Chapter 66

Chapter 65. A One-Man Army (1)

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.

"Thanks for providing useful information. It really helped a lot."

He had obtained information that would be useful in setting up the plan.

His curiosity was also somewhat alleviated.

"Can I go now?"

Melena asked with a pleading look.

"No."

"Bu, but you said you'd let me live! You clearly said you'd let me go if I told you what I knew!"

"Don't worry. I'll keep my promise."

Now that she had proven to be useful, he had no intention of killing her carelessly.

Why would he use such a valuable pawn just once and then discard it?

He could continue to use her in the future.

"However, you need to make one more promise."

"Promise?"

"Yes. A promise."

Not just a verbal promise or a pinky swear, but a real, binding promise.

A vow etched into the soul is the truest form of a promise.

[Lv3 'Soul Brand' activated!]

The tip of Jinhyuk's finger glowed brightly.

"This is a symbol that you must unconditionally obey me. If you betray me or raise a rebellion, you'll wish you were dead. Think carefully before you decide."

Die.

Or obey.

Those are the only two choices.

And Melena...

"I... don't want to die."

She chose to survive.

***

The harsh first night was over.

As the warm sunlight shone on the campsite.

"Hmm."

Jinhyuk stretched and got up from his seat.

It was a refreshing morning.

He felt as if all his fatigue had been restored.

Everything had gone more smoothly than expected last night, and the nutritional supplements had brought his condition to its peak.

'At this level, I can fight at full strength without any problems.'

The final boss raid would be a chaotic battle unlike anything before.

'It will be more like a war than a battle.'

Jinhyuk calmly reviewed the overall plan for the raid in his mind.

Of course, even the slightest mistake could not be tolerated.

Therefore, Jinhyuk considered every complex situation, optimal movements, and all possible variables.

He prepared for every possible scenario.

After a few minutes, Jinhyuk finally opened his eyes.

In his hand was the key he had obtained from Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

Ah, before summoning the boss, there was one thing he needed to do.

'Almost forgot.'

Jinhyuk activated the 'Broadcast System.'

[Welcome to 'Channel Unknown.']

[Please select the category you wish to view.]

A list of various categories appeared.

What he needed to do now was write an announcement.

[The boss raid will not be streamed live. I'll edit and post a strategy video later, so only those who want to see it should watch.]

A short two-line announcement was updated.

'Since the first broadcast already drew enough attention, there's no need to stream the boss battle live.'

The goal was to increase views on the video and build the reputation of the 'Unknown' channel.

Instead of chatting with viewers and giving the boss an opening.

Within a minute of updating the video, dozens of comments appeared.

It seemed many people had been eagerly waiting.

-Ishuteller: Wow, check the announcement. He said he'd stream, but now he's replacing it with a video?

-Nutella Jajang: Moreover, he's already treating a successful raid as a given. What if he fails and dies? Why leave such an announcement?

-BaksoVietSoup: He must be confident. Those who didn't watch the live stream yesterday should just stay quiet. Staying quiet is the best way to avoid spoilers.

-PizzaTangSuyuk: Yeah. He's on a different level from what you've seen.

-MiddleSchoolNation: Really that good?

-Veteran Identifier: I watched a bit yesterday, and our Unnie was like Dubai oil.

-Diablo3 Memories: Yeah, almost like a game developer's hair loss machine. He managed to succeed where even large guilds failed.

-MadMovie: Hmm. Sounds like a bowl of kimchi soup, but no matter how strong he is, he can't face an army of tens of thousands alone, right?

-NewYoungYeonhwan: I'm curious to see how he'll take down the boss.

The channel's bulletin board heated up with debates between those who doubted and those who believed in him.

'I need to pay attention to the production as well.'

While the success of the raid was a given, to make it a hit, the script, structure, and the actors on stage were all important.

And of course.

Jinhyuk had already planned a way to satisfy all these requirements.

'So, shall we start?'

Jinhyuk extended his hand, holding the key, towards the front.

The empty air.

But the moment the key touched a point in the empty space.

Clank!

A sound like gears meshing echoed.

['Key of the Statue' has reacted!]

[The owner of the third floor responds to your call!]

A red status window appeared, and then...

Rumble!

A massive gate began to materialize before his eyes.

It was a gate far larger than the one that appeared when Thousand-Armed Guanyin did.

"Wow..."

Jinhyuk let out a sigh of admiration.

It was so wide that it stretched across the bamboo forest, its end invisible.

And so tall that it seemed to reach the clouds, as if it could swallow the sky.

Then.

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

An enormous number of statues appeared beyond the gate.

A force of 30,000.

Most were heavily armed soldiers about 1 meter tall, but there were also medium-sized ones over 10 meters and large ones up to 50 meters.

And at the center of all these statues stood the most intricately carved one.

That was the owner of the third floor.

Or rather, the one yawning on top of that statue.

"Hmm. Did you come alone this time?"

A familiar voice came from the top of the statue.

