Chapter 593

“How…?”

Nyarlathotep’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Fool’s Valley was enveloped by a barrier that prohibited spatial travel.
Anyone attempting teleportation without knowing the exact coordinates would have their body disintegrated instantly.

And yet, the Gate before him was flawless—without the slightest distortion.

Could it be that the coordinates of this place had leaked?

There was no other explanation.

Vwooom!

The Gate opened, and a group radiating extraordinary power emerged.

“Finally. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to twist the coordinates three or four times over…?”

“Kahaha! Let’s drink ourselves senseless tonight!”

“So, where’s the grand banquet we were—huh?”

The first to step out was the Norse god, Heimdall.

The eager grin on his face froze solid.

Gone were the sights of delicious meat, sweet music, ripe fruit, wine, bread, and soup.
Instead, what awaited them was a place overflowing with sinister mana.

[Unique Ability ‘Odin’s Eye’ activates!]

Odin, walking a step behind, immediately scanned the surroundings.

The ominous atmosphere was one thing—but the real danger stood before them.

Nyarlathotep.

“…Seems we’ve walked straight into a trap.”

With just a few clues, Odin grasped the situation and sighed deeply.

“Kahahaha! I knew he was crazy, but this is on a whole other level. Didn’t think that lunatic human would use us like this. Father.”

Thor burst out laughing.

Of course, Jinhyuk had never told them the true destination.
He’d simply said it was a gathering—a grand feast of unity among all factions.

Naturally, none of the gods had suspected a thing, walking cheerfully into what turned out to be a living hell.

“Damn it…”

“…Unbelievable. Haah.”

“This is insane.”

Heracles, Hephaestus, Artemis, and Apollo were equally dumbfounded.

It was absurd enough that Olympus had agreed to share a banquet with the Norse gods they’d been battling fiercely—only to learn it was all bait.

They had to bite their tongues to hold back the curses boiling up.

“…Would’ve been better if Zeus had come instead.”

Chronos, now representing Olympus, pressed his temple with a grimace.

But it was far too late for regret.

They didn’t know exactly where they were, but they’d all heard the rumors—about the forbidden land the beings of the 50th floor never wanted revealed.

Judging from the atmosphere, this was that very place.

Just witnessing it was enough to guarantee a place at the top of someone’s kill list.

In short—
they were screwed.

Meanwhile, Nyarlathotep found himself forced into a fight he didn’t want—with the high gods of the upper floors.

If this place’s location were exposed, the risk of the secret being revealed would skyrocket.

“…Kang Jinhyuk.”

“Kang Jinhyuk…!”

Every being present called out the same name.

“That damned human bastard!”

“He really thinks he can live after pulling something like this!?”

If heaven existed, they prayed lightning would strike him down right now.

—

By now…

All his “friends” should be gathered, chatting merrily.

‘Threw out just enough bait to lure Nyarlathotep to the valley. There’s no way he could resist going there.’

And once he meets the newly arrived gods?

Ah, what a grand feast that would be.

His ear tingled, but he ignored it.

In the Tower of Trials, the more people cursed your name, the better you were doing.

Especially here, in the Hermit’s Village—
where fear and shock were reflected most vividly.

[Current events are being broadcast throughout the Hermit’s Village.]

A holographic screen floated in the air, showing the entire sequence of recent events.

The joyous faces of the gods contorted in despair.
Their promised feast had turned into a battle for survival, with not a shred of censorship.

“That… That’s something a human could even do?”

“My god…”

“He lured the gods themselves into a deathtrap. Unreal.”

The remnants of each faction trembled and shook their heads in disbelief.

Then—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Notoriety has increased!]

[Notoriety has increased!]

[Notoriety has increased!]

[Notoriety… continues to increase!]

[Veteran Corporation Pirate Crew’s notoriety is skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate!]

[A new record-breaking increase has been achieved!]

1,460,000.

That was how much their notoriety rose in just thirty minutes after the broadcast began.

Naturally, with notoriety came power—the crew’s influence and abilities soared dramatically.

And the achievement produced effects far beyond simple stat growth.

“Urgh…”

“N-no… there’s no way we can win.”

“Those notoriety numbers… I’ve never even heard of anything like that.”

The remnants of major factions began to slip out from the Old Guards’ control.

Their fear of Kang Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation now outweighed their fear of the Primordials.

“Idiots! Drop the formation and you’ll all die! Do you think Lord Nyarlathotep will forgive those who desert!?”

“Fight! Fight, damn it!”

No matter how they screamed or cut down deserters, the panicked Hermits could no longer be restrained.

Terror spread like wildfire.

Morale had already hit rock bottom long ago.

Just then—

Boom!

An explosion thundered from the side, sending up a massive dust cloud.

Several familiar mana signatures appeared.

“Ah, everyone’s—”

Jinhyuk was about to greet them.

“Strange how the enemies suddenly stopped fighting. Made it easier for us to get here.”

“Could it be because our notoriety rose? I saw a status window say it jumped by 1.5 million.”

