Chapter 673
Kang Jinhyuk shouted confidently.
Needless to say, their reactions weren’t exactly favorable.
“A proposal?”
“You… to us?”
Muhon and Pendariel asked back, their faces full of disbelief.
“I know our first impressions weren’t great. But that was all because of our respective beliefs and goals, wasn’t it? Let’s not get caught up in old grudges and live for the future.”
“Are you actually saying that right now?”
“I… died by your hand! And you’re just calling that an old grudge?”
Their emotions flared even more.
It was the reaction he expected.
Ahem!
Kang Jinhyuk cleared his throat and pulled out the card he’d prepared.
“Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free.”
Bait was important when fishing.
He’d dangled a magnificent earthworm they couldn’t possibly refuse.
The corners of Kang Jinhyuk’s lips curled up slightly.
“If you help me of your own free will… I’ll guarantee you autonomy over the floors you used to rule, and your territories.”
“……!?”
“……!!”
The fierce momentum that looked ready to pounce vanished as if it were a lie.
Even if their bodies had died once, their memories shouldn’t have disappeared.
A proposal to return the territories they had cherished more than anything in the past was not something they could dismiss lightly.
Though it was only a short time, less than a minute, the two boss monsters ran through countless possibilities and fantasies in their heads.
“…Can you really keep that promise?”
Muhon broke the silence first.
“Are you… seriously considering accepting?”
“What else can we do! All that’s left for me in this Tower… the only place where I can live as myself is that floor!”
Muhon raised his voice.
“That’s…”
Pendariel trailed off at Muhon’s words.
The dark, narrow room where he’d been left alone. The lonely years he’d spent in the depths, where there wasn’t even a shred of hope.
A life where being exploited and oppressed was as natural as breathing.
He had just needed a friend.
Someone to rely on. Someone who would always be on his side.
He had finally achieved that, only for the one who had taken everything away to propose restoring that life again.
Grit.
The desire for revenge, and something even more precious than that.
The scales had already tipped decisively to one side.
The hesitation didn’t last long.
“I understand.”
“I… will join you.”
[The former owner of the 3rd floor, ‘Muhon,’ swears allegiance.]
[The former owner of the 4th floor, ‘Pendariel,’ joins.]
The two boss monsters stood before Kang Jinhyuk.
—
“A small fry like you…”
Clemence was thoroughly irritated by the Death Knight wriggling around like a loach.
Despite possessing considerable power, he avoided direct confrontation, slipping around and refusing to commit.
Boom! Boom!
Boom-boom-boom!
“Neigh!”
The Death Knight darted along the flank, narrowly avoiding the vine tendrils.
“Screeech!”
“Graaah!”
The undead troops tried to tighten the encirclement, but they couldn’t catch the Specter Warhorse, which moved far too nimbly.
It was thanks to his experience surviving the cutthroat game of tag in the Veteran Corporation.
Of course, for someone facing it for the first time, it was as infuriating as a mosquito buzzing by their ear.
“Raaagh!”
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Clemence deliberately used flashy, extravagant skills.
She waited for the opponent to approach, exposing openings through the hazy smoke.
But the result was the same this time as well.
The Death Knight kept a steady distance and never took risks.
A clear stalling tactic.
Even knowing that, she couldn’t ignore it, because T-Bone was relentlessly targeting only the weak points in the formation.
‘If I leave it alone, the True Ancestor or the Homunculus could break through and join Jinhyuk.’
It was a battlefield maintaining a delicate balance.
To win decisively, she had to prevent those two from joining Kang Jinhyuk.
In that case…
Even if it consumed a great deal of Mana, she would have to use a proper finishing move.
[Clemence activates ‘Black Dwarf Star’!]
A dark purple sphere appeared.
A skill that carved out space itself, perfectly aligned with T-Bone’s calculated movements.
Now all she had to do was fire the Black Dwarf Star according to the coordinates.
‘This is the end.’
Clemence’s mouth twisted grotesquely.
But right then.
Heh heh heh…
An unexpectedly large number of troops appeared out of nowhere.
“…What are those guys?”
Clemence’s gaze shifted to the newly arrived enemies.
—
Stone statues.
Troops armed with heavy shields formed a tight formation.
“Those with unattractive appearances, I see.”
“There’s nothing more rewarding than crushing a strong enemy.”
The Statue of David, Great Sage Crimson Diamond, and the named monsters who served as Muhon’s personal guards were all gathered.
“Rise… my children.”
On the other side, Pendariel moved.
“Grrr.”
“Grrrk… Graaaah!”
An army of zombies began to march.
They were low-level monsters mass-produced in bulk, but their numbers alone were several times greater than Clemence’s undead army.
“What in the world is going on…”
An earthquake rippled through Clemence’s pupils.
The sudden appearance of enemies was disorienting, but what was even more shocking was the unique Mana emanating from their bodies.
‘Forgotten Empire.’
Her Unique Holy Spear.
No, something slightly more alien, and more complete than the Unique Holy Spear she had honed throughout her life was unfolding.
It was impossible.
She couldn’t believe there was another lunatic besides herself who could endure those brutal acquisition processes.
But no matter how desperately she tried to deny it, she couldn’t erase the reality unfolding before her eyes.
