Chapter 88

Chapter 87: The Ritual of the Sacrificial Offering (1)

With Jinhyuk's casual words,

['Rotten Heart' is enraged!]

['Curse of the Demon King' has been received!]

[The curse will last until you die.]

Kukukukung!

An immense shock was inflicted on his entire body.

'Damn. It hurts like hell.'

Jinhyuk swallowed his scream.

Of course, there was no such thing as 'getting used to' the process of engraving a mark on one's heart.

It meant that every time it was done, it would bring fresh pain.

Some perverts might even enjoy such pain, gasping and moaning, but those were stories of people who had abandoned the last remnants of human dignity.

Isn't it a human instinct to want to avoid physical pain if possible?

But this time, there was no choice.

Even receiving this curse was part of the process to clear this floor.

[All stats will decrease by 90% for 3 minutes.]

[If you force a battle, you may reach a state of exhaustion, and in the worst case, you may faint or die.]

[Remaining time: 0h:2m:59s]

[Due to strong intervention by a higher deity, a hidden quest has occurred.]

[Hidden Quest]

Difficulty: A

Content: The deranged fanatics who take others' lives lightly are 'Evildoers.' Each time you kill one of them, your adaptive stat will increase by +0.1. However, if you kill the cult leader, your adaptive stat will increase by +30.

Yes, this is it.

The logical error created by the active intervention of the deity.

Naturally, the system would provide appropriate compensation to the player who received the curse to resolve the contradiction.

This was all as expected.

Everything was as expected.

Except for one thing.

The stat given as compensation had changed from the usual.

'Could it be giving adaptive stats?'

Jinhyuk's pupils dilated.

He couldn't help but be surprised.

In the past, it gave bonus stats in increments of 0.1, but now the condition had changed to adaptive stats.

A stat that could only be obtained by players who had seen the top of the tower, not by normal means.

The fact that he could continue to stack this stat made Jinhyuk's heart beat uncontrollably fast.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

'No matter what, I have to get this.'

The most valuable reward had appeared, and failure was not an option.

He would definitely, absolutely succeed.

Jinhyuk burned with determination.

At that moment,

Ugh!

An intense pain was felt.

'The aftereffects of the curse are strong.'

The pain in his left chest made him feel like he was about to lose consciousness.

He had to get out of this place immediately.

He wouldn't be able to fight properly for at least 3 minutes. The 'Faint Aura' he received from the kingdom would also be unusable during this time.

"Sorry, can we call it a draw?"

Jinhyuk smiled awkwardly and looked up at the Breaker.

"Krooo!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Breaker ran over with a hammer in hand.

He was utterly devoid of any cuteness.

There was no choice.

Jinhyuk quickly turned and started running.

It was a dark and maze-like area where a dead-end wall could appear at any moment, but Jinhyuk didn't stop or hesitate even once.

'Left here.'

'And right next.'

He knew the layout of this ward as well as the front yard.

He had memorized everything, even with his eyes closed.

Darting through narrow gaps and turning down corridors, he arrived at the medicine storage room.

'I won't be too late.'

There were only a few seconds left before the Breaker arrived.

Jinhyuk quickly entered the storage room and dashed to the cabinet at the far end.

Clunk!

He squeezed into a space large enough for one person.

[You have entered the special field 'Cabinet'.]

[Stealth effect activated.]

In the psychiatric ward, there were specific places where you could hide from hunters.

This was one of them.

While he couldn't hide perfectly, with a bit of luck, he could avoid being seen.

"Huff."

Jinhyuk, hiding in the cabinet, held his breath.

...Oneness with the object.

Oneness with the object!

Imagine!

'I am the cabinet, and the cabinet is me!'

He brainwashed himself and blended perfectly with the surroundings. Even a ghost wouldn't be able to find him.

Right then,

Boom! Boom!

The Breaker walked up to the cabinet.

He began to look around, searching for Jinhyuk.

Don't panic.

'I am already the cabinet itself.'

No reason to be afraid. No reason to be discovered.

However,

"..."

Through the gap in the cabinet, he could see the Breaker's red eyes.

Their eyes met.

But Jinhyuk deliberately avoided his gaze.

'...He must have seen wrong.'

He must have seen wrong. Please.

"..."

The red eyes came even closer. Now, he could feel the creature's breath and the stench of its rotten mouth through the gap.

'Damn. It's not working.'

His face flushed red in the awkward situation, but now was not the time to feel ashamed.

Whoosh!

The Breaker swung his hammer.

At that moment,

Jinhyuk opened the cabinet door and stepped out.

The Breaker hesitated.

A 0.2-second delay for the hunter when a player enters or exits a cabinet.

Using this gap, Jinhyuk repeatedly entered and exited the cabinet.

If he didn't time it perfectly, he would be crushed to death.

But for Jinhyuk, who was used to such situations, this was easier than breathing.

"Kraaaah!"

The enraged Breaker let out a roar.

[Breaker activates Lv11 'Flesh Breakthrough'!]

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

This time, the giant hammer shattered the entire cabinet.

But Jinhyuk's movements were a step faster. By the time the hammer completely crushed the cabinet, Jinhyuk had already opened the door and run out.