“Most likely. With Jinhyuk around, demonic deeds are practically routine.”

“Indeed. Even my alternate persona just shakes her head whenever your name comes up.”

“Hmph. Hard to argue with that. It’s a flawless thesis—fit for publication at any academic society.”

Chun Yoosung, Teresa and Andrea chatted cheerfully in perfect harmony.

Scratch that welcome. These people had no filter, not even face-to-face.

Still, it was good to see reinforcements.

“My lord, Shadow Corps—thirty-seven members. All enemies eliminated.”

“Ku-kuk! Been a while since I smashed something that wasn’t iron. Feels damn good.”

On the opposite side, Wolyoung and Orun had also arrived.

Good.

The tide of battle had shifted once more.

“Looks like I’ve joined quite the crew. You’ll really remove my restrictions, right?”

The Extinguisher asked, tightening his grip on the gun.

“Of course. I can’t afford to lose a precious slave—er, comrade. Nyarlathotep must’ve hidden the artifact that binds your life somewhere in this village. We’ll crush everything until we find it.”

“Understood. Then I’ll fight alongside you.”

Click!

A bullet chambered—the climber of old once again baring his fangs at his enemies.

Naturally, the Old Guards reeled from this betrayal.

“Damn it!”

Crimson ground his teeth as reinforcements poured in from the flank.

They’d been close—so close to finishing off Alice—and now everything had gone up in smoke.

Just a little longer and victory would have been theirs.

Now it was all ruined.

“Captain!”

“We must retreat!”

Their forces splintered, and restraining the rampaging Alice became impossible.

[Unique Holy Spear ‘Revelation of Genesis’ – Blood Apocalypse activates!]

Under a crimson sky, countless stakes rained down.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

“For daring to defy your queen—repent with your pitiful lives!”

Her rising notoriety had emboldened her even further.

With the addition of the [Crown of Pureblood], she had become a new Apocalypse altogether.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Arghhh!”

The mid-tier Old Guards were impaled instantly.
Only the highest-ranked among them barely survived the deluge.

A catastrophic area skill—one that defied reason.

“Sister…”

“……”

Altera and Aden, near collapse, were forced to make a choice.

Everything hung on the edge.

“Heh… what a delightful mess you’ve all made.”

An alien voice cut through the chaos.

And almost simultaneously—

Thud!

The air’s density and temperature shifted—completely inverted.

“Guh!?”

“Ugh…!”

It felt like their lungs were crushed.
The sheer pressure made every cell scream in agony.

[All entities who perceive the target take severe damage!]

[Physical and magical defenses reduced by 59%!]

[All auxiliary stats—including resistance and divinity—have been disabled!]

This was different.

The level—completely different.

The Extinguisher was already a monster beyond comprehension, but the being that had now manifested existed on an entirely separate plane.

‘So it finally shows up…’

Jinhyuk watched through the green haze as the new foe approached.

No matter how many buffs and stacked stats he had, his very cells shrieked in pain.

The Dancer of Death—Tulcha.

A second Primordial Being of the 50th floor, following Shub-Niggurath and Nyarlathotep.

“To think you managed to twist the situation this far… You’ve exceeded expectations. Now I understand why Lady Shub-Niggurath withdrew.”

Tulcha clapped her hands together in genuine admiration.

The eerie sound of her applause echoed through the suffocating silence.

But it lasted only a moment.

The glimmer of intrigue and praise soon gave way to something deeper—disappointment as vast as the abyss itself.

“And yet, the so-called hunting dogs of the 50th floor can’t even fulfill their assigned roles. You got complacent, preying on weak climbers and settling for mediocrity. How pathetic.”

“L-Lady Tulcha, we—”

Crimson tried to speak.

But before he could finish—

Fwoooosh!

Green flames rose in spirals all around.

“U…urk…”

“Guhhh…?”

Just looking at them shattered minds and blistered flesh.

Tulcha walked leisurely among the despairing, broken bodies.

Thwack!
Crunch!

Bones splintered. Flesh burst.
Hermits and Old Guards turned into puddles of blood.

The corpses were soon absorbed into Tulcha’s body.

“…Still, you seem marginally useful. I’ll grant you another chance. Gather the fools who survived and eliminate everyone except Kang Jinhyuk. Can you handle that?”

“Th-thank you…! I shall fulfill your exalted command without fail.”

Crimson nodded frantically, his face ashen.

Only four Old Guards remained battle-capable.

With Alice weakened by Tulcha’s arrival, the odds weren’t impossible.

They’d either succeed and live—or die as discarded hounds.

Two choices. No third option.

[Crimson activates Unique Holy Spear ‘Jeweled Spear’!]

Dark light pulsed as colored gems floated around the weapon.

“You heard her. We go all out!”

“Yes, sir…!”

“Understood, Captain!”

The remaining Old Guards poured every ounce of mana into their last stand.

“Then, I suppose I’ll go play with the human. Let’s see if you can amuse me—even a little.”

Tulcha smiled faintly, her gaze locking onto Jinhyuk.

The real game began now.