Chapter 495

The Primordials.

The uppermost beings who dwell on the higher floors of the Tower.

Among them, those who serve as heads of their respective families stood on a different level.

[Excension of Ataraxia]

The new head who stole Alice’s position was prepared to do anything to secure his place.

And that terrifying obsession even extended to the Black Retanas.

He was serious.

The Queen of the Black Retanas, ‘Rear Queen’, looked at Excension.

“Is it enough to simply lift the restriction?”

“Yes. Just allow me and the ones who came with me to fully exert our power. From there, we’ll handle the rest.”

Another presence appeared beside Excension.

Short red hair.

A spear and shield made of bone stood out.

She was ‘Tamia’ of the Red Dragon lineage.

Flinch.

Rear Queen took a step back.

It was an instinctive fear of a higher species.

“You are…”

“I won’t eat you, so don’t be so scared. Centipede meat isn’t to my taste.”

Tamia shrugged.

Rear Queen’s expression, full of wariness, softened slightly.

“If there’s even a Dragon with you… then there’s no way a few humans could handle this. There won’t be any problem killing all the intruders.”

“Can I take that as agreement?”

“Yes. My children will follow you.”

Rear Queen nodded toward the side.

And then—

Crunch! Snap!

“Kiiiiek!”

“Keeeeck!”

Suddenly, the Black Retanas began to tear into each other.

Green blood sprayed in every direction.

A gruesome scene of fratricide that could only be described as horrifying.

All of it was part of the ritual to lift the restriction on Excension and Tamia.

Ten… twenty… then fifty corpses filled the cave in less than ten minutes.

“So this is how they secure a magic source and twist the system. A method unimaginable without the traits of a hive.”

Excension curled her lips with interest.

[Condition has been met!]

[The restrictions on the Primordial ‘Excension’ and Red Dragon ‘Tamia’ have been lifted!]

[Time Limit: 11h : 59m : 59s]

Consent and sacrifice.

With those two sacred wills, the prime beings residing in the Tower had entered their heyday.

“At last.”

Hastings, who had been hiding in the void, clenched his fist.

At long last, the moment he had awaited had arrived.

Throb!

His still-missing arm ached.

No, this persistent pain likely stemmed from the humiliation of his shattered pride.

‘I won’t let myself be overshadowed by those Old Guard scum.’

This time, he would use the trump card he’d prepared and finally earn the recognition of Nyarlathotep.

He hadn’t suffered this much just to remain a mere senior administrator.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

How many hours had passed since they entered the cave?

In that time, Jinhyuk meticulously examined the members of Prime Service Guild.

Kang Sua, who approached with excessive friendliness.

Ahn Ilman, who had become suspicious after the incident with the stone.

Sandra, their dedicated healer, who also handled attack magic proficiently, and Jonathan, the ranger who scouted long distances without even breaking a breath.

Even Romanovski, the long-range damage dealer who kept his thoughts hidden.

‘The more I look for someone suspicious, the more endless it feels.’

He knew there was a traitor, but without knowing who, it only made things more intriguing.

Like a game of Mafia, there was a certain fun in deducing the hidden enemy.

Of course, he had a rough idea of what their plan was.

‘They’re probably planning to side with the queen at the last moment and stab us in the back.’

If most of the forces were concentrated at the front, then a surprise attack from behind would be devastating.

Especially if the attacker was a top-tier member of the Old Guard—then there was no need for further explanation.

Pop!

A mound of dirt nearby split open.

What burst out were centipedes about 30cm long.

Small in size, but highly venomous.

However, just before they sank their fangs into Jinhyuk’s nape—

“How dare mere bugs bare their teeth at my master.”

Wolyoung appeared from the shadows.

Shing!

As his blade drew a semicircle, the centipedes were sliced into dozens of pieces.

Even now, it was chilling how precise his technique was.

Jinhyuk was once again reminded how reassuring it was to have him as an ally.

“Thanks.”

“Think nothing of it. It’s only natural.”

Wolyoung bowed respectfully.

In contrast, Her Silly Majesty was whining nonstop.

“Contractor. Are we still far from that so-called queen or whatever? If you keep confining Me in this dismal place, My skin will start deteriorating.”

As expected of a bratty vampire.

She never stayed quiet.

“We’re almost there. Just eat this and hang on a bit longer.”

Jinhyuk popped a big chocolate cookie into Alice’s mouth.

A handmade treat with crispy crust and rich chocolate.

“As if this lowly thing… Crunch… could—Crunch. Hoo. Hoooo… munch munch. Gulp.”

The cookie disappeared into her stomach in less than five seconds.

“Feeling better now?”

“Give Me one more and I’ll consider it.”

“This stuff’s expensive. I bought it as a limited edition at Shinsegae Department Store.”

“I command you to hand it over. I swear not to whine for the rest of the day. And I shall repay the cookie’s worth handsomely.”

Well, in that case.

Jinhyuk popped another one into her mouth.

Alice mumbled and chewed with admiration, her small mouth busy.

“Huh?”

“What is it, Contractor? Don’t tell Me you want half… That would be a bit…”

“It’s not that. The target I detected through Heaven’s Net disappeared.”

“You mean they broke through your detection? Or…”

“They’re dead. The injuries were severe.”

