Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 353: Crown of Conquest (1)

A black object gleamed through the platinum-colored sand.

It was the ‘Crown of Conquest’ once possessed by the Heavenly Demon.

Not only was it the key to reaching the 50th floor, but it was also a top-tier artifact, far beyond the power of other relics.

Finally, the time had come to claim it.

Jinhyuk’s [Eyes of Gluttony] scanned the crown.

Ding!

[Crown of Conquest]

Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable

Description: One of the seven crowns that exist within the Tower, representing overwhelming ‘strength.’

+30 to all stat attributes.

……Due to the low level of ‘Eyes of Gluttony,’ detailed information cannot be viewed.

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

‘Perfect.’

It was undoubtedly the real deal.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart pounded with anticipation.

An option that increased *all* stats didn’t just mean boosting the basic four—strength, agility, magic, and stamina.

‘It’ll also boost gap and adaptive stats… and even luck.’

Truly an absurdly overpowered trait.

Especially since *gap* was something that couldn’t be increased except by evading the attacks of the Minotaur on the 1st floor.

This crown was the only indirect way to raise that stat.

‘And… it’s also the key to the 50th floor.’

It was the essential item required to enter the 50th floor.

Not to mention, possessing it would provide an enormous advantage when dealing with the gods and the upper-tier forces.

He absolutely had to secure it.

‘I’d love to just grab it right away, but no way that guy will let me.’

Moving recklessly would only get him killed.

At the very least, he needed to divert attention or deal some damage to create an opening.

In that moment—

Wuuuuung!

An intense energy radiated from Jinhyuk’s body.

It was the desire born when he saw something he *truly* wanted.

“…Do you really think you can compete with me?” Hound asked, as if the idea were laughable.

To which Jinhyuk replied, “Do you seriously think a dog from the 50th floor can fight me?”

With a bright smile.

“A dog, huh? Well, since you don’t know them, I suppose we might look like mere hounds to you.”

“No, I know them all too well. Enough to be thoroughly sick of them, in fact.”

“And you call yourself sick of them after just one victory? That, too, a victory by some underhanded method to extend your life?”

Hound scoffed.

It made sense from his perspective.

After all, Jinhyuk had only fought the Great Old One, Shub-Niggurath, once.

And that one battle could hardly be considered a proper victory.

“Well, you’re not wrong. A head-on fight with them is still too much for me right now.”

“Still too much?”

“Yeah. *For now*.”

He might be keeping his head down now.

But soon, he would grow far stronger.

To catch up to his former peak.

To see the summit of the Tower, a place no one had ever reached before.

Even the beings of the 50th floor, and the gods who ruled the various mythologies—he planned to stand above them all once again.

Srrrng.

Jinhyuk unsheathed the Twin Dragon Swords and the Fang.

The mismatched pair of swords gleamed with a sharp aura.

“Everyone else is fighting hard. We can’t be the only ones sitting idle. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”

“…Your time for regret will be brief. None of those who’ve opposed me have ever lived.”

Both Jinhyuk and Hound moved simultaneously.

Tap!

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, both of their forms disappeared.

* * *

An attack came from the lower right.

Fwoooosh!

The sound of wind pierced Jinhyuk’s ears.

At the same time, Jinhyuk used the Fang to deflect the trajectory of the greatsword.

Splaash!

Sand flew up in all directions.

It was a blow so powerful that the word ‘brutal’ came to mind.

But without missing a beat, a second strike came rushing toward his torso.

“…!”

There was no way to avoid it.

Jinhyuk brought the Twin Dragon Swords up to brace for the impact.

Booooom!

A heavy shock traveled from his fingertips up to his skull.

A ranker of hero-class.

Hound’s strength was truly impressive.

In terms of sheer destructive power, he was on par with the giant races.

However.

“A contest of strength, huh…”

Bzzzt…!

Jinhyuk had something that could match that.

[The unique ability ‘Tombgrave’s Right Arm’ is activated!]

The power of the giants surged through his right arm.

His muscles swelled, and the quality of the magic flowing through his veins changed.

Boom! Boom!

Greatsword clashed with sword, brilliant sparks flying.

Each strike had the force to crack open skulls if even a glancing blow landed.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A long gash was carved into the sand 10 meters behind Jinhyuk.

A similar gash appeared on the opposite side where Hound stood.

Spinning his body, Jinhyuk aimed three consecutive strikes at Hound’s neck.

One strike. Two strikes… Twenty strikes.

“Hmm…”

As the fight dragged on, Hound’s eyes began to shake slightly.

Of course, that was to be expected.

In all his missions under Nyarlathotep’s command, he had never met anyone who could withstand his attacks like this.

‘It’s not that his strength or speed is exceptional.’

In fact, in those aspects, Jinhyuk was weaker than the other members of the Old Guard.

However, there was one thing that more than made up for all of his weaknesses.

Timing.

By slipping in at the exact moment just before maximum destructive power was unleashed, Jinhyuk deliberately reduced the force of Hound’s attacks.

Booom!

This time, too, the sword shifted slightly to the side.

