Chapter 87: Ritual of Sacrifice (1)
Alongside the crisp words that Jinhyuk spat out, a series of notifications flooded in.
[The ‘Rotting Heart’ is enraged!]
[You are afflicted with the ‘Curse of the Demon King’!]
[The curse will persist until your demise.]
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
An immense shock coursed through his whole body.
“Damn. That hurts like hell.”
Jinhyuk swallowed his scream internally. Of course, there’s no such thing as getting used to the pain that etches into the heart. It means that each time, it inflicts a fresh agony. Some twisted individuals actually revel in such pain, but they have renounced the last of their human dignity. It’s only natural to want to avoid physical pain if one can, isn’t it?
But this time, it could not be helped. Even receiving this curse was part of the process to clear this level.
[Your stats will decrease by 90% for 3 minutes.]
[Engaging in combat forcibly may lead to exhaustion, fainting, or, in the worst-case scenario, death.]
[Time remaining: 0h:2m:59s]
[Due to the strong intervention of a higher deity, a hidden quest has been generated.]
[Hidden Quest]
Difficulty: A
Description: The corrupted fanatics who recklessly take the lives of others are ‘evildoers.’ For each evildoer you slay, your adaptive stat will increase by +0.1. However, if you kill the High Priest, your adaptive stat will increase by +30.
Yes, this is it.
The error in causality that occurred due to the active intervention of a deity. Of course, the system was designed to resolve such contradictions by providing a corresponding reward to the cursed player. So far, this was all as expected.
All according to the plan, except for one thing.
The stat granted as a reward had changed.
‘Adaptive stat? I can’t believe it.’
Jinhyuk’s pupils quivered with surprise. In the past, they doled out bonus stats by 0.1, but now it had shifted to adaptive stats, a type unobtainable through usual means and only available to players who have seen the top of the tower.
His heart started pounding uncontrollably at the thought of being able to continually accumulate such stats.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
‘I must obtain this at all costs.’
It is an egg yolk within the rewards – the tastiest part – so failure is not an option. He must succeed, absolutely must.
Jinhyuk ignited his will for the first time in a while.
Just then.
Ouch!
An excruciating pain gripped him. It felt like he was about to lose consciousness from the pain emanating from the left side of his chest. He had to escape this place right now.
For at least 3 minutes, he would be unable to fight properly. The ‘faint presence’ he received from the kingdom couldn’t be used during this time, either.
“Would it be okay to call this a draw?” Jinhyuk said with an awkward smile while looking up at the Breaker.
“RROOOAAARR!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Breaker charged towards him with a hammer in hand. If there were anything remote about cuteness, it was certainly not found here.
No helping it.
Jinhyuk quickly turned and dashed away. The dark and labyrinthine corridors could lead to a dead end at any moment, but Jinhyuk never hesitated or slowed down.
‘Turn left here.’
‘Then a right at the next one.’
He had a complete map of this ward in his head, as clear as the front yard. He could navigate it with his eyes shut.
Squeezing through narrow gaps and winding through corridors, he finally arrived at the chemical storage room.
‘Just a narrow escape.’
There were only a few seconds left before the Breaker arrived.
Jinhyuk quickly entered the storage room and flung himself at the innermost cabinet.
Clang!
He wedged himself into a gap just big enough to fit a person.
[You have entered the special field ‘Cabinet.’]
[The concealment effect is activated.]
In the psychiatric ward, there are specific places where hunters can hide from sight. The place he’s hiding now is one of them.
Though he can’t hide perfectly, a bit of luck might be just enough to misdirect their gaze.
*Hoo*.
Inside the cabinet, Jinhyuk held his breath.
Water and self are one.
Envision it!
‘I am the cabinet, and the cabinet is me!’
He hypnotized himself to blend perfectly into the surrounding backdrop, hoping to remain undetected even by ghosts.
Right at that moment.
Groomp! Groomp!
The Breaker approached right in front of the cabinet. It started looking around, searching for Jinhyuk.
Don’t panic.
‘I’m already one with the cabinet.’
No reason to fear. No reason to be discovered.
But…
Silence.
Through the crack of a cabinet, he spied the Breaker’s red eyes. Their gazes met.
However, Jinhyuk deliberately avoided eye contact.
‘Must be a mistake.’
Please be a mistake.
Silence.
The red eyes came closer. Now, he could almost feel the creature’s breath and the stench of its rotten mouth through the cracks.
‘Damn it. It’s not working.’
He felt flushed due to the embarrassing situation, but now was not the time to be feeling shame.
Vroom!
The Breaker readied its hammer to swing.
