Chapter 663

“Wait…”

The man at the front raised a hand.

His keen senses had picked up the target far in the distance.

“Confirmed.”

Eden confirmed Kang Jinhyuk’s presence.

“To think he was holed up in a place like this.”

“Finally found him!”

“Hehehe. This is going to be over quickly.”

The other Rankers smacked their lips and flexed their fingers. Capturing that one man and bringing him back would earn them enough to live in luxury.

“Shall we grab him now? We can subdue him in one go.”

“No, wait.”

Eden narrowed his eyes.

Something felt off about how easily everything was wrapping up.

“Tch. What’s with being so cautious? We could just walk up, grab him, and it’d be over in a flash.”

Lee Hong-seop of Ilseong Group, who had received the request directly from Seo Jeonghee, clicked his tongue.

Player Kang Jinhyuk.

Just another run-of-the-mill bug with no remarkable achievements. He couldn’t understand why the VVIP was so interested in such a dimwit.

All she had said was to bring him back alive and in one piece.

Whatever.

After offending the sensibilities of a newly emerging aristocrat, he wasn’t going to get off easy.

Still, since Eden insisted on being careful, Lee Hong-seop had no choice but to follow his lead for now.

Thud.

Eden and the eleven other Rankers approached Kang Jinhyuk.

“Huh?”

Kang Jinhyuk’s eyes widened.

He looked like he’d never imagined meeting other players in a place like this.

The others, who had been slightly tense, couldn’t help but chuckle at the innocent expression.

“So, you were here, Player Kang Jinhyuk. We’ve been looking for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. The incident at the Shilla Hotel reached the Awakened Association. Ah, I’m this person.”

Eden pulled out a business card and held it out.

[Awakened Association ‘Scout Department Team leader’]

[A-Rank ‘Jack Eden’]

It looked like it had been printed just hours ago—so crisp it could cut. And the information on it was even more impressive.

‘Normally, they’d be ecstatic.’

When would an ordinary C-Rank or lower player ever meet an executive of the Awakened Association?

And the Scout Department was the strongest department of them all.

This was a life-changing opportunity. The usual reaction would be trembling excitement, or obediently nodding to whatever was said.

However, Jack Eden, the Swingbat mercenaries, and the top Rankers hired by Seo Jeonghee didn’t know.

Han Sang-jin, the chairman of the Korean Awakened Association, was controlling all detailed information about Kang Jinhyuk.

His S-Rank records and data had been completely erased or manipulated.

“It was a serious disturbance, but the Association has decided that securing Player Kang Jinhyuk and Player Chun Yoosung is more important than punishment. If you join us, we’ll treat you as B-Rank or higher and promise support to match. There will be a few formal questions and some paperwork, but that’s a minor detail, right?”

“Such an amazing place sent someone all the way out here to scout me? Wow… I’ll do it. Of course, I’ll do it.”

Kang Jinhyuk teared up, as if overwhelmed with emotion.

His knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed.

As expected.

‘This will be easy.’

‘Handing it to Eden was the right call.’

‘I knew it.’

‘Let’s finish fast and go grab a cold beer.’

Smirks spread across their faces.

But.

“It’s a very generous offer, but I have something I absolutely have to do here. Can I finish that first before going outside?”

“What exactly do you have to do…?”

“Well, I need to hunt that deer over there. Specifically, I need its antlers. It’s not easy to get the timing right.”

“If you need deer antlers, the Association can provide them for you. More importantly, let’s gather the rest of your group and leave the Tower.”

Eden grabbed Kang Jinhyuk’s wrist, trying to pull him along.

“Tch, that’s a shame. It’s really good for men… Makes your hair grow like crazy. Cures diabetes and all sorts of other diseases.”

Since time immemorial, humans had eaten anything said to be good for virility.

And if it also helped with hair loss, that was beyond imagination.

If it were true, it would be a discovery worthy of a Nobel Prize.

“Is that true?”

“If you’re lying…”

“Answer quickly!”

The others rushed forward, eyes blazing with greed.

“W-Why would I lie to people from the Association?”

Kang Jinhyuk displayed a quest window stamped with the seal of a high-ranking administrator.

It was fake—a counterfeit of the Ancient Barrier quest and Rick’s seal from the past—but ordinary players, who weren’t Divinities or administrators, had no way of recognizing that.

Sure enough, their eyes practically dripped with greed.

⁕

“Boss…”

“Gulp…”

A chain quest equivalent to S-Rank. That explained why Kang Jinhyuk had come to this canyon.

“It certainly looks unusual.”

Patzzt…! Crackle…

White sparks spread in succession.

With a being that could be called the King of Spirits emitting Mana, it was bound to look unusual.

Yottleam Canyon was known for being needlessly complicated and yielding nothing, but it turned out to be hiding a gem.

“But the risk seems too high. An S-Rank chain quest requires much more preparation.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I know the strategy.”

