Chapter 24

Chapter 23: The Saint of Amsterdam

The owner of the voice was a saint in white armor.

It was Teresa.

Seeing her panting, it seemed she had finished dealing with the Dullahan at the front and had come to help at the back.

Jinhyuk looked at Teresa with a slightly surprised expression.

'They were all making a fuss about only wanting to survive among themselves in the guild...'

Unexpected.

It seems the title of 'saint' wasn't given to her for nothing.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Teresa asked Kim So-mi, who had her eyes wide open.

"Uh? Yes, yes! Of course."

Kim So-mi nodded vigorously.

Then she sprang up and scurried behind the rock.

Left alone, Teresa spoke.

"Did you... take care of all the Dullahan?"

Her tone was laced with suspicion.

Of course, it couldn't be otherwise.

The average rank of the players participating as porters was E~F.

They were naturally far removed from combat.

Yet, to have taken down the Dullahan, which even B-rank combat players find difficult to handle, alone?

It was an absurd thing to explain away as mere coincidence.

"First, it's true that I dealt with the Dullahan."

"Did you hide your identity? Why?"

"Everyone has their personal reasons. I do too..."

Jinhyuk shrugged.

At the same time, the broken sentence was completed.

"You do too."

"...What do you mean by that?"

Teresa's eyes wavered slightly.

It was a subtle tremor that an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed.

'But, an ordinary person, that is.'

Jinhyuk smiled and continued.

"In fact, at first, I couldn't understand. Why would a player of your rank give up on the boss strategy and come here? It was hard to comprehend by my standards."

The upper floors of the tower, where massive rewards and glory were guaranteed.

Teresa chose the ruins, forsaking that golden opportunity.

Why?

Could there be any other reason?

Obviously, the reward here must be greater than what she would get from defeating the boss monster on the third floor.

And Jinhyuk already knew what it was.

"Did you choose this place to complete a job quest?"

"......!?"

This time, Teresa couldn't hide her expression.

Her face was stained with confusion, as if she had been slapped.

'Only a few people know that the ruins are the place for the Holy Knight job quest...'

The normal route for the Holy Knight job quest is on the sixth floor.

But, she wanted to get ahead of others.

So, Teresa bought information from the 'black market,' which is operated by those who have climbed the Tower of Trials to the 10th floor and above.

Suddenly, Teresa's eyes narrowed.

'Could it be...?'

Is this man also a member of the black market?

She needed to confirm.

Whether he was just testing her with bits of information he had picked up or if he really knew everything.

"Yes. The reason I've been hiding so far is that I need to go to the place where the Apostle John's Oath is, but I haven't figured out exactly where it is yet."

Teresa revealed her purpose and reason.

Of course.

In front of Jinhyuk, a slightly different status window was displayed.

['The Eye of Truth' is activated.]

[Teresa's statement is 'false'.]

Cute.

'Are you trying to test me?'

Jinhyuk smirked.

"Not John, but the Apostle Peter's Oath. And the claim that you don't know the exact location is obviously a lie."

The place where the Oath is located must have been found before she even entered here.

She was probably hesitating because the path to the Oath was too dangerous.

The thousands of traps were more chaotic than following a specific rule.

Moreover, there were over a thousand undead creatures as an added challenge.

"Really... you know everything, don't you?"

Finally, Teresa admitted.

Good.

Now it's time to move on to the next step.

"Actually, I also have business at the place where the Oath is. Of course, I'm after something other than the Oath."

"Are you asking me to go with you?"

"I'm offering to go with you."

Jinhyuk drew a line.

"I know the locations of the traps and the methods to overcome them perfectly. Well, you can go with the players from Zion as planned, but let's see. Even if you have the best luck, everyone except you will die, right?"

But, that can't happen, can it?

A noble hero, a saint.

If she survived alone after losing all her comrades, it would tarnish her reputation.

Even if she succeeded in her job quest, the public's reaction would be cold.

"......I'll think about it."

"Take your time."

Think about it all day if you want.

In the end, there will be only one conclusion.

'Give her the Oath and take everything else for myself.'

The Oath for the Holy Knight job quest was outside his interest, but the other items there were quite tempting.

The 'Frozen Tear' and the 'Subspace Inventory Combination Scroll'.

Yes. Getting these two would be the best.

In fact, they were more tempting than the holy relics.

Especially the 'Frozen Tear', a crystalline essence of magic, which, when absorbed, significantly increases one's magic power.

'Increasing magic power is one of my top priorities.'

Right now, the magic consumption of the skills I use frequently isn't that high.

But as the skill levels rise and upper-level skills are combined, the importance of the total magic power cannot be overstated.

'Originally, I was going to give up on the Cold Curse because there was no way to remove it...'

With Teresa's existence confirmed, the plan needs to change.

Since Teresa can handle holy magic, she could mitigate the cold from the Frozen Tear.

"Before making a decision, can I ask you one thing?"

Teresa, who had been thinking, spoke.

"Go ahead."

"Earlier, the person who killed the sentries and woke the Guardian... was it you?"

Oh.

So it's connected like this.

'Well, from Teresa's perspective, I must be the most suspicious person in the current raid party.'

