Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 347. Hidden Place on the 19th Floor (1)
Jinhyuk stared deeply into the homunculus’ eyes.
The blue pupils sparkled as if they were drawing him in.
Hmm…
No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one name he could give.
Jinhyuk’s mouth slowly opened.
“Frey.”
“Frey…?”
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll call you Frey.”
“That’s… a good name. I like it.”
Frey nodded slightly.
Seeing how she seemed to think it held some special meaning… made him feel a little guilty.
‘Frey (pray: to pray).’
It was named after the lucky miracle that came true in a ridiculous luck-based game.
‘At first, I was going to call her Mincho, short for mint chocolate, but Frey sounds better. It even seems a bit more sophisticated.’
It’s a relief that Frey also liked the name.
But just then—
Wooong!
The ‘Ring of Braham’ on his right hand began to vibrate intensely.
At the same time, a scorching heat, far beyond anything he’d felt before, swept over his entire body.
This reaction… could it be?
Fwoosh!
With a burst of flames, Alice appeared, her eyes wide open.
“Alice?”
“Y-you… y-you stupid contractor! Why did you pick up something like this again?!”
Alice screamed, as if she were about to bring the whole hotel down.
Her voice was so sharp it made his ears ring.
“Did… did I do something wrong?”
Frey tilted her head in confusion.
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. And Alice, calm down and listen to me. And put that skewer away, will you? What are you thinking, pulling out a weapon in a sacred hotel?”
If Alice’s unique ability as a True Ancestor activated here, the hotel would be reduced to dust.
And it would probably make the 9 o’clock news as well.
“Explain. Short. In three sentences.”
Alice barely swallowed her erupting fury.
Naturally, she was only holding back by a thread.
If he went beyond three sentences, or failed to persuade her, she might just destroy the world.
“Frey is an auxiliary combat unit. A highly competent one. Plus, as a homunculus, she doesn’t need to eat to absorb nutrients, so you don’t have to worry about your food supply running out.”
Jinhyuk rattled off the explanation at rapid speed.
It was an impressively logical and objective summary.
However…
“Did… did you really think I was angry about the food? Is that seriously what you think of me?”
“Huh? Wasn’t that it?”
Judging from what he’d seen, she was happiest when her cheeks were stuffed full of food.
That was why he had actively opposed adding another mouth to feed, wasn’t it?
Jinhyuk’s eyes widened.
And at that sight—
“You idiot!”
Alice’s silver hair bristled.
This wasn’t good.
The magic rising from the depths of her being was too intense to gauge.
“Ali…ce?”
“Die!”
Boom!
The entire floor of the hotel was engulfed in massive flames.
***
The 19th Floor of the Tower of Trials.
In the magnificent scene of a flowing waterfall, a few figures began to appear one by one.
“Right on time.”
Jinhyuk waved his hand toward the man approaching.
“Damn it. Why’d you pick a place like this? You could’ve at least given me a map or something. I wandered around for hours.”
Chun Yoosung grumbled, voicing his displeasure.
The wet rocks were quite slippery.
Not to mention, this place was so remote, even within the 19th floor, that getting here wouldn’t have been easy.
On the other hand…
“Still, thanks to you, Jinhyuk, I get to see such a famous site.”
Teresa glanced around, marveling at the scenery.
The gentle mist rising from beneath the waterfall, the beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky.
And adorable, unfamiliar creatures were gathering in groups, playing together.
If someone only looked at the scenery, they might easily mistake it for a famous overseas tourist spot.
“But, Jinhyuk, who’s that person next to you?”
Teresa pointed at the girl standing beside Jinhyuk.
She had long blue hair flowing down her back and held a short spear in her hand.
She was someone they had never met before.
“Her name is Frey.”
“She’s not a Player… is she?”
“Not a Resident, either. The energy coming from her body is strange. Could she be a summoned creature… or a doll?”
Sharp as ever.
“Yeah. She’s a homunculus. A being created through alchemy. I happened to meet her while I was on an upper floor.”
“I see… so you weren’t just idle.”
Chun Yoosung, after adding one more comment, finally nodded as if he understood.
“So that’s why Alice hasn’t appeared. I was wondering why she wasn’t around. That’s the reason, huh?”
“Oh? Yeah. She told me to leave her alone for a while. But how did you know that?”
“Sigh. You’re as clueless as ever… Forget it. I won’t even bother explaining.”
Chun Yoosung clicked his tongue, seemingly even more exasperated.
As they exchanged greetings and shared some light conversation, a new sound began to fill the air.
Clack. Clack.
The sound of hooves echoed from far away.
They were finally arriving.
Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.
The others also turned their heads toward the direction of the sound.
A moment later, a familiar figure emerged from between the trees.
A creature with four legs.
The upper body of a woman, and the lower body of a deer—a Resident.
She was Yua Sis of the Dryad race.
They had already met once at the masquerade. He had specially asked her for help in this raid.
That’s because entering the 19th-floor ruins required the permission of a Resident from the Third Faction.
“Greetings, Player Kang Jinhyuk. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the rest of you as well.”
