Chapter 583
Gulp…
“Hmph.”
“Apoc…alypse, huh…”
Sounds of swallowing and heavy sighs echoed across the room.
Even if they’d cut ties with the Tower, they couldn’t be unaware of the worst calamity capable of collapsing entire floors.
If what Jinhyuk said was true, this wasn’t just some petty incident.
It was enough to make them seriously consider forming an alliance on the spot.
However—
“I don’t understand.”
While the others were inclined to believe, Mother tilted her head.
“Are you saying I’m lying?”
“No… I believe an Apocalypse could happen. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come all the way here risking this much.”
The suspicion stemmed from something else.
Apocalypse was a phenomenon with extremely strict conditions—rare and exceptional.
And yet—
“Why would something like that happen to us, who’ve severed ties with the Tower?”
It made no sense.
After all, the Village of the Hermits had been cast aside even by the Tower.
‘What a cunning bear in fox’s clothing.’
Despite her massive build, she was surprisingly sharp.
Jinhyuk quickly adjusted his tone.
“Well, that’s…”
“Don’t tell me… it’s because of you?”
“…!?”
He nearly choked.
That was a dead-on hit.
But the surprise on his face lasted less than 0.1 seconds.
“Isn’t it a bit of a stretch to say we brought the Apocalypse here? If we were people capable of triggering such a catastrophe, there’s no way you wouldn’t have heard of us. Just over a decade ago, we weren’t even on this floor.”
To be involved with the worst disaster, you’d need to be tied to a major faction or mythology.
There was no precedent for a large-scale event being triggered by ordinary residents.
And the idea of someone reaching the upper floors in just ten years was even more absurd.
So the theory that Jinhyuk was deeply connected to the Apocalypse lacked credibility.
Mother’s suspicion lessened slightly.
“That’s a good point. Still, there’s something I don’t get. Why would the Apocalypse suddenly show interest in a remote place like this?”
To her question, Jinhyuk offered a name—one that had never been mentioned so far.
“The Annihilator.”
Just a single name.
A common enough word.
But its meaning and weight could be world-shattering, depending on who it referred to.
“……”
This time, Mother’s face changed.
It was only a fleeting moment, like Jinhyuk’s own earlier slip—but the difference was, Jinhyuk didn’t miss it.
‘So she does know.’
A former ranker who once climbed the Tower.
The origin of Chloe’s title, “Rapidfire,” was the Annihilator.
She had come to this village long ago in search of that trace, and over the years had likely gathered some clues.
If he played this right, he might be able to obtain the relics left behind by that person.
“H-How do you know about him?”
‘Him’, huh…
She must’ve revered him to speak like that.
Anyone would think she’d served him her whole life.
Still, thanks to that fangirl devotion, this was going to go much smoother.
Now, how best to sell the role?
After a brief pause, Jinhyuk spun his revolver again.
Click-click… ‘BANG!’
A single bullet pierced the air.
It wasn’t aimed at anything.
Not until—
‘Thud!’
A wingless fly flopped onto the table, twitching.
Still alive, but barely.
“I’m his only direct disciple. Technically, it’s like… my master’s master’s master’s… anyway, if you go back far enough, it ends with the Annihilator.”
A revered successor to the one she idolized.
No way she’d ignore that.
But—
Contrary to expectations, Mother’s expression turned grim.
Instead of awe or joy, her face twisted with confusion and shock.
“That can’t be… I never heard of him having a disciple.”
“He was a secretive man. Naturally, that info wouldn’t be public. But after seeing what I just did—”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Just a few months ago, he told me himself. That ‘I’ was his only successor.”
“…!!!”
Son of a—
The Annihilator is still alive?
This time, Jinhyuk completely failed to hide his reaction.
He had calculated every possible scenario—but ‘this’ wasn’t one of them.
—
When Rick had warned that the Apocalypse was coming, Jinhyuk kept wondering what ‘kind’ of Apocalypse it would be.
Behemoth and Kraken were already done. There weren’t many heavy-hitter cards left.
But now, it finally made sense.
‘So he wasn’t killed after all.’
One of the few rankers capable of threatening the 50th floor.
Jinhyuk had assumed the Tower wiped out that root—but no.
They hadn’t eliminated the Annihilator.
Instead, they sealed him off in the Village of the Hermits, hiding all information about him.
So that in the distant future, if he ever became a threat, they could quietly dispose of him.
‘This is a pain.’
Jinhyuk licked his lips.
Why the higher-ups didn’t use the Annihilator back then, he didn’t know.
Too many new variables had emerged to predict either way.
But what mattered now wasn’t figuring out the reason.
It was dealing with the gunmen in front of him—currently at the boiling point.
“Prove it. That you’re really his disciple. If not…”
‘Click!’
‘Clack-clack…’
Guns were being loaded all around.
There were 78 mafia members in the tavern.
