Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 424: Apostle of the Thousand Years, Nirasha (3)

“Aaaaaargh!”

Veins bulged on Nirasha’s neck as she screamed.

The unbearable pain showed no signs of ending.

“How about trying a necrotizing poison next? No, wait. A toxin that makes you laugh uncontrollably until you’re on the brink of madness sounds better. They say pain leads to pleasure—makes me curious where laughter leads.”

“Ugh… Uuuugh…”

Though Jinhyuk’s experiments with toxins had lasted only about 30 minutes, to Nirasha, it felt like hundreds of hours of torment.

Suddenly, Jinhyuk paused.

“So, should I keep going?”

This question wasn’t directed at Nirasha.

It was aimed at the deity possessing her body.

“…So you were after me all along?”

“If I wanted to take down a small fry, I wouldn’t have gone to this much trouble.”

Rakshasa was a big catch.

Within the Thousand Years, Rakshasa held significant influence.

“What do you want?”

“You wouldn’t want to lose a carefully chosen Apostle so easily, would you? And I’d rather not kill a famous ranker only to have the Indian government chasing me down. Sure, it’d feel great in the short term, but the cons outweigh the pros.”

“Then release us now. If you do, we won’t interfere any further…”

“Eh-eh.”

Jinhyuk frowned, shaking his head.

“How does that math add up? Everything has a price, whether it’s gold or half a peanut.”

And when it came to the price of a life, there was no need for discussion.

Jinhyuk spread his hand toward Rakshasa.

“Hand it over.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. Just give it up. The ‘Shard of Vimana’.”

Vimana—the ultimate flying fortress symbolizing the Thousand Years.

Even a fragment of it had countless uses.

However, the artifact could only be transferred with the deity’s consent, which is why Jinhyuk had cornered Nirasha in the first place.

“That’s…”

Rakshasa trailed off, clearly troubled.

It hadn’t anticipated that Jinhyuk would demand such a thing.

“It must be hard to part with it. But isn’t it better than losing your carefully cultivated Apostle?”

Jinhyuk wasn’t asking for Vimana itself, just a fragment.

“…”

Rakshasa weighed its options.

No matter how much it thought about it, there was only one answer.

“If I give this up… you’ll let us go?”

“I’ll let you leave unharmed. I promise, on my name.”

“…Fine. I’ll do as you say.”

“Rakshasa!”

As Rakshasa nodded, Nirasha screamed in protest.

Just moments ago, she had been sobbing in despair, but now her eyes burned with hatred.

Look at that vicious face.

‘Tsk, tsk.’

“Quiet. First, we need to survive.”

“…Tch!”

Nirasha swallowed her curses.

For now, survival came first. Revenge could come later.

[‘Shard of Vimana’ has been transferred to a new owner.]

—

[Shard of Vimana]
– Acquisition Difficulty: Unknown (Accessible only under specific conditions).
– Description:
One of the highest-grade artifacts. When used as a weapon, it leaves a ‘Mandala’ mark on the target. When used as material, it can be utilized to craft a ‘Purple’ grade artifact. (The shard cannot be destroyed by physical impact.)
– Note: An item impossible to acquire without becoming an Apostle of the Thousand Years.

—

This was an incredible reward—worthy of celebration.

“Keep your promise…”

“Don’t worry. I don’t go back on my word.”

Jinhyuk deactivated ‘Battlefield Selection’.

The shattered spatial realm dissolved like broken glass, revealing the original island landscape.

‘Now’s our chance!’

Rakshasa quickly activated a long-range teleportation spell to ensure Jinhyuk couldn’t pull any tricks.

‘Whoosh!’

The scenery shifted instantly.

Rakshasa and Nirasha arrived at the northern shore of an island where the Gandhara Guild’s ship was anchored.

“I’ll kill him! That bastard deserves to be ripped apart!”

Nirasha fumed, her face flushed with a mix of humiliation and rage.

“One thing is certain—we must retrieve the ‘Shard of Vimana’. There’s no way we can let someone like him hold one of our mythological artifacts.”

Rakshasa agreed with a nod.

—

[‘Spear of Atlantis (One-Time Use)’ is unlocked!]

This hidden weapon, provided by Aruty, had absurd destructive power.

It hadn’t been used earlier because the risk of collateral damage at close range was too high.

But at this distance…

It was doable.

The blue magic circle shimmered as auxiliary spells stacked to enhance speed and accuracy.

At this rate, the spear could destroy half the island.

However, just as the spear was about to be thrown—

‘A sharp pain flared in Nirasha’s shoulder.’

Before she could speak, her flesh began to bulge grotesquely, as if about to rupture.

No way…

[Unique Ability ‘Bloodburst’ has been activated!]

A crimson status window appeared before Nirasha.

“You filthy bastard!”

‘Boom!’

A massive explosion engulfed the ship.

—

From afar, Jinhyuk watched the plume of blood and fire rising into the sky.

The ‘Bloodburst’ he had planted during the torture had finally triggered with a delayed effect.

“Didn’t you promise to let them go safely?”

Alice asked cautiously.

“I did.”

And he had indeed let them go safely.

It’s just that he hadn’t guaranteed what would happen afterward.

