Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 334: War of the Revelation (3)
Lower floors, middle floors, upper floors.
These are the three main divisions that mark the levels of the Tower of Trials.
If the lower floors are considered the levels where players adapt to the tower…
The middle floors are where they begin to fully understand the tower through territorial wars with significant powers like the Martial Arts World or the Spirit Realm Empire.
However, from the upper floors onward, the nature of the tower changes entirely.
Of course, this makes sense.
No matter what anyone says…
The inhabitants of the upper floors are those who, in the past, have come close to reaching the pinnacle of the tower or have even reached the threshold of the final 50th floor.
And now.
One of the major powers representing the upper floors had appeared right at this moment.
Unexpectedly, and completely unforeseen.
Wooooong!
[Unmeasurable! A barrier of unknown grade is being deployed!]
[The space within a 50-meter radius is isolated from the outside!]
Within the distorted space.
Step. Step.
The sound of light footsteps echoed.
“Hmm. It seems you’re all in the middle of a heated battle. I can’t tell who’s who. One’s a man… with black hair. Is it one of those two? There’s a handsome one and a less handsome one?”
“Hold on. We can just ask, right?”
Armor from a bygone era.
A blonde beard and a relaxed smile caught everyone’s attention.
‘Could it really be them coming here?’
Jinhyuk glanced towards where Alice was.
Alice and Hyssens couldn’t see this side due to the barrier.
‘Well, meeting a lifelong enemy would mean she wouldn’t have the luxury to care about anything else. Especially when the opponent is no pushover.’
Throughout his climb in the Tower of Trials, Jinhyuk had seen and experienced numerous variables…
But never, in any scenario, had entities from the upper floors descended before the 30th floor of the tower was liberated.
‘Is this also one of the variables the new prophecy spoke of?’
The statement that the peak of the tower was different from what was previously known.
At the time, he thought it was just cryptic nonsense, but as time passed, he understood more clearly.
The butterfly, which had never been there before, was stirring up new winds.
Of course,
‘This is what makes it interesting.’
From Jinhyuk’s perspective, these diverse variables were more intriguing than disconcerting.
The fact that he could see a new version of the tower, different from the one he had grown tired of, made his heart race with excitement.
Just then.
“Sorry to interrupt your heated battle, but… we’re looking for someone. Can I have your attention for a moment? Oh! I should introduce myself first, right? I’m Loki, and this big guy next to me is Thor. We’re the gods representing the Norse side.”
A voice rolled out like a marble.
Though playful in tone, no one here could ignore what was being said.
“Which one of you is Kang Jinhyuk?”
A brief question.
In an instant, all eyes turned to Jinhyuk.
Loki’s lips curled up slightly.
“Of course, it’s that one. Hmm. Yes, only someone with this kind of presence could be the player we’re looking for. The average resident wouldn’t even be worth mentioning.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but why are such esteemed figures from the upper floors looking for me?”
“Isn’t it obvious why the residents would look for players? To break the balance, we need a new card. One with the most potential.”
Break the balance…
There was only one reason Loki would say that.
“Because of Olympus?”
Jinhyuk casually dropped a remark.
A remark that was anything but casual.
“How… do you know that…?”
An earthquake seemed to shake Loki’s pupils.
The smirk vanished from his sly face, replaced by a look of surprise.
“How could you possibly know about… the relationship between us and them? That’s information players could never know.”
Indeed, that would be the case.
Even high-ranking players rarely come face-to-face with divine beings.
Naturally, they wouldn’t be privy to the political and factional disputes of the upper floors.
‘I can’t exactly talk about my past climbs here.’
In that case…
“I happened to see part of the ‘Prophet’s Book’ written by the goddess Frigg. I learned a bit about Ragnarok in Norse mythology, the Titans of Olympus, and the only faction that could survive.”
In Norse mythology, Frigg is the wife of Odin.
Some fragments of her prophecy are hidden within the ruins located on the 19th floor of the tower.
Of course, he hadn’t actually obtained it.
He just provided a plausible excuse to make Loki and Thor believe him.
‘Besides, I have all the prophecy’s content in my head anyway.’
He had thrown out the best bait to make himself seem like a more attractive recruit.
And his gamble…
“Pfft… Hahaha! This is a masterpiece! Not only is he useful, but he’s also a complete treasure. It was worth coming all this way. Hey, Thor. Remember this. We must bring him over to our side, no matter what.”
“Yes. That would be wise.”
…hit the mark perfectly.
“I’m glad to hear you’re interested. Personally, I’m also very curious about the Norse side.”
“Hmm. This doesn’t seem like the best place to talk in detail. How about moving somewhere else? It looks like it might take a while to have a proper conversation.”
“I’d like that too, but as you can see, the situation isn’t exactly in our favor. Your arrival caused a temporary pause, but we’re quite cornered at the moment.”
Jinhyuk shrugged.
Nietzsche and the countless vampires would pounce again at any opportunity.
And let’s not even talk about Cerberus, who was practically immortal.
“If we clear this place for you, would you consider our proposal favorably?”
Now it was Jinhyuk’s turn to be surprised.
“Are you serious? You’ll use your power outside the tower?”
“Divine beings don’t speak with a forked tongue. At least, not those aligned with us.”
Simply descending to the lower levels of the tower already imposes unimaginable constraints.
Let alone taking action outside the tower itself?
He couldn’t fathom what kind of sacrifice they were making.
Would they actually offer up Mjolnir as a sacrifice?
