Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 350. Old Guard (1)
Sssk!
Splat!
With a chilling sound of flesh being torn, the body of a Dryad collapsed.
“Ah…”
A short sigh escaped her lips, filled with nothing but despair.
It was inevitable.
The enemies standing before her now…
Were monsters far beyond her comprehension.
Neither armor, shields, nor even the blessings of the spirits…
None of it mattered.
‘We mustn’t let these beings reach Lady Yua Sis…’
But that thought was nothing more than a fleeting hope.
With a single, clean slash, the Dryad’s head tumbled to the ground.
Thud!
The flame of her life, now extinguished, also snuffed out her will.
In less than three minutes, the thirty-seven Dryads stationed at the ruins’ entrance were annihilated.
Each one had been carefully selected from their village, elite warriors. The result was nothing short of shocking.
“Pathetic. This isn’t even enough to knock the rust off my sword.”
The slender man clicked his tongue.
The runes engraved on his dark sword still glowed faintly.
“This mission isn’t for your personal indulgence. Don’t mix your goals with your emotions.”
At the man’s words, a woman with short black hair stepped forward.
Like him, she held a thin, dark dagger, her cold gaze surveying the fallen Dryads.
“How cold. Work is meant to be enjoyed, you know… Standing so rigid won’t make those ‘beings’ favor you any more.”
“You…”
For a moment, sharp tension filled the air.
The oppressive aura was so strong that it warped the mana in the atmosphere.
They were the **Old Guard**.
A group of rankers meticulously trained by Nyarlathotep within the Tower. For thousands of years, they had served as his hands and feet, handling the Tower’s dirtiest tasks.
They were loyal hunting dogs, cleaners, and warriors capable of solo-clearing most dungeons and ruins.
Another man, carrying a massive longbow larger than himself, examined the state of the ruins with his eyes closed.
His solid build and the sheer size of his bow left a deep impression.
“The Player Kang Jinhyuk is currently inside a cave, taking shelter from the storm. There are five of them… No, counting the True Ancestor, six. Hmm. They’ve just entered the cave. It seems they’ve sensed the Dryads were killed.”
“A cave? Isn’t that where a horde of Black Scorpions is sleeping? And isn’t that place notoriously complex?”
“Hoh. Do they have a guide among them? Navigating that cave is impossible without someone on the level of you or Pesis.”
Various reactions emerged.
They found it hard to grasp Jinhyuk’s reckless nature.
At the same time, their curiosity grew about what kind of outcome such boldness would produce.
“It seems he knows that the Crown is in the Dunes of the Sun.”
The largest of the four Old Guard stood up.
Clank!
A greatsword, over 2 meters long, slid back into its sheath on his back.
“We’ll increase our speed.”
“We’re heading straight for the Dunes of the Sun?”
“No. Judging by their path, they’re heading toward the Antlion.”
Beating their competitors to the artifact was one option.
However…
Doing so might leave them vulnerable or with loose ends.
If their opponent knew a shortcut, things could get even more complicated.
“We’ll go there, eliminate them, and secure the crown.”
To ensure a flawless mission.
The best solution was to erase their competition entirely.
“That sounds fun.”
“Don’t kill Kang Jinhyuk. Rick, the middle-tier administrator, seems to have taken a liking to him as a useful pawn.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“So, I take it the rest are fair game.”
Step.
With that, the four Old Guard entered the gate.
***
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Screeeeech!”
The Antlion roared violently.
Its prey was trapped in the sand, its movements restricted.
Therefore…
It should’ve been easy to devour them in a single bite.
By all rights, the battle should have ended long ago.
And yet, that human kept slipping away, darting around just out of reach.
As if he was deliberately stalling for time.
[The unique ability ‘Blood Explosion’ has been activated!]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blood and sand mingled as explosions rocked the area.
Amid the swirling dust, Jinhyuk used the ‘Heavenly Swordsmanship’ technique to maneuver through the sand.
The characteristic of the Antlion Pit made it impossible to move at even one-third of his usual speed…
But that didn’t matter.
Speed wasn’t the most important thing in this fight.
Just a little more…
A little more…
Jinhyuk continued to bide his time.
‘We need to finish this before those outside reach us.’
The elites of Hastings, skilled in both power and intelligence.
Knowing they had already reached the ruins’ entrance meant they likely had a good idea of where the crown was hidden.
‘They must also be predicting our position and the direction we’re heading.’
Through ‘Thousand Layered Traps,’ Jinhyuk had left markers from the entrance to their current location.
This allowed him to estimate the enemies’ average speed based on the distance they’d covered so far.
‘If my calculations are right… no matter what they choose, we’ll end up one step behind.’
They were moving faster than expected.
At least three times faster than what Jinhyuk had initially calculated.
Which meant…
Rather than trying to outrun them, they’d have to face them head-on.
At a location and under conditions more favorable to Jinhyuk’s team.
And one of those conditions involved this Antlion.
“Screeeeech!”
The Antlion charged once more.
For the umpteenth time, Jinhyuk marveled at the creature’s seemingly endless stamina.
Even after taking multiple hits from the Blood Explosion—a trademark move of the House of Dekathos—it was still going strong.
Jinhyuk swung the scythe made from Death’s Breathwood.
Crackle, crackle, crack!
The single eye of the Antlion was torn horizontally.
