Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 328: Gate Open - 11 Hours Before (Part 3)
*Whooosh…*
The island, which they reached by crossing the waves, was already completely occupied by numerous monsters, with blue crystals embedded along the coastline.
‘As expected, it’s the Sea Dragon Clan in charge here.’
Jinhyuk, hiding behind a rock, scanned the monsters on the shore.
They had reptilian heads and blue skin—a race known for their high intelligence and notorious cruelty, the **Sea Dragon Clan**.
‘They even have Armored Drakes with them.’
Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to the large monster accompanying the Sea Dragon Clan.
The Armored Drake was a mid-sized monster, about 5 meters in length, known for its low intelligence but extremely high physical and magical defense.
They were symbiotic with the Sea Dragon Clan, a relationship where both benefited.
‘To be precise, it’s more accurate to say that they’re tamed by the Sea Dragon Clan.’
Given their ability to divide offense and defense, this combination was quite formidable.
At that moment…
“…There’s no news from the other teams.”
Yoo Jinah cautiously spoke up.
The original plan was to infiltrate from the north, south, east, and west simultaneously, but all communication had been lost immediately after the teleportation.
Whether the other teams fell to the sea dragons or were hindered by the thick mist over the ocean, it was hard to say.
What was certain was that the plan had hit a serious snag.
This, too, must be Hasting’s doing.
That bastard was determined to manifest Shub-Niggurath.
If the transcendent being of the 50th floor were released, it would be child’s play to destroy an entire world.
“We’ll assume the other teams didn’t survive and proceed accordingly.”
If they handled this carelessly, clinging to a thread of hope, the entire raid might fail.
Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to attack directly from the north, the shortest route.
“Breaking through head-on is risky. Even a little noise could draw all the nearby enemies to us.”
Chun Yoosung added.
There were numerous mana signatures felt within the sand.
What they could see was just the tip of the iceberg.
In that case…
“We need to split into two teams here.”
“You mean you’re going to choose a sacrificial lamb as bait. Let me make it clear—I have no intention of falling for your tricks, so count me out of the bait role.”
Chun Yoosung immediately saw through Jinhyuk’s intent.
This guy always had to ruin the moment at the most critical times.
Did he have to call it bait? He could have at least dressed it up a little.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you do it. I’ll handle it myself this time.”
Chun Yoosung’s eyes widened in surprise at Jinhyuk’s words.
“Did those words just come out of your mouth? Is the sun rising in the west today?”
“Well, honestly, I can’t entrust this to anyone else. If I leave such a dangerous task to someone less skilled, they might lose their life.”
“…I can’t just let that slide. Are you implying that I’m less skilled than you?”
“Hmm. So, are you better?”
“Isn’t that obvious? If you don’t believe me, I can prove it right here.”
*Sching!*
Chun Yoosung half-drew his sword.
After receiving the ‘Heavenly Soul Pill’ from Chuhon Sayoung in Murim, his internal energy had increased dramatically.
This time, he would settle who was truly superior.
However…
“In that case, I have no choice but to leave the beach to you.”
“Huh?”
“You’re stronger, better, and a more perfect ranker than I am. Seeing you gather your mana just now… Oh wow. I don’t think I can compete.”
Jinhyuk trembled slightly, as if genuinely frightened.
“The strongest should handle the most dangerous tasks, don’t you think?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Chun Yoosung trailed off.
It seemed like everything was going his way, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Like he had been tricked somehow.
“Make sure you draw all their attention on the beach. Not a single one can follow us. Got it?”
“Y-Yeah. I got it.”
Chun Yoosung reluctantly nodded.
—
[The unique ability ‘Song of the Sword’ is activated!]
“Aaaahhh!”
Chun Yoosung faced off against dozens, even hundreds, of Sea Dragons and Armored Drakes on the beach.
“An intruder!”
“To come here alone. He’s got guts.”
“We’ll chop him up and use him as meat for our feast.”
The Sea Dragons drew their tridents.
*Thud!*
*Boom! Boom!*
From the sand, crab-like monsters the size of cars emerged.
The number of enemies multiplied several times over in an instant.
However…
Like Zhang Fei holding the Changban Bridge alone, Chun Yoosung was like an impenetrable shield, holding off everything.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
With only a hair’s breadth to spare, Chun Yoosung weaved between the enemies, his sword slicing through them.
His swordsmanship, as fierce as a storm, mercilessly cut the monsters into pieces.
That guy really is a monster.
A monster, yes, but…
Even monsters can’t hold out against sheer numbers.
Not even five minutes into the battle, the encirclement began to tighten.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Yoo Jinah looked at Chun Yoosung with a worried expression.
No matter how important the mission was, wasn’t this too dangerous?
“Hmm.”
Jinhyuk pondered briefly.
“He’ll probably be about 90% okay. You know, fools like him don’t die easily.”
With a life force tougher than steel, that guy could survive even if thrown into hell.
“What about the other 10%?”
“Well, he won’t be okay.”
Why ask the obvious?
There’s no such thing as 100% in this world.
Jinhyuk smiled faintly.
Then, he quickly started moving toward the path leading deeper into the island.
“What are you doing? Are you going to waste the opportunity the Sword Saint created for us?”
“N-No, let’s go.”
Yoo Jinah led the Silla Guild forward.
The raid team soon left the beach and entered the forest deeper within the island.
