Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 379: Perfect Victory (1)

Wooong!

[The 5-star barrier ‘Mirage Cliff’ has been activated!]

Rather than ending it with a blade to the throat, Jinhyuk cast a barrier that distorted vision around them.

“W-What is this? What are you doing?”

Caught off guard, Sloth couldn’t conceal his confusion.

“Relax. I just want to have a quick chat.”

“A chat? Between you and me?”

“Hey, even if things are the way they are now, there’s always room for improvement in the future, right?”

Jinhyuk shrugged with a casual smile.

“What do you want to say?”

“You don’t serve Guntapher out of loyalty from the bottom of your heart. I know you had no choice since you were forced into a contract of subjugation.”

“……”

Sloth clamped his mouth shut, but Jinhyuk’s words had struck a nerve.

“You just want to be free from that contract, don’t you? To finally rest, without being bound to anyone, doing absolutely nothing. If you make a deal with me, I can guarantee that life for you.”

This offer was bound to work.

Sloth craved rest above all else.

There was no way he wouldn’t take the bait.

“Can you really do that? We’re talking about one of the Demon Kings of the Demon Realm here.”

“You’ve fought me. You should know by now—I can defeat a Demon King.”

“Hah. A mortal talking about fighting an immortal… absurd.”

Under normal circumstances, the mere idea wouldn’t be worth entertaining. Even boasting had its limits.

But.

“…I don’t have many choices anyway, do I?”

Live in agony or take a gamble on freedom.

If those were his only options, the choice was obvious.

Fwoosh!

Jinhyuk activated *Brand of the Flamebound*.

A brilliant flame burst from his fingertip, etching a new contract of subjugation into Sloth’s soul.

“As you know, I can’t directly oppose Guntapher. That means I can’t join you in battle against him.”

“I understand. Contracts with higher beings carry stronger restrictions. What I want is information—how he moves, what he plans. Report to me immediately if anything changes.”

“That’s manageable.”

“And the same goes for the remaining members of the Seven Deadly Sins. Especially ‘Envy’—I want every bit of information on them.”

The six remaining Sins in the upper floors weren’t bound by the same contract as Sloth.

However, their mutual interests had forged cooperative relationships.

Each one was a formidable obstacle that needed to be eliminated.

Of them, *Envy*, with its notoriously troublesome abilities, was the one to watch most closely.

Even legendary heroes, and sometimes gods, found dealing with Envy more difficult than anticipated.

“Got it. I’ll do as you ask.”

With that, Sloth nodded, signaling the submission of the **Cult of Wraiths**.

And with it…

One of the great factions on the 20th floor had fallen.

At the same time:

[A new major faction has emerged on the 20th floor!]

[Clear conditions have been met!]

A system message appeared, heralding the beginning of something new.

＊＊＊

The upper levels of the tower—known as the Storm Hills.

Torches flickered to life in a cave lined with statues of massive dragons.

Fwoosh!

As the darkness receded, a small goblin began walking down the corridor.

“The situation is shaping up to be more entertaining than expected. I didn’t think the outer defenses of the fortress would hold.”

The goblin, **Hasting**, muttered to himself.

A new voice slipped from the shadows, as if waiting for this moment.

“Right? I thought the winged ones would perform better, but they got stopped too cleanly.”

A figure with short hair and a light dress stepped into view—**Tamia**, the First Dragon, and the supreme ruler of the Red Dragon Clan.

“Kizakiel must’ve been fighting with one foot in chains, knowing he was being hunted. He had to be cautious.”

A third voice chimed in—**Exenscion**, one of the Vampire Lords.

“Heh. Even so, we gained plenty from this. We got a glimpse of their forces and defensive strategies. It was a useful test, if nothing else.”

Step.

Hasting stopped in front of a particular spot.

“We’ve arrived.”

“This is the place you wanted to show us?”

“Yes. Take a look.”

Hasting pointed to a specific location at the end of the statue-lined path.

There, a massive, white-tinted skeleton rested—ominous and imposing.

[Bone of the Ancient Dragon ‘???’]

“This…!”

Excension’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Even if vampires didn’t typically interact with dragons, as a lord, Excension knew what this was.

One of the strongest creatures in the tower—the kind that could threaten even the beings of the 50th floor.

Ancient Dragons were a rare breed that stood among the mightiest of all life forms.

“Wow. So this is what you’ve been hiding, huh?”

Tamia examined the skeleton with an intrigued look.

“Judging by the structure and the lingering traces of mana, this must be from the bloodline of the Destruction Dragons.”

“As expected of you, Tamia. You recognized it right away.”

“Of course. Let’s see… Ah, yes. It’s from **Destia’s** line.”

“Destia? Isn’t that the dragon residing on the 48th floor?”

“That’s right. One of our kin who sucked up to those in power and earned the overblown title of ‘Destruction Dragon.’”

Tamia clicked her tongue bitterly at the memory.

The title, coveted by all dragons, was one that only the rarest of them could claim.

Though it wasn’t quite on par with the ethereal **Void Dragons**, Destruction Dragons were still monstrous beings who occupied the tower’s highest floors.

And now, the remains of one such dragon had fallen into their hands.

