Chapter 703
Rumble…
Mana collided with Mana.
A suffocating standoff dragged on.
“Kuh.”
Mayer bit his lip.
With Takeshi and the Samurai Guild standing firm like a mountain in front of him, Jinhyuk was now little more than a pie in the sky. Unless they were willing to accept enormous losses, there was no way they could break through.
Still…
He was only pointing out the practical reality and showing which option was the more rational one.
“I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with that guy, but is he really worth making an enemy out of us?”
A war between two of the Seven Great Guilds would, by itself, mean a massive war of attrition.
No matter who won, the losses would outweigh the gains.
That was the point Mayer was trying to press.
But—
“Of course. We will protect that person at all costs, even if we must throw away everything.”
Takeshi’s resolve did not waver.
And the rankers of the Samurai Guild, who trusted and followed him absolutely, showed not the slightest hesitation either.
“If you wish to fight…”
“We will gladly accept.”
Streams of sword energy gushed out.
A tangible blue aura spread through the entire Samurai Guild.
They had fully assumed a battle stance.
La la la.
Watching Jinhyuk humming to himself made Mayer’s stomach twist.
But… starting a full-scale war with the Samurai Guild was beyond the authority he had been given.
At the very least, unless his master Gray came in person, there was nothing he could do here.
‘By the way, what the hell is that guy?’
Mayer’s face twisted with utter incomprehension.
A no-name player he had never seen before.
Yet big names like Takeshi and Teresa kept gathering around him.
Even the divine rookie Adel seemed tied to him somehow, whether by coincidence or not.
None of it made any sense.
‘It has to be a coincidence.’
Just in case, he had a detection-type player inspect Jinhyuk’s Mana.
“There’s no doubt.”
Twice, then a third time just to be sure. But no matter how many times they verified it, the result never changed.
‘At the very least, I’ll settle this cleanly inside this temple.’
Mayer barely managed to suppress his emotions, then let out a snort and turned away.
He had already lost the first clash of pressure.
“Have you been well?”
Takeshi approached Jinhyuk.
A special envoy of Veteran Corporation, dispatched to Japan.
Even if his future sight was incomplete, his ability was useful in all sorts of ways. He had even become a hero in Japan because of it.
“Thanks to you, I managed to avoid a troublesome situation.”
“Not at all. If there are those who interfere with the work of the great Divinity, it is only right for me to deal with them.”
Ah… now that he thought about it, Takeshi still believed he was one of the Tower’s chief gods.
Well, considering everything he had done so far, it would be harder to believe he was just an ordinary player.
“Ahem! Then, I have a request.”
“Hm?”
“It may be presumptuous of me to ask, but… could you perhaps reveal even a fraction of your great will to me? Though I am merely a worthless human, I wish to be of help in any way I can.”
Takeshi bent his waist into a perfect right angle.
This guy.
This had gone beyond helping. If he groveled any harder, people were going to start staring.
His role was just to step in like a righteous hero and stop newbies from being bullied. That was all.
“Calm down. Straighten up first.”
I’m asking nicely. Stand up already.
“I cannot stop until you permit it. No, I will not stop!”
Boom!
Takeshi dropped to his knees on the spot.
At this rate, it looked like he might commit seppuku if pushed any further.
Naturally, seeing their leader like that, the other samurai also dropped to their knees at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of elites assuming the same posture at the same time was a rare sight.
Especially for samurai, who were second to none in pride and honor.
“Ah, fine. Get up! Please.”
By now, Jinhyuk was practically pleading.
“You promise…?”
“Yes. Actually, I needed someone capable enough to entrust with a very important task this time, and now that I think about it, you’re perfect for it.”
“An important task…”
Takeshi looked overwhelmed with emotion.
From the moment he first met Jinhyuk, he had struggled desperately to grow stronger. He wanted to become more than just one among many followers—he wanted to become a loyal subordinate acknowledged by one of the Tower’s absolute rulers.
And now, that effort was finally beginning to bear fruit.
“I will carry out the mission with my life on the line!”
“Y-yeah. I’ve written down what you need to do here, so for now, stay a little farther away.”
Nothing pulled aggro quite like this.
At this rate, he was practically shouting to the whole neighborhood that he was Jinhyuk’s subordinate.
Jinhyuk threw up his hands and feet at Takeshi’s stubborn, almost blockheaded nature.
Still.
With this, he had secured one of the best cards he could use in the current situation.
===
The synchronization between the Tower and reality.
The complete loss of contact with the outside.
A labyrinth whose difficulty exceeded all expectations by several levels.
All of these variables had pushed the wariness of the players who entered the Great Ramses Temple to the extreme.
“Based on the information we’ve gathered so far, it seems we need to secure the Book of Light and the Book of Darkness at the midpoint, decipher the clues inside them, and only then can we enter the deepest part of the temple.”
Explorers.