*Step.*
How long had they been walking?
When a brief moment of respite arrived, Jinhyuk used the ‘Eyes of Gluttony’ to check Yoo Jinah’s status window.
*Ding!*
—
**Name**: Yoo Jinah
**Gender**: Female
**Age**: 28
**Level**: 77
**Strength**: 45
**Agility**: 55
**Stamina**: 46
**Mana**: 88
**Stat Points Available**: 0
**Occupation**: Tamer
**Unique Ability**: Mantra Taming
**Skills**: ‘Custom Feed’ Lv17, ‘Multiple Communion’ Lv16, ‘Amazon’s Reins’ Lv15, ‘Throwing Spear’ Lv13, ‘Noble Sacrifice’ Lv11
—
[**Copy Condition**: Yoo Jinah has had a deep interest in animals since childhood. Before the Tower of Trials appeared, she worked as an animal caretaker and later transitioned to a Tamer when the Tower emerged. To copy Yoo Jinah’s unique ability and skills, you must sincerely bond with monsters or summoned creatures. (Copy condition will be met when affection reaches 100%)]
[Current Affection: 0%]
Her unique ability, **Mantra Taming**.
This ability to tame even the most savage beasts would be extremely useful not only in this raid but also as he climbed the Tower.
Especially if combined with his existing ‘Communion’ ability, it could even allow him to tame higher-level species.
Jinhyuk’s eyes gleamed with interest.
This was something he definitely had to obtain.
To do that, it would be best to start earning points with Yoo Jinah through his summoned creatures.
As luck would have it, a patrol of Sea Dragons and Armored Drakes was nearby.
“Ms. Yoo Jinah.”
The magic-type players from the Silla Guild also detected the enemy presence a bit later.
“Enemies?”
“Yes. There are five of them. The same ones we encountered on the beach.”
“We have no choice but to break through.”
The dense vegetation made it impossible to detour around them.
Moreover, the raid team didn’t have much time to search for a new route.
At least there were only five enemies, which was a bit of a relief.
*Sching!*
*Click!*
Weapons were drawn.
The tanks moved forward while the dealers positioned themselves in the rear.
But just as the raid team was about to launch a surprise attack…
“May I handle this?”
Jinhyuk calmly stepped forward.
“You, Player Kang Jinhyuk, yourself?”
“We’d appreciate it, but wouldn’t it be better to conserve your mana?”
The others expressed their concerns.
After all, Jinhyuk was the key figure in this raid.
It was in everyone’s best interest for him to be in top condition when facing the island’s boss.
“Don’t worry. It won’t consume much mana.”
“But if you fight directly, you can’t avoid mana consumption…”
“That’s true. So, I’m going to fight like this.”
*Whooom!*
“Salamander.”
At Jinhyuk’s call, the Salamander appeared, flicking its tongue as it emerged from the subspace.
“Oh? A fire spirit?”
Yoo Jinah’s eyes lit up with curiosity at the rare sight of a spirit.
[**Yoo Jinah’s Affection** has increased by 10.]
[She expresses affection, saying that only humans with a good heart can contract with spirits.]
Good. Cute spirits like these are always the best for making a good impression.
“Master, we’re here.”
When Undine also appeared, the duo of spirits looked like a perfectly matched pair.
However…
“A-And what are you planning to make us do this time?”
“It’d be tough if it’s too hard. Last time, we almost… almost died from overexertion.”
Salamander and Undine clung to Jinhyuk’s pants, whimpering.
To the others, it looked like he was a complete tyrant.
“Player Kang Jinhyuk…”
[**Yoo Jinah’s Affection** has decreased by 20.]
[She is slightly disappointed, thinking that the spirits have been mistreated.]
Instead of increasing, the affection had plummeted into the negatives.
*Vein pops.*
A thick vein throbbed on Jinhyuk’s forehead.
“Haha. Guys. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Have you already forgotten how well I’ve treated you?”
“Huh?”
“Y-You treated us well? When?”
“Act normally, and there won’t be any problems. No problems at all.”
Jinhyuk warned them with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
In life, there are moments when you stand at a crossroads.
Moments when you must decide which path to take to survive or die.
“Oh! Right. Master always feeds us premium flames and provides us with warm, cozy beds.”
Fortunately, Salamander’s draconic instincts kicked in, sensing the danger.
“Master, did you eat something bad? You’ve always been harsh, overworking and mistreating us. You must’ve dreamed of being nice.”
But Undine wasn’t as quick on the uptake.
“Goguma.”
“Tweat?”
“Take care of this.”
“Tweat!”
With a short salute, Goguma bit Undine’s leg and dragged her behind a rock.
“Eek! I’m sorry. I made a mistake!”
A pitiful cry echoed.
But it was short-lived.
“Sorry for the display. They’re still in training, so I hope you understand.”
“Can that spirit really handle five enemies on its own?”
“Well, they may look cute, but they’re not to be underestimated.”
Now that he had shown enough foolishness, it was time to shift the mood.
“Salamander.”
Jinhyuk’s tone changed.
At the same time…
*Fwoosh!*
Salamander’s eyes also changed.
The playful demeanor vanished.
The heat intensified as mana began to concentrate into a single point.
*Crunch! Crunch!*
Its four legs firmly dug into the ground, bracing for the coming storm.
And at that very moment…
[Salamander activates Lv10 ‘Path of Flames’!]