Chapter 106: How a Veteran Player Tames a Pet (2)
From the moment the gate opened, I knew that Anubis would be in the palace.
He would obviously be stubborn, considering his resentment.
There was no doubt he’d set a difficult challenge in my way.
Of course.
‘As long as the laws of the tower exist, that guy can’t lay hands on me directly yet.’
If so, the only option left for Anubis was to play his Champion.
My mind raced.
‘The only card Anubis could play as his Champion would be the [Awakened Mummy].’
He couldn’t bring out an exceptional Champion against a player who hadn’t even passed the 10th floor.
The best he could choose within the limits of the system was that single option.
Once I reached that conclusion, the rest was easy.
Knowing the opponent’s hand, preparing a countermeasure was as simple as eating cold porridge.
I invoked both ‘Blessing of the Stars’ and ‘Tomb of the Sword’ before dropping the ‘Royal Blood’ I had purchased from the coin exchange.
Royal Blood was an item known for its high efficiency against mummies created to protect the pharaoh.
In other words, a counter.
I was certain.
No matter how strong the opponent, if I used a power with a conflicting effect,
I could seize the opening.
And the result was…
Bang!
The mummy was in pieces on the ground.
It had fallen in a pitiful manner, not even getting the chance to strike once.
A heavy silence dominated the palace’s interior.
Soon after, that silence was shattered by an exclamation full of astonishment.
“Can it be…”
“A player on the mere 6th floor took down Anubis’s Champion?”
The jaws of Horus and Osiris dropped in shock.
The outcome had completely overturned their expectations.
Even Anubis himself hadn’t grasped the situation yet.
“What’s going on…”
He stuttered.
The humiliation he had faced in the underground 1st floor of the Tower of Trials.
The scars from being danced around by Pendariel’s tricks.
And finally, the anger from the betrayal he had committed against Rick.
He thought he could repay all those debts in one go.
But,
The Champion he had so confidently prepared was now rolling on the ground.
The one left standing was a detestable human.
“I’ll be taking the egg of the summon, of course. Since it’s an important item, I might as well pick it out myself, right?”
Jinhyuk grinned.
“Quit your ridiculous…!”
“Anubis! It was a promise you made with your own lips. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Anubis was about to shout, but Horus stepped in to stop him.
It was a trade made in the name of Egyptian mythology.
What would it look like if a deity, even one as a middle manager in the tower like Rick Henishima, failed to accept the outcome of a duel?
That would make a mockery of Anubis in front of all other mythologies.
“Dammit…”
Anubis reluctantly stepped back.
Though grinding his teeth and growling, that was it.
As the situation calmed down, Horus spoke again.
“Keep your promise. The egg of the summon is stored inside, so I’ll show you right away. However, remember that we can’t give you another one if you fail to hatch it or tame it.”
“Of course, I never expected the divine realm to have a return or refund policy.”
Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
His expression was far too composed.
As if he had no intention of including the possibility of failure on the table.
‘So, this was why Rick brought me here.’
Horus nodded slightly.
He had wondered why Rick, known for his fastidiousness among the middle managers, had shown such favoritism towards this human.
Now, his motives were beginning to make some sense.
That understanding swiftly turned into conviction.
Horus’s yellow eyes were trained on Jinhyuk.
“……Someday, you may reach this place.”
His gaze seemed to pierce through to the essence.
Almost as if he was looking at a certain point in the future.
“What do you say? If that time comes, will you choose one of us to become the ruler of this floor?”
A casually thrown suggestion, yet its weight was far from light.
“Horus!”
“Are you serious…!”
Both deities showed a vehement reaction.
It was unavoidable.
What Horus was implying with his words was the decision to use their ‘once in a lifetime choice’ on Jinhyuk.
Certainly, they recognized that he was different. There was no disputing that.
But the idea of making such an offer to a rookie, a player barely starting and too weak to choose a faction yet?
However.
“No.”
Jinhyuk finally spoke.
A rejection!
Even Rick, who was watching with the other three deities, couldn’t help but be surprised.
It was the first time he had seen someone kick away such an incredible stroke of fortune.
Jinhyuk lifted his head with a tranquil face.
Not towards the endless desert,
But higher than the sky where the sun was shining.
[Tower of Trials 50th floor.]
The highest point of the tower.
The place where the last sanctuary, untouched even by the deities, was located.
“I’m sorry, but my place is not here.”
There was no hesitation.
To see that end once more.
To conquer the tower’s summit once more.
“I need to go to a place even higher than here.”
I must succeed.
Among the countless players,
Only I could reach the end of this tower…
＊＊＊
Inside the palace’s treasure vault.
Here, the treasures collected by the Egyptian deities were piled up like mountains.
