Chapter 483
It wasn’t the first time ordinary objects had turned into holy relics due to mana.
But this time, it was different.
The mana emanating from the Tower was completely tainted.
‘Which combination of the three would give us the best chance?’
Jinhyuk walked down a lavishly decorated corridor.
From swords and blades to bows, numerous artifacts brought in from the Louvre Museum were on display.
These must have been prepared in advance by the Vatican for this occasion.
“Contractor. I like this one.”
Alice pointed to a jewel inside a glass case.
It was a ruby once cherished by Louis XIV, and after being infused with mana, its luster had become even more intense.
Given her usual fondness for rare items, it was only natural that Alice would want to claim it.
“You do know we’re not here for a shopping trip, right?”
“O-of course. I merely believe that gem will be of great help to our team.”
What a lie.
Anyone could see the way her eyes were following the jewel back and forth.
The drool at the corner of her mouth was also undeniable evidence.
“What about you, Teresa?”
“Hmm. I think this one looks good.”
Teresa pointed to a medieval torture device.
Another ominous thing had popped up.
‘Iron Maiden.’
Step inside, and your whole body ends up riddled with holes. Brutal.
“That’s unexpected. It looks a bit too extreme for you to be picking it.”
“I was just intrigued by the mana it’s giving off. It feels… almost like divine power is breathing within it…”
Divine power breathing, huh.
That’s quite the expression.
But the Iron Maiden was definitely not a bad choice.
Its special effect, a guaranteed crowd-control, would be a serious headache to face.
Because of the powerful constraints attached, not just anyone could wield it.
‘Then for me…’
Jinhyuk scanned the displays one last time.
Among the items he had been eyeing were the paintings.
Each painting held unique abilities, with drastically different effects depending on which one it was.
And that’s when it happened.
“Groooar…!”
From beyond a dark corridor, a deafening roar erupted.
Chills ran down his spine.
Srrrng!
Clank!
Teresa and Alice instinctively drew their weapons.
A crimson spear and a golden-hued sword blazed with intensity.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
What emerged from the corridor was a massive dinosaur fossil.
Crimson flames flickered in its empty eye sockets.
“Grraaah…”
The apex predator of the Cretaceous period—
A Tyrannosaurus.
Its massive frame filled the corridor, with black tendrils sprouting between its bones.
One glance was enough to know it had been influenced by the Necronomicon.
Someone had clearly chosen the fossil as their holy relic.
“I’ll stop it!”
Teresa stepped forward, channeling divine power.
“KRAAAAH!”
The Tyrannosaurus charged at full speed.
The distance closed in an instant.
Its gaping maw crashed directly into Teresa’s shield.
KWAANG!
A tremendous boom echoed.
The ground along its path was sunken, and the walls had been blackened by the tendrils.
“Kh…!”
But Teresa only slightly furrowed her brow. She hadn’t budged an inch.
Not just because of her divine power—
[The holy relic ‘Iron Maiden’ has activated!]
[Due to the chosen wielder’s resonance, the effect of the ability has been enhanced!]
The power to restrain.
The Tyrannosaurus began to crumple under translucent spikes.
Crunch! Crack!
It twisted its body wildly, but once caught, escape was near impossible.
As blood-red fluid dripped from the Iron Maiden’s eyes, the pressure intensified.
Sharp spikes mercilessly pierced its bones.
“GRRAAAAH!”
With a final desperate scream, the Tyrannosaurus crumbled completely.
“My goodness…”
A gasp escaped Teresa’s lips.
It was hard to believe such a powerful holy relic existed outside the Tower.
“Ohoho. So this is why you told us to choose carefully. I shall pick another as well. Something large and powerful—fitting of my stature!”
Alice’s eyes sparkled as she searched for a new item.
“Sorry, but once you choose, you can’t change.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me that earlier!?”
“Your eyes were already glued to that gem. Would you have listened to anything I said? Besides, that jewel might actually be a perfect match for you.”
Being drawn to something unconsciously often meant high compatibility.
Rather than overthinking it, trusting your instincts was often wiser.
That meant it was time for his own choice.
Step.
Jinhyuk stopped in front of a painting.
Even those with no interest in art would have heard of this masterpiece at least once.
[Would you like to choose Munch’s ‘The Scream’?]
A painting of a man with an expression as if he had lost his country.
This was the best option.
‘The fact that a selection window popped up means no one from the Vatican has claimed it yet.’
Of course, with all the weapons, armor, fossils, and statues around, no one would bother with a painting—
Unless they understood its true value.
“I’ll choose this one.”
A smile crept up on Jinhyuk’s lips.
Now begins the true exploration of the Vatican.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
The Vatican’s underground prison. The ‘Catacomb.’
Only known to cardinals among those affiliated with the Vatican, this place was entirely disconnected from modern law.
Normally, this underground prison should be empty.
But today, there was a noticeable presence.
“I heard there was an intruder in the memorial hall.”
