Chapter 545
Its appearance was pathetic.
Anyone would wonder why such a worn-out and broken jewel box was placed here.
That’s probably why Pendragon didn’t bother putting it in a display case and just left it beside a pile of gold.
Even so—
‘He must’ve sensed the unusual mana and decided to stash it in the vault. His instincts were pretty sharp, at least.’
The seemingly empty jewel box held more value than met the eye.
Jinhyuk’s lips twitched violently.
He could barely contain the laughter bubbling up from inside.
A clue to the Necronomicon.
This jewel box was one of them.
And it revealed the most crucial detail—its location.
‘Let’s see…’
Jinhyuk cautiously placed his hand on the box.
He could feel the rough texture of aged wood.
[You have selected the ‘Unknown Box’.]
Revealing the box’s true form required a delicate procedure.
The mana needed to be distributed precisely, and not a single misstep was allowed in breaking the seal.
‘Press this part… rotate here…’
Click! Clack!
The latches of the box continued to shift.
Following a seamless, fluid sequence, the box began to change form.
[The ‘Unknown Box’ is being opened.]
[A map to the ‘Primordial Forest’ has been revealed.]
A serpent chasing its own tail.
A tangled ouroboros maze appeared across the box’s surface.
‘I never expected to find this here… but now that I have it, securing the Necronomicon will be way easier.’
A completely unforeseen stroke of fortune.
This alone outstripped every other gain.
Now he could leisurely pick and choose items.
Jinhyuk strolled through the vault, inspecting items filled with nostalgia.
How long had he been wandering?
At last, the long shopping spree came to an end.
‘Iron powder imbued with the blood of an ancient dragon.’
‘Spear that Drinks Lightning.’
‘Arc Lich’s Grimoire.’
‘The Last Drop of Atlantis.’
He chose a total of four.
Items that would prove useful while climbing the Tower and facing divine beings were also set aside for later.
“I think I’m good. What about you, are you done?”
Jinhyuk glanced at Alice beside him.
“Hmmm… mmm.”
Alice was still groaning, greedily stuffing her haul.
Honestly, her greed knew no bounds.
She could always come back later, but she clearly wanted to take everything in one go.
If he left her to it, they’d be stuck here for three days straight.
He needed to draw the line.
He still hadn’t finished the chained quest involving ‘Ignis’s Trace’ on the 33rd floor.
And brokering a truce between Olympus and Ragnarok could no longer be delayed.
He’d kept Thor and Loki in check for now, but their patience was wearing thin with each passing day.
“Alice?”
“J-just a minute. Give me an hour… no, 30 minutes!”
“No.”
“Then at least 10 minutes!”
Alice clung to him, nearly in tears.
“Ten minutes. I’ll wait outside, so wrap it up.”
“Okay!”
Leaving a beaming Alice behind, Jinhyuk stepped out of the vault.
“Are you finished?”
Helberg bowed deeply, waiting outside.
“We’ll stop here for today. I’ll be away for a while, so I’ll leave the lair in your care. Soon, I’ll be sending some friends from my main base here. Please prepare a way for them to access this place. You’re free to use any resources from the vault as needed.”
Strengthening his foothold on the 46th floor.
That, too, couldn’t be postponed.
“Understood. I’ll begin immediately.”
“Then—ah, right.”
Jinhyuk paused before taking a step.
Things had happened so quickly that he nearly forgot. He needed to know why Helberg had suddenly changed his attitude.
‘There’s no way he knew I killed Pendragon. If he did, he would’ve surrendered right away.’
The guardians of ancient dragons he’d dealt with in the past were extremely isolated.
They were usually ignorant of outside developments.
If Helberg’s behavior shifted this drastically, something must have happened in between.
“Is someone else in the lair right now?”
There was only one possible explanation.
To Jinhyuk’s question, Helberg sealed his lips.
“……”
He had promised Rick not to reveal his presence to anyone.
But when weighing the orders of his new master against the request of a senior administrator…
There was no contest.
“The one who informed me was Rick Hennessy. A senior administrator of the Tower.”
“Rick… Hennessy.”
Jinhyuk muttered the name heavily.
Of all people, a senior administrator showed up now?
The odds were far too slim to chalk up to coincidence.
“Did Rick say why he came here?”
“He said he wanted to look at some of the treasures in the lair, just like you. He mentioned there was one item in particular he wanted to buy or trade for. He claimed it wasn’t anything valuable… not a holy relic or artifact…”
“…!”
There was only one thing in this lair that someone like Rick would be interested in.
The jewel box.
And if he was after the same thing…
‘Rick… So you were tied to the Primordial Beings after all.’
Jinhyuk began piecing the puzzle together.
—
33rd floor – Replor.
Members of Team Stagnant Water, including Jinhyuk and Alice, gathered for the first time in a while.
“You’re late. We were supposed to meet an hour ago…!”
Chun Yoosung scowled from his seat in the café.