Shiver!

Jinhyuk's skin tingled.

Indeed.

'Is this the boss's magic power?'

The third-floor boss monster had relatively weak magic power due to the large number of summons it controlled.

Yet, the pressure that weighed down on his entire body.

Indeed, a boss monster is a boss monster.

Jinhyuk scanned the opponent with his 'Eye of Devouring.'

But.

[The level difference is too extreme to view the status window.]

The response was that it was impossible to view.

Right then.

[Your Luck and Adaptive stats have nullified the level difference.]

[The target's status window is revealed.]

The two stats shone.

'The Luck stat that failed with Thousand-Armed Guanyin has worked this time!'

Jinhyuk let out a small cheer.

——————————————————

Name: Muhun

Gender: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Level: 105

Strength 72 Agility 101 Vitality 79 Magic 93 Karma 128

Unique Ability: Heartless Army

Skills: Lv17 'Heavenly Net', Lv15 'Mass Command', Lv14 'Weak Point Analysis', Lv14 'Military Strategy'

——————————————————

[Copy Condition: Muhun's unique ability and skills cannot be copied because Mandala's level is below 15.]

Level 105...

It seems many guild attack parties have died here.

Considering that it would normally take over a year for this creature to reach a three-digit level, it's no wonder.

'So that's why he was so confident.'

Despite being just the boss of the third floor, his arrogance surpasses even the dragons in the upper levels.

Still, it's not all bad.

'On the contrary, it means it's a better situation to make him let his guard down.'

Moreover, the stronger the enemy, the greater the satisfaction the subscribers will feel when he overcomes it.

Jinhyuk's lips curled upward.

"Smiling?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking for a moment. So, what was the question you asked earlier?"

"I asked if you came here alone."

"Well, as you can see. Unlike others, I don't like hiding behind my subordinates."

Jinhyuk sneered.

Muhun's eyes narrowed at the provocative answer.

A tiny crack appeared in the expression of pride and confidence.

But it was only for a moment.

The wavered pupils soon regained their composure.

"I'm sorry, but I don't like getting my hands dirty. Ruling from above and giving orders is the virtue of a ruler, is it not?"

A calm response.

Or rather, a response that tried to appear calm.

No matter how much his level had increased and how many victories he had accumulated...

'The inferiority complex from not being strong enough hasn't changed.'

So, there are no perfect beings.

Everyone has a weakness.

"I see. The virtue of a ruler, in my opinion, is to lead from the front, not hide in the back."

"Exactly. It's because of such fools that wars end futilely. When a commander who charges ahead dies, the soldiers following him are wiped out. Don't you know this basic principle?"

That's not entirely wrong.

But.

"Wouldn't it be fine if you don't die even when leading from the front?"

I don't understand why leading from the front means you have to die.

If you have the necessary skills, there's no better way to boost overall morale.

"...I find it absurd. Do you have the power to do that?"

"I do."

If it were impossible, he wouldn't have come here in the first place.

He wouldn't have gathered the materials for victory over the past time.

Jinhyuk slowly gathered his magic power.

"From the looks of it, you seem quite confident in the battle between your forces... I also happen to enjoy chaotic battles."

So, let's see who's right.

One of us will have to die to prove it.

With that, a strangely shaped chessboard appeared from the subspace inventory.

['First Chessboard' activated!]

Zzzzz!

Blue lines began to draw on the ground, forming a square board.

It's working properly.

Then, the next step...

Jinhyuk took out the figurines he had received from Yurim.

Thousands of chess pieces carved from marble appeared.

Of course, these are not toys for playing board games.

They are artistic creations that Yurim, a summoner, carved using magic and inscribed with runes.

Thus, each chess piece will function as a soldier.

"An interesting idea. With that method, you can indeed play with soldiers even when alone."

Muhun's expression showed interest as he looked at the chess pieces laid out on the board.

But the amusement was quickly followed by a mocking tone.

"What do you plan to do with those small things?"

"Wait and see. It's not over yet."

I'll make you shut up soon enough.

Jinhyuk took out the final item.

The item he obtained by tricking Anubis in the basement of the Tower of Trials.

['Gigantification Pill' used!]

It was the gigantification pill.

The pills he had gathered in large quantities began to seep into the bodies of the chess pieces.

Then.

Rumble!

The chess pieces, which were less than 10 cm tall, began to grow rapidly.

2-meter-tall knights, bishops, and rooks lined up along the horizon.

Pawns, armed with heavy armor, formed a phalanx and extended their spears.

Now, these chess pieces are no longer toys.

Who could mock the army that now displayed the might of a legion?

Perhaps he finally realized the situation was not as simple as he thought.

The sneer on Muhun's face disappeared.

Grind!

Muhun gritted his teeth.

"...You."

He thought it would be easy.

Just one person, easily crushed with a single gesture.

But no longer.

The insignificant human had transformed into a formidable enemy with an army that could no longer be ignored.