As Jinhyuk looked incredulous, Loki smiled again.
“As I said, don’t worry about us. After all, you might want to see our abilities too, right? If we’re going to work together, you’d want to know what kind of power you’re aligning with.”
A golden dagger appeared at the tip of Loki’s fingers.
A subtle aura emanated from the blade adorned with dazzling jewels.
“We have the True Ancestors behind us. Are you really ready for war?”
“Ah, absolutely. As long as we can get Kang Jinhyuk, we’re willing to handle it. Even if it means making enemies of you all. Besides, the only True Ancestor we don’t want to fight is already with Kang Jinhyuk.”
Perfect hostility.
“Ugh!”
Realizing that words were useless, Nietzsche immediately widened the distance.
Simultaneously, purple blades sliced through the air.
A desperate move to prevent losing the initiative.
But.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The blades were all sliced in half before they could even touch Loki.
Loki leisurely stepped forward through the glowing red cut surfaces.
“We must kill them!”
Nietzsche shouted, calling for help from the vampires.
“Damn it!”
“Everyone, charge!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected major twist, the vampires joined the fray.
“Roar!”
Flames erupted from Cerberus’s mouth.
“I’ll handle the big guy.”
Thor flexed his muscles as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Rumble…
Thunder roared, and blue lightning spread in all directions.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A storm of unimaginable power slammed into Cerberus’s face.
Thud!
One of Cerberus’s heads twisted backward.
However, it wasn’t dead.
Though it was hit, it still bared its fangs and emitted a deadly aura.
“Roar!”
“It’s quite tough. It could at least be a degraded version of Fenrir.”
This was the battle of divine beings.
A fight of those with the power to destroy an entire world at will.
“Once we eliminate the leader, this will all be over.”
Loki, who had already slain ten vampires in an instant, approached Nietzsche.
However.
Buzz!
Just before Loki’s sword could pierce Nietzsche’s heart…
[The presence of Norse divine beings is detected.]
[The demonic forces respond.]
Another blood-red status window appeared.
Thud.
For the first time, Loki’s hand stopped.
Blocked by the hand of a woman with pitch-black hair.
“My, you’re quite rough.”
“You…!?”
“This human is a cherished servant of my master. It means he’s not someone you can dispose of at will.”
Another major figure had appeared.
In truth, given the copy conditions, Jinhyuk had expected they would clash at some point.
**’The Demon Realm.’**
A terrible group made up of demon lords and demons.
A den of filth that takes pleasure in the despair and death of others.
Rumble!
A black cloud hung in the air, and a red eye appeared.
[A deity of the Demon Realm gazes upon its apostle.]
“W-We humbly greet the Great One.”
Nietzsche’s complexion changed entirely.
Gone was the previously calm demeanor.
Only a feeble human struggling to avoid offending the superior being with whom he had made a pact remained.
“A human supported by the demons…?”
“Not just any demons. I sense a power equivalent to that of a Demon Lord.”
Loki and Thor clicked their tongues in frustration.
They had come lightly, intending to snatch Jinhyuk away before Shub-Niggurath manifested.
But they found themselves embroiled in a much larger battle than anticipated.
[Demon King ‘Hesimodium’ activates Lv??? ‘Dark Hole’!]
A suffocatingly ominous power enveloped their bodies.
The moment seemed almost simultaneous.
“Screech!”
“Roar!”
Crack…!
The ground split open, and a multitude of demonic beasts began crawling up.
—
Thor and Loki fought fiercely against the demonic beasts.
With this, the battle had shifted to a new phase.
“Finally, we can catch our breath. To be honest, I was surprised. I didn’t expect the divine beings to show so much interest…”
Nietzsche, having regained his composure, looked at Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung.
“But you can’t rely on their help anymore.”
With their abilities still sealed, the goddess of victory was smiling at Nietzsche.
Boom!
A purple blade struck Chun Yoosung head-on.
“Ugh!”
He barely blocked it, but his arms trembled from the demonic energy in the attack.
Once.
Bang!
Twice.
Boom!
With each successive attack, Chun Yoosung’s stance began to crumble.
Jinhyuk, too, was barely dodging and couldn’t even think of launching a proper counterattack.
Just a little more.
A few more times.
…And it would be over!
It was then, when Nietzsche had cornered the two.
“Hoo… I’ve got the feel for it now. We can start.”
Chun Yoosung gripped his sword with both hands.
“Good thing, too. Any later, and it would have been over for real.”
Jinhyuk pulled the Twin Dragon Sword from beyond his subspace.
“What now? Do you actually plan to fight?”
What a ridiculous idea.
Nietzsche easily dodged Chun Yoosung’s sword as it slashed through the air.
“Do you think you can even scratch me with such a paltry attack?”
Indeed.
This was merely an imitation.
Neither the subtlety of a skill nor the precision of an ability was present.
Hence, the swordplay performed by the two did not carry its inherent power.
However.
Crackle…!
A faint blue light flickered along the edge of the sword.
Experience built up from mimicking thousands, even tens of thousands of times.
Even without relying on skills or unique abilities…
Their bodies remembered.
The form of the stance.
And the shape.
Above all, the two paths of the sword forged through countless battles together in the past.
Sizzle!
“W-What is this?”
The swords began to sing.
The air… changed.
Simultaneously.
[Special conditions have been met!]
[‘False Battlefield Selection’ is activated!]
[‘World of the Players’ is unfolding!]
A new mental state had arrived.