Luckily, judging from the location, it seemed they died after reaching their destination…

But the problem was that some of the mana emanating from below didn’t feel normal.

‘The Rear Queen I knew didn’t have this level of magic power.’

Both the quality and type of mana were different.

Most troubling of all—she was clearly hiding the full extent of her power.

She should’ve flaunted her power to intruders in her nest. Hiding it made no sense.

‘Did she already plan something with the Old Guard?’

With the decisive battle just ahead, they needed to move faster to avoid getting blindsided.

Jinhyuk’s mind spun rapidly.

And soon, a bright light appeared at the end of the passage.

“Master, up ahead…”

“Looks like we’ve arrived.”

A heavy aura of magic pressed against the air—different from anything before.

The queen lay just beyond.

With one more step forward, the entire view changed.

Countless Black Retanas and Black Kaisers.

More monsters gathered here than anything they had faced so far.

[Queen ‘Rear Queen’ unleashes her magic!]

Rumble rumble rumble!

The entire cave violently shook.

“Welcome to my kingdom, human.”

Rear Queen looked down from her throne.

The members of the Prime Service Guild froze on the spot.

Face-to-face with one of the Floor 32 boss-level threats, their will to fight crumbled like dust.

In contrast—

“Hmph. A mere insect dares look down on Me?”

“Compared to the Demon Kings we met in the Demon Realm, this is nothing.”

Alice and Teresa, on the other hand, were brimming with fighting spirit.

They looked eager to finally enjoy a proper battle.

“I’ll take on the queen. Support will be Wolyoung. Alice and Miss Teresa, handle the distractions and draw attention. As for the Prime Guild members, please take care of any enemies coming from the rear.”

“Are you sure you don’t need our help?”

Kang Sua asked cautiously.

“If you try to help poorly, you’ll just get in the way. If you really want to help, just provide long-range support. And also…”

Jinhyuk added cautiously.

“Whatever happens, don’t let anyone else interfere with this fight. If anyone tries to step in by force, just give us a warning.”

The most suspicious one right now was Ahn Ilman.

He had endured lightning without the Blessing of Thor.

Once the fight started, he would surely expose his tail.

That warning was Kang Sua’s job.

Click.

Everyone took their positions.

“You seem overconfident. You think you can fight my kingdom with just this handful of people? Do you think you have multiple lives?”

“Why would I bring more people just to squash some bugs? This much is more than enough.”

Rear Queen rose from her seat.

Jinhyuk’s words had pricked her pride, and she released a terrifying killing intent.

“Annihilate them all.”

“Graaaargh!”

“Keeeeek!”

A swarm of centipedes charged in all at once.

A massive cloud of toxic mist swept over the area.

Acidic tentacles sprayed stinging liquid everywhere.

It was hell incarnate.

But then, the counterattack of the veterans began with Teresa’s [Blessing of the Stars].

“I’ll open a path.”

A radiant cross lit up the way forward.

Rumble rumble rumble!

BOOM!

Explosions erupted all around.

Blood and flesh splattered. Blades struck like a storm.

[Unique ability ‘Specter of Power’ has activated!]

Four golden arms emerged from behind Jinhyuk’s shoulders.

The best way to deal with bugs—was to crush them.

The massive arms came crashing down from above.

Smack!

The Black Retanas were pulverized instantly.

Three more abilities activated in rapid succession.

A wave of green ice formed by combining [Heaven’s Devouring Venom] and [Glacial Sculpting].

Then, [Will of the Currents] joined in, sweeping a death-dealing tsunami through the cave.

“Kueegh!”

“Gwaaah!”

Dozens, hundreds of Black Retanas were swept away without even a chance to scream.

“W-What…!”

Rear Queen’s eyes bulged as she gasped.

She had never imagined such an absurd wide-area attack existed.

But her shock only lasted a moment.

Jinhyuk’s form vanished like smoke.

Wolyoung, too, slipped in from the opposite direction.

Tap.

Flick…!

Two shadows approached from different angles.

An attack that embodied the essence of melee DPS.

Black Kaisers closed in around Rear Queen as if to shield her.

[‘Grave of Swords’ has activated!]

Black sword energy exploded from close range.

The Black Kaisers were cut down like vegetables.

If they could now just land a blow strong enough to break the queen’s shield, things would progress easily.

However, the moment the blade flew—

BOOM!

A dagger ricocheted through the air.

Throb!

A jolt of pain pierced Jinhyuk’s arm.

His pupils dilated rapidly.

“……!?”

This sensation—could it be…?

“You’ve finally taken the bait, human!”

That all-too-familiar voice.

Snow-white hair and crimson eyes—without a doubt, it was the Primordial, Excension.

And the red-haired woman behind her was no ordinary resident either.

Her hair and eye color matched, and her aura was saturated with the magic of the Dragon race.

‘Damn it.’

Such an unexpected variable, out of nowhere.

He would have to rethink his strategy now.

But then—

BOOM!

Something burst forward.

“EXCENSIOOOON!”

The voice, overflowing with rage, carried the weight of countless eons.

The one who had stolen everything from her, banished her to the underground, and dragged her loyal followers into hell.

The thought of killing that wretch filled Alice’s entire mind.

“Alice! No!”

Jinhyuk tried to stop her, but it was already too late.