Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 413: The Master of the Great Sea on the 29th Floor (1)

The situation, initially a 3-on-1 siege, swiftly turned into a 2-on-2 standoff.

‘Clang!’

Jinhyuk picked up the spear that had fallen near a corpse.

—

[Middle Angel ‘Hamauel’s Spear ‘Ryuntar’.]

Attack Power: 10,500
Durability: 100,000 / 100,000

Traits: The beloved weapon of Hamauel, one of Eden’s border guards. It possesses dual attributes of Lightning and Holy Power, and its attack power increases by 50% for five minutes when used against demons.

[Crafted with a special technique, it has been sanctified and can be wielded by demons.]

—

As expected…

It seemed Guntafer had gone to great lengths for this.

The technology that allowed entities of opposing forces to use their rival’s power was something that would usually take years to develop.

‘Indeed, things have changed compared to before.’

Major turning points had been accelerated. The interference of unexpected variables had prompted both the Tower’s deities and its residents to move swiftly.

Fine.

‘This makes things more interesting.’

A faint smile played on Jinhyuk’s lips, hinting at his intrigue.

If Guntafer, the most cunning among the Demon Lords, hadn’t acted this way, Jinhyuk would have been disappointed.

Now then…

“It’s about time to wrap this up, isn’t it? We still have matters to discuss.”

Jinhyuk thrust the spear forward.

“Right. Let’s first clear out the insects, then have a proper chat.”

Berial coated his claws with dark magic.

The expressions of the demon nobles darkened.

If it had been three against one, they might have had a chance against Berial. But in this situation, there was no hope.

“Damn it…”

“Aaargh!”

With short screams, Guntafer’s subordinates who had infiltrated the territory all turned into corpses.

‘Thud, thud…’

Jinhyuk dusted himself off.

“Apologies for showing you such a gruesome sight right after arriving.”

“No need to apologize. The Demon Realm is a place where anyone can be stabbed in the back at any time. It’s common sense to take care of your own safety.”

“Hmm, you talk as if you’ve been here before.”

Berial tilted his head in curiosity.

Ah.

Jinhyuk had unconsciously mentioned his past experiences. He quickly covered it up.

“I mean, it’s just a saying. Everyone knows how scheming demons are. By the way, will securing the Gate be feasible?”

“Thanks to your good positioning, defending it shouldn’t be difficult. I’ll redeploy forces to focus on this location, even if it means abandoning other territories.”

“Be discreet about it. If Guntafer senses that your forces are concentrated in one place, he’ll catch on.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve been through thousands of territorial wars, after all.”

Berial’s extensive experience in information warfare and base defense made basic mistakes a thing of the past.

“Then, from now on, as my apostle, you’ll help me take down Guntafer. I’ve prepared a room in my castle, so you won’t lack anything during your stay.”

Hmm… It seemed there was a misunderstanding.

“Sorry, but I have to leave immediately.”

“What? What did you just say?”

“The others are currently experiencing hell on the 29th floor. I need to get there before it’s too late to help them.”

“Then why did you even come here in the first place?”

“I needed to ensure the Gate was properly connected and to ask about some other information. You’d know, right? About the last war.”

Olympus and the Demon Realm had brought down Ragnarok.

In the end…

The upper deities of Ragnarok, having lost Yggdrasil, scattered and fled. Currently, I’ve heard Ares’ pursuit unit is taking care of the remaining fragments.

‘Guntafer supposedly had a method to destroy the Sun’s Spring.’

Whether that was true, and what he did if it was, needed to be confirmed.

“The Demon Realm carried this out under extreme secrecy, so I don’t know the details. To them, I’m more of a nuisance than an ally, so they probably wouldn’t have told me anyway.”

“…That’s true.”

So, no information after all.

Jinhyuk’s disappointment was evident, and Berial shrugged.

“If there’s one clue, though, it’s that four knights who had never been seen before participated in that war. They were said to carry banners of different colors.”

If it’s four knights… No way.

It must be them.

[The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.]

Those entities were involved.

And if they had appeared, that could only mean…

‘The Apocalypse Scenario has been triggered.’

If that assumption was correct, everything lined up.

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

In the Tower, any event capable of destroying at least one floor was called an “Apocalypse.”

These events were categorized into three levels: Collapse, Catastrophe, and Covenant.
– Collapse foretold the destruction of a single floor.
– Catastrophe involved the destruction of at least three floors.
– Covenant signaled the end of the entire Tower.

‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse belong to the Collapse level.’

If those entities had been involved, the destruction of Yggdrasil wasn’t impossible.

“Judging by your expression, it seems my words were helpful.”

“Yeah. They were extremely helpful.”

Apocalypse Scenarios were overseen by beings on the 50th floor, not by managers.

Once the first Apocalypse card was used, all subsequent Apocalypses would reveal specific “omens” before activation.

With foreknowledge…

Preparations could be made.

“I’ll explain in detail once I’ve wrapped things up on the other side. It won’t take long, so just keep the Gate secure until then.”

“Hmm. Got it. A pity, but it can’t be helped.”

“Oh, and…”

Before leaving, Jinhyuk extended his palm toward Berial.

