Chapter 30

Chapter 29: The Corridor's Fallen Master (3)

A player affiliated with the Black Crow Guild.

It was Park Hajin.

“No, no way.”

Park Hajin's voice trembled violently.

“To meet you here, what a coincidence. So, what brings you all the way out here?”

Jinhyuk grinned and then, in a flash, grabbed Park Hajin by the neck.

“Gah! Gah! W-Well, of course...!”

“Came to raid the ruins?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“You’re barking.”

Jinhyuk tightened his grip.

“Ugh. Let go, please. I-I can’t... breathe...”

“I’ll keep it short, so answer with yes or no. The ones who killed the sentinels and woke the guardians, were you guys?”

“W-What do you mean...?”

Crack!

“Aaaah!”

Park Hajin writhed in pain.

The pressure on his collarbone with a thumb brought excruciating pain.

“Yes! Yes, it was us!”

Indeed.

When he saw the wounds on the backs of the sentinels' necks, he was certain.

These wounds were the work of an assassin-type player.

And the fact that an assassin-type player, who wasn't necessary for this raid, was here...

Park Hajin.

Yeah, it had to be you.

“The purpose of coming here is obviously to kill me, right?”

“W-Well, that’s...!”

Park Hajin's pupils dilated.

In a situation where there was no way out, saying no would not be believed.

But saying yes would mean death.

“Why so slow to answer?”

Jinhyuk's brow furrowed.

At the same time, his magic-infused fingers dug into Park Hajin's shoulder.

Crack! Crack!

The eerie sound of a broken collarbone.

“Aaaah! Stop, stop! I’ll talk. Just stop!”

Park Hajin's body twisted even more violently than before.

“Wait, just a moment. I... Yeah! It was our guild leader who made me do it. I said no, but he threatened me, so I had no choice!”

If the guild leader of the Black Crow Guild...

“Is it that guy, Shin Geonsu?”

I've seen him on TV.

It was a special program on 'Rising New Guilds' or something like that.

His appearance in a high-end suit and black sunglasses, fidgeting around, was hard to forget.

“Yeah! Shin Geonsu! That damn guy made me do it. Please believe me.”

“...Alright. I believe you.”

Jinhyuk released his grip.

“Phew.”

Park Hajin let out a long sigh.

“Don’t get too comfortable. I don’t plan on letting you live.”

Thrust!

A dagger pierced the flesh.

“Guh...?”

Park Hajin stared blankly at his chest.

Right where his heart was.

“Usually, I don’t let those who try to take my life off easily, but thanks to you, it was easier to set up the plan, so I’ll show you some mercy. Be grateful.”

Jinhyuk coldly spoke and removed the ring from Park Hajin's finger.

[Brahm's Ring]

Acquisition Difficulty: A

Magic Resistance: +10

Movement Speed: +5%

Unique Ability Suppression: +20

It was too precious an item for a dead person to have.

Jinhyuk put the ring on his ring finger.

Swish!

And mercilessly cut down the remaining assassins of the Black Crow Guild.

Perhaps due to the effect of [Cold Heart], there was no trace of mercy in Jinhyuk's actions. Moreover, it would be foolish to show humanity to those who tried to take his life.

Amidst the blood-soaked scene,

Jinhyuk turned his head to look at Ellis.

“With this, I think I’ve proven that I am Maen.”

He killed the vampires, who are the most difficult to deal with, and the hostages he had captured.

It was something he wouldn’t do if he were thinking about the aftermath.

The 'empathy' he used to lower the other party's guard also played a small part in moving Ellis' heart.

“Alright. Let’s say I believe you.”

Ellis stood up.

Her long silver hair flowed down her shoulders.

“What method will you use to give us freedom?”

...Alright.

Jinhyuk calmed his rapidly beating heart.

Stay calm.

Don’t get excited, stay composed...

The fish has taken the bait; now it’s time to slowly reel in the line.

“I have prepared a 7th-level spell. If I seal Ellis' soul into an item, it can temporarily deceive the ruins' barrier.”

“Seal a soul? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Of course not.

This method only appears on the 40th floor of the tower.

“To be honest, it was quite a stroke of luck. The basic formula... figuring out the exact amount of magic power needed for each circuit was not easy.”

Jinhyuk gathered magic power in his fingers.

Hum!

A blue light formed at his fingertips.

His fingers traced the air as if writing words.

One word.

[signácŭlum]

And another.

[immortálĭtas] [sanctuárĭum]

...

He drew a hexagram with six words.

Injecting different amounts of magic power into each word, the blue light began to burn more fiercely.

Whoosh!

The hexagram emitted a formidable aura.

“Hmm.”

Ellis looked slightly surprised.

“...This is...”

“Such a method is possible.”

The onlooking bloodline members opened their mouths.

Overwhelmed by the unprecedented sight, their lips moved.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk placed 'Brahm's Ring' in the center of the hexagram.

[Initiator 'Jinhyuk Kang's level condition (Level 1) is recognized.]

[The 7th-level 'Soul Transfer' incantation is activated!]

[The spell will be completed upon the target's approval.]

[Only one soul can be taken out at a time.]

[The incantation's cooldown is 365 days.]

Only one person can leave the ruins.

The next opportunity would be a year later.

Time was not an issue for vampires blessed with immortality, but...

‘It’s not very appealing to readily accept an unknown spell.’

