Chapter 89

Chapter 88. The Ritual of the Sacrificial Offering (2)

Knights of the Round Table.

The knights from the legend of King Arthur, each possessing a special ability.

These abilities allow them to reach the pinnacle in various fields, such as magic, swordsmanship, illusion, and tanking.

'They are almost at the top among the second-class promotions.'

It's not for nothing that independent mages, unaffiliated with the government or guilds, wield such strong influence.

With such abilities and power backing them, no one can easily mess with them.

'This man is one of those big shots...'

Jinhyuk moistened his lower lip with his tongue.

Just confirming this was worth hundreds of times the value of the white pill he took.

While the 'Guardian's Ability' to reach the pinnacle in one field is unnecessary for Jinhyuk, who is a versatile type, the 'Mental Barrier' is a skill he quite covets.

'If I can enhance this, it will provide the driving force to withstand deities or demon kings in the future.'

However.

After checking the copying conditions, Jinhyuk felt a shock as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

[Copying Conditions]

1. Discover the knight's name.

2. Speak and act as if you have middle school syndrome during the conversation with Hosenbelt.

If both conditions are met, you can copy one of the unique abilities or skills the other party possesses.

Once again, an abnormal condition popped up.

Of course, given the nature of the target, it's understandable that the copying conditions would be more stringent. That's fine.

But.

Damn it.

'What kind of lunatic is managing the tower's system?'

No, seriously.

At this point, I'm starting to suspect that it was set as a penalty game after drinking six bottles of soju at a drinking party, and accidentally set as the copying condition.

Jinhyuk pressed his temples with his index finger.

"Why are you so quiet?"

Hosenbelt asked, watching him.

"Ah, sorry. The black dragon in my left hand was acting up, so I was trying to calm it down."

Jinhyuk grabbed his left hand with his right.

His right hand trembled slightly.

As if trying to stop the left hand from going berserk.

A moment of silence followed.

It felt as if all the time in the world had stopped.

After a few seconds,

"Is this the one you spoke of? It's hard to believe he's the enemy we should be worried about."

The High Priest, with a look of disbelief, spoke.

Hosenbelt was equally flustered.

"Unbelievable. Even with his life on the line, he's spouting nonsense."

Even the ring he wore, the Ring of Brahm, was shaking wildly.

Ellis, inside the ring, was undoubtedly clutching her stomach and laughing.

Yeah, I know it's unbelievable. No need to remind me.

And please, no more ganging up on me.

I beg you.

"Looks like he's scared out of his wits. I'll say this only once. You will soon be offered as a sacrificial offering."

"Ha ha. A sacrificial offering... It reminds me of five years ago, the day my madness first revealed itself to the world."

Jinhyuk covered one side of his face with his hand.

If he had worn a black cloak and red circle lenses, it would have been perfect.

Damn it.

This is strangely immersive.

"..."

Hosenbelt was taken aback by Jinhyuk's strange behavior.

He felt a sense of unease at the opponent's appearance, which was so different from what he knew.

Could it be...

'Does he have something prepared?'

The talk of a black dragon and madness could be a trigger phrase or a setup for activating a unique ability or skill?

Considering Jinhyuk's performance so far, it seemed more plausible.

'He's not someone to be underestimated.'

The opponent was a player who had toyed with the association's elite.

Hosenbelt heightened his senses to the extreme.

However, he didn't feel any magical energy being activated.

No doubt about it.

All of this is just posturing.

'Damn...'

But why?

The sticky, clingy feeling of unease showed no sign of dissipating.

'Don't play games with me.'

Hosenbelt, trying to compose himself, got to the point.

"I know you're strong, but with your unique abilities and skills sealed, you can't survive the ritual."

"Hmm. Are you here to say something like, 'You're already dead'?"

"No, I'm here to make the process a bit more comfortable for you."

Hosenbelt took out a transparent glass bottle from his robes.

The liquid inside swayed.

"What's that?"

"A kind of anesthetic. It can help you escape the terrible pain during the ritual."

The ritual of the sacrificial offering is notorious for its cruelty.

If you're going to die anyway, it's only natural to want to die as comfortably as possible.

"I don't think pain can break my will, but... I won't refuse if you offer it."

Jinhyuk extended his hand.

Then,

"It's not free."

Hosenbelt moved the bottle slightly backward.

"Information about the Unknown. If you tell me, I'll give you this in return."

Of course, that's how it would go.

As expected.

"You're quite curious about the Unknown, aren't you?"

"I need to stomp out any potential threats."

"Whatever. I can tell you, but I don't need the anesthetic. Instead, I have one question."

"A question?"

Hosenbelt's pupils narrowed at the unexpected request.

He clearly didn't expect this.

"We'll each ask one thing we're curious about. It's fair, right?"

Jinhyuk shrugged.

"...Fine. Go ahead."

"Your name and your position within the Mage Association. That's all I need."

