Chapter 589

“Haa… haa….”

“M-Mother, we’re going to die.”

“We need to rest, even for a moment. At this pace, we’ll collapse.”

The bounty hunters following ‘Mother’ groaned.

For hours, they’d been running nonstop, acting as messengers.

Barely half of Jinhyuk’s messages had been delivered—yet the list still stretched endlessly.

“Understood. We’ll rest briefly.”

Mother reluctantly pulled the reins.

Neigh!

The foaming horses finally stopped, spared from collapse.

Mother pulled out a long scroll.

Jinhyuk’s orders were neatly written in sequence.

“Martial World is covered….”

The base of the Heavenly Demon of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

There, they had succeeded in securing aid from someone named Wolyoung.

At the mere mention of Jinhyuk’s name, he had moved without question.

‘So he really has earned deep trust from those around him.’

Even the fees for traveling between floors were handled by Jinhyuk’s side.

Though he lacked cash and paid on credit, he’d left solid guarantees.

‘Surely someone with that much trust wouldn’t scam me.’

Mother pulled out another document from her breast and reread it.

[I, player Kang Jinhyuk, hereby swear upon the great Ranger ‘Extinguisher’ to repay all expenses and an additional 30% interest to Mother within three days.]

Yes.

There was no way he’d betray that promise.

“You must also think Jinhyuk is worth trusting?”

“Yes. He’s trustworthy. Probability: 99.92%.”

The blue-haired girl nodded blankly. She was known as Frey.

Beside her was the black dragon Goguma, also serving as a courier.

“Then I can trust him too?”

“……”

“Mogiii Mogii.”

Frey stayed silent. Goguma shook his head.

Something felt off.

“Hey?”

“…I cannot say there’s zero chance you’ll be betrayed. But at the same time, the probability of it being Schrödinger’s Goguma is 92.25%. Yes. Still high.”

So the probability had dropped, but it was still high.

“Mogiii Mogii!”

Chomping on something Frey handed him, Goguma nodded furiously, tail wagging, eyes gleaming.

Mother’s unease grew. But the die had already been cast.

She steadied her heart, convincing herself it wouldn’t be betrayal.

“Next destination.”

The 30th floor—where Casey, Judro, and the Sin of Sloth were suspected to be.

—

Click!

The cocking of a gun echoed.

Muscles tightened, heartbeats spiked.

[Alice activates her Unique Ability ‘Blood Lord’!]

A crimson curtain spread before her.

Bang!

Another gunshot tore through the air.

Thwack!

“Khuk!?”

A gasp escaped Alice’s lips.

The curtain had been pierced, leaving a hole in her shoulder.

If she hadn’t redirected it with her shield, the bullet would’ve struck her heart instead.

“You okay?!”

“This scratch… is nothing.”

Alice brushed her shoulder.

The wound vanished instantly.

No serious damage, but her pride was bruised.

Threads of blood twisted into a long spear.

A triple-digit top-tier attack skill.

The compressed [Blood Spear] roared toward the Extinguisher.

Boom!

The spear broke the sound barrier, as fast as a bullet.

But—

[Extinguisher fires Lv?? ‘Bullet of Apocalypse’!]

The bullet met the spear head-on.

Though Alice’s skill was higher level, his precision neutralized it.

Minimum effort, maximum result.

But in that exchange, Extinguisher realized—these opponents were no pushovers.

“……”

His gaze swept Jinhyuk’s formation.

New faces stood alongside him.

“That one’s the famous Kang Jinhyuk?”

“To see Alice’s spear again… chilling.”

Altera and Aden.

Twin siblings of the Gold Dragon clan.

“Boss, they’re the ones who hurt our kin?”

“Yes. Without Yoosung or Teresa, but that’s the Veteran Corporation’s core.”

“Pesis too… now I see how they cleared the maze so fast.”

“The rat guide finally shows himself.”

The Old Guard glared, brimming with killing intent.

These humans had shamed them before the primordial beings, time and again.

To rebuild their shattered trust and reputation, they needed overwhelming results.

