Chapter 544
“Let’s hurry inside. Even I haven’t seen a lair this high up in the Tower,”
Alice urged Jinhyuk, her excitement barely concealed.
It was clear from her tone that she couldn’t wait even a second longer to see the rare treasures hidden within.
And really, it was understandable.
Without an invitation directly from the ancient dragon himself, reaching the 46th floor at this stage would’ve been nearly impossible.
Jinhyuk enjoyed the process too, almost like a picnic.
But just then—
Rumble… rumble rumble!
Ash that had piled up on either side began to fall away.
“…What’s this?”
“Contractor?”
What revealed themselves were bizarre obsidian monsters.
With four limbs, each holding a different weapon, their crimson eyes gleamed ominously.
“Screeeee!”
“Keaaah!”
The sound of metal and stone grinding made their ears ring.
“Guardians, huh…”
That damned lizard must’ve pulled one final prank.
It seemed the parchment didn’t include dominion over the guardians—or perhaps it required another condition to be fulfilled first.
Either way, their little picnic had just become far more eventful.
BOOM!
Crash!
Six guardians lunged forward simultaneously.
Once they spotted intruders, eliminating them was their instinct.
Flames laced with mana all targeted Jinhyuk and Alice at once.
Of course—
“What a pain.”
“Lowly vermin don’t know their place.”
To Jinhyuk and Alice, being attacked by mere guardians was laughable.
KWA KWA KWA KWA!
Pillars of ice erupted and froze the frontal attackers instantly.
The ones that flanked were skewered without mercy by Alice’s spears.
“Geh!”
“Grrk…”
Utter annihilation.
In just a single breath, the guardians of the ancient dragon were wiped out.
⁕⁕⁕
It had been over ten thousand years since Pendragon made the volcanic region on the 46th floor his territory.
In that time, countless guardians and administrators had lived—and died—here.
And now—
“W-what is that thing?”
Helberg, the head of the guardians managing Pendragon’s lair, panicked at the sudden situation.
He was of the seventh generation, the role passed down since ancient times.
Over such a long history, he’d faced his fair share of invaders.
Most were fools with inflated pride or completely unaware of their limits—basically, suicidal idiots.
But this wasn’t one of those cases.
“To think the guardians were annihilated in a single strike…”
The ones stationed at the entrance were the elite, the gatekeepers among all the guardians.
That they had been defeated so easily was a terrifying sign.
Helberg gnawed on his fingernails.
‘Damn it…’
That this would happen while Pendragon was absent—
Just then—
“Hmm. Looks like something’s going on.”
The man sitting beside him spoke.
A middle-aged man in a white suit and stylish fedora.
Senior Administrator Rick Hennessy.
“…Yes. It seems a rather troublesome intruder has entered.”
“Haha. An intruder, you say… Who dares set foot in the Black Flame Dragon’s domain?”
Rick stroked his beard and reached for the coffee cup on the table.
“This shouldn’t concern you, sir. I’ll handle it myself… Huh?”
Helberg’s eyes widened like lanterns.
Behind the guardians were hundreds of magma lizards, waiting in formation.
And yet—
KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA!
“Gyaaaah!”
“Kreeegh!”
What showed on the screen now wasn’t even comparable to the earlier assault.
The elite forces of the ancient dragon’s personal legion were being shredded apart.
Troops were crushed wherever they tried to stand.
It felt like watching a giant storm engulf everything.
“Hm. As expected. There was no chance against him.”
“Sir Rick… what do you mean ‘as expected’?”
“You really know nothing about the world outside this lair, do you?”
“Well, guarding this place has been my only duty. But who is that man, for even you to know of him?”
Helberg had some knowledge of divine entities and major factions between the 30th and 40th floors.
They could be threats—or occasionally arrive as guests.
But never once had that included a human.
The idea that a human could possess such power was absurd.
“Of course I know.”
A quiet smile curled at Rick’s lips.
How could he not?
“How could I not? My sincere advice is that you call off all guardians and show your utmost respect. If you want to survive, that is.”
“W-what do you mean? Are you saying that man holds enough influence to be a threat even to you?”
“Before you ask me that, maybe consider this—why isn’t this lair’s master doing anything while his own domain is being reduced to rubble?”
“Well, obviously he must have some urgent business…”
Helberg trailed off.
He realized something didn’t add up.
No matter how urgent, what could be more important than defending one’s base—a symbol of pride?
—
Jinhyuk held a high-level lich by the neck.
“This… this can’t be… What kind of magic is this…?”
The lich stammered.
He still couldn’t believe none of his spells had worked.
Crunch!
With a light twist, Jinhyuk snapped his neck.
Though the vessel for his life force wasn’t destroyed, and thus he wouldn’t disappear entirely…
After witnessing the power gap, the lich wouldn’t be rushing into a second round.
“Contractor. Didn’t you say this lair was yours now?”
“I did.”
“Then why are there so many damn pests crawling around? I can’t even take a step without being attacked. My outfit’s ruined.”
Alice spat her irritation.
Her once elegant dress was now tattered and covered in dust.
