Chapter 660
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Azathoth’s palace was full of bizarre things, but if he had to name the most alien—and the most dangerous—among them, it would be the Ownerless Shadow Sapling.
A sleeping drug capable of putting the absurdly powerful Azathoth to sleep.
At the same time, a raw material that supplied immense Mana to ancient beings.
That was what the sapling was.
But…
The real reason it was dangerous was the way it contaminated everything around it at a terrifying speed.
It didn’t just ruin the land and nature. It corrupted people, animals, and even—
‘It can even corrupt Higher Divine Beasts and Divinity.’
A shadow fell over Jinhyuk’s face.
If what they said was true, it meant this canyon would soon fall within the sapling’s sphere of influence.
Unless someone had abnormally high resistance to mental-type effects, they wouldn’t be able to endure it.
“Interesting.”
It was definitely dangerous.
But at the same time, it was a rare chance—an opportunity to secure a sapling you wouldn’t normally get to even see.
“Please return our always wise and benevolent king to his original state. I beg you.”
“There’s no one we can trust and rely on anymore. Except for you.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
The Spirit Beasts huddled around Jinhyuk. The little ones—subtly different from the Spirit Special Forces—were downright adorable as they whined and tugged at him.
“Okay. First, I’ll bring our people over. But can you at least give us shelter from the night dew? I’m fine, but I’m worried the Spirit Beasts and the girl might catch a cold.”
Jinhyuk glanced over with exaggerated pity at Alice and Behemoth a short distance away.
Undine, in his arms, was trembling violently. Gnome was barely blocking the wind with a small mound of dirt.
“Yes! Our village is just a little further from here.”
The Salamander readily invited them in.
[Your affinity with spirits has increased by +10!]
Inviting someone into your home was a clear sign of intimacy.
The fact that he hadn’t lit a single heater and had kept the sleeping setup as barebones as possible was paying off.
‘I was going to pull out my full camping gear the moment I went off watch, but I’m glad I didn’t. The timing’s perfect.’
Jinhyuk praised himself again for his flawless judgment.
—
A little later, the members of Veteran Corporation, roused from sleep, arrived at the Spirit Beasts’ village.
Spirits that rarely revealed themselves to humans.
A village where hundreds—no, thousands—of such rare natural beings gathered together was beyond shocking.
Not only spirits of the Five Elements, but also various Divine Beasts and Mythical Beasts were living side by side.
“To think a place like this exists…”
Pesis looked around, the most stunned of them all.
He’d explored every nook and cranny of the canyon for two months, yet he’d never found a village where spirits lived on this scale.
No—he hadn’t even suspected it existed.
‘Just what kind of person is he?’
Pesis’s pupils trembled slightly as he looked at Jinhyuk.
He’d dedicated everything to finding hidden areas and claiming the glory of reaching their end first. Talent, effort, passion—he had all of it.
Yet Jinhyuk in front of him far surpassed that.
And wasn’t Jinhyuk a combat-type player, not an explorer?
‘I knew he wasn’t ordinary the first time I met him in the Empire, but… the more I learn, the more unbelievable he becomes.’
Because Jinhyuk was with him, he’d reached the Spirit Beasts’ village at all.
Gratitude—and respect—naturally rose in his chest.
Chun Yoosung and Alice also watched the Spirit Beasts with interest, their expressions mixed with caution and curiosity.
Then—
“Ukura, you stupid fire lizard! Why did you bring humans to our sacred village!”
An elderly Spirit Beast—clearly an elder—came charging in, brandishing a staff.
It was a light spirit with half its head bald.
The plump Salamander who’d been guiding them stiffened, then scrambled behind Jinhyuk.
“D-don’t just hit me! Listen first! This human is friendly with spirits too!”
“What?”
The elder, about to crack Ukura’s skull, hesitated.
Ukura let out a small sigh of relief and puffed out his chest.
“See? I’m not stup—”
Thwack!
“Kuaaaah!”
Ukura clutched his head and rolled on the spot.
“What’s so impressive about being friendly with Spirit Beasts? How do we know he isn’t enslaving them—using them when he needs them, then locking them up like slaves when he doesn’t?”
The elder jabbed his staff toward Jinhyuk.
“I’ve lived a long time. I know faces. And that one—he has the kind of face that uses everything around him except himself. A face that sucks all the sweetness dry… a face that rivals even a Demon King.”
“…Huh.”
Annoyingly perceptive.
It was so accurate Jinhyuk was briefly left speechless.
Worse, everyone beside him nodded like they agreed, leaving him no room to even pretend otherwise.
So Jinhyuk had no choice.
He went head-on.
“It’s not like I’m staying here for free. I know how to purify the sapling’s curse. How about that? Would that change your mind?”
The noisy village fell dead silent, as if cold water had been dumped over it.
Only for a moment.
Then the elder snapped back.
“That’s a lie! That’s impossible!”
“Yeah! How could you—!”
“How are you going to purify the curse without even seeing the Spirit King’s condition directly?”
Words wouldn’t work.
So Jinhyuk answered with action.
He activated a skill.
As [Tail of Plague] awakened, ominous Mana with a faint purple hue flowed out.
At the same time, the authority of [Seraphim] manifested on the opposite end.
Woooong!
Light and darkness collided—and a gray reaction formed between them.
He couldn’t be completely sure, but something like neutralization was happening.
“How… how can this be…”
The elder’s mouth fell open.
