Chapter 493
So then—who among them isn’t a player?
Jinhyuk activated the [Eye of Gluttony] once more.
Kang Sua. Jonathan. Romanovski. Ahn Ilman. Sandra.
At a glance, they all seemed ordinary.
Even when scanned with the [Eye of Gluttony], nothing stood out.
Which meant they weren’t ordinary even among residents.
To conceal themselves this thoroughly—it had to mean something.
‘I’ll need to bait the trap slowly.’
They wouldn’t reveal their hand easily.
Whatever their intentions were in approaching him, he could find out after setting the perfect trap.
Right then—
“Finished scouting.”
Chun Yoosung approached.
“Nice work. Which area looked safe?”
“There’s a path sloping down to the left. A few monsters, but nothing too dangerous.”
“Okay. Then we’ll go that way. Let’s move. We need to get off the plateau before sunset.”
With the route decided, the party started moving again.
Soon, a group of monsters appeared on one side of the plateau.
Click click… ts-ts-tsk.
The sound of countless legs moving.
Giant centipedes, nearly 10 meters long, were coiled and waiting.
Their size was one thing, but their thick carapaces and razor-sharp fangs stood out even more.
“You’re seriously calling that ‘not dangerous’?”
Jinhyuk sighed in disbelief.
“Tsk tsk. Scared of bugs, really?”
“No, I’m not scared because they’re bugs. I’m scared because those are swarm-types.”
There were maybe a dozen visible on the surface—but that meant hundreds, maybe thousands, were waiting in the tunnels below.
Especially those distinctive black stripes.
They were among the most troublesome of centipedes.
‘They change habitats based on available prey. Looks like they’ve taken over the entrance this time.’
[Black Retana].
Once something enters their territory, they never let it leave alive.
All the other monsters had retreated to outer areas to avoid them—no wonder this path seemed so quiet.
“Whatever. If you’re scared, just stick to my tail. I can handle this solo.”
This guy—was his entire brain made of pride?
Even if he were drowning, he’d never ask to be saved.
Tap!
Chun Yoosung launched into the air.
His elegant curved blade, [Ryuhwa], was drawn.
Fzzzzt…!
A green aura engulfed the entire blade.
“KIEEEEK!”
“KREAAHH!”
The Black Retanas shrieked in unison.
Their jaws spread wide toward the sky.
“Filthy bugs.”
BOOOOM!
In an instant, Chun Yoosung decapitated five of them.
Scarlet blood gushed like a waterfall.
[Chun Yoosung activates the Unique Ability: ‘Song of the Sword’!]
Having already mastered his unique holy spear, the Song of the Sword had become even more refined.
In swordsmanship alone, he stood at a level that could not be ignored.
This was the Sword Saint—Chun Yoosung.
“Step forward if you want to die.”
A terrifying killing intent erupted from him.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
“A-Amazing…”
Kang Sua swallowed dryly as she watched the battle.
Even to someone inexperienced in combat, the Black Retanas looked impossibly strong.
Their mana reserves were immeasurable.
Compared to the 32nd Floor, the ruins and labyrinths she had proudly boasted about before now felt like child’s play.
But—
Chun Yoosung was completely overpowering those monsters.
‘It’s like watching a graceful dance.’
His sword moved so fluidly.
Just as Jinhyuk had warned, more and more of them crawled out from the tunnels—but none could withstand his blade.
“A-At this rate, there won’t be anything left for us to do, right?”
Jonathan fidgeted with his dagger.
As the ranger, he’d likely feel the most pressure needing to scout away from the main group.
Facing monsters like that alone in the wild? He didn’t want any part of it.
“Don’t worry. With Player Chun Yoosung’s skills, he’s more than capable on his own.”
“Right. What could possibly go wrong?”
Sandra the healer and Ahn Ilman the tank chimed in.
“You’re right. There’s only one entrance anyway, so nothing should… wait—”
Romanovski was mid-sentence when—
BOOOOM!
A shock rippled beneath their feet.
The ground split apart, and the jaws of a Black Retana emerged.
“UWAAAAH!”
Jonathan, standing right above it, screamed.
But just before the Retana could swallow him whole—
Jinhyuk’s sword flew like lightning.
Thwack!
The blade struck true, and the Black Retana collapsed.
CRASH!
A thick cloud of dust rose.
“Are you okay?”
“T-Thank you…”
“Don’t mention it. More importantly… everyone, get ready for battle. Looks like our dear Dolsoe really stirred the hornet’s nest.”
This entire area had now become a hunting ground.
If they wanted to escape, it was going to be a spectacularly wild day.
Of course—
‘That also means it’ll be easier to identify whoever’s hiding among us.’
Jinhyuk’s eyes swept over the party.
Even the smallest, most trivial mistake—
Could give him the opening he needed to strike.
“They’re coming!”
Kang Sua’s shout signaled—
The real battle had begun.
“KIEEEE!”
So fast.
Skimming the ground, the Black Retana lunged forward with razor-sharp jaws.
But their true threat wasn’t just their size or power.
[Black Retana activates Unique Ability: ‘Acid Feelers’!]