Destroying the Veteran Corporation was a mandatory first step.

Shing!

Weapons slid free.

The battle was about to begin.

“This won’t be easy.”

“Haha. The Old Guard’s elites are here—and even ‘Crimson,’ their number one.”

Alice and Pesis couldn’t hide their tension.

Two Gold Dragons—the most prestigious of dragonkind—stood ready.

And the Old Guard’s deadliest hunters, specialized in slaying high-rankers.

Worst of all was the Apocalypse gunman—no one knew how to face him.

‘This is troublesome.’

Jinhyuk wetted his dry lips.

Damn Nyarlathotep. At the point when “Floor 50 interventions” became open season, he had sprung the perfect trap.

The Extinguisher’s resurrection was shocking.

But the Gold Dragon twins’ arrival was lethal.

Why now, of all times?

Of the Gold clan, those two were notoriously bloodthirsty.

Even with Balmung in hand, the three of them couldn’t hold all of them.

Especially the Extinguisher—someone Jinhyuk couldn’t even guarantee victory against one-on-one.

“Pesis, focus on escape. Alice, you and I will buy time. We just need to hold until Yoosung and the others arrive.”

“So I take the lizards and Old Guard idiots, yes?”

“Exactly. Some may go after Pesis, but most will focus on you. Can you handle it?”

“Well… with some effort. But for that… ahem!”

Alice suddenly cleared her throat, eyes gleaming oddly.

No way—

“You’ll have to give me some of your blood.”

Damn it.

So that was her aim.

But refusing now wasn’t an option.

With enemies like these, she needed full power.

Resigned, Jinhyuk tilted his neck.

Alice’s fangs sank in.

A sharp sting spread along his neck.

The softness of her silver hair brushed his skin, as hot blood trickled down.

Direct feeding… he never got used to it.

Minutes passed.

“Mmm. Yes, that’s the taste. Sweet and nostalgic.”

She withdrew her fangs, satisfied.

And then—

Vwooom!

Her aura erupted, magnitudes stronger than before.

[Unique Holy Spear ‘Apocalypse of Revelation’ is activated!]

Crimson wings and a radiant halo flared, releasing the Ataraxia head’s amassed power.

—

Rumble…!

The entire village shook violently.

Just facing it sent shivers down spines.

“I see….”

“No wonder the others struggled.”

“Kuahaha! It’s been too long since I’ve felt this!”

The Old Guard trembled in awe at the terrifying aura.

The fear and tension of clashing with such monsters.

And the exhilaration of killing such foes.

All eyes fixed on two figures.

Only two.

Jinhyuk and the Extinguisher.

Step.

Jinhyuk walked toward him.

Closing the distance.

But Extinguisher did not fire.

Was it free will?

Or bound by orders?

Whatever the reason, Jinhyuk needed to know.

By all records, Extinguisher should be dead.

“Looks like you’re neither living nor dead. Can we talk?”

“……”

“So you really are like a zombie. I’d hoped more from the legendary Top Gun. Pity.”

Jinhyuk flashed a revolver at his hip.

The A-rank piece he’d gotten from Mother.

Then—

“You… use guns?”

For the first time, Extinguisher spoke.

Oh? So he reacts to that.

Even bound, his lifelong bond to guns still stirred.

At last, a crack to exploit.

And if he still had free will—then his abilities could be copied.

[Eye of Gluttony is activated!]

A sharp glare pierced through everything.

Ding!

A vast status window appeared.

Unique Ability [About Time].
Unique Holy Spear [Billy the Kid].
And 26 more skills.

Half were already known or guessed.

Good.

Jinhyuk grinned.

Until he saw the condition.

[Copy Condition: To copy the Extinguisher’s abilities, you must defeat him in a gun duel. During the duel, you must also follow the Ranger persona once used by ‘Colonel Timo.’ Otherwise, you can only copy one minor skill, excluding Unique Ability and Holy Spear.]

…Fk.

He rarely cursed. But this time, it slipped out naturally.

Still, there was no choice.

The Extinguisher’s abilities were the kind he needed—even as an insurance.