Chapter 718

Only after a long and painful drinking session did the liquid in the glass bottles finally go down by a noticeable amount.

“Now, you have two choices.”

“Uh. Uh-huh. What choices?”

The thoroughly tamed(?) Jang Bo-kyung nodded her head at once.

The medicine’s effect was clearly reliable.

The fact that this once-ferocious cat had become so docile was proof enough.

“The first choice is to drink all this medicine and become good forever, just like the friends on the news over there.”

Jinhyuk pointed at the TV hanging on one side of the room.

The Inquisitors and assassins on the screen were foaming at the mouth and mumbling to themselves. The fate of those who had overdosed on the medicine Teresa had given them was truly miserable.

“Eeek!”

Jang Bo-kyung struggled with all her might.

“Then the second choice. From now on, you become an intern at Veteran Corporation and gather information from the Elder Gods’ side.”

“B-but that’s too dangerous. If I make even one clumsy excuse, I’ll be caught right away!”

“That’s not my problem. If you want to survive, then you’d better come up with a plausible excuse.”

Thanks to Hastings’s prank, what happened inside had not been exposed to Shub-Niggurath. That was also why Jinhyuk could torment Jang Bo-kyung without any worries.

Jang Bo-kyung lowered her head in resignation.

“I get… it.”

“Good. Then shall we sign the intern contract?”

With a kind smile, Jinhyuk formed a flame at the tip of his finger.

[The ‘Brand of Fiery Loyalty’ has been imprinted.]

[Player Jang Bo-kyung is now a member of Veteran Corporation.]

Ssssss!

With a clear brand, a new member joined them.

Right then.

“Mogiiii!”

Goguma, who had been rolling around on the bed, came up to Jang Bo-kyung.

“A-an Ancient Species?”

Jang Bo-kyung flinched and fell onto her backside. Still, there was no terror on her face.

Goguma was just too cute-looking.

Sniff sniff!

Goguma kept sniffing and burrowed into Jang Bo-kyung’s arms.

To be exact, it had taken an interest in the gemstone decorating the flashy bracelet Jang Bo-kyung was wearing.

“Ohh. It must be pretty expensive, huh? Our Goguma usually doesn’t even pretend to notice things like this.”

“A-ah, no. This is really expensive. Really, no…”

Crunch!

“Kyaaah! My 10-carat pink diamond…!”

“Mogiigiiii!”

Goguma’s eyes sparkled as it snatched Jang Bo-kyung’s bracelet completely away.

A game of tag broke out between the hopping, bouncing Goguma and Jang Bo-kyung.

Watching Jang Bo-kyung get along so well with the usually hyperactive Goguma gave Jinhyuk a rough idea of what kind of role he should assign her.

Jinhyuk plopped down onto the sofa and took a sip of black tea.

‘Well, I managed to put out the immediate fire, but the cleanup this time wasn’t exactly neat.’

The Elder Gods’ intervention, Hastings, and everything else.

Because one major variable had kept appearing after another, he hadn’t been able to secure every item he should have gotten.

Of course, what he had obtained was still enormous.

First, being able to copy Hastings’s Unique Holy Spear was a stroke of luck that could hardly be called anything less than miraculous. They had shared all kinds of unfortunate ties, but in the end, Hastings had given him the greatest help of all.

Next.

Jinhyuk called up the abilities stored in the [Memory of the World].

Thud.

A single book was pulled from the vast library.

It was the ability he had copied after setting up the duel between Chun Yoosung and Adel.

[Unique Ability ‘Willow Flow Sword’]

Acquisition Difficulty: SSS

Description: A soft sword can break a strong sword. After reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship, Pain von Adel personally compiled this sword technique into eight Initial Techniques. The forms that can be deployed vary depending on the swordsman’s level of attainment.

This was the ability of the founder of the Flow Sword, a man who had reached the peak of an entire world. It would elevate existing swordsmanship to an even higher realm.

‘It’s a little disappointing that I couldn’t copy the Unique Holy Spear.’

[Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.]

The Unique Holy Spear that allowed him to summon the ghosts of the world Adel had lived in was one of the abilities Jinhyuk had really wanted.

‘An Eastern Necromancer… I can’t resist that.’

To copy it again, he would have to wait ninety days.

That gave him a reason to stay connected to Adel and keep that tie alive.

Jinhyuk’s gaze shifted to the pure white spear.

Also, obtaining [Yaxedal’s Spear], Shub-Niggurath’s Sacred Relic, was another decent gain.

[Yaxedal’s Spear]

Acquisition Difficulty: Immeasurable

Attack Power: 1,770,000

Durability: 5,150,255 / 5,280,000

Special Ability: It can raise even someone ignorant of the spear to the level of a master, and if wielded by a master, it allows the use of the exclusive Spear Throwing Arts of the [Elder Gods]. (However, the types of Spear Throwing Arts that can be used vary depending on the wielder’s ability.)

Material Trait: This spear can also be used as a Material Item for other items. (However, depending on the blacksmith’s skill, its existing abilities may be upgraded, it may gain completely different traits, or it may even be downgraded.)

Its raw attack power was tremendous, but what was even more astounding was the Spear Throwing Arts it possessed.

It was none other than…

The ability to use the exclusive Spear Throwing Arts of the Elder Gods.

‘Using it as a material isn’t a bad choice either.’

If used properly, it could be made into an even better weapon. If he secured enough material for two, it could also serve as a card to calm the extremely furious Chun Yoosung.

Jinhyuk carefully organized, one by one, what he had gained from this raid and what he still needed to obtain.