His eyes widened so far they looked ready to pop.
“This is just a sample. The energy coming from the actual sapling will be far stronger, and far more widespread. I won’t be able to purify it alone.”
Jinhyuk lifted a finger.
“So I need to find one item.”
“Are you talking about the Fragment of Light?”
“You know about it?”
“It’s something we’ve been searching for for months. Of course we know. We just haven’t succeeded.”
Fragment of Light.
Only a vessel that could contain the purest light was qualified to be called a Fragment of Light.
They’d tried countless jewels—diamonds, meteorites, everything they could think of.
Not one had passed.
The fact that even the Spirit Beasts had failed meant two things:
Finding a proper vessel wasn’t easy.
And securing pure light to fill it was even harder.
“We’ll find it for you.”
The elder’s eyes narrowed.
“Something we couldn’t find, living here our entire lives… you’re saying an outsider—a mere human—can find it?”
This old geezer had been looking down on humans for a while now.
Even though they’d isolated themselves in a canyon, the discrimination was engraved in their bones.
If Jinhyuk didn’t need to raise affinity, he’d have plucked out every last strand of the elder’s remaining precious hair.
Jinhyuk forced his twitching fingers to relax.
“Then let’s make a bet.”
He smiled.
“Within the next 48 hours, whoever finds the Fragment of Light first gets one wish granted by the other side. Of course, if you’re scared, you can back out.”
“……”
The elder’s expression darkened.
“You’ll regret those words. We’ve already narrowed it down to one or two high-probability locations.”
“Good. Then I’ll take that as a yes.”
Just as the two sides were about to collide—
“Wait. That wish ticket—does it apply to us too?”
Chun Yoosung cut in from beside him.
His eyes were blazing.
This leech had gotten even bolder after getting a new weapon. He looked ready to pounce.
“Haha. I don’t need a wish. I’ll try to be helpful this time.”
Pesis clenched his fist.
“Wish ticket… not bad.”
“If I find it, will you set me free?”
Frey’s eyes glittered.
Behemoth’s sparkled too—though for entirely different reasons.
And then—
“Contractor… and a wish ticket?”
Alice, who’d been indifferent until now, snapped her head around.
Kukukukukuku!
A terrifying madness surged.
In her eyes—half of her reason already gone—there was only obsession.
[‘True Ancestor’s Vault’ is unlocked!]
“Which side is that fragment—whatever it is—buried on?”
It didn’t matter if it was a mountain, a field, or the canyon itself.
If she erased the area, the fragment would pop out.
And if it didn’t—
She’d flip this entire floor upside down until it did.
“……”
The elder finally realized something had gone wrong.
His long-standing home could vanish in an instant if he made the wrong move.
But it was already too late.
The die had been cast.
Now they had no choice but to secure the fragment—whether it went well or not.
“Start.”
Jinhyuk laughed.
The search for the hidden fragment began.
—
[You have entered ‘Yotleaam Canyon’.]
A gate opened, and a group stepped through.
Sleekly trained bodies and refined Mana.
The momentum of hunters who’d survived countless hardships poured out without restraint.
“We’ve come to a strange place.”
“I know. I’ve been so busy with late 30th-floor raids, I never thought I’d come back to an in-between floor like this.”
“Figures. They’re weak, so they’re picking up crumbs here.”
“Besides, this canyon’s been labeled a dead ruin. No rewards. No quests.”
Men and women holding various weapons spoke in turn.
Unlike true battlefields, most of the early 30th floors had already been raided thoroughly. Relations with residents were stable, and there was little to fear outside of a few labyrinths and ruins.
“Can we secure the target right away?”
“Some of them aren’t even fully identified yet. There’s no need to rush in, especially with a client like that.”
The man who seemed to be the leader scanned the target profile carefully.
‘Jack Eden.’
Leader of a small mercenary unit called Swingbat.
A man who handled jobs others labeled impossible—impregnable ruins, S-class players who’d gone on killing sprees.
A 100% success rate.
It was possible because he trusted instincts and intuition forged in the field, more than any perfectly drafted plan. He intended to finish this job the same way.
But—
‘Something’s off.’
The name Kang Jinhyuk.
He was sure this was the first time he’d heard it, yet it felt oddly familiar.
A strong aversion rose in his gut, along with an instinctive uncertainty—like he didn’t even know where to begin.
That had never happened to him before.
“I never thought Jack Eden would be this cautious. Or is his reputation exaggerated?”
“What’s so scary about hunting down a few kids and college students? You look scared.”
“If you’re that uneasy, leave it to us.”
The rankers Seo Jeonghee had attached separately sneered.
“These bastards are talking to the boss….”
“Where’d you get the nerve to spout nonsense about being scared!”
The Swingbat mercenaries growled back.
As the atmosphere heated up, Jack Eden spoke calmly.
“Don’t forget who’s in command.”
A quiet, subdued killing intent.
Mana as sharp as a needle spread out, and the sneering rankers stiffened, retreating a step.
“Tch.”
“How fierce.”
One-on-one was impossible. He could tell without even fighting.
Still, that didn’t mean they’d obediently follow Jack Eden’s pace.
Seo Jeonghee had promised a reward.
Whoever captured the top-priority targets—Kang Jinhyuk and Chun Yoosung—would receive thirty million dollars in cash, ten million coins, and one Sacred Relic of their choice.
With that kind of bounty, a person could rewrite their fate ten times over.
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