Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 421: Pain Pirate Crew (3)

Hundreds of hermit crabs covered the white sandy beach.

Crustaceans, nearly 2 meters tall, had locked onto their prey.

Click! Click! Click!

The sharp sound of their pincers echoed loudly.

And what they were targeting was…

The ‘White Pearl’ and the two guarding it: Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeonhwa.

“Haha… Isn’t this a bit much?”

Yoo Yeonhwa swallowed dryly as she gazed at the beach.

She had anticipated an attack, but she hadn’t expected the enemy to be hermit crabs instead of pirates.

Moreover, each of these creatures radiated considerable magical energy.

At the very least, they were B-rank, nearing A-rank.

And there were over 500 of them.

For just the two of them, holding them off seemed impossible.

“I’ll call my brother!”

Lee Tae-min urgently pressed the call button.

Beep! …Beep!

The status window flickered rapidly.

But at that moment—

“It’s fine.”

Yoo Yeonhwa forcibly disconnected the call.

“S-sis? Why did you…?”

“If we keep bothering Jinhyuk oppa for every little thing we can’t handle, all we’ll do is hold him back.”

Boom!

Her gauntleted fist slammed together.

“The only one who can climb the tower to the very end is Jinhyuk oppa.”

She had met countless promising talents and rankers from all over the world.

But compared to Jinhyuk, they were mere rookies.

All they had were flashy, meaningless titles and vague accomplishments attached to their names.

None of them were truly veterans capable of reaching the summit of the tower.

For that reason, they had to do whatever it took to support Jinhyuk.

It was the only way everyone could survive and make it through another 90 days.

“Besides, we recently completed our second job advancement. We can handle this.”

“Only you and my brother would look at this and say it’s doable. Ugh, fine. Looks like I’ll have to cut loose for once.”

Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min gathered every ounce of their magical energy.

No thought for the aftermath…

They were prepared to burn everything here.

[Lee Tae-min activates his second job advancement skill, ‘Round of Exile’!]

Not only could he control all machines, but he could also push every machine to its maximum potential.

All the turrets on the ‘White Pearl’ activated.

Clank!

Boom!

Magic bullets were loaded into the barrels.

And…

Lee Tae-min donned white titanium armor.

It wasn’t just armor for offense and defense—it was practically a cutting-edge robot.

Equipped with a plasma lightsaber and dozens of high-explosive missiles, it was a combat weapon in its own right.

Vrrr!

Lee Tae-min swung the plasma blade glowing a deep green.

And almost simultaneously—

Boom!

“Haaaah!”

Yoo Yeonhwa moved as well.

While Lee Tae-min covered mid-range, Yoo Yeonhwa took the vanguard position, crushing the enemies head-on.

[Yoo Yeonhwa activates her second job advancement skill, ‘Tiger Hunter.’]

Among the abilities of the ‘Hwarang’, the Tiger Hunter skill stood out.

The gauntlet claws, reminiscent of tiger talons, tore through the shells of the hermit crabs mercilessly.

Quick and nimble.

Not even footprints were left in the sand.

Boom… Crash!

Yoo Yeonhwa’s already swift movements were nearly doubled thanks to the Tiger Hunter’s effects.

Before her afterimages could even dissipate, a storm erupted from her fists.

“Kieeek!”

“Kiiiik!”

The leading hermit crabs were torn apart in an instant.

The concentrated firepower yielded better results than expected.

However—

That was it.

Even after wiping out dozens in one sweep, the number remaining was still over ten times that.

From here on, it was a battle of willpower.

“Come… as many as you want.”

Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min stood steadfast in front of the ‘White Pearl’, like an unyielding mountain.

—

Thanks to his memorized patterns, Jinhyuk traversed the Crystal Cave at a rapid pace.

The exit leading outside wasn’t far now.

“Huff… Huff…”

Chun Yoosung panted heavily.

If not for the tips Jinhyuk had shared, he wouldn’t have survived here, no matter how many lives he had.

Even with the foresight provided, he had still sustained significant injuries.

That was how brutally difficult the Crystal Cave was.

It was easy to see why the pirates hadn’t stationed guards here.

‘Even Alice seems to have hit her magic limit.’

The European ranker who had displayed overwhelming prowess in every battle thus far.

Though her true identity remained a mystery, there was no doubt she was a monster beyond imagination.

Even she now appeared visibly exhausted.

Not to mention Wolyoung, who had accompanied them.

But then—

“Wow, even this plant grows here. If I brew this at the next shareholders’ meeting, the tea will be practically free. Should I use these fancy mushrooms as dessert?”

That damn veteran showed no signs of fatigue.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he dismantled every trap and monster.

‘Just a few more steps… and I thought I’d catch up to him….’

Why was it that the stronger he became, the farther away that back seemed?

Like chasing a mirage, his wandering felt endless.

“Why the long face? You look like a dog whose bone got stolen.”

Jinhyuk tilted his head as he glanced at Chun Yoosung.

“D-dog? Don’t talk nonsense. You don’t even know how I feel…!”

Oh, but he did.

“Looks to me like you’re stressing over something completely pointless.”

It was obvious.

“How about you spend that energy thinking about which field to go into later? Like… plastic surgery! Your face would be a great advertisement—just say you had a full makeover!”

Made by Sword Saint.

