Chapter 699
Countless men and women had gathered in the crater where magma flowed.
They were not human.
The amount of Mana each possessed and their alien nature were on a level that could not possibly be contained within the shell of a human.
Their true identities were dragons who had cast polymorph magic.
Gold and Silver, Red and Blue, and even Green and Black.
The guardian deities of the 46th floor, each governing their own color, anxiously waited for time to pass.
Among them were also Ancient Dragons with epithets, like the Destruction Dragon Edon.
The impregnable gatekeepers guarding the 48th floor.
They were the mightiest beings among all dragons throughout history, possessing perfect lineage, talent, and even luck. They too had made the long journey to where the lower-ranked dragons were, intending to intervene in the upcoming Dragon Lord selection ceremony.
“It’s taking longer than I thought.”
Edon muttered.
His voice, tinged with irritation and regret, revealed a strong hostility toward a certain individual.
Kang Jinhyuk of the Veteran Corporation.
Despite having acquired the massive stronghold called Eden, far from being thwarted, he was causing even bigger incidents.
How serious must it have been for Azathoth to have tried to awaken from its slumber?
Even now, just recalling that day made his dragon heart feel as if it were freezing solid.
Still.
‘It’s almost over.’
The previous Lord had now stepped down.
If a new Lord were to be elected and the dragons united as one, it would become possible to prevent players from ascending the Tower any further, using Eden as a starting point.
No matter how many forces they gathered or how much they grew, ascending to the upper floors would become impossible.
“Then, we shall now accept candidates to become the next Lord.”
The Gold clan, which had elected the previous Dragon Lord, performed the ceremony to conclude their 2,000-year task and pass on the succession.
‘Whoosh!’
The magma split to both sides, revealing the remains of an Ancient Dragon.
It was enormous.
It was easily three times larger than a typical dragon.
Moreover, the dragon heart that had been beating fiercely in life was still continuing its pulsation even now.
It was impossible to gauge just how absurdly vast its mana reserves were.
[The mana of the Ancient Dragon ‘Patio’ is being released!]
‘Kukukukuku!’
One of the first Ancient Dragons said to have existed since the Tower was first created.
By passing on a portion of his mana and his imprint to the new Lord, he could secure the loyalty of the remaining dragons.
And.
Another symbol had also awakened from its long slumber.
[The ‘Crown of Valor’ awaits a new master.]
The mark of the king they had searched for half a year.
Now, they even possessed an absolute Sacred Relic that no one could deny.
An indescribable sense of exaltation bloomed among the dragons.
“Bedimion of the Red clan challenges for the position of the great Lord.”
“Salacid of the Black clan also challenges for the position of the great Lord.”
A red-haired man and a black-haired woman stepped forward.
The Red and Black clans.
They were the two clans most favored to produce the next Dragon Lord, but it was still difficult to say which one held a definitive advantage.
Because Nyarlathotep, who had been manipulating everything from behind the scenes, had at some point let go and disappeared.
Naturally, the selection ceremony had no choice but to be postponed indefinitely.
‘I don’t know what he’s thinking.’
Was it related to Azathoth’s attempt to awaken as well?
Or the fact that the movements of the primordial beings had become incomparably more active than in the past several thousand years?
Since precise information wasn’t even reaching them, they couldn’t grasp the detailed circumstances, but they could instinctively feel that a great storm was approaching.
‘Fine. No matter how much I think about it, there’s no need to worry about things with no answers. First, I must firmly conclude the task given to me.’
Red and Black.
It didn’t matter which of the two clans, who were loyal to him, became Lord.
But just then.
From a place that had been silent until now, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
“Pinonoa of the Green clan. I challenge for the position of the great Lord.”
A woman with elegantly flowing green hair took a step forward.
“Understood. Are there any more?”
“……”
“……”
Silence followed the elder dragon’s words.
“Then, let us conclude the candidate registration with this.”
[Candidate registration from three clans has been completed.]
[The new Lord will be elected 14 days from now.]
In the Dragon Lord selection ceremony, any dragon could become a candidate.
It meant that being a dragon alone was qualification enough to become Lord.
Of course, challenging and being elected were entirely different matters, but regardless, the number of candidates, which they thought was only two, had now increased to three.
Edon’s eyebrows furrowed into an inverted ‘八’ shape.
He couldn’t help but be displeased with the increase in variables.
The other Ancient Dragons beside him also couldn’t hide their bewilderment.
‘Who moved?’
The Green clan, the weakest and most docile, wouldn’t have stepped forward without any reason.
Someone he didn’t know must have intervened, without a doubt.
—
At the same time.
Jinhyuk was sitting alone in the lounge of the Palazzo Hotel.
Thanks to acquiring a reliable information source, handling tasks had become much easier.
After watching for several hours, he had managed to store all the information about the current players in his head.
‘It seems they haven’t been completely idle either.’
The newly reorganized Seven Great Guilds.
The Masters leading them and the top-ranked players possessed skills somewhat worthy of their names. At the level of Dreadlord, the guild’s overall strength was probably comparable to or slightly less than Chun Yoosung’s current level.
‘Hmm.’
Jinhyuk sipped a mint chocolate-based cocktail and fell into thought.
