Chapter 99

Chapter 98. The Gray Shrine (2)

A sharp expression with a scar running across his face.

Players with katanas at their waists and colorful tattoos covering their bodies came into view.

This is...

There's no need to check.

It was all too obvious where those guys came from.

‘The Samurai Guild...’

Jinhyuk's brows furrowed unpleasantly.

He could guess why they were here and why Kim Kitae was angry.

Right at that moment, the voices between the two groups grew louder.

"This is a dungeon we own. Surely you haven't forgotten that, have you?"

"I know that, but as you're aware, the Struggle Babies have only failed every time. Wouldn't it be better for humanity to hand over this labyrinth to those who can actually clear it?"

A man with a goatee and sunglasses sneered.

Though his words were polite, the content was as good as spitting in their face.

Grinding!

Kim Kitae gritted his teeth.

But he couldn't really argue.

Indeed, they had been failing consistently, while in contrast, the Samurai Guild had shown an astonishing growth recently.

However,

"Hmm, that's strange."

Jinhyuk scratched his head and interjected.

Everyone's gaze turned to Jinhyuk.

"Who... is that man?"

"It's, it's Kang Jinhyuk. The Korean ranker Kang Jinhyuk!"

"Could he be related to the Struggle Babies?"

"This isn't good..."

The Samurai Guild players also took in a sharp breath.

As the atmosphere grew tense, the man with sunglasses quickly stepped in.

"An unexpected guest, I see. But what do you find strange?"

"From what I heard, you guys have been failing because your forces are insufficient, right?"

"That's right. Of course, it must be unpleasant, but that's the reality."

"That's what's strange. From what I can see, your forces are also pretty poor."

Well, they seem to have gathered a few decent members.

But with just those members, they want to face Medusa?

Even combined, they wouldn't amount to half of what Cheonyuseong or Teresa could do. Their confidence is way over the top.

"Ah! If you want to become a beautiful stone statue, I can understand. The Medusa inside is quite the statue collector, you know."

Jinhyuk smiled.

"Y-You mean, we're not strong enough?"

"Not just not strong enough, but completely inadequate."

Being inadequate has a slightly disappointing nuance.

It means that even if you gathered a truckload of you, it wouldn't work.

"Inadequate?!"

"Damn, what a mouth!"

At Jinhyuk's words, the faces of the Samurai Guild players twisted nastily.

"Grgh."

"Of course!"

On the other hand, the Struggle Babies felt a sense of relief, as if a decade-old indigestion had been cleared.

"That statement, you'll regret it. No matter how much you brag from the lower floors, we have a player in Japan who has climbed to the 30th floor of the Tower of Trials. Unlike you, he's a 'real' veteran."

The man with sunglasses' tone turned cold.

"A player who has been to the 30th floor?"

"Yes. The middle floors of the tower, which no one has ever reached. He has experienced it. Based on his knowledge and experience, we will be the first in the world to conquer the tower. No one else, but us in Japan."

The man with sunglasses proudly puffed out his chest.

Exclusive information about the future!

Naturally, the excitement was hard to contain.

However,

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue in disbelief.

'Even barking has its limits.'

No one had seen a player's shadow from the 20th floor onwards.

Suddenly, a veteran who had climbed to the 30th floor appeared?

And from Japan?

That's impossible.

'But from the way they're so confident, it seems they believe it...'

That means someone with the man in sunglasses is pulling a cute prank.

Jinhyuk's lips curled up.

'Of all people, to tell such a lie in front of me.'

I don't know what kind of lies they told the Samurai Guild,

'But they picked the wrong opponent.'

If they had to pick, they picked the wrong one.

Jinhyuk scanned the players with his 'Greed Eye.'

Several status windows flashed in sequence.

'This one is no good. This one is a complete fool...'

I can't see anyone standing out.

Just as he was thinking that,

Jinhyuk's gaze stopped on one person.

——————————————————

Name: Yamamoto Takeshi

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Level: 27

Strength 16 Agility 26 Vitality 23 Magic 32

Available Stat Points: 0

Available Coins: 25,853

Occupation: Onmyoji (陰陽師)

Unique Ability: Half-Foresight (未来視)

Skills: Lv6 'False Prophecy', Lv5 'Faint Empathy', Lv5 'Onmyo Transformation (陰陽千變)', Lv5 'Shikigami'

——————————————————

So, it was this.

Now I understand how they could tell such a plausible lie.

'Half-foresight...'

The ability to glimpse the upper floors based on proficiency,

'Half' might be in the name, but foresight is a useful ability among unique skills.

Even if the information is fragmentary or useless,

The ability to predict the future that others don't know is certainly attractive.

However,

All of that is just the story of those who haven't experienced the upper floors of the tower.

Seeing unwanted fragments and actually experiencing a floor are incomparable.

'This is getting interesting.'

Jinhyuk looked directly at Takeshi.

With a strange smile.

＊＊＊

The hope of Japan.

The hidden card newly recruited by the Samurai Guild.

One of the top 100 rankers in the world.

All these titles were what Takeshi would gain in the future.

The ability to see the future was the most important skill for climbing the Tower of Trials.

'No one knows that my ability is incomplete.'

By throwing out plausible information and pretending to be a veteran who has been to the higher floors of the tower, he could attract the attention of top guilds.

Takeshi was confident.

And his confidence proved correct.

