Chapter 82

Chapter 81. The Womb of the Dead 'Pendarial' (3)

['The Black Hunting Dog' reveals its presence.]

[I, representing Egyptian mythology, would like to make you one proposal.]

'The Black Hunting Dog'—this nickname.

It's Anubis.

After being thoroughly beaten on the first basement floor, I thought he would remain silent for a while, but he appears at this moment...

'Interesting.'

Jinhyuk, holding the flag in one hand, looked up at the sky.

He must have been watching from before we entered the colony.

Not on the fourth floor.

But on a much higher floor.

"Go ahead and speak."

['The Black Hunting Dog' growls lowly.]

Anubis, who was not at all intimidated by the expression of divinity and instead treated it with disrespect, did not hide his discomfort.

Kukukuku!

The air trembled, and magic power raged wildly.

Of course, such threats would not make him yield.

This isn't even a floor they control.

Where are you making a fuss?

"Huh? Are you angry now? Should I just pull this out and be done with it? I don't really care, you know?"

Jinhyuk tightened his grip on the flag.

The flag moved subtly upwards.

Then, as if by magic, the heavy atmosphere that had settled disappeared.

['The Black Hunting Dog' is greatly flustered.]

[It tries to calm down.]

[It says it still wants to see the proper conclusion of this fight.]

"I know. That's why you interfered."

From the perspective of the creatures dominating the upper floors of the tower, it must be hard to accept that the fourth floor is being conquered without a proper battle with the boss monster.

The outcome of a proper battle was too obvious.

They wouldn't want to see a cocky human triumph.

But then.

"Why should I accept your proposal?"

Jinhyuk snickered.

There's no reason to engage in an unfavorable fight.

The outcome was already decided.

['The Black Hunting Dog'...]

"Ah! It's better not to resort to cheap threats. Honestly, your level of divinity isn't scary, no matter how much you bark."

Please, use your whip with discretion.

"If you really want to negotiate, use a carrot. If you make a proposal that can change my mind, who knows? I might fight the queen."

Jinhyuk sneered.

The status window paused for a moment.

About ten seconds passed.

['The Black Hunting Dog' says it will give you 'Jackal's Fang' if you agree to the fight.]

When the status window reappeared, it contained unexpected content.

Wow.

I didn't think they'd propose that.

I thought they had a petty side, but they're surprisingly generous.

'Jackal's Fang' is a material item that increases attack speed by 10%.

It received an A-grade evaluation due to the limitation on upgradable items, but in terms of its ability alone, it was on par with any S-grade item.

It's a sufficiently satisfying reward.

It's sufficiently satisfying, but...

"The problem is, I'm greedy."

Jinhyuk's lips curled upwards.

"First, give me a molar. And if you agree to one more condition, I'll consider it."

['The Black Hunting Dog' is greatly flustered.]

[It asks how you know about the types of fangs.]

Among the 'Jackal's Fangs,' the molar is the most powerful.

Unlike other fangs that increase attack power by 20%, this one increases it by a whopping 30%.

It's one of the best items you can obtain from Anubis, capable of leaving massive scars on the target's body.

"How do I know? That's none of your business. Will you accept or not?"

['The Black Hunting Dog' is curious about the other condition.]

"It's nothing much. There's a B-grade material item called 'White Branch' that I need. Of course, everything I mentioned must be provided in advance."

The White Branch is mainly used for medical purposes and cannot be obtained on the fourth floor, but it's easily found on floors above the tenth.

Naturally, from Anubis's perspective, it's worthless trash.

['The Black Hunting Dog' accepts the proposal.]

[The contract is finalized.]

['The Black Hunting Dog' must immediately provide the two promised items, and player Gang Jinhyuk cannot pull the flag until the battle with the queen is over.]

Woooom!

A sharp molar and a branch as white as snow appeared before his eyes.

...You fell for it.

Jinhyuk bit his lip firmly.

The arrogant god who thought everything was beneath him.

From now on, he will regret the contract he made.

***

Kwaang!

The ground shattered, and black smoke rose from the colony.

"Impossible. You killed him. Even the Guardian?"

Pendarial looked at the butcher, now reduced to ashes.

No human was supposed to be able to do this.

Indeed, the human she was facing now far exceeded her expectations.

At this point, she had no choice but to admit it.

He wasn't a bug to be crushed.

He was an enemy to be fought with all her might.

Thud.

Pendarial entered the room.

The flag had not been pulled yet.

As if mocking her, the opponent was waiting under the flag for the queen of the colony.

"Why? Why haven't you pulled it? Pulling the flag would mean your victory, wouldn't it?"

"Sure, but that would be too boring, wouldn't it?"

Jinhyuk shrugged.

"Boring? You're saying that with me right in front of you?"

Her voice was cold and deep.

Shiver!

The hairs on his skin stood up.

Indeed, it was a vicious magic power.

'Fighting this girl when my level is low is thrilling, after all.'

