Chapter 68: Solo Army Corps (4)
There was only one player who had come to this place.
Yet, that single person possessed a power that could rival tens of thousands.
[The ‘Black Leaf’ skill is activated.]
[The statues, now tainted with the effect of decay, quickly begin to weaken.]
He had played his final card to accelerate the climax.
The surface of the statues, now stained black.
The troops that once boasted invincibility.
The subordinates that once boasted of being undefeated.
…began to crumble gradually.
“This can’t be happening…”
Mu-hon staggered back with a look of disbelief.
The statue upon which he rode also retreated, meaning to protect its master.
But it was useless.
The multitude of statues that had been shielding him were now too busy fighting among themselves.
Above all, Mu-hon’s own power was not even enough to match an average named monster.
[Lv3 Glacier Sculpture is activated!]
Crrrrack!
A thin wall of ice blocked Mu-hon’s escape route.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
Just when things were about to get interesting, are you trying to leave already?
At the very least, you should stick around to see the conclusion.
“I cannot accept this. An ability to interfere with the command structure of my summons… That shouldn’t exist!”
Mu-hon yelled in outrage.
His face paled, and his voice shook.
From his perspective, this situation was entirely unacceptable.
“Denying reality is your right, but the more you do, the more pathetic you become.”
Jin-hyuk gathered his mana.
Wooosh!
A golden mist swirled from the tips of his fingers.
The ‘Mandala’ was about to be activated.
Sensing the extraordinary flow of magic power, Mu-hon hurriedly jumped off the statue’s head.
“Block him! Stop that man!”
Somehow…
Somehow, he must kill Jin-hyuk before the Mandala could fully bloom.
“Grrrraaaah!”
A statue adorned with glittering jewels raised its hands high.
A shadow loomed over Jin-hyuk’s head.
Booooom!
The ground cracked open like a turtle’s shell.
But where the statue struck, there was nothing.
“Running away and pushing your subordinates into danger when cornered… That habit of yours hasn’t changed.”
High up in the sky.
Jin-hyuk now held a bow made with Glacier Sculpture in his hand.
Of course, the arrow was not made of ice.
A golden arrow, crafted from the fully bloomed light of the Mandala, was ready to be released from the bowstring at any moment.
[Glacier Sculpture and Mandala resonate!]
[The ‘Demon-Slaying Arrow’ is activated!]
A flash of light burst forth.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!
The beam of light that cut straight across pierced through Mu-hon’s heart.
Sssssshhh!
From the hole in his chest, heat rose up.
“Da… damn you!”
Mu-hon looked down at his wound, his face a mix of emptiness and despair.
However, it was only for a moment.
No creature could survive without a heart.
Mu-hon’s body toppled over, lifeless.
And at that moment.
[The boss monster of the 3rd floor, ‘Mu-hon,’ has been defeated!]
[The 4th floor of the Trial Tower is now open!]
[Time remaining until conquest of the next floor: 89D 23h:59m:59s]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
Golden status windows appeared one after another in the sky.
He had finally conquered the 3rd floor.
Moreover, his level had shot up by five in one go.
Considering the growing experience point gains, it was an enormous achievement.
“The stats, I’ll just invest them in mana…”
It was time to collect the rewards from this raid.
Jin-hyuk walked through the now-still statues.
In front of Mu-hon’s corpse, there was a box on the ground.
“What’s this?”
Jin-hyuk’s pupils wavered slightly.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
These seven colors indicate the rank of treasures one could obtain after defeating a high-tier relic or the boss monster of the 3rd floor.
But.
‘I can’t believe an orange-ranked treasure has appeared.’
All grades that would appear within the 10th floor were ‘red.’
However, what lay before him was a tier higher, the ‘orange’ rank.
He guessed the reason.
It must be due to the effect of ‘Monopoly,’ where hunting alone leads to the best rewards.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Jin-hyuk’s heart raced.
After all, the most thrilling and exciting moment is when you check the rewards for your hard work.
[The ‘Unknown Treasure Chest’ opens!]
Along with a dazzling light, the items inside the box were revealed.
[There are a total of 7 items inside the box.]
[You have acquired 4 Pink Diamonds.]
[You have acquired the ‘Priority Base Rights.’]
[You have obtained 1 kg of ‘Softy Popping Candy.’]
[You have acquired 50 liters of ‘Natural Water.’]
[You have obtained 5 seeds of ‘Sola’.]
[You have acquired 3 ‘Fire-Breathing Snails.’]
Had it been a red box, there would’ve been at most three items inside.
Indeed, an orange rank is truly different.
‘Wow, they really went all out.’
The bounty alone was more than satisfying.
He thought he had received enough…
Yet.
“Huh?”
Upon checking the list of the final item, Jin-hyuk almost couldn’t suppress his bursting exclamations.
[The Stone that Obscures the Sun]
Haha.
The corners of Jin-hyuk’s lips curled upward.
The best item that could be obtained from Mu-hon had emerged.
‘It’s something one might get once in a hundred times if lucky.’
Insane.
It was a moment that made him acutely aware once again of how amazing the effect of ‘Monopoly’ was.
This might mean…
‘I might be able to get all the sweet loot for the 4th-floor conquest as well?’
Jin-hyuk began to redraw his plans as he contemplated a not-so-distant future.
