Among the existing items, even sacred relics are ranked.

It goes without saying.

The sword of an unknown general scarcely mentioned in history cannot be classified in the same category as Thor’s hammer from Norse mythology.

Therefore, in the Tower of Ordeals, relics are graded into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

And now.

Stored in the empire’s underground, the dragon-slaying sword ‘Balmung’.

This greatsword was a top-tier sacred relic, classified as ‘blue’.

‘To handle the Dragonkin. And to stand against them, it must be secured.’

Of course, there were several prerequisites to address.

“We shall depart in 30 minutes,” Jinhyuk set the timer.

“Thirty minutes… That should be enough time for me to prepare for the exploration.”

“Then, I’ll see you in front of the tomb.”

Obviously, there would be guards and sentinels along the way to the tomb.

However, for the two of them, dodging regular soldiers was too easy a task.

Leaving Pesis’s room, Jinhyuk headed towards the terrace overlooking the capital’s lake and night view.

It was a place devoid of people and perfect for enjoying the scenery.

In the silent dawn.

The lake, holding the stars and the moon, seemed to wash away all worries.

“…”

Jinhyuk always thought, the Tower of Ordeals had many sights worth seeing.

It was a good place for solitude.

And ideal for a conversation without worry of eavesdroppers.

“You know I’m watching, so why don’t you come out now?”

Jinhyuk muttered into the air.

[Hooh. Players shouldn’t be able to peek beyond the barrier. How did you sense my presence?]

Veriel spoke up.

“Given your nature, you wouldn’t just help and disappear. I figured you’d be lurking up there, scheming. Looks like I was right.”

[I’ve never met a human so calm facing me. Interesting… How about becoming my dark apostle? With your capabilities, I could make you the perfect apostle. I could also fulfill any other wishes you have.]

“I already declined that offer once, remember? I told you, a tiger cub can’t stoop to being a Chihuahua.”

While grateful for the help, he had no intention of selling his soul.

Still, he wasn’t planning to completely sever ties either.

Being acquainted with a higher deity had its advantages in many ways.

[Hmm. Still a prickly response. Think it over well. The other demon lords don’t think highly of you. They see you as a threat that needs to be eliminated soon.]

That was expected.

Jinhyuk knew that the demon lords and their minions would be grinding their teeth at him.

So…

“Maintaining a relationship with you should suffice. Then, I might stand a chance against the other demon lords.”

[If you were my apostle, maybe. Why should I continue helping you when you just take advantage and ignore me afterward?]

“Well, because I know where the ‘Crown’ of the demon world is and how to get it.”

Jinhyuk spoke nonchalantly.

Then, silence.

It was only a few seconds in real time, but it felt like an eternity.

[You… What are you? How does a player know about the crown, one of the tower’s deepest secrets, let alone its location?]

The emotion in the voice was unmistakable confusion.

No wonder.

The crown was an essential relic for challenging the summit of the tower and a symbol of control over its upper levels.

Both gods and demon lords were desperate to obtain it.

Yet a player knew about it?

It was a joke too poor for even a drunkard’s tale.

If anyone other than Jinhyuk had said this, it would be considered utter nonsense.

“Don’t categorize me as a regular player. You haven’t forgotten, have you? The one who recreated your unique battle hymn was me. Moreover, knowing about the crown itself, it’s worth seriously considering my proposal.”

Right now, the truth of the information wasn’t important.

Verifying it could wait until later.

What mattered was this enticing bait unknown to the other demon lords.

If false, they would simply face the consequences later.

If true, it would position them advantageously to seize the crown.

Low risk, high return.

The decision didn’t take long.

[Puahaha! This is fun! Very fun! Alright. I’ll play along with your tune.]

Veriel burst into a genuine roar of laughter.

＊＊＊

After the chat with Veriel.

Jinhyuk and Pesis revisited the emperor’s tomb where a fierce battle had taken place.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“Just wait here for a moment.”

Jinhyuk carefully examined a crack on the floor.

Although obscured by the shadows of statues on both sides…

If one looked closely, a hollow the size of half a grain of rice was visible.

‘Is this the starting point?’

First one.

Next, maybe on the left?

Jinhyuk quickly scanned the surroundings.

In a few minutes, he found similar hollows between pillars, walls, and statues.

There were six in total.

[Lv10 ‘Primeval Flame’ activates.]

As the flame connected the hollows in a straight line, a giant hexagram appeared.

Simultaneously.

Woooom!

Red characters began to emerge on the surface.

They were the imperial family’s unique language, only visible when exposed to a precise temperature of heat.

“…”

Pesis looked at Jinhyuk, astounded.

Even the royals didn’t know about this secret passageway’s entrance.

Although Pesis had seen information about the entrance in ancient documents, he didn’t expect to open it so quickly.

“But, finding the entrance alone won’t allow us to descend below. We need something that serves as a key…”

“You mean a token to prove one’s lineage to the Reinhardt family.”

Blood or saliva, etc.

The entrance would only open to those who could prove their blood relation to the Reinhardt family.

