Chapter 162

To be fair, he did harbor a shred of guilt.

From their perspective, how utterly baffling must this entire sequence be?

Some random outsider bursts onto the scene, gorges himself on a meal, and then bolts without paying.

Then, when they naturally attempt to look into the matter, he proceeds to ruthlessly batter every single guard who intercepts him, all while demanding an audience with the Holy King……

Yet, there was simply no alternative route available.

Within the mechanics of 「Battle of Summoners」— across every single playthrough he had successfully completed— this specific sequence stood as the absolute quickest method to grant him an audience with the Holy King. Furthermore, it remained the sole strategy capable of earning the monarch’s genuine respect.

After all, the Holy King possessed a deep admiration for the exceptionally powerful.

It was a sentiment that crossed his mind frequently.

The destructive breath unleashed by the golden dragon truly defied belief.

It was broken to a degree that felt fundamentally unsportsmanlike.

Then again, such overwhelming force was entirely justified.

The ability carried an incredibly severe drawback, instantly draining both HP and MP down to a critical value of 1.

KA-KA-KA-KRRAAASH!

Accompanied by a deafening reverberation that seemed to tear the atmosphere apart, a torrent of golden illumination descended upon the metropolitan square, consuming everything within its trajectory.

The expansive courtyard’s brickwork didn’t merely shatter— it was utterly wiped from existence.

GOOOOOOO……!

The terrain beneath them simply imploded into nothingness.

“W-what on earth is happening?!”

“GAHK!”

The onlookers stationed along the perimeter were gripped by absolute terror.

The sheer magnitude of this destruction utterly eclipsed anything that had occurred previously!

“……Does this mean he isn’t even attempting to restrain his strength anymore?”

“I have never witnessed a force so cataclysmic. What manner of monstrosity is that creature supposed to be?”

“That thing is far more horrific than any fiends I encountered out on the front lines.”

“What about the Paladins?”

The surrounding crowd trembled with anxiety for the Royal Guardians who had been engulfed by that golden wave of destruction.

However.

Rising from the depths of the smoking, heavily excavated fissure.

Thwack!

A severely blackened hand gripped the edge.

“Hah… hah…”

Having managed to endure the catastrophic impact of the dragon’s breath, he dragged his frame back onto solid ground, sucking in desperate breaths.

Yet, his gaze still blazed with an unyielding defiance.

The Paladin Commander was not the sole survivor of the onslaught.

Though every remaining member of the Royal Guardians was mangled nearly past recognition, they all drew breath.

They truly defined the concept of indestructible meat shields!

“A mere……”

The Paladin Commander growled under his breath.

“Did you honestly believe a single strike of that caliber could wipe us out?”

Impressive.

Baek Jinwoo gave an approving nod in his mind.

Precisely.

That was exactly the kind of resilience one ought to expect from true Paladins!

In all honesty, he would have felt rather let down if that single breath attack had completely wiped the floor with them.

These warriors represented their hidden trump cards for the impending conflict against Asmodeus— if they proved fragile here, they would be utterly worthless later.

“In that case, shall we begin the true engagement?”

With those words, the chaotic, large-scale skirmish commenced in earnest.

— Kyahahahahaha!

Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!

Positioned safely in the rear guard was Lightspeed Ramba, frantically twirling her magical staff despite possessing absolutely zero physical engagement capability!

KRAANG!

LG soared into the air, landing heavily with an earth-shattering GRWAAAAH!, while the Dhampir perched upon his back absorbed the oncoming retaliation intended for the Royal Guardians.

Meanwhile.

— Krrk……

SHHHHRRRRK!

The weapon wielded by Rolly was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Veiled in complete concealment, Rolly slipped through the battlefield with the unpredictable nature of a phantom.

Whirling the massive scythe like a spinning toy, slicing through the air— the Paladins found themselves completely disorganized.

“GAAHK!”

“Where is this strike originating from?!”

“I can’t see the target!”

Enduring the constant collateral shockwaves alone was an arduous task, and to make matters worse, Aso and Drill Sarge were actively rampaging across the field, corralling the enemy forces like livestock.

Executing multiple spins mid-air.

