Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 359: A New Weapon (4)

Wooong!

A beautiful light emanated as a torrent of cold air surged forth.

The most powerful ice-attribute weapon hidden within the Dunes of the Sun.

The *Soul of Havelian*.

This crystal, infused with the frozen aura of past Havelians, was a treasure of immense value.

‘If I forge this properly, it’ll be far better than the fang.’

Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

Like *Frozen Tears*, the *Soul of Havelian* contained a tremendous amount of freezing energy. Touching it bare-handed could prove disastrous.

Even though Jinhyuk had layered *Glacial Sculpting* to shield himself, it wouldn’t be enough to protect him from the crystal’s extreme cold.

However, he wasn’t unprepared.

Jinhyuk retrieved a burning feather from his subspace inventory.

The *Phoenix Feather*.

A special item he had obtained on the 7th floor of the Tower.

Fwoosh!

[Resistance to cold-attribute magic has increased by 500%!]

[The lifespan of the Phoenix Feather is depleting rapidly!]

Crackle! Crackle…!

Though it was a waste to use it all in one go, trying to conserve it would only lead to failure in a situation like this.

Rather than holding back…

‘I’ll put everything into this one shot.’

Jinhyuk extended his hand, now ablaze in red flames.

Chill!

“…!”

Despite the layers of fire surrounding his hand, the cold still seeped through.

This wasn’t ordinary ice magic. It was something truly terrifying.

But…

‘I can do this.’

Even cold magic had different levels of intensity.

The weak spot was a small area about 5 centimeters from the base of the crystal.

Jinhyuk grasped the point where the cold was weakest.

Sssssss!

Steam billowed as the intense heat and freezing cold collided.

After a tense few moments, the crystal at the center split as the mechanisms around it opened, revealing the pure white core.

[You have obtained the *Soul of Havelian*!]

Finally…!

Jinhyuk lightly swung the crystal.

Whirr…

The sharp, 50-centimeter-long crystal spun counterclockwise.

It was lightweight, yet perfectly balanced.

And that was without it even being properly forged yet.

‘This means the raw material is that good.’

Jinhyuk used *Gluttony’s Eye* to examine the crystal.

[*Soul of Havelian*]

Difficulty to obtain: SS

Attack power: 12,800

Durability: 580,000 / 580,000

An SS-rank item.

Its attack power exceeded 10,000, and its durability was nearly 600,000.

‘This is insane.’

Jinhyuk could barely contain his excitement as he thought about what kind of weapon it would become once Old Man Orun forged it.

Now, all that was left was to collect the remaining cold energy, and the conquest of the 19th floor would be complete.

But then—

“Hmm?”

Jinhyuk’s head suddenly snapped upward.

Tingle! Tingle!

‘No way…’

An ominous energy coursed through his body, making the hair on his skin stand on end.

“Rooar?”

Even Havelian, who had been preoccupied with eating shaved ice, lifted its head and looked around warily.

The magic targeting this nest was on an entirely different level.

This distinct energy… Jinhyuk knew exactly what it was.

*Joshua’s Trumpet*.

One of Eden’s most powerful relics was now aimed at this place.

But that didn’t make sense.

Gabriel should have prioritized securing the *Necronomicon*.

‘Has someone else intervened? Or did they offer better terms?’

Various possibilities flashed through his mind, but now wasn’t the time to analyze them.

The only thing that mattered was that an absolute-judgment relic was targeting this nest.

[The absolute judgment ‘Judgment of God’ has been activated!]

Wooong!

The nest of Havelian began to glow white.

At most, he had 30 seconds.

After that, the entire nest would be vaporized.

‘Think.’

Jinhyuk forced his brain into overdrive.

Even in dire situations, there’s always a way out.

25 seconds.

Time was ticking away.

Unless he fully assimilated the crystal, the floor wouldn’t recognize his conquest, meaning he couldn’t leave.

In other words, there was no way to avoid the incoming attack.

‘I need to create something that can block it.’

*Glacial Sculpting* wouldn’t cut it.

Relying on the resurrection effect of *Stellar Blessing* wouldn’t help either, as Eden’s relics contained divine power that bypassed such safeguards.

20 seconds.

His *1-Second Invulnerability* would only last, well, one second.

It wouldn’t be enough to survive a prolonged bombardment.

10 seconds.

It was time to make a decision.

Just then, something flashed through Jinhyuk’s mind like lightning.

The *Lucky Random Box*.

An item he had received along with the ticket to access the Auction House of the Gods.

If he used it now…

There was no time for hesitation.

Jinhyuk’s hands moved before his thoughts could catch up.

[‘Lucky Random Box’ is being opened!]

[The type of item will depend on the amount of mana infused.]

[Detailed probability breakdown:]

– Isilgram’s Bracer [B], drop rate: 17.5%

– Vitality Elixir [A], drop rate: 4.9%

……

The *Lucky Random Box* had one of the highest drop rates among gacha-type items, with an average of B-rank or higher.

But B-rank wasn’t what he needed.

He needed a 0.000000128% chance.

A chance that was virtually zero.

Of course, Jinhyuk didn’t intend to rely purely on luck.

He placed his hand on the box.

This was beyond mere probability or calculations.

Injecting the exact amount of mana required was nearly impossible.

4 seconds.

A white pentagram formed in the air as everything around him was swallowed by the judgment of God.