Known for exceptional knife skills! Stick some blatant ads like that in, and you’d have no problem owning a few buildings in Gangnam.

Even if it didn’t work out, just drawing your sword would scare off any patients. No need to worry about follow-up complaints.

“…Are you even listening to yourself? No, forget it. Don’t answer that. Talking to you any further is just going to give me a headache.”

Chun Yoosung let out a long sigh.

Then, as if recalling something from earlier, he changed the subject.

“What about the ship? I noticed they were requesting reinforcements earlier.”

The emergency call from Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min had hinted at the presence of enemies far stronger than what they had initially anticipated.

But—

“They’ll be fine.”

Jinhyuk had no intention of turning back.

“You trust them that much?”

“They’ve survived this hellish game for so long. Since the tower appeared, they haven’t wasted a single day.”

They worked hard and grew stronger.

Even though they were already far ahead of others.

All so they wouldn’t hold back the Veteran Corporation…

So they wouldn’t fall behind the strong.

Jinhyuk knew better than anyone how much effort they put in, even when no one was watching.

That’s why he wouldn’t go against their wishes and send reinforcements.

“Alright, I get it. If they want to keep climbing higher, they’ll have to handle this much.”

“Exactly. The impossible will keep happening, after all.”

Step.

As they conversed, sunlight began to spill through the path ahead.

At last, they had reached the end of the Crystal Cave.

The once-relaxed air grew tense again.

“From here on, it’s a speed run.”

Jinhyuk, who had been harnessing his mana, extended the Scythe of the Wraithwood forward.

As he said, a group of pirates lounged near the exit, laughing among themselves.

“Ready when you are.”

Chun Yoosung gripped his sword once more.

[Triple Magic: ‘Eternal Lightning’ has been activated!]

Twelve bolts of lightning surged across the ground, racing toward their targets.

“So this time, on the main island, I was thinking of opening a killer tav— Huh?”

The sudden ambush.

The pirates, sensing the intense mana, tried to dodge, but there was no escaping lightning—the fastest of all spells.

“Aaaah!”

“Kaaack!”

Sizzle!

Smoke rose from the charred remains of their bodies.

The twelve sentries collapsed without even putting up a proper fight.

Thud.

Tap!

With Jinhyuk leading, the rest of the team picked up their pace.

The key to a successful ambush was speed.

To inflict as much damage as possible before the enemy could assess their losses.

And Jinhyuk—

He knew precisely how to make his enemies suffer the most.

—

“The 5th Battalion Commander is dead! Th-the silver-haired woman… we can’t stop her!”

“The guy on the left is no joke either! Over twenty of our men have already fallen to him!”

“T-the food storage is on fire! Put it out immediately! If it burns down, we’re finished!”

The Pain Pirate Crew’s stronghold had descended into chaos.

Flames erupted everywhere, as if they would never be extinguished.

“What the hell is going on?!”

The captain, Kopps, roared at the top of his lungs.

The troops stationed across the island and the supposedly impenetrable labyrinth defenses…

How had they bypassed all of that to strike at the heart of their base?

“The enemy… they came through the Crystal Cave!”

“W-what?”

Had someone actually survived that hellhole?

The cave that had claimed the lives of over hundreds of their subordinates?

Even the fearless ‘Corpse-Eating Hermit Crabs’ had refused orders to enter there.

“This is… impossible. How could anyone who just arrived on this island know about that path? Even if they did…”

Kopps trailed off.

Nothing about this situation made sense.

But denying reality wouldn’t change their current predicament.

“Calm down. It’s just a small-scale ambush. Besides, they’re acting solo to maximize their impact, aren’t they?”

At her words, Kopps glanced at the map spread across the table.

According to the reports, the enemy had split up to target key objectives.

And that meant—

“That makes it easier to defeat them one by one?”

“Exactly. They’re the ones pressed for time. That bastard Kang Jinhyuk must have realized by now that his ship is under attack.”

While they were aware of Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min defending the ship, there was no way they could hold out forever.

After all, a person’s mana and stamina were finite.

Moreover, Nirasha was confident of their victory in this battle.

Vrrrm!

The holy relic in her hand trembled violently, as if eager to unleash its power.

“I’ll kill Kang Jinhyuk myself. You handle the others.”

“What did you say? You expect me to leave the one who trashed my base to someone else?”

“…Sorry, but you alone can’t beat him. Just let me handle it.”

Kopps’ face twisted into a snarl.

His hand drifted toward the flintlock pistol at his waist.

“You’re getting too cocky just because you’ve got some divine blessings. You’re not the only one with a holy relic.”

At this rate, they were going to start fighting each other.

Arrogant fools with fragile egos were always such a pain to deal with.

Tch.

Nirasha clicked her tongue.

“Fine. How about we hunt him together? Will that satisfy you?”

“Should’ve said that from the start.”

The two finally reached a dramatic compromise.

And just then—

Boom!

A massive surge of mana exploded outside their tent.

The sheer power was beyond comprehension.

Rumble!

A bloodstorm, formed from crimson mana, swept through the area like a ravenous beast.

This mana…

It was unmistakable.

How could anyone fail to recognize it?

A ranker, considered the strongest among the Veteran Corporation.

“Are you the fools who dared to go after my contractor?”

Hovering several meters above the ground.

The head of Ataraxia looked down upon Nirasha and Kopps.