Or simply striking a shield dozens of times in a single second to completely splinter the wrist of the warrior holding it.

— KRRAAAAAAGH!

Baekho joined the fray as well, his eyes bloodshot as he let out a savage roar, tearing through opposition in an absolute state of frenzy.

The scene was pure, unadulterated madness!

The Great Wizard was by no means loitering around either.

The moment Rachel provided the cue, he hoisted his staff skyward and began a rapid, rhythmic incantation.

Great Wizard.

7 Circles.

Aether Chain.

KA-CRACK!

A multitude of luminescent aether chains snapped out from the earth, whipping forward in an attempt to bind the Royal Guardians.

TIIING!

The Paladin Commander deflected the incoming bonds with effortless disdain.

“Darn it.”

Rachel ground her teeth in frustration.

Of all possible traits, absolute immunity to magical arts.

The Paladin Commander functioned as the ultimate counter-attribute to the Great Wizard.

The engagement dragged on sluggishly.

Setting the other adversaries aside, the Paladin Commander posed an incredibly formidable obstacle.

Even with the accumulated benefits of Ramba’s stacks.

Even with the highest caliber of mystical runes equipped.

Within an arena amplified tenfold by the properties of the Tower of Trials, such difficulties were unavoidable.

Though, it made perfect sense.

The zone had been explicitly programmed to accommodate multiple combatants simultaneously.

It was meant to be tackled as a full-scale raid party.

— My lord.

It was at that moment that Drill Sarge shifted closer to his position amidst the chaos of battle.

“What is it?”

— Cast your gaze over yonder.

Directing his eyes toward the vantage point Drill Sarge indicated, atop a towering structure off in the distance.

A female warrior clad in flawless, gleaming white plate armor stood perfectly balanced, gripping a lance that exceeded her own height.

Ah.

Baek Jinwoo tightened his grip into a fist.

The Champion!

Had the entire primary cast finally assembled on the field?

An army of one hundred Royal Guardians, the elite Paladin Commander, and now the Champion.

The absolute pinnacle of the Holy Kingdom’s military assets had officially deployed.

And then.

Whoosh.

Leisurely materializing from the background— a rather portly gentleman.

“Wait, what?”

Baek Jinwoo was caught entirely off guard by the arrival.

The onlookers who instantly recognized the figure grew pale, frozen in sheer astonishment.

“Y-Your Holiness?”

“Good heavens!”

“We offer our humblest greetings to His Holiness the Holy King!”

A portion of the crowd instantly dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground.

Others brought their hands together in fervent reverence.

The individual revered as the living avatar of the divine— the Holy King, Arkelion.

A figure who possessed the absolute, unconditional devotion of every citizen residing within this realm.

“Huh?”

Rachel mirrored his astonishment, completely bewildered.

What was going on?

They hadn’t even concluded their clash with the vanguard forces yet.

Why on earth would that overly cautious Arkelion reveal himself so ahead of schedule?

The mere appearance of his person indicated that Floor 54 had technically concluded.

— My lord…… Our accumulated attributes have been neutralized.

Hearing those words from his summon confirmed the reality of the situation.

The movements of Drill Sarge, Aso, and Rolly had grown visibly more sluggish.

You have got to be pulling my leg.

Floor 54 had unquestionably been registered as completed, yet absolutely nothing of substance had occurred.

The buffs were stripped away, but there was no victory notification, nor any sign of a completion reward.

Setting that aside.

Why in the world did that absolute coward make such an abrupt appearance?

Baek Jinwoo and Rachel exchanged a brief glance, both sharing the exact same bewilderment.

When analyzing the situation carefully, however, it actually added up.

Both Baek Jinwoo and Rachel.

During the period they had originally challenged Floor 54 of 「Battle of Summoners」, they had certainly been formidable, but they were nowhere near the absolute zenith of their capabilities.

For Baek Jinwoo, that cleared attempt had taken place around his sixth year of playing, right?

Consequently, even when they went completely unhinged back then, they couldn’t possibly have triggered a cataclysm of this magnitude.

At present, however, the scale of power was entirely unprecedented.

