Chapter 166: The Horn that Calls Despair (3)
Moyong Clan, responsible for one of the Five Great Families’ roles.
Moyong Su was even there a talent that stood out.
It meant he had undergone harsh training to retain his composure.
But this time…
Even Moyong Su, who was always so steadfast, couldn’t help but curse out loud.
“Arghhh! You crazy bastard!”
Kukukukuku!
This time, the ground began shaking violently from side to side.
It was as if an earthquake was happening.
Mountains of treasures collapsed, and from the cracks in the earth, unidentified vines began to creep out.
Now, a scene fitting to the word “despair” was unfolding.
“Good. Good.”
Jinhyuk nodded with interest.
What would leap out if he blew into it a couple more times?
Would an ancient demon from hell be summoned?
“Take your hands off the horn now! Please, just stop it, you insane freak!”
Moyong Su screamed at the top of his lungs.
Of course.
“Damn it! Kang Jinhyuk! Are you trying to kill us all?”
“Human! I’m running low on mana right now! Hey! Get away! How dare these plants touch my noble body!”
“Ji, Jinhyuk-ssi! Please, just stop…!”
His teammates also screamed as they ran around in panic.
This was truly a scene of shock and horror.
That’s right.
If it claims to be the Tower of Ordeal, it should produce such hellish scenes.
Apparently, everyone forgot while smoothly climbing the tower; this is the true face of the Tower of Ordeal.
“Kieeeee!”
Kwakwakwakwa!
The Black Scorpion ravaged through the piles of gold once again.
Anything caught in its pincers was cut to pieces.
And someone stabbed by its tail would melt away instantly, even with stacked defense skills on a tanker.
“Aaargh!”
“Run away!”
It was a scene that could only be described as preposterous.
An elite raid party was being annihilated without even putting up a decent fight.
“Kugh!”
Even Moyong Su barely managed to hold his own against the Black Scorpion.
Thus, it was impossible for the others to stand a chance.
And now, carnivorous plants revealing their full form began hunting players one by one with their vines.
The second calamity, ‘Predator in the Mud.’
Plants grasping ankles with their vines threw players high into the air.
“Uh… uhuhuh?”
They were launched into the sky.
Briefly flailing against gravity…
Click.
An opening mouth with innumerable teeth appeared at the center of the plant.
Bodily fluids and unidentifiable liquids stretched out like spider webs.
And that was the end.
Crunch!
Crunch crunch!
A dark fountain of blood spurted out.
Having swiftly eaten its prey, the carnivorous plant mechanically moved in search for another.
‘This can’t go on.’
Moyong Su gritted his teeth as if they would break.
If even the third despair woke, it would truly be the end.
‘I can’t handle even the third one alone.’
The sacred artifact capable of summoning three despairs, ‘The Horn that Calls Despair.’
Each known to have the power to ruin nations.
But from the third despair onward, the level of difficulty transforms entirely.
It’s said to escalate to an extent impossible even for elite forces from the clans to handle.
However.
Even now, someone was quickly moving like a squirrel, attaching and detaching the horn to their mouth…
There was no doubt that the horn would be blown again.
‘That madman wouldn’t stop here.’
It was futile hope, considering his past actions.
So then.
Moyong Su’s eyes narrowed.
His gaze turned to the altar above.
Specifically, the black bell that rested upon the podium.
‘Grab the bell and escape from here.’
The gate generated by the bell could only let three people escape. In other words, if you’re not within those three, you would have to bury your bones here.
He and Liao Wei… Only two people were necessary.
With this, the escape route was secured.
But Moyong Su’s thoughts didn’t stop there.
‘After coming this far, I can’t just break even.’
In fact, there was a secret hidden in the horn.
[The Horn that Calls Calamity holds the power to cause three calamities. And after surviving 5 minutes following the third calamity, the last fourth will bring not disaster, but fortune. A fortune enough to transcend all four calamities.]
No one had tried it yet, but the ancient documents found in the secret library clearly stated this.
‘If he brings about the third calamity, I’ll snatch the horn immediately.’
If he could then seize the fourth fortune and escape through the bell!
Everything would wrap up perfectly.
There were no flaws in the plan.
Only he knew this in this place.
“Liao Wei!”
“Yes…? Yes!”
“Follow me!”
Thud!
Moyong Su dashed off the spot.
＊＊＊
‘As expected, he’s reacting this way.’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled up.
It was a trap.
After creating a fake ruse as if aiming for the bell, and if the flustered opponent reacts…
‘He will try to snatch the horn from me straight away.’
It’s not easy to pretend to fall for such a plot when one can see right through it.
Because, after all, this was a scenario that demanded acting skills.
Jinhyuk quickly adopted a slightly flustered expression and held the horn to his mouth.
The moment Moyong Su stepped onto the altar stairs…
Pwooouuu!
The sound of the third horn blew out.
It was the beginning.
CHIIIEEEK!
Suddenly, black smoke rose from the altar.
[The third despair awakens!]
The Black Scorpion and carnivorous plants, though despair-inducing, were nothing compared to what now emerged.
Wooowooong!
About 1 meter in diameter.
The black orb emitted an odd noise.
It seemed like a mere ellipse, but only those who didn’t know this creature would say so.
‘Finally, it’s here.’
The third despair, ‘Ideabody.’
