Chapter 22

Chapter 21: The Ruins, the Corridor of the Fallen (2)

On the way to the ruins, Jinhyeok ended up going with Team Leader Kim.

It was Jinhyeok's first time participating in a raid as a porter, and to make matters worse, this raid boasted an extremely high difficulty level and a low survival rate. Team Leader Kim had intended to boost his morale in his own way.

Even if his efforts were clumsy, the intention was conveyed.

It was a warm-hearted wish for everyone here to return safely.

"Did you come here to make money, Mr. Kang?"

"Yes. It takes a lot of money to live."

"Indeed, we're all the same. I came here to feed my fox-like wife and rabbit-like kids."

Team Leader Kim took out his smartphone.

The background showed a middle-aged woman with a pleasant appearance and a brother and sister who looked like middle school students.

It was a cozy family.

However.

'Usually, seeing something like this is a death flag...'

Why did he have to show this to me at this timing?

Jinhyeok gave a wry smile.

"So you're taking the risk."

"Right. Even if I die, there will be a substantial compensation, so I won't have any regrets."

Even if he dies, he wants to ensure his family survives...

It was a typical, foolishly stubborn image of a family man.

It was frustrating, but he didn't dislike it.

He didn't dislike people who had such thoughts.

"Don't worry. At least, everyone here will be able to return home safely."

"What? Hahaha! That's right, that's right. I appreciate your words, Mr. Kang. You're a very determined person."

Team Leader Kim burst out laughing, seemingly satisfied.

How long did they walk while having this conversation?

After carrying backpacks full of food and moving for over seven hours, the porters finally reached their destination.

"Fi, finally..."

"We made it. This is the place."

"I thought I was going to die."

The accumulated fatigue.

Due to the forced march without rest, everyone's stamina had long been depleted.

They all collapsed onto the ground as if they were falling.

"You all have worked hard. Rest until the attack team arrives."

Team Leader Kim handed out ice water and chocolate bars to encourage the hardworking porters.

'It's been a while since I've seen this.'

Jinhyeok looked ahead with a nostalgic expression.

A vast mountain and cliffs stretched out, seemingly endless.

The gate visible ahead was the ruins, the 'Corridor of the Fallen,' known for its extremely high difficulty, even among the trials of the Tower of Trials.

Zing! Zing!

Even before entering, his skin tingled.

Indeed...

This was the feeling.

His heart raced with a strange excitement and anticipation.

But right at that moment.

Rumble!

A magical reaction was felt from the open space to the side.

"What's this?"

Jinhyeok raised his head.

The clouds were parting.

At that very moment.

The reeds swayed left and right.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A beam of light poured down from the sky.

It was the phenomenon that occurred when a spatial teleportation spell was used.

"Ow, my head. No matter how many times I do this, I can't get used to it."

"Have you accounted for everyone?"

"Everyone is here safely. All 50 of them."

"Of course. Who would make a mistake with this spell?"

With the smoke, over 50 people appeared.

Instead of picks, they were armed with weapons and armor.

They were the main attack team of the 'Balhae' guild, the core of this raid.

"Is that man the attack team leader?"

"He looks young..."

"Don't underestimate him just because he's young. He got an AA rating in the Awakening Test and has climbed up to the 9th floor of the Tower of Trials before."

Everyone's gaze focused on the man at the front of the attack team.

A shield that towered over his height.

His armor, engraved with geometric patterns, stood out.

He was the tank, the core and pillar of the attack team, responsible for drawing all the aggro on the front lines.

'That man is the attack team leader of the Balhae guild...'

Jinhyeok quickly activated 'Eye of Truth.'

——————————————————

Name: Song Cheon-hwa

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Level: 14

Strength 30 Agility 18 Vitality 19 Magic 5

Available Stat Points: 0

Available Coins: 3,850

Occupation: None.

