Chapter 304. Passage to Luoyang (2)
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He had waited for this moment for so long.
It felt like decades had passed for this weapon to be completed.
‘Finally… I can check it out.’
Conveniently, Ma Hye-ryang was not around.
Judging by his presence, it would take a considerable amount of time for him to return.
That meant…
Jinhyuk took out the greatsword he received from Orun.
Buzz!
As the dimensional space opened…
A dazzling blade revealed itself.
[Multiple items have been used as materials for enhancement!]
[A sacred relic that once slayed a dragon awakens!]
[Dragon Slayer Sword, ‘Balmung’ – Purple Grade]
Attack Power: 321,700
Weight: 105 kg
Durability: 550,000 / 550,000
Description: Among the offensive weapons existing below the 49th floor, this is one of the strongest relics. It can slash through dragon scales with a single strike and increases all stats by 10% just by holding it. (Mana consumption increases.)
[Special Active Skill ‘Mythical Reenactment’: You can embody the power of the great hero Siegfried from mythology. However, the strength you can reenact depends on the caster’s abilities and growth. All mana will be consumed immediately upon use.]
The restored Balmung had undergone several changes.
With its durability fully restored, its weight increased from 37 kg to 105 kg.
Pressing down…
A heavy sensation flowed through both hands.
Even with a strength stat of 109, handling a weight of 105 kg was challenging.
‘Or maybe it feels heavier due to the immense pressure of wielding a top-tier relic.’
One thing was certain.
This weight felt incredibly gratifying.
The unique skill attached to the weapon allowed one to reenact the life of a legendary hero.
It was an absolutely broken effect.
Though he knew it wasn’t feasible…
‘I can’t resist…’
His fingers itched.
He wanted to use it immediately.
“Wow… it’s really cool. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Even Alice’s eyes widened in amazement.
Yeah, this level of weapon was a first for her too.
Creating this weapon required an unimaginable amount of resources.
When he first went to obtain Balmung, he amplified the ‘Collapse Catalyst’ he bought at the coin exchange with a ‘Mid-grade Purification Stone’ and ‘Whisper of Steel.’
That prepared the groundwork for enhancing Balmung.
Then Orun worked his craft, using ‘Armor Breaker’ and ‘Grey Heart’ as sacrifices.
Orun must have worked tirelessly without sleep to elevate a navy-grade relic to a purple-grade one.
“How is it? Does it look good?”
“Yes.”
Alice nodded seriously with a serious face.
“Give it to me.”
“…What?”
“It’s such a pretty sword, it would fit perfectly in my collection.”
Sometimes, hearing something so absurd leaves you speechless. This seemed to be one of those moments.
Even a retriever would flip out hearing this.
Hmm.
“You should be fine with this.”
Orun had sent the remaining scraps of Armor Breaker. He was glad he didn’t throw them away.
A bare metal wire resembling a twig was placed in Alice’s hand.
“…Huh?”
As Alice stared blankly at the twig, Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
Ding!
—
**Name:** Kang Jinhyuk
**Gender:** Male
**Age:** 28
**Level:** 122
**Strength:** 109
**Agility:** 58
**Stamina:** 67
**Mana:** 273
**Gap:** 100
**Luck:** 10
**Adaptability:** 78
**Energy:** 82.55
**Stat Points Available:** 21
**Coins Available:** 10,562,377
**Class:** Ruler of Runes
**Unique Abilities:** ‘Fusion,’ ‘Grave of Swords,’ ‘Blessing of the Stars,’ ‘Judgment of Anubis,’ ‘Blood Demonic Qi,’ ‘Mandala,’ ‘1 Second Invincibility,’ ‘Thousand Poisons,’ ‘White Beast,’ ‘Shared Fortune,’ ‘Sanctuary of the Sun,’ ‘Black Heaven Demon Emperor Art,’ ‘Triple Magic,’ ‘Strike of the Titan,’ ‘Breath of the Fire Dragon,’ ‘High-speed Sword,’ ‘Right Hand of Tombgrave,’ ‘Berserker,’ ‘Domain of the Wind,’ ‘Shadow Death,’ ‘Blood Burst,’ ‘Black Tears,’ ‘Legs of Tombgrave,’ ‘Strength of the Gods,’ ‘Core of the Legion,’ ‘Ancient Barrier.’
**Skills:** Due to the large number of skills, they have been summarized.
—
After dealing with Abigail, his level had risen by seven.
As befitting someone of her rank, the experience points she provided were immense.
Even with a three-digit level, he had risen by seven levels in one go.
“I’ll invest all in Mana.”
Considering the mana consumption of Balmung, he needed to focus on his Mana stat.
[Mana has increased from 273 to 294!]
[Additionally, there are new items in your dimensional inventory.]
[Would you like to check them?]
The items obtained just before he lost his memory were also significant.
The most notable was the weapon Abigail had used.
The ultimate magical artifact symbolizing the Levishita family.
‘Scythe of the Spectral Tree.’
A relic with overwhelming power in close-range combat and bloodline magic.
Imagining the synergy if combined with Alice’s abilities through shared fortune was exciting.
‘The drop rate is so absurdly low it’s practically 0%, but the solo skill is truly broken.’
Thanks to its effect of dropping the best items, he obtained relics he could only dream of in the past.
However, just as Jinhyuk was about to examine the scythe…
“…!”
His senses caught Ma Hye-ryang returning quickly.
‘I’ll have to check the rest of the items later.’
Jinhyuk closed the status window.
