Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 327. Gate Open - 11 Hours Before (Part 2)
**11th Floor, Underground of the Korean Awakener Association.**
Rankers from various guilds, who had accepted Han Sangjin’s request, were gathered in one place.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen all these members together.”
Jinhyuk glanced around.
Among the hundreds of players, many were familiar faces from TV or the Tower of Trials community.
There were Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Taemin, as well as Min Jungwoo and Lee Yuri.
In addition, many guild masters and vice-masters, who could be considered the faces of their respective guilds, were participating.
“Hyung, it’s been a while.”
“How have you been, oppa? Did everything go well in Murim?”
Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeonhwa approached him with bright smiles.
“Yeah. Thanks to you. What about the task I entrusted to you?”
Jinhyuk had assigned them the task of handling one of the conditions necessary to confront Shub-Niggurath, using the Soulstone of Longing he had received from Bendebea and the Moonstone obtained through information about the Heavenly Demon.
“Of course, we handled it cleanly.”
“It was a bit of a struggle doing everything as you instructed, but Yeonhwa-noona and I managed it. There shouldn’t be any issues with its operation.”
Good.
Since Taemin, who had the abilities of a Machine Lord, said it, there shouldn’t be any problems.
This means at least one of the conditions has been met.
At that moment.
The crowd stirred.
“Hey, look over there. Do you see?”
“It’s Player Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Wow, it really is him.”
“I’ve only seen him in videos because he’s always on such high-difficulty floors, but I didn’t expect to see him in person.”
All eyes turned to Jinhyuk.
If there were a player who could be considered the strongest in Korea…
The answer was clear.
When Chun Yoosung, carrying a long sword, joined the group, people began murmuring with admiration once more.
“Even the Sword Saint is here.”
“Shh! Keep quiet. I heard that if he doesn’t like you, he’ll cut you down without hesitation. He’s more widely known as the Sword Demon than the Sword Saint.”
“Even the guild masters are just watching carefully. The pressure they give off is no joke.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that the combined power of Jinhyuk’s Veteran Corporation surpasses that of all the major guilds.
Just standing together, Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung overwhelmed the entire group.
“Wow. People are saying you’re a bloodthirsty killer without a drop of mercy.”
“Don’t project your true nature onto me. I didn’t say it like that.”
“Hmm, is that so? By the way, what should we have for dinner? I’m getting tired of combat rations. Any menu recommendations?”
“Damn it. Do I have to tell you everything I eat? Just go pick up some sea anemones from the deep sea. If you die from food poisoning, I wouldn’t mind in the least.”
As always, Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung bickered.
Of course,
To those who were enamored, their words were interpreted in a completely different light.
– It seems everyone’s calling you the Sword Saint. It’s reassuring just having you here.
– Don’t flatter me. I don’t care for such cumbersome titles.
– That’s just like you. The raid will take place on the sea, so perhaps we’ll have seafood for dinner?
– I hear deep-sea monsters are a delicacy. Catching and eating them wouldn’t be bad. With you, we could easily hunt even boss-level ones.
Just as everyone was awkwardly watching and not daring to approach them.
“Hello.”
Someone confidently stepped forward.
It was a woman in her late twenties with short, bobbed hair.
“I’m Yoo Jinah, the vice-master of the Silla Guild. It’s my first time greeting both of you in person.”
Korea’s number two guild, **Silla**.
Yoo Jinah was one of the two pillars supporting this massive guild, composed of about 1,000 members.
Unlike Master Choi Jinho, who focused solely on hunting and avoided public activities, Yoo Jinah was adept in both administration and politics.
In fact, it was thanks to her that the 17th and 18th floors were cleared while Jinhyuk was in Murim. She had skillfully organized and linked the large guilds into a coordinated raid team.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Chun Yoosung.”
“The Association President asked me to give you a briefing, so I’ll explain how this raid will proceed.”
*Ding!*
A holographic map appeared in front of everyone.
There were four raid teams being deployed from Korea.
The goal was to enter the island from the east, west, south, and north, and remove the Aether Stone at the center.
With less than 10 hours remaining before the gate fully opened, they had to increase their chances of success, even if it meant spreading out their forces.
“The Dangun Guild will take the east. The Balhae and Hwarang Guilds will handle the south. The west will be covered by a coalition of seven mid-sized guilds.”
Yoo Jinah continued her explanation, pointing to each location on the map.
The map displayed several mana reactions, with the largest one located at the northernmost point.
Judging by the size of the dot, it was clear there was a monster at least five times stronger than anything in the other areas.
“So it seems I’ll be taking on the most difficult northern part.”
“Yes. The plan is for the Veteran Corporation and the Silla Guild to proceed together. Though, to be precise, we will be assisting you, Player Kang Jinhyuk.”
“I understand.”
Jinhyuk nodded.
“Let’s begin the teleportation. It’s such a large-scale spell that you might experience some nausea, so please keep that in mind.”
As Yoo Jinah nodded, the other guilds also signaled that they were ready.
*Buzz!*
Various runes drawn on the ground began to glow brightly.
Shortly after.
The view went dark.
—
The darkness lifted, and their sight returned.
They had arrived on the island… or so they thought.
But it was a misunderstanding.
Someone screamed at the top of their lungs.
“Get out of the way!”
At the same time…
“Grooaarrr!”
A giant sea dragon’s jaws opened wide beneath their feet.
“What, what the hell?”
“Ahhhhh!”
Instead of arriving on the island, the raid team had been transported above the sea.
Between the rolling, dark blue waves, hundreds of razor-sharp teeth gleamed.
At this rate, they would be devoured.
“Everyone, stay still!”
