Chapter 172: Nighttime Gala (1)
Jinhyuk was organizing his plan when he approached Yoshiro.
He waved his hand gently, as if greeting a friend from the neighborhood he hadn’t seen in a long time. That casual wave was the key point, and the wide, harmless smile was an added touch.
“What the… What is it?”
However, Yoshiro’s reaction was far from welcoming. His eyes were sharp with suspicion as they focused on Jinhyuk.
Understandable, maybe?
“Don’t be so prickly. Sure, our first encounter wasn’t great, but there’s no need for it to stay that way, right?”
Jinhyuk shrugged nonchalantly as he casually bumped his middle finger against his thumb.
Click!
And then.
[Subspace Inventory has been opened.]
Through the flickering space, something familiar materialized.
It was one of the three sacred treasures, the ‘Cheongchong-un Sword,’ with its distinctive white blade.
“Gasp!”
Yoshiro inhaled sharply. The sight of the sacred treasure, which had been lost by the Samurai Guild, caused his pupils to shake violently.
It was obviously a shock.
The whole of Japan was currently searching frantically for this very item.
“How did you…?”
Responding calmly to Yoshiro’s question, Jinhyuk said:
“Liao Wei had it. You may have considered him an ally, but he was actually the one who stole your sacred artifact.”
“That’s impossible. We have a treaty with Zhonghua. Are you telling me to believe they’ve orchestrated this treachery?”
“So, being allies means wearing a smiling mask on the outside until you stab each other in the back when things go south?”
They both knew this from history—no alliance is eternal.
On the surface, Zhonghua and the Samurai had agreed to climb the Tower together, but their interests could turn them into enemies overnight.
“Do you really believe that they are trustworthy comrades in battle?”
“That’s…”
Yoshiro trailed off, uncertain if he could really attach the word “trustworthy” before “them.”
Seizing the moment of emotional confusion, Jinhyuk quickly added:
“Look, I’m not asking for anything grand. I just came to return this sword to you.”
“…Thank you. On behalf of the Samurai Guild, I express our gratitude.”
Yoshiro nodded, though it was clear he didn’t want to.
How could he refuse when Jinhyuk was offering to return a sacred item without asking for anything in return?
Although he felt uneasy, Yoshiro quickly brushed aside his doubts.
Good, that’s settled.
Now, Jinhyuk approached Cheon Yu Seong.
The chaos around them meant their conversation didn’t draw much attention.
“What kind of wordplay are you planning this time?”
Cheon Yu Seong clicked his tongue right away.
Why does this guy get so annoyed just by seeing my face?
Isn’t it about time for some kind of affection to develop?
“When someone is trying to give you a nice gift, shouldn’t your eyes at least show a glimmer of pleasure?”
“A nice gift?”
“Yeah. I promised I’d get you a weapon at that tailor’s, right?”
Not a cheap one, but a sword worthy of the Sword Saint.
He had come to fulfill that promise.
Cheon Yu Seong looked surprised.
“Are you really going to give me a sword, just like that?”
“Yep! I made a promise to the great Sword Saint, so of course, I have to keep it.”
“I have a hard time believing you, especially when you make such bold statements…”
“Just trust me this one last time. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘fortune comes to those who trust’?”
“Hmph. So where is this sword?”
…Trapped.
The fish with the prickly personality had taken the bait.
This was the crucial moment.
Jinhyuk put on an expression of guilt and remorse that would make a Hollywood director cast him on the spot for his perfect emotional performance.
“The thing is, I really did want to give it to you, but it was stolen just before I got here.”
An unmistakable grinding sound came from clenched teeth.
Veins popped on the forehead of an angry Cheon Yu Seong.
“You again…”
“No, no, wait. Don’t draw your sword here. It’s not for cutting or stabbing. Stop it. You’re going to kill someone—kill me!”
Jinhyuk quickly ducked his head.
No joke; Cheon Yu Seong would have executed an uppercut slice if it were anyone else.
“I had a good sword for you, really. But someone snatched it just before I came here.”
“Who took it?”
“There, that guy…”
Jinhyuk pointed towards a man.
The man, blatantly out of the ordinary and smiling brightly while holding an exceptional sword, stood out immediately.
“When I told him it was a gift for you, he said the sword would be wasted on a greenhorn who knows nothing about swordsmanship.”
That was enough.
The murder in Cheon Yu Seong’s eyes was plainly visible.
“Just wait. Our conversation isn’t over yet.”
“If you insist, I’ll wait here, solid as a rock and forever if need be. But when you get the sword back, make sure you remember it’s my gift to you, okay?”
Jinhyuk cheered the man eagerly from behind.
＊＊＊
[Conditions have been met.]
[The chosen skill is ‘Sword Draw’.]
[The copied skill will be stored in ‘Memories of the World’.]
Unsurprisingly, an exhausted Yoshiro was no match for Cheon Yu Seong.
How could he possibly block someone swinging a sword with such ferocity?
Thanks to this, Jinhyuk successfully operated without lifting a finger.
He watched Yoshiro being carried off to the makeshift infirmary that the administrators had set up in an annex, and Jinhyuk quietly clasped his hands together.
That should be sufficient to convey his apology; worst case, he might offer to buy him a drink later.