‘These half-baked kids are always the most troublesome. They don’t fall easily enough to control your strength. But if you go all out, the reason for using the Fountain of Oblivion in the first place disappears.’
Only by planning meticulously and carefully could he obtain the desired item and avoid having his identity exposed.
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
“It seems the night will be long, so I’ll ask for just one more. With plenty of chocolate powder on top of the mint.”
“Perfect timing, we just got a triple mint liqueur. How about it? If you wish, I can give you the first chance to try it.”
“Make it a double, please.”
“Hoho. That’s the kind of guest I recognize.”
The bartender skillfully prepared the cocktail.
Even cookies infused with a buttery flavor perfect for snacking on the side.
Truly, a lounge with substance.
He found himself thinking he should visit America more often.
Then.
“Kang Jinhyuk.”
Chun Yoosung approached and sat in the seat next to Jinhyuk.
He was usually blunt, but this time, the texture was slightly different.
“Are you going to have a drink too?”
“……Putting toothpaste in my mouth is enough when I brush my teeth.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
To hear this from someone who happily eats pineapple pizza…
For the first time, he almost lost his composure and started a fight first.
Whether he knew that feeling or not, Yoosung continued.
“I don’t know since when, but I’ve always fought on the same side as you. It’s funny. In the past, we’d point our swords at each other the moment we met.”
“Yeah. Somehow it turned out that way.”
Many things had happened.
Times when his life was in danger. Times when he had to prevent the world’s destruction.
This guy grumbled but was always by his side.
Now, he was as much a natural member of the Veteran Corporation as Alice or Teresa.
“I intend to help you whenever you need it in the future. Not for your sake, but because to survive, we must conquer the summit of the Tower.”
But.
“Only in this event, I will not be with you.”
An opportunity to showcase his victory before countless people.
Yoosung had no intention of letting go of the War of Stars, which might be his last.
‘Bzzzt…’
A sharply honed energy bloomed.
‘Zzzt, zzzt!’
An unfamiliar and terrifying fighting spirit transmitted through Jinhyuk’s skin.
‘……This isn’t the usual Yoosung.’
The unique Mana based on the Soul-Chasing Sword was absolutely not of this kind.
‘But is this possible?’
Completely overturning the old and learning something new was something that couldn’t happen according to the common sense of the martial world.
While new things could be added, changing the fundamental root itself was impossible.
The only method with even a possibility was…
‘No way.’
“You…?”
Jinhyuk’s eyes rapidly dilated.
Only now did he understand what had happened.
“We’ll see each other at the tournament. Make sure to survive and climb to the top. You shouldn’t lose to the fools here, but still.”
‘Clink.’
Yoosung downed the liquor in the rocks glass in one gulp.
And then turned his back without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Cough, cough.’
On top of that, he tried to act tough despite not being able to handle alcohol and choked.
—
One day before the main tournament began.
Jinhyuk and the remaining members gathered at the massive facility created by the Association.
“If I remember correctly, the War of Stars or whatever starts tomorrow, right? Has the schedule changed or something?”
Alice, wearing a black t-shirt with a large logo, jeans, and a snapback, tilted her head.
Chewing bubble gum on top of that gave off a perfect American hipster vibe.
“We weren’t formally invited, so we have to go through the qualifiers today.”
Ordinary players had to pass a test to earn a ticket to the main event.
It was a result strongly reflecting the organizers’ will not to let just anyone participate in the War of Stars.
“There are quite a lot of people.”
Teresa looked around.
Even at a conservative estimate, thousands.
Of these, only about ten to twenty at most could participate in the main event.
The competition ratio alone was literally like plucking stars from the sky.
Of course.
Among them, the truly usable raw gems would be countable on one hand.
‘Where are the prey worth copying somewhere?’
Jinhyuk’s eyes rapidly scanned.
He used the Eye of Gluttony to scan each person one by one, looking for talent to store in the Infinite Library.
Just then.
[We will now inform you of the qualifier task.]
The huge electronic display board hanging in the center flickered.
There wasn’t even a special host.
Just stiff, written guidance.
“Tch. The treatment is really…”
Jinhyuk made a bitter face.
Having seen how luxuriously and meticulously the main event participants were cared for, he couldn’t help but feel the disparity even more.
[Due to the excessive number of participants, we have agreed to choose the most efficient and simple method possible.]
[From now on, please form teams with the members you consider the strongest and most solid. The number of team members must be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 10.]
[Once team selection is complete, badges with the same pattern will be awarded, and battles will continue until only the final 20 remain.]
[However, acts of taking an opponent’s life are strictly prohibited, and no one will be held responsible for any injuries sustained by individuals.]
A battle royale format.
Certainly, this was the convenient method for the organizers.
For the challengers who had to fight surrounded by enemies on all sides, not knowing when it would end, it was the worst possible method.
‘If it’s three to ten members, we don’t need to split up the entire team.’
Yoosung was moving separately, but the plan was for everyone else to form a team together.
But then.
“Huh?”
An unexpected figure caught his eye among the challengers.
‘How is that guy here?’
Jinhyuk, without realizing it, failed to contain his Mana.