Ugh! Ugh!

The intense movement made his chest hurt even more.

He deliberately chose a place with many obstacles, but he couldn't avoid the relentless attacks forever.

After all this commotion, it was about time for them to show up...

Come on, hurry up.

I can't take this anymore.

Jinhyuk grumbled while putting some distance between them.

Right then,

Thud.

The Breaker's movements stopped as if by magic.

He knelt as if worshipping something, holding his hammer with both hands.

At the same time, a cold chill enveloped the area. Goosebumps ran down his spine.

'Have they finally arrived?'

He had been waiting until his neck ached.

Jinhyuk looked behind him.

Then,

"Indeed, you are a human worthy of being a sacrificial offering."

The figure of the cult leader, leading a large number of fanatics, appeared.

***

Being a prisoner is not a pleasant experience.

Especially if you are destined to be a sacrificial offering.

"We're all going to die."

"We shouldn't have come to this damn place. We shouldn't have!"

"Blinded by that measly reward... I don't want to die. I really didn't think I would die so pointlessly."

The captured players screamed.

Cursing their easy choices and rosy dreams.

With their unique abilities and skills sealed, they didn't even dare to imagine escaping.

But,

'Hmm. It's a bit moldy, but it's not a bad place to stay. It would be perfect if they brought me some ramen for room service.'

Jinhyuk stretched lazily on the bed.

Being captured had allowed him to fully recover from the Demon King's curse, both physically and magically.

He was back to his best condition.

Moreover, thanks to being brought deep into their base, he didn't have to break through annoying barriers and traps.

The hidden quest to eliminate evildoers and gain adaptive stats would also be much easier.

Why bother searching for enemies?

They would all gather in one place soon enough.

If he added a few 'seasonings' to the prepared feast, he could make the cult leader foam at the mouth and collapse.

'After all, it's always the most exciting to hit the overconfident ones in the back.'

Thinking this, even the cramped and smelly prison felt endearing.

Right then,

"Shut up! If you make noise, I'll tie that one up first, torture him, and throw him to the monsters!"

The guard threatened the players in the iron cage.

Waving a terrifying torture device as a bonus.

The surroundings instantly became as quiet as a mouse.

Naturally.

No one would want to spend their remaining time being tortured.

"I told you to be quiet. Now you can speak freely."

The head guard bowed.

As the chaotic atmosphere settled, two people approached Jinhyuk's cell.

One was the cold-faced cult leader.

The other was a man in a black hood.

"This is the first time we meet. Jinhyuk Kang, right?"

This guy...?

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

Although he had never seen this face before, the unique magic aura was very familiar.

He had a good idea where this guy was from.

'They've been quiet lately, but he's from the Mine Association, right?'

Melena, whom he met on the third floor, had said the Mine Association's goal was to gather relics to revive the Demon King.

The cult leader on the fifth floor and the Mine Association.

With the common goal of reviving the Demon King, they would naturally work well together.

'If he can meet the boss of the tower, he must be in a high position within the association...'

Jinhyuk stared intently at the man.

A sharp-looking Caucasian man.

His black beard and blue eyes suited him well.

'I wonder if his skills match his appearance.'

Jinhyuk's 'Eye of Gluttony' pierced through the target's status window.

But,

Ding!

[Failed to read status window.]

[The target has Lv14 'Mental Barrier' activated.]

A barrier that could block even 'Divination' and 'Insight,' let alone 'Eye.'

'So that's why he showed his face.'

From his confident appearance to his calm tone.

He was so bold because he had a trick up his sleeve.

But it didn't matter.

Jinhyuk held the 'white' pill he had kept in his pocket.

When he applied force, the pill crumbled like a cookie.

[Used white pill.]

[Due to the pill's effect, you can double one of your stats.]

[Duration: 10 minutes.]

Of course, he would double his 'adaptive' stat.

He had prepared the white pill to use against the cult leader.

But now that he could gain additional adaptive stats through the hidden quest, using it now would be more efficient.

Opportunities to meet high-ranking members of the Mine Association didn't come often.

[Adaptive stat increased from 10 to 20.]

[Lv4 'Eye of Gluttony' penetrates the target.]

Sure enough.

Jinhyuk's lips curled into a smile.

Unless it was someone like Ellis or Pendariel, with a level difference so vast,

A mere player couldn't block this.

-----------------------------------------

Name: Hosenbelt

Gender: Male

Age: 41

Level: 38

Strength 19 Agility 25 Vitality 18 Magic 28 Will 80

Available Stat Points: 0

Available Coins: 30,855

Occupation: Knight of the Round Table

Unique Ability: Guardian's Domain

Skills: Lv14 'Mental Barrier,' Lv10 'Sword of Judgment,' Lv10 'Blessing of Britannia,' Lv9 'Knight's Oath'

-----------------------------------------

The status window appeared.

Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

'Hmm.'

This guy... is much more of a big shot than I thought.

The occupation 'Knight of the Round Table' was only held by the highest-ranking officials of the Mine Association.

In other words,

The guy in front of him was one of the 'Knights.'