Kang Jinhyuk pulled out an old piece of paper.

It contained detailed information on the stag’s attacks and movements. It even listed how to weaken or stop it depending on which magic and items were used.

That changed everything.

“Boss, wouldn’t it be good to earn some extra income?”

“That’s right. If we don’t take this hidden treasure, someone else will swallow it up.”

More than anything.

If this was the start of an S-Rank chain quest, even greater rewards would be waiting down the line. Even selling the quest itself on the black market could fetch a price close to their commission.

And if they considered not only the antlers, but also the items and byproducts from taking down the deer…

…there was more than enough reason to take the risk.

“Alright. We’ll help you secure the antlers first.”

Eden made his decision.

—

Swoosh.

Livolt slowly turned his gaze toward the intruders approaching him.

Reason had long since vanished.

Even so, the reason he wasn’t indiscriminately destroying the canyon was the conviction he held as the King of Light Spirits, who governed all spirits.

“Destroy… protect… must. All… things.”

He still hadn’t touched the Spirit Beasts, but other races weren’t even worth considering.

[Livolt activates Lv??? ‘Moon Light’!]

Crackle!

White light skittered along the ground.

“It’s coming! Player Kang Jinhyuk, step back. You mustn’t get hurt!”

Eden shouted.

To inflict terrible torture later, Kang Jinhyuk had to be brought back alive and in one piece.

So he had to be protected in the safest position. A player who was, at best, C~D-Rank wouldn’t survive an attack from a monster like this.

Woo-oong!

A shield deployed, meeting Livolt’s electric strike head-on.

“Uwaaaaah!”

A tanker with a heavy shield held the front line, stacked with every buff they could get.

Kwakwakwakwakwang!

A terrifying roar thundered as the transparent barrier and lightning collided.

Thanks to the precise timing and angle laid out in the strategy, they avoided annihilation. The shield shattered, but the tanker managed to hold.

“Hah, heavier than I thought.”

“We’d have been in trouble without the strategy. Seriously.”

A long scar ran across the tanker’s shield.

Even deflected, it was this powerful.

An S-Rank quest really was different.

Kang Jinhyuk clung to the backs of the bulky men like a leech, trembling.

‘I’m so scared!’

‘Kyaaak!’

‘I almost had a heart attack.’

He kept chattering, tossing out one interjection after another.

Curses rose to their throats, but for now, they had to treat him like an endangered species.

‘According to the client, we only need to watch out for Chun Yoosung and Teresa… This guy doesn’t even have the strength to protect himself.’

No choice. They had to finish this as fast as possible.

Eden barked at his companions.

“Advance!”

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

At the same time.

On Eden, one of the upper floors of the Tower, another meeting was taking place.

“This is quite a sight.”

“Indeed. It’s been a while since so many different races gathered like this.”

“…It can’t be helped. We can’t be sure of victory unless we do.”

Voices flowed through the hall.

God-class beings gathered from different strata.

Their sole purpose for assembling in the sanctuary of Eden was to confront the enormous enemy known as Kang Jinhyuk.

Having already tasted bitter defeat across countless wars and battles, most of them now understood just how terrifying the human called Kang Jinhyuk was.

Of course.

“Hmph. What’s so special about one measly human?”

“Just because he defeated Altera and Aden, he thinks he can look down on us all.”

The Ancient Dragons and Dragons, who had seen relatively little of him, still hadn’t properly grasped the severity of the situation.

“Thank you for coming such a long way. Since everyone took time out of their busy schedules, we’ll skip the trivial greetings and get straight to the point.”

Samiel, who was leading the meeting in place of Uriel and Raphael—temporarily absent—quietly ascended the platform.

Everyone’s gaze turned.

“As you know, this sanctuary has been completely fortified since the last war. It’s no exaggeration to say that a frontal attack would be like throwing an egg against a rock. But that doesn’t mean our defenses are perfect.”

All routes climbers could use to attack Eden had been sealed.

But there was one loophole.

“Berial…”

Vishnu muttered.

“Yes. He maintains a fairly close relationship with Kang Jinhyuk, so he’ll move to help immediately. In particular, the Demon Realm knows various backdoors into Eden, so it can create countless variables.”

“Does that mean we strike Berial first to secure a perfect defense?”

“I thought we attacked the Demon Realm before and failed.”

Skeptical reactions erupted from all sides.

Repeating an operation that had already failed once would be foolish.

And the Veteran Corporation wouldn’t fall for such a clumsy trick.

Then.

“Of course, I have no intention of doing it the same way.”

A being who had remained silent in the shadow of a pillar spoke for the first time.

White skin contrasted with jet-black hair.

The man exuded an overwhelming presence that surpassed even ordinary chief gods—the one who had seized Eden.

The Ancient Dragon, Edon.

The predator who dominated the late 40th floor revealed himself.