Chapter 481
Chichichit. Chichijijisit…!
A strange sound, like bugs crawling, echoed through the air.
Four people who had already hidden themselves in the alley watched the approaching figures.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Green glowing eyes flashed inside hollow helmets.
Black-skinned tendrils crawled over their iron armor.
It was, without a doubt, a grotesque monster unlike anything seen before.
“Outside the Tower… things like that are roaming around?”
“No way. Is this real?”
Everyone held their breath.
It wasn’t just the appearance… what was before their eyes completely shattered all known common sense.
Moreover, something even more ominous was felt deeper within, past the buildings lining the alley.
“They called this place the Vatican… but it’s nothing short of hell.”
Yoo Cheonyeong’s eyes also turned icy cold.
Just then—
“Kii?”
One of the iron knights turned its gaze toward them.
“We’ve been spotted!”
“But I erased our Mana signature, how—?”
Did it have a skill that detects presence?
Or was it using another method?
They didn’t know the reason, but one thing was certain—they had to act now.
Run or fight.
That decision was made for them immediately.
“Kieeeeeh!”
“Kyaaa!”
Three knights rushed forward, each wielding a different weapon.
Despite the heavy iron armor, their movements were fast and light.
Tap… tat!
One of them climbed the wall and closed the distance in a flash.
“Everyone, get behind me.”
Blue energy condensed around Yoo Cheonyeong’s foot.
Whirlwind, [Spinning Kick].
Whoooosh!
With a terrifying gust of wind, Yoo Cheonyeong’s leg moved like a living serpent.
KWAANG!
The helmet of the knight that charged first was crushed instantly.
The impact was so overwhelming, even the building shook.
“Yeonhwa’s grandfather really is… a total monster.”
“He’s reassuring, but this is just the beginning.”
Melena swung her whip, knocking down the knights clinging to the wall.
Thud! Boom!
“Groooaaar!”
The enraged knights began rampaging even more violently.
Wriggle.
Tendrils erupted from the gaps in their armor.
…Fast!
“Tch!”
Melena tried to swing her whip again.
But then—
Sssssss!
The moment it touched the tendrils, it turned black and burned away.
It wasn’t poison or anything like that.
Even though it was only red-grade, Melena’s whip was still one of the holy relics.
“Don’t let them touch you!”
“This is a headache.”
At Melena’s words, Yoo Yeonhwa clicked her tongue.
Her main combat style involved close-quarters martial arts while wearing gauntlets.
Yoo Cheonyeong was in the same boat, specializing in melee combat.
Continuing the fight didn’t seem like a viable option.
However, retreating wasn’t easy either.
“We’re cut off from the outside! No comms… and that mist seems to be interfering with long-range detection!”
Even the drones flying above were spinning wildly in place like bees that had lost their antennae.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Kiiiii…”
“Kirrik!”
Meanwhile, more enemies continued to appear from the alley.
They looked like grotesque statues crawling with tendrils.
The only path left was to head deeper into the Vatican.
“Damn it. Just run for it!”
Lee Tae-min shouted at the top of his lungs.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
The first to reach the peak of Mount Valhalla was the veteran corporation.
“We have a winner!”
Pudalak jumped to his feet.
“Oooooh!”
“A foreigner taking first place!”
“First is always better than second!”
Other elders nearby also erupted in cheers.
Of course, a few elders who had hoped for Raicha or the other strong contenders to win couldn’t hide their displeasure.
“He must’ve used some dirty trick.”
“A barbarian who isn’t honorable or wise winning first place… Aaargh!”
One of the elders who was grumbling in discontent suddenly screamed.
“Hey, move aside. Don’t block the path.”
Jinhyuk had stepped on his foot.
He had aimed precisely, cracking the elder’s bone.
It was a blatant act of disrespect toward the elderly, but Jinhyuk didn’t even glance back as he walked past.
“Oho, well done.”
“What do you mean? My teammates did all the hard work. Thanks to them, I got to witness a truly barbarian-worthy coming-of-age ceremony. Hahaha.”
“Keh keh keh. My disciple is very modest. He may look a bit frail, but when the time comes to exert power, he’s a monster.”
“Indeed, your disciple is clearly something else. Then I can’t just sit still either.”
[Pudalak activates the unique ability ‘Earthquake’!]
Rumble rumble rumble!
Though he controlled the power, the ground still trembled with immense pressure.
“Congratulations.”
Pudalak extended his hand.
His palm quivered slightly.
Grabbing that bare-handed would flatten anyone like a dried squid.
‘So he wants to test me in the tribal chief’s own way.’
There was discontent among the elders due to a foreigner winning. To quell it, he had to demonstrate strength that the barbarians respected.
‘Typical barbarian logic.’
Well, fine.
[Combat Compression Muscles].
Time to show that he wasn’t just big like a balloon—there was more to him.
By the time he reached the summit of Valhalla, he had already acquired Pudalak’s ability.
[Successfully copied the unique ability ‘Earthquake’!]
[Earthquake]
Acquisition Difficulty: S
Description: The unique ability of Pudalak, known as the Barbarian of Storms. It allows the user to release energy throughout the body to cause earthquakes. The strength of the tremors varies with skill proficiency, and a special effect that reads vibrations also grows alongside it.
[The copied ability has been saved to ‘Memory of the World’.]
Another new ability had been added.
How to fuse it later would be an enjoyable challenge.
But for now…
[Unique ability ‘Earthquake’ is activated!]