It was a nearly conceptual entity that existed solely to eradicate intruders.
Jinhyuk also had a faint trace of sweat on his forehead.
Facing a monster that would be hard to contend even if his level were twice as high was naturally nerve-wracking.
Of course.
The current tension came from a different kind than most knew.
The exhilaration of being able to risk his life against a powerful foe.
And the anticipation…
Of being able to put one over on that foolish martial arts guy after overcoming a difficult foe.
“Huuh…”
Jinhyuk took a deep breath.
At the same time, he fully awakened every sense in his body.
And at that exact moment, the black orb moved.
…Straight ahead!
In line with his perception, a sharp spike shot out from the orb.
KAAGAGAAK!
He barely twisted its trajectory with his fangs.
The barb that grazed past the blade struck the ground behind Jinhyuk.
It was an attack that possessed both speed and precision.
But the real problem wasn’t those two aspects.
Zzzzzt…
The spikes that had pierced the ground were back in place in the blink of an eye.
Bullets that required no reload time?
KWAK!
KWAAK!
In less than a second, more than seven attacks had been launched.
With such rapid succession, Jinhyuk had to frantically swing his sword to retaliate.
“Whew.”
Jinhyuk quietly whistled.
If not for his reflexes and the countless experiences, he’d have been hit by that attack.
At least the people behind him, Cheon Yuseong and Teresa…
“Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah. Managed to block it somehow.”
“Me too.”
Voices belonging to Cheon Yuseong and Teresa resounded from behind.
They seemed to be unharmed.
Elise was, of course, needless to mention.
But not everyone survived the attacks from the ideabody.
“Kuuuugh…”
“Uugh…”
Players with punctured wounds spat out blackened blood foam from their mouth.
Trembling hands and feet.
“KAAAAH!”
“AAAAAH!”
Red bloodshot eyes took over the pierced players, grotesque veins protruding, muscles swelling – a grotesque sight, indeed.
This was precisely why the third despair was terrifying.
The ability to turn those attacked into its own minions.
And as the infected also gained the ability to infect, its impact would grow immensely over time.
CRICK, CRACK…
Arms and legs twisted grotesquely.
Just then…
A tragedy of implicating one’s own kind began.
An infected player bit the player next to him.
“I’ve been bitten! That bastard bit me!”
“You crazy… it’s me! It’s me!”
The situation turned into chaos in an instant.
The formation collapsed at once.
Now, it wasn’t about fighting; it was about prioritizing survival.
＊＊＊
Amidst the chaos.
Moyong Su, who had overcome numerous traps, finally took the bell into his hands on the altar.
Almost simultaneously, Jinhyuk caught up to Moyong Su’s back.
“It’s too late!”
Moyong Su extended the bell forward.
WOOOOONG!
[The gate is activated!]
[Up to three individuals can escape outside the tomb, and once the last person passes through, the gate will disappear.]
[However, the player who opened the gate must be among the three.]
His claim of being too late was true.
One of the three spots was now Moyong Su’s.
‘Good.’
Moyong Su clenched his fists.
Now, all that remained was… to get the horn.
He was almost there. One more step.
PAZZZZZ…
Moyong Su’s sword glinted with dazzling radiance.
Sword Aura (劍罡).
The hallmark of supreme swordsmen boasting the peak of cutting power.
“You shouldn’t think you can beat me 1-on-1. I can take on a Black Scorpion alone now.”
“Oh? Boosted with pills and you speak as though it’s your true strength. I’m seriously curious, don’t you feel embarrassed saying that?”
“What…you?”
“Angry, aren’t you? The truth hurts. Originally your skill barely matches that of the Blood Chief, right? No, considering the traits of the demonic and righteous factions, you’re probably even lower?”
“You’re saying… I’m cowardly?”
“Dirty, petty, small-minded is what I’m actually saying.”
As Jinhyuk spoke, Moyong Su’s face turned ashen.
“Just surviving is far better than being a fool who sticks to fairness and loses their life.”
“Right you are, but it’s funny hearing that from the noble righteous factions, right?”
“……”
This time he completely turned mute.
However, it was only for a brief moment.
He realized any more words would only put him at a disadvantage.
THUD!
Moyong Su bridged their distance in a flash and swung his sword.
With ‘Core of Mana’ taken to drastically increase his internal power, the strike was vicious and sharp.
KAANG!
But Jinhyuk barely dodged it, mere paper-thin.
He’d just countered the ideabody’s attack; no way he’d be defeated by this.
“Good timing, but lacking a sharp edge.”
“It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t aiming for your neck anyway.”
Moyong Su’s smile became even thicker.
Suddenly, the horn that Jinhyuk was holding ended up in Moyong Su’s hand.
His plan had always been aiming for this one thing.
Moyong Su tossed the taken horn below.
“Liao Wei!”
“Yes!”
“Blow the horn right now!”
“Ye-yes!”
Liao Wei placed the horn to his mouth without hesitation.
PWOOOOO!
Louder than any other time, the sound of the horn echoed.
[The 4th ‘Fortune’ arrives!]
“Our victory!”
Moyong Su exclaimed jubilantly, certain of his success.
And then…
“Thank you for blowing the last horn for me.”
Jinhyuk smiled faintly as if he had been waiting for just this moment.
