Chapter 5

Chapter 4: National Central Museum (1)

Swoosh!

Jinhyuk lightly grazed the tip of his finger with a knife.

Beads of blood quickly formed.

If this had happened a day ago, it would have been nothing more than 'the red liquid flowing inside the body.'

But now, it's different.

Blood imbued with magic is a medium that can bring various spells and magic to reality.

'This is the first time I've created a boundary that distorts space in a while.'

It wasn't a formal boundary that could be used inside the tower, but it wasn't easy to activate either.

Jinhyuk placed his finger on the paper.

...Swoosh!

dētórquĕo.

The Latin written in blood emitted a faint light.

'Good. This place is set.'

Next was the eastern entrance.

Jinhyuk wrote the incantations to create boundaries at the four cardinal points of the National Central Museum.

When he finished at the final northern entrance,

Whoosh!

A transparent barrier covered the entire museum.

[Boundary 'Immature Dimensional Severance' has been activated!]

[Your vision is distorted.]

[Noise is reduced by 70%.]

If the materials had been better, he could have removed the adjective 'immature.' But with the materials from the supermarket and the diluted blood, this was the limit.

'Even so, this isn't bad.'

After distorting the vision and reducing the noise,

At the very least, he could prevent the police from coming.

Jinhyuk stood up and stretched his limbs.

'Come to think of it, this reminds me of the old days.'

The first time he came to the museum, he didn't set up any boundaries, and chaos ensued.

He remembered the nightmare of dozens of police cars, helicopters, and a reward event that lasted three weeks.

A memory he couldn't forget even if he wanted to.

'I wish the others could remember that time too... '

Well,

There's no way to know for sure unless he checks it out himself.

[You have entered the event area.]

As soon as he entered, a strong smell of blood hit his nose.

'As expected...'

He had anticipated it.

The world had changed, so people would change too.

But,

The gap between expectation and reality was even greater than he thought.

He saw a security guard lying on the floor.

The amount of blood suggested there was no way he could have survived.

'Someone else got here first.'

He wasn't alone.

The wounds on the body were from at least three different types of weapons.

And what they were after was...

The holy relics stored in the medieval section.

More precisely, it was what all the intruders were after.

The Great Map of the East (大東輿地圖).

A map compiled and published by Kim Jeong-ho.

Of course, the intruders weren't interested in the map of the eight provinces of South Korea.

The ancient map, infused with magic, contained information about the Tower of Trials, which is why everyone wanted it.

Think about it.

If there was a detailed description of all the labyrinths and ruins, and what items and monsters were there, who wouldn't be tempted?

Although it only contained information up to the 10th floor, it was enough to make anyone's eyes light up.

The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth turned up.

Yes.

Everyone would be after that.

'They won't know that the truly important holy relics are hidden in the mud.'

***

Thud! Thud!

Crack!

"Argh!"

"Damn these bastards!"

"Let go! This is mine, mine!"

Screams and shouts mixed together.

Outside the broken display cases, artifacts that had survived for centuries were scattered.

Right then,

"Stop moving. Stop moving!"

A man in a black suit raised his voice.

He was a muscular man in his early 30s with a sports haircut.

"Anyone who moves from now on will die at my hands."

The textbook threat continued.

Of course, it didn't work.

"Are you kidding?"

"There's no one here who's scared of such talk."

"If you move even a toe, I'll crush your skull."

The people around him fiddled with their weapons.

As if to say that they were willing to kill for the holy relics.

"...I'm Oh Hyung-seok of the Dragon Head Gang."

Even though organized crime in Korea had almost disappeared, no one was unfamiliar with the name Dragon Head Gang.

However,

"Hahaha! A gangster, a gangster. How scary. Is that so?"

"Does a gangster not carry a knife?"

The mocking responses didn't subside.

"Right, words won't work."

Oh Hyung-seok clenched his fist.

Then,

Crack!

Cracks appeared on his arms.

A unique ability that made his body as hard as rock.

'Petrification.'

Only then did the smirks on the others' faces disappear.

"Already have a unique ability?"

"Damn, that's dangerous..."

Everyone flinched and backed away.

A unique ability can only be awakened through a special event.

Obviously, a knife couldn't even scratch him.

The atmosphere quickly shifted in his favor.

"The map is mine."

Oh Hyung-seok scanned the area.

As if to assert his ownership.

But right then,

"Heh. I can't agree with that."

An old man stepped forward from the back.

A thick vein popped on Oh Hyung-seok's forehead.

"Hey, old man. Didn't you see that?"

"My name is Min Jeong-woo. Live with integrity and friendship, that's what it means."

"Who's introducing themselves? Read the situation and get out. I can snap your neck like a chicken's."

"This young man has quite a mouth. His tongue is sharp. Tsk tsk."

Min Jeong-woo clicked his tongue in a bitter manner.

But only for a moment.

The next words were filled with a deep killing intent.

"Shall I break your neck faster, or will I turn you into charcoal?"

Whoosh!

A fist-sized ball of fire flickered on Min Jeong-woo's palm.

A unique ability to manipulate the element of fire.

"Ma... magic?"

That's right. It's magic.

A tremor ran through Oh Hyung-seok's pupils.

But there was no time to react.