At that exact moment—

Wooong!

A blue wave of energy pulsed from Jinhyuk’s fingertips.

“……”

Normally, he wouldn’t attempt something this insane.

He had intended to save the *Lucky Random Box* for a trade, storing it safely in his subspace.

‘Controlling mana flows at the nanoscopic level is risky, even for me.’

But there was one thing that gave him confidence this time.

The title of *The First to Conquer the Tower*.

A stat boost derived from that title.

*Luck* and *Adaptability*.

Abilities that turned the impossible into the possible, exclusive to those who had reached the top of the Tower.

Extreme focus, countless experiences of trial and error, and the serendipity that had shone on him once before all converged into this moment.

Rumble! Rumble!

[*Joshua’s Trumpet* has been activated!]

[The absolute judgment, *Judgment of God*, is descending!]

A colossal light began to fall from the heavens.

The trumpet’s blast signaled the end, imbued with the will of Eden.

Simultaneously—

[You have defied impossible odds and acquired the highest-grade relic from the *Lucky Random Box*!]

A golden notification window appeared.

…Success!

Jinhyuk quickly grabbed the faintly forming relic.

A square-shaped shield rose to the sky.

[The relic, *Fridwen – Evening’s Face*, has responded to its master’s call.]

Magical runes blossomed around the shield like petals of a giant flower.

It was as if the relic itself was blooming.

This shield, like *Joshua’s Trumpet*, was one of the greatest divine relics, designed to push the limits of divine power.

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the entire nest of Havelian.

＊＊＊

Sssssss!

The collision of two relics had transformed the entire area into a wasteland.

The sheer impact shook the foundation of the dunes.

“Three ribs… I think three of my ribs are broken. Still, it could’ve been a lot worse…”

Thankfully, there were no more serious injuries.

Though the muscle pain would be excruciating for a while.

“Kyaa, kyaoo…”

Havelian, trembling with fear, darted its eyes around.

For the beast, it must have felt like a natural disaster had struck its nest. The sudden appearance of an invader who brought divine-level destruction would have been terrifying.

Still, the fact that Jinhyuk had shielded it from the attack seemed to have lessened its wariness.

The shaved ice and *Mantra Taming* had also played a big part in earning Havelian’s favor.

‘But this isn’t over yet.’

The fact that they had used *Joshua’s Trumpet* meant that the enemy had fully committed to this.

They wouldn’t leave him alone just because he survived one strike.

Jinhyuk quickly grasped the crystal in his hand.

At the very least, to fight back against them…

Just as this thought crossed his mind—

[A high-ranking deity from the upper floors is descending!]

[Restrictions have been lifted by the senior administrator!]

Damn.

It was already too late.

They weren’t giving him any time to prepare.

A towering figure, with white wings, descended from the pentagram that had formed moments ago.

Thud!

A massive, muscular figure stepped forward.

It was Kizakiel, the commander of Eden’s battle legions.

To think he’d encounter this single-minded zealot, obsessed with laws and order, in a place like this.

It was now clear that Gabriel hadn’t betrayed him. Kizakiel had acted independently to seize the Crown.

‘So, he’s teamed up with Hastings… and intends to take the Crown for Eden.’

The belief that Eden must possess all the Crowns had led to this.

“Are you the human called Kang Jinhyuk?”

Kizakiel’s gaze locked onto Jinhyuk.

“Seems like I’ve been quite popular lately. Yes, I’m Kang Jinhyuk.”

“Good. I don’t like wasting words. Nor do I care for deals or contracts.”

Shing!

A sword engulfed in flames was drawn.

“Surrender the Crown.”

His directness was almost comical.

True to his character, Kizakiel only had one goal in mind.

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I will destroy you and everything you are affiliated with.”

“Threats, huh? That’s amusing.”

Jinhyuk chuckled.

“It seems like you’re working with Hastings, doing whatever you want. Don’t you think Gabriel will be displeased when she finds out? I strongly suggest you think this through carefully.”

“After this is done, I will personally face the consequences for my rebellion. But before I am destroyed, I will ensure you are obliterated first.”

“……”

He was willing to die.

That kind of mindset was the most troublesome to deal with.

When someone was willing to sacrifice themselves for a greater cause, they became dangerously unpredictable.

But on the flip side…

Now that Jinhyuk knew Kizakiel was acting independently of Eden, the pressure was significantly reduced.

At least the entire faction wasn’t aligned with him.

‘So I just need to handle this situation well.’

That wouldn’t be too difficult.

Jinhyuk opened his subspace.

Out came the *Crown of Tyranny*.

“At least you’re not a complete fool. Now, hand it over. I’ll spare you and your companions’ lives.”

“Hmm. I wonder… Should I hand it over or not? It’s a tough decision.”

Jinhyuk dangled the crown over the spot where the *Soul of Havelian* had rested.

The seemingly bottomless abyss led to the deepest part of the Dunes of the Sun. If it fell in, it would vanish into a different floor of the Tower.

“You…!”

Kizakiel’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Rumble!

The flames on his sword flared even higher.

“You dare try to bluff me with empty threats?! Do you think such cheap tricks will work on me?”

As soon as his enraged shout ended—

“Oops.”

Plop!

The crown disappeared into the abyss.

“My hand slipped.”

This was an actual mistake.