Chapter 643
Vwooom!
A dazzling light flared, and an old, worn-looking thirty-centimeter statue awakened.
[Special Sacred Relic ‘God’s Faithful Servant’ is being summoned.]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable]
[Content: God’s Faithful Servant is a type of transaction made with the target’s consent and God’s approval. Once someone becomes a servant, they must obey God’s words without exception, carrying out all tasks at the forefront as a faithful servant.]
This was…
Jinhyuk’s complexion changed for the first time.
It was inevitable.
That Sacred Relic had the same effect as the Brand of Fiery Loyalty. In other situations, it wouldn’t have been such a big threat, but after agreeing to human experimentation, it became unbelievably dangerous.
He would be forced to swear himself into servitude.
Naturally, he would become Shylock’s slave.
But if he refused, he would be forfeiting the third bet.
No matter what he chose, he couldn’t win.
“Heh heh heh.”
Shylock was now certain of victory.
There were items that could bypass God’s Faithful Servant, but there was virtually no chance Jinhyuk possessed them.
“……”
Jinhyuk ran his tongue over his dry lips.
There was no way to overturn this.
It was checkmate.
‘So I have to choose between slavery and death….’
Neither was acceptable.
But he still had to pick one.
Even as he agonized, the grains in the hourglass continued to fall.
“Wouldn’t it be better to work with me than to die?”
Shylock pressed him to choose.
[Time Remaining 0H : 1M : 33S]
Only about a minute and thirty seconds left.
But then—
[Looks like you’re in a lot of trouble.]
A familiar voice echoed in Jinhyuk’s ear.
The only variable capable of overturning this situation had stepped in.
“I thought I was going to wear out my neck waiting.”
Jinhyuk greeted him with palpable relief.
—
‘Hmm. What should I do?’
Shylock rubbed his hands together as he watched the anxious Jinhyuk.
How to use the new ace he was about to acquire. How to make up for the losses he had just suffered.
Just imagining it made his heart flutter.
‘I have to squeeze him for everything he’s worth. I need to get at least ten times the value out of him to sleep soundly at night.’
Shylock’s pleasant delusion snowballed.
In his head, the next few years were already neatly planned out.
Whoooosh!
A green gate opened.
“What?”
Before he could finish, footsteps followed.
Stepping through the gate was his lifelong rival—the one enemy he least wanted to face.
Rick Hennessy.
A middle-aged gentleman in a neat suit and fedora took his place between Shylock and Jinhyuk.
Then, as if shielding Jinhyuk, he planted himself firmly in front of him.
“What are you doing here!”
“I heard you proposed a very unfair bet to my client. As someone who has an exclusive contract with him, I find it extremely unpleasant.”
“It was a fair bet. Besides, before you’re the head of a guild, you’re a senior manager. You shouldn’t be able to interfere like this.”
Shylock jabbed at the most painful point.
Of course—
“Because there’s an issue with fairness, I’m intervening legitimately.”
Rick listened with one ear and let it pass out the other, completely unfazed.
“You’ve wrapped your bullshit up nicely. An issue with fairness? You’re barging into a game I’ve already won, and you’re shameless beyond words!”
“The criteria can differ slightly from person to person, so I can accept the first part. But I find it difficult to agree with the latter.”
“Are you saying you don’t I’ve already won?”
“That’s right.”
Rick lightly tapped his cane.
Tap, tap!
As the tip touched the ground, a translucent liquid burst upward.
[Special Sacred Relic ‘God’s Teardrop’ is activated!]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable]
[Content: Can break unjust contracts made in the name of God. However, if the contract you are trying to break is of the same grade as this Sacred Relic, it may cause unexpected repercussions.]
Only three.
One of the three possible methods of bypassing God’s Faithful Servant had appeared.
Clear droplets rippled outward, enveloping the statue.
“Wh-what are you doing! No—are you insane!”
Shylock shouted, his face going pale.
By nature, the two Sacred Relics would devour each other.
It was obvious that these unbelievably expensive Sacred Relics would end up as nothing but dust.
No—if things went wrong, it might not stop with just the two of them.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
A wave of reversing mana spread to the rest of the treasures Shylock had stored away.
Crack-crack-crack!
Crack! Snap!
Fine fissures began crawling over the surfaces of the splendid items.
If no one stopped, their fortunes would crumble piece by piece—
Until one of them went bankrupt.
A chicken game.
For two tycoons with so much to lose, the damage would be unimaginable.
But Rick didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.
“I’m willing to throw away this much to protect my client.”
His tone was absolute.
At the same time, Rick was asking—
Was Shylock prepared to match him?
“Stop bluffing. You expect me to believe you’d throw away everything you’ve built for one person?”
“If you’re curious…”
[S-Rank ‘Hatchling’s Claw’ is destroyed!]
