Chapter 260: The Seven Deadly Sins (1)

The voice that came through telepathy was Berial’s.

I thought he had gone to see the other Apostles, as things had been quiet for the past few days.

Turns out, he had been watching everything from the side with his sneaky demeanor.

“What do you mean things could get troublesome?”

[Humans can’t smell it, but my nose is picking up a stench. A rather dangerous one.]

If Berial could smell it…

Could it be…?

“There’s a place where demonic energy is leaking out? In these ruins?”

[It’s quite far from here. That witch is probably up to something. From the mixed smell, it seems there’s someone else besides the witch.]

The Holy Demon Chamber in the seventh room of the Antichrist’s Tomb is one of only three places in the tower that can manifest Demon Kings and demons.

And if those guys are there…

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

Several likely scenarios flashed through his mind.

He could guess roughly what was going on.

And how to use this to his advantage…

“Thanks for the advice.”

Who would have thought a Demon King would be helpful one day?

Thanks to him, I got quite useful information.

[Huhu. Don’t be too pleased. If a demon of rank does manifest, you won’t be able to handle it.]

“Are you saying I might die?”

[Exactly. But if you become my Apostle, you can avoid dying miserably. Accept the contract even now, insignificant human. It’s not common for me to offer this often.]

“Oh. You must be quite a prestigious Demon King, seeing how confident you are?”

Jinhyuk’s lips curled upward.

[Of course! Who dares to compare their rank with mine? When it comes to the strongest in the Demon Realm, it’s me. I don’t know what kind of demon that witch is connected with, but they can’t summon a demon higher in rank than me!]

“Ooooo!”

Jinhyuk exclaimed in admiration.

Berial, too, burst out laughing, seemingly satisfied.

The image of the Demon King with golden eyes laughing heartily appeared on the status window.

This guy is as handsome as a deity from mythology, but why is his behavior so frivolous…?

[Puhaha! Have you finally realized a bit of my greatness? Then you must understand how glorious it is to become my Apostle. Now, let’s make a contract that binds our souls…]

“No.”

[What?]

“I appreciate the information. But asking for a contract after just giving me a hint is too much. At this level, you’d have to tell me at least 30 more things for me to consider making a contract. So keep working hard.”

It’s not easy to find a good Apostle.

Especially in times like these with labor shortages.

[W-wait! What do you think I am…? No demon king would ever…]

Berial tried to grab hold of him urgently, but Jinhyuk had already deactivated the whisper mode.

At that moment.

“Did you have a pleasant conversation with an acquaintance? You seemed quite happy…”

Maria, who had been listening nearby with her ears perked, spoke up.

Thanks to the mute function, she couldn’t hear the conversation, but she could see Jinhyuk smiling constantly.

“Ah. I got a scout offer. I declined it politely.”

“A scout offer…?”

A light flashed in Maria’s eyes.

She realized that the ones making the offer to Jinhyuk weren’t guilds but large factions.

“Is there any faction left in the middle layers that hasn’t made an offer to Mr. Jinhyuk?”

“Well… it’s from higher up.”

Higher up.

Maria swallowed dryly.

That meant even the factions in the upper layers were showing interest in Jinhyuk.

The more surprising thing was that he had rejected it so nonchalantly.

“That’s… quite impressive.”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask if Olympus had shown any interest.

With the upper-layer factions all vying for him, there was no way someone like her would catch his eye.

However, if things continued as they were, Olympus would slowly lose its position and be forgotten.

As if anticipating her thoughts, Jinhyuk spoke up gently.

“Gandara and Dan-gun are decent choices, but they’ll struggle to hold onto their own positions. More importantly, can you really trust those who might betray you at any moment and fight with peace of mind?”

“…That’s true. It’s a temporary alliance raid entangled in mutual interests.”

With public merits and rewards.

A contract in name only would become just a piece of paper whenever one wished.

“So, abandon such people and join hands with me.”

“Excuse me?”

“With me, Yeonhwa, Taemin, and you, Maria, we can clear this place. Needless to say, there will be more rewards to share.”

“Th-that may be true, but… why did you choose me?”

I can’t say it’s because of the copying conditions.

Although I’d love to stab Maria in the back at some point, there’s a clause stating that I can’t do that.

And comparing the experience and items to be gained here with Hellfire…

…the choice is obvious.

“No particular reason. My intuition tells me that I can trust you, Maria.”

Jinhyuk smiled warmly.

A smile that melted away all suspicions and worries like snow.

Within the coalition, another alliance was formed.

