Chapter 86

Chapter 85. 5th Floor, Psychiatric Ward (1)

[A gift from the Kingdom of Caladium has arrived.]

[Would you like to check it?]

A flashing golden status window.

‘If it’s the Kingdom of Caladium…’

Jinhyuk’s pupils dilated.

A nation affiliated with the ‘Empire,’ which was in a hostile relationship with the martial arts world.

One of those nations was the Kingdom of Caladium.

‘Are they starting to move as well?’

He had thought that a point of contact would eventually arise, but he didn’t expect them to act so swiftly.

After all, with new variables that could disrupt the delicate balance appearing, it was only natural for them to be driven by greed.

At the same time, it also meant that the situation was becoming urgent enough for the pride-filled Empire to lower its guard.

‘Both the martial arts world and the Empire. They’re trying to secure players who show potential to change the power dynamics of the tower.’

The way they come bearing gifts is… quite endearing, isn’t it?

Jinhyuk chuckled and examined the gift.

It was time to see just how generous the creatures that ruled the middle floors of the tower were.

Ding!

[You have obtained the skill 'Faint Scent'.]

[Faint Scent]

Acquisition Difficulty: F

Description: A skill that can erase not only your own smell and breathing but even the slightest tremor in the air. When used, it can prevent even wild animals from detecting your hiding place. (Duration: 3 seconds, 3 uses, 24-hour cooldown required.)

[Due to the sponsorship of a higher power, the system's suppression is partially relaxed.]

If this were any other floor...

This skill would have been useful, but that would be the extent of it.

The activation time was too short, and there was a limit on the number of uses.

However, in a situation where he had to escape through mad patients and named monsters, the evaluation of the skill changed completely.

‘With my unique abilities and skills sealed, an F-grade skill is worth more than an S-grade.’

It was as good as gaining three more lives.

If they were willing to give him this gift despite the tower’s restrictions...

They must really be driven by greed.

‘I’ll gratefully use the skill, then.’

There was no reason to refuse a free gift offered to win his favor.

And there was no need to feel burdened by the gift.

‘I just need to walk the tightrope between various factions and suck all the honey I can.’

The art of pushing the other side to the brink while maintaining a delicate balance.

That was the best position to take from now on.

Good.

Now that I have a solid skill, it’s time to go.

Jinhyuk opened the gate leading to the psychiatric ward.

At that moment.

Rumble!

[You have selected the 5th floor, 'Psychiatric Ward'.]

[Your unique abilities and skills are sealed.]

[The rule is simple: escape the ward alive.]

A status window appeared, signaling the start of the new floor.

At the same time, Jinhyuk’s consciousness grew hazy.

***

Stale air.

The stench of blood and excrement.

A vision that couldn’t see more than a few inches ahead.

All of these things told him one thing.

He was in the psychiatric ward, known for its extremely low survival rate.

Ding!

[Due to the ancient dragon Makedian’s magic book, one of your skills is unlocked!]

[You can use 'Greed’s Eye'!]

As expected, the status window appeared.

Among the skills, the ‘Eye’ was the easiest to unlock from the system’s restrictions due to its relatively weak constraints.

‘That’s why I chose this book from the magic library.’

By the way,

‘No matter how much I try, I can’t get used to the smell. I just can’t.’

Jinhyuk frowned and shook his head.

Right then,

“Ugh...”

“It’s so dark. Hey! Is this the starting point?”

“Damn, why is it like this?”

A voice came from Jinhyuk’s side.

“Does anyone have a light?”

“Can’t. All my abilities are sealed. It feels like we’re back in the primitive village. This is ridiculous.”

After using all sorts of abilities, suddenly losing them all was inevitable.

It would be like modern people suddenly losing access to electricity.

“Hey? There’s something in my pocket!”

“Pocket?”

“Yes. The texture is...”

Click!

Whoosh!

A small flame appeared in the dark room with the sound of a lighter.

The five men and women could faintly see each other’s faces.

A Western man and woman, an Eastern woman, and a black woman.

‘And me.’

There were five of them in total.

“Phew. Now we can survive. If I had known it would be this bad, I would have chosen a different place.”

“Hmm? I have something in my pocket too?”

“Me too.”

“Mine feels like a key.”

Random survival items were given.

The people in the room quickly checked their pockets.

Of course, Jinhyuk had already finished checking what item he had received.

‘A ballpoint pen...’

A common Monami ballpoint pen found in offices.

If it were anyone else, they would have complained about getting something useless.

But Jinhyuk nodded, looking at the sharp tip of the pen.

‘Not bad.’

A true veteran doesn’t blame the items but uses what they have to achieve the best results.

Still,

‘Complete beginners, all of them.’

From their first reactions to their ability to handle the situation.

Everything was amateurish.

It meant they had no experience clearing the psychiatric ward.

In the past, he would have taken these trembling newbies along like chicks.

But now, there was no reason to do so.

This wasn’t a game to laugh and enjoy.

“Looks like we have to figure this out together. Has anyone been here before?”