They were the ones who searched ruins and labyrinths ahead of the raid party, risking their lives to uncover the key clues needed for the strategy.
This was the result they had managed to obtain after spending the last few hours doing exactly that.
“And after that?”
“I’m sorry. It seems we’ll only know what comes next once we’ve secured the books.”
“No, that’s enough. Then shall we split into two teams for now?”
Shuja, one of the Seven Great Guilds.
The Black Panthers, composed of warriors from the African continent, were also participating in the raid.
“Then we’ll take the Book of Darkness or whatever it is. We don’t need anyone else’s help. The rest of you weaklings can bunch together and go after the Book of Light or whatever.”
Mayer headed toward one side of the fork in the path.
Then—
“Then I suppose I’ll be going that way too.”
Jinhyuk quietly attached himself to that side.
“You bastard! Didn’t you hear a word I said? I told you we’re moving on our own!”
“You didn’t rent the place. I’m free to choose where I go, aren’t I? Or what, are you scared to move with me? If that’s the case, I can go the other way.”
“…You’re pretty cocky for someone hiding behind those samurai bastards, but there’s a way to make you regret it.”
“Don’t worry. Those friends will be moving the opposite way from me.”
He had given Takeshi a separate task.
He would be too busy running around collecting materials to help.
“It seems you’re truly desperate to die. Fine. We’ll let you come along, as a special favor.”
A vicious smile spread across Mayer’s lips.
If the samurai had not been there…
A group of at most six people could be wiped out in ten minutes.
And so,
a dangerous journey began.
===
“Indeed. This is entertaining to watch.”
Shuette nodded repeatedly as he stared at the screen.
Veteran Corporation.
Though only a small group, they were causing the greatest storm in the War of Stars, where medium and large guilds were gathered in force.
Not only had they ignited a full-scale conflict between Dreadroar and Titan Guild, two forces that were hostile to each other to begin with, but they also kept creating situations that shattered the existing balance of interests.
“They are troublesome people. They stayed quiet ever since the Tower appeared, then suddenly showed up and started causing tremendous chaos.”
Fernando Botero, overall rank 52.
A free agent ranker unaffiliated with any major guild.
He had simply been captivated by the absurdly powerful Shuette and had chosen to accompany him.
But then—
a thick sense of incongruity appeared on Shuette’s face, which had been smiling all along as if he found everything amusing.
“Shu…ette?”
Botero’s mouth slowly fell open.
Because part of Shuette’s face, which should have been soft human flesh, had shifted into an indescribably grotesque shape.
“My, I must have gotten too excited. That was careless of me.”
Shuette turned to Botero, still wearing a broad smile.
[An Ancient Gaze overwhelms the target!]
Rumble!
“Kk… euh…?”
Purple tentacles that allowed no defiance coiled around Botero.
Thick, writhing suckers pressed directly against his flesh.
“What a pity. It would have been convenient to keep you by my side and use you in various ways.”
Shuette—no, Nyarlathotep—had already drawn out a cane.
“P-please spare—”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
The tip of the cane twitched.
And then—
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Under overwhelming pressure, the human body was crushed beyond recognition.
Blood burst out like a fountain and soaked the floor.
“Still, things have become a little tangled.”
Shuette clicked his tongue as he looked back at the screen.
The original plan had been simple: create an abnormal labyrinth, drive the humans into a corner, then appear at the end as the hero.
The entire point of this event was to make them realize that inside the Tower of Trials, variables beyond human comprehension could appear at any time, and that only he could resolve them.
A flawless plan.
And one that would later become the perfect setup for a fatal blow.
The only variable was—
‘Do you still have compassion?’
Jinhyuk, who had erased himself from human memory through the Fountain of Oblivion, was intervening far more actively than expected.
He had clearly grown disillusioned with humanity and turned toward pursuing only his own goals.
And yet, he was still going out of his way to save people, burdening himself with troubles he did not need to shoulder.
Just look at him approaching Hamilton’s raid party. And even though he could have simply killed every witness there, including that brat Mayer, he was setting up an entirely different game instead.
“Hmm.”
A groan of interest escaped Shuette’s lips.
He could not yet tell how this point would affect the future.
But if handled well, he was certain it could lead to a very entertaining game.
And right at that moment—
Crackle!
A red crack split open inside Shuette’s room.
“So this is where you were. I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”
Gray hair that reached her shoulders.
A woman with equally clouded eyes.
“…!?”
Purple tentacles surged out at once.
A defensive mechanism that automatically activated the moment an unauthorized intruder entered, meant to rip their limbs apart instantly.
But just before the tentacles touched the slender woman’s body—
Slash!
Purple blades sliced through the tentacles.
“Well now. A rather troublesome guest has arrived. And without even an invitation.”
A bitter smile formed on Shuette’s lips.
He couldn’t help it.
Because the one standing before him was one of the people he least wanted to face right now.