Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 365: Cult of Wraiths (2)

[Blue Torch – Special Item Exclusive to the 20th Floor.]

Durability: 1/1

Description: This torch allows you to have a 1:1 meeting with the leader of a faction. After designating the faction, raising the torch will force the faction’s leader to meet with you. This meeting is guaranteed to remain completely confidential, and upon use, the locations of all factions on the 20th floor will be displayed for 5 minutes.

The Blue Torch.

It was a highly useful special item, especially on the 20th floor.

Who would have thought that something this valuable would appear as a reward?

‘I expected something good, but this is on a whole other level.’

Jinhyuk let out a dry chuckle.

This was one of the best items that could appear on the 20th floor.

‘Not only does it let me meet a faction leader, but it also reveals the locations of everyone on the map, like a cheat code.’

With this, the number of cards I can play drastically increases.

Jinhyuk carefully stored the Blue Torch in one corner of his subspace inventory.

Meanwhile, Alice and Chu Hon-Sa Young, who had just finished dealing with the hobgoblins, approached him.

“As you requested, we left only one alive,” Alice said.

“But will this really be effective?” Chu Hon-Sa Young added, her expression skeptical.

It was understandable. Why, out of all the possible targets, had he chosen the hobgoblins? There were many others that could have delivered a stronger message.

However, for this particular situation, hobgoblins were the perfect choice.

“Trust me. There’s a reason for everything.”

More importantly, I needed to find out where the Olympus raid team was right now.

Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to the distant horizon.

Information was necessary.

And the quicker, the better.

“Pesis.”

“Yes? What can I do for you?” Pesis asked.

“Could you guide us to the nearest town?”

“Hmm. There’s a mid-sized settlement about two hours from here called ‘Harun.’ It’s more of a lawless zone than a town, but it’s somewhat established.”

Harun Village.

A place built by small-time thieves and third-rate bandits.

Normally, to get in, you needed a pass made from human bones that only worked among them.

But with Pesis, we could bypass the guards and find a new route inside.

“Let’s get moving.”

After all, there wasn’t a place below the 41st floor that Pesis couldn’t guide us to.

＊＊＊

It was about an hour later when they arrived at the village.

With time being of the essence, Jinhyuk had pushed the pace, allowing them to reach the entrance much faster than expected.

“…You call this a pass?”

“Hah. Look at this. Not even part of ‘Ska,’ yet he dares to hand over a fake pass?”

At the entrance, a group of bandits had caught a vagrant trying to enter the village.

In his hand was a bone fragment, resembling a finger.

“Hiiik!”

The vagrant, realizing he’d been caught, tried to run.

Of course.

*Thwack! Thwack!*

That was just wishful thinking.

The mace came crashing down on his head, spraying blood everywhere.

“Urgh…”

The vagrant staggered before collapsing to the ground.

“It seems there’s a more sophisticated method for detecting fake passes. If we don’t want to force our way through, we’ll need to find another route,” Chun Yoosung remarked, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword, awaiting a decision.

Knowing his personality, it was clear he preferred simply cutting through the guards rather than taking a detour.

It wasn’t a bad idea, but that would waste too much time fighting these bandits.

And it might give the cult a chance to prepare for us.

“Pesis, what about the entry route?”

“This way. The path is a bit rough, but as long as you follow exactly where I step, you’ll be fine,” Pesis replied.

He began leading them along a marshy area that snaked its way toward the village.

The mud was deep enough to suck you in to your waist if you misstepped, and it felt like you’d be swallowed whole if you weren’t careful.

Without Pesis, no one would have imagined there was a path here.

After a long trek, the edge of the marsh came into view.

But then…

“Hold on,” Pesis said, stopping in his tracks.

His expression was clearly one of concern.

“What’s wrong?”

“This shouldn’t be possible… We can’t get through.”

Pesis ran his hand over several parts of an iron gate.

The gate, which should have allowed access to the village’s sewers, was sealed tight by some unknown force.

“What’s a bit of iron supposed to do? Step aside.”

Chun Yoosung immediately drew his sword.

He swung it with a blast of energy, slashing at the gate.

*Clang!*

“What… is this?”

Chun Yoosung was the one who was shocked this time.

Despite using a blade imbued with powerful energy, the gate remained unscathed.

All that appeared in the air were purple symbols.

These weren’t any known language or runes. They were unfamiliar symbols.

“Interesting. Let me take a crack at it,” the Dark Emperor said, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward.

“It’s no use. That’s demonic language. The seal can only be broken by speaking the correct keyword, known only to the one who cast it. No amount of strength will break it,” Pesis explained.

In short, it required a password.

‘Hmm.’

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

To encounter an object sealed with demonic language here…

It meant that someone knew exactly which path they would take and had prepared for it meticulously.

The kind of person who could control Sloth and lead a cult of this scale.

There was only one being capable of such precision.

Guntaper.

The Demon King who backed the Cult of Wraiths had come here himself.

However, there was one thing Guntaper didn’t account for…

‘This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with one of these traps.’

I’d already memorized the keywords Guntaper favored.

For a place like this, he’d probably use…

“Tuarat Pe Aramsur (A place beyond the reach of the inferior).”

Jinhyuk muttered the words quietly into the air.

Then…

*Creak…*

The iron gate slowly slid open, just wide enough for a person to slip through.