Shortly after, Ma Hye-ryang approached, having finished his business.
“There were some dangerous things, but I took care of them.”
His friendly smile was incredibly deceptive.
Especially knowing what he was planning.
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
Something faintly wriggled inside Ma Hye-ryang’s sleeve.
A creature feared even among martial artists.
‘The Parasite.’
‘He came here to obtain the Parasite.’
The Parasite, comprised of Yin and Yang pairs, had a unique mechanism. Feeding the Yang parasite to a victim caused it to lodge in the victim’s brain immediately.
‘Disobeying orders or betrayal triggers unbearable neurotoxins.’
No human will could endure it.
Even highly trained martial artists would betray their sects due to the Parasite’s power.
Moreover, freshly caught parasites in this Yin-infused area were even more potent.
Ma Hye-ryang had deliberately led them here to feed them the Parasite.
—
‘Haha, no matter how skilled he is, once inside this passage, he’s just prey. The thought of this brat trembling excites me.’
Ma Hye-ryang smirked evilly.
This passage was originally meant for evacuating royalty in case of an invasion.
In emergencies, traps didn’t activate, allowing safe passage for royalty. But under normal circumstances, deadly traps operated.
To prevent intruders with ill intentions.
Of course, Ma Hye-ryang knew all the traps in this place as if it were his own home.
‘No matter how skilled he is, he’ll fall to the Parasite when he tries to avoid the traps.’
A double trap.
Using this method, he had subjugated over ten masters to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
‘Why is the leader so focused on someone from outside the Tower?’
After a moment’s thought, Ma Hye-ryang shrugged.
Those were matters for higher-ups.
His job was recruitment and internal sabotage.
The secret to longevity was performing tasks without questioning.
And soon enough…
They arrived at the first trap.
Ma Hye-ryang subtly slowed his pace.
Exactly by half a step.
He had to time it right when the trap activated.
‘Got him!’
He confirmed Jinhyuk stepping into the area where metal spikes would spring out.
Swoosh.
Ma Hye-ryang instinctively braced to leap away but barely stopped himself.
“W-What…?”
The trap didn’t activate.
Seeing Jinhyuk proceed calmly, Ma Hye-ryang was in disbelief.
Something was wrong.
That couldn’t be…
Ma Hye-ryang approached where Jinhyuk had walked.
Carefully applying weight to his foot.
Clang…!
The trigger mechanism engaged, sending a sensation through his foot.
The trap worked fine.
‘Danger…!’
He had to dodge.
But then…
“Why aren’t you following?”
Jinhyuk grabbed Ma Hye-ryang’s shoulder.
At the worst possible timing.
Thunk!
Blood spurted from the spikes piercing his foot.
“Argh!”
Ma Hye-ryang screamed.
“What… what’s this? Are you okay? Why didn’t you dodge?”
“Damn it… you, I mean, sir… you grabbed my shoulder, how could I dodge?”
“I assumed you disabled the traps. Oh no, your foot is a mess. This looks bad.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue sympathetically.
The bloodied mess looked painful to walk on.
“Never mind. Let’s just keep moving.”
“Do you need help?”
“No!”
Ma Hye-ryang snapped.
He seemed to have lost all rationality in his anger.
‘Even if he got lucky the first time, there won’t be a next time.’
He’d finish it next time for sure.
Ma Hye-ryang limped forward.
They soon reached the second trap.
Nine paths.
The passages, like an anthill, stretched out.
He noticed the cleverly hidden talismans in the soil.
“So many paths. Do you know where to go?”
“Any will do. I can smell the sweet blood beyond, and it’s hard to resist.”
“Hey.”
“I mean, oh dear. These dark passages are so scary. You’ll protect me, right?”
Alice clung to Jinhyuk’s arm theatrically.
Her antics were beyond ridiculous.
Never letting her act again.
“I know the way. But my leg… you go ahead. The third passage leads straight to Luoyang.”
“Alright.”
Jinhyuk took the lead.
Heading precisely for the path with the cliff trap.
Alice followed closely.
Finally caught him.
He’d make a real opening this time.
Even the most skilled couldn’t protect both his fiancée and himself.
Ma Hye-ryang readied the Parasite again.
When he lost balance and clung to the cliff, that would be the perfect moment to feed it.
But…
Step.
Jinhyuk stopped right before the trap activated.
Just a bit.
Only three centimeters more would’ve done it.
But he stopped right before.
“Aren’t you going?”
“My legs hurt from walking so long.”
“If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss dawn.”
“My head gets it, but my legs don’t. What? They’re going on strike if I take another step?”
Nothing to do but push him while he babbled nonsense.
Ma Hye-ryang approached Jinhyuk, who was having a fake conversation with his legs.
He reached out both hands without hesitation.
But just before his palms touched Jinhyuk’s back…
Jinhyuk vanished.
“Ouch. Where… why are you here?”
“Aaaargh!”
Boom!
Ma Hye-ryang, who fell from the cliff, squirmed.
He survived thanks to his deep internal energy. A normal person would’ve been pulverized.
But the pain stabbing through his body was unbearable.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
Ma Hye-ryang groaned.
Such misfortune.
Something was terribly wrong.
“Are you okay? You seem really hurt… you’re not seriously injured, are you?”
“Okay… does this look okay, you damned… huh?”
Ma Hye-ryang’s thoughts raced.
Seeing Jinhyuk’s concerned face above.
For some reason, it seemed like he was smiling faintly.