Chapter 59

Chapter 58. The End of the Third Floor, The Army Without Hearts (4)

The gate located to the north of the temple.

A powerful magical aura could be felt there.

It wasn't a large guild's assault team.

He had insisted on doing it alone at the meeting.

Rumble!

A sticky, unpleasant aura clung to his skin.

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

No doubt about it.

It had to be a necromancer, specifically one from the Mine Association.

'So, you're not giving up, huh?'

To unravel the Mine Association's tangled schedule, Cadric had personally led his subordinates here.

This is going to be interesting.

"Broadcast, I'll turn it back on if I can in a bit."

-dead998: What do you mean? I'm not a troll... Suddenly going off air!

-Top Streamer: Bro, don't you see the viewer count is skyrocketing? You need to row when the tide is in.

-Pizza Tongsuyuk: For real. A million-viewer streamer is showing up.

-Veteran Streamer: Is there a streamer who goes off air at such a crucial moment?

-New Viewer: At least tell us when you'll turn it back on.

The viewers were just getting into the stream and starting to get used to Jinhyuk's concept.

Of course, there would be strong resistance.

"I don't know when I'll turn it back on, so come in whenever you want."

-dead998: You're trying to get people to set subscription notifications this way?

-Pizza Tongsuyuk: Grabbing everything he can while maintaining a prickly concept.

-New Viewer: I like his selfish attitude. That's what a veteran should be like. Haha.

-Veteran Streamer: I'll give you a chance. I'm looking forward to the boss raid.

With that chat, the stream ended.

[The broadcast has ended.]

The first broadcast was over.

The chat window, which had been scrolling rapidly, came to a stop.

"More tiring than I thought."

Jinhyuk scratched his head.

He thought he was quite familiar with streaming after doing it for a long time,

but leading a few dozen people and dealing with a few tens of thousands of people causing chaos were on different levels.

Still, he would get used to it eventually.

No one was famous from the start.

Now that the audience was gone, it was time to play with Cadric.

'Please, I hope you prepared thoroughly and are working hard.'

Maybe it was his slightly twisted personality.

It was so entertaining to knock down the carefully built towers that others had worked hard to construct.

Especially if the targets were scum.

***

The northern gate of the temple, 'Taehwamun (太和門).'

Dozens of necromancers were straining to reach the 4th-floor stone tower where the key to the inner chamber was stored.

They had been pushing for almost an hour, but the path was not opening easily.

The defense of the stone statues was too thick.

"Amass your forces! We need to break through at one point!"

Cadric's voice was strained.

Pouring out magic, but with no results, he was frustrated.

If this dragged on, the necromancers would be exhausted before reaching the boss.

"Ah, understood!"

"Put the Dullahan at the front! The ones with high defense need to draw aggro!"

"Cast curses and debuffs, everything you have!"

[Cadric activates Lv5 'Night of Corpses'!]

[Johan activates Lv3 'Weakening'!]

[Setsuna activates Lv2 'Fatigue'!]

"Keeeeeek!"

"Kiiii!"

The undead army roared fiercely.

Most were Skeleton Warriors or Archers, but occasionally, medium-sized monsters like Dullahans appeared.

'Sure enough, it's a spectacle to watch.'

Jinhyuk took out the popcorn and cola he had stored in his subspace inventory.

It's not common to see such a massive scale of conflict.

Especially the group battles of necromancers, who specialize in controlling large numbers, were truly spectacular.

"Grooo!"

"Kuuuu!"

Hundreds of small stone statues that had been knocked down at the entrance were here.

Unlike when they were swinging their fists and legs, they were now armed with armor, shields, and spears, looking like a complete army.

Right then.

Boom!

The first line clashed.

"Kraaa!"

"Grooo!"

Bone dust flew, and rock fragments crumbled.

Two different armies.

But their goal of sweeping away the enemy was the same.

A chaotic battle where it was hard to distinguish friend from foe continued.

After a few minutes, the balance began to tip to one side, albeit very slightly, but noticeably.

'Hmm. Are they trying to break through?'

Surprisingly, the necromancers and the undead army were performing well.

They seemed to have taken a desperate stance, like people who had set up a last stand, prepared to die.

The determination in their eyes was almost palpable.

"Hmm..."

That's a bit problematic.

It wouldn't be pleasant if Cadric obtained the key here.

Of course, getting one key wouldn't significantly affect the overall situation.

'I want to be the only one in the spotlight for this raid.'

It's best to eliminate the competition early.

Swish.

Jinhyuk stood up.

If one side was overwhelmingly dominant, it would be different, but since both sides were evenly matched,

just a slight...

a very slight intervention would be enough to tip the balance.

'I need to aim for the most painful spot.'

He had already confirmed where to strike to make the enemy bleed.

Rumble!

Jinhyuk gathered his magic.

And at that moment,

a new variable entered the battlefield.

"What, what is this?"

A necromancer, who had been casting dark magic frantically, gasped.

There were two reasons for his shock.

First, a human suddenly appeared on the side.

Second, a blinding sword beam shot out from the sword the human was holding.

He needed to cast a shield.

