Jin-hyuk nodded his head as if he was satisfied.
"Thank you for giving me useful information. It really helped me a lot."
He had obtained information useful for planning. Some of his doubts had also cleared up.
"Can I go then?"
Melena asked, fear and worry clear on her face.
"No."
"Y-you said… you'll spare me if I tell you what I know. You said you would send me away!"
"Don't worry. I will keep my promise."
He had no intention of killing people carelessly after they had proven useful.
Why would he throw away a useful piece after a single use?
He could use her again in the future.
"I just need you to promise me one thing."
"Promise?"
"Right. Promise."
Not with her mouth or a pinky promise, but an absolute one. An oath on her soul.
[Lv3 Stigma of the Soul is activated!]
Jin-hyuk's fingers shone brightly.
"It is a sign that you must obey my words unconditionally in the future. If you try to backstab me or rebel, you will die, so make the decision carefully."
She could either die—
Or obey.
Only two choices.
And Melena…
"I… don't want to die."
She chose to survive.
After that harsh first night, the warm sunlight shone down on the campsite.
"Hmm."
Jin-hyuk stretched his body and got up. Such a refreshing morning. It felt as if all the fatigue he had accumulated was gone.
Everything had worked out more easily than he expected last night. Thanks to nutritional supplements, his condition felt close to its peak.
'It's fine now for me to go all out.'
In the final boss raid that remained, there would be a chaotic battle incomparable to anything he had done before.
'It would be more of a war than a fight.'
Jin-hyuk calmly reviewed the overall raid plan in his head. Even the slightest deviation could cause problems.
He refined his movements further and considered variables that could break his assumptions, bringing control to a potentially complex situation. Ɍ𝙖N𝐎ʙËS̩
In truth, he considered himself prepared for everything that might occur.
How many minutes had passed?
Finally, Jin-hyuk opened his eyes. In his hand was the key he had obtained from the named monster.
Ah—wait. Before going for the boss—
'I almost forgot.'
There was something he needed to do.
Jin-hyuk activated the broadcast system.
[Welcome to 'Channel Unknown']
Various categories appeared on the menu.
He wrote a notice.
[Boss raid will not be streamed. I'll edit it later and upload the attack video, so those who want can watch it.]
Short and simple.
'I've drawn enough attention already. There's no need to go live until the final fight.'
His goal was to increase views on the eventual video and build awareness for Channel Unknown. He had no intention of gathering a peanut gallery.
Within a minute, dozens of comments appeared.
-IssueTeller: I saw the notice. He said he'd start broadcasting soon. Is he going to give us something amazing?
-NutellaTheBesst: Does this mean the attack was successful? If he died, no one could post the notice lol
-BaeksuOverTusu: It's confidence. He wrote this for people who missed yesterday's stream. If you didn't watch it and don't believe it, just shut it.
-VeternaIdentification: I saw him yesterday. He was insane.
-MemoriesOfDiablo3: It's at the level of making the production team lose their hair. But can he succeed where large guilds failed?
-MadMovie: How can one person beat a monster with a thousand eyes and a thousand hands alone?
-SaeYoungEonHwan: I'm looking forward to seeing how the boss gets defeated.
Everyone debated, forming their own theories.
'I need to pay more attention to this.'
A successful raid was important, but so were scripting and involving the right people for long-term success.
And of course—
Jin-hyuk had a way to satisfy all of that.
'Then, let's start slowly.'
Holding the key, Jin-hyuk reached out into empty space.
The moment the key touched a specific point—
Clack!
Something clicked.
[The 'Key of the Stone Statue' responds!]
[The master of the 3rd floor has answered your call!]
Two red status windows appeared.
Kukukuku!
A massive gate manifested before him, far larger than the one that had summoned the named monster yesterday.
"Oh…"
Even Jin-hyuk couldn't hide his reaction.
The gate stretched so wide its edges disappeared into the bamboo forest. Its height felt as if it pierced the sky.
