Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 401: Two Blades (2)

The sensation of cold steel grazed against his neck.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

Oh Ji-won trembled, wrapped in shock.

“Don’t you know? You can’t die during an event. If you thought you could threaten me with this….”

“Hmm. Looks like you’re still delusional. Didn’t you see the message just now? The event is over.”

The invincibility clause had already ended.

Now, if the blade pierces, death will be real.

“Are you saying someone as famous as you would resort to murder?”

Thud!
The blade dug into his shoulder. Blood gushed forth like a geyser.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Pathetic. Can’t even control your bowels. Is it because you were spoiled too much?”

“Stop it! Please… stop! If you keep this up and get caught, do you really think even someone like you will walk away unscathed? If my family finds out about this….”

“Your brothers see you as an annoying obstacle to their ambitions for the successor’s position. Do you think they’ll go out of their way to protect you? Especially when the suspect is a famous ranker like you claim?”

No one understood better than Oh Ji-won that provoking a hornet’s nest was a terrible idea.

Without exception, they wouldn’t mourn Oh Ji-won’s death but instead view it as a relief.

Even if they opened an investigation, it would be purely superficial and swept under the rug in no time.

“Even if someone tries to cause trouble, do you think I’m the type to get scared by threats?”

“Th-that’s….”

Oh Ji-won’s face turned pale.

The more he heard, the clearer it became that this situation would not end favorably for him.

…Good.

Now that he had dragged this out enough, it was time to pull the rabbit out of the hole.

“Relax. Don’t get too scared. It’s not like I’m going to kill you right this second. I just want to have a calm and reasonable conversation.”

“A conversation? What… what do you mean?”

Crack!

“Aaaaaah! Why are you twisting the blade…! If you keep twisting, I’m going to die! Stop! Please!”

“Your tone is aggravating. Do I look like one of your lackeys?”

“I’m sorry! I-I mean, I deeply apologize, Player Kang Jinhyuk!”

“Now that’s much better.”

Jinhyuk smiled faintly and stopped twisting the blade counterclockwise.

“Huff. Huff. Huff.”

“Take a moment to catch your breath. Listen carefully. The thing is, I have a lot of expenses and things I need. From this moment on, you’re going to become my personal wallet.”

The generous tree that gives everything.

He would turn Oh Ji-won into a selfless benefactor, akin to a motherly figure in a thriving business.

“Are you telling me to live the rest of my life as your lackey?”

“Even rolling around in a dung heap is better than dying, right?”

“…Are you seriously calling that an incentive?”

No, it wasn’t.

But Jinhyuk knew better than to only wield the stick without a carrot. His experience taught him that much.

Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a deeper grin.

“In exchange, I’ll make you the undisputed successor.”

“…W-what!?”

“Isn’t that what you wanted most?”

“Th-that’s true, but how do you plan to make me the successor?”

“The key is to elevate the reputation of the Red Fang Guild, right? With my help, that’s more than possible. Of course, you’ll just be a figurehead, but still.”

Jinhyuk shrugged and added a single comment.

“So? Are you going to accept my proposal? Or will you pay the price for ruining my day off?”

Life or death.

There was only one choice.

And the path to survival came with sweet rewards, provided he could swallow his pride.

At least outwardly, having the name Kang Jinhyuk associated with him would bring undeniable benefits.

“…I will follow your will.”

“Good. Smart choice. Now, let’s sign the contract.”

“Excuse me? But I don’t have any paper or a pen….”

“Who uses those to make contracts anymore?”

Fwoosh!

Red flames ignited at Jinhyuk’s fingertips.

[Brand of Fiery Loyalty].

A skill that forces eternal obedience upon the target once they give their approval.

“Don’t worry. Of all the people I’ve branded with this, they didn’t find it *too* painful.”

Of course, Jinhyuk never experienced it himself, so he couldn’t confirm. It was just speculation.

“Aaaaaah!”

＊＊＊

Once the branding was complete, the fight finally ended.

Oh Ji-won ordered all his guild members to retreat, and with that, the alliance between the Veteran Corporation and the Red Fang Guild was forged.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to pull off a fairly good debut. I even planted some bait with the reporters, so the narrative should come out quite convincingly.”

Oh Ji-won bowed deeply.

His attitude had completely flipped from earlier.

Was he shameless or just skilled at survival? Perhaps both.

At least he understood his place now, which was fortunate.

“Enough with the flattery. Did you prepare the items I asked for?”

“Yes. I’ve gathered everything without missing a single item. I sent them directly into your subspace inventory, so you can access them whenever you need.”

“Efficient. Ah, by the way, I have a small guild under my name.”

The Black Crow Guild.

A guild Jinhyuk had claimed nominally in the past.

“Kim Hee-woong manages it, but he’s been struggling because I haven’t given it much attention. I’d like you to handle its operations.”

“Understood. I’ll make sure to take care of it.”

Oh Ji-won bowed again, nervously glancing at the three divine beings behind Jinhyuk.

Shaking limbs and pale skin.

Though he hadn’t collapsed, it was clear he was on the verge of bolting from the room.

Faced with the overwhelming presence of furious deities, his instinct to flee was unsurprising.

“If we’re done here, you may leave.”

“R-really? Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”

With Jinhyuk’s permission, Oh Ji-won hurriedly left the room.

“That wrapped up cleaner than I expected. Now, if I can just get rid of these troublesome ones, I can finally breathe.”

Jinhyuk glanced over his shoulder.

Berial, Anubis, Thor.

