Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 363: Base Maintenance (3)

*Swish!*

The sound of metal being sliced and bones being severed echoed through the air.

The cut was so clean, it could be described as a work of art.

“Finally… caught you. You trash, coveting the magic stones.”

A massive monster wielding a halberd over two meters tall radiated murderous intent.

It was even larger than the executioner they had just faced.

A high-tier species known as the ‘Slaughterer.’

While the previous enemies were middle to low-ranking members of the Cult of Wraiths, this creature before them was a monster of a class higher than the Elder.

One glance was enough to see that it was no ordinary foe.

The overwhelming aura it exuded was far more terrifying than most bosses they had encountered.

It wasn’t just the sheer amount of magic power it possessed… It was the visceral discomfort and sense of unease that came from its very existence.

The kind of revulsion that made one instinctively want to avoid confrontation.

At that moment—

“Dammit! What are you all doing!?”

A blond man burst out of the tent, shouting.

Faden Romania.

The sub-master of the Olympus Guild and the raid leader for this operation.

He was the one who had planned this raid, and he had conquered countless difficult dungeons and labyrinths before.

“Raid leader!”

“Don’t panic! Do what you’ve been doing so far and engage them in squads! Make sure to isolate them so they can’t take advantage of their numbers!”

“B-but, we can’t stop that monstrous creature!”

That was the problem.

While they could somehow handle the other fanatics, there was one exception.

The Slaughterer at the front, swinging its halberd with terrifying force.

Even the toughest tanks couldn’t survive a single blow and were being sliced to pieces.

In other words, the current armor they had wasn’t enough to withstand its attacks.

“I’ll handle that one.”

Faden immediately drew his weapon.

*Shing!*

A longsword with a yellow hue and a thin shield appeared.

It was a yellow-grade relic.

A card the guild had painstakingly prepared for this raid.

‘If we can just take that one down, there’s still hope.’

Faden made up his mind and charged toward the Slaughterer.

*Tatat!*

He was fast.

Among close-range damage dealers, how many could move with such speed?

*Whoosh!*

The halberd, which appeared to weigh over 100kg, cut through the air.

*Boom!*

The ground cracked like a turtle’s shell.

‘The halberd is certainly a powerful weapon.’

Its destructive power could cut down multiple opponents at once.

And with its long reach, it only amplified the fear.

But—

‘The longer the reach, the longer the delay between attacks.’

Every weapon has its strengths and weaknesses.

As long as he dodged the first strike…

There would be an opening.

*Clang!*

He deflected the impact with his shield and swung his sword, aiming for the joints.

His blade grazed the side of the halberd and slashed at the back of the Slaughterer’s knee.

“Graaaah…!”

The Slaughterer swung its halberd wildly, trying to swat him away like a fly.

But Faden was always half a step ahead, using his speed to hit and retreat in quick succession.

“Don’t think I’m the same as the others.”

With swift movements, Faden managed to get behind the Slaughterer and slashed its neck.

*Swish!*

The Slaughterer’s head was cleanly severed.

“Woohoo!”

“He did it!”

“As expected from the raid leader! He took down that monster!”

Morale surged instantly.

With the leader of the enemies down, they only needed to clean up the remaining fanatics.

However…

The sight that followed twisted everyone’s faces in despair.

“Filthy humans.”

“Coveting the magic stones… Your sins shall be paid for with blood.”

“Heh heh. We’ll devour everything. Your tender flesh, your eyeballs, and even your entrails.”

It wasn’t just one Slaughterer.

Twelve more Slaughterers appeared, wielding halberds, battle axes, and grotesquely shaped scythes.

It had been hard enough to deal with just one, and now there were twelve.

And that wasn’t all.

*Clank!*

*Clatter…*

Knights clad in black armor emerged.

The ‘Blood Knights.’

A variant of Death Knights with three arms, known for their bizarre attack patterns and being notoriously difficult to fight.

In fact, the Pope’s elite Holy Knights had once been wiped out by these Blood Knights, with only one survivor.

“Undead monsters, too?”

“I thought they were just crazed fanatics?”

“Just how big is their faction, for them to send wave after wave of high-tier monsters? Damn it… ha… haha.”

The raid knew that this was a battlefield where various factions clashed for dominance.

The problem was…

They had only gathered enough information to reach that basic understanding.

They had been so focused on mapping out the 20th floor and seizing key points that they hadn’t paid attention to the finer details.

*Clang!*

*Clash!*

The Blood Knights launched a ferocious attack on Faden.

Upper strike, lower strike, another lower strike, and then a hit to the flank.

His speed, which had been his greatest advantage, was now completely negated.

Now, he could only rely on his instincts and predictions to block and counterattack, as his eyes could no longer keep up.

“Ugh…!”

Faden was drenched in sweat, barely managing to stay on the defensive.

Meanwhile, the number of enemies was increasing exponentially.

“There’s… no hope.”

Teresa, her eyes filled with despair, watched as the enemy swarmed toward their camp like a sea of ants.

Thousands of fanatics wielding black flags surged toward them.

They hadn’t slept properly for days, pushing themselves to the limit both mentally and physically.

And now, they had to fight monsters of this caliber.

There was no way they could win.

“We have to retreat.”

There was no time to regroup and form proper lines.