And then—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Stone statues poured out from beyond the gate.
An army of three thousand.
Most were heavy soldiers around one meter tall, though a few reached monstrous heights of fifty meters.
At the center stood the most elaborately carved stone statue.
Perched atop it—
Something yawned.
"Hmm. Is it just one challenger this time?"
A familiar voice echoed from above.
Jitter!
Goosebumps rose along Jin-hyuk's skin.
As expected.
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'Is this the magic of a boss monster?'
The 3rd-floor boss possessed relatively weak personal magic for its level, as most of it was dispersed among the stone statues it commanded.
Even so, its presence alone made Jin-hyuk's body feel heavy.
As expected of a boss monster.
Jin-hyuk looked at it through the Eye of Gluttony.
But—
[Status window cannot be viewed due to the extreme level difference with the target.]
Then—
[Luck and Adaptive stats have neutralized the level difference.]
[Viewing the target's status window.]
Two windows appeared.
'Did the Luck stat that failed yesterday finally work?'
Jin-hyuk felt a brief surge of excitement.
Name: Soulless
Age: Unknown
Level: 105
Strength 72 | Agility 101 | Stamina 79 | Magic 93 | Karma 128
Unique Ability: Heartless Army
Skills:
Lv17 Desire of Heaven
Lv15 Group Command
Lv14 Identify Weakness
Lv14 Military Strategy
—
[Copy Condition: Since Mandala is below Lv15, it is impossible to copy the unique ability or skills of Soulless.]
Guild raids had done nothing but feed it kills. Considering it took over a year for most players to reach three-digit stats, this growth was terrifying.
'Is this why no one was confident about clearing it?'
Compared to upper-floor dragons, a 3rd-floor boss was manageable—
But not careless.
'Which means… I need to be cautious.'
And the stronger the enemy, the more satisfied his viewers would be.
Jin-hyuk smiled.
"You're laughing?"
"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something else. What was your question again?"
"I asked whether you came alone."
"Well, as you can see—unlike someone—I don't hide behind subordinates."
The boss's eyes narrowed slightly.
Its expression of pride wavered for only a moment before stabilizing.
"I dislike using my own body. Isn't it the virtue of a monarch to command others?"
Leisurely words.
No—words strained to appear relaxed.
'That arrogance born from never fighting alone hasn't changed.'
Everyone had at least one weakness.
"Well, I think a true monarch stands at the front, not behind."
"That's why wars fail. When a commander dies at the front, the army collapses. You don't even know the basics."
He wasn't wrong.
But—
"Isn't it enough to simply not die at the front?"
Leading from the front was the greatest way to raise morale.
"…Absurd. Are you saying you have the power to do that?"
"Yes."
Otherwise, he wouldn't be here.
Nor would he have prepared everything needed for victory.
Jin-hyuk gathered his magic.
"You seem confident in battles of numbers. Personally, I prefer close combat."
So let's fight properly.
One of them would die to prove who was right.
At that moment, a strange chessboard appeared from his subspace inventory.
[The 'First Chessboard' has been activated!]
Tsss!
Blue lines spread across the ground, forming square plates.
Then—
Jin-hyuk released thousands of marble chess pieces given to him by Lee Yuri.
They weren't toys.
They were magical constructs—artworks engraved with runes by Summoner Lee Yuri.
Each piece was a soldier.
"Interesting. Then I'll play the soldier as well."
Soulless watched with interest.
Then sneered.
"What do you expect to do with pebbles?"
"Watch."
Jin-hyuk pulled out one final item.
An item obtained by tricking Anubis on the first underground floor.
['Giant Pill' has been used.]
The pills infused into the chess pieces.
Kukuku!
The pieces began to grow.
Knights, bishops, and rooks expanded to two meters tall.
Pawns in heavy armor formed the front line.
They were no longer toys.
The smile vanished from Soulless's face.
Gulp.
"…You."
What it thought was a mere fly—
Had become a force it could no longer ignore.
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