"For a final question, that's a pointless thing to ask. Why do you want to know?"

"I have a lot of questions about the Mage Association. I can't help being curious. Oh! And my Evil Eye can see through everything, so don't even think about lying."

Jinhyuk deliberately gave his eyes a fierce look.

"...Don't worry. I won't lie."

Hosenbelt nodded and slowly introduced himself.

"My name is Hosenbelt. I hold a seat at the Round Table and have the knight name 'Lancelot.'"

Lancelot.

A knight who guards the Round Table.

That was Hosenbelt's knight name.

'Good.'

Jinhyuk's lips curled upward.

This fulfilled one of the two conditions. The other was practically achieved as well.

"Does this resolve your curiosity?"

"More or less."

"Then it's my turn. Tell me about the identity of the Unknown."

That's not hard.

"I'll tell you once, so listen carefully. The Unknown is..."

Jinhyuk, gauging the situation, cautiously spoke.

"Chanyu-seong."

"Chanyu-seong? You can't mean..."

"That's right. The guy you thought you had eliminated but failed to."

"..."

Hosenbelt clenched his jaw.

So that's how it is.

Now everything makes sense.

The reason the Unknown is so strong.

The reason he's hostile to us.

Most importantly, the reason the player Jinho knows so much about the Unknown.

There must have been continuous contact between them, which is why they know each other so well.

"Have you heard everything you wanted?"

The High Priest, who had been watching silently, asked.

"Yes. This is enough."

Hosenbelt nodded.

"Farewell, Jinho. We won't meet again."

He turned away from Jinhyuk without a second glance.

Right then.

Ding!

[Conditions met!]

[Choose one of the abilities the other party possesses.]

A status window appeared, indicating the copying conditions were met.

'Perfect timing.'

Jinhyuk smiled in satisfaction.

Despite the awkward situation, he had achieved his goal.

"I'll copy the Mental Barrier."

[Successfully copied the unique ability 'Mental Barrier (S)'.]

[The copied skill will be stored in 'Memory of the World'.]

[Mental Barrier]

Acquisition Difficulty: S

Description: A skill that enhances mental attributes, not only securing the security of the status window but also protecting the user from various types of mental attacks.

An S-rank mental defense ability.

Considering what's to come, the 'Mental Barrier' will be a significant help.

Right then,

"Bring the sacrifices outside. The ritual will begin soon."

The warden gave the order to the guards.

"No, don't!"

"Please, save me!"

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

The trapped players screamed.

But it was in vain.

There was no room for sympathy or mercy in front of the fanatics.

'It's time to go.'

It was finally time to move to the final stage of this mental asylum.

Jinhyuk looked around the cell.

'There it is.'

A brick with a darker gray color stood out.

He tapped the brick seven times at one-second intervals.

Thud!

Miraculously, a small space appeared in the wall.

It was a gap leading to the sewer.

Jinhyuk took out another pill he had hidden and pushed it into the sewer.

The red pill rolled along.

A moment later,

Plop!

A satisfying sound echoed.

＊＊＊

The Sacrifice Chamber.

The massive space, reminiscent of a coliseum, was filled with fanatics eager to witness the ritual.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The 'Breaker,' known as the agent of the god, slaughtered the sacrifices.

With each flash of the axe and greatsword, players' bodies were cut in half.

"Kill them!"

"Glory to the god!"

"More! More! More! More sacrifices are needed!"

The spilled blood turned the sand red.

Yet, the fanatics' madness showed no signs of abating.

They craved more blood.

To momentarily forget this insane world.

Rattle!

The faces of the players in the waiting room, watching this hell, turned pale.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

Those who cried or vomited were the better ones.

Some even wet their pants or fainted.

Soon, they would be the ones inside.

'Fighting the agent with these guys is impossible.'

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, looking at the players who had completely lost their fighting spirit.

They would be more of a burden than a help.

But he couldn't blame them.

The fanatics who were toying with the players' lives were the real scum.

Cold killing intent flickered in Jinhyuk's eyes.

'Really... I can handle them without any hesitation.'

The hidden quest to kill evil and gain stats.

I thought there might be some reluctance about taking a human life.

But it was a completely unnecessary worry.

Now, with the stage set and the main actors in place...

'Shall we begin?'

Jinhyuk took out a book he had cleverly hidden in his robes.

The Black Dragon's Grimoire.

He chose this book from the many grimoires in the magic library for one reason.

Rustle!

The pages turned.

Countless runes written in runic script spread before his eyes.

The ancient dragon who spent his life searching for loopholes in the world's laws.

This book contains the life of that dragon.

[You have read the Black Dragon's Grimoire, 'Makendrian's Grimoire'.]

At the same time,

[Sealed unique abilities are now unsealed.]

[Sealed skills are now unsealed.]

[Time Limit: 0h:9m:59s]

The shackles that suppressed his power were now broken.