Solo Max-Level Newbie
Chapter 365: The Specter’s Church (2)

Chapter 365: The Specter’s Church (2)

[Blue Torch – Exclusive special item for the 20th floor.]

Durability 1/1

Description: This torch allows a one-on-one private meeting with the leader of a faction. After specifying the desired faction and lifting the torch, the leader of that faction must respond to the private meeting. This meeting is also guaranteed to be completely secret, and when the torch is used, the location of all factions present on the 20th floor will be displayed for 5 minutes.

Blue Torch.

A special item that could be quite handy on the 20th floor.

Who would have guessed this would pop up among the special rewards?

‘I was expecting something good, but this is completely out of the standard.’

Jinhyuk choked back a chuckle.

One of the best items that could be obtained on the 20th floor had popped up.

‘Not only can I meet with the leader of a faction, but showing the entire location like map hacking… that’s practically cheating.’

With this, the cards I can play have significantly increased.

Jinhyuk carefully stored the Blue Torch in a corner of his spatial storage.

Meanwhile.

After finishing off all the hobgoblins, Ellis and Chuhon Sayong approached.

“As I said, I killed them all except for one.”

“But, will this really be effective?”

Both tilted their heads in confusion.

Indeed, they wouldn’t understand why I specifically chose hobgoblins out of so many.

If it was about instilling a sense of alertness, there were many other possibilities.

However, hobgoblins were the perfect choice for this occasion.

“Just trust me. I have a plan.”

More importantly…

Where is the Olympus expedition now?

Jinhyuk’s gaze drifted into the distance.

He needed information.

And fast.

“Pecis, sir.”

“Yes. What can I do for you?”

“Could you guide us to the nearest village from here?”

“Hmm. About 2 hours away from here is a medium-sized stronghold called ‘Harun’. It’s more a lawless area than a village, but it’s somewhat decently equipped.”

Harun.

A village formed by petty thieves and third-rate thugs.

Originally, one would need a passage permit made from human bone that was only circulated among them to enter Harun.

However.

With Pecis accompanying us, we could find a new route that would allow us to bypass the strict security and enter the interior.

“Let’s set off.”

After all, there was nowhere Pecis couldn’t reach below the 41st floor.

＊＊＊

When we arrived at the village, about an hour had passed.

Due to the critical nature of time, Jinhyuk had pushed for speed, and thanks to that, we reached the village entrance much faster than expected.

“… You. You call this a pass?”

“Ha ha. Look at this? A guy affiliated with ‘Skar’, ain’t he? Where the hell did this rascal come from, daring to hand over a counterfeit token?”

The thugs guarding the entrance had captured a vagrant trying to enter the village.

He was holding something resembling a finger bone in his hand.

“Hiiek!”

The vagrant, realizing he had been caught, tried to flee.

Of course…

Thwack!

It was merely wishful thinking on his part.

A club smashed right into his skull, gushing red blood.

“Ugh……ugh…”

The staggered vagrant fell sideways.

“There seems to be a specific method to verify authenticity. Unless we’re going for a direct assault, we’ll need to find an alternative route.”

Cheonyuseong fingered the hilt of his sword as if asking me to make a call.

Knowing his temperament, he’d probably prefer to plow through than take the long way round.

It might not be a bad idea. But then, we could end up wasting all our time fighting these thugs.

And there was the risk of giving the church time to prepare.

“Pecis, sir. The entryway?”

“It’s this way. It’s a bit rough, but if you follow exactly where I step, you should be fine.”

Pecis began to walk along a marshy path leading inside the village.

With every wrong step, one could be sucked into an endless mire without a bottom.

Without Pecis, no one could have imagined such a rough path existed in this place.

After some time had passed,

An end to the swamp was in sight.

But then…

“Hold on a moment.”

Pecis, who was leading the way, abruptly stopped.

Panic was clearly written on his face.

“Is there a problem?”

“Well… it shouldn’t be… There’s no way we can enter… this.”

Pecis ran his hands over various parts of the bars.

We should be able to enter the village sewers just by opening the grill,

But the grill was sealed tight by something.

“Those trivial iron bars. Get out of the way.”

Cheonyuseong unsheathed his sword immediately.

The sword imbued with Qi struck the grill in one blow.

Clang!

“What is this?”

Cheonyuseong was the one who ended up surprised.

Despite being filled with Qi, the grill didn’t have a single scratch.

Only,

Violet letters appeared out of thin air.

Characters not recognized as existing languages or runes, but an unfamiliar form.

“Interesting. Let this one try to break it.”

The Dark Emperor stepped forward flexing his joints.

“It’s useless. That’s demonic language, you see. To break it, you must mention a keyword only known by the sealer. No matter how strong you are, you can’t destroy it.”

In other words, you needed to input a password to enter.

“Ho.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.

To encounter something sealed with the demonic language here…

‘It’s somebody who knew we would come through this route…’

Someone who meticulously builds upon every little detail while knowing our moves.

A being capable of wielding a figure like ‘Sloth,’ the leader of the church, beneath him.

Only one being fits that bill.

Guntafer.

The Demon Lord who had been backing up the ‘Specter’s Church’ had come here personally.

However, there was something he didn’t anticipate…

‘It isn’t the first time I’m solving this kind of trap.’

The keywords that Guntafer favored were already well-known to me from ages ago.

If he were to use them here…

“Toarat pea Aramsung (Place beyond the inferior).”

Jinhyuk whispered softly towards the void.

Then.

Creek, creek … klank!

The iron grill twisted sideways, creating just enough space for a person to pass through.

