Chapter 279. How Old Hands Train (2)
A crane flew gracefully over the beautiful waterfall and lake. This place was known as the best tavern in Cheonghae. The cost of drinking here for just one day was equivalent to six months’ wages for a commoner, and it was a place everyone dreamt of enjoying the elegant atmosphere. If there were a paradise on earth, it would be here.
Currently, in the most prime spot on the top floor of Cheonhongru, laughter and chatter echoed.
“Hahaha. Indeed, Arang. Your zither playing is exquisite, even here at Cheonhongru.”
A man with jet-black hair exclaimed in admiration, his face flushed from the alcohol.
“Sir, your praise is of no use to me.”
“Oh my, if you favor Arang too much, I’ll get jealous.”
“Now, now, we can’t have our Geumhwa feeling left out.”
The two courtesans flirted playfully. Calling Arang and Geumhwa beautiful would be an understatement; their appearances were stunning.
But then…
“Have some more to dr… drink… Oh? Something in my throat… Gah. Gagh!”
“Gugh… guh…”
Arang and Geumhwa suddenly clutched their throats, faces contorted in pain.
Clang!
The wine glass shattered, and the zither strings snapped. The table turned red in an instant.
“Ugh…”
“…Sir… please… save me…”
Blood vessels burst in their throats, and thin streams of blood flowed from their mouths. They were dead without even a chance to react.
However, the man showed no particular distress at their deaths. He merely clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Hah, what a shame. I was just starting to enjoy myself. And to kill such beautiful girls with poison… isn’t that too harsh?”
He scratched his head, and at that moment…
“How can you still drink in this chaos?”
“We wondered where you went, only to find you in Cheonghae.”
“You’re having a good time, it seems.”
Several figures emerged from the shadows.
“Always working so hard, aren’t you? So, what’s the fuss about?”
“A troublesome situation has arisen.”
The one at the front, Dokgo Ryong, spoke up.
“A troublesome situation?”
“Yes. We need to return to the main sect immediately, Left Guardian.”
The atmosphere shifted drastically with those words. The carefree smile vanished, replaced by an icy chill.
The second highest-ranking member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, seated to the left of the Heavenly Demon, holding a position of immense power.
This man was Left Guardian ‘Samaja.’
Despite his youthful appearance, he had achieved the pinnacle of martial arts.
“Speak.”
“The Right Guardian… no, the Dark Emperor has brought some strange disciples.”
“Is that all? The old man is at the age where he might take on a disciple. Why make such a fuss over it?”
“They aren’t ordinary disciples. One of them has mastered the Dark Heavenly Demon Art up to the fourth star. According to a spy from the Murim Alliance and the righteous factions, they caused quite a stir at the Unmu Pavilion in Kunlun. I believe this disciple will become a significant obstacle if left unchecked.”
A woman standing next to Dokgo Ryong added her voice. She was ranked tenth and known as the best spear in the Heavenly Demon Cult, ‘Chae Hong-ah.’
“Ho, fourth star, you say… that’s impressive. Even I haven’t mastered the Dark Heavenly Demon Art. Interesting.”
Samaja smiled, seemingly amused.
“This is no laughing matter. Those disciples are currently in the underground dungeon with the Dark Emperor’s permission. If they were to discover anything…”
“Are you referring to the Goblin Fire?”
“Yes.”
The ‘Goblin Fire’ forcibly injected into the goblins was a precious item obtained through a deal with the upper floors.
“One of the key components in our plan is the Goblin Fire. The dungeon, off-limits without the permission of the Heavenly Demon or the two Guardians, was deemed the safest place. But it could now become the most dangerous.”
“I understand your concerns. But rest assured. Even if the disciple sees the Goblin Fire, they’ll likely dismiss it as a unique byproduct. At most, they’ll think it’s a peculiar substance.”
Not even the leaders of the empire or the Murim knew about the Goblin Fire from the upper floors of the tower. How could a player who started from the first floor possibly know?
“That may be true, but…”
Dokgo Ryong hesitated, unable to completely shake his unease. Samaja offered a definitive solution to alleviate their worries.
“Moreover, haven’t we confined ‘those ones’ in the deepest part of the dungeon?”
“Ah…!”
“Do you mean to release them?”
“Left Guardian, they are criminals so dangerous that even our sect couldn’t deal with them.”
Everyone gasped in shock, but Samaja shrugged nonchalantly.
“I’m merely proposing a sure measure since you seem uneasy. Besides, we can always recapture the criminals if we put our minds to it.”
“With all of us here, including the Left Guardian, it’s certainly possible.”
“Using poison to counter poison… it’s not entirely wrong.”
The atmosphere shifted again with Samaja’s firm stance. Everyone except Dokgo Ryong seemed to agree.
“And what if the Dark Emperor’s disciple manages to deal with all the criminals?”
“You’re overestimating him. Do you truly believe one person can handle all those heinous criminals?”
“That’s why I said ‘if.’”
In the unlikely event that the Dark Emperor’s disciple was that skilled…
“Then…”
Samaja smiled.
“I’ll personally kill them, including the Dark Emperor and his disciple.”
＊＊＊
On the first floor of the dungeon, Jinhyuk leisurely gathered the ‘Goblin Fire.’
‘So, there are people in the Heavenly Demon Cult with ulterior motives.’