When the Samurai Guild, the top guild in Japan, came looking for him.

Takeshi didn't flinch.

He confidently claimed he had been to the 30th floor of the tower and revealed stories about the tower that no one knew yet.

Of course, some were wrong, but Takeshi gained the trust of the Samurai Guild by correctly predicting the major secrets hidden in the tower.

'Even if the lie is exposed, it will be a distant future.'

And if it's exposed, so what?

Turning lies into reality is all it takes.

With guild support, getting stronger wouldn't be that difficult. Naturally, his half-ability would grow, and he would eventually become a real ranker who can see the future.

'Right. What's so great about being a ranker? They were all weak at first, weren't they?'

With the full support of the Samurai Guild, what is there to fear?

Items. Experience. Rankers.

They would give him anything he asked for.

But. The smooth sailing came to a halt right now.

By meeting Kang Jinhyuk.

'...What is it?'

Takeshi swallowed hard.

There were dozens of players around, but Jinhyuk didn't even glance at anyone else.

Moreover, that subtly twisted smile.

It's as if he knows everything.

Dangerous.

Takeshi, who had perfectly disguised himself until now, was suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable unease.

Then, right at that moment,

"Hmm. A veteran who has been to the 30th floor. Indeed, that's impressive. Information about floors above the 10th in various media and communities is almost nonexistent."

Jinhyuk spoke.

"You know well. It seems you finally understand the situation."

The man with sunglasses sneered even more.

"Yes, I understand now. With a veteran like that, it makes sense to push them on a global scale."

"Ha! So there is a reasonable Korean after all."

"Thank you. Then, please go ahead. We will follow."

Jinhyuk took a step back.

"This is going too smoothly."

"The famous ranker, and he can't even speak in front of a real veteran."

"Of course, Korea is just a shadow of Japan from ten years ago."

Thirty Japanese players took the lead.

Just one.

"..."

Takeshi alone hesitated, feeling something was off.

But it was only for a moment.

Soon, all the players from the Samurai Guild entered the labyrinth.

The Struggle Babies were the ones who were now flustered.

"Kang Jinhyuk player?"

"You can't be serious, you want to go with them?"

Kim Kitae and Lee Youngkwon shouted simultaneously.

"Of course, we should go together."

Jinhyuk nodded.

Then he asked a meaningful question.

"If we hadn't given in, would you have stopped those people from entering the labyrinth, Kim Kitae?"

"Of course. We would have stopped them by any means."

"Then they would continue to breathe and live. That's not acceptable."

"Excuse me?"

"Y-You don't mean...?"

This time, both men's pupils dilated.

They realized what Jinhyuk meant.

"As I said. With that level of skill, they won't come out alive."

What can they do, believing in a fake foresight and trying to face Medusa?

They probably haven't even properly learned the strategy.

Takeshi was relying on the power of the Samurai Guild.

Conversely, the Samurai were depending on Takeshi's half-ability.

Since they are both clinging to rotten ropes and jumping into hell,

We just need to stand back and watch.

The idiots in front will deal with all the traps and monsters.

"I initially thought I would try to reason with them nicely."

He didn't want to push them to their deaths.

No matter how much he disliked them, that wasn't a reason for them to die.

But,

"By sticking your spoon into someone else's rice bowl without knowing your place... you should be prepared to pay the price."

His tone was cold.

The playful and obedient demeanor was long gone.

＊＊＊

The Struggle Babies and the Samurai.

A total of 62 members entered the labyrinth.

[You have entered the labyrinth 'Gray Shrine (Medusa's Hideout)'.]

With a short warning, the darkened vision brightened.

Jinhyuk looked around.

Flames rising from the cracks, various buildings and pillars reminiscent of ancient Greece lined up.

Of course, the most noticeable were the stone statues of people turned to stone.

"Those must be the players who challenged first."

"Damn. It's a mess. Is there no way to come back from this?"

"No. Once you make eye contact, it's over."

The absolute judgment of 'petrification' cannot be reversed once it is activated.

It's not for nothing that so many players have become decorations in this labyrinth.

"Don't worry. We have a plan."

The man with sunglasses lifted the shield he was holding.

The core item for conquering this labyrinth.

The relic 'Perseus's Shield'.

That's right.

The Samurai Guild was so confident not only because of the veteran Takeshi but also because they believed they could recreate the mythological battle.

However, Jinhyuk, watching this, suppressed a burst of laughter.

'So they came in relying on just that.'

Some people think that by obtaining an item used by a famous person, they can become that person.

Like getting a program used by Bill Gates and starting Microsoft,

Or looking at a bitten apple and creating an iPhone?

'No matter how good a relic is, it's useless if the user is inadequate.'

Of course, 'item power' can work at intermediate levels.

But in high-difficulty ruins or labyrinths in the Tower of Trials, such talk doesn't apply. Items are only supplementary; they are not a fundamental solution.

'You guys keep trying hard in front. I'll take it easy and clear it from behind.'

Jinhyuk began to plan the overall strategy.

But right at that moment,

Rumble!

His subspace inventory suddenly vibrated violently.

'What is this?'

Jinhyuk quickly checked the contents.

The black scroll he received from the priest earlier was reacting to something.

At the same time,

[Conditions met.]

[The second special reward for 'the first to conquer the tower' has arrived.]

A golden status window appeared before his eyes.