These monsters could even use [Unique Abilities].
And this one in particular was a nasty piece of work.
Sssszzz!
A stone brushed by the feeler sizzled and melted.
If it touched bare skin, no healing magic could save you—you’d be reduced to a puddle of blood.
“Everyone except the tank, fall back immediately! This is way beyond what I can manage alone!”
Under normal circumstances, anyone would be cursing their luck.
When the reward is the same, it’s always better to choose the easier route.
But there was one exception.
‘Good.’
Only Jinhyuk smiled amidst it all.
The privileges of being [the first to conquer the Tower] and his broken trait, [Ability Copy].
As long as those two pillars held firm, no situation was too difficult to handle.
[Black Retana – Acid Feelers]
Acquisition Difficulty: A
Copy Condition: Black Retanas that live in swarms move solely under the command of a queen. To copy the ability of such a Retana, you must kill at least 500 Black Retanas. (However, if one member of the raid party captures the queen and uses her as leverage in a hostage scenario, the required count will be waived, and you will obtain not a regular Acid Feeler, but the queen’s Acid Feeler instead.)
Conditions laid out clearly by the [Eye of Gluttony].
Jinhyuk’s mind whirred rapidly.
‘A hostage scenario, huh…’
When it came to threats and coercion, there was no one more adept than him.
He’d been doing it as naturally as breathing all this time.
And if he was lucky, he might not only gain a new ability—but even fuse it into something greater.
BOOM!
……CRASH!
“Ugh! H-Hurry… do something! I can’t hold them off any longer!”
Ahn Ilman braced his shield as he took the full brunt of the attacks.
Sandra stood behind him, drenched in sweat as she continued casting heals.
“Just hang in there a bit! Stop whining like a baby!”
Romanovski had just completed his chant.
The red orb in his hand swallowed a Black Retana’s face.
Fwoooosh!
It worked.
The heat drilled into its eyes and gnawed its way to the brain.
“Now!”
Kang Sua leapt onto the back of a Black Retana.
Its carapace was thick, but the gaps between the joints were relatively vulnerable.
Stab!
“KIIIIIIIIEEE!”
Her blade pierced in, and the centipede let out a long, piercing death cry.
Though rough at first, the team was beginning to mesh surprisingly well.
They’d been frightened early on, but their coordination steadily improved over time.
Just like that, another one down.
The Prime Service guild members were already looking for the next target.
How long had it been?
After roughly 30 minutes of fierce combat, all the Black Retanas that had crawled out from the outer areas were eliminated.
Most had been handled by Chun Yoosung and Jinhyuk.
“Did you find anything?”
Jinhyuk muttered toward the air.
Then—
[The deity ‘Howling Thunder’ tells you to check the corpse at the far end.]
“The corpse…?”
He had been paying attention, but did he miss something?
Jinhyuk walked to the farthest corpse.
“……!?”
No way…
A tiny puncture in the head.
It was completely different from the other wounds.
‘The other injuries were distractions… this one’s the real kill.’
A clean, precise strike.
Most of all, the faint magical residue left in the wound felt familiar.
[Old Guard]
The elite soldiers of ancient beings—he’d already faced them once before.
Not quite divine, but monsters of hero-rank level.
And this mana… it belonged to one of the top five.
‘So one of the top five has shown up…’
He knew something unusual was among them—but he hadn’t expected something this powerful.
Dealing with this might prove to be far more troublesome than clearing the 32nd Floor.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
“As expected of the Sword Saint.”
“Right. If it weren’t for Chun Yoosung, who knows what could’ve happened…”
“Haha. Please continue to guide us well.”
Everyone looked at Chun Yoosung with sparkling eyes, showering him in praise.
“It’s nothing.”
Chun Yoosung replied nonchalantly.
Though, judging from his twitching lips, he was clearly basking in it…
“See that? That’s what I can do.”
“Yeah yeah, the great Sword Saint has arrived. But hey, Dolsoe.”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!”
“Come on. What else do I call Dolsoe but Dolsoe? If you’re so upset, how about we make a bet over our contract?”
“A bet?”
“If you win, your Dolsoe life ends right here. But if I win, the slave contract extends another week. What do you say?”
“……”
Chun Yoosung pressed his lips into a thin line.
To be honest, if he could get that damned collar off his neck, he’d sell his soul.
No one knew better than he did just how hellish the past few days had been.
“But… I’ve already survived this long. Just a little more, and this cursed contract will be over. Why would I take a high-risk, low-return offer like that?”
Hooh.
That was a valid argument.
But you see—
Reasons could always be manufactured.
Plop…
Rabbit ears and mesh stockings.
A bunny girl outfit straight out of Las Vegas.
“For this raid, I was planning to have you wear this.”
Alice and Teresa would be joining soon.
How much time was left? That didn’t matter at all.
Even if only for an hour—
What you did in that hour was what really counted.
“You… you piece of garbage…”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Jinhyuk just smiled brightly.
What point was there in arguing with someone who proudly called himself trash?
“Fine. Tell me the bet.”
Chun Yoosung took the bait without hesitation.
