Chapter 627
“Stop….”
Brahma’s voice trembled violently.
No way….
The very thing he had desperately denied was unfolding before him as reality.
How did that man learn such information? How could he possibly control the Aerial Fortress Vimana?
Thousands of questions swirled chaotically through his mind.
But there was no time to think about any of that right now.
“Stop the battle immediately!”
‘The First Lotus’ was the symbol of Celestial Order and the source of power that maintained the 45th floor. If they lost it, Celestial Order would never again gain the opportunity to climb to the higher floors.
That alone had to be prevented.
Even if they had to sacrifice everything else.
However.
[Berial throws ‘Black Spear Kishan’!]
[Gabriel activates ‘Proclamation of Sanctuary’!]
Kwahhhh!
Wooooong!
Different lights merged in a blinding flash.
The armies of Celestial Order, who had begun their retreat, were struck simultaneously by demonic energy and divine power.
“Graaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
Limbs were severed and bodies burned away whole.
Terrifying storms of magic exploded one after another, producing a massive number of casualties.
It was as if they had been holding back their full power until now.
“Do NOT let the enemy escape!”
“Attack!”
Odin and Chronos rallied their remaining forces and shifted to all-out offense.
[The Absolute Beings of each Myth activate the special skill ‘Roar of the Race’!]
[Morale of all members belonging to each Myth increases by 250%!]
[The lower one’s health becomes, the more one’s attack power and ferocity skyrocket!]
Various buffs and large-scale skills erupted everywhere.
Thunderous roars shook the heavens across the entire battlefield.
“Damn!”
Brahma clicked his tongue at the sudden counterattack.
The difference in power was still overwhelming.
Yet—
The instant they turned their backs to move toward the First Lotus, everything changed.
A cornered rat had begun biting at a cat.
But with no choice left, Celestial Order had to issue a retreat order even at a massive loss.
⁕⁕⁕
At the same time.
Jinhyuk, aboard the Vimana, arrived at the Great Temple of Woonkran where the First Lotus was located.
This place was the deepest part of the 45th floor and the area with the richest natural energy.
‘And the security here is relatively lax.’
To prevent foreign impurities from entering.
Thanks to that, getting inside wasn’t very difficult.
Of course.
It wasn’t as if Celestial Order had left their most important holy relic completely unguarded.
Jinhyuk slowly surveyed the forest entrance.
At a glance it looked normal, but walking in carelessly meant never leaving again.
“A labyrinth.”
Chun Yoosung also sensed the subtle wrongness from the entrance.
The same went for Yoo Yeonhwa and Lee Tae-min.
“Not going to be easy to conquer.”
“We even sent seven S-rank detection drones, and every single one lost signal.”
Even wide-range drones capable of scanning several kilometers within a minute couldn’t map it. It was not something solvable in a day or two.
“What’s your plan, Contractor?”
Alice glanced sideways at Jinhyuk.
By now, it had become natural for everyone to follow his decisions when something happened. Even Chun Yoosung, despite his grumbling, quietly followed.
“It’s unfortunate, but even I can’t perfectly conquer this place in a few hours. Even if Brahma, Shiva, or Vishnu were here, it would be the same.”
There was no perfect answer.
However—
Every problem had exceptions.
Step.
New figures appeared behind the group.
“Hm. Looks like we arrived right on time.”
“Lord, we have completed all assigned missions.”
“The probability of success was 72.5% from the start. Mhm.”
It was Pesis, Wolyoung, and Frey.
They had been tasked with destroying the seven towers surrounding the Great Temple of Woonkran.
To enter, the barrier woven around the temple had to be weakened—and that barrier was maintained by the seven-part ‘Towers of Agony.’
Each tower had its own named-level divine beast or guardian deity, but the three had flawlessly completed their missions.
“Pesis, please lead the way.”
To conquer this as quickly as possible, Pesis’s help was essential.
“I’m not perfect, but I’ll do my best.”
Pesis smiled faintly.
Jinhyuk turned to the side.
“Yeonhwa, Tae-min. Stay here and guard the Vimana. By now they’ve probably noticed and will send their main force to protect the Lotus.”
Lee Tae-min’s mechanical legion was unmatched in firepower during large-scale battles.
He alone could take on thousands; there was no one better for defense.
Yoo Yeonhwa, who had long experience working with him, would be his wingwoman.
“And Yoosung, you take the entrance. Delay the enemy as much as possible.”
“Alone?”
Chun Yoosung’s eyebrows twisted sharply.
The enemy’s top priority was protecting the First Lotus, not recapturing the Vimana.
Given the danger, he naturally disliked being assigned such a task alone.
“I can only entrust it to the most reliable and strongest person. Who else could do it but you? Me? No way. I’d be useless.”
“Ahem… well, that’s not wrong.”
“Right? And you’re the vice-captain of Veteran Corporation. If you take the lead here, the others will feel secure.”
“That’s… also true.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“Before that….”
Chun Yoosung’s hand touched his sword hilt.
A chilling killing intent began to rise.
“You’re not planning to use me and throw me away again… are you?”
After suffering dozens, hundreds of times, suspicion had become ingrained in his bones.
But even so, Jinhyuk didn’t flinch. He simply looked at Chun Yoosung with bright, unwavering eyes.