Wooong!
Numerous magic circles materialized in the air.
[The 6th Circle magic ‘Aqua Storm’ has been activated!]
The spell Jinhyuk chose was water-based.
High-speed water droplets spun rapidly, forming a pentagram.
This was a high-tier spell, stripped of anything but sheer destructive power.
“Have a nice drink.”
Rumble…
The torrent of water surged forward, crashing directly into the Antlion’s face.
Boom!
The overwhelming deluge blocked Jinhyuk’s view entirely.
However…
“Screeeeech!”
The Antlion remained unscathed.
Its gaping maw shot toward Jinhyuk with terrifying speed.
A foul stench of rotting corpses filled his nose.
Its jaws began to close.
Preparing to tear its prey apart.
…Now!
At last, the moment Jinhyuk had been waiting for arrived.
He dove between the creature’s teeth.
At almost the exact same instant—
Snap!
The jaws snapped shut.
But Jinhyuk had already slipped down the Antlion’s throat, perfectly timed to avoid the attack.
***
‘That was close.’
Jinhyuk let out a small sigh of relief.
Using the Aqua Storm to obscure its vision and the Blood Explosion to dull its sense of smell had bought him just 0.3 seconds.
If his timing had been even slightly off, he would have been torn to shreds instead of entering the creature’s body.
‘This place stinks even worse than I remembered.’
His nose stung painfully.
The inside of the Antlion was unbearably hot, and the foul odor was suffocating.
Despite all that, Jinhyuk had willingly taken on the risk because there was something he had to acquire.
The **Inner Core**.
In a magical beast of this size, there was always an inner core, a crystalline heart that sustained its long life.
It was a crystallization of mana and the vital organ that kept such a beast alive.
Jinhyuk had sent the others ahead specifically so he could secure it.
‘While I buy time, the others should already be heading toward the Dunes of the Sun through the hidden passage.’
Now, he just needed to clear this final hurdle.
Jinhyuk made his way deeper into the Antlion, moving along its slimy inner walls.
Thankfully, the creature was large enough that there was plenty of space for a grown man to walk through.
After what felt like an eternity, the dark passage began to brighten, revealing a small chamber-like area.
Finally, Jinhyuk had reached the creature’s heart.
‘There it is.’
A black sphere, brimming with venomous energy, came into view.
That was the Antlion’s **Inner Core**.
‘Purifying that venom is going to be a challenge.’
Entering the creature was only the first hurdle.
The second was purging the venom surrounding the core.
Touching it recklessly would be a death sentence, dissolving a person into nothing within a minute.
In fact, one of the demonic gods had once tried to touch such a core barehanded, only to perish within a week.
Jinhyuk carefully examined his surroundings.
Crackle! Fizz!
The venom around the core burned, turning everything black.
The sheer toxicity of the substance was terrifying.
To neutralize it…
**Fight fire with fire.**
[The unique abilities ‘Thousand Poisons,’ ‘Black Tears,’ and ‘Blood Demon Energy’ have been fused!]
The ‘Thousand Poisons’ ability, which allowed him to manipulate countless toxins, fused with ‘Black Tears’ acquired from the Wailing Witch.
And he added the bloodborne demonic energy to the mix.
As the three abilities combined, a crimson glow surged from his body.
Rumble…
Using such extreme methods came at a great cost, putting immense strain on Jinhyuk’s body.
To gain great power, one always had to pay the price.
But in this situation, he had no choice but to push himself to the limit.
Throb! Throb! Throb!
His blood vessels felt like they were burning up.
The mana overload sent excruciating pain through every part of his body.
At that moment—
[Fusion has been successful!]
[You have acquired the unique ability ‘Heaven-Piercing Poison.’]
**[Heaven-Piercing Poison]**
**Difficulty Level: SS**
**Description**: A poison that could destroy the heavens. Increases your understanding of all poisons in the Tower by 250%. Even the masters of poisons, like the Four Poison Families or the deities of the upper floors, would hesitate to discuss poisons in your presence.
[The fused ability has been stored in the ‘Memory of the World.’]
Perfect.
“Whew…!”
Jinhyuk’s breathing steadied.
The venom surrounding the core was now faint, almost imperceptible.
He could now sense exactly where the poison was flowing and what its components were.
With the activation of Heaven-Piercing Poison, green light gathered at Jinhyuk’s fingertips.
As his hand sliced through the air, the venom around the core slowly began to dissipate.
Little by little…
He was almost there, but Jinhyuk didn’t let his guard down.
He worked with utmost precision…
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he maintained his focus.
This was delicate work, requiring intense concentration. He couldn’t afford even a single misstep.
[The venom surrounding the core has completely disappeared!]
It’s done!
Jinhyuk suppressed the urge to shout in triumph.
Finally, it was time to claim the hard-earned reward.
But just as he was about to seize the core…
Boom!
A violent shock shook his entire body.
“Kuh!?”
The impact hadn’t come from within.
Something had struck the Antlion from the outside.
Sssss!
As the smoke cleared, a massive hole came into view.
And beyond that hole…
Four figures dressed in black appeared.
There was no mistaking it.
These were the ones sent by Hastings.
“Of all times… it had to be now.”
Jinhyuk had calculated everything to the last second.
But they had arrived even faster than he had predicted.