Chapter 441
Lucius de Verakis.
Lucius was the heir of a prestigious British noble family, an elite among elites who had received gifted education from a young age.
He had mastered swordsmanship, academics, etiquette, and even pursuits such as horseback riding and violin. No matter the field, he had always assumed the top position as a given.
A genius life to the point of boredom.
Then, a bolt of lightning struck his otherwise dull existence—
The appearance of the Tower of Trials in reality.
Players risking their lives to climb the tower and save humanity!
How could he not be ignited with a sense of challenge?
Without hesitation, Lucius entered the tower.
He encountered countless monsters and inhabitants, growing stronger with each life-or-death struggle.
However… the initial thrill soon faded, and a sense of emptiness crept in.
Guilds clamored for him, powerful factions and even divine beings within the tower sought him out—but that was all.
Praise, expectations, and victories that felt inevitable.
Boredom and monotony always loomed over him.
But then—
‘Thump!’
For someone who had lived solely for his family’s honor and personal prestige…
‘Thump!’
For someone who had never been interested in anything beyond those pursuits…
A moment arrived when his heart pounded for the first time.
A goddess he saw in a video.
Even amidst the blood and dust of a hellish battlefield—
Alice shone with noble radiance, utterly breathtaking.
“Milady.”
Lucius gazed at Alice with deep admiration.
Never before had he shown interest in any woman, but for her, he felt as though he could give up everything.
Not just his life, but his very soul.
– “Hmph! Did you see that, Contractor? This is the extent of my greatness.”
Alice puffed out her chest and let out a triumphant little cough toward Jinhyuk.
She flapped so proudly that, had she wings, she might have flown straight into the sky.
“Haa….”
Jinhyuk clutched his throbbing head.
The world had no shortage of lunatics.
To think that someone would fall for this reckless little bat.
“Hey, stop hitting on our teammate and get lost. She’s already under a lifetime contract.”
“A lifetime… contract?”
Lucius’ eyebrows arched sharply.
‘Srrng!’
The sword at his waist gleamed with a bright edge.
“So… the rumors were true.”
“Rumors? What rumors?”
“That you enslave innocent people and exploit them.”
“Haa. You actually believe that nonsense? Do you know how much effort I put into maintaining my public image—”
“There’s an entire victims’ support group… Here, take a look.”
Lucius pulled out a transparent crystal from his cloak.
The Victims of the Demon.
The gathering of those who had suffered under a devil’s tyranny.
A video played, heavily censored with mosaic effects.
“If not for my master—no, that damned demon, I’d be relaxing in the spirit realm—no, just lounging around with a drink.”
“Tweattt!”
“Boss, I told you not to say ‘tweat’ out loud! They’ll hear!”
“Tw-Tweat!”
“Is this thing censoring properly?”
“Shut up. My head hurts.”
‘Clatter.’ “Enough with the interview. Turn it off. If you don’t erase this, the Undead Army will be at your doorstep.”
The video ended.
“You see? Your misdeeds have been fully documented.”
Lucius erupted in fury.
“It’s clear that Lady Alice is only with you against her will. I will rescue you now. Come with me!”
“Oh my. What should I do?”
Alice smirked, feigning a delicate and helpless demeanor.
This situation was only getting more complicated.
“Yoosung….”
“Everything he said makes too much sense. Hard to help you here. Try someone else.”
“T-Teresa?”
“Fufu. This actually works out for me. One less rival! No, wait, that wasn’t me speaking! That was another personality!”
There was no one reliable.
No choice, then.
If this fool wasn’t dealt with, their plans for the 30th Floor Theme Selection would be ruined.
‘Chk!’
Jinhyuk pulled Crimson Lotus from his subspace inventory.
The sharp dagger traced a half-moon arc.
“Come at me. As per the code of chivalry, I shall grant you three moves—”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
Jinhyuk vanished.
‘Kwaang!’
Lucius staggered.
His body slowly tilted to the side as he collapsed.
The moment the hilt of the dagger struck the back of his head, he instantly lost consciousness.
He would be out cold for at least an hour.
That should take care of the hassle for now.
“What a shame. He was quite endearing in his own way….”
“What, feeling guilty for beating up a guy who adores you?”
“Hoo. Contractor, are you jealous?”
“Jealous? As if….”
“Hehe. You totally are. Right? Right? Go on, admit it to this older sister.”
Alice pressed close behind Jinhyuk, chirping persistently.
—
The 30th Floor Theme Selection was determined by a bidding system.
The player or faction that bet the highest amount would be granted priority in choosing the theme.
‘A maximum of two players can enter… but there’s no limit for inhabitants.’
However, the more inhabitants participated, the higher the difficulty scaled.
There were many variables, but the most critical factor was which theme to choose.
[‘Vatican’ has placed a bid for the theme ‘Hundred Years’ War.’]
[Difficulty: 4-star]
[Bid amount: 500,000 coins.]
As expected…
Jinhyuk already knew this would happen.
Kenneth had already gathered intel on the themes, the initial bid amounts, and the maximum possible bids.
“Teresa.”
