Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 343: The Giant Factions of the Upper Floors (1)
The day passed in a flash.
After spending time at the PC café, Jinhyuk and the members of **Veteran Corporation** visited various places to unwind and recover from their accumulated fatigue.
And the next day…
“We’ll stop here for now.”
“See you next time.”
Min Jungwoo and Lee Yuri, both busy with personal schedules, were the first to leave.
“Oppa, see you next time. We’ll keep growing in the meantime.”
“Hyung, I’ve got more info on the unexplored labyrinth. Next time, come with us.”
Lee Taemin and Yoo Younhwa also said their goodbyes, disappointed they had to leave due to a scheduled labyrinth exploration.
“I’ve got some unresolved business… it’s important, but I’ll report back once it’s all handled.”
Finally, Meleena, too, left, saying she had to deal with the remaining demons from the Demon Association.
With nearly half the members gone…
They should have wrapped up the shareholders’ meeting and gone their separate ways.
But…
“That… was a mistake.”
Jinhyuk let out a low sigh.
The plan for the second day was to play baseball together.
Teresa, who had always enjoyed watching baseball, cautiously suggested the idea. Everyone readily agreed to it.
The result?
Hell began.
One team consisted of Teresa, Jinhyuk, Wolyoung, and the spirit creatures.
The other team had Alice, Chun Yoosung, Andria, the ancient soldiers, and T-Bone.
[Score after 185 innings: 0-0]
The game had been going on for seven hours.
Though most innings didn’t even last two minutes, since everyone had insane specs, the game turned into this drawn-out marathon.
More accurately, the game dragged on because Teresa’s pure personality completely flipped once the game started.
“Jinhyuk…”
“Yes?”
“That ball just now… couldn’t you have hit it?”
The chilling killing intent in her voice prickled his skin.
The atmosphere grew icy.
Teresa, half-triggered into her ‘Fallen’ state, now exuded a mix of holy and decadent energy.
Damn it. Look at that bat.
The dark crimson energy swirling around the bat looked like it could slice the entire baseball field in half.
And the problem was…
“Ugh, I won’t lose. Absolutely not.”
Alice, her opponent, hated losing even more than death.
“I agree. I’d rather bite my tongue and die than lose to her.”
Chun Yoosung, with his insane competitiveness, was no different.
Thanks to this, the game became a never-ending Möbius strip of competition.
Tap!
[Wolyoung activates the unique ability ‘Eumyeonggeuksal (Shadow Instant Kill)!’]
The shadow of Wolyoung, who was on first base, blurred and suddenly shot toward second base.
But just then…
[Chun Yoosung activates Lv19 ‘Chuhongeom (Soul Chasing Sword)!’]
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A long line appeared on the ground, slicing through the baseball field.
“You’re not getting past me.”
The fierce warning suggested that any further movement would result in Wolyoung being cut down.
“Tch.”
Wolyoung clicked her tongue and returned to her original position, while Alice, who was pitching, twisted her lips.
Vroooom!
A red aura gathered violently as the ball trembled.
The phenomenon occurred due to **Blood Lord**, which condensed Alice’s magic power to its limit.
“This time, I’ll finish it.”
“Seems like our little one doesn’t know the rules of baseball. You’re on defense, and we’re on offense. If you want to finish it, you need to score points.”
“W-wait, did you just call me little? Did you mean me?”
“Oh, did I misspeak? But no matter how I look at you, you’re still just a little one. What will you do about it?”
“Arghhh! I’ll kill you, you fool of a saintess!”
Alice got into her pitching stance.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Sonic booms erupted one after another as the ground began to crack deeply.
**Deadball**.
Typically, this meant deliberately hitting the batter with a pitch.
However, here, if Teresa were truly hit by this ball, it wouldn’t just be a deadball—it’d be actual death.
As in, her very existence might be erased without a trace.
“This is going to feel good.”
Fwoosh!
A raging flame burst from Teresa’s bat.
The power contained both divine and corrupted energy, requiring an unimaginable level of control.
Whoosh.
The ball disappeared.
And then…
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion reverberated across the entire baseball field.
The ball, shot high into the sky, spun in a graceful arc as it slowly descended.
“Catch that ball right now!”
“The ball is headed over there!”
“Leave it to me.”
“Everyone be quiet, my head hurts.”
“Clang! If you don’t want to turn into bone soup, you better stay sharp.”
The spirit creatures and ancient soldiers scrambled into action.
Up in the air, **Mallang the Crane** held a dragon ball, fully prepared in case the ball caused any collateral damage.
Meanwhile, **Goguma** sat on the bench, chewing on a mana stone and watching the whole spectacle unfold.
Vroom! Boom! Boom!
Unique abilities and skills clashed wildly.
It was more of a battlefield than a game.
Jinhyuk sighed deeply and nodded, as if resigning to his fate.
‘This is the definition of chaos.’
He almost wished he could face **Shub-Niggurath** again instead.
Still, there was one positive thing…
Jinhyuk’s gaze flickered toward his phone.
A **ViewTube** live stream.
While it wouldn’t earn him any coins, it was a great way to gain subscribers and personal donations.
Right after the baseball game started, Jinhyuk had opened the live stream, drawing in viewers.
And, of course…
The response was explosive.
– golgol: Wow. Is this for real? This is the most epic game ever.
