Chapter 530
Rumble!
Bang!
“Grrrr….”
“Guruk… gururuk….”
The magma golems fell one after another.
Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min—their flawless offense and defense left the golems unable to even resist.
It didn’t even take five minutes to smash all seven magma golems.
“So strong…”
“I didn’t know they were this strong since I haven’t spent much time with Kang Jinhyuk’s party…”
“How many monsters are in that group?”
The onlookers gulped again and again.
Just watching made chills run down their spines.
Thud…
Yoo Yeonhwa kicked away a golem’s head and pulled out the crystal inside.
Tae-min’s drones busily gathered the dropped items.
“Hyung, I don’t see any clues dropping?”
“Same here. Looks like we’ve cleared all the ones near the entrance… Should we try going deeper?”
The quest said to capture the fire spirit, but there wasn’t a trace of one to be found.
In the end, the only option was to go deeper inside the ruin.
But venturing deeper without rangers or scouts was a huge risk.
Even the drones could only scan so much.
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve got the best guide.”
Jinhyuk gave a light wave.
[Subspace is opening.]
A space split open, and a familiar spirit beast appeared.
Shwick! Shwick!
Salamander flicked his tongue and sniffed around.
“Eek?”
He flinched at the sight of Jinhyuk, but, sensing familiar mana, soon began wagging his tail.
“Master, where are we? It feels really cozy and nice. Like…”
“Like coming home, right?”
“Yeah! It feels just like home.”
Salamander nodded vigorously.
It wasn’t just because this was a volcanic area—the special mana here could only be felt by spirit beasts.
Especially the mana of the Fire Spirit King ‘Egoni’—to Salamander, it was an irresistible drug.
“Can you guide us to where the mana is thickest?”
“Sure, that’s easy. Just follow me, master!”
Salamander started sniffing and led the way.
Why bother wandering around looking for the fire spirit?
I’ve got a whole roster of spirit beasts in my pocket already.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
Thanks to Salamander, clearing the early parts of the ruin was much easier.
He not only found the shortest path through dozens of branches, but also avoided most fire-type monsters.
Still, the sheer number of monsters and traps made reaching this far feel like a major expedition.
“Let’s catch our breath for a bit. If you’re tired, take a nap. I’ll stand watch, so don’t worry.”
“I’m saved…”
“Thank you…”
“Then I’ll just close my eyes for a minute…”
With words of thanks, everyone but Jinhyuk and Alice instantly passed out.
Everyone was right on the verge of collapse.
Still, it was a bit surprising that not a single person had given up yet.
Honestly, I thought at least half would have dropped out by now.
‘Do they all want the First Conqueror title that badly?’
Hmm….
This time, I’m actually thinking of sharing the rewards generously.
If, that is, anyone makes it to the end.
Humming a tune, Jinhyuk took out a giant limited-edition sandwich he’d bought at the coin exchange.
A premium steak sandwich made with ‘Gigant Buffalo’ and teriyaki sauce.
“Where’s mine?”
“Hey, I could only buy one. The residents started a bidding war—I barely got this one.”
“Limited… edition?”
A glint flashed in Alice’s eyes at the word ‘limited edition.’
She was a queen renowned for her wealth, so her sense of ownership was boundless.
“I’ll pay double what you paid.”
“It’s already got more than double the premium. See these eggs from Springwater Ironclad Sturgeon? Outside the Tower, you can’t even call this caviar. This is the real deal.”
“Fine, triple. No, I’ll pay five times.”
“That’s tough… I worked really hard to get this.”
Jinhyuk kept stalling.
“Then what do you want?!”
Finally, Alice snapped and shouted.
…The queen mosquito bit down on the bait.
“It’s nothing much. If you’ll trade me a little of your blood, I’ll give you this.”
“My blood?”
“You’re always taking mine. Time for you to donate some for a change.”
Ancestor blood was a top-tier item, on par with dragon blood.
For weapon enhancement, alchemy, magic—anything, it brought out extreme efficiency.
‘I’ve tried to get some so many times, but always failed.’
Jinhyuk’s mind flashed back to failed attempts in the past—
Trying when she was napping.
Trying after tempting her with desserts.
Even trying to trigger nosebleeds with fake injuries.
All failures, usually followed by a terrifying [Blood Lord] counterattack.
“……”
Alice hesitated, eyes darting between the sandwich and Jinhyuk’s face.
But only for a moment. She seemed to come to a decision and made a counteroffer.
