Chapter 479
The core of their plan was Laicha.
The rising star of the Great Bear Tribe. A promising young warrior with a physique so perfect, he could take down a Mountain Bear bare-handed.
‘Laicha joining forces with warriors from other tribes to side with us…’
Jinhyuk stroked his chin.
They were clearly planning to gather information to clear the remaining trials, only to backstab them at the end and cross the finish line themselves.
For goldfish-level IQ, it wasn’t the worst strategy.
Assuming the ones they were trying to trick had similarly low intelligence.
‘Out of all people, why try to deceive me?’
Honestly… it was almost cute. He felt like patting their heads and handing out candy.
“Alice.”
Jinhyuk activated the video call.
“Yeah?”
“Call everyone else. There’s something I need to tell them.”
“Sigh… it’s about the Coming-of-Age Ceremony again, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is. What else?”
“Contractor. Have you completely forgotten the promise you made me?”
Alice pouted.
Her frustration was understandable.
After the war with Guntafer, what Alice wanted wasn’t more musty, sweat-stinking trials—but to spend time alone with Jinhyuk.
Even when they returned to the 31st floor, she hadn’t completely abandoned that hope…
But Jinhyuk’s unbreakable walls had left her feeling wounded.
“Oh… you mean the date we planned outside the Tower? Of course I remem…bered. Totally.”
“Liar.”
“It’s true. I even made reservations and planned everything. That… thing you wanted to eat, and the VR experience too.”
“Really…? You actually prepared all that?”
“Of course.”
“……”
Alice’s expression changed in an instant.
Her eyes sparkled, and a faint blush colored her pale skin.
“T-Then I shall do my best. What are you all doing! The Contractor has something to say—get over here now!”
Alice hurriedly gathered the scattered members.
“Now then, we just wait for them to approach first.”
“Right. I heard one of the elders knows a hidden route here. He should be arriving soon.”
“Not a bad plan. Keep your allies close, and your enemies even closer.”
“Exactly. Let’s go with your suggestion.”
Teresa and Chun Yoosung nodded.
And almost right on cue—
Step.
New footsteps echoed.
Laicha and warriors from other tribes appeared.
“Ahem! T-To think… there would be… o-other… challengers… here…!”
“I was so shocked, my brain almost fell out.”
“Same here. This is the most surprised I’ve been in all five years of my life.”
“We’re not five years old. We’re at least twice that. We’re twenty.”
The barbarians approached, sounding like they were reading out of a textbook.
“What’s the matter?”
“We came with a proposal. Beyond this point lies a place feared even by the adult warriors of old. How about we join forces to get through it together?”
An obvious ploy.
They clutched their axes and clubs, ready to strike the moment they saw an opening.
But that was just fine.
Because they were equally eager to deliver a blow none of them would forget.
“Not a bad idea.”
With a grin only Jinhyuk could pull off, Chun Yoosung accepted the offer.
With the group now larger, their pace up the mountain increased.
KWAANG!
BOOM!
“Khahaha! My biceps are roaring!”
“My thighs were feeling great this morning… now I’m soaring!”
The barbarians smashed through monsters without hesitation.
The sight of human-sized Yetis being obliterated by even smaller humans was grotesque to say the least.
Stupid as they were, their strength was undeniably useful.
Of course, they were likely sticking close to exploit the information Jinhyuk’s group possessed.
‘Things are going smoothly for now. But the real problem starts up ahead…’
Jinhyuk stroked his chin again.
The end of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was in sight.
To pass the final trial, more noble sacrifices would be required.
Before long, a massive labyrinth of crisscrossing paths unfolded before them.
[You have arrived at the 17th Trial: ‘Valhalla’s Ordeal’!]
The first challenge was a fork in the road.
Two seemingly endless tunnels lay ahead.
One reeked with a foul stench.
The other echoed with an annoyingly constant splash of water.
“Ahem! Cough!”
“Did I push my body too hard?”
“My joints are creaking.”
“My calves are swollen!”
The barbarians groaned in unison.
They massaged their arms and legs, subtly trying to back away.
“Jinhyuk, those guys…”
Chun Yoosung frowned.
No amount of coaxing or threats was getting them to budge.
“It’s fine. I expected this. The elders probably told them not to go any further.”
Things were about to get tricky.
Valhalla’s Ordeal changed location and mechanics every time new challengers arrived—and the problem was, there was no pattern.
In other words, the only way through was trial and error—testing with your own body.
Originally, Jinhyuk had planned to use the barbarians as bait…
But if they were going to be this stubborn, he’d have to go with a backup plan.
“The right path. Look at how the moss is growing—that’s the one.”
Jinhyuk’s voice rang out confidently.
“Are you sure, Master? That’s not very convincing…”
“Yeah, believing stuff like that is how you get a truckload of people killed.”
“Feels like Undine’s spirit is lingering around us right now.”
“Mogii, Mogii!”
The spirit beasts and Goguma tilted their heads.
