Chapter 87

Chapter 86. 5th Floor, Psychiatric Ward (2)

A towering height of three meters.

A triangular helmet made of iron.

And finally, a hammer that evokes the image of a bulldozer.

The monster that burst through the wall exuded an overwhelming presence just by existing.

This creature is one of the named monsters, known as 'Breaker.'

‘Greed’s Eye’ quickly scanned the target.

——————————————————

Name: Breaker

Gender: None

Age: 1 year

Level: 45

Strength 100 Agility 15 Health 30 Magic 0

Available Stat Points: 0

Unique Ability: Tenacious Hunter

Skills: Lv12 ‘Guillotine,’ Lv11 ‘Armor Break,’ Lv11 ‘Flesh Breakthrough,’ Lv10 ‘Weapon Enhancement’

——————————————————

[Target cannot be killed.]

The stark contrast between its extraordinarily high strength and its magic is noticeable.

However, the most significant information from the status window is the characteristic that it 'cannot be killed.'

A creature with an unbreakable lifeline and the tenacity to hunt its prey to the ends of hell.

This is why the psychiatric ward is considered more challenging than other maps.

Well, in the end, it’s just a matter of running around well.

After all, it’s not necessary to take down these invincible creatures.

“D-Divine Agent.”

“I... We’re not scared...”

The fanatics trembled.

They knew better than anyone what was about to happen.

Right then, Breaker grabbed the head of a kneeling fanatic.

“Gaaaah!”

A horrific scream accompanied a gush of red blood.

In short, this monster is brutally strong.

‘If caught, my spine will be ripped out.’

Jinhyuk frowned and lowered his stance.

With this creature appearing, it was now a game of tag.

A one-coin game of tag where getting caught means logging out of life.

Thud!

He dashed towards the space between Breaker’s legs.

Breaker swung his hammer reflexively, but it was too late.

Jinhyuk had narrowly avoided the attack by a hair’s breadth.

Instead, the hammer shattered one of the fanatics.

Boom!

Crash!

With a single attack, the wall crumbled and the floor cracked like a turtle’s shell.

An overwhelming force.

Enough to turn a person into mush.

However, no matter how powerful an attack, it’s useless if it doesn’t hit.

Jinhyuk dodged the hammer like an eel.

“Grrrr!”

Breaker, now even more agitated, began to rampage more fiercely.

“Uaaaaah!”

“Gaaaah!”

The fanatics suffered under the wildly swinging hammer.

Jinhyuk gradually increased the distance between himself and Breaker, weaving through the mangled corpses.

He was almost at the corridor leading out.

But right then.

[Breaker activates Lv12 ‘Guillotine’!]

Holding the hammer with both hands, Breaker pulled his body back.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The hammer shattered the ceiling and fell towards Jinhyuk’s head.

A powerful blow, weighted and accelerated.

Even the falling debris obstructed his vision.

There was no way to avoid it.

But it didn’t matter.

“Friend Shield!”

Jinhyuk pushed a fanatic in front of him.

“What, wh... what!?”

The fanatic screamed in confusion.

And that was his last testament.

Boom!

The hammer buried itself in the floor.

The poor lamb returned to the arms of the gods.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk retrieved a flashlight from a drawer in the corridor.

‘Lucky no one took it.’

Indeed, everyone was too busy running to check what was in the drawer.

Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to the back.

Creak!

Breaker was trying to pull the hammer out.

The fanatics were all turned to mush.

‘He’s killed all his own people.’

There was plenty of time to escape if he wanted to.

But Jinhyuk didn’t run.

Instead, he repeatedly pressed the flashlight’s button.

Click! Click!

“A little more effort, huh? You think you can catch me with that slow body?”

The bright light struck Breaker’s eyes.

As if daring him openly.

＊＊＊

Basement 3 of the Psychiatric Ward.

This is where the key to the ward’s main door is kept.

It’s also where the ward’s master resides.

“What happened to the humans?”

A man with a bloodless face and prominent blue veins spoke.

He is the master of the ward and the leader of the fanatics.

A man in the shadows replied.

“We are capturing them smoothly. There are still some running, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. You don’t need to worry, Master.”

With their magic sealed, even players are helpless.

Everything is going according to plan.

The master’s lips twisted in satisfaction.

“At first, when your Mining Guild came, I intended to burn you in the furnace. To us, you and the players were the same.”

But.

“The moment I heard your purpose, my resolve changed. I never thought there would be such great intentions among humans.”

“You flatter us. We are merely doing what we must.”

The man bowed.

The master’s expression grew even more satisfied.

“The god desires more sacrifices. Now that the tower is open and the ignorant are entering, it is the promised time for the god’s return.”

Sacrifices.

That’s right.

Being locked in the psychiatric ward.

Brainwashing foolish humans into fanatics.

