Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 352. Old Guard (3)

Chun Yoosung, Teresa, Frey, and Yua Sis unleashed their unique abilities.

Wuuuuung!

With a brilliant light, immense magic power surged.

“You had your comrades on standby and connected dimensions…?”

Hound slowly opened his mouth.

He had anticipated the traps, but he hadn’t seen this ploy coming.

However.

That reaction only lasted a moment.

“So what are you trying to accomplish? Did you think this would turn the tide?”

If there had been hundreds or thousands of soldiers, it might have made a difference.

But for the Old Guard, this kind of ambush was almost laughably insignificant.

They were so used to chaotic battles and fighting numerous enemies that it had become second nature to them.

The only real nuisance among them was…

A single doll with blue hair.

‘A homunculus… I heard rumors it would be up for auction. So, they did complete it.’

Yes. As long as they were cautious of that one, there were no other variables to worry about.

Clang!

Hound drew his greatsword.

Kukukukuku!

A sinister aura enveloped the entire blade.

“Damn. What the hell is that monster?”

Chun Yoosung immediately asked.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? That middle manager, Rick or whatever, told us to prepare for an incoming attack, and now we’ve got a horde of monsters way beyond our league bearing down on us!”

Hmm… that?

“It’s nothing. They may look tough, but they’re no match for you.”

Jinhyuk deliberately made light of it, but Chun Yoosung’s expression didn’t improve.

The magic power he felt on his skin was so intense it was painful.

He couldn’t even begin to gauge how strong these enemies were.

“They’re not easy to handle in a one-on-one fight.”

Teresa added her thoughts.

She was even considering activating her ‘Corruption’ ability, but she wasn’t sure if that would be enough to handle even one opponent properly.

“It seems the alteration of the ruins is also related to them. The magical residue… it’s eerily similar.”

Finally, Yua Sis analyzed the magic radiating from the Old Guard’s bodies.

Whatever it was.

With their objectives overlapping, a fight was inevitable.

“Kill them all, except for Kang Jinhyuk.”

At Hound’s command, the battle began in earnest.

＊＊＊

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!

Magic clashed with magic.

Chun Yoosung unleashed the techniques of his Spirit-Slaying Sword and engaged the Old Guard’s Selly head-on.

In less than 10 seconds, dozens of strikes were exchanged.

The rapid succession of sword strikes was so fast that it was difficult to even track the afterimages.

“Not bad, for a human.”

A faint smile played on Selly’s lips.

“You’re annoyingly fast, yourself.”

Chun Yoosung clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

Despite using the fastest techniques in his arsenal, the opponent leisurely read every sword path with ease.

This was the first time since fighting that damn old-timer that he had felt such frustration.

Clang! Clang!

Their swords clashed again, sparks flying and leaving afterimages in the air.

“If you’re as strong as you seem, you should already realize it by now. Continuing this fight is meaningless.”

“Yeah… you’re right. To be honest, I don’t think I have even the slightest chance of winning.”

The stronger you are, the more familiar you become with gauging the gap between you and your opponent.

Knowing your own level makes predicting the outcome of a battle second nature.

However.

Chun Yoosung gripped his sword with both hands.

Hundreds, no, thousands of times.

He had challenged and failed again and again.

In pursuit of a single victory, he had endured countless bitter defeats.

Maybe that’s why.

“If there’s one thing I have over that bastard, it’s my tenacity. Even if I die, I won’t give up.”

Buzz…

A beautiful melody began to hum through the sword.

The energy of the sword and sword aura intertwined,

Everything he had accumulated to climb the Tower,

Everything he had gathered to surpass his one and only rival,

Began to burn with a fierce intensity.

“…!!”

Selly crossed both of her swords.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive blow rained down upon her blades like a mountain.

She couldn’t fully deflect the shock.

“The title of Sword Saint is certainly too grand for me. As you said, there are countless opponents I can’t overcome.”

Chun Yoosung immediately prepared his next technique.

The fluidly connected strikes came together to form one colossal sword.

Kukukukuku!

The magic power in the sword deepened further.

At the same time, Selly’s feet were pushed deeper into the ground as she struggled to hold off the attack.

“But today, I’ll defeat you and rise to a level worthy of that title.”

“You… arrogant brat…”

The swords clashed once more, dancing in the air.

＊＊＊

“Tch. That Selly… struggling like that.”

Blackrock clicked his tongue as he drew his bowstring.

It was frustrating to see her having trouble dealing with a mere swordsman.

“I’ll make quick work of you two. We can’t have the Old Guard’s reputation being dragged through the mud by small fry.”

There were two opponents.

Teresa and Yua Sis.

A versatile duo of a tank capable of healing and a long-range dealer.

‘The leader of the Dryads is probably only good for potshots from afar… And this one uses holy power, huh. Hmm. Individually, they’re nothing. But together, their coordination could be a bit annoying.’

At the very least.

It wouldn’t be too easy.

Shwip.

In an instant, Blackrock vanished and appeared above the two.

“Let’s see how fast your reactions are…”

Fwooong…

…Boom!

The arrow tore through the air.

From above.

To below.

A beam of light fell like a comet.

“Watch out!”

Teresa quickly pulled out her shield to protect Yua Sis, but it was a fraction too late.

The shield was sent flying by a single arrow.