＊＊＊
[The 4th floor has been unlocked.]
This message reached all the players within the Trial Tower.
“What the hell?”
“The 4th floor has opened?”
“Did someone defeat the boss?”
Players in the tower gasped.
The boss monster of the 3rd floor, which had been such a challenge, had fallen.
Considering all the past failures, it was hard to believe.
Especially since the schedules of the major guilds were completely empty, weren’t they?
But, faced with the status window now before them, they could not deny it forever.
This was reality.
“Honestly… they succeeded.”
Patrick from the Olympus Guild swallowed hard.
When he had first heard about the masked player, he had been doubtful.
He had no choice but to doubt it.
Even meticulously composed raid parties hadn’t even been able to touch the boss’s fur.
However, all those doubts vanished at this moment.
“And they did it solo.”
Maria, a European ranker, also had a mixture of complicated emotions on her face.
The relief that humanity had not been wiped out and the inferiority from the overwhelming disparity in skill swirled in her mind.
“It’s the birth of a hero.”
“We’ve got 90 days to challenge the next floor; that’s really fortunate.”
“We better prepare more thoroughly this time.”
The other rankers each uttered their thoughts.
Meanwhile, Tenwei, with a displeased expression, clicked his tongue sharply.
“Lucky? You think this is good? Do you really think that this raid’s success will be beneficial for us? Now that guy’s gonna hoover up all the views, isn’t he?”
“…!”
“…”
Everyone paused for a moment.
Indeed, the point was valid.
The community was currently flooded with stories about the player named Unknown.
Following the upload of the overall boss raid highlight video, this phenomenon only intensified.
-HeavenlyTactics: Wasn’t Cheon Su-gwan-eum (Thousand-Armed Kannon) a damn strong named monster?
-CricketRevolution: Didn’t they call it the Blender for nothing? It shredded everything that came near.
-SoccerIsMyLife: True. That’s why most raid parties tried to avoid it and went elsewhere.
-Kingdom3: Wow. Did they really smash it to bits? And alone?
-HungryJudge: Plus, the way he used those chess pieces as summons during the boss fight was insane.
-SunshineUpload: Everyone, please give lots of love and subscribes to channel ‘Unknown’! Unknown is the future!
-StreamerAboveAll: 5252, always believed!
-BarkingAtGamers: Woof! Rrrrr! Woof woof woof! Growwwwl!
-DaramS2: Those so-called major guilds just did loads of promoting but actually had no substance lol.
-ShibaSays: How about handing over all the guilds to bro Unknown?
The fusion skills and Ellis’s existence were edited out for coherence, but despite that, the flashy and powerful video was enough to satisfy everyone’s desires.
His popularity was overwhelming.
At this point, one couldn’t help becoming wary.
“Hmm. Our position might weaken.”
“It wasn’t all good news after all.”
As murmurs filled the room, the atmosphere began to shift.
The sigh of relief soon turned into envy and jealousy.
At that moment.
“What are you talking about right now?”
Theresa stood up abruptly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Tenwei immediately questioned back.
“We all owe our lives to that person. Honestly, among those present, who could have defeated that boss monster? Who among us could venture into that hellish place, with recruits who haven’t even had proper real-world experience?”
Instead of expressing gratitude for their rescue, they were more concerned with their own piece of the pie.
It was like asking someone who just saved a drowning man to hand over his belongings.
Of course, the most disconcerting was Tenwei, who was blatantly criticizing.
“Ha. Do you stand with that guy just because he’s your ‘acquaintance’?”
“I simply stated the facts.”
Theresa drew a line.
“And if the rest of you carry the same mentality as Mr. Mo Yong-hwang… Then I will no longer participate as a member of this alliance.”
“Se-seriously… You plan to leave the ‘Council’?”
Patrick asked in a rush, clearly shocked.
There was good reason for his reaction.
This was the place where even the top rankers and prospects from around the world were trying desperately to connect with—it was not only selective but implied guaranteed wealth and fame. Naturally, there weren’t people lining up to leave.
But Theresa’s expression was unwavering.
“Do you trust that man to that extent?”
“Yes. I trust him.”
More than anyone else.
If there was a player who would reach the end of the tower…
It could only be one person.
And if she had to weigh that person against everyone else…
There was only one choice.
Theresa was certain.
＊＊＊
At the same time.
Having collected his rewards, Jin-hyuk left the Trial Tower.
Before heading officially to the 4th floor, he intended to rest and recuperate.
‘I’ve achieved more than expected; maybe I should indulge in a little luxury?’
He thought of booking a five-star hotel, taking a hot bath, and then enjoying a full-course meal.
‘When I was a streamer, simply paying rent and utilities made it tough to even afford a meal a day.’
Even then, he would starve for two days to order food for the mukbang streams.
But not anymore.
Just selling one of the Pink Diamonds he had just obtained would make him at least 300 million won.
For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to enjoying a real day of luxury as his stomach churned with anticipation.
But just then.
Vvvrrr!
The smartphone he had put in his pocket started to vibrate violently.
[Caller: Yu Yeon-hwa]
Checking the name displayed on the screen, Jin-hyuk dragged the call slider.
“Hello?”
“Oppa…!”
Yu Yeon-hwa’s voice trembled on the other end.
As if everything was about to fall apart.