– Maison Hwang: Watching high-ranker battle videos looks like child’s play compared to this.
– Moon Yuchan: I’ve watched countless boss fights, labyrinth raids, and ruins explorations, but nothing as thrilling and flashy as this.
– cry: This isn’t just baseball, it’s murderball, lol.
– Anonymous: Still, those members are solid. No wonder they’re the heroes who saved humanity.
– JustWondering: Is it just me, or is it weird seeing heroes risking their lives over a baseball game? Someone give me a rational critique.
The chat was moving so fast it made Jinhyuk’s head spin.
‘At least the company’s reputation is going through the roof.’
The stock prices had already skyrocketed since **Veteran Corporation** was ranked among the top 8 guilds globally.
Adding this promotional video would only amplify the effect.
Now that he had calculated all that, Jinhyuk found the chaotic baseball game a little more bearable.
‘Since we’re already here, why not just destroy the whole baseball field?’
The more injuries, the hotter the public interest would become.
***
The two-day holiday came to an end.
As the promised date arrived, Jinhyuk activated the gate to the auction house once more.
Vroom!
With a flash of light, the same phenomenon that occurred when he first tore the ticket happened again.
“Whew.”
Jinhyuk took a deep breath.
He had run through simulations in his mind several times, but it didn’t hurt to double-check for any potential variables.
After all, the gods from the upper floors would be attending this auction.
If he wanted to extract the maximum benefit from this event, everything had to go perfectly.
Just then…
“Oh my! You’re back.”
The small fairy from before appeared in front of Jinhyuk.
It was the same guide he had met two days ago.
“Hello again. Your name was… Setilda, right?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Wow! I’m honored you remembered my name. Did you not find anything to your liking last time? Seeing as how you’ve returned… Oh, wait, hold on! Where did I put it? Ah, here it is! This is the schedule for today’s auction. I highly recommend the B-3 auction hosted by middle administrator Rick. Take a look, there are some brand-new items from the 20th floor…”
As usual, Setilda’s rapid-fire speech assaulted Jinhyuk’s ears.
“That sounds nice, but I’m actually here for the special auction hosted by the gods.”
“Oh… that one…”
Setilda’s tone suddenly became hesitant.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just… the auctions hosted by the gods have incredibly high prices. And just the entrance fee alone costs enough to buy a decent castle or an equivalent in mana stones.”
In other words, unless you were incredibly wealthy, you couldn’t even attend.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t come unprepared.”
Jinhyuk pulled out a substantial **dragon ball**.
He had snatched it from **Mallang the Crane**, who had painstakingly crafted the precious orb.
The image of the tearful **Azure Dragon** begging him not to take it flashed in his mind, but…
His guilt only lasted a second.
“I know the way from here. No need to guide me any further.”
“Okay then, enjoy the auction!”
As usual, Setilda flashed her bright smile and waved him off.
***
Tap. Tap.
As Jinhyuk ventured further inside, rows of ornate marble pillars came into view.
At the same time, auras of a completely different magnitude from the entrance began to manifest.
‘As expected…’
Jinhyuk’s lips curled slightly.
These were the most powerful beings in the Tower.
Each of them ruled over a mythology or a world.
Just being near them felt like an oppressive weight pressing down on him.
‘Norse gods, Greek gods… even beings from the Elemental Realm and Demon Realm are here.’
Back when Jinhyuk had climbed the Tower in the past, it was rare to see such a gathering of top-tier factions.
The sheer number of prominent forces present at this auction spoke volumes about its importance.
Just then…
“Oh my.”
A beautiful woman with long blonde hair tied to one side approached.
It was the archangel **Gabriel**, from **Eden**.
Beside her was a muscular male angel, likely a bodyguard.
Since Jinhyuk didn’t recognize his face, it was unlikely he held any significant rank.
“You came, as I expected.”
Gabriel was the first to speak.
“It’s not every day an opportunity like this arises.”
“Well, it’s not often that one gets a chance to meet deities.”
Gabriel nodded in understanding.
However…
“There’s also something else. My main purpose here is to observe the apostles of the deities. From what I’ve seen, it looks like some non-deities are mingling among the crowd.”
“…!?”
Gabriel’s pupils dilated slightly at Jinhyuk’s words.
The male angel next to her tensed and clenched his fists.
“Where did you hear such information?”
“While players may not have been chosen by the deities yet, it’s a different story for the residents. Deities need representatives to exert their influence on the lower floors, right? So it only makes sense that they would bring their apostles to an event like this to showcase their power.”
Just as those chosen by the Demon Realm were called **Black Apostles**, other deities had similar champions.
Among those present, there would undoubtedly be high-ranking residents who had been carefully selected.
In the future…
They would be the rivals who climbed the upper floors of the Tower alongside Jinhyuk.
“Hehehe. You’ve even thought about that? How interesting. Most players would be busy bragging about being the first to attend such an event.”
Gabriel’s expression brightened, as if she had taken an even greater liking to him.
“As I mentioned before, **Eden** is very interested in you, Kang Jinhyuk. Having someone of your caliber as an apostle would be a great asset.”
With that in mind…
“We’ll be the first to make you an offer.”
One of the largest factions had made their first move.
An offer that was hard to refuse.
“We’ll provide you with information on **Senior Administrator Hasting**. Including details on what he’s planning next.”