Successfully holding his ground against the entirety of the Paladins, the elite Royal Guardians, and their Commander all at once?

Without the assistance of his EX-class summons, accomplishing such a feat would have been completely out of the question.

Which explained everything.

That was precisely the reason the Holy King had felt compelled to intervene so rapidly.

He must be feeling a deep, instinctual terror regarding just how monstrously powerful these intruders truly were.

“ALL FORCES, CEASE FIRE!”

The moment the authoritative decree of the Holy King echoed across the plaza, the Paladins sheathed their blades in perfect synchronicity.

Commander Arno Villian took a step backward, disengaging.

The Royal Guardians immediately shifted their formation to form a protective wall around the Holy King.

Their physical states were incredibly ragged.

A number of them could barely maintain their balance, leaning heavily on their weapons, while others had blood trickling freely from their noses.

“……Hh.”

The Holy King let out a brief, weary breath as his eyes swept over his broken vanguard.

These were the loyal subjects who had been reduced to such a pitiable state solely in an effort to shield his person.

He had already been fully briefed on the situation via reports.

“……I was informed that you requested an audience with me?”

The Holy King directed his intense gaze squarely at Baek Jinwoo.

His countenance reflected an immense tide of rage that he was forced to suppress and swallow down with great effort.

“That is correct.”

With the conflict frozen in a temporary truce, Baek Jinwoo took a few steps forward.

From this particular juncture onward, he was traversing a path that even he had never personally experienced before.

He would have to successfully navigate the upcoming events purely through diplomatic discourse with the Holy King.

In the baseline game, Floors 55, 56, and 57 were entirely centered around liberating a trio of captured settlements.

The objective was to purge the invading demons and beasts holding them, followed by utilizing the Holy King’s unique authority to purify the desecrated regions.

Accomplishing that task unlocked Floor 58.

The actual threshold leading directly into the abyssal realm of demons.

Breaching that threshold and stepping onto the massive front line constituted Floor 58.

The grand-scale conflict itself was Floor 59.

The ultimate, blood-soaked showdown against Asmodeus served as the climax on Floor 60.

“I am under the impression that Your Holiness is currently in dire need of military capability. Specifically, to liberate the trio of fallen strongholds— Termora, Lunestia, and Arseon.”

“……How in the world are you privy to that information?!”

The Holy King flinched backward, completely paralyzed by astonishment.

It had happened just the previous evening.

How could a mere mortal possibly possess knowledge regarding the sacred prophecy delivered directly by the heavens?!

“I merely desired to offer that exact capability to your cause. And in order to facilitate that? We found it necessary to demonstrate the extent of our prowess. So— what is your assessment? In comparison to the standing forces of the Holy Kingdom, wouldn’t our involvement provide a massive advantage?”

“How dare you speak with such insolence—!”

The Paladin Commander clamped his hand onto the grip of his blade and took an aggressive step forward.

The Holy King simply extended a hand, signaling for him to stand down.

“He speaks the truth. As deeply humiliating as it is to admit, this traveler’s words are entirely accurate.”

He exhaled a profound sigh before carrying on.

“We are currently in no position to exercise luxury in our alliances. Foolish pride will do nothing to resolve this catastrophic emergency. There is absolutely no logical justification to reject an asset possessing this degree of raw might.”

Arkelion shifted his attention back toward Baek Jinwoo.

“Am I to understand then, that you are willing to assist our forces in liberating those three strongholds?”

“Hmm.”

Baek Jinwoo thoughtfully stroked his jawline.

Naturally, the logically sound choice was to agree to the terms.

That remained the solitary method to successfully scale the remainder of the Tower and lay the groundwork for their eventual repatriation to Earth.

Yet, it left a bitter taste in his mouth, didn’t it?

It was genuinely exasperating.

Floor 51, Floor 52, Floor 53, and Floor 54.

They had successfully conquered four consecutive levels, and had received absolutely zero compensation for their troubles!

Perhaps once they finally managed to execute Asmodeus, the system would drop a massive, accumulated jackpot, but—

There was absolutely no definitive guarantee supporting that outcome!

Baek Jinwoo was ultimately a regular guy.

While preserving his life was obviously paramount, he still expected to be properly compensated for his labor.