Not an impossible fight—but if it turned into a brawl, they might suffer casualties too.
The other members noticed the tension and prepared to move.
It was like a bowstring pulled to its limit.
‘Tap!’
Jinhyuk pulled something from his coat.
A bullet inscribed with rune markings.
“This is…”
Mother snatched the silver bullet from the table.
Intricate, elaborate engravings glinted under the light.
The distinctive “S” initial, the hexagram, and the ancient runes blended perfectly—without question, one of the Annihilator’s relics.
“If I weren’t his disciple, how would I have this?”
Faced with undeniable proof, Mother bit her lip hard.
“…It’s genuine.”
There was no room for denial now.
Thank you, Zeus!
All that effort spent collecting relics over a lifetime—very useful on this end, thank you very much.
“Let’s get along as fellow disciples, shall we? Oh!”
Jinhyuk clapped his hands like he’d just remembered something.
“Looks like I’m the direct line and you’re the collateral branch. Ahem! Not that I care about seniority or anything, but if we don’t sort out the hierarchy now, it might get messy later. Wouldn’t want Master to feel awkward, right?”
Nothing sells better than name-dropping a master.
Especially if said master is infamous for being merciless.
“N-No, even so, this is all so sudden—”
“I also agree with the contractor. There must be clear ranks. Let it be known that I am the No.2 of the pirate crew.”
“I’m that bastard’s rival, so I’ll treat him informally from now on.”
“As a healer, I trust my noble birth is obvious.”
“Blacksmiths play a vital role too. I should at least be in the top five.”
“Mogiii mogii!”
Voices from every direction demanded proper treatment.
Suddenly, the mafia found themselves saddled with a whole new list of bosses.
And they were all monsters.
But what could they do? These were people connected to the Annihilator.
They couldn’t afford to offend them.
“P-Please… speak freely from now on.”
Mother grimaced as she forced the words out.
“Fix your face. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
“S…Sorry.”
The hierarchy was now firmly established.
With Mother backing down, the crisis was officially over.
[An interim alliance has been formed between the ‘Southern Bounty Hunters’ and the ‘Veteran Corporation’ in the Village of the Hermits.]
[Notoriety increases by +1,000.]
[Other factions in the village have detected the shift in power.]
A great storm was about to sweep through the Village of the Hermits.
—
Newcomers had absorbed the entire Bounty Hunter faction.
Once that news spread, chaos swept the village.
The once-stable power balance had entered a new phase.
Rankers from each faction gathered.
To discuss a countermeasure.
“What the hell did they do to make ‘Mother’ submit?”
“They must be insanely strong. Word is they met in her base—the tavern.”
“No matter how strong, it doesn’t make sense. Mother would sooner die than bow.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
“Maybe we should gather intel about them from outside the Tower. If they’re that powerful, there must be rumors.”
“No. That violates village rules. Remember? We’re fugitives from the Tower. This place must stay completely separate.”
“Yeah… I know.”
Despite being full of high-level criminals, this village remained untouched by the Tower’s factions.
That was because of the mutual non-interference pact.
As long as both sides respected it, the village could remain its own isolated world.
Another round of uneasy silence fell over the meeting.
They needed to decide carefully what to do.
Just then—
‘Creeeak…’
The silence was shattered by the creaking of a wooden door.
“No one was supposed to be allowed in during—what the…?”
A ranker inhaled sharply mid-sentence.
All the guards outside were unconscious.
But even more shocking was the presence entering the room.
‘Shiver!’
Every hair on their bodies stood up.
Like herbivores before a predator, everyone in the room was overwhelmed by despair.
‘Tremble!’
Their limbs shook like leaves.
They were powerful fighters who had survived countless life-and-death battles—but none could suppress their primal fear.
“Hmph. At least you’re all gathered in one place. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down.”
A long staff dragged across the floor.
‘Scrrrape… skreeek…’
A discordant, unpleasant sound stabbed their ears.
At the same time, purple-stained tentacles filled the room.
“W-Who… are you?”
The honorific came out instinctively.
Even if all of them fought together, they wouldn’t be able to touch him.
No, even sacrificing their lives wouldn’t be enough to scratch his skin.
The difference in power was absolute.
“I go by many names, but you don’t need to know them. Just call me Nyarlathotep. And this friend here came to assist me.”
“……”
Next to Nyarlathotep stood a figure with a hood.
An intense stench of rotting corpses emanated from him, along with an even more terrifying chill.
It was impossible to believe this thing was alive.
“I’m here to offer you a way to survive. A real pain in the ass has entered this village. I let him play around at first, but he’s completely overstepped.”
It’s only cute when you know your place.
“So this time, I plan to hunt him properly. It’s already pretty perfect, but with your help, it’ll be flawless.”
This was the final rope.
Those who grabbed it would survive.
Those who refused would die.
And for the people here—
There was only one choice.