[Unique ability ‘Right Arm of Tomb Grave’ is activated!]
Two unique abilities activated simultaneously.
For a moment, a flicker of emotion crossed Pudalak’s face.
‘…What is this?’
The first thing he felt was doubt.
The Dark Emperor had praised him generously, but it was ultimately out of affection for his disciple.
No matter how you looked at him, Jinhyuk’s frail-looking body didn’t appear physically strong.
‘Wasn’t that strength of his supposed to come from Mana or whatever?’
That’s what he believed.
So then what was this?
This overwhelming pressure emanating from the body of a man much smaller and more delicate than himself?
Above all, this unique vibration.
‘It’s similar to my ability…’
It was still immature, but this unmistakable thrum was identical to his own [Earthquake].
“…Thank you.”
Jinhyuk smiled brightly and took his hand.
At that moment—
Ruuuuuumble!
Power clashed head-on.
Tremendous force surged through their hands, yet the arm of the giant race handled Pudalak’s power without difficulty.
Naturally, gasps of shock erupted from the onlookers.
“What the hell?”
“How is he handling Pudalak’s handshake with that build?”
“Is the king holding back?”
“Must be. If nothing else, there’s no way he’s matching that strength.”
That was the only conclusion they could draw.
After all, among all the barbarians here, Pudalak stood at the absolute peak in terms of strength.
If he so wished, even a three-meter-tall muscular warrior would groan under the strain of his power.
However—
“No, look. Look at Pudalak’s face. He looks like he’s about to crap himself.”
“His veins are bulging. He’s giving it everything.”
“His face is bright red too.”
What had started off half in jest had turned into a full-force contest from Pudalak.
In contrast, Jinhyuk was receiving it rather casually.
—Never judge by appearance alone.
That lesson was now etched into everyone’s minds.
Jinhyuk slowly released his grip.
“Ggh… K-hehem. N-Not bad. You’re worthy of leading the group that cleared the coming-of-age trial first.”
Pudalak subtly hid his half-crushed hand.
His hand had turned pale like snow from lack of blood flow—it even looked a little pitiful.
“Well then, I’ll be heading off now.”
He had finished everything he needed to do on the 31st floor.
Now it was time to step outside the Tower for a short break.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
– Veteran Corporation clears the 31st floor.
– Unknown enters the Demon Realm: ‘22 Speculations on the Mysterious Staircase’.
– Special Weekly Feature: Tower of Trials’ Top Stories.
Articles flooded the news outlets.
The hottest topics were the Demon Realm and the 31st floor conquest.
The first-ever entry into the Demon Realm—where no information had been released before—was a major sensation on its own.
‘Like throwing dry kindling into a fire.’
For a while, these two stories would dominate every community.
It was a shame he hadn’t found the [Hourglass that only exists for 72 hours], but that could be handled in a different way later.
‘More importantly, there’s been no news from Taemin and Yeonhwa. I know overseas entry procedures have gotten stricter lately, but this much of a delay feels strange…’
Until tonight. If he still didn’t hear from them, he would have to initiate contact.
While Jinhyuk was lost in thought—
“J-Jim is quite late, isn’t she? Apologies. There was simply so much to prepare.”
Alice appeared from behind him.
Hooh.
Jinhyuk’s pupils slightly dilated.
She had taken her sweet time and made such a fuss about not letting him see her get ready.
Now he had an inkling of the reason why.
A stunning black blouse, a white silk skirt.
Her makeup was subtle yet highlighted her features perfectly.
She was flawless.
Even the dazzling jewelry that looked straight out of a drama sparkled brilliantly.
She was so beautiful that people passing by were whispering and glancing back at her. Naturally, she drew attention.
“Wow, you really dressed up today.”
“R-Really? Thank goodness. I was up all night preparing this… Ahem! I mean, I just dressed lightly like I usually do. Nothing special, hmph.”
Alice casually swept her hair behind her ear.
“So, where in the human world are you taking me today? After all the hardships I’ve endured, it had better be worthy of my satisfaction.”
“Well, it’s not bad. I’m a little worried because it gets crowded… but let’s just go.”
Jinhyuk took Alice by the wrist and picked up the pace.
“Hmm? Mm-hmm…”
Alice followed behind him, her face full of anticipation.
The first destination: a cat café.
Cats of various breeds purred and wandered about.
True to its Cheongdam-dong location, the interior was elegant and upscale—unlike a typical café.
“Hooh, oooooh. C-Cute.”
“Do you like it?”
“For hairy beasts, they are quite refined and cultured. Ouch. Don’t bite me. That’s not food! Contractor. Bring out this ‘Churu’ you speak of. I shall bend these creatures to my will at once.”
Alice kept getting into stare-downs with the cats.
It felt like watching a dominance battle between felines.
“You look like you’re having fun messing with them, but let’s order something first. The chocolate cake here is amazing. And the Einspänner’s gotten rave reviews too.”
“Ooh! Hurry and order. Hurry!”
With sweet desserts and coffee in front of her, Alice’s face became even more flushed with excitement.
But then—
“Welcome. Thank you for visiting Café Éviteran.”
The employee who came to take their order looked… off.
His familiar features and voice were of the kind Jinhyuk had come to know all too well.
“You… What are you doing here?”
“You working part-time here?”
Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung’s voices overlapped.
“Oh my, Mr. Jinhyuk? And Ms. Alice too.”
Beside him stood Teresa, dressed in a uniform that resembled a maid outfit.
Something about this outing… definitely wasn’t going to be ordinary.