“Fine. I’ll give you my blood. But.”
“Good choice—wait, but?”
“You have to take it the same way I do. Only then will I allow it.”
A sly smile crept onto Alice’s lips.
Damn.
I was totally baited.
She meant I had to bite her neck, just like she did when she fed.
But I couldn’t refuse.
Getting Ancestor blood was a prerequisite for tackling Egoni and the 33rd floor.
“What’s it going to be?”
Alice had completely regained her composure.
“Sigh…”
Jinhyuk massaged the back of his neck and nodded.
“Hehe. Then do it gently.”
Alice tilted her head to the side.
To make it easier to bite.
Her soft silver hair slid down her neck.
Why is this so nerve-wracking?
Jinhyuk poured mana into his mouth.
Fzzt.
A blue aura enveloped his fangs.
Very slowly…
He brought his lips to Alice’s neck.
Warmth spread across his lips.
‘The moment you start drinking, you have to stay focused.’
The purity is so high, if you lose focus, the mana inside could react and cause serious harm.
Especially since I’d built up so much inner power—if I lost control, it’d be catastrophic.
“Ow…”
Alice shivered slightly at the pain.
Drip… drip.
Hot blood trickled out.
Mana spread rapidly through my body.
Pure Ancestor blood surged through my veins.
Obviously, this wasn’t permanent.
Unless you’re the same bloodline, you have to use it quickly before it dissipates.
Jinhyuk sped up his actions.
[‘Memory of the World’ is opening.]
A library full of skills appeared behind him.
He already knew which abilities he wanted.
[‘Primordial Flame’, ‘Down Fall’, and ‘Cascadia Slav’ are fusing!]
[Due to Ataraxia’s blood, ‘Dark’ and ‘Blood’ attributes are added!]
Status windows flashed one after another.
The abilities connected into a brilliant light.
[Fused Unique Holy Spear ‘Flare Eclipse’ successfully created.]
[Flare Eclipse]
Acquisition difficulty: Unmeasurable
Description: Allows you to gather the power of the great sun into your hand. Temperatures reach up to 1,000,000 K, with X-rays and blinding brilliance that will become a nightmare to any enemy facing a unique holy spear.
[The fused ability is saved to ‘Memory of the World.’]
A result created from all the fire attribute powers combined.
The result exceeded expectations.
With this, I gained another trump card.
Just then.
Vmmm!
A white drone flew over from the way we’d come.
It wasn’t Tae-min’s.
This one had a much more advanced and powerful core.
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
Tae-min and Yeonhwa ran over, sensing the unfamiliar mana.
Even while resting, they’d kept their senses sharp—impressive.
Alice, on the other hand, was still dazed and embarrassed.
‘Right, this is just about the time they’d show up.’
The sages of Replor’s ‘Crystal Tower.’
Now that the hidden linked quest was open, those desperate guys must have finally decided to act.
Just as expected—
Step.
Figures in white uniforms emerged from the darkness.
Twelve in all.
Except for the old man in front, the rest were young men and women in their twenties or thirties.
Tae-min and Yeonhwa instinctively gathered mana.
A reflex to be ready for anything.
The old man in front raised both arms to show he meant no harm.
“Hahaha. There’s no need to be so wary. We’re magi-engineers from Replor, here to help you. This ruin is one of the most dangerous on the 33rd floor, so when we saw newcomers entering, we hurried over.”
Yeah, right. More like looking for a chance to stab us in the back.
How did they catch up so fast, when we took the shortest possible route?
Unless they opened a gate only accessible from the Crystal Tower.
But there’s no reason to call them out on it.
There’s nothing better than stabbing a backstabber in the back.
‘Actually, having more numbers will help for the next part… this works out well.’
I know what their plan is—now it’s time to play along.
Step one: act like an idiot.
Jinhyuk’s expression changed 180 degrees.
Looking truly grateful, and even a little lost—like he was honored to be helped by the great city’s support team.
“Everyone’s so tired, it’s a huge relief… Thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing. Preventing needless loss is the mission of those who pursue harmony between magic and machinery. We’re just doing what we must. Ah, my name is Johannes. I have the rather undeserved title of sage of the Crystal Tower.”
“I’ve heard your name before. I’m Kang Jinhyuk.”
“Kang Jinhyuk, huh. Well then, let’s work together in this ruin.”
“Of course, I look forward to it.”
With both sides hiding their real intentions, new faces joined the party on the same boat.