Chapter 599
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
“Kraaaaah!”
A violent surge of water crashed into where Tulcha stood.
Overwhelming power.
The freezing temperature of melted ice combined with crushing pressure, sharp as a thousand blades.
Jinhyuk peered into the flooding waters.
Beneath several meters of turbulent current, he could faintly see Tulcha — thrashing helplessly, unable to rise due to the chains binding her.
[Glacial Sculpting – ‘Ice Age’ is activated!]
[White Night – ‘Deep Freeze’ is activated!]
Crkkk…!
The water instantly froze solid.
But it didn’t end there.
Jinhyuk gathered mana into his legs.
Through [Nemesis], he had summoned the physique of Heracles — and on top of that, the Barbarians’ [Earthquake] erupted.
Kwakwakwang!
Hundreds of tons of ice shattered and blasted into the sky.
The cracked surface looked like the shell of a turtle.
Above it, a black crescent moon appeared.
[Black Moonlight Night] sliced the frozen field into hundreds of pieces.
Nothing could have survived within that obliterated wasteland.
And yet—
Thump!
The sound of a heartbeat echoed from below.
Tulcha was still alive.
“So even this much power isn’t enough to finish you off, huh?”
He had attacked without pause, but failed to land a fatal blow.
Indeed — without the [Necronomicon], it was impossible to completely erase a primeval being.
Still, at least her momentum was gone.
Deep within the ice, Tulcha had stopped fighting and was only searching for a chance to escape.
‘Hmm. If I can’t kill her, maybe I can use her as bait for what comes next.’
He had frightened her enough.
Someone like Tulcha could serve as a valuable piece on the board.
Kukukukuku!
Jinhyuk gathered mana again.
To sell the performance, he needed a fitting finale.
[Unique Holy Spear – Down Fall is activated!]
From above—
—to below!
A massive meteor fell.
Kwakwakwakwakwang!
A beam of light vaporized the ground, piercing straight into the depths where Tulcha lay.
As if declaring that ice could no longer serve as a shield.
When Jinhyuk reached the lowest point, Tulcha appeared before him.
“So, you intend to see this through to the end? If I fight seriously, you won’t walk away alive.”
“In this game, it always ends with one of us dead, doesn’t it? And when the odds are in my favor, it’s worth betting my life.”
He shrugged lightly and tilted his head just slightly.
A minuscule movement — but to Tulcha, that opening looked enormous.
[Primeval Authority – ‘Veils of Silence’ is activated!]
Translucent, flowing veils filled the air around them.
For that brief moment of distraction, a perfect encirclement had formed.
“You dare take your eyes off me? Have you lost your mind?”
Well… it was a mad thing to do.
Turning your gaze away from such a monster.
It was like praying for death.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
Countless veils rushed forward.
Jinhyuk’s face was slashed open—
—or so Tulcha thought.
If not for [1 Second Invincibility], that would’ve been true.
“Oww…”
Jinhyuk groaned, staggering back.
Tulcha shook her head, exasperated.
“Heh… unbelievable. You’re tougher than most of my own kin.”
With her power sealed by so many constraints, victory was impossible. She would have to wait for another time, at her full strength.
Besides, she’d already achieved her goal.
She had found an opening to escape.
Swish!
The veils gently wrapped around Tulcha’s chains.
[System constraints temporarily loosened!]
[A gate to ‘The Beginning and the End of All Things’ is opened!]
A gate glowing with violet light appeared.
⁕⁕⁕
‘Good.’
Jinhyuk glanced sideways, feigning exhaustion.
As expected, Tulcha chose to flee rather than fight.
And she was opening a gate — a risky move, but predictable.
‘Still prefers teleportation over long chases when cornered, huh.’
If she’d tried to prolong the battle and run instead, things would’ve been much messier.
Success rate would’ve plummeted.
But because he’d fought her once before, he could set a flawless trap.
Wuuuuung!
While Tulcha poured her focus into the gate, Jinhyuk called upon the powers within his [Memory of the World].
[‘Brand of Burning Souls’ and ‘Plague Outbreak’ are being fused!]
He chose two abilities: the [Brand of Burning Souls], which binds the target’s mind, and the newly acquired [Plague Outbreak] from Tulcha.
The two powers clashed violently in the air, merging into one.
The result, however—
wasn’t gold, but crimson.
[Fusion partially failed!]
A first-ever failure message appeared.
That was expected, given the complexity of the abilities he tried to merge.
Of course—this failure was exactly what Jinhyuk wanted.
[Unique Ability: Tail of the Plague
Acquisition Difficulty: B~S (Rank varies depending on specific conditions)
Description: A continuous-damage skill that imbues the target with a plague.
There are twelve types of plague, and additional types can be added as proficiency grows.
(The plague allows tracking of the infected target’s location.)]