The large Western man spoke.

“I tried once, but it was so long ago...”

“From what I heard, the 5th floor changes its structure and items every time, so past experience doesn’t matter.”

“I chose this place for that reason. The mine is so popular that it closes quickly.”

Each had their own reasons for being here.

To Jinhyuk, none of these reasons made much sense.

“Well, this is a headache.”

“Let’s discuss and move slowly.”

While others were talking, Jinhyuk’s gaze was fixed on the door.

‘Since the lighter is on, they should be appearing soon...’

Turning on the light doesn’t just give you vision.

The moment the players use the light to see ahead, the creatures in the ward can also detect the players’ presence.

At that moment,

Thud. Thud.

Faint footsteps were heard.

The others were still talking loudly and didn’t notice the change.

They were just trying to survive the current situation by sharing their opinions.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The footsteps grew louder.

Now, the people in the room could hear them.

“What, what is that sound?”

“Lock the door! Lock the door!”

“Gah!”

The wooden door closed.

Almost simultaneously,

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The door shook violently.

“Here! We’re in here!”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

“Burn them all! Purify them all with fire!”

“The blood of heretics!”

“I’ll tear them to pieces!”

Mad voices echoed.

“Eek!”

“Damn. They’re already here?”

“We need to get out of here now. This door won’t hold for long!”

The former patients of this place had lost their humanity.

They now offered sacrifices to an unknown god, living days stained with blood and madness.

Now, there were only two choices.

Fight or flee. They had to choose one.

But for the people here, fighting wasn’t an option.

How could they fight without their abilities?

They had to flee.

Before it was too late.

Before their bodies were torn apart or burned alive.

“We need to find a way out!”

The large man frantically looked around.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart raced, and his breathing quickened.

The voices grew louder.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack! Snap!

Wooden splinters flew everywhere.

A blade with flesh attached was visible through the broken gap.

Time was running out.

Just a little more, just a little more, and the door would break.

Then,

“Here! This way!”

The black woman pointed at the ceiling and shouted.

The ventilation duct.

Going up would mean survival. At least they wouldn’t die like cornered rats.

“Hurry!”

“Damn. Faster... faster!”

People started climbing up the ventilation duct, frantically tearing off the cover.

Bang! Snap!

Now, a gap the size of a child’s fist opened.

Red eyes were visible beyond the door.

“Lift me up! Pull me up! Hurry!”

People helped each other, one by one escaping the room.

But,

“What are you doing? You! Grab my hand!”

Jinhyuk, the last one, stood still, showing no intention of going to the ventilation duct.

“Damn. Leave him! We can’t take care of a lunatic who wants to die!”

“Right. Let’s go.”

“Tch!”

The man clicked his tongue.

He glanced at Jinhyuk with frustration but only for a moment.

Clank!

The ventilation duct cover closed.

***

The sealing of skills and unique abilities.

These two facts alone were enough to instill extreme fear in the players.

But,

‘I don’t understand how they can be so scared just because they lost their abilities.’

Abilities are merely supplementary.

There are so many hellish situations ahead, and they’re already giving up just because their abilities are sealed?

‘Especially to mere fanatics.’

Jinhyuk could have used the ‘Faint Scent’ skill he received from the Kingdom of Caladium, but it was too valuable to use here.

Jinhyuk held the ballpoint pen in reverse.

Click!

The pen tip extended with a familiar sound.

And at that moment,

Boom!

The door shattered, and half-naked men rushed in.

There were about thirty of them.

Their inverted eyes and blood-soaked appearances were quite grotesque.

“Kill!”

“Cut off their limbs!”

“The god demands their blood!”

Rusty scythes and skewers flew toward Jinhyuk.

“I’ve always been curious.”

There was one question he had always wanted to answer when the fanatics were just AI.

“Can fanatics feel fear?”

The human nature hidden behind madness and blindness.

He wanted to see how long they could maintain their masks.

With those words, Jinhyuk’s body disappeared like smoke.

Thud!

“Gah?”

The pen pierced the temple of the man at the front.

A thin stream of blood spurted from the wound.

“If you wanted to use your numbers to your advantage, you shouldn’t have come through a narrow entrance.”

What good were numbers when only two could enter at a time?

Moreover, in such a confined space, weapons like scythes and long skewers were more of a hindrance.

Jinhyuk pulled out the pen and lunged at the second target.

Thud! Thud!

Eyes, medulla oblongata, throat.

There were plenty of vital points to aim for, even if he couldn’t pierce bones.

“Gah!”

“Aaah!”

Terrifying screams echoed.

Cold, merciless strikes without any mercy.

In an instant, more than half of them turned into cold corpses.

“...”

“...”

The fierce momentum was completely broken.

It couldn’t be helped.

The power gap between them was too great.

The fanatics, who had come to kill the players, were overwhelmed by the terrifying aura of their opponent.

“What are you doing? Is it already over?”

Jinhyuk extended the blood-dripping pen forward.

But at that moment,

Boom!

A loud noise, and one of the walls collapsed.