All to gather sacrifices for the god.

The master looked forward.

Specifically, at the players they had just captured.

“Gulp. Gaaah...”

“P-Please, spare us.”

“P-Please. I’ll do anything. Just spare my life...!”

These were the players who were with Jinhyuk.

They had escaped through a vent but were soon captured by the fanatics.

“Don’t be too afraid, lowly creatures. I will give you a choice.”

The master caressed an East Asian woman’s cheek with his cold, icy hand.

A hand that sent shivers down the spine.

“A, a choice?”

“If you convert and follow me, I will spare you from being burned alive.”

A chance to survive.

The prospect of avoiding the most terrifying death made the four players’ eyes waver.

“However, as proof of your conversion, you must kill another person.”

Only two out of the four can survive.

Only those who abandon their humanity and truly repent can gain a new life.

The master dropped a black dagger on the floor.

He was urging them.

To decide who lives and who dies.

The four players, frozen in place, looked at the dagger and each other.

But right then.

“M-Master, you should see this.”

A disciple monitoring the ward’s CCTV urgently called the master.

“What is it?”

The master looked at the screen.

An unbelievable scene appeared.

“What...”

The screen showed a player and the god’s agent, ‘Breaker.’

Chasing players here is a common sight.

The problem is that the player is toying with the god’s agent.

Maintaining a distance to keep the chase going, even though he could easily escape.

Especially the way he narrowly dodges attacks, making the hammer embed in walls or the floor, and then flashing the light on and off, was nerve-wracking to watch.

His light movements, his ability to read the trajectory, and his composure in a life-or-death situation.

Who could see this and think he’s sealed in power?

“How... How can a mere human do this to the god’s agent!”

The master shouted, gripping the monitor with both hands.

Crack.

His nails left long scratches on the screen.

The man beside him also looked at the screen.

Then, with a trembling voice, he spoke the player’s name.

“J-Jinhyuk? How is that guy here?”

“Jinhyuk? Do you know him?”

“Yes. He’s an S-rank player in Korea...”

The man knew.

“He is the most dangerous obstacle to our plan.”

Even with his unique abilities and skills sealed,

Thinking he’s easy to handle will come at a great cost.

＊＊＊

Boom!

The hammer sliced through the air again.

For nearly 20 minutes, hundreds of attacks had been thrown, but Jinhyuk dodged them all with ease.

‘It’s been a while, and this is quite fun.’

Circling a pillar, teasing the opponent.

Using the terrain and objects to restrict the opponent’s movements.

Even things that used to feel tedious now felt fresh.

And the most thrilling part is watching the opponent’s frustration boil over.

The pleasure of seeing them tear at their own body with their nails and thrash about is the driving force that makes this game of tag enjoyable.

Of course, it was all a pastime.

“Grrrr!”

Breaker began to thrash about.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Now, he was destroying the ceiling and floor with his hammer, regardless of his own safety.

Jinhyuk adjusted his distance slightly.

He wasn’t doing this just to pass the time.

Nor was it for the pleasure of toying with the opponent.

‘Almost there.’

By pushing Breaker to a certain level, he could attract the attention of the master on the 5th floor and the god they worship.

Right then.

[‘The Rotting Heart’ finds your actions interesting.]

A red status window appeared before his eyes.

‘As expected.’

Jinhyuk smirked as if he had been waiting for it.

The alias ‘The Rotting Heart.’

Like Ellis, one of the absolute beings in the upper floors of the tower.

Though he has been called by various names...

People often refer to them as ‘demons.’

He flinched.

Brahm’s ring trembled.

Ellis must have sensed the magic flowing from the message.

But there was no need to worry.

Whether the opponent is a demon or a god,

They are merely a deity on the 40th floor of the tower.

Most importantly, knowing everything about the opponent made this situation overwhelmingly advantageous.

“Hey, what brings such a distinguished person to this humble place?”

Jinhyuk smiled.

[‘The Rotting Heart’ offers to make you his sword.]

[Second-class promotion conditions have been triggered.]

[If you accept the deity’s offer, you can become a ‘Black Apostle.’]

‘As expected, this is how it goes.’

Second-class promotion ‘Black Apostle.’

If Teresa is a holy knight blessed by the stars,

The Black Apostle is a dark knight under the protection of a demon.

They boast different abilities, but the downside is living as a servant of the demon for life.

‘The biggest problem is that refusing will result in the demon’s curse.’

Once cursed, a bounty will be placed on you by all demons.

Naturally, no player in the past [Tower of Trials] dared to refuse the demon’s offer and accept the curse.

No one wants to bear such a penalty.

Especially now, in reality, it would be pointless to even mention it.

Thus.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to refuse. After all, a tiger cub can’t fit under a Chihuahua, can it?”

Jinhyuk chose the path no one else would take.