She’d come to enjoy rare treasures and delicious treats—but reality had been nothing but one grueling battle after another.
Jinhyuk gritted his teeth too.
To think they dared not recognize their new master and made them go through all this.
He fully intended to line them up and subject them to all kinds of torture later.
Step—
Thud! Boom!
New liches and massive monsters emerged once again, packed tightly.
No matter how many they crushed, they didn’t seem afraid.
It showed just how brutally Pendragon had ruled them.
“Fufufu… fine. Forget the treasure. I’m wiping this place off the map.”
“Alice? Wait, calm down—”
“Out of the way! I’m going full 100% serious mode now!”
[Alice activates Unique Ability ‘Blood Lord’!]
Droplets of blood began spinning rapidly.
She was ready to pour in all her mana.
Just as the battle was about to begin again—
Vwooom!
A gate appeared before everyone.
And from it stumbled the chief of the guardians—Helberg.
“M-my deepest apologies! Everyone, stop! Stop this instant!”
Helberg urgently halted the guardians.
He ran straight to Jinhyuk and bowed deeply.
“I have committed an unforgivable sin, my new master.”
THUD!
He slammed his head into the ground so hard that it bled.
His forehead split, but pain didn’t matter.
When he learned from Rick that Pendragon had died—at the hands of this human—his entire body had trembled nonstop.
“You’re the one in charge here?”
“Y-yes! I am Helberg of the Magma Tribe! I formerly served under… no, beside Pendragon.”
“Helberg… if you’re magma-born, then you must be intelligent and efficient. Red and black dragons favor your kind as guardians, right?”
“Correct!”
“So you’re educated, knowledgeable, and experienced?”
“Absolutely!”
“Then let me ask.”
Jinhyuk scratched his head.
“Where the hell did you learn that it’s okay for a guardian to attack their master?”
“Excuse me?”
A chill swept through the air.
The atmosphere turned ice cold.
An oppressive killing intent crushed the entire lair.
“I was going to keep the current system since appointing a new guardian and managing the lair is a hassle… but if the subordinates are rebellious, maybe I need to reconsider.”
–Disobedience means death.
–Obedience also means death.
The murderous aura emanating from Jinhyuk and Alice was far more sinister than Pendragon’s.
“Please, just one more chance! I’ll never make the same mistake again. I will be a loyal servant, devoted to satisfying both you and the mistress.”
“No matter what you say, I’ll— Wait. Mistress? Did you just call me the mistress?”
“Yes, I did. O noble and beautiful noblewoman of the night.”
“*Ahem.* Ahem! Contractor, that’s enough. He seems truly repentant…”
Alice tugged on Jinhyuk’s sleeve.
“…Fine. First, heal the injured guardians and start restoring the lair. This will be our new base of operations from now on.”
A base with incomparable advantages.
Plus, the upper-level powers didn’t yet know that they had taken Pendragon’s lair.
‘Uriel… Olympus… and the Celestial Realm guys—if they’re going to attack our base, they’ll target the old one.’
With this, they even bought time. Conditions couldn’t be better.
Perfect.
Now that the house was in order, it was time to see just how grand an ancient dragon’s treasure vault could be.
Jinhyuk followed Helberg into the deepest part of the lair.
Various liches, golems, and giant monsters lined up respectfully along the sides.
They arrived at a massive door.
Two dragons were engraved into the black gate, protected by dozens of magical seals.
“You’ve already been granted full access. Just place your hand on it, and it will open automatically.”
“Well, that’s convenient. Only Alice and I will go in. The rest of you wait outside.”
“As you command…”
Helberg quickly stepped aside.
KRRRRRK!
With a rumble, the doors opened wide.
And then—
Their jaws dropped at the sight.
An enormous mountain of magic crystals and artifacts.
As for the pile of gold—it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Displayed inside glass chambers were the highest-grade holy relics.
At least S-rank and above.
Some even displayed as ‘Unmeasurable’.
“Wow…”
A golden wave shimmered across Alice’s pupils.
“It really exceeded expectations.”
Jinhyuk couldn’t help but mutter in awe.
Even raiding the vaults of top-level factions wouldn’t yield this much treasure.
Wriggle! Wriggle!
His subspace inventory trembled violently.
Goguma had caught the scent of sweet magic crystals.
“You’ve earned it, Guma.”
He had burned up his own lifespan to manifest in his true form. A reward was only fair.
There were plenty of items for the other spirits and summons too.
“Mogiiiii!”
Goguma popped out and leapt toward the mountain of magic crystals.
Crunch! Crack!
Without even a breath, he began devouring them like candy.
Seeing him wag his tail so happily made even Jinhyuk’s stomach feel full.
“Heehee… hooooh. Now this matches my stature. Waaah! This, this is what I was looking for!”
Alice was immersed in choosing from among the dazzling gems and accessories.
And indeed, there was plenty to be impressed by.
But—
One item stood apart from the rest.
Jinhyuk stopped dead in his tracks.
“Haha…”
A wry chuckle escaped his lips.
He never thought he’d see this here.