It was a split-second adjustment, no longer than 0.1 seconds, but it threw Hound off his rhythm.

‘It wasn’t a coincidence.’

Once or twice might have been luck.

But after the first three strikes, none of his attacks had gone as planned.

And what was more, the longer they exchanged blows, the more eerily precise Jinhyuk’s timing became.

As if he was just now getting a feel for the fight.

After thirty-nine exchanges without a conclusion, both men momentarily stepped back to reassess.

“This is… impressive.”

Hound spoke with genuine admiration.

At this point, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

At least when it came to reading an opponent’s ‘breathing,’ Jinhyuk was superior.

“Is that why you were so confident? By leading me into wasting my energy, you thought you could claim the crown once I’m worn down?”

Even now, Jinhyuk was subtly shifting his center of gravity toward the direction of the crown.

Though outwardly focused on the fight, his true aim was always the crown.

To show such composure, even against him, the fourth-ranked member of the Old Guard…

“Kukuk… Khahahaha!”

Hound suddenly burst into laughter.

It was loud enough that the other ongoing battles briefly halted.

“Your pitiful calculations are infuriating. You were dividing your focus at a time when you should’ve been concentrating every cell of your being.”

Timing and breathing no longer mattered.

Before overwhelming power, tricks like that were worthless.

From now on, he would show Jinhyuk just how grave a mistake he had made.

Crack!

Blood-red runes began to glow along the length of Hound’s dark greatsword.

[The Old Guard’s seal is being lifted.]

[The unique holy spear ‘Wheel of Reversal’ is activated!]

The greatsword moved slowly but deliberately.

Jinhyuk’s Twin Dragon Swords and the Fang responded in kind.

But.

“This is the end, kid.”

Crunch.

At the moment the weapons clashed—

A sound that should never have been heard echoed in the air.

“…!?”

Jinhyuk’s pupils shook violently.

A crack had formed in the dagger forged from the fang of the Penthagris, a mythical beast.

For a brief moment, it felt as if time had stopped.

But this was no illusion.

Nor was it a nightmare.

Snap… Crack…

The cracks in the Fang grew wider and wider.

With a final breaking sound, the blade of the Fang shattered completely.

A weapon that had been with Jinhyuk for so long lost its light.

[The ‘Collapse Effect’ of Absolute Judgment has been activated.]

A series of red status windows appeared in succession.

“How does it feel? Can you still focus on the crown?”

A wicked smile spread across Hound’s lips.

He was certain that Jinhyuk was in a state of panic, having just lost his beloved weapon.

But.

* * *

‘The Wheel of Reversal… So I get to see that damn unique spear again.’

Jinhyuk had already anticipated this situation.

‘It’s a shame to lose the Fang, but… it can’t be helped.’

His gaze shifted to Hound’s status window displayed by [Eyes of Gluttony].

* * * *

Name: Krekser de Akasius
Alias: Hound
Level: 315
Stats: Strength 533, Agility 215, Stamina 305, Magic 255, Will of the Outer God 644
Unique Ability: Wheel of Reversal

Unique Holy Spear: Wheel of Reversal
Skills: The skill information is too numerous to display. It is in condensed mode.

Details: Approximately 1,300 years ago, Akasius was a noble of the ‘Lost Empire’ and a resident of the 20th floor. However, due to power struggles within the Tower, his entire family was annihilated. Disillusioned with the world, he sought to end his life. It was at this moment that Nyarlathotep recognized his talent and made him part of the Old Guard.

[Copy Condition]

To copy the target’s abilities, something of equivalent value must be sacrificed. The more valuable the sacrifice, the higher the success rate of the copied ability.

* * * *

Giving up the Fang… was for this ability copy.

While the crown was his top priority, it made no sense not to copy abilities when surrounded by such strong enemies.

Ideally, he would copy them all, but in this situation, he could only aim to copy one or, if he was lucky, two abilities.

The first one he wanted to copy was Hound’s unique ability.

‘Please…’

Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

He had sacrificed his precious Fang; surely, that would be enough…

[You have not met the conditions for ability copy.]

[Additional sacrifices are required.]

Even that sacrifice wasn’t enough for this overpowered ability.

He would have to offer something even greater—or, at the very least, offer much more.

Damn it.

But he couldn’t give up his other treasured weapon, Balmung.

‘It’s possible to replace the Fang with something new from the Sand Dunes of the Sun, but losing Balmung would be too much.’

He needed to hunt dragons with Balmung. Losing it would be a far greater loss than any potential gain.

In that case…

A gleam flickered in Jinhyuk’s eyes.

He had come up with a way to secure the crown, copy the ability, and wipe out the troublesome Old Guard in one fell swoop.

It was a risky plan, but if everything lined up perfectly, there was a chance.

No choice but to try.

Tap.

Jinhyuk turned his back, heading straight for the spot where the Crown of Conquest lay.

“Hahaha! As expected, such a simple mind. After all that thought, your grand plan is to just run toward the crown and pray?”

Convinced of his victory, Hound immediately began his pursuit.