Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 325: The Battle for a Spouse (3)
Two women appeared in the alley.
One was a graceful beauty with long blonde hair cascading down to her waist, while the other was a young, mischievous-looking girl.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Iris de Reinhardt.”
The blonde beauty introduced herself first.
Reinhardt…
Come to think of it, she did resemble the other Reinhardts he had met from the Empire.
The princes had been incredibly handsome, and it seemed the princesses were no less extraordinary.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“Just call me Mayu. My dad really insisted that I bring you back with me. Don’t think too hard about it—just come with me. My dad’s super strong and super rich!”
The girl with the tanned skin and short hair smiled brightly.
So, this was the youngest daughter of the Martial Alliance leader.
Jinhyuk had expected this, but seeing all the top figures from the middle floors gathered in one place was still daunting.
“My lord, turning your back on them might be… both of them are formidable.”
“What’s the plan? If you need it, I can buy you some time.”
Wolyong and Chun Yoosung asked for Jinhyuk’s opinion.
While Iris and Mayu were already skilled in their own right, they had also unsealed their abilities with the backing of their respective factions. Even Wolyong and Chun Yoosung would only be able to hold them off for so long.
However…
“No need.”
Jinhyuk shook his head confidently.
No matter how powerful Iris and Mayu’s backing was, it didn’t matter.
In this competition, the wealthiest competitor was already decided.
It was about time they showed up anyway…
And just as he thought that…
*BOOM!*
A thunderous noise rang out.
“Who are these guys now!? I finally managed to shake off that idiotic saintess, and now there are even more competitors!”
A furious Alice appeared, wielding dozens of blood-red spears.
[Alice activates her unique ability ‘Blood Lord’!]
“That person is…”
“Oh wow! A strong rival just showed up!”
Iris and Mayu also drew their weapons.
A fierce battle for the Eternal Rose was about to unfold.
—
With Alice’s interruption creating a gap, Jinhyuk quietly slipped away from the alley.
Everyone was too focused on fighting each other to pay attention to anything else.
Even though the women with tracking items could catch up with Jinhyuk at any time, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down against their competitors, lest they be eliminated themselves.
While everyone was so sure that the core premise wouldn’t be shaken…
Jinhyuk’s preparations were finally complete.
“…Huh?”
“What the…?”
A group of women from the Empire, walking together, suddenly felt something strange.
The hard ground beneath their feet softened unexpectedly.
*Swoosh!*
Their ankles were swallowed up as they were pulled downward.
The traps Jinhyuk had set using the elemental spirits had begun to activate.
“Kyaaah!”
“W-What’s going on?”
Five women were caught in a swamp created by Gnome.
They were sucked into the mire, ruining their dresses and clothes.
Elsewhere, Salamander was hard at work, spewing flames.
*Whoosh!*
The intense heat melted their meticulously applied makeup, and their carefully styled hair became a frizzy mess.
“Aaah!”
“What do we do?”
“My… my hair! I spent three hours on this! It’s ruined. Everything is ruined!”
Chaos erupted all around.
But the grand finale was yet to come.
*Rumble!*
*Boom!*
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Despite the rest of the martial world enjoying clear weather, ominous dark clouds began to gather over Luoyang.
[The effect of the Dragon Orb has activated ‘Thunderstorm.’]
“I am a noble dragon… Majestic. Sacred… I suppose you could call me a divine beast. Hehe. Even among the Four Symbols, I am often regarded as the most honorable. That’s who I am.”
The Azure Dragon, now known as Soft Black Crane, muttered to itself with self-pity.
“Tweat!”
“I know, I know. I’m making it rain as hard as I can, see? If nothing else, I’m good at following orders.”
“Tweat tweat.”
Under Goguma’s fierce watch, Soft Black Crane unleashed a torrential downpour.
-Raffle: Wow. The participants are soaked to the bone.
-GoodDragonFriend: Seriously. This is demonic. The third daughter of the Marquis family I bet on looks done for. Her dress is completely black now.
-jus: Same here. I just lost all the coins I bet. Damn, I saved up for three months ㅠㅠ
-Jang Jio: You should’ve invested in the safe bet—Alice coins. The returns may be lower, but it’s as reliable as a warm bowl of soup.
-jxh: Agreed. Honestly, one hit from Alice’s blood spear would probably silence everyone.
The viewers flooded the chat with their reactions.
No one had anticipated that so many participants would be eliminated so quickly.
Even the VIPs watching from the banquet hall were left speechless.
“Oh no…”
“Our precious daughters…”
The nobles from the Empire stared blankly at the screen.
“They were raised like precious jewels… and they’re already out?”
“Haha. My child didn’t even get to meet Young Master Kang.”
The heads and elders of the martial clans clicked their tongues in frustration.
“Hahaha! This is quite a sight. I expected things to get chaotic, but this is something else. At this rate, everyone will be eliminated.”
Ma Taebong, the leader of the Martial Alliance, burst into laughter.
Even though his daughter was still participating, he seemed to be enjoying how things were unfolding.
Finally, the Heavenly Demon, who had been watching Jinhyuk’s performance from a distance, quietly spoke.
“Dark Emperor.”
“Yes, Supreme One.”
“Treat that man well. Even if he whines or acts out, don’t lay a hand on him.”
“Of course. Making an enemy of him would be more troublesome than dealing with Sama-ja or the Chief Commander.”
“He’s scarier than the Blood Demon I fought 10 years ago. He instinctively knows how to make people suffer.”
“…I see it the same way.”
The two of them silently watched the screen.
