased, feigning ignorance.
“Hahaha. I wish it was a vacation, but I’m here on business. You know, the Egyptian deities that you’re acquainted with. This is where they reside. It’s fortunate that they wanted to meet with you, isn’t it?”
That’s right.
The 42nd floor of the Tower of Ordeal.
A part of the upper tower that players couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Being invited here meant that his previous bluff about receiving the Egyptian deities’ protection was busted.
‘Do they want to see me squirm among the gods?’
‘Or do they want to see how I handle this situation?’
Jinhyuk wasn’t sure of the motive but —
Well.
Whatever he imagined, the outcome would likely divert from expectations.
＊＊＊
Following Rick’s lead into the city, many eyes turned toward them.
They were not humans.
They had human bodies, but their heads were those of eagles, snakes, cats, jackals, and so on.
‘I’m seeing the residents of the 42nd floor already.’
Jinhyuk reminisced about the past, lost in thought.
It was the floor he normally shouldn’t have reached for a while, but thanks to Rick, he was about to have an interesting experience.
It was indeed his first time meeting the gods before even hitting level 100.
While Jinhyuk looked around, the residents also observed him with curiosity.
“Hey! Look at that. A human.”
“Oh ho. I heard humans entered the tower, but I didn’t expect one to reach this floor so soon.”
“He came with Rick, so did he come through a gate?”
“Remarkable. Recognition from an Administrator. This human must be exceptional.”
“Maybe he came to be ‘chosen.’”
“Already?”
The murmurs grew louder.
‘Feels like I’ve become a zoo’s elephant on display,’ Jinhyuk thought, forcing a wry smile. Rick, walking beside him, spoke up.
“I apologize. I thought I’d show you around since it’s your first visit here, but it seems I’ve drawn too much attention to you instead.”
“No, this is quite refreshing and interesting.”
There was no need to sightsee the 42nd floor.
After all, it was a familiar place.
He knew that the 13th pot in Anubis’s bedroom was a fake, but he still had to play the role of a naive newbie.
At least to avoid suspicion from Rick, as cunning as a snake.
“By the way, didn’t you say the Egyptian deities wanted to meet me?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“The way you laugh mischievously doesn’t seem like it’s for a good reason.”
“Ever since they found out you were lying about receiving their patronage… Well, I’ll just tell you.”
Rick pointed to a corner of the desert.
A crater carved into the flatland was particularly noticeable.
“That’s where the Sphinx and the pyramids used to be.”
A simple past tense declaration.
Meaning, in a fit of rage, they destroyed their very own inner chamber.
Rick observed Jinhyuk, anticipating fear or regret to be caused by the overwhelming power of the deity.
Yet —
“What a waste. There must have been a lot of treasures. Why tear it all down? As the saying goes, the rich just get richer.”
Jinhyuk only clicked his tongue, showing no sign of fear.
“Aren’t you scared, Jinhyuk?”
The other was a lofty deity.
An absolute ruler who governed the upper reaches of the tower.
In contrast, Jinhyuk was a mere player, newly entered and climbing the lower floors.
To compare the two already seemed an absurd narrative.
Yet —
“Well, should I fear the 42nd floor when it’s not even the 50th?”
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
What kind of confidence was this?
As if he could take on even the gods themselves, his audacity pushed through the heavens.
Boldness to this point was downright absurd.
But why was it?
Rick couldn’t dismiss the confidence as purely groundless. For some reason, he couldn’t explain.
Just—
His instincts, honed over many encounters with countless beings, compelled him to believe so.
“Puhaha! Truly! As expected, you never disappoint, Jinhyuk. It’s very interesting. I’ve grown weary of a life spinning in a cycle over a long stretch of time, but living a long life isn’t all bad.”
Rick burst into joyful laughter, genuinely satisfied.
From the first moment he saw him, one thing was clear.
The charm Kang Jinhyuk, the player, held would not fade quickly.
He had tried to create a difficult situation to test him once more…
But again, Jinhyuk had not let him down.
“For some reason, I feel it too. That you, Jinhyuk, will make it up here someday.”
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange? What do you mean?”
“I also think I’ll be able to reach this place in the not-too-distant future.”
Indeed…
Typical of him.
Rick’s lips curled even higher.
