In the strange silence.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Kancho, who had fallen flat on his back.
Kancho, the Yodel Ranger vice-captain who had stepped forward with such a bold and confident aura.
He'd had that imposing presence like he was about to pull something off.
That was why.
A glimmer of hope had appeared on the faces of Roberto and the Holy Knights, who had been drowning in despair.
Of course, that light was now completely gone.
The moment Kancho fell flat on his back in the most pathetic way possible.
Jinhyuk walked over slowly and helped Kancho up.
He even brushed the dirt off the back of his head and his back.
"Is the gun heavy?"
"The recoil is enormous."
He'd overlooked the actual recoil of the gun because Kancho was such an excellent squad member.
The gun itself was also large compared to his small frame.
"I'll get you a new one later."
"Understood. This one won't work."
Kancho handed over the gun without protest.
Meanwhile, Roberto snapped out of his daze and shouted.
"Run!! Knote is coming!!"
Knote, a monster in the form of a giant rhinoceros.
Knote had the nickname "Formation Breaker."
A brute-force attack where it used its massive body to gain altitude, then dropped down and rammed with its horn.
For the Saintra Holy Knights, who valued battle lines and formations in war, this thing was a disaster.
"Captain. A rhino is coming."
"So I see. Seira."
"I'll cut it."
Seira stepped forward.
Watching this, Roberto exploded in anger.
"What are you doing?! Run right now! Unless you want to get crushed!"
Death was right at their doorstep.
How could they be so calm and relaxed?
They clearly had never faced the concept of death before.
"Ah..."
Roberto let out a despairing sigh.
Knote was already right in front of them.
Too late.
They were already in range.
Kiiiiiiiiik!!
With a grotesque scream, Knote began its descent.
Soon, that horn would crush everything below.
'Oh Lord. I come to your side.'
He clasped his hands together and prayed.
But he didn't close his eyes.
Even if his body was about to meet death, he didn't want to submit his spirit.
He would face the darkness with dignity until the very end.
Swish.
"...?"
The moment he thought the collision was inevitable.
A golden line traced through Knote's center.
Its movement hadn't stopped.
Knote was still charging forward.
But there was one thing that defied expectations.
"This... can't be."
It was flying in, split exactly in half.
Kwa-gagagagak!!
Knote crashed into a random spot, not the Holy Knights it had been targeting.
What the hell just happened?
Even though he'd seen it, he couldn't quite understand.
But it was too early to let his guard down.
Knote was dead, but the hundreds of undead legion soldiers were still intact.
They needed to escape this place qui— *thud.*
This time, Jinhyuk stepped forward.
In his hand was the holy sword borrowed from the Player Hunter Bureau.
[Skill Borrow - Seira Kinkaiton]
He used Skill Borrow, which had unlocked the ability to choose a hero card upon reaching level 5.
Seira's skills and Noble Phantasms began spinning before his eyes.
*Ding!*
[You borrow the skill 'Black Wave Tsunami' from Seira Kinkaiton, Captain of the Black Knights!]
[This is a level 120 skill. Player Yoo Jinhyuk is level 130.]
[You can use it without any power reduction!]
A pitch-black aura shimmered around the brightly shining holy sword.
Golden divine power and jet-black aura mixed, creating a strange light.
Jinhyuk raised the holy sword, held in both hands, above his head.
The aura gathered, and a massive wave began to form.
"Fall back further."
Seira grabbed Kancho and leaped backward.
Jinhyuk glanced behind him.
After confirming that his friends had moved to a spot where they wouldn't be caught in the blast.
*Swaaaaaaah!*
He drew the holy sword straight down from above.
And along that path.
*Kwaaaaaaaaaah!!!*
A wave of divine power and aura surged forward like a tsunami.
It wasn't fast.
But that didn't matter.
This skill wasn't designed for speed or precision from the start.
It consumed everything in its path with the overwhelming mass of the wave.
That was its only goal.
Soon, the undead legion met the wave.
And.
That was the end of it.
Not a trace of the undead could be found anywhere.
"This... impossible."
Roberto and the Holy Knights stared at Jinhyuk with blank faces.
What kind of swordsmanship was that?
No, was it even swordsmanship in the first place?
The wave had been so high it looked like it touched the sky.
A sigh of relief escaped him.
They were incredibly fortunate.
To be behind that wave.
If they had faced it, they would have been brought to their knees by that overwhelming, crushing presence.
'Why... are you so calm?'
Roberto looked at Jinhyuk and his party standing before him.
They were exchanging trivial chatter, as if it was nothing, as if it was an everyday occurrence.
This party was impossible to gauge.
Not to mention Jinhyuk, who had just swung that sword.
How could he be so relaxed and composed?
*Swoosh.*
Jinhyuk straightened his back and gazed at the now-clear front.
Then he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
'What the hell was that?'
Contrary to Roberto's assumption, Jinhyuk was not calm right now.
He wasn't relaxed either.
In fact, he was quite shocked.
He'd borrowed the skill and swung it, sure.
But he hadn't expected something that massive to come out.
His mana had been completely drained with a single swing.
It seemed to be a skill that sucked up all his mana and went all-in.
That was probably why even Seira hadn't used it.
Anyway.
*Heh!*
The corner of his mouth curled up.
Even though he was the one who used it, it was a very satisfying and pleasing skill.