“What is it…?”

“What do you think? I came all this way to secure the Gate and even took care of Guntafer’s key subordinate, Remia. You’re not sending me off empty-handed, are you?”

That wouldn’t be proper.

And ignoring propriety might just make him side with Guntafer instead.

Berial pressed his temple with his finger.

“…You’re probably the only person in the world who would dare to threaten a Demon Lord. Sigh. So, what do you need?”

“Just get me a nice ship. Preferably one equipped with cannons.”

—

The 29th Floor of the Tower of Trials.

The primary stage of the “naval battle” floor was a vast ocean, with only a few islands and the Giants’ Fortress breaking up the watery expanse.

‘Whoosh…’

Standing at the starting point, Jinhyuk listened to the sound of the waves.

The scorching sun and the cool breeze felt oddly refreshing, perhaps because he had just left the gloomy atmosphere of the Demon Realm.

‘How’s everyone holding up?’

He had instructed them to take it slow and focus on adapting, but he had no idea how they were managing.

Jinhyuk began walking along the shoreline.

‘First, I need to figure out what level of ships the players have managed to secure.’

The condition to clear the 29th floor was either to hunt down a large-scale pirate residing in this layer or to find the treasure hidden on the most secluded island.

Only one of the two needed to be fulfilled.

At first glance, it might seem advantageous since players weren’t in direct competition. However, with the floor’s enormous size and the rewards going to the first person to claim them, things were bound to get cutthroat.

Just then.

“Hey, hyung?”

“Oppa!”

Familiar faces appeared.

It was Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min.

“What are you two doing here?”

Jinhyuk had assumed they would have progressed much farther by now, given that a week had passed.

Especially Lee Tae-min, whose “Mechanical Overlord” ability gave him a decisive advantage in naval battles.

“Of course, we were waiting for you.”

“It’s a rare cooperative battle, so we figured it’d be nice to team up again. Look, we even built a ship together.”

Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeonhwa pointed to a boat on the shore.

The roughly 5-meter-long small ship looked quite sturdy and well-made.

This… This was kind of touching.

Indeed, people should always strive to be kind and upstanding.

“Do you know how the others are doing?”

“Well… about that…”

Yoo Yeonhwa trailed off.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Here’s the thing, hyung. Things got a bit complicated. Haa… Chun Yoosung declared he’s acting solo. Alice is the same.”

When the tiger is away, the fox becomes king.

Apparently, Chun Yoosung had rallied the smaller pirates in the area and formed a pirate fleet. Alice, too, had established her own faction.

“They both said something about becoming the rulers of this sea… I guess everyone wanted to clear the floor as the first player to finish.”

“It was that damned administrator who stirred things up. They promised to grant the first player who clears the floor their deepest desire. For me, it was an S-rank AI chip.”

“And for me, gauntlets crafted from the solid bones of an Island Whale.”

The administrator’s intervention was designed to prevent the players from forming alliances and to increase the floor’s difficulty.

“What kind of administrator is that? Throwing out such empty promises.”

“It’s a hamster-looking rat… No, a hamster, but its personality is just awful.”

“They offered Yoosung-hyung the right to participate in the ‘Summit Duel,’ hosted by the Tower, along with the power to name his opponent. For Alice, they promised a seven-night, eight-day stay at Paradise Island with a loved one.”

“They made an offer to Teresa, too, but I forgot what it was. Anyway, everyone’s now off doing their own thing.”

Of course.

The bait dangled in front of Chun Yoosung and Alice had been too tempting to resist.

This was shaping up to be a spectacularly chaotic floor strategy.

And not just a little.

—

Above the 29th floor, on the “Observer’s Ship” floating amidst the clouds, mid-tier administrator ‘Aruty’ and his subordinate administrators had gathered.

“Squeak! Humans need to be educated like this, after all.”

Aruty giggled while clutching a massive sunflower seed that barely fit in his hands.

The other hamsters nibbled on their own nuts as they watched the events below.

“Squeak! You’re absolutely right, Aruty-nim. Thanks to your guidance, things are progressing smoothly.”

“Hastings will surely be pleased with this outcome.”

Everything the administrators were doing was at Hastings’ command: delay the players’ progress on the 29th floor as much as possible.

‘I don’t know what he’s planning, but this is a big opportunity for me.’

Among the secretive upper administrators, Hastings was the only one who actively took initiative.

If Aruty could catch his eye…

It would surely cement his position as a leader among the mid-tier administrators.

Moreover, luck seemed to be on his side, as everything was falling into place better than expected.

‘It’s fortunate that the players’ desires turned out to be modest. Everything was within my authority to grant.’

Still…

‘We need to watch out for individuals like the head of Ataraxia, the Saintess, and the Sword Saint.’

Their skills could bring them to the final island faster than anticipated.

Of course, to ensure everything went perfectly, Aruty had prepared one more safeguard.

Just then.

‘Knock, knock.’

Someone arrived at the administrator’s quarters.

“Squeak! Come in. I’ve been waiting so long my neck almost snapped.”

Aruty warmly welcomed the visitor who entered the room.