Staggering amounts of gold and colorful gems were dazzling.
Yet, Jinhyuk didn’t pay attention to any of them.
What he needed now wasn’t ordinary gold or gems, but something far more valuable and significant.
Then, Rick, who had been walking beside him, spoke.
“At first, I thought I could show Jinhyuk a rare sight. Opportunities to ascend to the higher floors of the tower are not common, after all.”
There was a touch of bittersweetness in Rick’s expression.
It must be due to self-chagrin.
“But, instead, it’s thanks to Jinhyuk that I’ve witnessed something rare. It goes to show, you can’t predict life.”
Seeing the egg of the summon was an opportunity not just players but even middle managers could hardly come by.
Even the highest ‘summons’ and ‘spiritual beings’ were entities difficult for deities to handle.
And yet, here he was actually seeing it.
Rick’s eyes, filled with mixed emotions, turned towards Jinhyuk.
‘Well now…’
It would be problematic if this was the extent of his surprise.
What more would he do when faced with greater astonishment?
‘Thinking back, I did get dragged around quite a bit by this old man.’
There’s some truth to the phrase ‘you never know with life.’
Who would have thought Rick would end up in such a humble position?
Feeling the complete reversal of the master and servant relationship, Jinhyuk found himself in a curious mood.
That was when.
“This is it.”
Horus, leading the way, stopped.
In the deepest part of the storeroom,
There was a place where runes and ancient languages were layered upon one another.
Upon a golden altar lay three eggs.
Green. Red. Black.
Eggs of different colors and appearances…
“Which will you choose? Ah! Since you don’t know what lies inside, there’s not really a need to think over it.”
“Even if you did know, it would be useless. Without knowing how to hatch them, they’re no more than rocks on the side of the road.”
Anubis and Osiris interjected.
Always sticking their noses where they don’t belong.
The two were evidently eager to see my disappointment.
What could be more entertaining than watching someone fall just shy of their goal?
‘Let them pray, they might as well hope for the desert to turn into an ocean. That would happen sooner.’
Jinhyuk dismissed the cheap provocations.
Thinking of their words as a lullaby, he felt at ease.
‘First, I need to precisely determine what’s inside the eggs.’
Starting with the green egg.
[Lv5 ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ activated!]
[Because of the level difference, only partial information about the target can be accessed.]
[Green Egg]
Name: Grass Spirit Heshimius
Acquisition Difficulty: SS+
Details: … possesses healing abilities, and can survive for about 100 days without receiving mana from its master.
Heshimius is a grass spirit specialized in healing… not a bad pet.
I could use it as a dedicated heal pack, so there would be no need for a separate healer. Obviously, I could also tackle higher-tier dungeons than my own abilities allow.
The issue is that there’s no fun in raising it.
It can’t speak, and there’s no reaction to anything really – might as well liken it to raising a pebble?
I had already raised one in the past.
It was less interesting than taking care of the weeds in the back mountains.
‘Pass on this one.’
Efficiency is one thing, but I should at least enjoy raising it.
It’s no fun if it’s only mechanical.
Jinhyuk moved to the next egg, using the skill again.
[Lv5 ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ activated!]
[Because of the level difference, only partial information about the target can be accessed.]
[Red Egg]
Name: Flame-spewing Cat ‘???’
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Details: … utilizes fire-based abilities….
‘The information is dwindling.’
The increased acquisition difficulty made this inevitable.
No matter how much I relied on Luck and Adaptation stats for support, there were limits.
However, even with just fragmented renown, I could deduce the identity of the creature.
‘A flame-spewing cat should be the Summon Kiriyane.’
This also wouldn’t be a bad choice.
As a supporting dealer, Kiriyane has proved its worth even in the later stages of the tower.
The issue with this creature is its prickliness.
It’s a known fact, even among the deities, that feline Summons don’t recognize their own masters.
‘Have to let this one go, too.’
One moody Ellis is more than enough. At least that one calmed down a bit after I groomed its habits early on.
I’d rather avoid the relationship of pampering a finicky cat and its owner.
‘Hopefully, the last one has manageable downsides…’
My gaze turned to the black egg.
Please. O mighty god above.
‘I’ll start donating diligently from tomorrow and won’t tease the newbies anymore.’
I offered a prayer to some notable deity sitting atop the tower as I calmed my breath and used my ability one last time.
[Lv5 ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ activated!]
[Due to the extreme level difference, only partial information about the target can be accessed.]
[Black Egg]
Name: ???
Acquisition Difficulty: ???
Details: … can be hatched by a single method only.
Done!
While reviewing the status window, Jinhyuk clenched his fist.
The pet that I’d always wanted the most,
And yet, had never managed to obtain, was sleeping inside that black egg.
