Chapter 471

The prelude to a full-scale battle had begun.

Guntafer stood before Jinhyuk, gripping an oddly shaped sword.

“Before we start, let me ask you one thing. How did you get past Behemoth? Even if you somehow won, there’s no way you could be walking around unscathed.”

One of the ancient species overseeing the Apocalypse.

It was shocking enough that a mere player survived, but to do so without a single wound was highly suspicious.

‘As expected, that’s the question.’

Behemoth’s betrayal must remain a secret.

After all, the contract with Guntafer was still intact.

“There was actually an easy strategy. Killing her was impossible, but putting her into a deep sleep wasn’t that hard.”

“You put her to sleep?”

A deeper shade of doubt crossed Guntafer’s face.

If he had the means to put an ancient species to sleep…

“Don’t tell me you got something from the Ragnarok pantheon?”

“Spot on. A god named Loki had some interesting things stored away. Something called ‘Akaru’s Root’…”

Jinhyuk wasn’t sure if Loki even had that root, but that wasn’t the point.

What mattered was that he knew of the existence of a supreme-grade ingredient with powerful sleep-inducing properties.

“…I see. I went through a lot of trouble to recruit her, but it turned out to be nothing more than dead weight.”

Clang!

Guntafer’s sword struck the ground.

Jinhyuk already knew what it was.

‘The Sword of Cabalado.’

A holy relic bestowed by a Demon God, and the most powerful weapon in the Demon Realm in terms of sheer attack power.

A troublesome opponent to face.

But at the same time…

‘If I can kill him, that’s one hell of a loot drop.’

Jinhyuk activated [Eye of Gluttony].

The Demon King of the Demon Realm.

He needed to copy that power.

Ding!

A status window appeared immediately.

[Character Information]

– Name: Guntafer
– Level: ???
– Unique Ability: Grasp of Subjugation
– Unique Holy Spear: Deep Desire’s Bargain
– Skills: ‘Egg of the Monstrous Beast’ Lv??, ‘Black Wings’ Lv??, ‘Demon God’s Blessing’ Lv??, ‘Charisma’ (Passive) Lv??, ‘Ancient Dark Magic’ Lv??, ‘Cursed Armor’ Lv??…

[Details]
One of the Ten Demon Kings of the Demon Realm, possessing outstanding cunning and an insatiable hunger for power. He is ruthless, even towards his most trusted subordinates, discarding them without hesitation. However, this trait also made him the most favored by the Demon God among the Demon Kings.

[Copy Conditions]
1. Guntafer is currently making deals with various factions that could bring immense damage to the Demon Realm. Even though these deals might lead to the realm’s collapse, he continues them for his own gain. Expose his scheme.

2. Guntafer’s unique holy spear, [Deep Desire’s Bargain], is one of the top-tier mental abilities even among the upper ranks. Save one of his most trusted allies who has fallen victim to this contract.

If both conditions are met, Jinhyuk would be able to copy one of Guntafer’s unique abilities, holy spear, or skills.

Indeed…

As expected of one of the top-tier entities in the Tower, even the conditions to copy his abilities were extremely demanding.

[Deep Desire’s Bargain] was the same contract magic he had used on Behemoth and Uriel.

It drew out one’s deepest desires and cunningly wove them into an inescapable contract.

‘The fact that he even lured in an Archangel says everything.’

If this were the modern world, he’d be a nationwide insurance tycoon or a seven-term congressman—someone whose words held terrifying persuasive power.

Yet, rather than being discouraged, Jinhyuk found himself even more excited.

The first condition was something he was already preparing to use against Guntafer, even without the incentive of copying his abilities.

As for the second condition… if handled correctly, it could even yield additional rewards.

Jinhyuk glanced at Chun Yoosung.

‘He’s overshadowed by me, but that guy is growing at an insane rate.’

Not only had he completed his second job advancement, but he was also quietly receiving sponsorships from multiple deities.

Talented players were always in high demand, after all.

And such rapid growth, backed by powerful patrons…

…was precisely the kind of environment that could trigger the awakening of a Unique Holy Spear.

[Eye of Gluttony] gleamed again.

[Character Information]

– Name: Chun Yoosung
– Level: 122
– Unique Ability: Song of the Sword
– Class: Sword Saint
– Skills: ‘Soul Chasing Sword Ki’ Lv20, ‘Eye of the Sage’ Lv17, ‘Duel’ Lv16, ‘Guardian Qi’ Lv16, ‘Battlefield Selection’ Lv16, ‘Soul Chasing Sword Dance’ Lv19, ‘Dark Curtain Barrier’ Lv15, ‘Endurance’ Lv15, ‘Perseverance’ Lv15…

[Details]
Chun Yoosung is currently waiting for the right moment to fulfill the conditions necessary to awaken his Unique Holy Spear. To do so, he must go beyond the limits of mere training and acquire an SSS-grade fortuitous encounter to break through his ceiling.

[Copy Conditions]
Indebt Chun Yoosung to you with a ‘debt’ he can never repay.

This wasn’t about mere gratitude.

The debt had to be so immense that he would be speechless whenever it was brought up.

It was definitely worth attempting.

If he helped Chun Yoosung awaken his Unique Holy Spear, he could copy it.

And if he copied Guntafer’s abilities on top of that…

A golden opportunity.

Of course, some people might get exploited along the way, and some might end up with permanent black marks on their history…

But that was irrelevant.

What mattered most was copying abilities that others had spent their entire lives cultivating.

Jinhyuk’s lips curled into a smirk.

And that expression…

“Daring to relax in front of me?”

…thoroughly provoked Guntafer.

Swoosh!

The sound came first.

The sword moved a mere 0.1 seconds later.