The ball of fire left Min Jeong-woo's hand and instantly engulfed Oh Hyung-seok's entire body.

Boom!

"Argh!"

Oh Hyung-seok writhed in agony.

"Save me! Please save me!"

Even with his arms petrified, the rest of his body was made of flesh and blood.

Petrification was no help.

"Argh..."

His screams didn't last long.

A charred lump of charcoal was left behind amidst the acrid smoke.

"Wow. Fire magic is really intense. I made the right choice in teaming up."

The short-haired woman next to Min Jeong-woo whistled.

"Yuri. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of anyone who interferes."

Yuri placed a black statue on the ground.

Boom!

The statue began to grow.

A jackal-headed figure with a human body.

The 'Avatar of Anubis' from the Egyptian special exhibition.

"Grumble..."

The avatar of Anubis extended a long spear.

"Anyone who moves from now on will be considered an enemy. Got it? I'll chew you up starting from your head."

Yuri smiled.

With a monster over 2 meters tall appearing, no one dared to move.

Moreover, there were two Awakened individuals.

A mage and a summoner.

Both were tough opponents.

"Damn."

"What kind of old-timers are there so many of? They're all Awakened."

"I'll give up the map. Take it, take it!"

No one could move a finger.

Moving meant asking for death.

But then,

Thud.

Someone walked through the frozen crowd.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of stepping on glass echoed loudly.

"Hey. You there, the one who lost his nerve. Does it look like I'm joking?"

Yuri's expression turned cold.

"Grumble!"

The jackal's legs tensed, ready to pounce at the master's command.

But the man ignored Yuri's warning.

"Damn. You've made a complete mess. Do these people have no basic respect for fine art?"

Jinhyuk picked up a painting from the floor.

He dusted off the dirt and glass with his hands.

"At least it's not torn. That's a relief."

If the damage had been severe, it would have been unusable.

Fortunately, it wasn't that bad.

"Move... and you'll die. Didn't you hear that?"

Yuri shouted at that moment.

At the same time,

Whoosh!

The avatar of Anubis, leaning back, threw the spear.

A javelin.

A terrifying whistling sound cut through the air.

A straight trajectory, not a parabola.

Thus, the perceived speed was several times faster.

But just before the spear pierced its target,

Boom!

Jinhyuk punched the side of the flying spear.

The spear spun in mid-air and stuck into the ground.

"Insane!"

"What did that guy just do?"

"He deflected the spear. No, is that even possible? He didn't even dodge?"

"He threw a piece of steel, and... shouldn't his hand be shattered?"

The onlookers gaped.

'Given my current stats, I can't blame them for their reaction.'

Even a player who ate the mangrove fruit could only increase their stats by 3 at most.

In contrast, he had allocated 12 stats.

"How about this? Your dog just lost its only weapon."

Jinhyuk shrugged at Yuri.

"Who said... I only had one statue?"

Yuri pulled out four more statues from her handbag.

This girl. How many did she steal from the Egyptian exhibition?

Using artifacts borrowed from another country as if they were her own.

"You'll get in trouble with the pharaoh. You know."

"Is this the time for jokes?"

It's not a joke.

Using Egyptian myth artifacts like this will bring a curse.

A type that requires a lot of effort to dispel.

[Holy Relic 'Avatar of Anubis (Replica)' is activated!]

Boom!

"Grumble..."

"Roar!"

"Grumble!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four more 'Avatars of Anubis' appeared.

Armed with swords, shields, spears, halberds, and maces, they bared their sharp teeth.

"How about this? Can you still laugh?"

Yuri looked at the summoned creatures lined up on either side.

"Pretty good. I was a bit surprised, honestly."

Given that she could maintain five creatures with minimal magic, she was clearly not just any summoner.

The old man who used magic earlier was also unexpected.

There are more old-timers who have grown beyond their initial state.

"...A bit surprised?"

Yuri's eyebrows twitched.

"Yeah. More like 'a bit' and 'very slightly' in between?"

"Don't act tough. I know you're planning to run."

"Does it look like I am?"

Well, just saying it wouldn't make it look that way.

Then,

Show them.

Whether it's an act or not.

Jinhyuk unfolded a piece of paper.

[Holy Relic 'Pine and Tiger (Replica)' is infused with magic.]

[The Master of the Mountain appears!]

Era: Joseon

Origin: Unknown

All that is known is that it depicts the most feared being of its time.

"Roar!"

The tiger that appeared from the paper let out a fierce roar.

The air reverberated.

Boom!

A 3-meter-tall body with rippling muscles.

Its eyes, glowing a bright yellow, exuded an indescribable sense of authority.

"Un... unbelievable."

Yuri's mouth gaped.

Not just materializing, but manifesting the origin.

So far, various uses of holy relics have been revealed, but this kind of application was unheard of.

Moreover, this magic.

Zing!

It was so concentrated that it felt like it was piercing his skin.

Unlike the mere enlargement of the statue.

This painting contained the full power of the creature that once ruled Mount Tai.

The numbers were 5 to 1.

'No chance of winning.'

There was not even a sliver of hope.

"A jackal of the desert should not challenge the Master of the Mountain."

Jinhyuk stroked the tiger's forehead.