Yua Sis smiled brightly.
“Thank you for making the time to come. If you had said no, we might have had to give up on the raid altogether.”
“No, we needed to investigate this place recently anyway, so the timing was perfect.”
Investigate?
This place?
“Was there… something wrong?”
Jinhyuk asked cautiously, and Yua Sis’s face darkened slightly.
“Do you remember when a huge magical wave swept through the entire Tower?”
A magic wave that enveloped the entire Tower…
The 50th floor.
When Shub-Niggurath and the Black Goats surged down to the lower floors.
“I remember.”
“At that time, this ruin changed as well. It must have been affected by that immense, foreign magic.”
Yua Sis gazed past the waterfall with a troubled expression.
Players wouldn’t be able to feel it, but as a member of the Third Faction, she could sense the disturbance.
“Let’s go inside. I can guide you to the middle at least.”
Yua Sis began walking toward the waterfall.
Swooosh!
Behind the crashing water, a dark cave came into view.
This was the entrance to the ruins.
However, entering required fulfilling certain conditions.
‘I once tried to enter without thinking, only to die several times…’
Yua Sis picked up a small stone and threw it into the cave.
Then—
Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!
The surface of the stone showed signs as if centipedes had crawled across it.
“If you try to enter just like that, this is what happens. It keeps outside interference at bay, though.”
“Then, how do we enter safely?”
“Wait a moment.”
Pzzzt!
Yua Sis channeled magic into a staff made from vine.
As the blue magic flowed, runes appeared, and the tangible energy swirled softly around the cave’s entrance.
At that moment—
[The 10-star barrier ‘Seal of Water’ has been lifted!]
[The SS-rank curse ‘Vortex of Destruction’ has been lifted!]
[The effects of illusions and hallucinations have disappeared.]
Several status windows appeared one after another.
All the obstructions covering the cave’s entrance vanished at once.
As expected.
This was why Yua Sis’s presence was crucial for clearing these ruins.
They didn’t know how the interior had changed due to Shub-Niggurath…
But they were about to find out soon enough.
Led by Yua Sis, the group entered the ruins.
And with that…
Darkness swallowed their vision.
***
A scorching hot wind beat against their skin.
“Kuh!”
“Where… are we?”
Chun Yoosung and Teresa shielded their faces with their hands.
Just standing still, it felt as if their breath was being choked out, and their bodies were burning up.
It was like a desert… no, even hotter and drier than that.
“…..”
Only Frey surveyed the surroundings with a calm expression.
“It might be a bit hard for the Players here. During the day, the temperature rises to 70°C, and at night it drops to -100°C. While you can use magic to protect your bodies to some extent, you’ll need to manage it carefully.”
Of course.
They would have to stay here for at least a week.
Managing magic and stamina would be essential.
But just then—
“There’s something here.”
Frey, who had been watching the surroundings, finally spoke.
A beat later, Chun Yoosung sensed it too.
“Under the sand. About ten of them. Are they predators that live here?”
“They’re sandworms. Judging by the fact that they live near the entrance, they’re probably the ones pushed down the food chain, so we don’t need to worry too much. After you feel the vibration beneath your feet, they’ll leap up exactly three seconds later. Let’s aim for that moment.”
“How does Player Kang Jinhyuk… know all this?”
Yua Sis widened her eyes as Jinhyuk explained confidently.
“I’ve cleared a similar dungeon in an environment like this below the Tower.”
“Ah… But this place is—”
“They’re coming!”
With Teresa’s shout, the sand shook violently.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
One second, two seconds… three seconds.
“Groooar!”
“Screeeeech!”
Huge mouths emerged from the cracks in the sand.
The sandworms, with hundreds of sharp teeth, tried to swallow the group whole.
But…
They had picked the wrong prey.
[The unique ability ‘Song of the Sword’ has been activated!]
Slice!
The body of the sandworm was sliced clean in two.
“Seems like it’s going to be a tough journey from the start. This is why following you around is always exhausting.”
Chun Yoosung swung his sword lightly, flicking off the greenish fluid staining the blade.
“Screeech!”
The sandworms immediately switched targets.
Sand shot up from all sides.
Their intention was to obscure vision and strike during the confusion.
But, of course—
[The unique ability ‘Blessing of the Stars’ has been activated!]
That attempt was thwarted as well.
Wooong!
Light descended from the sky.
The holy power of the unique ability consumed the sandworms alive.
Ssssss!
Before they could even scream, the sandworms’ bodies were reduced to ashes.
“Looks like this desert journey won’t be boring.”
Despite everything, it was reassuring to have such reliable comrades.
The monsters here were far stronger than those found elsewhere.
But…
With this group, they should be able to reach deep into the ruins.
Some parts would be challenging, but if they prepared well enough, it was certainly possible.
Jinhyuk’s gaze shifted to a distant point in the desert.
‘The Crown abandoned by the Heavenly Demon should be somewhere here…’
Clearing the ruins was important, but the top priority was retrieving the crown.
It was finally time to acquire one of the most crucial holy relics in the Tower of Trials.