The distortion between perception and reality.

A blade sliced through the air, barely missing Jinhyuk’s neck.

[Critical Hit!]

[Bleeding effect increased by 400%!]

[Wound cannot be staunched for 5 minutes.]

Splat!

Blood spurted out.

Even though it was just a graze, a cascade of red system notifications flooded his vision.

It had been a while since he felt such a chilling pain.

“Seriously, why do these guys always have such overpowered gear….”

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue and widened the distance between them.

If even [Mandala] couldn’t regenerate his wounds, then getting hit directly was absolutely out of the question.

Tap.

Guntafer moved again.

By extending his right foot forward, he added stability and weight to his sword stance.

The preparation took barely a second.

But what followed was a storm of slashes.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa… KWAANG!

The Sword of Cabalado tore through the fortress.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Who could describe that as merely “swinging a sword”?

The slash left an impeccably clean cut.

The dark aura blade extended all the way to the fortress’s farthest edge before finally stopping.

It was an attack that left no room for words, only chills down the spine.

“You… have been an unbearable nuisance. I can confidently say I’ve never been this irritated in my entire life. Not even Berial, whom I so desperately wanted to rip apart, pissed me off this much.”

Through the thick smoke, Guntafer began closing the distance.

Step.

One step.

And with it, the angles and range of attack shifted completely.

Step.

Two steps.

Every hair on Jinhyuk’s body stood on end.

He steadied his rapidly pounding heart.

‘Yeah, fighting a Demon King head-on at this stage is no joke.’

How long had it been?

Since he last felt such adrenaline-pumping, nerve-wracking tension?

The kind of pressure where a single mistake meant death—

It made him feel alive more than anything else.

Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.

“Listen to me carefully from now on.”

Chun Yoosung, Teresa, and Chuhon Sayoung.

Each of them had their roles to play.

“Go ahead. Knowing you, I’m sure you have at least one trick up your sleeve.”

“Of course! This is Jinhyuk we’re talking about! He definitely has a plan!”

“Hehe, in moments like this, I find Young Master Kang quite reliable. Tell us, what do you need us to do?”

“First, Sayoung, you need to find your master and Pudalak. Hold off the demons gathering in the area. I’ve located a weak point in the barrier at the far left—use it to get out.”

Demons had begun swarming around the battlefield the moment Guntafer appeared.

They hadn’t broken through the barrier yet, but that was only because Guntafer hadn’t willed it.

If they didn’t secure an escape route, they’d be surrounded in no time.

“Together with those fools? Sigh… This will be difficult, but I’ll manage somehow.”

Sayoung nodded.

Good. Next up…

“Teresa, I need you on support.”

“You mean rear support?”

“Yes. No matter how strong he is, divine power is his natural counter. You just need to buy us some time.”

“Leave it to me.”

Teresa firmly gripped her sword and shield once more.

And finally, Chun Yoosung…

“You and I are going to fight together like we did before. Remember Antlad?”

The battles they fought together in the Giant’s Fortress.

It was time to recreate that moment.

Now that he thought about it…

His chest swelled with nostalgia.

He and this stubborn, single-minded idiot had actually built up quite a history together.

Jinhyuk was just reminiscing with a warm smile when—

“Oh, I definitely remember. How could I forget the humiliation of you forcing me into that ridiculous outfit, then hogging all the loot while I was injured?”

“Hey, don’t twist such a good memory….”

“Memory? More like a nightmare. You’re the one twisting things here.”

Chun Yoosung idly tapped the hilt of his sword.

Gulp.

If the situation weren’t so dire, that sword would’ve been at his throat already.

And honestly…

Considering what Jinhyuk had planned for later, things were only going to get worse for Yoosung.

Still, once he did screw him over, he’d make sure to compensate him properly.

Probably…

“Ah, anyway! Let’s just focus on fighting together like before.”

“Damn it, I hate this, but fine. But if you betray me again, I’ll kill you before the Demon King does.”

“Come ooon, do I look like the type to betray his comrades? What a ridiculous thought. Ahem.”

“Yeah, yeah….”

[Chun Yoosung activates the Unique Ability ‘Song of the Sword’!]

Wuuuung!

A brilliant white light gathered at the tip of his blade.

It was dazzlingly beautiful.

Already, Chun Yoosung had reached the level where sword and body moved as one.

And standing right beside him—

Jinhyuk.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, looking ahead.

Zzt!

[Grave of Swords] activated, and a dark aura surged around Jinhyuk, forming a stark contrast to Yoosung’s radiant energy.

Black and white.

Two opposing energies illuminating the battlefield.

And then—

“I’ll handle the rear. You can count on me.”

[Teresa activates the Unique Ability ‘Blessing of the Stars’!]

A dazzling constellation surrounded the three of them.

A warmth, gentle yet firm.

Divine power infused into their attacks, defenses, and healing.

‘So this is what it feels like to have a real team.’

Jinhyuk felt something stir within him.

Yeah.

Back when he first fought Guntafer, he had no one.

No comrades to fight alongside him.

No friends to shed blood and sweat with.

Back then, he had fought this monster alone.

For three whole days and nights, without sleep, without food—just endless battle.

And his greatest regret from back then…

…was that he didn’t have a proper decoy to buy him time.

‘Three targets means three times the opportunity.’

No wonder people always formed raiding parties.

Fighting alone was way riskier.

Of course—

“Three little insects gathering together and acting cocky… Don’t worry. I’ll kill each of you. Slowly. Painfully.”

To Guntafer, none of this meant a damn thing.

[Guntafer activates the Unique Ability ‘Grasp of Subjugation’!]

In an instant—

Jinhyuk felt his entire body freeze, as if someone had seized control over him.