Chapter 639
Gros’ death.
Its impact shook the world on a scale incomparable to anything before.
It was inevitable.
Until now, the Primordial Beings were considered immortal—monsters that simply ‘could not’ be killed.
No matter how many troops were thrown at them, no matter how dazzling the Unique Holy Spears were, no matter what clever strategy was devised…
Extinguishing them was thought to be as impossible as defying the laws of nature.
But that common sense had just been shattered.
By a human.
“Are you saying Gros-nim, of all beings, was defeated so easily?”
“I can’t… believe it…”
“This is absurd.”
Voices of disbelief burst from the Primordial Beings.
Perhaps Tulcha had been forced to retreat due to unfortunate circumstances, but even then, she had not been ‘killed’.
And Gros was far superior to Tulcha.
The fact that Gros had lost his life to a single entity was beyond unacceptable.
It was far more reasonable to assume someone was spreading false rumors to sow confusion.
“No, this is confirmed information. I checked the site myself and found traces of Gros-nim’s death.”
Nyarlathotep shook his head slowly.
He had double-checked, triple-checked—each time becoming more certain Gros was truly gone.
Silence fell.
Heavy, suffocating silence.
Who knows how long it lasted?
Eventually, someone broke it.
“So. What do you plan to do now? You were so confident of victory. You claimed this fight would end in a few days, but when the lid was opened, the results were rather different, weren’t they?”
A voice dripping with seduction—and mockery.
A pale-skinned girl with long, murky gray hair.
The avatar of ‘Shub-Niggurath’.
Though she suppressed her immense power into a human shell, containing her infinite Mana was like trying to fit an ocean into a fruit crate.
Kukukukuku!
A murderous aura shot out.
“…….”
“……Hiss.”
Creatures across the 50th floor trembled beneath the overwhelming purple energy and tentacles.
A pressure so suffocating it was hard to breathe.
Yet the target of that rage only shrugged.
“Don’t push me so hard. I didn’t expect things to get this complicated either. What am I supposed to do if that old fossil is slipperier than an eel?”
“Is that your excuse?”
“It’s not an excuse. I’m just stating facts. Besides, the fight isn’t over. Isn’t that right… our incompetent Mask?”
“……I have no excuse.”
Unknown’s body trembled.
Shame, anger, fear—all mixed together.
He knew better than anyone:
If he disappointed this man again… he might cease to exist.
“I’m sorry your precious children are dying. But sacrifices are necessary in war, aren’t they?”
“S…acrifice? You dare say that in front of me?”
Shub-Niggurath rose from her throne of tentacles.
The massive black goats and sheep beside her glared at the man in unison.
“No, no. What I meant was… thanks to your noble sacrifice, one of my restrictions has been lifted. Something like that.”
Chwaarruk—
Five golden chains clung to the man’s body.
Originally, there had been seven.
“You said that once they’re all released, you can free yourself completely from the Tower’s restraints. And erase the Necronomicon entirely.”
“Exactly as I said before. Your ‘eyes’ have already confirmed the truth, so there’s no need for doubt.”
A deal between the two.
For the man: freedom to enjoy the world as he pleased.
For the Primordial Beings: a chance to rid themselves forever of the Necronomicon, their greatest threat.
Their goals aligned perfectly.
“More importantly… thanks to the time you bought me, I finally completed this.”
The man pulled out two glass bottles from his chest—
One containing a drop of vivid red blood.
The other, swirling black smoke.
Anyone could tell at a glance these were no ordinary substances.
“……Hoo.”
Shub-Niggurath’s expression shifted dramatically.
The perfect blood—created by mixing that of an Elder God with the blood of the Alphas, progenitors of the thirteen races.
He had succeeded.
The black smoke was ‘Corruption’, extracted from the seven deadly sins.
A single breath of it would drag even the purest soul into hell.
“With this, we can deal the most fatal blow to him.”
She gently shook the bottles.
Ruby-red blood and black smoke swayed inside.
‘Alice von Ataraxia.’
‘Teresa du Laurentia.’