It had also looked pretty cool.
Now, if he just turned around as if nothing had happened, as if it was no big deal, the finish would be perfect.
"Well then, let's head back to Wilhel—"
*Crack!*
Huh?
He looked down at the ominous sound.
The holy sword was shattering into pieces and falling to the floor.
"Th-the holy sword Number Oneeeee!!!"
Why? He'd only swung it once? He hadn't even directly hit anything with it? Had it been given to him already broken?
Question marks shot up like rapid fire.
He quickly erased the last one.
He was already grateful just for being lent the sword; it would have been disgraceful to entertain such a thought.
"Hmm."
Seira approached and examined the sword.
"It seems it was too weak to withstand the Black Wave Tsunami."
"So it's a skill that puts a lot of strain on the weapon."
"I've burned through hundreds of swords myself."
"I should have asked before using it."
He'd gotten caught up in the moment and swung it recklessly.
When he got back, he'd have to apologize profusely to Team Leader Jin Yunho.
*Ding!*
[You have cleared the Enhanced Floor 71 of the Tower of Despair!]
[You have spare Tower of Despair tickets and enhancement scrolls! Would you like to continue climbing?]
[If you continue, settlement will proceed upon completion of Floor 72!]
[You can choose between Enhanced Floor 72 and Normal Floor 72!]
"Enhanced Floor 72, right away."
[Enhancing Tower of Despair Floor 72!]
[Exiting Tower of Despair Floor 71!]
* * *
[Entering Tower of Despair Floor 72!]
[This is Wilhelim, the capital city of the Holy Kingdom of Saintra!]
The space dispersed into particles and then reconstituted.
He looked around.
The corridor and walls were filled with dazzling decorations.
It truly was a holy kingdom, as one might expect.
Divine power emanated from every decoration.
'Good thing Momo isn't here.'
Momo was probably at home right now, busy preparing a barbecue.
If Momo had been here, she would have tried to take everything.
Because it all looked expensive.
But where was this place?
"This is the royal castle of the Holy Kingdom of Saintra."
"Oh, you scared me. When did you get back, Konyu?"
"It's Konu. I took a quick look around. It's my first time here too."
It seemed that as they ascended from Floor 71 to Floor 72, the location had also shifted directly from the passageway to the royal castle.
"You've been waiting long."
The holy knight Roberto approached.
He had received treatment and changed into clean clothes.
He looked much more distinguished.
Roberto came close and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you so much. If you hadn't helped us, we would have been annihilated by the undead legion."
"Not at all. I'm glad I could help."
Konu's eyes, who had been listening, shook violently.
Compared to the crazy raccoon, Jinhyuk was incredibly polite and courteous.
How could the owner and the pet raccoon have such different personalities?
"His Majesty wishes to see the Hero. I will escort you immediately."
'Hero?!'
It tickled a bit, but he decided not to correct it.
If they felt he was a hero, then a hero he was.
"Would it be alright if only the Hero comes for now? Due to an unfortunate incident in the castle recently, only one outsider can be granted an audience at a time. The Tower Guide may accompany you."
"Very well. Could you give my friends some food? They're probably hungry."
"I will have it brought out immediately."
"Thank you. I'll be back."
He waved to his friends and followed Roberto.
Then, a wave of worry made him bend his waist.
"Konu."
"Yes?"
"This is my first time meeting someone as high-ranking as a king. What should I do?"
"I'm from a common background too, so I'm not sure about that."
"Same here."
He straightened his back and continued walking.
"But what kind of unfortunate incident happened in the palace?"
"We received intelligence that a spy of Mortarion, the Lord of Death, has infiltrated. They say it's someone who can change their appearance."
Roberto let out a deep sigh.
"It's said that because of that spy, priests and holy knights from influential families have been turned into undead."
*Ding!*
[The clear condition for Tower of Despair Floor 72 has been updated!]
[Find the spy of Mortarion, the Lord of Death!]
You must find and eliminate the spy hiding somewhere in the royal castle.
It is an undead with a special constitution that can shroud itself in divine power. Because of this, the undead's unique energy is concealed, making it difficult for Saintra to identify the spy.
The longer it takes to find them, the more of the kingdom of Saintra's main forces will be turned into undead.
As this is a kingdom, there are established rules and etiquette. You may need to take political actions to approach suspicious individuals.
Time limit: 240 hours. Starting the countdown.
Hint: A spy is always close by.
A crowd gathered in front of a door caught his eye.
"These are the main officials of the royal castle. They have gathered to find a solution."
"I see."
He answered lightly while scanning the people.
Then he took out a necklace.
Since it was said the spy was shrouding itself in divine power to conceal its energy.
[Judas Iscariot's Cross]
Let's strip that away.
He held out the upside-down cross.
[Let the stench of betrayal devour the holy light]
*Swaaaaaaah!!*
For a moment, a gray wave spread out from the cross.
All the divine power that existed in the space evaporated at once.
The crowd, including Roberto, turned their heads in shock.
What was happening?
What could possibly happen to make everyone's divine power disappear?
Roberto's eyes widened.
Where was the Hero?!
As if to answer this question.
*Kwaang!!*
A thunderous sound rang out.
A priest was slammed into the wall, his head crushed.
And from that spot, something began to seep out.
The evil energy unique to the undead.
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T/N:
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