A restricted area like the dungeon. The presence of Goblin Fire only obtainable from the upper floors. Considering Dokgo Ryong’s hostility towards his master and the power dynamics within the cult, Jinhyuk could roughly guess the situation.
The question was how large this conspiracy was and when it would unfold. Just then…
Ding!
A large status window appeared before Jinhyuk.
[You have completed a specific condition!]
Completed a specific condition? What does that mean?
Before he could ponder further, another status window popped up.
[A hidden quest has arrived!]
[Bloody Intrigue]
Type: Linked Quest
Difficulty: S
Details: You have noticed a significant conspiracy within the Heavenly Demon Cult. This incident will ignite the power struggle that has been brewing in the mid-level floors. Collect additional clues by reaching the last floor of the dungeon.
Reward: You can select and purchase one material item for free from the Coin Exchange.
In the Tower of Trials, completing certain conditions triggered main quests. But a linked quest?
‘This is…’
Jinhyuk’s pupils shook with shock. Unlike ordinary quests, linked quests only occurred when entangled in significant events tied to the entire tower’s narrative, not just the middle floors.
‘It means it involves the upper floors as well.’
The reward of choosing any material item from the Coin Exchange indicated how challenging this quest would be. He could even choose materials for creating purple-grade relics.
‘Interesting. I needed a particular material anyway. This is a great opportunity to get it.’
Even without the quest, he had planned to clear the entire dungeon. It seemed this would be a much larger scale than he anticipated.
“Everyone, wake up.”
Jinhyuk roused Alice and the spirits, who were dozing off.
“Huh? Already?”
“I feel like I barely slept for 30 minutes.”
“Master, just a little longer. Five more minutes. No, just one minute more.”
It felt like trying to wake up children for school.
“Don’t worry. I’m not telling you to get up to work hard again. I just need to leave for a bit, so I’m letting you know.”
“Leave? By yourself?”
Alice’s eyes widened.
“Yes. I’ll go alone, so you can come down slowly. But if you slack off, I won’t let you out of the dungeon.”
“…You’re planning something dangerous again. Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”
“It’s not dangerous. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Jinhyuk lightly poked Alice’s forehead with his finger.
＊＊＊
How long had it been since he did a solo raid?
Jinhyuk made his way down to the second floor of the dungeon along a dark passage. He reassured the others that it wasn’t a big deal, but there was a reason he acted alone.
‘The reward of the hidden quest indicates that there’s an extraordinary foe in the dungeon.’
It wouldn’t be easy. If it were easy, it would be suspicious.
“Mwaaaah!”
“Mwaaah!”
Goblins swarmed at Jinhyuk. There was no need to deal with each one individually. Alice and the others would take care of them when they followed later.
Tap!
Jinhyuk disappeared in an instant. Using the ‘Sword Demon’s Step,’ he increased his speed.
“Mwa?”
The goblins stared blankly at the spot where Jinhyuk had just been, like a storm had just passed.
Boom!
He landed on the ground.
Thud!
He leaped again, moving from the second floor to the third, then dropped vertically down a passage.
Upon landing, his view changed completely.
Click!
A weight-sensitive mechanism activated.
‘A trap area.’
A launch pad made of bamboo appeared among the spider webs and piled-up dust. It was hard to see clearly in the dark, but there were over thirty launchers by the feel of it.
Moreover…
“Fresh prey. Fresh prey.”
“How long has it been since we had fresh prey?”
“I’ll chew them up to the bones.”
Along with the goblins, there were also ogres. These were husks driven only by the instinct to eat their prey.
“Hmm, should I have brought Alice? She would have made a perfect bait with her flapping around.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue in disappointment.
At that moment…
Pop!
About 1 meter long silver needles shot out from all directions. The ogres, drooling, lunged simultaneously.
“It’s always puzzling to see brainless monsters.”
The silver needles blended into the darkness, approaching from all directions.
Jinhyuk pulled out the longbow ‘Fang’ and nocked an arrow made of magic power.
The sound of the wind, the slight shifts in the air, and countless repeated experiences came together.
…Now!
Dozens of ‘Crimson Bullets’ fired from the arrow.
Clang!
Interception.
Dozens of silver needles clashed with the arrow, changing their trajectory. More precisely…
Thud! Thud!
“Kaah!”
“Graaah!”
The silver needles struck the ogres’ bodies.
“Why drool over food you can’t eat?”
The needles turned the ogres into pincushions, their bodies riddled with holes.
A near-acrobatic performance with no room for error.
‘Just one more floor.’
He saw the downward path to the fifth floor of the dungeon.
[You have entered the fifth floor of the dungeon, ‘Infernal Hell (無間地獄).’]
Boom!
Jinhyuk finally stopped on the fifth floor. The ground was indented from his landing, and a thin smoke rose from the impact point.
Just two hours. Ignoring the lower goblins allowed for unimaginable speed.
‘The Sword Demon’s Step has evolved far beyond its initial stage.’
A skill that transcends the boundary between martial arts and movement techniques. It was highly efficient, not just for evading attacks but also for long-distance travel.
Moreover, thanks to ‘Shallow Breath,’ his breathing remained calm.
At that moment…
“…Heh!”
A hissing laugh echoed.
The sound of chains clattering filled the dark abyss.