“Those two would’ve stabbed us in the back the moment we let our guard down. Rakshasa may be furious about losing an Apostle, but we’re destined to be enemies anyway.”

Whether he spared them or not, they would never be allies.

Of course, if Nirasha had decided not to strike back, the ‘Bloodburst’ wouldn’t have activated.

The ability was designed to trigger only when offensive mana was concentrated in her body.

In the end, it was her own doing.

‘Judging by the mana reaction, that spear must have been from Aruty.’

Jinhyuk had already suspected Aruty’s involvement.

Naturally, it wasn’t hard to deduce that Nirasha had handed over the ‘Spear of Atlantis’.

Jinhyuk had carefully orchestrated the situation to monopolize various fortuitous opportunities, and everything had aligned perfectly, allowing him to claim it all.

“With that in mind, could you head over to their ship and fetch the spear? It’s a trident, so it should be easy to spot.”

“Why me? I’m tired from all the fighting too, you know.”

“I heard it’s the season for coconut crabs. Imagine dipping the soft meat in rich innard sauce…”

Oh boy.

Just thinking about it was mouthwatering.

“…”

Alice von Ataraxia’s mouth began to water.

Still, she hesitated, likely trying to preserve her dignity after reveling in her full power during the fight.

There was no helping it.

Jinhyuk decided to sweeten the deal.

“You worked hard, so I’ll let you have some of my blood to recover your mana. Isn’t that the best for you?”

“…! Right away! But you better keep that promise, Contractor!”

Her pride vanished in an instant as Alice flapped her wings vigorously and flew toward the coast.

With this, not only would Jinhyuk acquire the ‘Spear of Atlantis’, but he had also fulfilled the conditions to copy two new skills.

—

[Copy Conditions Fulfilled]
– Condition 1:
‘For a foe who has plagued you with endless misfortune, their end must be just as fitting. Grant Nirasha both freedom and despair to copy one of her unique abilities or skills.’
– Condition 2:
‘Pirates, too, have a code to follow. But Kopps pushed even his most loyal subordinates to their deaths for personal gain. Teach him the true cost of breaking the pirate’s code to copy one of his unique abilities or skills.’

Both conditions had been met.

—

The skills to be copied were already chosen.

‘Whirr!’

A golden semi-circle appeared in each of Jinhyuk’s hands.

‘Spiral Chakram.’

This skill allowed the creation of something from nothing and granted mastery over chakrams, the signature weapon of the Thousand Years and Gandhara Guild. Its optimized mana efficiency ensured that Jinhyuk would never be unarmed, even with an empty mana pool.

‘Slice!’

A nearby boulder was cleaved cleanly in half.

The precision was exquisite.

‘Perfect for catching enemies off guard.’

With excellent performance in both ranged and melee combat, the skill was incredibly versatile.

Next, Jinhyuk’s gaze fell on another skill.

‘Nine Gallows.’

If any ability resembled the “luck stat,” it was Kopps’ skill.

Just possessing it passively enhanced the potential of all other skills, making it highly synergistic with Jinhyuk’s existing abilities.

‘The haul is bigger than I expected.’

Meanwhile, Chun Yoosung and Wolyoung were sweeping through the remnants of the Pain Pirate Crew, gathering spoils.

Not only gold and jewels but also a variety of items—they had essentially discovered a treasure trove.

The best part?

They didn’t have to share any of it with other guilds.

—

Now it was time to distribute the stats earned from this conquest.

‘Beep!’

Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.

—

[Personal Status Window]

Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Level: 165

Stats:
– Strength: 109
– Agility: 121
– Vitality: 73
– Mana: 414 → 429
– Rift: 100
– Luck: 10
– Adaptive: 78
– Willpower: 112.55

Unused Stat Points: 15
Coins: 14,299,570

Class: Ruler of Runes
Unique Holy Spear: ‘Wheel of Heaven’s Reversal’ – Phase 2, ‘Eight Swamps’
Unique Abilities: Too numerous to list (set to ‘Condensed View’ mode).

—

True to its name, the ‘Omnipotent Library’, the stored abilities were dazzlingly diverse.

The level increase alone was substantial—five levels in total.

It seemed that defeating Kopps, the de facto boss of the 29th floor, along with Nirasha, who had entered her ‘Avatar’ state, contributed significantly to the experience gained.

‘With more passive skills, I should invest the stat points in mana.’

[Mana has increased from 414 to 429.]

Good.

With this, the battle at Pirate Island was concluded.

Strictly speaking, it was just a pause before the next grand confrontation.

—

‘Normally, a message saying the path to the next floor is open would appear by now… but it seems delayed.’

[The conquest of the 29th floor is not yet complete.]

Due to the emergence of the Apocalypse Scenario, the Kraken must be defeated to progress.

While entry to the 29th floor was unrestricted, leaving it was now impossible.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Maintaining his peak power for over an hour might be feasible.

But even with ‘Shared All Things’, defeating the Kraken was another matter entirely.

The ‘Apocalypse’ event was so challenging that even factions backed by deities struggled with it.

That left only one viable option.

Just as Jinhyuk thought this—

“Hyung! I found it!”

Lee Tae-min appeared, holding what Jinhyuk had requested.

It was a beautiful shell with a sky-blue hue.

The ‘Millennium Conch.’