Ellis' delicate eyes twitched.

But only for a moment.

A smile appeared on her previously furrowed lips.

She had found a flaw in the incantation.

‘If I break the hexagram, the spell itself can be nullified.’

If, by any chance, the guy had some trick up his sleeve...

With Velus and the other bloodline members around, they could always kill the human and break the seal.

This provided a safety mechanism.

There was still a lingering unease, but...

‘I can’t pass up this opportunity just because it feels suspicious.’

It had been too long since she was trapped.

Thus, the temptation to gain freedom was hard to resist.

If not now...

She might never escape this underground palace.

Her hesitation was brief.

“Alright. I accept.”

Ellis nodded.

At that moment,

[Brahm's Ring is absorbing the soul of the true 'Ellis'.]

A blinding light enveloped Ellis' entire body.

***

“Haha.”

Jinhyuk retrieved the ring from the hexagram.

Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded roughly.

...It worked!

The feeling of all his hard work being rewarded.

If even one thing had gone wrong, it would have been impossible to seal Ellis inside.

In fact, he had failed dozens of times in the past.

‘Thanks to the variable of Teresa, things went much smoother.’

[Hmm. Not bad at all. I thought it would be suffocating, but it’s surprisingly cozy.]

Ellis' voice came from the ring in his palm.

It seemed she was quite pleased with the interior.

Good.

It’s a relief that she likes her new home.

Right then,

“Ugh...”

A faint moan escaped from Teresa, who was lying on the ground.

“What, that woman...!”

“Wasn’t she dead?”

The bloodline members widened their eyes.

They had confirmed that her breathing had stopped.

They even checked for magic reactions, but there was nothing.

It was a definite death.

But...

Why?

“She... Oh, right. She can revive once even after dying.”

It’s called 'Blessing of the Stars'.

As long as she doesn’t die instantly, she can come back to life.

Jinhyuk watched Teresa stand up and marveled.

Wow. Really.

The more you see, the better the ability seems.

The term 'cockroach' isn't used lightly.

[You! How dare you mock me!]

Ellis shouted.

Naturally, she was furious upon realizing the deception.

In contrast, Teresa, who had regained consciousness, muttered with a complex expression.

“So... that was the plan.”

Thanks to the 'Blessing of the Stars', she could observe everything even as her heart stopped.

She watched as Jinhyuk skillfully manipulated the progenitor.

And ultimately sealed her. All of it.

That’s why you insisted on trusting me...

“I have many questions, but I’ll have to hold them for now.”

“We don’t have time for idle chatter.”

Right.

Conversations can wait.

Not everything was over yet.

[Teresa activates Lv4 'Holy Emblem'.]

Teresa's sword moved left and right.

Snap!

Thud!

The gag and blindfold that restrained the people were removed.

“Huff...”

“Huff!”

Those whose senses were blocked gasped for rough breaths.

“We’re... We’re alive. We’re alive!”

“Woooh!”

Cheers erupted from all around.

They thought they were going to die. Now they could taste freedom again.

“You came.”

Song Cheonhwa gave a short nod to Teresa.

“I’m glad I’m not too late.”

Teresa helped Song Cheonhwa to her feet.

“How many rescue team members are here?”

At least three main attack squads from large guilds would be needed.

At the very least, that much firepower was necessary.

But.

“Besides me, only one more.”

Teresa's words completely shattered Song Cheonhwa's expectations.

***

“Better to have pretended to be Maen and saved your life.”

“What a foolish human...”

The bloodline members bared their teeth.

With the order to eliminate all humans if any tricks were played,

there was no need to hold back anymore.

Swish!

Various blood-based magic spells began to engulf the surroundings.

Drops of blood formed a massive wave.

The wave grew higher, as if it would engulf the entire palace.

The magic power was so powerful it sent shivers down their spines.

“It’s... wrong.”

“I thought we barely survived...”

“I... I don’t want to die!”

They had already been shattered by this skill once.

Even tank classes that could hold their own against large creatures were torn apart like paper.

The various damage dealers' spells were erased by the superior magic.

It was a nightmare.

The problem was that the same thing was happening again before their wounds had even healed.

Song Cheonhwa bit her lip in frustration.

“...Is this the end?”

Even if Teresa had come, it wouldn’t have mattered.

There were 11 more bloodline members than before.

The power gap hadn’t narrowed at all.

At that moment,

[Lv13 'Blood Wave' is activated!]

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A wave of blood surged forward.

There was no way to block it.

No way to avoid it.

“...”

Song Cheonhwa closed her eyes.

Others lowered their heads or covered their heads with their hands.

Waiting for the inevitable death.

But.

“...?”

The impact of the wave was not felt.

There was no pain.

Song Cheonhwa cautiously opened her eyes.

There, standing in front of her,

was a man wearing a strange mask.

Whoosh!

A massive wall of fire blocked the wave.

No, it wasn’t just blocking it.

The water evaporated, and the blood droplets gradually disappeared.

It was as if showing which side wielded the denser magic power.

Who is he?

‘I’ve never heard of a ranked player who uses a mask and a dagger.’

It was definitely someone she had never seen before.

But does that make sense?

A player who can use such powerful fire magic and is unknown?

It’s hard to believe.

That’s why she had to ask.

“W-Who is that person?”

In response to Song Cheonhwa’s question, a calm smile appeared on Teresa’s lips.

“Someone you must believe in.”