[Yoo Jinah activates Lv20 ‘Mantra Taming’!]
*Wooom!*
With a flash of light, the sea dragon’s pupils shook.
But only for a moment.
*Snap!*
The massive jaws closed as if it were a lie.
Thanks to that, the players avoided the grisly fate of becoming the sea dragon’s lunch.
“Th-Thank you.”
“You saved us.”
The tankers in heavy armor sighed in relief.
If it weren’t for Yoo Jinah, they would have been dragged under the sea by the weight of their armor.
As the raid team, which had narrowly escaped annihilation, caught their breath…
‘A taming ability, huh…’
Jinhyuk looked at Yoo Jinah with interest.
Taming was considered one of the most rare abilities among unique skills.
The fact that she could tame a high-level monster like a sea dragon within seconds meant she was quite powerful.
I should take this opportunity to copy that ability as well.
Unlike Goguma or the spirit beasts, the recently acquired Soft Black Crane still thinks it’s a noble dragon.
“But where exactly are we?”
“Did the island sink during the teleportation?”
The players, perched on the back of the colossal sea dragon, looked around.
The sea mist obscured their vision.
“Ah! Over there! I can see the island!”
Lee Taemin, who had been scouting with a drone, pointed in one direction.
About 1 km away, the outline of their original destination, the island, was faintly visible.
The island hadn’t disappeared.
They were just much farther away than expected.
“Why did we land so far from our destination?”
Yoo Jinah pressed the magic-type players for answers.
“It seems the teleportation coordinates were distorted. We injected the mana correctly for the activation, but…”
“Something seems to have interfered. We’re not sure why. We apologize.”
The players responsible for the teleportation bowed their heads, clearly at a loss.
But at that very moment.
*Rumble!*
The waves began to surge violently.
The players on the sea dragon’s back staggered.
Something was coming.
From the depths of the ocean.
“Kang Jinhyuk!”
“I’m aware.”
Chun Yoosung drew his Flowerless Plum Sword. Jinhyuk also took out the Fangs and one of the Twin Dragon Swords from his subspace.
“Grooaarrr!”
“Graaarrr!”
In an instant, dozens of sea dragons burst out of the water.
The sea dragon Yoo Jinah had tamed was impressive in size, but…
The sea dragons that appeared now were even larger.
‘Thirteen in total.’
It was already known that the island created due to the outbreak was undergoing a dungeon transformation.
However, who would have thought that named monsters would be swarming right from the start?
‘It seems they’ve played more tricks than I anticipated.’
The cause was likely the upper administrator behind it all, Hasting.
Jinhyuk licked his lips.
“I can’t tame all of these.”
Yoo Jinah’s expression turned to despair.
The other players also looked at the approaching sea dragons, their faces turning pale.
It was already challenging to fight while balancing on a sea dragon’s back, and now this…
“Taemin.”
“Yes, hyung!”
[Lee Taemin activates the unique ability ‘Machine Lord’!]
Two drones with streamlined bodies appeared.
“I’ll take care of seven. Can you handle the remaining six?”
“I’ll cut down twelve. You take care of one.”
Chun Yoosung stepped onto the drone and leaped high into the air.
The drone flew ahead to predict Chun Yoosung’s next landing spot.
His pride truly is galactic.
*Tap.*
*Tap…*
Effortlessly crossing through the air, Chun Yoosung swung his sword mightily.
**Soul-Chasing Sword Dance, First Sword (一劍).**
*Swish!*
The sword, driven by sword energy, sliced through the sea dragon’s scales in an instant.
“Grooaarrr!”
As the sea turned red, the real battle began.
‘Time for me to warm up, too.’
[The unique ability ‘Grave of Swords’ is activated!]
Dark energy flickered along the Fang.
[The unique ability ‘Heavenly Demon God Art’ is activated!]
A crimson aura flared up along the Twin Dragon Sword.
—
“G-Goodness…”
Yoo Jinah swallowed dryly.
She had seen and heard countless times how strong Jinhyuk was through videos.
But.
There was an insurmountable difference between experiencing it indirectly and witnessing it firsthand.
He was strong.
Overwhelmingly so.
‘Chun Yoosung is amazing, too, dominating the battlefield like this.’
Facing a sea dragon over 20 meters long, he showed no signs of backing down.
His tyrannical yet straightforward swordsmanship made her heart race just watching it.
However,
Even that level of skill paled in comparison to Jinhyuk.
‘To think that such a beautiful swordsmanship exists.’
Even Yoo Jinah, who wasn’t knowledgeable about swordsmanship due to her focus on taming, couldn’t help but sense it.
The gap was on an entirely different level.
*Boom!*
Every time Jinhyuk’s swords moved, his body accelerated through the **Domain of the Wind** and **Sword Demon’s Heavenly Step**, disappearing like smoke.
His speed was so fast that even drones were unnecessary.
The way he continuously vanished mid-air gave the illusion of using Blink.
*Tap.*
Standing atop another sea dragon’s head, Jinhyuk crossed his swords.
The sword strike traced a crescent moon.
“Keerrrr!”
The sea dragon let out a pained scream.
Dark red mist spewed out, turning everything crimson.
But when the blood splattered everywhere, Jinhyuk had already disappeared from that spot.
Six… Seven. Ten.
The sea dragons perished one after another without even launching a proper counterattack.
And finally.
*Splash!*
The last struggling sea dragon floated to the surface.
“Once we reach the island, more troublesome enemies will appear. When that happens, the Silla Guild needs to fulfill its role.”
“W-What? Y-Yes! Yes, of course!”
Snapping out of her daze, Yoo Jinah quickly nodded.