Unique Ability: Item Lightening (輕量化)

Skills: Lv3 'Iron Shield', Lv2 'Dense Formation', Lv2 'Tough Life', Lv1 'Throwing'

——————————————————

The unique ability and skills weren't bad...

[Copy Condition: During the raid, gain Song Cheon-hwa's trust.]

After checking the copy condition, Jinhyeok quickly lost interest in Song Cheon-hwa.

It would be easier to gain his enmity.

Trust is not something that can be gained in a short period.

Especially when competing for the only holy relic.

By the way...

Jinhyeok's eyes narrowed as he looked at Song Cheon-hwa.

'Is this the level of the attack team leader of a top 10 guild?'

His stats and skill levels were too low for his level.

It meant he had been more focused on gaining experience points rather than facing life-threatening battles.

Moreover, he only climbed up to the 9th floor of the Tower of Trials, right?

'The rest of the attack team members are even lower in level than Song Cheon-hwa.'

Of course, he didn't completely misunderstand the situation.

Currently, top-tier guilds are all focused on the boss strategy on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Trials.

Therefore, they lacked the manpower to invest in the lower floors.

However, even considering all of that...

The lack of strength was undeniable.

At that moment.

"Alright, everyone, stop staring. Since the attack team has arrived, let's get up. We have work to do."

Team Leader Kim clapped his hands.

The mining team, which would extract mana stones and collect items from monster corpses, would enter later,

but the porters, who needed to transport the necessary supplies, entered much earlier.

Right after the battle ended.

'Actually, this is good.'

Jinhyeok quickly got up from his seat.

It was an opportunity to see how a guild-level raid was conducted with his own eyes.

***

About an hour after the attack team entered, it was the porters' turn.

[Name: Corridor of the Fallen]

Type: Ruins

Difficulty: Unmeasurable

Description: A place where the primordial blood is sealed. At the end of these ruins, the purest weapon and the most deadly death coexist.

A pungent smell stung their noses.

Whoosh!

A magic user at the front summoned a large flame.

The interior of the ruins was revealed as the area brightened.

"Everyone, follow me closely. If you get distracted and wander off, I might not be able to save you."

"Goodness..."

"Amazing..."

"Is this the ruins?"

The appearance reminiscent of ancient Mayan civilization.

Stone and moss-covered walls stretched out in all directions.

Thud.

As they moved further inside, a murmuring sound was heard.

"Hey, they're here. This way!"

"Brother Cheon-hwa! The porters have arrived."

The front area was filled with monster corpses, indicating a fierce battle had already taken place.

Undead creatures, including ghouls and skeletons.

There were over 100 of them, at a rough estimate.

However, no player corpses were visible.

'That's strange...'

Even without high-level undead monsters, it was impossible to face so many of them without taking any damage.

With the strength of the Balhae guild he saw before entering the ruins, it was an impossible feat.

"What's wrong?"

Team Leader Kim grabbed Jinhyeok's shoulder at that moment.

"Yes?"

"What are you standing there for? Quickly distribute water and ice."

His expression suggested that this was a given.

Team Leader Kim gathered a few people standing next to Jinhyeok.

"We'll take care of this side, so you go over there. See those foreigners?"

He pointed to players with exotic appearances.

In addition to the main Balhae guild, a mid-tier guild had joined, he heard.

One of them, perhaps.

Jinhyeok's eyes narrowed.

'Now I remember...'

It was the emblem he had seen in the Tower of Trials.

The 'Sion' guild.

A guild based in Europe, with a small number of members but quite solid, he heard.

"Four of you, go over there and come back."

"Understood."

Jinhyeok filled a large container with water and ice and headed towards the Sion guild.

***

He distributed the water and ice in order.

There were only brief words of gratitude, nothing else.

Finally, he reached the last person.

Unlike the others, who were over 2 meters tall, the last person was very petite.

Just over 160 cm, perhaps?

It didn't seem to be a man...

Was it a woman?

It was hard to tell with the iron helmet and armor covering her entire body.

"Here, have some water."