“How did player Kang Jinhyuk know the demonic language… or rather, this can only be done by someone who knows what keyword a particular demon would use—how could you possibly…”

Pecis stuttered, eyes wide with shock.

It was understandable, given that this required a deep understanding of demonic traits and behavior.

“I did a bit of studying abroad in my youth.”

“What? But the demonic realm…”

“A little effort will do.”

“Don’t think in terms of common sense. if it’s him, it’s entirely possible that he has been to the demonic realm. Rather, he might have even been appointed as a lecturer by some demons who wanted to learn from him.”

Cheonyuseong’s words made Jinhyuk bristle.

“Hey. Am I looking like someone who would obviously go to the demonic realm? Ridiculous. Don’t you all think so?”

Jinhyuk looked around for agreement.

Naturally, there was not a single person who resonated with him.

From the Master to Jung Ryu, even to Kohguma and Ellis.

Everyone purposely avoided his gaze and pretended not to hear.

“Whoa, look at that frog, a swamp frog?”

“Yeah, Gusio. Definitely looked like a frog.”

“It could be a large bullfrog because of its size.”

“Undine loves water!”

“Moogii!”

It was clear, there is no one to trust in this world.

At that moment…

“My disciple.”

The Dark Emperor approached me with a warm smile.

After all, is there anyone but the Master who could understand a disciple’s heart?

“Ma, Master…”

“Evil does not necessarily stem from the demon.”

“Excuse me?”

“Didn’t our sect also receive the teachings of the Heavenly Demon? The iron blooded will that worships martial arts without a care for frills or appearances. That’s the essence of the demonic. Hah hah hah! Aha! Surely the place these demon folk live must be similar. It would be a paradise for the followers of the Heavenly Demon religion.”

“… I would have rather you didn’t say anything at all.”

With a faint sigh, Jinhyuk stepped through the grill.

＊＊＊

Thwack! Thwack, thwack!

“Die, die! Just die! Hock, ptooey!”

“Kehahahahaha! Did that punk seriously kick the bucket?”

“Just toss the corpse by the riverbank or something. Ah! Wait, his shoes. They fit my feet perfectly, don’t they? No need for shoes in hell, so I might as well make good use of them.”

Inside the village was filled with shouts and clamor.

Binge drinking was the norm, and crimes like murder and robbery were so common that they were practically accepted as everyday occurrences.

Jinhyuk, having settled in an appropriate abandoned building, took only Cheonyuseong to the central square.

It was to avoid attracting attention because too many people moving at once would be noticeable.

The destination was a five-story wooden building.

“That’s the contact point for the guild of thieves.”

“It looks pretty ramshackle. But then again, fools obsessed with liquor and women wouldn’t invest in an office. Do we really need to borrow their hands?”

“Still, these guys have a lot of intel. Surely, they’ll know the place Teresa’s in too.”

“… Tsk. Got it.”

With our hoods pulled down low, Cheonyuseong and I entered the building.

A pungent odor of body sweat and strong alcohol stung the nose.

Inside, several drunken men were in the midst of their drink-fest.

“What brings you here, man?”

Three beats behind, a bald man who had just noticed us spoke up.

“Information.”

“Info, huh…? Huh? I’ve never seen you before. Aren’t you from another floor?”

“We just crossed over yesterday. That’s why we need information.”

“That so? We’re kinda expensive here. You sure about this?”

“Give us the right information, and we’re willing to pay a fair price.”

Jinhyuk pulled out three red rubies from his pocket.

Jewels he had pilfered from Ellis’s jewelry box before the Imperial Martial Ball.

The bald man’s eyes lit up.

The others eyed the rubies with interest.

“Holy moly! It seems we’re dealing with some rich folks here. Sorry for not recognizing you earlier. So, what sort of information should I fill you in on? We’ve got all the news about the 20th floor right here under our thumb.”

“Some players came by recently, do you know about them?”

“Ah! Those folk from outside the tower, right? I remember them. They tried to get here without a pass and got kicked out. But why are you asking about them?”

“I want their location. Where are they now? Think you can tell me?”

“Hmm. I know, but that’s kinda high-end info, so the cost is a bit…”

The bald man pretended to scratch his head.

“Five more. I’ll give you extra.”

Jinhyuk spilled out additional rubies.

“If you head east from here for two days, there’s a big lake where they might be. They said they were catching some pretty valuable stuff from a two-headed serpent living in the lake.”

“A lake, huh…”

“Yeah. The lake. They’re there. If you start now, you could meet them by tomorrow midnight.”

As if to signal the end of the deal, the bald man quickly pocketed the rubies.

But then…

“I’m not quite following something.”

Jinhyuk, who’d been walking towards the exit, suddenly bolted the door.

Clunk!

The iron door shut tightly.

No one could enter or leave.

“What’s wrong now?”

“A two-headed serpent in a lake should be a week to the west, not east. How could players who arrived on the 20th floor just three days ago reach that point? Besides, that wanted poster you and your friends are spinning around on the table… that looks a lot like the person I’m looking for.”

The wanted poster on the table featured a drawing of Teresa.

“How… If you just arrived today, how would you know that?”

The bald man gulped audibly.

At the same time.

Shiing!

Shiing!

The men of the Thieves Guild began to draw their swords.

“I already knew you lot wouldn’t talk so easily. Enduring the blunt play was simply to sweeten the pot.”

Jinhyuk, too, drew the new dagger he had obtained.

“It was a trap, dammit. If you think we’re going to spill our guts so easily, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Is that so? You’ve got quite the loyalty, huh?”

Please, let that loyalty last as long as possible.

Jinhyuk sincerely hoped so.

A sly grin curled upon Jinhyuk’s lips.