His iced latte had long since been drained, and even the crystal cake he ordered afterward was gone.
“Oh my! Jinhyuk! Alice! Over here!”
Teresa waved brightly.
“Sorry, this one got totally lost in a toy store-level shopping spree… Dragging her out was a struggle.”
“W-when did I act like a child!”
Alice shouted, though clearly embarrassed.
At least she was aware enough to feel shame.
“So, what kind of chained quest did you get? Judging by your attitude, seems like a decent one. Though, probably nothing compared to mine.”
“Eh, it’s nothing special. Just the Flamechain quest. I’m tracking Ignis’s Trace.”
“Flamechain… You mean that hidden quest?!”
Chun Yoosung’s eyes widened.
One of the few top-tier hidden quests on the 33rd floor.
He’d wondered who unlocked it—and now he knew it was that damn veteran.
[SS-Rank – Heaven-Slicing Slash]
A special quest only those who had surpassed the limits of the sword could clear.
The objective was to slice through Replor’s crystal sky using a blend of swordsmanship and magi-tech.
While he hadn’t reached the hidden chain, he’d pushed through multiple high-difficulty quests to reach the final step.
But even all that effort was now meaningless.
No ordinary SS-Rank quest could compare to a hidden one.
Crack.
Once again…
…He had fallen behind.
No matter the type of competition, the result was always the same.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t win—not even once.
‘Is there truly no point in resisting…?’
The despair was suffocating.
Just then—
Jinhyuk casually threw out a remark.
“Sigh… But the difficulty ramped up too much. Now I have no idea what to do next. They’re telling me to control the flow of fire and find Ignis’s Trace etched into a cliff, but that’s easier said than done. I think the marks are sword slashes, but I’ve looked over it countless times and I still don’t get it.”
“You’re saying you haven’t figured it out?”
“Yeah. It’s beyond me.”
Jinhyuk shook his head with a deep sigh.
In contrast, Chun Yoosung’s expression changed completely.
Controlling the flow of fire…
Analyzing sword scars born from that…
He could do it.
Unlike Jinhyuk, who was a jack-of-all-trades, Chun Yoosung had walked the path of the sword.
‘If I can unravel this… I’ll prove I’m better than him.’
The decision didn’t take long.
“Tch! Can’t even solve that much and you’re attempting a hidden quest? Take me to the cliff. I’ll check it myself and solve it for you.”
“It’s seriously complicated and located in one of the roughest areas on the 33rd floor. It’s not easy to even reach.”
“You think I’m just some average chump?”
“Didn’t say that… But you sure?”
“No problem.”
Chun Yoosung lifted his chin confidently.
Perfect.
He’d just gained Slave No. 1.
It might be cliché, but Jinhyuk couldn’t think of another idiot this easy to manipulate.
Just nudge his pride and he moved on his own.
“Yay! It’s been a while since we all teamed up again.”
Teresa also agreed to join.
“What about you two?”
“I’m all in if Big Bro Yoosung and Sis Teresa are coming.”
“I’m in too. The more backup we have, the better, especially for a chained quest.”
Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeonhwa voiced their support.
“I’m in as well.”
With Alice’s approval, Team Stagnant Water’s new chained quest officially began.
—
A cliff located on the outskirts of the 33rd floor.
A massive natural sculpture that soared for kilometers, breathtaking in scale.
Gentle mist hung over the peak, and beautiful birds flying through it created a mythical scene.
But the most striking part was the massive sword scars carved left and right across the cliff—
And the faint flames drifting around them.
[You have discovered the Hidden Chained Quest ‘Ignis’s Trace’.]
[Analyze what happened in the past through these traces.]
[If you find the correct clues, you will be able to glimpse into the past.]
The chaotic sword marks and irregular flames revealed no discernible pattern.
The presence of massive craters implied that an intense battle had once occurred here.
“So? Can you figure anything out?”
“It’s definitely difficult. I’ve never seen such a destructive form before.”
“Oh? So even you can’t figure it out? Guess the so-called Sword Saint is only good at player-level stuff.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, wearing a smug ‘knew it’ expression.
“You bastard… Stay put and watch. I’ll prove I’m better than you.”
Chun Yoosung stepped forward.
Shing!
He drew his sword and began tracing the path along the cliff’s scars.
[Chun Yoosung activates Unique Ability ‘Song of the Sword’!]
The flames gathered and dispersed along his blade.
…Smooth.
Though this was his first time witnessing the scene—
His ability to read past sword strikes and replicate Ignis’s battle was almost as if he’d experienced it himself.
‘The guy really is a genius.’
If only he didn’t keep picking fights, he’d be the most reliable ally.
Just then—
[Understanding of the battlefield has increased slightly!]
[You have partially fulfilled the conditions.]
[The trajectory of the sword and lingering flames recall the past.]
[A mythical battle is being reenacted!]
Everyone’s vision went black.
And when they opened their eyes again—
The landscape around them had completely changed.