“Haha! I also look forward to that day. Of course, by then, I hope you’ll bring something more substantial than Medusa.”
The two engaged in trivial banter as they walked.
Before long, they had arrived at a palace built from white marble.
This place was where the Egyptian deities resided.
[The White Oasis].
“I’ll go inside for a moment to inform the guards of our arrival.”
“Alright, do that.”
After a brief response, Jinhyuk moistened his lower lip with his tongue.
‘I should make some preparations before meeting these distinguished individuals.’
Anticipating what events might occur, he knew he needed to be prepared.
‘Even if I am a seasoned player, I can’t just charge in barehanded to meet them.’
Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
He had 2,153.188 coins at his disposal.
The revenue was a result of consistent earnings from the ‘Hall of Choice’ level 5 video and other videos he had previously posted.
The amount compared to the entire coin reserve of a major guild. It was ludicrously insufficient to purchase items capable of contending with a deity.
But that didn’t matter.
‘When have I ever fretted over coins?’
If there was a shortage, he’d find a solution just for that.
A veteran has ways only a veteran can wield.
Jinhyuk swiftly began purchasing items from the ‘Coin Exchange.’
＊＊＊
“What should I call this? It’s just…”
“Puhaha! What’s the matter? I’m having fun.”
“Stop talking nonsense! Have you already forgotten how much trouble that guy caused me?”
Voices filled the palace interior.
Each one brimming with unstoppable energy.
Naturally —
For the beings present in front of Jinhyuk were those revered as ‘gods.’
Deities who could collapse mountains with a gesture and influence the entire tower with a command.
Before these entities, even looking straight at them was difficult.
Yet, the gods, always composed, were now flustered.
The incredulous Horus,
The amused Osiris,
And of course, Anubis, having suffered much, overflowed with anger.
And at the center of it all stood Jinhyuk.
“In return for handing over Medusa, I’d like to receive one of the ‘Eggs’ stored here. Considering Lord Horus’s collection, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal, does it?”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
“Where you’ve heard about the existence of the eggs, I don’t know. But they are not items a human can handle.”
Horus drew a line.
It was expected, and he didn’t entertain the idea in the slightest.
“Well, for your information, I have some skills in taming wild animals.”
It’s said there are no bad animals.
There is a way to tame each pet accordingly.
“To treat a divine beast as an ordinary animal, the ignorance is astounding.”
Horus sighed in frustration.
Meanwhile, Osiris rubbed his chin, his eyes sparkling with interest.
This man, who boldly made demands even in front of them, was fascinating.
“Why not? Give it a try. It sounds fun.”
“Osiris!”
“I mean, the guy can’t even tame it, let alone hatch it, right? So just give him the egg. Or else, just take Medusa away from him outright.”
Coo-coo-coo-coo!
Osiris casually revealed his power.
In an instant, the air began to freeze over.
As expected of a deity; even the mere expression of their sentiments could invoke calamity.
As the situation began to deteriorate, Rick, who had been beside Jinhyuk, stepped forward.
“Heh. Surely you wouldn’t break the tower’s rules in front of this old man, would you? Player Kang Jinhyuk is here as my guest. It’s fine to play with humans, but please do so within the set boundaries.”
“Ah, it was just a joke. I know, those damned rules.”
At the mention of ‘rules,’ Osiris scattered the gathered magic in an instant.
Then.
“We can do without all that.”
Anubis, seething from the start, intervened.
Koom!
A mummy over two meters tall appeared from thin air.
Wrapped in typical mummy bandages, the creature’s magic power was not something to scoff at, rivaling that of a dungeon boss.
“Five seconds. If you last that long against my agent, I’ll give you the egg and Medusa as you wish. This shouldn’t break any rules. What do you say? Do you accept the conditions?”
Anubis pointed out.
“Just last five seconds, is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, that’s it. But bear in mind that a duel could take your life at any moment…”
Anubis’s words were cut off.
In the gap between conversation, a lightning-fast sword slash swept across the mummy, slicing through its body.
“Kiieek…”
The giant mummy was split in half.
It staggered and toppled backward, the top half falling, having lost its connection point.
A hush fell over the palace interior.
“Well then, I’ll take that as consent to kill without consequence.”
Jinhyuk smiled faintly.