—
How much time had passed since the battle for the Eternal Rose began?
Those who had been struggling to claim it were gradually being eliminated.
And finally…
Only eight remained out of the original 279.
From the Empire, Princess Iris and the second daughter of Count Melmorne’s family were still standing.
From the martial world, the Martial Alliance leader’s youngest daughter, Mayu, Mount Hua’s Baek Seol-rin, and So Cheong-ah’s younger sister, So Cheong-ah, were highlighted in blue.
Lastly, from the group composed of players and residents of other floors, naturally, Alice, Teresa, and Andrea remained.
“They’re really tenacious. Even after all that, they still won’t give up. How much more do I have to torment them before they quit? Should I try tricking them into eating stinky tofu disguised as mapo tofu?”
Jinhyuk pondered deeply.
Most of the participants had fallen into the traps and tearfully surrendered.
But the ones still standing were determined to keep going, no matter what.
“At this point, you might as well just let someone have the rose. After all, they’re all here because they’re interested in you. You’ll have to choose someone eventually.”
Chun Yoosung, who had been silently watching, chimed in.
Of course, Jinhyuk didn’t take his suggestion seriously.
“They’re not here for me. They’re here for the power of the rose and the benefits it would bring to their factions. Besides, this is more of an event quest. You can’t take it too seriously.”
“…Fine. I should’ve known better than to say anything. It’s not that you’re clueless—it’s that you’re completely devoid of emotions.”
“Hmm. Hearing that from you is especially irritating.”
Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung bickered.
“My lord, at least only eight remain. With just over a minute left, it seems the victory is yours.”
“True. They’re probably too busy keeping an eye on each other to even reach here.”
Jinhyuk nodded in agreement.
However…
There was one crucial fact everyone was overlooking.
Among the items available in this event, there was a relic capable of reversing the situation in just one minute.
[A relic with the effect of ‘Absolute Judgment’ has been activated in this area!]
Suddenly, the view around them shifted.
*Rumble…!*
Powerful mana swirled around the area where the three stood.
“This is…!”
“My lord!”
Chun Yoosung and Wolyong immediately tried to flee.
But the crimson pillars surrounding them trapped them inside, preventing their escape.
“Heheh! Did you think you’d already won?”
“Hehe! There’s still a whole minute left!”
Just then, sinister laughter echoed through the air.
Teresa, with her long blonde hair flowing, and Andrea, fully transformed into her beast form, appeared.
And…
*Step.*
To their left, right, and behind them, familiar faces emerged.
“Did you really think having two guards would be enough?”
“The Empire won’t back down so easily.”
“It’s time to give up.”
The eight remaining participants had realized that no one could win alone, so they decided to work together.
First, they made sure Jinhyuk couldn’t escape by surrounding him completely.
Then, they would let their individual abilities determine who would claim the Eternal Rose.
Their plan worked perfectly.
By pooling their coins and activating the most powerful abilities, they had turned the tide.
[The eight participants request the activation of the ‘Domain of Binding’ with Absolute Judgment.]
An ominous wave of mana rippled through the air.
“Absolute… Judgment? Damn it. Isn’t that dangerous?”
Chun Yoosung instinctively flinched.
“Don’t worry. The conditions to activate an Absolute Judgment item in this event are incredibly strict. Those guys just wasted their coins and relics.”
“Are you sure?”
“Have you lived your whole life being tricked? The conditions are so specific that there’s no way they can meet them.”
Jinhyuk smiled confidently.
And as if to prove his point…
*Ding!*
A blue status window appeared.
[To activate the event condition, a high level of understanding of the target is required.]
[Describe Player Kang Jinhyuk’s favorite food in the Tower, how to prepare it, and how many times he has eaten it in the past three months.]
[The more detailed the description, the stronger the effect of the ability.]
“See? How could they possibly know? No matter how crazy someone is…”
But before Jinhyuk could finish his sentence…
“Me me me me me!”
Alice started waving her hand frantically, like a child who knew the answer to a question.
What?
No way…
“The thing Jinhyuk likes most is Rainbow Shrimp, caught using the Tengkongang larvae, slowly grilled over low heat for 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 13 seconds, with 13.5 grams of Asiumtra salt from the 5th floor sprinkled in seven intervals. He’s eaten it 26 times in the past three months, and the last time was exactly 62 hours, 15 minutes, and 33 seconds ago.”
Alice rattled off her answer like a machine gun, then proudly puffed out her chest.
“Didn’t you say there was no way anyone could get it right?”
“I mean, isn’t it weird for someone to know all that? She’s not even a stalker, but she knows every detail.”
Jinhyuk wanted to scream in frustration.
But the important thing now wasn’t how Alice knew all that.
It was that she was right.
[The Domain of Binding (Highest Grade) has been activated!]
*BOOM!*
“Argh!”
The binding spell completely immobilized him.
Only 10 seconds remained.
*Crash!*
*Thud!*
All eight participants lunged forward at the same time.
“It’s mine…!”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
“Aaah!”
They fought tooth and nail, reaching out from all directions.
And the one who succeeded was…
“Got it…!”
Alice’s hand touched the Eternal Rose pinned to Jinhyuk’s right chest.
She grasped the rose firmly.
[The event has ended.]
[Time Remaining: 0h:0m:0s]
“I did it! I won! I won!”
Alice shouted in triumph.
But then…
[There are no winners from the challenger’s side.]
[The winner is the tagged player, Kang Jinhyuk!]
“…What?”
The smile vanished from Alice’s face.