“This is…”

Jinhyuk’s gaze shifted towards the entrance.

He sensed multiple presences.

“Kang Jinhyuk!”

“Mr. Jinhyuk!”

Sreeeeng! Clang!

Chun Yoosung and Teresa drew their weapons.

Instinctively, they realized that those approaching bore no goodwill.

Reinhardt bit his lip with a stern face.

And then, after a moment.

Clopclop.

The sound of footsteps heralded the arrival of familiar faces.

Duke Vainstern and his entourage of nobles, along with veteran swordmasters and court mages.

All were influential figures who held the reins of the empire’s power.

Their escorts were also formidable in their own right.

‘I’ve heard that the throne is a lonely place, but this feels like being utterly isolated on a desert island.’

Reinhardt’s earlier words about the imperial power hitting rock bottom felt palpably true now.

Especially after failing to stop the demons and being helplessly ravaged, more nobles had sided with Vainstern.

And this was the result.

“It was truly troublesome to come here. Having to involve the court mages just to break the barriers and magic circles.”

Vainstern’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

“Why pretend it was hard? I should be thanking you for walking into this perfect sealed room for your crimes.”

“Hehe. Don’t be so sarcastic. You’re already frail and weary. Soon, you’ll find eternal rest in the tomb.”

A chilling declaration of intent to kill the emperor.

But before him, no one could stop Vainstern from committing this act of treason.

“So, you’ve really coveted the throne. If you think you can bear the weight of this crown, you’re gravely mistaken.”

“No, not exactly. Even I can’t just swallow the empire whole. There are neighboring kingdoms watching, after all. Breaking the empire into pieces would be risky.”

Gaining legitimacy takes time and procedure.

“Upon your demise, I plan to support the foolish and debauched Second Prince instead of the smart and astute Third Prince. Naturally, I will be the one wielding real power behind the scenes. And eventually, the Third Prince will also disappear quietly—perhaps in a ‘hunting accident’.”

Hmm.

A thoroughly planned scheme.

If there were ever a villain, this was exactly what one would look like.

However.

“Your capabilities fall short.”

Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.

“What did you say?”

“Your capacity is too small to hold the title of Emperor. That’s what I mean.”

“I’m not qualified? Me, Vainstern, the highest power in the empire!”

Vainstern’s face turned red as he seethed with anger.

Getting angry is losing, they say.

This man was losing from the start.

“The highest power… Ha! The so-called mightiest power in the empire is bootlicking and usurping a weak old emperor to seize the regency? If you were truly proud, you’d ascend to the throne through your own merit. It seems you’ve got nothing on your own, just using others.”

“That’s… um…”

Vainstern looked as if he had been struck on the head.

But only for a moment.

“I oversee everything. All of this is possible because I exist.”

“Just lucky to be born into a good family.”

Being born with a silver spoon might count as a skill, too.

If only he had worked hard at it.

“Ah, you! Being hailed as a hero has made you delusional, hasn’t it? What are you all waiting for? Cut out that insolent tongue of his!”

“See? If you’re really that upset, you should be the one to step forward. Instead, you’re just ordering others around. Even that old man beside you could probably conjure a first-circle fireball that would make you sizzle.”

Jinhyuk’s sharp tongue continued to lash out.

Each word struck deep.

No wonder Chun Yoosung was pressing his temples, his expression saying it was all over.

As expected, Vainstern was foaming at the mouth.

“Yo-you…!”

“‘You’ is the name of a great person from our country.”

At best, you’d be a Yi Sun-sin.

Starting off with a high note only to meet a tragic end.

“Kill him!”

The command was given.

At once.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The waiting mages began their incantations simultaneously.

The scene turned blindingly white.

Wooooo!

A myriad of magic circles spread through the air.

Then, a storm of high-level spells, all above the 5th circle, crashed down.

But.

[Lv10 ‘Primordial Flame’ is activated!]

Red flames surged.

Boom! Boom!

The spells shattered against a wall of fire.

‘Impressive.’

Jinhyuk swallowed dryly as he observed his newly acquired skill.

The firepower was incomparable to the ‘element of fire’ from before.

The court mages’ eyes bulged, witnessing the scene.

“How can this be…”

“To dispel high-level magic so effortlessly…”

“Is that man a monster?”

They had hoped to win at a distance since melee was disadvantageous.

But their carefully prepared spells were easily nullified with a mere gesture.

Lower circle magic was meaningless.

To have an effect, they needed a higher-circle spear that could penetrate that firewall.

[8th Circle Multi-Incantation ‘Lightning Spear’ is activated!]

An 8th circle multi-incantation.

Lightning magic crafted by twenty mages revealed its formidable power.

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

The sparks were dizzying.

A giant spear, about 4 meters long, vanished like lightning.

Speed and weight.

A deadly strike alive with intent.

But.

Just as the spear was about to pierce Jinhyuk, a shield of fire and ice formed in front of him.

A wide pattern spread out from his body, strengthened by a barrier, elevating its durability beyond that of ordinary circles.

Kaaaaaboom!

A tremendous impact sounded, yet the shield remained unscathed.