I had a lot to hide and knew too much.

Well, I could have explained it in detail here.

But that's not my style.

Besides, it would be too troublesome.

Jinhyuk chose a more straightforward and direct method.

"I understand your suspicion based on the circumstances, but I am not the culprit."

"Are you asking me to believe you just by your words?"

"Yes. Besides, there's a clear piece of evidence right in front of you."

"Evidence? What do you mean?"

"If I were the one who killed the sentries and woke the Guardian..."

Think about it.

"I would have killed you without having this annoying conversation."

There are much simpler methods than plausible denials in this world.

***

Teresa's solo action met with strong opposition.

It was due to Song Cheon-hwa, the raid leader, who was horrified and opposed it.

"Absolutely not! We need to regroup and move forward, not go solo!"

For anyone else, it might be different, but not for Teresa, who is the core of the raid party.

But Teresa was not willing to back down easily.

"We have a map up to 20 km into the ruins. Everyone knows the strategy. My absence won't make much of a difference."

From the time the Tower of Trials was a game to the present reality.

After countless attempts, players were able to create a map of the ruins.

At least up to 20 km from the entrance, they could advance without major risks.

"Besides, our contract stipulates that until the battle with the boss, the raid leaders of each guild maintain equal authority, right?"

"That, that's..."

When pressed point by point, Song Cheon-hwa stammered.

Because there was nothing wrong with what she said.

In the end.

After a long sigh, Song Cheon-hwa allowed Teresa's solo action.

"Huh. I understand. But you must return before we reach the end of the map."

"Yes. I'll rejoin before then."

Teresa nodded.

"Ah! And... can I take one porter to help me?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Perhaps exhausted from the debate, Song Cheon-hwa waved his hand carelessly.

His face was listless, as if minor matters didn't matter.

The porters who caught Teresa's gaze trembled.

Traveling with a high-rank player.

This isn't a stroke of luck or a fortunate encounter.

It's more like a first-class ticket to hell.

-Obviously, he's going to take us to a terribly dangerous place. Damn it. We won't be able to come back.

-Please, please, not me.

-Don't make eye contact. If you make eye contact, you're screwed.

-I have a wife and children to feed at home.

Everyone prayed fervently in their hearts.

Wishing it wouldn't be them.

Right then.

Teresa's finger pointed at the porters.

***

The one chosen was Jinhyuk.

And Jinhyuk, of course, said he would go with her.

"I don't know what you're thinking... but as someone with nearly 50 years of life experience, let me tell you, love? It's good. But it's not more important than your life."

"Right. Listen to Kim Team Leader."

"No matter how beautiful the saint is, it's still a problem. Sigh. Youth is the issue. It can make people lose their minds."

The porters tried to dissuade Jinhyuk.

It seemed they had some serious misconceptions.

Instead of spending time on love, you should climb another floor of the tower. I don't know what you're thinking.

"That's not it..."

Jinhyuk's rebuttal trailed off.

Wait, wait a moment.

If I try to explain it halfway, it won't work.

They were determined to stop him from going.

Since it's come to this, might as well...

"Actually, Teresa and I have known each other since we were young."

Set the genre.

Let's see.

Add a bit of a romantic and nostalgic touch.

"There's an item in the ruins that can heal Teresa's family in Europe. At first, she said she would go alone, but I couldn't let her go alone."

Finally, add a touch of tears.

He pinched his thigh, but unfortunately, not a single tear came out.

Damn, my emotions are too dry.

"Even if my skills are lacking and I lose my life as a result... I will protect her until the end."

Love, tragedy, heroism.

With this.

'A combination of three elements that have been recognized as hit codes throughout the ages, like 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Wuthering Heights', is complete.'

The porters looked at Jinhyuk blankly.

As if they had realized something they had long forgotten.

"Jinhyuk, you..."

"You're a real man. Damn. A complete Goguryeo-era man."

"Right. Let him go. How can a man not protect a childhood friend?"

"Youth is good. Youth is."

Everyone patted Jinhyuk's back.

***

Jinhyuk and Teresa quickly packed their bags and headed deep into the ruins, following the winding path.

After about 5 hours?

The two, who had separated from the raid party, finally reached their destination.

'As expected, the defenses are well-prepared.'

Jinhyuk slowly surveyed the formation of the monsters.

Most of the creatures in the pit were ghouls and skeletons, but there were also high-level undead scattered throughout.

Dullahan... and even Liches who can use magic.

Judging by the weak magical aura, they probably aren't of a high circle.

But Liches are not to be underestimated.

Especially if they hit with debuffs or curses, even the most seasoned players can suffer fatal injuries.

Teresa poked Jinhyuk's side with her finger.

"There! The Oath is right in the middle."

"I've confirmed it."

At the center of the circle.

There, the 'Oath of Peter', the 'Frozen Tear', and the 'Subspace Inventory Combination Scroll' would be placed.

Killing the monsters would level up...

That task should be left to Teresa.

"Get ready."

Jinhyuk prepared to move.

The dagger he had tucked away emitted a red light.

"Understood."

Teresa, holding her sword and shield, raised her magic power.

But right then.

Ding!

A red status window suddenly appeared in front of the two.