A deep man’s voice echoed under the dim candlelight.
“Aside from these ones, you mean?”
The second voice was filled with worry.
Not long ago, several rankers from Korea had infiltrated deep into the inner sanctum.
Some had been captured and locked up, but two were still missing.
And now, more intruders had appeared—it was no wonder tensions were high.
‘Oppa…’
‘Hyung…’
Inside the cell, Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min bit their lips.
“So who are these intruders?”
“Kang Jinhyuk, Alice, and Teresa from Veteran Corporation.”
“…As expected. Once contact with his comrades was cut off, he moved personally.”
“Even among the others, Kang Jinhyuk isn’t someone you can deal with easily. He’s not just famous—he’s absurdly powerful. It might be better to appease him and try negotiating instead…”
A monster that even the world’s top guilds and the law enforcement of major nations dared not meddle with.
That was the kind of individual Kang Jinhyuk was, and he was now part of Veteran Corporation—a group comprised of beings like him.
The recent intruders were also well-known rankers, acknowledged even by the intelligence agency, but Kang Jinhyuk was on another level entirely.
Even the Vatican couldn’t lay hands on him lightly.
“Cardinal Trochia.”
“Yes, please speak, Cardinal Reitman.”
“We have a great mission. You know better than anyone how much we’ve endured in order to find the holy relic the angels have commanded us to retrieve.”
“Of course. I remember it clearly.”
The fountain pen on the table.
Its exact nature was unclear, but the moment its engraving was unlocked, a torrent of mana flooded the entire Vatican.
Just like when the Tower first appeared, objects within were transformed into relics.
Many among them gained power equivalent to that of holy relics, recognized for their worth.
Blessings that only the chosen ones could obtain.
Reitman had no intention of giving up that sacred privilege.
“They’ve surely come to steal this. But I intend to protect it at all costs. If we abandon our faith to those heretical opportunists, how can we claim to serve God?”
“You’re absolutely right. I lost my composure and misspoke.”
“It’s fine. You’re right that we need to be cautious—we’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest.”
Reitman nodded and then called upon a middle-aged knight clad in white armor.
“Captain Alfonso, how many Holy Knights within the Vatican have undergone their second awakening?”
“Since we’re currently attacking the Mansion of Wraiths on the 26th floor, about 70% of the order is absent. Including myself, there are about twenty Holy Knights left guarding the interior.”
“Twenty, huh…”
Not enough to stop those monsters.
However, there were two variables.
The holy relics—limited to one per person—and the Catacomb, now completely transformed by mana.
‘We’ve already claimed the best of them.’
Moreover, thanks to divine grace, the relics each had their powers significantly enhanced.
From the very beginning, the difference in footing was incomparable.
‘And if I use the relic I chose…’
Among 18,253 items, the relic boasting the greatest power.
Reitman stroked his chin with a finger.
“Let the rabbit hunt begin. Deploy the Holy Knights. I will report this to the angels once more.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trochia and Alfonso nodded.
“Ah, and don’t neglect keeping Yoo Cheonyeong and that red-haired woman contained. If they somehow reunite with Kang Jinhyuk, it’ll become a serious problem.”
Reitman added sternly.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
“They just keep crawling out, huh.”
“Feels like we’ve walked into a massive labyrinth or something.”
Alice and Teresa caught their breath.
A fierce battle that had been raging for over three hours.
Yet the number of enemies showed no sign of dwindling.
Jinhyuk flicked the bone dust off his dagger.
‘Looks like they really got their hands on the fountain pen. They’ve even figured out the most basic way to use it.’
They had already fought off all sorts of dinosaur fossils—and just moments ago, a sabertooth tiger and a mammoth.
Every single one of them infected by tendrils.
‘Nyarlathotep siding with Eden doesn’t make any sense… Just how did they manage to sway the Vatican?’
Was another variable involved?
Or was there an angel from the 50th floor colluding with them?
Maybe even one of the high-ranking administrators who hadn’t yet acted.
There were many possibilities, but all of them were just speculation.
To be sure, he had to dig deeper.
“Contractor. So, what now? We can’t just keep fighting these relics forever. You said there was something here we absolutely had to find?”
“Rescuing Yeonhwa’s group comes first. There should be a hidden staircase leading to the underground prison. Let’s start by finding that.”
“Jinhyuk…”
“You truly care about your comrades, Contractor.”
Teresa and Alice widened their eyes.
…Hmm.
Now probably wasn’t the right time to mention that he knew the fountain pen was hidden somewhere in the Catacomb.
They seemed genuinely moved, so there was no need to ruin it.
“Ahem.”
With a solemn expression, Jinhyuk pulled Goguma from his subspace.
“Mogii?”
“Goguma. I need you to sniff out anything on the ground that smells different. Got it?”
“Mogii!”
To anyone else watching, it looked like he was doing everything in his power to rescue comrades who might be in danger at any moment.