“…why don’t you try it.”
Rick burned the claw in his hand without hesitation.
Fwoooosh!
The expensive item, swallowed by blue flames, turned to black ash in an instant and scattered away.
“……”
Shylock ground his teeth.
From Rick’s eyes and pressure alone, he knew it wasn’t a bluff.
The odds of winning had become slim, and the risk he’d have to take for the prize called Jinhyuk was his entire fortune.
His blood ran cold.
This was no longer the time for pride.
No matter how furious he was, he couldn’t afford to lose everything.
“……I lost.”
Shylock conceded.
At the same time—
Clink…
The chains released, and Jinhyuk was freed.
“Hoo.”
It had been a dangerously close tug-of-war, but thankfully, it ended without disaster.
And now it was time to collect the reward for crossing that bridge.
Jinhyuk held out his hand to Shylock, smiling brightly.
With a constipated expression, Shylock reluctantly handed over the item.
[‘Shylock’s Cruel Bargain’ has ended.]
[You have acquired ‘Strange Fortune Cookie X 10’ as a reward.]
[Strange Fortune Cookie]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Trial Tower Limited Edition]
[Content: One of the fortune items created to commemorate the first time the Trial Tower was created. If you use this, you can manipulate the probability values set by the system to a certain extent. (The range that can be manipulated is the entire range, and the probability can be increased by 2.5% per Fortune Cookie.)]
[You have acquired the ‘Radiance-Devouring Gem’!]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Trial Tower Limited Edition]
[Content: Even the brightest gem can lose its luster. If you use this gem, you can subtly twist established causality.]
He had finally obtained both.
Jinhyuk looked over the appetizing box of cookies and the gem.
“Looks like you got what you wanted.”
Rick spoke as he watched Jinhyuk act like a child.
Right.
The reward was great, but thanking him came first.
“I owe you my life.”
“I couldn’t just stand by and watch Player Kang Jinhyuk in danger.”
“That’s… heartwarming.”
He still didn’t know Rick’s true intentions.
He didn’t know Rick’s identity, or what he would do in the future.
But whatever the case, Rick was currently on his side.
And that mattered.
“Thanks for coming all the way here. I’ll repay this favor. I just got some great coffee beans.”
“Heh heh heh. I’ll look forward to it.”
Rick tipped his fedora slightly and turned to leave.
Then, as if remembering something, he added one more line.
“Ah… my senses aren’t what they used to be, so I can’t say for sure. But I feel a strange sense of incongruity where your companions are.”
It was casual, but the content wasn’t light in the slightest.
Jinhyuk immediately sharpened his senses and looked where Rick indicated.
Sssss…
He was right.
It was faint, but a translucent flow of energy could be felt around the air above where the Veteran Corporation members were staying.
It wasn’t the same as a barrier.
“An intruder…”
Possibilities flashed through Jinhyuk’s mind.
The most likely was Unknown—the core of the enemy.
The moment the thought formed, Jinhyuk’s body shot forward like a spring.
Boom!
A streak of light tore through the night toward the Veteran Corporation.
⁕⁕⁕
Rip… clank! Thud!
Velus yanked out the skewers that pierced his body, one by one.
Even after the fierce assault that had poured out terrifying mana, he remained unscathed.
The way he walked forward so calmly truly felt inhuman.
“You monster…”
Alice shuddered in disgust.
She had killed him over a hundred times already, yet Velus kept returning.
It was beyond irritating—like a leech that wouldn’t come off.
‘Why is no one noticing this commotion?’
Alice’s gaze flicked to the distance.
She had deliberately made as much noise as possible, rampaging without restraint.
Yet no matter how loudly she tore things apart, no matter how violently she made mana explode, there was still no sign of reinforcements from outside.
It was as if this entire space had been cut off.
‘Someone must have done something.’
That was the only explanation that made sense.
“I’m honored to hear that from the Lord, who is considered the strongest True Ancestor, but I can’t help thinking the Lord is a monster as well. I’ve been trying my best to find an opening… I didn’t expect it to be this difficult.”
Velus smiled bitterly, looking down at his blood-soaked clothes.
Certainly, his body could be called invincible—but that only mattered as defense.
To win, he needed an offensive method that could threaten her.
“I suppose it was impossible to face the Lord as a vampire. It’s humiliating, but from now on, I’ll move as a pawn to carry out his orders.”
Shing!
Velus drew the rapier at his waist.
The blood-stained blade leveled forward.
[Velus activates the administrator’s authority ‘System Manipulation’!]
[Stats related to ‘Speed’ are temporarily increased by 300%!]
[Stats related to ‘Regeneration’ are temporarily decreased by 30%!]
Another identity he had built while living as a member of the Ataraxia clan for so long.
Now it was time to shed that shell and return to his original form.