Of course, Nirasha and Park Jungjin had no idea about this secret alliance.

“So. You’re saying that you and Maria will go through the route where the reconnaissance team went missing?”

Nirasha asked, as if unable to understand.

“That’s the plan.”

“Are you sure about this, Maria?”

“Yes. I’ve thought it over and decided. I’ll follow Mr. Jinhyuk.”

Maria nodded slightly.

“The main route we’ve found has many mid-sized monsters, but that’s all. The path is wide and the visibility is good, so there are no variables.”

Park Jungjin added with a frown.

It was logically unreasonable.

The main route, which leveraged the advantage of numbers to force through with strength, versus a shortcut where the reconnaissance team had perished.

Given the consideration of stability and success probability, the choice was clear.

“If you’re so worried, why don’t we all go through the route I chose? I can guarantee that it’s much safer.”

“Guarantee… Don’t be ridiculous. We only accepted you because of the viewers’ attention. We don’t trust you. Besides, we can conquer these ruins without such help.”

In other words, don’t overstep.

“If that’s the case, then we’ll just go our separate ways.”

“I’ll assign some of my people to accompany you. It’s a decision as the main attack leader, so don’t take it the wrong way. It’s for assistance.”

At Nirasha’s snap, a muscular man stepped forward.

Arun.

A player from the Gandara Guild and a ranker who had personally learned Mandala from Nirasha.

He was a so-called helper, but in reality, he was there to keep an eye on them.

However, Jinhyuk maintained his smile.

“Thank you for the help. I did need some companions to go with.”

Soon after, the second attack team, separated from the main attack team, reached the path guarded by the second Apostle.

It was the place where the reconnaissance team had perished.

The narrow passage could only accommodate about five people walking side by side.

‘So, this is the place.’

[Arun activates the unique ability ‘Mandala of Unveiling’!]

Uuuung!

Golden mist spread throughout the passage.

“Impressive…”

Arun let out a satisfied sigh.

Thanks to the Mandala’s power, which could see through the essence of the target, he understood the nature of the traps in this passage.

The Silent Passage.

Here, speaking or making noise above a certain decibel level would cause the person to fall into a deep sleep.

Naturally, the effect was absolute, meaning it couldn’t be lifted with unique abilities or skills.

‘Once cursed, one would fall into a deep sleep for at least a week.’

No wonder the reconnaissance team perished here.

The team must be scattered somewhere up ahead, fallen into a deep sleep.

‘Using my ability was the right choice, even if it strains me.’

At least Gandara must show they can pass the second gate.

This ruin could be treated as a stepping stone to the next level if certain conditions were met. It was a necessary place to clear.

The fact that it could be live-streamed was also an important factor.

“We will go first. Don’t get in our way and stay behind.”

“Does that mean you know how to get past the trap?”

“Yes. Explaining it to you would be a waste of time, so we’ll go first and then disarm the trap for you.”

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

Unexpectedly, Jinhyuk stepped back easily.

Though slightly suspicious, Arun didn’t think too deeply about it.

Having identified the trap’s activation conditions and with the opponent yielding, there was no reason to doubt further.

‘The trap will never be disarmed, so you can stand there watching forever.’

Step.

Arun and the other four players confidently took their positions at the start of the passage.

Suppressing sound was not difficult for them.

Step.

The faint sound of footsteps brushing against the ground.

Holding their breaths, their senses heightened to the extreme.

Although the pace was slow, they were steadily advancing and would soon reach the end.

‘Stay calm and steady.’

Arun’s face flushed with excitement as he neared the goal.

Finally, he would outshine that old relic and gain recognition from Nirasha.

But then.

[Baam ba baam baa baaraam baam! All troops assemble at the training ground by 06:30!]

A deafening trumpet sound blared from the starting point.

“Ah. The morning call…! Sorry, I forgot to mute it. Haha.”

Jinhyuk awkwardly turned off the red status window quickly.

I set the alarm so I wouldn’t oversleep, but it went off here.

I’m really sorry.

This is such a nuisance.

Of all things, it had to be a loud military-style wake-up call.

“That… I’d rather rip you apart…”

Arun trailed off.

Unable to resist the drowsiness, he could no longer maintain consciousness.

“I’m sorry. To pass this place, at least five people need to fall asleep due to the curse. Your noble sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

“Sacrifice my…”

In his fading vision.

Jinhyuk clasped his hands in apology.

What seemed to be his twisted smile and white teeth.

Thud!

And that was.

The last sight Arun remembered.