Again, the decisive strike was blocked with ease.

“This… it blocked this too?”

“I can’t believe it. I poured all my magic into that.”

“Could he be a polymorphed dragon…?”

…The difference in level was clear.

This way, they would only waste their magic no matter how many times they tried.

Then.

“There’s no need to be afraid. We knew he was strong. That’s why we brought so many knights and mages, right?”

Vainstern slowly raised his hand.

Then, the knights arrayed to his left and right began to move.

“Sir Abraham. You take him. With the mages’ support, it shouldn’t be hard to subdue him.”

At Vainstern’s command, Abraham twitched.

Undoubtedly…

A Grand Swordmaster supported by high-circle mages could exhibit beyond imaginable power.

This combination was known to be capable of hunting dragons.

Even the most seasoned veterans would struggle.

“Looks like we are destined to be enemies.”

Jinhyuk pulled out the ‘Fang’ from his subspace inventory.

He needed to give his all if he was to fight Abraham.

But.

Abraham did not draw his sword upon seeing the Fang.

Instead, he questioned the Duke.

“Duke, do you remember the question I asked when I first decided to join you?”

“Why do you ask that now?”

“Please. I need to hear it before we fight.”

Moved by his earnestness, Vainstern recalled the past.

“…For the future of the empire, you chose me.”

“For the future of the empire… Yes, that’s what I said. And it wasn’t a lie.”

Sreeeeng!

Abraham’s sword was drawn.

The gleaming blade scattered light across the tomb.

However, his blade was not aimed at Jinhyuk.

Instead, like a mountain, Abraham positioned himself in front of Reinhardt, as if to protect him.

“Are you planning to betray us now?”

“I’ve thought long and hard. I believed that with the current emperor’s incompetence and powerlessness, the empire was doomed.”

But.

“Now, cornered as we are, the emperor’s actions have shown me something different. Of course, Kang Jinhyuk has played a part in this change.”

The reason the emperor came around. The reason why Abraham, one of the empire’s greatest assets, betrayed.

It was all because of one man.

“Truly, you’ve been no help to my life. You’re like a brain-eating worm, absolutely infuriating.”

“I can’t help it if I have the charm to change people’s minds. Looks like the tables have completely turned, hasn’t it?”

Even with knights and mages, they couldn’t match this group.

The quality difference between them was too vast, despite the numbers.

Especially since Chun Yoosung and Teresa were holding the line solidly.

Knights clustered around them in sevens, but none dared to breach their defense.

“It seems we are at a disadvantage now, at least in this situation.”

Vainstern nodded as if in agreement.

However, he showed no signs of giving up.

As if to say it wasn’t over yet.

“I suppose we’ll need them to step forward. We owe a nod of thanks to the martial world for anticipating this much.”

With that.

“It’s good we came then.”

Another variable entered the fray.

Responding to Vainstern’s call, people who had not yet entered the tomb stepped inside.

Clopclop. Clopclop.

The footsteps revealed figures who could easily rank among the top of any guild.

The most striking was a woman leading the group.

“Nice to meet you.”

Her healthy dusky skin and long black hair that fell to her waist were remarkable.

No need to mention her name to guess who she was.

‘Gandhara…’

Specifically, the leader of Gandhara, ‘Nirasha.’

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

The pressure emanating from her was palpable.

Just walking seemed to tighten the air inside the tomb.

Truly, was this the strength of India’s strongest?

Having defeated Velmaryiel was no exaggeration.

Beyond mere strength or magical power…

‘Different.’

Something was unique.

And there was only one way to find out what it was.

Jinhyuk activated ‘Eye of Gluttony.’

But.

Ouch!

“Argh!”

A severe pain spread from his eyes.

[‘Eye of Gluttony’ has failed to discern the target!]

[The current target is under the protection of ‘Mandala (SSS)’.]

A top-tier Mandala.

That Nirasha had this indicated…

‘The Indian deities are directly protecting her.’

Despite the system’s limitations, without identifying which deity, they stood no chance.

Even with Abraham switching sides.

‘Only one way to do this.’

To break through, they needed something equally formidable.

Jinhyuk’s gaze briefly flicked to the Sky’s Command Stone in the background.

The power of a deity.

Only by seizing that could they hope to defeat Nirasha, or rather, the deity backing her.

As Jinhyuk quickly strategized, Nirasha smiled faintly.

“You have special eyes. Honestly, I’m surprised. It’s my first time meeting a player with eyes superior to mine.”

“I’ve also never met a player under the patronage of deities. Seems like India’s standards are quite generous? Or maybe you’ve just been exceptionally good at pleasing them.”

“If you understand that, then you should also know that a human body cannot oppose a god.”

“Sorry, but I’m not too fond of giving up.”

Jinhyuk slowly moved his hand, seeking a way to buy time.

He had never visited this place before, but he remembered some secrets about it from the documents.

“Since all the main actors are here, let’s start the party.”

Jinhyuk casually picked up a golden ring beside him.

Despite Vainstern having disabled all the barriers and protective spells, traps of death remained.

Like…

Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

[Trap for Tomb Raiders is activated!]

Exactly those.