‘Good. Very good. Excellent, in fact.’
Jinhyuk nodded with satisfaction.
Indeed, comrades are precious.
They prove useful exactly when you need them.
Now, time to check the grand rewards.
With all the bonus stats piled up through leveling up and the abilities to be copied, Jinhyuk had a mountain of tasks ahead of him.
Activating his personal status window, Jinhyuk took a look.
Ding!
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 67
Strength 25, Agility 25, Stamina 34, Magic Power 110, Perception 100, Luck 10, Adaptability 78, Vital Energy 17.53
Available stat points: 36
Coins: 421,350
Profession: Rune Interpreter
Unique Abilities: ‘Fusion,’ ‘Sword Grave,’ ‘Star’s Blessing,’ ‘Judgement of Anubis,’ ‘Blood Demon Qi,’ ‘Mandala,’ ‘One Second Invulnerability,’ ‘Thousand Poisons,’ ‘White Tiger,’ ‘Shared Prosperity’
Skills: Lv.9 ‘Elemental Fire,’ Lv.9 ‘Eye of Gluttony,’ Lv.6 ‘Sympathy,’ Lv.7 ‘Soul Imprint,’ Lv.6 ‘Toxin Absorption,’ Lv.6 ‘Shallow Breathing,’ Lv.11 ‘Glacier Sculpting,’ Lv.8 ‘Daylight,’ Lv.5 ‘Giant Grip,’ Lv.7 ‘Soul Chasing Sword,’ Lv.1 ‘Double Agent,’ Lv.5 ‘True Taehwang’s Method,’ Lv.6 ‘Sword Demon Emperor’s Step,’ Lv.1 ‘Blurred Scent,’ Lv.4 ‘Psychic Barrier,’ Lv.3 ‘Heavenly Melody,’ Lv.3 ‘Another World’s Restaurant,’ Lv.3 ‘Crimson Magic Bullet,’ Lv.2 ‘Heavenly Net of Earth,’ Lv.1 ‘Soul Bloodsucking,’ Lv.1 ‘Demon Soul Sword,’ Lv.1 ‘Sword Draw’
Barriers: You have learned too many barriers, which have been ‘folded’ away for now.
With the delightful number of 36 stat points, Jinhyuk pondered where to invest and how much to get the most efficient synergy.
Strength was in much need if he considered the battle with Nameless. Reaction speed was good, but when confronting an attack, the pressure was significant.
[Strength will increase from 25 to 50.]
He boldly invested 25 stat points.
Immediately, the muscles throughout his body felt different. Without steffiroid injections, he had the uncontrollable strength of a monster.
Despite no increase in size, his muscles were incomparably denser.
Gripping a marble table, he felt as if playing with clay as his fingers easily penetrated the stone.
‘Madness…’
Without even using Giant’s Grip, his ordinary grip strength was now monstrous.
‘This should suffice for strength for a while.’
Next was inevitably magic power—a stat never overemphasized for using various abilities and skills.
He invested the remaining stats into magic power without hesitation.
[Magic Power has increased from 110 to 121.]
“Phew…”
Jinhyuk gently closed his eyes, feeling the magic power coursing through him. It circulated smoothly, spreading pleasurably to every corner of his body.
Now, for the final touch—the most crucial part.
Jinhyuk steeled his trembling heart.
Despite reviewing countless skills and abilities, choosing one still wasn’t easy.
‘Let’s rule out players.’
That opportunity could come any time, and with tempting targets like residents, administrators, and boss monsters at his fingertips, it would be a waste to use it on a player.
“Nameless’s abilities aren’t bad,” he mused.
Having fought firsthand, Jinhyuk knew the capabilities could switch between offense and defense flawlessly.
‘The Black Death ability of Pendarial, whom I fought in the Zombie Plant, is also one I’d like to secure.’
He considered Elise’s unique abilities and the unique spear of the sweet potato, but, with Shared Prosperity, he put them aside.
He was deeply undecided given all the powerful encounters he’d had.
It took minutes to come to a conclusion, and finally, Jinhyuk spoke:
“I choose to copy Osiris’s unique ability.”
One of the strongest beings, even compared to an ancient race.
If wielding the power of an absolute being who governs the rules of the Tower…
It was a decision fitting for a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
[You have copied the unique ability ‘Sanctuary of the Sun.’]
[The copied ability is stored in ‘Memories of the World.’]
The sun’s power that encompassed the entire 42nd floor, ‘The White Oasis,’ was now in his hands.
“Hahahaha!”
Jinhyuk burst into crazed laughter. Although onlookers thought him mad, it didn’t matter to him.
He felt as if he owned the world, an accomplishment worthy of laughing off anyone’s gaze.
＊＊＊
Five hours later…
After cleaning up the mess, including Hastings and Rick along with other Tower administrators concluded the aftermath of the incident.
The Zhonghua and Murim Guild, who had tampered with the system, faced appropriate consequences.
For Zhonghua Guild, which was practically annihilated, the penalty was almost meaningless.
Murim lost all of its coins, a setback nearly impossible to recover from, no matter how much time passed.
Only then, a grand gala commenced in the ballroom, the culmination of the Influence Selection and the place for factions and players to forge contracts.
At last, the curtain rose on the grand finale of the Masquerade Ball.