Even a 1% increase in survival probability would help.

Instantly, a black barrier spread around the necromancer's body.

He had activated the best defensive skill he could.

Of course, such a thin barrier...

was practically useless.

"..."

Snap!

A clean cut, and a gush of blood spurted from the severed neck.

The man, having lost his head, staggered a few steps and then collapsed.

A few seconds after the necromancers noticed Jinhyuk's presence,

it was also the moment Jinhyuk had withdrawn the sword beam to conserve magic.

Fatefully, to the necromancers, he looked like a mere moth with a dagger.

"Ambush!"

"Is it a player? How many are there?"

"Just one. No one else is around!"

"Unbelievable. What can one person do against this many?"

Just a mere fly.

Eliminate it quickly and refocus on the battle.

"Kill him!"

With a frustrated command, the Skeleton Archers aimed their bows at Jinhyuk.

The strings were pulled taut.

Poison, cold, and fire.

Three types of magical arrows were fired simultaneously.

But just before the arrows hit,

Boom!

[Lv2 'Ice Sculpture' activated!]

['Blessing of the Stars' activated!]

A different level of magic power surged.

Ice pillars with snowflake patterns shattered all the incoming arrows.

Thick ice dust scattered.

"Ugh."

"What kind of cold is this..."

The necromancers clenched their teeth and took a step back.

The cold was so intense that all the fine hairs on their bodies stood up.

Moreover, some of the higher-level undead lost control due to the light pouring down from the sky.

"Kraaa!"

The Dullahans swung their axes wildly, destroying everything in sight.

"Kraaa! Why are these lunatics attacking us?"

"Focus on controlling the spirits again. They've lost their sanity due to the holy power!"

"Save me!"

The battlefield, which had instantly lost order and control,

was a declaration of war to Cadric.

'Pressed the doorbell hard. Now, let's see how you entertain the guest.'

***

Cadric, who was commanding all the forces from the rear, felt like he had been sent to hell from heaven.

"Does that damn guy always show up at the worst possible time!"

He had already secured the advantage.

If he pushed a little more, he could obtain the key hidden in the 4th-floor stone tower.

He was just one step away from his goal.

But.

Due to the masked player, all his plans were thrown into chaos.

"Cadric-sama, the third stronghold has been destroyed."

"They're deliberately targeting the strongholds. If this continues..."

"We can't stop them with just Skeletons or Dullahans."

The four strongholds, which were essential for efficiently maintaining the undead monsters,

were being destroyed one by one.

"Ugh!"

Cadric let out a scream.

His frustration wasn't just because his plans were being thwarted.

Currently, there were three Death Knights, which required a massive investment of resources, in this place.

They were his secret weapons, brought to deal with the player using sword beams and the boss monster.

The problem was that the opponent knew about this and was using it to his advantage.

"This way, this way!"

After thoroughly ravaging the strongholds, Jinhyuk moved towards the stone statues.

He called out with all his might.

The large-grade type with the strongest magic power among the stone statues.

The 'Moai Statue.'

"Can you catch me with that slow speed?"

Jinhyuk provoked his opponent and then plunged into the heart of the undead army.

"Grooo!"

"Groaa!"

The giant stone statue with only a face rose high into the sky.

A thick shadow loomed over the undead monsters and necromancers.

"Ugh! Why are you coming this way, you lunatic!"

"Get out of the way! You'll die instantly if you get crushed!"

As screams and shouts echoed,

the Moai Statue fell.

Boom!

A massive crater formed on the ground, as if a meteor had struck.

There was no need to describe what happened to the undead monsters and necromancers who were crushed beneath it.

Of course,

Jinhyuk, the one who caused this, was unharmed.

"Ouch, that must hurt. No matter how strong your bones are, you can't withstand this. Even excessive calcium intake won't help."

The skeletons' bones had turned to powder, as if they had osteoporosis.

As expected, ordinary undead wouldn't do.

To stop the Moai Statue, he would have to deploy the Death Knights.

Cadric would be in a dilemma.

'If he targets me, the entire force could collapse in an instant, but if he ignores me, he'll slowly wither away like this.'

No matter which choice he made, there was no bright future for him.

Finally,

Cadric, unable to bear it any longer, shouted at Jinhyuk.

"You... What grudge do you have against us to ruin our almost completed plan like this?"

"Hmm?"

"We haven't done anything to harm you. Why are you causing trouble at every turn?"

Ah, that story.

Jinhyuk shrugged as if it was obvious.

"This is a place I marked first."

But you came and tried to take the candy I had marked, so of course, I have to sprinkle some chili powder.

"Besides, what do you mean by 'what grudge do you have' with the likes of the Mine Association?"

Do you expect, in a dungeon, 'Ha, I'll take this spot,' 'Oh, I see. I didn't know. Can I reserve a spot after you finish hunting?'

Where do you see that?

The one who eats first is the owner, and you can always stab someone in the back.

The weak die and are buried, while the strong live and climb the tower.

That is the only rule the Tower of Trials allows.

"Stop whining and speak with your strength if you have a complaint."

Jinhyuk snapped his fingers at Cadric.