The impact was like being hit head-on by a battering ram, shaking her entire body.

“Argh!”

“Miss Teresa!”

Yua Sis nocked an arrow made of her braided hair onto her bowstring.

The precious moment the tank had bought.

She couldn’t waste it.

Fwoosh!

The arrow of braided hair flew in a straight line.

Fast. Accurate.

But.

“Too slow.”

That was all.

Blackrock reloaded his next arrow faster than Yua Sis’s could fly.

And more than that.

He didn’t just match the speed; he did something incredible.

He struck her arrow in midair, and then his second arrow slid along the side of it, carrying on its path.

Thud!

“Kyaaah!”

A scream of pain burst from Yua Sis’s lips.

The arrow pierced through her shoulder and embedded itself into the wall behind her.

‘This is bad…’

Teresa instinctively activated ‘Corruption.’

At this point, they had no choice but to fight with everything they had.

＊＊＊

Meanwhile.

In another area, another battle was about to unfold.

“My opponent is you. Well, at least I get to hunt the strongest prey. Not bad.”

The fourth member of the Old Guard.

A close-combat martial artist named Roifang.

His entire body was covered in red tattoos, and his smooth, hairless head was quite striking.

Boom!

When his fist struck, cyan-green flames erupted.

A combination of ice and poison attributes.

“You… know me?”

Frey, who had been chosen as his opponent, tilted her head in confusion.

“Of course I do. Aren’t you the greatest masterpiece ever created by an alchemist? I’m personally quite thrilled to have the opportunity to hunt an Alpha Homunculus.”

Roifang burned with enthusiasm.

Of course, he was simply following Nyarlathotep’s orders…

But hunting strong prey was what made him feel alive.

“I don’t know anything about satisfaction. I’m not even sure if I like fighting strong enemies.”

“Is that so? Then why do you fight?”

At Roifang’s question, Frey briefly glanced at the twin spears in her hands.

The reason she fought…

That was…

“There’s someone I want to protect.”

The person who had given her a name for the first time.

The person who had promised to treat her not as a tool of war, but as a comrade.

She wanted to stay with that person a little longer.

If she had a reason, that was all.

＊＊＊

The intense battle continued.

Jinhyuk carefully observed the situation.

‘They’re holding up better than I expected.’

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, he had managed to create openings among three of the four enemies.

All that remained was one.

Hound.

The leader of this group.

The combat power of Hound was so overwhelming that even if the other three teamed up, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

But the point of this fight wasn’t about who could defeat whom.

The goal was to obtain the Crown of Conquest.

That was the reason for coming here.

“…You’re deep in thought, probably calculating how to get your hands on the crown. I mean, you can’t afford to waste the opportunity you’ve earned, even if it meant sacrificing your comrades.”

“You’re being harsh. Sacrifice? Everyone volunteered willingly.”

And then.

“Why are you so sure it’ll be us who gets sacrificed?”

He must have been underestimating the full power of Veteran Corporation.

They hadn’t shown all their cards yet.

Wuuuuung!

Jinhyuk opened his subspace inventory.

With a dazzling light, the second wave of reinforcements appeared.

“Tweat!”

Goguma confidently stretched out all four legs.

Her black scales and amber eyes burned with intensity.

Beside Goguma stood a noble figure with long silver hair flowing down her back.

Alice von Ataraxia.

If the Old Guard were the hunting dogs slaughtering top-ranking figures inside the Tower…

Alice was one of the absolute beings symbolizing the Tower itself.

Even though she wasn’t in her prime, her experience and standing were far from diminished.

“You promised. Once this is over, you’ll dine with me at the place I want, eating the food I choose. No interruptions either. Especially not that blue-haired brat or that dumb saint! Absolutely not! Promise me!”

Alice pouted as she delivered her demands.

Though Jinhyuk had tried hard to placate her, it seemed her dissatisfaction had built up over time.

“Yeah, yeah. I promise you that.”

“Hmph! Fine, I’ll trust you just this once.”

“Stop worrying about that and focus. This isn’t an opponent we can take lightly.”

“I know.”

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Alice was also prepared to fight at full strength from the beginning.

[Alice activates her unique holy spear, ‘Revelation of Genesis’!]

With a crimson halo, flames as brilliant as the sun burst forth.

Beyond the flickering space, dozens of red spears materialized.

“Are you going to take care of the one in front?”

“I can handle him. You help the others. Especially Teresa and Yua Sis—they’re struggling.”

“Got it. I’ll move quickly with the spirit beasts.”

Alice nodded toward the spirit beasts who had accompanied her.

“Leave it to us, Master.”

“We’ll fight hard and make them regret it!”

“Haha. I wonder which fools dared to offend our cold-blooded queen.”

The spirit beasts piled on the flattery.

With an ancient species, a true-blood dragon, and spirit beasts in the mix, the situation had become much more favorable.

But just then…

Kukukukuku!

The dunes within the ruins began to tremble violently.

Due to the interior’s alignment with the sun, the sand started shifting positions.

Twinkle.

A black glint emerged from within the swirling sand.

Amidst the torrent of grains…

“…!”

“I found it.”

Both Jinhyuk and Hound’s eyes gleamed at the same time.

There was no doubt.

The ‘Crown of Conquest’ lay within that rushing current.