The three were still growling and bickering, each claiming to be the strongest.

“Speak! Clearly, I am the greatest of all! To compare me to that narcissistic demon king brat or that brainless muscle hammer who only talks about Valhalla is an insult to my greatness!”

“It’s amusing to hear a dog from Egypt speaking human language. Barking would suit you better.”

“Valhalla is a warrior’s ultimate dream! How dare you dismiss it?”

Rumble!

The air grew tense as their powers began to surge once more.

Hmm. If this keeps up, another battlefield might erupt.

“It’s not that I’m purposely avoiding choosing one of you. Of course, I’d love to align with a major force. With your support, I’d climb the Tower with ease. Why would I refuse?”

Jinhyuk began his usual smooth talk.

“But if I make a contract with one of you, won’t the others be disappointed? Worse, you might start fighting among yourselves… wouldn’t that be troublesome?”

Berial was embroiled in internal power struggles within the Demon Realm.

Anubis was on edge as the Seven Deadly Sins wreaked havoc on the 42nd floor.

And Thor, locked in a war with Olympus, needed no further explanation.

In such a chaotic time, infighting was the last thing anyone needed.

“Ugh…”

“Well, I suppose that makes sense….”

“That is a valid point.”

The three divine beings nodded begrudgingly, their faces contorted as though they had just swallowed something bitter.

“I also need more time to think. Of course, I won’t forget the help you’ve provided this time.”

Jinhyuk had no intention of exploiting them for just one instance. These valuable patrons—no, sponsors—were too precious to use up in a single go. Moreover, the floors these deities hailed from held tasks he would inevitably need to address sooner or later.

“Very well. For now, we shall withdraw.”

“Tch! Consider yourself lucky, you inferior gods.”

“Thank you again for allowing us to protect Yggdrasil. Farewell, human.”

In the end, the tension eased, and a temporary truce was reached.

Just as everyone prepared to return to their respective domains:

*- Berial. Don’t leave just yet. I have something to discuss with you.*

Jinhyuk called out to Berial.

*- …? Understood.*

Crackle…

After a moment, once Thor and Anubis had disappeared, Berial remained behind, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.

“Heh. So you pretended not to favor me in front of those fools, but I see I’ve captured your interest after all.”

“Gross. Don’t say weird things. I asked you to stay because I have a proposal. Opportunities to meet in this materialized form aren’t exactly common outside of special events like this.”

“A proposal?”

“Take a look at this.”

Jinhyuk retrieved a few items from his subspace inventory.

The *Key to the Rift*.
The *Blood Compass*.

These items, carefully stored until now, had finally been brought out into the open.

“I initially planned to use these for some personal training. But, I realized it might be more beneficial to utilize them in a different way.”

With Berial’s assistance, Jinhyuk could potentially use these items to create a gate to the Demon Realm.

And if he could reach the Demon Realm…

“There’s a way to deal a serious blow to Guntafer. Interested?”

A strategy that would aid Berial in his rank competition while also securing a top-tier holy relic in the Demon Realm.

A two-birds-one-stone opportunity.

—

At an imperial forge.

The resonant clang of hammer against metal echoed throughout the well-furnished smithy.

“Urgh! Huff! Come on, just this once!”

Orun, the blacksmith, was drenched in sweat, swinging his massive hammer with all his might.

The atmosphere, however, was far from the serene focus of a master craftsman. Instead, a desperate urgency filled the air, as if his very life depended on success.

And indeed, it did.

The item currently being reforged was the *Crimson Lotus*.

A failure here could lead to consequences so dire, he might prefer taking his own life.

Fully aware of this, Orun was pouring his heart and soul into crafting what might become the masterpiece of his career.

At that moment, a brilliant golden light flashed.

*[Enhancement to +4 succeeded!]*

“It’s done! It’s done! Hahaha! I’m alive! I survived!”

Orun let out a triumphant cheer.

“Whew. Hyung, you really pulled it off.”

“My brother was right. You’re definitely a skilled blacksmith. They say the success rate for S-grade or higher items beyond +4 is abysmal.”

Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeonhwa, who had been watching, breathed sighs of relief.

Even for seasoned veterans of the Tower, the moment of enhancement was always nerve-wracking.

“Great job.”

Jinhyuk smiled brightly.

“Heh. What’s this? For a blacksmith of my caliber, this is nothing. So, are we done here? A +4 enhancement on an item of this level should be plenty usable.”

“Nope. We’re moving on to the next one. Why stop when the momentum is good?”

“You mean… +5? You’re aiming for +5?”

“Yes. Let’s get started.”

“But… what if we fail?”

Failure.

“Well, I wouldn’t be in the best mood if that happened.”

Nobody would be pleased if their cherished weapon shattered during an enhancement attempt.

Moreover:

“When I’m upset, I tend to lose control. Who knows what might happen then?”

Of course, it wasn’t a guarantee. But there was a distinct possibility that a murder could occur in this very forge today.

Though, for now, it was just a speculation.

“…Fine. I’ll do my best.”

“‘Doing your best’ won’t cut it. Just make it happen.”

Things like sentimentality and the importance of the process were meaningless.

Only the result mattered.

The world remembered one thing and one thing only: results.

Naturally, Jinhyuk had taken precautions to ensure the enhancement’s success by using some items he’d obtained from Oh Ji-won. But he saw no reason to share this with Orun.

After all, the tension would only serve to sharpen Orun’s skills.

“Hngh!”

With renewed determination, Orun’s desperate hammering resumed.