Chapter 695
A pillar supporting the Demon King, a great being of the Demon Realm.
If the Balrogs, Death Knights, and Liches fighting on the front lines symbolized the iron fist of the Demon Realm…
…then the succubi—who disrupted the enemy from behind and brought down their leadership—represented the dark arts.
And Remia Celtric, the apex of those succubi, was once called the most beautiful and cruel rose in the Demon Realm.
Indeed.
“Heh heh heh. I am the blue poisonous rose of hell.”
A madwoman in a maid outfit, giggling while holding a mop.
Who could look at her and imagine she was one of the Demon King’s closest aides?
Pfft!
“I was wondering where you’d gone. So you were here?”
A laugh burst from Jinhyuk’s lips. The pair of daggers he’d drawn just in case had already vanished.
He’d thought she might’ve died, since he hadn’t seen her in so long…
…but it seemed she’d become Alice’s slave in exchange for survival and had been staying here.
“She begged and pleaded, saying she lost her job and had nowhere to go, so I specially took her in. Following the contractor’s example, her salary is three mice and five bats a month.”
Alice put her hands on her hips.
She looked exactly like a little she-devil.
The feeling of being both proud and afraid at the same time had to be his imagination.
“Y-Yeah. It’s good to see you working hard.”
“Don’t mention it. Ah, and Mistress. Everything you asked me to prepare is… Ugh? Ugh!”
Alice hurriedly stopped Remia before she could add another word.
“I understand. I understand. Tell me separately later.”
He didn’t know what they were plotting, but…
…something ominous felt like it was about to happen.
“Mogiii….”
Jinhyuk hugged Goguma even tighter, looking uneasy.
—
Tower of Trials, 21st floor.
Inside a cave beneath a massive waterfall, two figures met.
“Young Master Chun. It’s been a while.”
“Have you been well?”
It was Chuhon Sayoung and Chun Yoosung.
“Heh. I’m always living peacefully. Even though a huge cloud of war has gathered in the upper floors of the tower, not the middle ones.”
With the Murim Alliance, the Heavenly Demon Cult, and the other unorthodox factions quiet, Murim was enjoying a more peaceful time than ever.
Even the Empire was seeking revival and stability, so there was virtually no force left to pick a fight with.
Of course, Chuhon Sayoung knew this peace was only temporary.
“I doubt Young Master Chun came all this way just to ask after this old woman. What is it? What could be casting a shadow over that handsome face?”
At Chuhon Sayoung’s question, Chun Yoosung opened his mouth heavily.
“…I want to become stronger.”
“Young Master Chun’s skills have already surpassed the realm and broken through the wall. I’m not at a level where I can teach you anything.”
“……”
Chun Yoosung tightened his grip on his sword.
Chuhon Sayoung’s smile deepened, as if she found Chun Yoosung’s expression endearing.
“However, it’s not as if there’s no way at all. If you truly want to become stronger, there is a path to the next level. Of course, you’ll have to take on that much risk.”
“If I can surpass him, I’ll do anything.”
The upcoming ranking match.
Chun Yoosung had no intention of standing alongside Jinhyuk there.
He didn’t want to be content, hidden in the shadow of a giant tree.
From the very beginning…
From the moment he first set foot in this tower eleven years ago…
His only wish was to surpass Kang Jinhyuk.
“If you’re that determined….”
Ha ha ha!
Chuhon Sayoung swung her sword toward a rock inside the cave.
On the surface, it was just an ordinary massive boulder.
However, as a specific sword path swept across its surface, a bizarre phenomenon began to unfold.
Woooong!
[The Soul Stone of the ‘Nine Yin Sword Demon’ is being opened!]
Sword Demon.
Countless strong individuals had existed throughout Murim’s history, but if you had to name the single best under heaven, everyone would unanimously point to one person.
The strongest and worst sword fiend who killed both the first Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader.
The absolute master of Murim—rumored to have even cut down immortals revered as Divinity—was none other than the Nine Yin Sword Demon.
And.
Beneath this rock lay dormant one of the few traces the Nine Yin Sword Demon had left behind.
“Grave of Swords….”
Chun Yoosung quietly savored the name.
One of the abilities used by his rival, Kang Jinhyuk.
He, too, had heard about the creator of the [Grave of Swords] more than once.
“It’s said he died. He lived so long ago, after all. But some say… he left Murim and ascended to a higher place.”
A night with particularly thick frost.
A record of meeting a white snow woman was the last sighting of the Nine Yin Sword Demon in Murim.
“From now on, I will awaken his lingering thoughts and have them fight you.”
Crackle…
A black shadow surged up from among the piled dirt.
Hiss!
Chun Yoosung’s body froze instantly.
It was an overwhelming pressure.
Yomaganto had been a monster of a different class, but this was terrifying in a different way.
“If Young Master Chun can survive the Nine Yin Sword Demon’s lingering thoughts, you will reach another realm. But think about it one last time. No one has ever survived fighting the Nine Yin Sword Demon’s lingering thoughts.”
Chuhon Sayoung asked with a face mixed with worry and anticipation.
A single wish.
To reach an unreachable star.
And to move beyond that star.
He had been prepared to throw away his life a long time ago.
Shing!
Chun Yoosung drew his sword without the slightest hesitation.
“That’s what I want.”
===
Meanwhile.
On another floor of the tower, Teresa and Gabriel were meeting.
“Unexpected. I didn’t think you’d ask to meet me alone.”
Gabriel gave a strange smile.