“P-Player Kang Jinhyuk… How in the world do you know demonic language? And beyond that, how could you know the specific keyword? That’s something only the one who set the seal would know,” Pesis stammered, eyes wide in shock.

It was only natural to be surprised.

Understanding the nature of demons and their tendencies was no easy feat.

“I studied abroad here and there when I was younger.”

“But… in the Demon Realm?”

“Anything is possible if you try hard enough.”

“But no amount of effort—”

“Don’t try to apply common sense here. It’s entirely possible that this guy even became a professor in the Demon Realm, with demons lining up to learn from him,” Chun Yoosung interrupted with a sarcastic comment.

“Hey, how does it make sense that I went to the Demon Realm? That’s ridiculous. I’m a good person, right? Don’t you all agree?” Jinhyuk said, looking around for support.

But, as expected, not a single person responded.

Not even the Dark Emperor or the spirits—nor Alice or even Goguma—acknowledged him.

Everyone avoided his gaze, feigning interest in something else.

“Oh, look at that frog over there, by the marsh!” Alice said, pointing to nothing in particular.

“Indeed, Mistress. It certainly resembles a frog,” Ophelia added.

“It could be a large bullfrog,” Velus chimed in.

“Tweat!” Goguma shouted excitedly.

“Moogi!”

There was no one he could rely on.

At that moment…

“My disciple.”

The Dark Emperor approached with a warm smile.

As expected, only a teacher could understand his student’s heart.

“M-Master…”

“Demonic arts are not inherently evil.”

“Uh… what?”

“Remember the teachings of the Heavenly Demon. Pure strength without pretense, the iron will of blood and steel. That is the essence of demonic power. The Demon Realm is probably a paradise for those who follow the Heavenly Demon’s path.”

“…It would have been better if you didn’t say anything at all.”

With a sigh, Jinhyuk stepped through the gate.

＊＊＊

*Thud! Thud!*

“Die, die, die! Just die already! Hah! Spat on his corpse!”

“Hahaha! Look at that, he actually died!”

“Let’s dump the body by the riverbank. Oh, wait, these shoes… they fit me perfectly! No need for shoes in hell, so I’ll make good use of them.”

The village was filled with shouting and laughter.

Drinking was common, and murder and robbery were so frequent that they had become a natural part of life here.

Jinhyuk found an abandoned house in the village to set up camp. Afterward, he and Chun Yoosung headed toward the central square.

Bringing too many people would attract unwanted attention.

They arrived at a five-story wooden building.

“That’s the bandit guild’s information center up there.”

“It’s quite shabby. Not surprising, given how they blow all their money on booze and women. Do we really need to rely on scum like this?”

“They may be scum, but they know everything. I’m sure they’ll know where Teresa is.”

“Tch. Fine.”

Wearing deep hoods, Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung entered the building.

The air reeked of stale sweat and cheap alcohol.

Inside, several men were drinking heavily, oblivious to their surroundings.

“What brings you here?”

A bald man who noticed them three beats late finally spoke.

“Information.”

“Information, huh…? You don’t look familiar. Not from around here, are you?”

“I just arrived yesterday. That’s why I need information.”

“Well, we charge a hefty price for our services. You sure you can afford it?”

“As long as the information is good, I’ll pay.”

Jinhyuk pulled three red rubies from his pocket.

They were jewels he had discreetly taken from Alice’s collection before the imperial ball.

The bald man’s eyes lit up.

Even the other men stopped drinking and stared at the gems.

“Whoa! You’re some big shots, huh? Sorry for not recognizing you sooner. So, what information are you looking for? We’ve got all the news from the 20th floor.”

“Some players came through here recently. Know anything about that?”

“Oh! You mean those folks from outside the tower? I remember. They tried to enter the village without a pass, so we chased them off. But why do you ask?”

“I want to know where they are now. Can you tell me?”

“Hmm. I do know… but that’s high-value information. The price would be…”

The bald man scratched his head, pretending to think.

“Five more rubies. You’ll get them.”

Jinhyuk poured out more rubies.

“If you head two days east, there’s a big lake. They’re hunting a two-headed sea dragon there to harvest some valuable materials.”

“A lake, huh…”

“Yeah. If you leave now, you’ll probably reach them by midnight tomorrow.”

The bald man quickly pocketed the rubies, signaling the deal was done.

However…

“There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Jinhyuk said, stopping at the door.

*Click!*

He locked it tight, ensuring no one could enter or leave.

“What… what do you mean?”

“The lake with the two-headed sea dragon is a week west of here, not two days east. How could players who’ve only been on the 20th floor for three days possibly make it that far? And those bounty posters your friends are passing around… that’s definitely someone I’m looking for.”

On the table, a bounty poster with Teresa’s face was being passed around.

“Y-you said you just arrived today, so how—”

The bald man swallowed hard.

At the same time…

*Shing! Shing!*

The bandits in the room drew their swords.

“You really thought I wouldn’t see through your little act? I let it play out because it’ll be more fun to beat the answers out of you.”

Jinhyuk drew his newly acquired dagger.

“So this was a trap. Damn. If you think we’ll talk, you’re gravely mistaken.”

“Wow. Such loyalty. I hope that never changes.”

Jinhyuk’s smile widened into something far more sinister.