At the same time, he thought deeply about the direction he should take from here on.

That was when it happened.

Crash!

The hotel room door was smashed to pieces.

It wasn’t an enemy from another guild.

“How much longer are you planning to keep me waiting like this!?”

The culprit was Her Majesty the Queen Al, who had grown completely fed up with doing nothing but resting all day after the raid.

“Sigh. I told you, I have a mountain of things to take care of, so I need some time.”

“I know nothing of that! You promised to play with me, so I demand that my contractor fulfill his sacred obligation!”

Alice, who had swept up luxury goods from every department store, adjusted her sunglasses and made her threat.

Now that he thought about it, there had been news everywhere about how TeslX’s Musk had come to Vegas and been crushed in a spending spree by some foreign girl.

‘I had a bad feeling… was that you?’

Jinhyuk pressed hard against his throbbing temples.

“Ahem. I thoroughly crushed some arrogant fool at the poker table. Don’t worry about money. Let’s just enjoy our date.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go, let’s go.”

Jinhyuk rose from his seat.

‘Anyway, the post-incident strategy meeting is tomorrow. Since I’ve got time until then, it should be fine to rest a little now.’

⁕⁕⁕

After Alice hit the jackpot at the Wynn Casino, they began giving her the full VIP treatment.

It sounded nice, but it was still hospitality.

Which meant they intended to keep her in the hotel gambling until she spat every bit of that money back out.

‘Well, I guess I get to enjoy the high life for once.’

Suite rooms and top-tier restaurants.

Since private service was provided for anything they wanted, it wasn’t a bad way to kill time.

Most of all, Alice seemed to like it too.

“Ooh!”

Alice’s eyes sparkled.

The course meals prepared by the hottest chef of the moment boasted flavors so rich they were hard to find even in Korea.

In particular, the various meats, seafood, vegetables, and seasonings from the Tower of Trials had created an impact powerful enough to completely shake up the existing food industry.

“Wow. It’s really delicious.”

Teresa seemed genuinely impressed as well, covering her mouth with her hand.

“……”

Only Chun Yoosung sat there with a completely stiff expression, fiddling with his knife.

“Come on, Yoosung. That’s for eating, not stabbing people. Stop sulking and try this.”

“Shut up!”

Crash!

Chun Yoosung slammed the knife down.

It stabbed precisely between the fingers of Jinhyuk’s right hand, which had been trying to pass him a piece of meat.

Gulp…

Jinhyuk broke out in a cold sweat as he stared at the knife lodged between his index and middle fingers.

“The principle is that the spoils of war should be shared fairly. But haven’t you always stabbed me in the back after every raid ends!?”

“That’s a little harsh. Who said I wasn’t going to give it to you? I was planning to use it as material and make you an even better weapon.”

“You bastard, even now…!”

A murderous aura surged from Chun Yoosung’s body.

But it was fine. No need to flinch.

He was suffering serious internal injuries after fighting Adel. At the moment, he couldn’t even properly use the Mana in his body.

Jinhyuk knocked away the flying knife with a spoon.

Clang clang clang clang!

Cutlery crossed dozens of times in midair.

Even without Mana, Chun Yoosung’s swordsmanship had not disappeared.

“What are you doing during a meal!?”

Only after seeing Alice’s hair stand on end did the standoff between the two finally come to an end.

“Just wait. This isn’t over yet.”

“People who say ‘just wait’ are never scary. Except for me, of course.”

Jinhyuk stuck out his tongue slightly and popped a dish topped with sea urchin and tuna into his mouth.

Right then.

“…Hmm?”

Something caught on Jinhyuk’s palate.

It was definitely delicious, but there was a strange sensation mixed into it.

An ordinary person would probably eat it thinking it tasted great without noticing anything, but for someone who truly understood food, it was an incongruity too obvious to miss.

“Wow. How can something taste like this…?”

“I feel the same way.”

“Tch. Bring me one more plate.”

Three idiots.

Well, vampires only knew the taste of blood and were a dull race when it came to fine dining. Teresa, who devoted herself to volunteer work, also had frugal eating habits ingrained into her. As for Yoosung, who treated meals as nothing more than nutritional supplements and had survived all through college eating nothing but BongguX rice burgers, talking to him would just be a waste of breath.

‘For a first-class restaurant to make a mistake like this…’

Was that really possible, even considering the fact that ingredients from the Tower were still unfamiliar?

Hmm. More than that…

The [Eye of Gluttony] shone sharply.

[The special items ‘Spores of Estrafa’ and ‘Dew of Dawn’ are currently spread throughout this restaurant.]

As expected.

‘Someone’s been playing a trick.’

The Spores of Estrafa were an item that could be obtained from the 5th floor of the Tower of Trials, the [Execution Ground of the Traitor]. They possessed the property of gradually altering the taste of food over time, and because they were so difficult to detect, importing them was strictly prohibited in every restaurant on the 5th floor.

However, that was only the story inside the Tower.

In the modern world, knowledge of such things was still inevitably limited.

Especially in a case like this, where not only the spores but also [Dew of Dawn] had been mixed in, no one short of a truly exceptional chef would ever be able to tell.

Right then.

“Ha! This is ridiculous. You served this to customers? Get the chef out here!”

A cold-looking man at another table waved his napkin.

There was no need to get involved, but…

After seeing the photo hanging in one corner of the restaurant, Jinhyuk’s plans changed completely.

‘The coincidences are unbelievable. Who would’ve thought they’d connect like this?’

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth drew into a long crescent.

It seemed he might be able to get his hands on all the rewards he had failed to obtain during the main event.