“I’m serious. Trust me. I’m absolutely sure this time. Also… it’d be nice if our strongest and most reliable divine beast could take the lead…”
“The strongest and most reliable divine beast… well, I suppose I have no choice. Everyone, follow me.”
Malang the Azure Dragon soared to the front.
“It seems… kind of cozy in here—gasp! W-What is this?!”
SPLASH!
A splash was heard—
“Guaaaaghhh!”
Followed by a wretched scream piercing their eardrums.
“So… not the left path.”
With that, it was confirmed that the right side was the correct route.
“……”
“……”
“M-Master?”
“What a terrifying man…”
Even the spirit beasts watching, and the barbarians themselves, shivered at the sight.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
What followed were a series of equally shocking scenes.
In every task that required a choice—or a sacrifice—Jinhyuk’s schemes never failed to activate.
“Miyooo!”
“Gahk! Cough! Guhk!”
Fried the Phoenix burned to a crisp.
Sylphid froze solid.
Salamander left behind a final message in ashes: “Damn master.”
Even Goguma passed out with foam bubbling from his mouth.
The beloved companions who had been through everything together were collapsing one by one.
“Hrk.”
Jinhyuk wiped his eyes on the other side of the screen.
Of course, not a single tear actually touched his handkerchief.
“Still, thanks to everyone’s voluntary sacrifices, we’re almost there.”
At last, the summit of the mountain came into view, bathed in brilliant light.
“Oooooh! We’re finally here?”
“Truly, trusting and following that outsider—er, I mean, that human—was the right call!”
“His muscles may be trash, but he’s smart!”
The barbarians cheered as they began fiddling with their weapons.
Clearly, this meant they were now ready to betray them, now that they were so close to the end.
But.
‘Like I didn’t already expect that.’
Come on. They were practically baring their fangs. How could he not notice?
THUD! THUD! THUD!
“Grrrrr…”
Towering 3 meters tall, with hulking muscles.
Drool streamed from the mouths of their two heads.
About 30 in total—Chimera Yetis.
Before the barbarians could attack Jinhyuk’s group, they’d first have to deal with the monsters surrounding them.
“F-Fight them!”
“Do not fear, young warriors! Uungaru is with you!”
“Our chieftain’s name is Pudalak.”
“That’s right! Anyway, don’t be afraid!”
This time, even the barbarians couldn’t just watch from the sidelines.
There were simply too many Chimera Yetis. Everyone had to give it their all.
A brutal battle began immediately.
Now that their lives were on the line, the barbarians’ mood shifted entirely.
Their eyes burned with fury, and battle aura surged fiercely.
Chimera Yetis and barbarians clashed violently.
BANG! BOOM!
“GRROOOAAAR!”
“KIEEEEEE!”
Blood and flesh flew everywhere.
A close, back-and-forth struggle.
‘Good, this is perfect.’
Jinhyuk nodded as he observed the fight.
The more intense it became, the easier things would go a bit later.
How much time had passed?
The tide had completely turned in the barbarians’ favor.
Their base strength was already comparable—and with Chun Yoosung and Teresa joining in, it was only a matter of time before victory was secured.
Jinhyuk glanced around with narrowed eyes.
‘It should be about time now…’
After a battle this intense, barbarians would inevitably experience one shared symptom.
“Yoosung. You prepared it, right?”
“Yeah. I set it up when the fight started.”
Chun Yoosung nodded.
⁕
“Huff… huff… huff…”
“This… this is my limit.”
“Quick… I need it now…”
Heavy breathing.
Every warrior instinctively felt it.
After exerting themselves to this degree, they had to consume protein within 30 minutes—or everything they’d worked for would go to waste.
That’s when it happened. Their eyes all landed on a delectable chunk of meat.
A glistening red cut of tender flesh.
Steam rising in soft, swirling trails.
“W-What’s that?”
“Meat!”
“Protein!”
The barbarians roared in celebration.
At the perfect timing, they’d discovered the most mouthwatering source of protein.
Without a single command, they threw themselves forward.
They moved at least twice as aggressively as they had during battle.
CHOMP CHOMP!
One after another, they stuffed the meat into their mouths at a frenzied pace.
They believed they were only seconds away from wasting their workout if they didn’t.
Then suddenly, the one gorging the hardest—Laicha—froze.
“Hrk…?”
Something felt wrong.
“W-Wait, everyone stop—!”
Laicha tried to warn the others, but it was too late.
The rest had already begun to feel the same effects.
The result was immediate and powerful.
“Ggghh…”
“GUAAAGH!”
“S-Save me…”
The warriors clutched their stomachs and collapsed.
Their eyes trembled violently.
The brains of these once protein-hungry warriors now had one singular, desperate thought:
A toilet.
They needed to go. Right now.
To preserve the last shred of dignity for their tribe, they had to find a private place—immediately.
And at that very moment—
“Whoa, did everyone get food poisoning or something? Whoever did this really played a nasty trick.”
A sinister chuckle echoed in the air.