“This is going to be fun. So, what do you plan to do with it, Hasting?”

“There are plenty of ways we can use it.”

Hasting’s lips curled into a grin.

By combining this corpse with carefully accumulated data and powerful artifacts…

He would finally kill that cursed player and restore balance to the tower.

This was the only way to reclaim the trust of the 50th floor and maintain his position as a senior administrator.

—

The 20th floor had been conquered.

By toppling one of the largest factions, Jinhyuk secured another step in his ascent up the tower.

The public outside the tower erupted with excitement at the legendary feat, especially as the tale of how the Veteran Corporation saved everyone despite Payton’s betrayal spread far and wide.

—

**-MintChocoPizza:** Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation are like a hearty stew—solid and reliable. *Buuurp!*

**-Enriz’s Loyal Servant #1:** But seriously, did that guy really ditch his entire raid team just to save himself? Wasn’t his name Payton or something?

**-Reply4600F:** Payton used to be a pretty well-known player. I still can’t believe it.

**-YouAreAlreadyDead:** He probably gambled everything for wealth and fame, thinking the tower would reward him. But it all went sideways.

**-ChunkyAnt:** I heard this fiasco is making some of the major guilds back off from exploring the tower. Apparently, the losses among the rankers were massive.

**-NoMatterHowMuchGingerIChew:** Yeah, the casualties were insane. And with so many new players still inexperienced, it’s even harder to keep things moving.

**-S2LillpeS2:** Honestly, without Jinhyuk, nobody would be able to push through the upper floors, lol. T_T

—

The hierarchy within the major guilds was becoming clearer.

There was an insurmountable wall—one that most players would never be able to scale.

The public was beginning to recognize this fact, which only sent the value of the Veteran Corporation skyrocketing.

‘Everything is going exactly as I planned.’

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.

One of his earliest goals upon entering the Tower of Trials had been to seize control of the narrative and position himself at the top.

‘Being able to edit out the parts I don’t want and showcase only what benefits me is my favorite part.’

This not only ensured he monopolized coins but also granted him recognition as a legitimate faction capable of challenging the upper floors.

[The ‘Fortress of Giants,’ currently occupied by the Veteran Corporation, is classified as a medium to large stronghold.]

‘Hmm. I’ll need to upgrade it to a large stronghold before we hit the 35th floor.’

They weren’t moving slowly by any means.

In fact, the Veteran Corporation now possessed the largest stronghold among any newly established faction in recent years.

However, more effort was needed to ensure their stability for the future floors.

It was at that moment…

“What are you grinning about over there?”

Alice tilted her head curiously.

The empire’s grand banquet had only just begun, and seeing Jinhyuk standing there, staring off into space with a smile, struck her as odd.

“It’s nothing. I’m just in a good mood.”

“Is it because of my dress? Hm? What do you think? Not bad, right?”

Alice twirled in place, showing off her outfit.

The dress radiated both elegance and splendor, accentuated by an array of vibrant, expensive jewels she had chosen just for this occasion.

The ancient empire’s treasure was renowned for enhancing beauty by 100%, and on Alice, it shone brilliantly.

Around them, nobles whispered among themselves, many blushing at the sight of her.

‘Well, she may be a troublemaker, but her looks aren’t bad at all.’

Besides Alice, there were also Teresa, Andrea, and Frey—each boasting stunning appearances.

Even the men of the Veteran Corporation commanded attention.

Chun Yoosung, deep in conversation with Abraham, and Wolyoung, with his exotic features and youthful aura, were turning heads just by standing still.

And then there were the deadly presences of Chuhon Saryeong and the Dark Emperor—needless to say, they were the center of everyone’s attention.

“Hey, idiot contractor! Are you smiling because of my dress or not?”

When Jinhyuk didn’t respond, Alice shouted in frustration.

But Jinhyuk’s attention was already elsewhere.

“……”

Amid the bustling crowd, a strange aura had caught his attention.

It was so faint that he nearly missed it, but he recognized it.

“Stay here and enjoy some cake for now.”

“Don’t talk about cake! Look at me properly, you idiot!”

“There’s strawberry cake. Your favorite. Here.”

“Strawberries are… Mmmph!”

Before Alice could finish her sentence, Jinhyuk shoved a large piece of cake into her mouth.

Taking advantage of the distraction, he slipped away, weaving through the crowd toward the terrace.

The quiet terrace, bathed in moonlight, felt like a world apart from the noisy banquet hall inside.

There, two men of contrasting builds stood.

“At this point, you should be running for your life. So how did you manage to get here? Don’t tell me you came just to enjoy the banquet.”

Jinhyuk broke the silence.

“Oh? I thought I hid my presence well enough. But you found us this quickly?”

“Maybe your disguise was just too sloppy. But I’ll give you credit—you do have sharp instincts. No wonder every faction is scrambling to recruit you.”

One of them was a towering mass of muscle, while the other was lean and agile.

Though their appearances were vastly different, there was no mistaking the essence they carried.

**Thor and Loki.**

Two deities from Ragnarok had come to the empire.

Or rather…

‘They’ve come to meet me.’

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

He had a rough idea why they were here, but the timing of their arrival suggested there was more to it.

“It seems… it’s going to be a long night.”