Their only option was to scatter and hope that as many as possible survived.

＊＊＊

In the forest on the outskirts of the Empire.

A small flame flickered in the darkness, where no people ventured.

“…So that’s the situation,” Jinhyuk explained everything he had learned from Orun to the group.

“It’s going to be a headache. You’re saying hundreds of players could get wiped out?” Chun Yoosung sighed softly.

“The 20th floor is indeed the most chaotic place in the tower. It seems they went in without any real information, just full of enthusiasm,” Alice chimed in.

“Exactly. Normally, I wouldn’t bother with those blinded by greed, but…”

The problem was that Teresa was part of that raid.

Given the reputation of the Rosenberg family in Europe, it would have been difficult for her to refuse the help of presidents and prime ministers.

In the end, she must have joined the raid as a member of the expedition.

‘So that’s why she said she couldn’t come with us to the Empire.’

Now it made sense.

“So, you’re not going to attend the ball in the Empire?”

“I’ll have to ask them to postpone it. This is more urgent.”

He had originally planned to take his time with the 20th-floor conquest, but given the circumstances, he would have to move faster.

Of course, moving quickly didn’t necessarily mean it was a bad thing.

Thanks to Olympus causing such a stir, several variables had already arisen, and Jinhyuk had found ways to turn them to his advantage.

‘It’s all about how you use the situation.’

A slight smirk formed on Jinhyuk’s lips.

If things went well, he wouldn’t just conquer the 20th floor—he could monopolize a variety of benefits.

“So, it’ll be the three of us? You, me, and Alice?” Chun Yoosung asked.

“No, we’re going to need a bit more manpower than that.”

No matter how strong they were individually, on the 20th floor, you needed the ‘resource’ known as troops.

That’s why…

Jinhyuk had already gathered a few reliable allies.

*Step, step.*

Footsteps echoed through the forest at that moment.

“Well… It’s hard to even share a meal with you. I knew you were important, but I didn’t expect you to be this hard to catch,” Abraham said, scratching his head as he approached.

And beside him was another familiar face.

“I heard there’s a fantastic expedition in the works. Can I expect something exciting?” said Pesis.

The great explorer of the tower, Pesis, had also agreed to join this expedition.

And since he’d be able to copy Pesis’s unique ability that he had missed before, it was a win-win situation.

“Thank you. I know this wasn’t an easy decision.”

“I was moved by your desire to save your companion.”

“Saving a saint from your world? That’s quite romantic. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale. Oh! Does that mean Player Kang Jinhyuk is the hero in this story?”

Hmm.

It seemed there was a bit of a misunderstanding.

But there was no need to clear it up.

Alice’s claws, which seemed to have grown sharper, must be a mistake.

Probably… a mistake.

Chun Yoosung looked at the group that had gathered, his tone filled with relief.

“That’s a relief. I was worried you’d suggest we go with just the three of us. Seven skilled individuals should be enough to make this work.”

Seven?

Not five?

“What do you mean?”

“I also contacted a few trustworthy people. I didn’t originally plan for them to help with the 20th floor, but saving Teresa comes first.”

As Chun Yoosung finished speaking, new figures emerged from the opposite side of the bushes.

“Young master Chun requested to see me, so I came in a hurry. I’m a little sad it wasn’t just because you missed your teacher, but it’s good to see you anyway.”

“At least your student asked for your help. I didn’t hear anything from mine. Ahem. It seems I’ll only be called when it’s time for my funeral.”

It was Ghost Sword Sa-Young and Dark Emperor.

Although the Empire and Murim had signed a peace agreement, it was still rare to see two top-tier martial artists from different factions cross into Imperial territory.

“Master…?”

“Yes, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

The Dark Emperor laughed heartily as he approached.

“I’ve been well. How about you, Master?”

“Well? Ha! With all my enemies gone, I was bored out of my mind. So, are there thousands of enemies lined up for me to crush? Where should I start?”

“Uh, well, we do have enemies, but we need to approach this a bit strategically. We don’t need to make them all our enemies.”

Even the famous warlord Lü Bu knew when to bide his time, but the Dark Emperor was even more extreme.

Of course…

“What’s the use of an army of a million when I’m here?” the Dark Emperor declared.

His overwhelming confidence was backed by his unrivaled strength.

He was a one-man army.

Simply having him was enough.

With such reliable reinforcements joining, Alice grew anxious.

She couldn’t just stand around doing nothing while everyone else contributed.

“Hmph. Actually, I’ve been preparing something too. Really.”

Alice hurriedly imbued her necklace with magic.

Then…

*Rip!*

Space tore open like a crescent moon…

*Tsst!*

With a puff of smoke, silver-haired vampires appeared.

Ophelia and Velus immediately knelt before Alice.

“We greet the head of Ataraxia.”

“We greet the head of Ataraxia.”

“Yes, my loyal subjects.”

Alice’s shoulders rose as if she were about to ascend to heaven.

She had always been the target of jokes, but now she finally exuded the dignity and authority of a family head.

She seemed delighted to be receiving the treatment of a queen for once.

‘…’

Jinhyuk looked at the group with a strange expression.

Gone were the days when he had to face all challenges alone.

Now, there was always someone by his side.

“We’ll head to the 20th floor now.”

Jinhyuk took the lead.