Chapter 710
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded rapidly.
Ever since the Tower of Trials had become reality, he had been gathering the various clues needed to conquer it.
The ‘Crown,’ the essential holy relic required to reach the 50th Floor, and the ‘Necronomicon,’ which contained records about the beings on the 50th Floor.
And—
The ‘Lost Language,’ the source of the power they used and lived by.
‘No, to be precise, the Primordial Language is only a part of the Lost Language. If I completely master that language, I might be able to obtain power beyond even the Primordial Beings themselves.’
He had already grown tremendously, but compared to monsters beyond all standards like Azathoth and Shub-Niggurath, he was still far, far behind.
If he fought them head-on with nothing but his own body, he could not even guarantee lasting a single hour, let alone winning.
That gap would remain no matter what, even if he reached max level and optimized every item to its final spec.
Because Azathoth was the final boss, designed from the beginning to be impossible to defeat.
Which was why—
‘The only option is to mix in variables and irregularities.’
And among them, the Lost Language was a hidden card capable of creating one of the biggest variables of all.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly and walked toward the torn fissure.
Fully prepared to use everything at once, including the Crown, if things went south.
Vwoooom!
The moment he stepped into the fissure, a pure white snowstorm threw his vision into chaos.
A chilling cold pierced through him.
An icy gale swept past even the Primordial Flame.
A world of such extreme cold that even the air had frozen. At its center stood a half-destroyed temple, lined with black pillars in a row.
It was a strangely familiar temple.
As Jinhyuk moved forward, he saw someone sitting in the middle of the steps.
“This was unexpected.”
Jinhyuk greeted him, his voice carrying a mix of emotions.
And that was his honest feeling.
Because he had never imagined he would run into this man here.
“That’s what I should be saying.”
As if he felt the same way, the other man brushed off the snowstorm and rose from his seat.
How could he not recognize him?
How could he possibly not?
A black-haired man in a white robe.
‘Beltor de Roanmask.’
An eccentric who specialized in the barrier arts of the Ancient Kingdom.
At the time of their first meeting, Jinhyuk had thought he had met only his thought-form. After all, it was impossible for an ordinary human to still be alive thousands of years later.
But—
Now that he had seen the many hidden sides of the Tower, he finally understood.
That this man, too, was one of the ancient climbers, like the Frost Specter or The Extinguisher.
“I went through a ridiculous amount of trouble just to find this place. So how exactly did you manage to find the ‘Assembly of Arrogance’?”
“Would you believe me if I said it was by chance?”
“Not really, considering how much I suffered to get here. No matter how talented you are, to say you’ve mastered barrier arts to this level in such a short time….”
Mid-sentence, Beltor flicked a finger.
In that instant, 10-star barriers overlapped.
Before Jinhyuk could even properly grasp what had been used, a cube-shaped prison formed around him.
That was a little too much if this was just supposed to be a test of skill.
Jinhyuk responded immediately.
[Unique Ability ‘Ancient Barrier’ is activated!]
His processing speed would not lag far behind either.
It was barrier magic that had even worked against the Primordial Beings.
Boom boom boom boom boom…!
Papapapat!
Brilliant lights crossed within a single space.
For less than a minute, nullification and collision, release and fusion repeated over and over.
“Kyaah.”
The one who reacted last was Beltor.
A genuine exclamation of admiration, free of ulterior motives.
It seemed the thought of a promising rookie he had once taken interest in now standing shoulder to shoulder with him as an absolute being was stirring something in him.
“If I’d made even one mistake, I really might have died.”
“Hahaha. For someone saying that, you looked pretty relaxed. I expected a lot, but this exceeds even that. I was starting to think I’d have to explore this lonely place alone, but now I’ve got a very reliable companion.”
Even Beltor, a master of barrier arts, still had not fully grasped this unknown world called the Assembly of Arrogance.
Well, it really was the kind of place that deserved a name like that.
‘They named it well, at least.’
Jinhyuk looked around.
This was a special space where all kinds of erased locations from the Tower of Trials gathered.
At the very least, it was like an intermediate waystation where areas erased through the direct intervention of beings on the level of chief deities or senior Operators remained before vanishing completely.
Naturally, since all kinds of memories of the Tower were mixed together here, it would also be overflowing with secrets and high-level information.
‘This is the kind of windfall you can’t even put a price on.’
Jinhyuk licked his lips inwardly.
“I get that you’re excited, but it’d still be better not to go poking around carelessly. I don’t know whether you realize it, but this place seems to regard intruders like us as extremely unpleasant contaminants. It’s dying to erase us whenever it gets the chance.”
Even though his entire body was protected by barriers, if he let his guard down or made even the slightest mistake…
…he would instantly be shredded to pieces and reduced to a smear of blood.
Still, the greater the danger, the greater the advantage.
One hour outside was one week in here.
Because the flow of time was different, they had enough room to thoroughly explore every corner of this place.
“I’ve prepared myself well enough.”
Jinhyuk opened all of his advancement skills.
Starting with Zodiac Constellations, countless barriers filled the night sky beneath the falling snow.
“Is there anywhere you want to go? Since it’s your first time, I’ll personally guide you.”
“That’s very generous of you. I won’t refuse.”
He had already decided on the first destination long ago.
A round wooden house located beside the collapsed temple.
That place had once been the residence of Hastings, one of the senior administrators of the past.
After it became known that Hastings had colluded with the primordial divinities, he had fallen from grace and eventually lost everything he had, including his life.
Along with all the information that connected him to the Primordial Beings.
‘There had to be a reason that bastard had no choice but to betray them.’
The ‘Stone That Holds Memories’ Alice had previously obtained through Gabriel had contained no particularly meaningful information.
