Chapter 272. The World of Justice and Chivalry. Murim (1)

Chun Yoosung opened his subspace inventory as if he had expected it.

With a blinding light, colorful magic stones poured out.

“Tweat?”

Goguma tilted its head slightly.

However, the confusion lasted only a moment.

“Tweeeeat…”

The large magic stones filled Goguma’s amber eyes.

That’s greed. Greed and desire coexisted in that gaze.

This could be dangerous if left unchecked.

Jinhyuk quickly spoke up, making a decision.

“Gu-Guma! Don’t fall for it! I have magic stones too, remember? The ones I’m supposed to receive as a guarantee from KDS. Eating just those will make you feel full to the brim!”

“Hmm. Is there something like this among those?”

One of the magic stones Chun Yoosung had was entirely different from ordinary magic stones.

“An attribute magic stone!? How… how do you have that?”

Jinhyuk let out a hollow breath.

There are several ways to imbue items with attribute magic, but the one with the best efficiency is using those attribute magic stones.

Even a blacksmith from a declining village could surpass the royal blacksmith with those stones…

There’s no need to even mention their performance.

“Guma?”

“Tweat!”

Goguma replied energetically as if to reassure him.

However, Jinhyuk couldn’t understand why Goguma nestled into Chun Yoosung’s arms or why the light of the Breath was now aimed at him.

“Master. Don’t worry. I will protect your life no matter what.”

“T-Bone…?”

Right. Only you are truly loyal.

Jinhyuk’s eyes began to well up when…

“You are… the undead summon he had, aren’t you?”

“Clank! Yes. I am Master’s summon, the Death Knight T-Bone! I have come this far solely on loyalty…”

T-Bone was about to continue proudly when Chun Yoosung poured a glass of milk into a crystal glass.

“I have something for you too. This is the highest quality milk from the Millennium Ice Ranch on the 7th floor. I don’t know much about it, but the ranch owner said it has the best aroma in the entire tower.”

“Clank. I feel like my bone density increases just by smelling it. This can’t even compare to the Ogre Milk the Master used to give me.”

T-Bone’s pupils sparkled with excitement.

“And I believe the spirit beasts… prefer things matching their elements, right?”

Chun Yoosung continued to lay out items.

For Undine, there was Aetherian water, good for beauty.

For Sylphid, a dress imbued with the blessing of wind.

For Salamander, lukewarm flames from the Molosomon Volcano.

“Master, thank you for everything so far.”

“I recently saw a human TV show where they said you reap what you sow.”

“You were truly a great master… I can’t even bring myself to finish my sentence.”

“Die. No, sorry, my true feelings slipped out.”

“Everyone be quiet. My head hurts.”

The spirit beasts turned their backs on Jinhyuk without a second’s hesitation.

How could this be…

That despicable Sword Saint. When did he prepare all this groundwork?

Despite all the care he had given them, they intended to betray him in this manner.

Live streaming outside the tower was possible just by investing a significant amount of coins, so he planned this whole thing by investing heavily.

If it ended like this, it would result in more losses than gains.

However, the biggest concern wasn’t the loss of coins.

“You did take the Hippocratic Oath, right? Come on, don’t avoid my eyes and answer.”

“Don’t worry. Didn’t I tell you before? Personal feelings have no place in surgery.”

Surely, he had said something like that at a bar in Hongdae.

But why is he infusing sword energy into the scalpel?

More importantly, why is he raising the scalpel so high as if he intends to stab it straight in?

“I will perform the surgery perfectly. I’ll finish it in one stroke.”

Chun Yoosung’s smile was so bright it could melt anyone’s heart.

A smile that could clear up all accumulated frustrations at once.

“Sister, shouldn’t we help?”

“It’s fine. Truly tough guys don’t die easily.”

“Yoosungaaaah!”

A sorrowful scream echoed from Jinhyuk’s mouth.

A garden illuminated by bright moonlight.

Six shadows gathered in this place beyond the rules of the tower.

These were beings who even the gods feared to provoke, overseers of the tower’s affairs.

They were the ‘High Administrators.’

Their conversations were conducted only through familiar voices, hidden in the shadows, but everyone spoke as if they knew each other well.

“Wasn’t everyone supposed to gather today? One person is missing.”

Only six sat on the seven stone chairs.

One seat was vacant.

“There was a small skirmish between the Norse gods and the Egyptian gods. Lady Isabel is absent to deal with the aftermath.”

Hastings opened his mouth.

“A war? Well, those two factions have always been at each other’s throats.”

“Ugh. Can’t they live peacefully? This means more work for us.”

“When the most belligerent factions among the upper powers clash, it’s to be expected.”

Voices filled with complaints erupted from all sides.

For the High Administrators, who had to maintain the balance of the tower, such major events were far from welcome.

At that moment…

The largest shadow, which had been silent until then, spoke up with a heavy tone.

“Is this also about the ‘Crown’?”

The Crown.

Indeed.

It was the reason for all conflicts and one of the most important holy relics in the tower.

To reach the summit of the tower, one must gather all seven crowns.

However, no one had ever collected all the scattered crowns in the tower.

Out of the seven crowns, only five had owners, and only one person possessed more than one crown.

Thus, the ‘Kings without Crowns’ roamed the tower, looking for another chance to rise to the top.