There was warmth at seeing his apostle… and a gaze fixed on an alien enemy.
Teresa knew better than anyone why Gabriel was looking at her like that.
Another personality.
A darkness that contrasted with Divinity, one that could swallow her at any time.
Therefore.
“I want to completely control the other personality dormant within me. And I thought Gabriel was the only one who could make that possible.”
She no longer wanted to walk a tightrope like a double-edged sword, dangerous to her companions.
To control the other personality, gain power, and protect her loved ones with that power.
That was Teresa’s only wish.
“We have lost many apostles. Well, they’re called apostles, but it’s no exaggeration to say they’ve been annihilated.”
Eden was occupied by the forces led by the Ancient Species Edon and Uriel.
Naturally, most of Gabriel and Michael’s existing soldiers were expelled, and the few survivors defected to the enemy’s side.
The difference in power had widened to an absurd degree.
“Normally, I wouldn’t have taken such a dangerous card like you, but… it’s fortunate. We need any help we can get.”
Pure white wings spread from Gabriel’s back.
“To reach the level you want, you’ll have to face truly difficult adversities.”
“I can endure it.”
Teresa met Gabriel’s pressure with a firm expression.
The saintess’s will—never backing down no matter what happened—was conveyed as it was.
Heh heh heh heh!
Divinity and Divinity collided.
Fwoosh!
Gabriel drew a burning spear.
There was no need for further conversation.
The journey to grow one step further had begun.
And.
Similar events continued on other floors of the tower.
-I’ve come to find the soul of the nine tails.
Andrea in the mental hospital.
-Gather the warriors on the frozen plains.
Karakal of the Frost Blade Tribe.
-I’ll eat everything and get stronger. That’s the only way I can escape this damn company.
Behemoth of the Apocalypse.
-Noona. I’ve arrived. This is the labyrinth ‘Stairway to Ghost Valley.’
-Kheh. Good, good. If we reach the end of this place, we can get the Sacred Relic we’re looking for, right?
Lee Tae-min, Yoo Yeonhwa, and the others.
Each member of the Veteran Corporation sought to grow in their own way in preparation for the war to come.
—
In the Black Castle, Alice and Remia were sitting on the bed, having a profound conversation.
[Techniques of Seduction, Chapter 1. Adult Romance]
“The reason you… no, the reason the great head of the family always fails is because you don’t understand the hearts of men.”
It began with Remia clicking her tongue.
In front of a succubus specialized in seduction, Alice was nothing more than an innocent child. To seduce the iron-walled Jinhyuk, thorough preparation was needed.
That’s why she prepared this.
Flap!
Remia spread a sheet of paper in front of Alice, with the plan written out in detail.
[Operation Name: Sweet and Deadly! Seize the Target’s Heart!]
Also known as the shaky bridge effect!
It was a scientific theory that made people mistake the pounding caused by fear and shock for affection toward the opposite sex.
“Ooh! Indeed, a brilliant idea from a succubus with an empty brain.”
“Hey….”
Remia glared, but Alice—busy taking notes—couldn’t see her expression.
Thus began the succubus’s grand operation.
Tap tap tap!
Alice, trotting along with bunny steps, grabbed Jinhyuk’s sleeve.
“Co-Contractor!”
She widened her eyes and made her voice as urgent as possible.
“Alice? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Jinhyuk sprang up from the bed at the sight of Alice in disarray.
“Th-there’s a gh-ghost in the castle.”
“A ghost… just that?”
Jinhyuk snorted, his expectations deflating.
Sometimes, event monsters carrying treasures appeared in ruins like this.
Also known as golden goblins.
A term for targets that were easy to hunt compared to the difficulty.
But if it was a ghost—a mental monster—it was likely to give the worst rewards.
“How can a True Ancestor tremble in front of a ghost? A low-level monster that doesn’t even give proper rewards.”
“It’s not about the rewards, it’s that I’m scared! And… even if I’m a vampire, I’m still afraid of ghosts!”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re always trouble. Where is it, that ghost?”
Just as Jinhyuk was about to head out with a click of his tongue—
[Remia activates ‘Nightmare’s Vow’ – A Nightmare that Constricts!]
An ability that could create a terrifying environment and weaken the target’s mental strength. As Remia’s Unique Ability activated, a chilling aura suddenly began to seep in from outside the door.
The smoke gathered, forming the shape of a grotesque skull.
“So it’s you.”
Jinhyuk pulled out his dagger.
It certainly looked frightening.
Of course, in front of a high-level player, it was nothing more than cute, but…
…not everyone was like Jinhyuk.
“Kyaaaa!”
It was Jinhyuk who was supposed to be targeted by the shaky bridge effect, but Alice—the one who planned it—lost her mind instead.
She’d been properly hit by Remia’s heart-constricting ability.
And that…
…created an unexpected result.
Terrified, Alice hugged Jinhyuk without realizing it.
“…Huh?”
Jinhyuk and Alice, losing their balance, tangled together.
Thud!
Jinhyuk ended up sprawled on top of Alice.
Eyes met eyes.
As if time had stopped. Moonlight from outside the window quietly illuminated the two of them.
“Co-Contractor?”
Alice swallowed hard.
Thump thump!
Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast.
Before they knew it, the distance between them had shrunk close enough to feel each other’s breath.
“Alice….”
Jinhyuk whispered softly.
“H-huh?”
“I have something to say.”
“Wh-what is it?”
Alice held her breath and waited for Jinhyuk’s next words.