Just the kind of tearjerking sob story everyone had seen before, about how he had yielded to the power and authority of the primordial divinities.
That stereotypical flow of memory had enough plausibility, but not enough force.
Something that shallow could never explain a twisted character like Hastings.
“All right. I’ll guide you. But there won’t be much there. It’s so close by that I’ve already checked it several times.”
“If Beltor-nim has already examined it, then I’m sure you’re right. But this is more out of personal curiosity, so I hope you’ll understand.”
“No, no. If you find something I missed, that’d be interesting beyond compare.”
Humming to himself, Beltor moved ahead.
Creeeak!
When the door opened, an empty space was revealed.
The furniture and documents Hastings had used in life were all still there.
“I need to look deeper inside, so take your time.”
“Thank you.”
The moment Beltor disappeared, Jinhyuk summoned Salamander.
Fwoosh!
“Master!”
The Salamander, puffing out little flames, scampered busily around the living room.
“Tear this place apart. Not the obvious spots. Focus on the parts your senses catch.”
The reason he had chosen Salamander out of the five elemental spirit beasts was simple. In this frozen place, Salamander was the most sensitive to traces of warmth.
Given the goblin race’s preference for warmth, there was a high chance Hastings had left behind a hideout where heat was always preserved.
“Hehe. It’s a bit of a difficult mission, but….”
Salamander rubbed his palms together.
This bastard really had learned all the wrong things from somewhere.
But given the situation, it would be better to offer a carrot than a stick.
“I’ll hand over the position of captain of the Spirit Special Forces to you for one week. And I’ll borrow [Inextinguishable Campfire] from Old Man Orun for you too. Is that enough?”
“I’ll do my best!”
Salamander planted his nose to the floor and began sniffing around for warmth.
One hour, two hours, three hours.
Time passed mercilessly.
‘Not here either. Not here.’
More than twelve hours had already passed, but he had found no additional clues beyond the information he already knew. Just as Beltor had said, it was nothing but a ruin with nothing worthwhile in it.
But—
‘That cunning bastard wouldn’t make it that easy.’
Jinhyuk did not give up.
He should not think from a third party’s perspective. He had to think from Hastings’s point of view—if it were him, how would he have hidden the secret he possessed?
Jinhyuk swept through the house once more.
Stacks of documents, books, and miscellaneous clutter.
As expected, nothing in particular caught his eye. The relics Hastings had used were all too ordinary.
‘Come to think of it, that’s one thing Hastings never once forgot….’
Whether it was to hide his true intentions or not, Hastings had always worn glasses.
Always. Without a single exception.
No way.
Jinhyuk picked up the glasses resting on the table.
Then he slowly set them over his eyes.
What he felt was the faintest trace of dissonance. It was so faint that at a glance anyone might have dismissed it as nothing, but this time Jinhyuk was certain he had found a real clue.
“Tuksha.”
A goblin word meaning release or ignition.
…No response.
“Samalluk.”
An ancient rune carrying the same meaning.
That also drew no reaction.
In that case—
“Isrinne.”
A short trigger word slipped from his lips.
It was the Primordial Language.
And then—
Crackle…!
Through the glasses, an entirely new scene unfolded.
[Memory is being replayed.]
[This recording will be permanently destroyed after being played once.]
Like a flashback, the past Hastings had desperately hidden appeared before him.
And it—
‘Well, would you look at that?’
…caught Jinhyuk completely off guard in an entirely different sense.
===
A week passed inside.
“You’re leaving already?”
Seeing Jinhyuk packing up again, Beltor clicked his tongue in regret.
He had once tried to keep Jinhyuk by his side before, but this time he looked a hundred times more reluctant to part than he had back then.
“The time I was given only reaches this far.”
It was unfortunate, but it was time to go out now.
If he delayed any longer, the companions waiting in the Great Ramses Temple would start to find it strange. More than anything, there was now a reason he had to wrap up the situation over there quickly.
-You really did steal away the precious Medusa I had been raising with such care.
It hadn’t taken long for Rick to realize that his collection storage had been raided. For the owner of the great merchant company, who had never suffered a loss in his life, it was a blow squarely to his pride.
But that was not the only reason Rick had used a private line.
-I’ve received contact from Berial-nim. I think… this is something you’d better hear directly.
Rick relayed what had happened in the Demon Realm.
Just as he said, every single matter was too serious to brush aside.
‘So it isn’t just the Elder Gods. Even the side of the Twelve Zodiac has started moving.’
The flow of the upper floors was becoming more serious by the moment.
He could instinctively feel the unavoidable decisive battle drawing near.
“Well, even if I tried to stop you again, it wouldn’t do any good. Still, the time we spent together was useful in many ways.”
Beltor held out his hand.
“I was the one who benefited. Thanks to you, Beltor-nim, I was able to gain a fortuitous opportunity that would’ve been far too much for me to handle alone.”
He had come here, glimpsed Hastings’s memories, and learned part of the ‘Lost Language.’
If he had not met Beltor, one mere week would never have been enough.
And on top of that—
He had also obtained clues that would allow him to learn the rest of the Lost Language.
“I look forward to the day we meet again. The friends on our side are quite interested in you as well.”
Oh?
The ancient climbers were interested in him?
Maybe he would even get to meet the Frost Specter in person.
Jinhyuk thought of the Frost Specter’s spear stored in his subspace and felt a new sense of anticipation.
“I’ll truly look forward to that day.”
With those words, Jinhyuk threw himself into the fissure he had first entered through.
===
[Returning to the Great Ramses Temple.]
When he returned to the place he had originally been, all of the raid parties had disappeared.
“Oh! You’re back, Contractor.”
“Where’d they all go?”
Jinhyuk asked Alice, who was playing around making sandcastles.