“Right…”

“Of course, I’ve brought it along.”

Jinhyuk pulled a golden goblet from his subspace inventory.

Hours earlier, at the grand banquet, he had slyly swapped the emperor’s goblet with one held by Cheon Yuseong.

If anyone was caught, Cheon Yuseong would be the one accused of sacrilege.

Moreover, since Wolyoung had done the switching, Jinhyuk’s alibi was perfect.

‘A perfect crime isn’t impossible.’

It’s just a matter of effort.

A moment reminiscent of his days binging ‘CSI’ during a crime show phase.

Shick!

Jinhyuk aligned the goblet with the hollow.

At that instant.

Kukukukung!

A low, heavy sound resonated throughout the tomb.

The ground began to split like Tetris blocks, soon creating a space large enough for a person to enter.

[Hidden Place ‘Where the Dragon Sleeps’ is now open.]

“Shall we go?”

Jinhyuk smiled at Pesis’s stunned expression.

＊＊＊

A damp, musty smell stung their noses.

Due to being sealed off for ages, the interior was filled with cobwebs and dust.

“I need your help now, Mr. Pesis.”

The documents only detailed how to open the entrance.

To navigate the myriad of traps inside, the explorer Pesis’s skills were essential.

“I’ll try, but I’ve never encountered such a high-level exploration site before. Really. Thanks to you, Mr. Jinhyuk, I’m experiencing all sorts of adventures.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Absolutely. It’s thrilling for an explorer. Hehe.”

[Pesis pulls out a Lv16, ‘Multidimensional Map’.]

Pesis’s excited face revealed a translucent map.

The 3D map showed the entire interior with various traps marked in different colors.

Red flame-shaped models and… black spheres looked particularly dangerous.

Perhaps the blue ice crystals were related to ice-element traps?

From the side, it was hard to discern how the traps were triggered and how to avoid them.

“It’s definitely tough. Everywhere looks challenging.”

Pesis examined the map with a grave expression.

Given that even an experienced explorer like Pesis was daunted, the difficulty level of this place must indeed be exceptional.

Well, that’s probably why Balmung was stored here.

“But there must be the most likely route, right?”

“There is one place, but…”

Pesis trailed off.

“Is there a problem?”

“Some traps require one person to endure them while another passes. It’s impossible to dodge or block.”

“We need a sacrificial lamb,” Jinhyuk surmised.

“Yes…”

“Let’s just give it a try. There might be a way to deal with that.”

At Jinhyuk’s words, Pesis flinched.

Given Jinhyuk’s recent behavior, there was a real possibility he might be used as the sacrificial lamb.

But he couldn’t bring himself to voice such fears.

How long had they followed the twisted passages?

The air swirled around them changed.

A chilly sensation passed through their skin.

This was the spot marked with the ice crystal symbol on the map.

“This is as far as we can go without triggering the traps. Look.”

Pesis threw a small stone forward.

As the stone arced through the air, at a certain point…

Crackle!

Thin streams of ice shot from both sides, instantly freezing the stone.

Not only was the freezing swift, but the ice streams had also moved following the stone’s trajectory.

“Wow. Tracking magic, plus acceleration and enhancement spells. And all above the 8th circle.”

“You noticed. There’s also a special effect that accelerates the freezing if you try to block it with unique abilities or skills.”

In simple terms, it was nearly impossible to pass through normally.

But there was no need to worry.

He had prepared for this.

“Everyone, come out for a moment.”

Jinhyuk opened his subspace inventory and summoned several creatures.

T-Bone and ancient soldiers appeared first.

Clatter. Clatter.

The bones noisily shifted side to side.

“Master. What do you need?”

T-Bone raised a question mark.

“Nothing much. We need to get through a trap, and we need some meat shields.”

“What?”

“You’re undead, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Then, you won’t die.”

There couldn’t be a more perfect sacrificial lamb.

Even if they froze, they could simply be thawed and revived later.

“Master… Even so, to go through that bare…”

“Huh?”

T-Bone’s whining caused Jinhyuk’s eyebrows to furrow in displeasure.

Had his training been too lax lately? When given an order, they should comply immediately.

This hesitance and fear were excessive.

“You’re not running a proper school, Goguma?”

Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to Goguma, who had arrived belatedly.

“Tweat?”

Goguma’s large pumpkin-colored eyes flickered slightly.

Caught off guard by the sudden reprimand, Goguma looked wronged.

Though it was painful, it couldn’t be helped.

The best way to smooth things over was to crack down from the top.

This was the so-called top-down reprimand.

In the hierarchy within the subspace inventory, Goguma was at the top.

“Tweat. Tweat!”

Goguma bit into T-Bone.

Chomp. Chomp.

Clear saliva dripped over the white bones.

“Eeek!”

T-Bone struggled, but couldn’t escape from Goguma.

“Will you become a bone snack, or will you dash forward?”

“I’ll go, Master. I handle the cold exceptionally well.”

Clatter. Clatter.

T-Bone and the ancient soldiers rushed forward, competing to be first.