“You’re one of the comrades I trust and rely on the most. I would never do that. Don’t worry.”
His voice was steady. His hand, filled with conviction, rested on Chun Yoosung’s shoulder.
“…Fine. I’ll trust you one last time. It makes sense that the strongest should guard the rearmost line.”
Chun Yoosung accepted.
Roles were set.
Jinhyuk stepped toward the massive statue standing before the entrance.
It resembled a [Haetae], radiating a dark crimson aura. (T/N: Haetae is a mythical creature from Korean folklore, often depicted as a lion with a dog’s head, known for protecting against fire and disasters)
Kukukukuku!
It didn’t react to drones, but it responded the moment intruders approached.
“Those who dare enter this sacred ground shall not escape death!”
A thunderous voice echoed.
“A gate guardian.”
“Not easy from the very start.”
“Strong. Mhm.”
The magic made even their skin tingle.
A voice with this much power meant the guardian beast was formidable.
However—
This guardian did not attack blindly.
[‘Holy Guardian’ presents a Trial of Three Questions. Answer all correctly to pass safely. Even one incorrect answer will result in the Guardian’s wrath!]
Like the Egyptian Sphinx, it served as a gatekeeper offering a game.
‘Well, getting dragged into this is exactly their plan.’
The questions were always impossible—internal information only the guardian knew.
And answering incorrectly inflicted a heavy debuff on all stats.
Especially for those whose main power was dark-attribute—the penalty would be doubled.
Thus, fighting before the questioning began was the smart choice.
“Now, I shall ask three questions. Answer correctly.”
The guardian’s blue eyes gleamed as it scanned each intruder.
The atmosphere compelled anyone to answer.
“The Great Temple of Woonkran is a sacred sanctuary even the main gods of Celestial Order cannot enter carelessly. But certain high monks are permitted if they perform ‘this.’ What is it?”
“…….”
Jinhyuk gave no answer.
Three seconds. Two seconds. One….
The guardian snickered and rose.
Crack!
Stone shattered as the massive dog bared its fangs.
After debuffing them, it intended to chew them alive.
At that moment—
Thud.
A large magic crystal fell at its feet.
It wasn’t an ordinary one—inside the crystal, a strange vortex swirled.
“T-this…?”
The guardian’s voice trembled violently.
A sweet, overwhelming aroma seeped deep into every cell of its body.
‘Hmph.’
Jinhyuk smirked confidently.
There was no way it could resist.
Even the ancient species Goguma would wag his tail like a motor for this special nutrient treat—how could a mere guardian beast refuse?
Especially one who normally survived only on dew during ascetic training. The scent was fatal.
[‘Mantra Taming’ is active.]
With the unique ability specialized for subduing divine beasts and spiritual beasts activated, the result was obvious.
“I’ll give all three answers at once.”
Jinhyuk took out another crystal and shook it in front of the guardian.
“The answer is: magic crystal candy. Healthy and delicious.”
“M-magic… crystal… candy….”
The guardian mumbled like a zombie.
“Well? Is it correct? Or not?”
“…….”
A moment of inner conflict flashed.
Then the guardian made its decision.
“It is correct.”
[You have passed the Trial of Three Questions.]
[You have acquired ‘Key of the High Monk’ ×1.]
Jinhyuk accepted the key from the guardian’s mouth.
Then he inserted it into a narrow crack in the entrance.
Clunk!
[A hidden entrance to the Great Temple of Woonkran opens!]
[You have discovered the monks’ secret passage!]
[Labyrinth difficulty decreases by 50%!]
“…Jinhyuk. You always shatter my understanding of the world.”
Pesis shook his head in disbelief.
At first, he had no idea how to conquer this labyrinth, but with Jinhyuk, even the worst labyrinths seemed survivable.
—
About an hour later.
[Gate opening!]
Boom!
Multiple gates opened near the entrance of the Great Temple of Woonkran.
The vanguard meant to protect the First Lotus had arrived, having shaken off the relentless pursuit of the Alliance.
At the front stood Shiva, the God of Destruction.
One of the Three Main Gods of Celestial Order—and the strongest in pure combat power.
“Where are the humans…?”
The moment he crossed the gate, Shiva’s senses detected something.
Chun Yoosung.
“So many have gathered.”
Chun Yoosung rose from where he had been resting against a tree.
He stretched lightly, as if waking from a pleasant hour-long nap.
“One man alone guarded the entrance?”
Shiva let out a long breath.
The sheer insult of being taken so lightly made his rage boil over.
He swore he would tear that man apart and immediately rip off Jinhyuk’s head next.
Then—
“To be honest, before we fight, I need to confess something. I used to get scammed a lot. That damned bastard drained me to the bone.”
Chun Yoosung suddenly said something bizarre.
“A damned bastard… Kang Jinhyuk? Don’t tell me—were you exploited by an ally?”
“People you know are always scarier.”
“…Sigh. So what, you want me to listen to your pathetic sob story—”
“No.”
Chun Yoosung quietly shook his head.
“I just wanted to say—this time, it wasn’t a scam.”
And as his words ended—
A massive surge of magic appeared everywhere.
This time, it wasn’t unfamiliar magic like before.
“You all….”
Shiva’s jaw dropped wide open.