“I’ll use the seventh plague — ‘Korona.’” (T/N: Lol, much like SARS Corona Virus back then hahaha.)
Wuuuuung!
Thin flames spread across the ice, reaching Tulcha’s body.
Naturally, a primeval being like her couldn’t be bound by [Brand of Burning Souls].
Unless her mind were completely subdued, diluted flames could never penetrate her consciousness.
However—mixing in a familiar plague?
That was possible.
‘Easily possible.’
Jinhyuk’s eyes gleamed as he watched Tulcha retreat.
[A fragment of the target’s consciousness is infected with ‘Tail of the Plague.’]
Tulcha would never notice.
Handling millions of plagues, she’d simply assume “Korona” was one of her own.
But the more she used plagues—and the more they synergized—the more Korona would mutate into something else entirely. (T/N: To COVID? hahaha)
A hidden card, crafted to destroy primeval beings from within.
As Tulcha fled, the Old Guards and all other enemies collapsed instantly.
“L-Lady Tulcha is gone!”
“Did she… lose to that human?”
“That’s impossible…”
Everyone who had waited for the outcome stood speechless.
It was unthinkable.
A primeval being, defeated by a mortal — an unholy, incomprehensible blasphemy.
Yet as Jinhyuk emerged from the fading [Final Genesis] alone, no one could deny the result.
“As expected of my contractor.”
“Well, you always used to beat me, so of course I’d have to win against someone like that.”
“As expected, Jinhyuk. I knew you’d do it.”
“Hehe… I used up nearly all my mana, but thank goodness.”
“Mogiii!”
“Waaah! Our master won!”
“Didn’t I say? The ultimate evil always triumphs!”
“Of course!”
“Still a shame though. I was kinda hoping we’d escape this hell.”
“Quiet, all of you. My head hurts.”
Cheers and despair intertwined.
The Veteran Corporation’s members, who had never doubted Jinhyuk’s victory, erupted in celebration.
Meanwhile, Crimson clenched his teeth and prepared for a final stand.
For Altera and Aden, who had sided with Tulcha and Nyarlathotep, the outcome was no better.
“Big Sis…”
“There’s no choice. If we keep fighting, we’ll all die.”
“Understood. I’ll open the retreat.”
The two dragons began casting teleportation through draconic speech.
“Hmph. Western dragons really have no manners. The fight isn’t over yet.”
“Miyoooo!”
Naturally, Malang the Azure Dragon and Fried weren’t going to let them go.
“If we keep this up, both sides will bleed. Are you sure you can handle that?”
“Our company policy’s simple — once we bite, we don’t let go till the corpse is dry.”
No compromise.
Flames and storms collided, beginning a fierce pursuit.
⁕⁕⁕
[A new myth has appeared in the Tower of Trials!]
[The Veteran Corporation has earned the qualification to ascend to the top floors!]
[You are granted the right to attend the annual ‘Banquet of the Gods’ as a participant!]
[As part of an upper-floor faction, you may now sponsor or recruit residents and players as apostles!]
[Items for strengthening your base can now be purchased at the Coin Exchange!]
[All achievements will be recorded tomorrow in the Hall of Honor!]
A cascade of notifications filled the air.
The Tower of Trials had changed completely after the battle ended.
Jinhyuk’s victory over a primeval being sent shockwaves throughout the entire system.
And rightly so.
More than 80% of the strongest Old Guards were dead or incapacitated.
Crimson, their leader, had perished in a duel against Alice.
Those once considered eternal subordinates were wiped out in a single day.
Tulcha barely escaped with her life, and Nyarlathotep, facing Olympus and the Norse gods, had barely managed a stalemate.
For the rulers of the 50th floor, it was an unprecedented, humiliating defeat.
Of course, only Jinhyuk and a select few knew the full details.
—
Jerry: Wow. Is this even real? That’s insane.
Dara: Even S-rank informants didn’t know monsters like that existed.
Jjojae: The upper-floor battles are literally cinematic. Thought I was watching a movie.
Rocoman: Holy crap. The Tower’s supposed to be unbeatable, but maybe… we’ll actually see the summit?
Charinierin: People always said Kang Jinhyuk was playing a different game, but damn, guess it’s true. I was ready for humanity’s end, but maybe I’ll look for a girlfriend next year instead! Let’s gooo!
Aoljudi: At this point, he doesn’t even have rivals. You can only have a rival if you’re in the same league.
The top ranker beyond heaven — humanity now had nothing left to fear.
With Kang Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation, they would no longer tremble before the 90-day restriction.
Everything was smooth sailing—until the masked player appeared on the public stage.
Step. Step.
“……”
‘Player Unknown.’
Once a rival to Kang Jinhyuk, a veiled ranker who had carved his own path —was on the move again.