While Clemence panicked, Kang Jinhyuk was also making full use of the newly acquired Unique Holy Spear’s abilities.
[You can now use ‘Seeds of Plants’ due to the effect of the Unique Holy Spear.]
Pop! Pop!
Plants burst from the ground.
Various plants imbued with the energy of the sun let out their own distinctive cries.
“Our Cherry, how have you been?”
Kang Jinhyuk looked at the red carnivorous plant with a smile.
The main culprit who had devastated the stronghold of the Jungwha Guild long ago.
Looking at the adorable little one who had blown away an entire mart, a warm smile naturally crept onto his face.
[Due to ‘Sanctuary of the Sun,’ ‘Solar Energy’ secures the highest charge rate!]
“Screeech!”
“Scree!”
The surfaces of the plants glistened.
A disadvantageous situation where they had to face tens of thousands with only three people.
But the one-sided fight was over.
From this moment on.
‘The number of cards I can use has increased dramatically.’
Kang Jinhyuk cracked his knuckles, having secured reliable allies.
“As expected of my contractor.”
“The win rate has risen to 42.55%. Mhm.”
The fight became much easier for Alice and Frey as well.
No matter how overwhelmingly strong they were, it would have been difficult to handle that many troops with limited Mana.
But now they had space to take breaks at the right time.
Boom!
Kang Jinhyuk kicked off the ground and dashed forward.
“…!!”
Clemence reacted immediately.
Her pupils turned black, and the Divine Seedling’s vines tore through the ground.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
A wide-area attack like a natural disaster. It looked like she was willing to wipe out even her own undead soldiers.
Kang Jinhyuk weaved through it.
Boom! Kaboom!
It was close.
It paid off that he had memorized how the archmage Clemence hunted enemies—her habits, and the timing she used to tighten encirclements.
The distance closed once more.
For an archmage who secured a safe zone and poured out ranged attacks, having a close-range dealer inch closer little by little was bound to feel burdensome.
“Let’s see if you can keep running away!”
[Clemence activates the special skill ‘Void Rift’!]
[Livolt activates the special skill ‘Stigmata of Light’!]
Two lights converged into a single point.
An annihilation spell that combined the archmage’s Mana, Primordial Authority, and the blessing of the Spirit King.
A finishing move that maximized speed and power by limiting the target to a single entity.
The Black Dwarf Star that had been completed moments ago dropped on top of it.
Heh heh heh…
[Causality is distorted.]
If he got hit, it would be the end.
But he couldn’t avoid it either—Livolt’s Stigmata had already locked onto him.
Kang Jinhyuk clicked his tongue as he looked at the unfamiliar engraving that had appeared on the back of his hand.
Even if he couldn’t completely negate it…
He had no choice but to reduce its power as much as possible.
[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Flowing Moonlight’ is activated!]
Kang Jinhyuk’s clones appeared.
At the same time.
[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Chrono Spear’ is activated!]
[Unique Holy Spear – ‘Seraphim’ is activated!]
A massive light flared from the muzzles of Kang Jinhyuk’s guns, split across multiple copies.
The unfolded wings became an axis that amplified the bullets’ power.
The massive beam and the countless smaller beams collided midair.
KRAKOOOOOM!
What followed was an explosion beyond expectations.
Thin white beams spread outward, creating wave after wave.
Throb! Throb!
A heavy shock ran through his entire body.
He had blocked most of it.
But he hadn’t blocked everything.
Shards of splintered Mana rained down around Kang Jinhyuk.
Even if it wasn’t the main blast, it was still lethal.
At that moment.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Graaah!”
“Grrk!”
Muhon’s stone statues and Pendariel’s zombies became shields.
The soldiers who had leapt in to protect Kang Jinhyuk were engulfed in purple flames and burned away.
“Why the hell are they so strong? My subordinates can’t even last a second.”
“It’s the same on my side. What floor did you summon us to, human?”
Despair clung to Muhon and Pendariel’s faces.
A floor on a completely different level from what they knew.
They had ruled a floor in their own right and had been confident in their strength, but now they couldn’t even imagine winning against those monsters.
‘I upgraded them quite a bit, but I guess it can’t be helped.’
Kang Jinhyuk looked at the troops, now reduced by nearly half.
As expected, early-floor bosses were far from enough to contend with the upper floors.
Still.
‘This is enough.’
The seconds bought through sacrifice kept piling up.
One more step forward.
Livolt’s face drew closer as the distance narrowed.
To win, he had to bring Livolt back to his side.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Clemence, realizing Kang Jinhyuk’s intent, unleashed her skills again.
Wooooong!
The sky turned black, and hundreds of magic circles appeared.
High-circle spells that summoned meteors and void summons activated in succession.
KRAKOOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A storm of skills poured down.
In that hellish downpour, a gust of wind sliced through.
Kang Jinhyuk tore through space at unbelievable speed and reached the fragment embedded in Livolt’s body.
“Grrr…”
Livolt’s dark red eyes bored into Kang Jinhyuk.
Crackle!
Light spirit magic gathered again to erase the enemy standing right in front of him.
He only had one chance.
If he failed here, there would be no turning back.
“Uwaaaaa!”
Kang Jinhyuk gathered every last drop of Mana he had left.