“Of course. Ever since Odin lost his crown, the influence of the Norse gods has plummeted.”

“The fact that there are seven administrators is also to guard the seven crowns. More precisely, to ensure the crowns reach those who are worthy.”

“Well, as long as the process adheres to the tower’s rules, it doesn’t matter who owns the crowns.”

“Exactly. We are observers and guardians. We only intervene when the rules are broken.”

One of the shadows glanced at Hastings.

“But not everyone seems to agree. Right, Hastings?”

“What do you mean?”

“Traces of those from the 50th floor have been found. Judging by the residual magic, it suggests that a seal has been broken and a crack has formed somewhere.”

“The Primordial Beings? Are you serious?”

“They are strictly forbidden from interfering.”

“Does this mean they’ve broken their promise?”

A huge stir arose among the shadows.

“Assuming the crack on the 50th floor based only on the residual magic is an exaggeration. The magic likely seeped through the barrier due to its overwhelming power. The place is still well-managed, I assure you on my name.”

Hastings shrugged.

“…Really?”

“Of course, would I lie? Anyway, there is no threat capable of collecting all the crowns. Not gods, residents, or players. Nothing you’re worried about will happen, so rest easy.”

No matter how monstrous they were.

No matter how formidable their factions.

They could never gather all seven crowns.

Not now.

Not ever…

“Indeed…”

“There isn’t anyone capable of causing such an anomaly.”

“That’s true.”

It was a fundamental belief shared by all the High Administrators.

Murim, located in the mid-layers of the tower.

This place, possessing power comparable to an empire, was a giant coalition composed of numerous martial arts sects.

It resembled an area almost identical to ancient China, so players from China often used it as a major base.

Only a few had climbed up to the 20th floor.

After a few days of rest, Jinhyuk finally reached this place.

‘It’s amazing to see this place again after so long.’

A large village teeming with countless people.

The bustling streets made it evident that he had entered a new level.

“It’s quite a lively place. I haven’t been here much, but as you said, it’s not bad.”

“Master, from here, it’s about a month’s walk to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Of course, using martial arts, we can reduce that time significantly.”

Chun Yoosung and Wolyoung each added a word.

Jinhyuk planned to head straight to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, where the Heavenly Demon Cult was located, but Chun Yoosung intended to go to Mount Hua to meet the Guardian of Souls.

Since they had different sword masters, their destinations had to differ.

‘Go and train hard.’

Grow stronger and stronger and even stronger.

Only then would I be able to copy more delicious skills.

[Breath of the Blade – Passive]

Difficulty to Acquire: SS

Content: Not only swordsmen but all swords have their unique breaths. By acquiring this skill, you can draw out the potential of your own sword. (However, the extent of potential drawn depends on the skill’s completion and level of training.)

A fraudulent effect that allows the weapon itself to rank up.

This was the skill I gained after meeting Chun Yoosung.

‘While I was fighting the Witch of Lament, he went off to obtain this.’

To learn the ‘Breath of the Blade,’ you needed to possess at least ten skills related to the sword and have trained in swordsmanship for over 10,000 hours.

Thus, it was incredibly difficult to acquire ‘Breath of the Blade’ through normal means.

Of course, things changed entirely if one could copy skills effortlessly.

Seeing this, that annoying Sword Saint seemed quite lovable.

In about 90 days, he’d come back to offer another skill.

After a few more times, perhaps I could even overlook the grudge from Korea University.

Maybe.

At that moment…

“Everything’s good, but can we eat something first? You said we need to get that identity token to move freely on this floor, right?”

A mask with geometric patterns grumbled.

Unknown, no, Alice, who had taken on the role of Unknown, said.

Growl.

The sound of a Titanic ship setting sail echoed from Alice’s stomach.

“You just ate 30 rice balls, and you’re saying that? And don’t forget you finished all the vanilla ice cream we saved for ourselves. Did you already forget?”

“You said I could eat as much as I wanted. And the ice cream was just a light dessert.”

“Four tubs of ice cream is a light dessert?”

“You can always eat meals and snacks separately. That sweet caramel macchiato and tiramisu cake were delicious too. Oh, right. Don’t forget you promised to go to the cafe with me next time!”

At this point, it’s hard to tell if this girl is a vampire or just a glutton.

But I agree we should take a short break.

There won’t be many chances to relax peacefully like this for a while.

‘I should get that identity token as well.’

In the floor governed by Murim, having an ‘identity token’ was essential.

It was like a modern-day ID card…

Without it, you’d become a public enemy of the Five Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects and face numerous system penalties.

“This place is under the jurisdiction of the Kunlun Sect. Are you going to take the identity test at the Martial Hall?”

Chun Yoosung mentioned the most basic method.

Grade 3, Grade 2, Grade 1, Special Grade.

The type of identity token you receive varies depending on the test results, and so does the level of authority it grants.

The higher the recognition, the more comfortably you can stay in Murim.

“A test… Of course, I’ll take it.”

Naturally, I plan to take the test.

But in a slightly different way than usual.

“What plan are you up to now? I don’t care about the grade, as long as I get any identity token. If you’re planning something weird that will affect me too…”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry. I’d never cause trouble for you. I plan to take it in a very normal way.”

Jinhyuk smiled brightly.

The smile on his lips looked the most unsettling in the world.