Even with the 'Gap' stat narrowing the gap, there is no player who can defeat the queen at this point.

Originally, a 1-on-1 battle with Pendarial was impossible.

But.

Due to the contract just now, one person.

A player capable of toppling the womb of the zombies was born.

Kachang!

Jinhyuk split the scissors containing the soul of the butcher in half.

Only one blade remained.

To be precise, only the right blade of the two.

In an instant, a sickle-shaped, eerie weapon was completed.

Jinhyuk immediately moved to the next step.

"I will fuse the 'White Branch,' 'Jackal's Fang,' and 'Soul-Containing Scissors.'"

Fusion.

A unique ability that combines different materials into one.

The ability I thought was best for climbing the tower, solely for me.

At this moment.

It manifested to face the worst enemy.

[Fusion successful!]

['Sickle of Severing Causality' completed!]

['Sickle of Severing Causality']

Acquisition difficulty: Unmeasurable

Description: A divine relic of a supreme god with an absolute judgment effect. It can kill the unkillable and cut the uncuttable.

[Due to the appearance of a divine relic unsuitable for the fourth floor, the system intervenes.]

[This item can only be used once.]

Kukukuku!

An indescribable light completely enveloped the sickle.

'So it can only be used once, huh.'

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue as he read the detailed description.

He already knew that using a power that defies logic permanently was impossible.

But he thought it would be usable at least two or three times.

Now that it's real, the conditions are even stricter.

If it were a divine relic from Greek deities instead of Anubis, it might have been usable at least one more time, but that's a luxury in the current situation.

'But this is enough to meet the minimum conditions.'

One-hit kill.

He now had a weapon that would definitely kill the enemy on impact.

This equalized the conditions.

Both could now cut off each other's lifelines.

['The Black Hunting Dog' is amazed!]

[The deities of Egyptian mythology cannot easily accept the current situation!]

The status window went crazy.

Awe and fear from the upper floors of the tower were clearly transmitted.

"How... how did you get that weapon?"

Pendarial was also flustered.

She didn't care when he brought out a bunch of trivial weapons.

After all, whether it was the 'Jackal's Fang,' the 'Butcher's Scissors,' or the 'White Branch,'

None of them could hurt her.

But the moment the disparate items were fused.

Everything changed.

"How... is this possible?"

The common sense she knew was shattered.

A new rule had arrived.

"Who... are you?"

Pendarial crouched, her whole body tensing.

At the same time, she emitted a powerful aura.

Putsutsutsu!

Black energy began to slowly engulf the surroundings.

It was clear that she would not allow even the slightest threat.

This was a defensive mechanism she had never used before, always arrogantly attacking.

"At least I know who's scared now."

"What?"

"Really? To me, you look like a hedgehog with all its spines raised, its head buried in its body."

"Kraaa! You! Damn! Human!"

Pendarial moved her hand.

The aura followed her hand movements and shot out rapidly.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!

An ability that corrodes anything it touches.

The closest and farthest aura from death burned the ground and air black.

It's coming.

Jinhyuk moved accordingly.

The range was too wide to avoid completely, but it didn't matter.

He had the ability to counter it.

[Unique ability 'Mandala' activated!]

A thin golden membrane enveloped his entire body.

Sssss!

Smoke rose as the aura and mandala made contact.

"You're... neutralizing my ability?"

Pendarial was once again amazed.

Her trusted unique ability was not functioning as it should.

"There's no such thing as an invincible ability in this world."

Only those who can use the counteracting power at the right time survive.

Most importantly, the concentration of the aura, spread out like a spray, could not penetrate the armor made by the mandala.

"Kuh!"

Realizing her mistake, Pendarial gathered the spread aura into one point.

A bastard sword, two meters long, took shape.

Though it didn't fit her slender frame, Pendarial wielded the massive sword as if it were a toothpick.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!

A single strike that split the ground.

It was fierce.

And threatening.

However, no matter how much destructive power that strike had...

"It's useless if it doesn't hit."

Jinhyuk had already read the trajectory of the attack.

The dual swords were imbued with 'Grave of Swords' and 'Blessing of the Stars.'

To create the perfect timing, he first had to chip away at the opponent's health and concentration.

What followed was a storm of relentless attacks.

Kwaaang!

Kaaang!

Kakakakakang!

Sparks flew in all directions.

The two swords wriggled, seeking Pendarial's weak points.

"Just this...?"

As she was gradually cornered, Pendarial finally played her last card.

[Pendarial activates Lv?? 'Funeral March of the Dead'!]

Kiiiiing!

A sharp scream erupted from the bastard sword.

The sword was howling.

Unable to bear the pain.

"Too bad. Just when things were getting interesting, you're already going for the climax?"

"I want to see if you can still laugh after seeing this."

['First Sword']

A sword for bidding farewell to the dead.

A sword for eradicating the dead.

['Eternal Annihilation']

The blade of the bastard sword disappeared.

Its shape.

Its smell.

Its presence.

Everything turned to nothing.