Then, an old memory drifted to the forefront of his mind.

Way back when.

During the playthrough where he had unraveled the hidden lore buried deep beneath the Holy Kingdom and successfully distributed the ‘Divine Blessing’ empowerment to every single soldier in the army.

The Holy King, overwhelmed with gratitude by that action, had spoken the words:

— I desire to bestow a token of appreciation upon you. Please select one from these two items.

At that time, he had presented a brilliant blue-tinted ‘gemstone’ alongside a mystical ‘parchment.’

Baek Jinwoo had opted for the gemstone.

Its official designation was the Soulguard Stone.

[Soulguard Stone]

[Classification: S-rank]

[Upon consumption by an active summon, grants a permanent increase of 10,000 to the VIT attribute.]

An absolute holy grail item for any defensive tank unit.

He had never actually discovered the true nature of the accompanying parchment.

And now that he recalled the details, the Holy King had always been portrayed as an easily swayed, yet remarkably extravagant individual when it came to rewards.

“Well.”

There was no harm in testing the waters.

“I happen to have a specific request to make.”

Baek Jinwoo dropped his hand away from his face.

“State your terms.”

The Holy King replied.

“Regardless of how I evaluate the situation, offering our services entirely free of charge simply rubs me the wrong way. Is there a possibility we could secure a down payment for our cooperation?”

“W-what did you just utter?”

The Holy King began to sputter, completely flabbergasted.

Throughout his entire extended lifespan, he had never once been subjected to such an audacious demand.

“You are demanding compensation?”

“Precisely. Something along the lines of a Soulguard Stone would do nicely.”

“A— a Soulguard Stone?!”

Gurgle.

The Holy King looked as though he might literally begin frothing at the mouth from sheer outrage.

This absolute vulture of a human!

Did he possess even the slightest inkling of what he was casually requesting?

That object was a holy artifact, consecrated by the divine hand of the Almighty itself, handed down through generations since the reign of the founding Holy King.

Only two such artifacts existed in the entirety of Lumentia……!

However.

The reality of their predicament left him very little room to maneuver.

The individuals standing before him had just demonstrated the capacity to completely suppress the Paladin Commander, who stood as the nation’s second most powerful military figure.

They would undeniably serve as an invaluable boon to their war effort, and this stranger was somehow fully aware of the secret heavenly decree.

As the founding Holy King had once declared.

Sacred relics were never intended to simply gather dust in vaults.

The absolute priority must always be the preservation and security of the populace.

“……Would a single one suffice?”

The Holy King, already more than halfway persuaded by his own logic, muttered under his breath.

Baek Jinwoo locked onto that specific phrasing instantly.

Would a single one suffice?

That choice of words clearly indicated that a duplicate existed.

“There are two individuals representing our party here, so a single item feels a bit… lacking. Do you happen to have another on hand? The more you can provide, the better, really.”

“……!”

Th-th-this—!

You absolute, shameless BRIGAND!

“You recall the companion who unleashed that massive golden energy wave a moment ago? That item would be for his benefit. If you fail to accommodate him as well, he will absolutely throw a massive tantrum over the snub.”

“Two.”

“Pardon?”

“There are precisely two in existence, you insolent brat!”

“Y-Your Holiness!”

The Paladin Commander, having quickly closed the distance, cast a deeply anxious look toward the sovereign.

Allowing these unrefined emotional outbursts to happen was unacceptable enough even when confined behind secure palace walls!

Only the Paladin Commander and the Champion were truly privy to the genuine personality of the Holy King.

An easily frightened, highly defensive individual who lacked so much personal discipline that he had allowed himself to become notably overweight!

“Let us escort our guests into the interior chambers first! Your Holiness!”

The Commander gestured with an open palm toward the grand palace gates.

“This public square is hardly the appropriate venue to negotiate the finer points of our arrangement.”

Hmm.

The edge of Baek Jinwoo’s mouth twitched upward into a subtle smirk.

That fellow right there.

He hadn’t altered in the slightest compared to his digital counterpart in the game.

The quintessential target for exploitation.

He looked absolutely primed to be taken for everything he was worth.