"Ah...!"

With a short exclamation.

Clank!

The helmet was removed.

Blonde hair, tied up on top of her head, flowed out in the wind.

"Whoa!?"

"Goodness..."

The porters took a deep breath.

Her face was so beautiful that it was hard to believe she was human.

Her white skin and blonde hair complemented the armor she wore, creating a breathtaking scene.

However, everyone was so surprised not just because of her appearance.

Her inherent skills and achievements.

And her family lineage.

Three pillars supported her.

'The Saint of Amsterdam...'

Teresa de Lorentia.

It was impossible not to know her.

One of the most famous players in Europe right now.

Jinhyeok's eyes narrowed.

The youngest daughter of the Lorentia family, who held a real noble title,

and the hero who saved Amsterdam from becoming a wasteland due to the Outbreak.

That was her true identity.

Now it made sense.

Why the Balhae guild didn't suffer any casualties.

'With her, they could achieve the highest efficiency against the undead.'

A versatile player who could handle holy power, attack, defense, and even support healing skills.

It was said that breaking through the 2nd floor of the Tower of Trials was all thanks to Teresa.

However, there was something that bothered him.

'Why did she choose this over the 3rd floor boss strategy?'

Even if the holy relics from the ruins were valuable...

Going to the next floor would be much more beneficial unless it was a holy-type relic.

Moreover, the Sion guild didn't have the ability to recruit such a high-ranking player.

...How did they manage to bring her in?

After pondering for a moment, Jinhyeok shook his head.

The priority now wasn't to estimate the financial power of the Sion guild.

What abilities Teresa had.

And how to copy those abilities.

That was what mattered.

'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.'

'Eye of Truth' immediately activated.

However.

[Skill activation canceled due to level difference.]

A red status window blocked Jinhyeok's view.

'Damn. Level difference.'

She wasn't part of a guild, but she was already over level 20, he thought.

At that moment.

[The Luck and Adaptability stats have nullified the level difference.]

[The target's status window is revealed.]

Pfft...

The red status window collapsed, and Teresa's personal information began to appear.

'Right, I have these.'

The Luck and Adaptability stats proved useful right away.

And at a crucial moment.

——————————————————

Name: Teresa de Lorentia

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Level: 29

Strength 42 Agility 31 Vitality 25 Magic 30

Available Stat Points: 8

Available Coins: 10,850

Occupation: None (Currently on an occupation quest.)

Unique Ability: Blessing of the Stars

Skills: Lv5 'Holy Enhancement (神性强化)', Lv5 'Stealth Maneuver', Lv4 'Blessed Touch', Lv4 'Holy Symbol (聖號)', Lv4 'Illusory Barrier'

——————————————————

[Copy Condition: Teresa is a top 100 ranked player. If you save her life, you can copy one of her unique abilities or skills.]

Impressive stats.

'She truly deserves the adoration of the masses.'

Jinhyeok let out a small exclamation.

This was like a high-end hotel buffet.

Moreover, by viewing her status window, he could understand her motivation for being here.

[Currently on an occupation quest.]

'So that's it.'

That's why she gave up on the boss strategy and came here.

This makes things interesting.

Perhaps he could use this card quite effectively.

[Lv1 'Empathy' activated.]

[The target has a slight positive feeling towards you.]

A warm aura rippled.

Teresa smiled at Jinhyeok.

Her teal eyes seemed to draw him in.

"Thank you... I'll drink the water well."

Thank you?

I'm the one who should be grateful.

'Blessing of the Stars.'

The most highly regarded unique ability for someone choosing the Paladin occupation.

She gave him the opportunity to obtain it.

The problem was...

He had to create a situation where she would be in danger.

And then save her life.

'The conditions are definitely not easy.'

Jinhyeok licked his lower lip.

A habit he had when he was deep in thought.

But right at that moment.

"Brother Cheon-hwa! Come over here! Right now!"

Everyone's gaze turned to one side at the urgent cry.