With this blood, the means to obtain both the True Ancestor and the Corrupted Saintess were now prepared.
—
“More booze! Pour more booze!”
“Glory to the great hero’s victory! Shameful death to the enemy!”
Within the alliance’s fortress walls, a massive festival was underway.
Jinhyuk had defeated one of the enemy’s heads, completely altering the situation.
Even the covenants playing out across other floors were faltering thanks to Gros’s death.
From the alliance’s perspective—who only needed to endure seven days—their morale was soaring.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“You were incredible.”
“Kuhahaha! When you suddenly jumped off the ramparts, I thought you were trying to kill yourself!”
Deities from various mythologies patted Jinhyuk’s shoulder, pushing cups of wine and beer into his hands.
The war wasn’t over, so no one could drink themselves senseless, but the mood was festive enough.
“I believed in the Contractor!”
Alice ran up and clung to Jinhyuk’s side.
“Is there anything Jinhyuk-ssi ‘can’t’ do?”
Teresa approached from the other side and linked her arm with his.
Pachichik! — Pachik!
Sparks flew between them.
Their stares felt more dangerous than Gros’s final attack.
“Well, first… everyone should rest. And eat well.”
“Huh? What about you, Contractor?”
“Where are you going, Jinhyuk-ssi?”
Alice and Teresa widened their eyes.
“I have something to take care of.”
Six rewards from the system.
It was time to choose two.
Leaving behind the disappointed deities and Veteran Corporation members, Jinhyuk walked off to a quiet spot.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart beat in pleasant anticipation.
This might be one of the biggest decisions he’d made in the Tower.
‘Which should I choose?’
First—the level up.
Thirty-five levels worth of experience in one go.
An absurd amount.
A fraudulent reward worth 105 stat points.
It was hard to ignore.
‘It means rapid growth in a short time.’
But this damned system was always unreasonable.
A sociopath that loved setting bizarre, sadistic copying conditions purely for amusement.
Meaning—
This option also had a trap.
‘He probably wants me to miss the real treasure and pick the wrong one so he can laugh about it.’
For some reason, Jinhyuk could clearly read the system’s intentions.
His gaze shifted downward.
A ticket—free access to the 50th floor.
A shimmering green parchment, inscribed in purple letters with a golden seal.
The strongest master key in existence.
He couldn’t kill anything just by going there, of course, but—
‘There are special items worth going after.’
Especially those inside ‘Azathoth’s palace’, the most secure location of all.
Obtaining something from there would be an enormous advantage for the future.
The Necronomicon clues and Crown tracking scroll were also tempting, but he could acquire those without relying on system rewards.
‘The outline of the Necronomicon is starting to show anyway. As for the Crown, I can handle the remaining forces later.’
That wasn’t a hard decision.
The real problem was next—
‘A purple-grade Sacred Relic’ or ‘an SSS-grade random treasure box.’
His eyes wavered.
There were 1,077 purple-grade Sacred Relics in total.
Excluding those used by Primordial Beings or near-impossible to obtain, practically all were on the table.
Choosing the perfect one would instantly grant spec improvements equivalent to 35 levels.
Jinhyuk browsed the list, lost in deep thought.
Who knows how much time passed?
Finally, he examined the last option.
SSS-grade random treasure box.
Containing items from S-grade all the way to unmeasurable.
Even Divine Weapons that couldn’t be acquired normally—
like the Annihilator’s Gun or the Frost Spirit Spear.
“Hoo….”
Jinhyuk took a long breath—
—and reached out toward the two choices.
[You have selected the 50th floor free access pass.]
[You have selected the SSS-grade random treasure box.]
It was a difficult decision, but the best one.
No—he would ‘make’ it the best.
Burning with determination, Jinhyuk moved on to the next stage.
—
At that same moment—
Strange shadows rippled through the castle where the celebration was ongoing.
“I’ve broken through all the barriers and defensive spells in the area.”
“Good. Let’s go inside.”
Unknown adjusted his mask, scratched by fingernail marks.
He could not fail again.
Not for the sake of his safety—
but for his very existence.