“Yes. I’m aware.”
Teresa nodded.
The Hundred Years’ War was a theme she couldn’t afford to lose.
Which meant they had no choice but to bid.
[‘Teresa’ raises the bid to 1,000,000 coins.]
The bidding war had begun.
“Tsk….”
A clicking tongue came from the Vatican’s side.
But they immediately countered with another bid, as if they had anticipated this.
[‘Vatican’ raises the bid to 2,000,000 coins.]
‘So they’re saying they won’t back down in terms of financial power.’
Jinhyuk chuckled.
He had never planned to win this through sheer coin count in the first place.
His goal wasn’t victory in the auction—it was to get under his opponent’s skin.
And sure enough, as the bid skyrocketed to 9,000,000 coins, the Vatican finally snapped.
“Enough with the obvious ploys. Just state what you want.”
A woman with short red hair approached Jinhyuk and Teresa.
Her black suit and white gloves bore a unique insignia—a fusion of runes and a cross.
She was one of Eden’s chosen Apostles.
“A ploy? Whatever do you mean?”
Jinhyuk widened his eyes innocently.
His bright, doe-like eyes sparkled.
“You know you can’t win this bid, so you’re just making us waste our resources, aren’t you? Why don’t you just name your price so we can both move on?”
“Oh my, are you implying that we aren’t seriously participating in this auction?”
“20,000,000 coins. Will that suffice?”
“……That’s a bit too much to just outright refuse.”
Jinhyuk had expected about 10,000,000 coins, but they must have been seriously irritated to throw in such a large amount.
Still.
“Coins alone won’t cut it. You’ll need to throw in one more thing.”
“You’re getting greedy. Or do you take us for fools willing to give you everything for free?”
“The rewards from the ‘Hundred Years’ War’ are far too valuable to trade for just coins. Besides, we’ll add another condition—Teresa will assist your side.”
“…!?”
The woman’s expression changed drastically.
In the ‘Hundred Years’ War’, the presence of a saintess was one of the most critical factors.
The Vatican had used every possible method to secure Teresa.
And now, something they had nearly given up on was being offered to them on a silver platter?
“Well? Are you interested now?”
“Let’s hear what you want first.”
“Nothing too grand… just one of the books stored in the Vatican’s underground archives.”
With the Tower of Trials appearing worldwide, many relics and replicas had emerged in Europe.
Among them, the Vatican’s secret library contained forbidden tomes and ancient texts dating back to the medieval era.
Unlike the books found within the tower—
These texts held a unique allure.
Not just because they contained useful information—
But because they provided clues to one of the tower’s deepest, darkest secrets.
The Necronomicon.
Normally, the first lead to this book would only appear in Eden.
However, the Vatican possessed a text with a similar effect.
Of course, the Vatican had no idea.
To them, this deal seemed entirely in their favor.
Trading a book from outside the tower—
For a holy relic from within.
The decision didn’t take long.
The red-haired woman extended her hand.
“Not a bad deal. Ah, I am Shoshana.”
Both sides had different thoughts in mind.
“Haha. I actually received an award from the Fair Trade Commission. I’m Kang Jinhyuk.”
Their hands met in agreement.
—
From there, things proceeded smoothly.
Teresa secured temporary immunity from the Vatican’s tribunal in exchange for participating in the ‘Hundred Years’ War’.
‘Well, it won’t last long. In the end, Teresa will be the one taking the rewards.’
A deal where the Vatican reaps all the rewards while Teresa does all the work?
No way.
They had already laid out the groundwork.
The real issue was retrieving the book from the Vatican before they realized they had been played.
Fortunately, Yoo Yeonhwa and Yoo Cheonhyeong would personally handle that.
Kenneth would guide them and verify the authenticity of the book, ensuring no room for deception.
Jinhyuk turned his attention back to the auction.
—
[Battle of Salsu]
Difficulty: ★★★
[The Curse of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves]
Difficulty: ★★
[Orc Village: From Settlement to Kingdom]
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Several themes were presented, and various guilds bid on the ones they were best suited for.
Even seemingly absurd themes were all snatched up.
Naturally.
The difficulty of clearing a theme depended entirely on one’s relationship with the inhabitants involved.
Then—
‘Ding!’
[The 19th Theme is now available.]
Their moment had arrived.
The interface flickered rapidly.
[Produce 101: Find the ‘Real’ Heavenly Demon.]
[Difficulty: ★★★★★★★★]
Among all the themes—
This was one of the most difficult.
It ranked alongside Galactic War, which featured alien species, and The Final Chapter of the Book of Revelation, as one of the few 8-star difficulty themes.
‘Produce 101, huh….’
Theme names often changed to reflect modern trends, but he hadn’t expected this.
‘It was originally called ‘Sole Sovereign.’’
When he had climbed the tower in the past, that was the name.
‘Well, considering the absurd replication conditions involved, I guess this name isn’t that surprising.’
The system had always had an eccentric taste.
“50,000 coins.”
Even with the minimum bid, no one else would dare challenge this theme.
Or so he thought.
“100,000!”
A clear, confident voice rang out among the players.