Chapter 428
The absolute weapon that could undo the seal on the Administrator's hand by containing Total Annihilation.
[First, you need to obtain SSS-grade equipment...]
The first ingredient for this was grade SSS equipment.
[You also need an artifact with high fire affinity. It won't be easy to obtain, but...]
'I happen to have one.'
[...You do?]
Seong Jihan nodded and pulled out the Phoenix Spear from his inventory.
If it's SSS-grade and fire affinity, this would be perfect.
[You had a weapon like this?]
'Did I not use it when you were around? It was a weapon I often used before.'
It was a weapon he essentially used when operating the Crimson Thunder.
But recently, when using the red stat, it was more direct to just use the power with the Administrator's hand, so he hadn't been using it much.
[With this... the first condition is satisfied. You just need to infuse it with the energy of Total Annihilation.]
'How do I do that?'
[First write the destruction code, and write "ultimate skill" in front of it. Then it becomes Total Annihilation.]
'...Ultimate skill? Are you kidding me?'
Is he being serious?
Seong Jihan furrowed his brow.
[I'm serious... It emphasizes the authority of destruction with special characters.]
'Then if I write "ultimate skill" in front of all the other codes, will they all be emphasized?'
[No. It particularly emphasizes only total destruction.]
The Red Administrator.
Turned out to be a silly existence when you got to know him.
Seong Jihan smiled wryly and was about to write the code on the Phoenix Spear, but changed his mind.
'If I do as this guy says right now, then there's no point in sealing him.'
The hand's seal that Ashoka carried out even while being stabbed.
He couldn't undo it so easily.
Until he could fully utilize the red stat, it was more convenient to have the red eye closed like this.
'Hey, but if I do this, won't my weapon disappear?'
Seong Jihan began to seriously tackle the task.
[So what if it disappears. You have me.]
'If you don't get unsealed and the weapon disappears too, it's a huge loss for me.'
[...Didn't you not use this spear all this time?]
'I was going to start expanding its utilization soon. Tell me honestly. If I write the ultimate skill destruction code, is there really no risk of losing the spear?'
[It will 100% disappear. But I will return in exchange.]
'Then, the probability of losing the spear and you not getting unsealed?'
[That... I can't jump to conclusions but it's around 50%.]
This is it.
"What, 50%?! That's a coin toss!"
Seong Jihan, who had only been sending his thoughts to his arm, now let out a surprised voice.
"The thing I hate most in the world is gambling. I can't entrust my SSS-grade spear to such a probability."
[Main Body! 50% is worth a shot! If it fails, you can just obtain it again, right?]
"No. The Phoenix Spear has an option to upgrade guild traits. It's too valuable to be consumed like this."
[It raises guild traits? That spear?]
"Yeah."
Among Seong Jihan's words, the Administrator's hand focused on something unexpected.
[...Then its performance as a complete weapon may not reach an actual SSS-grade.]
"Because of the additional option that raises guild performance?"
[That's the problem. With this, the success probability may drop below 20%...]
"This won't do."
Then the Phoenix Spear was out, and he needed to obtain a new SSS-grade weapon.
As Seong Jihan was slightly raising the corners of his mouth,
[Oh no... If there was a code medium, it would have definitely succeeded. What a shame.]
"Code medium?"
[A medium that can fully contain the code... That object possessed by the void can definitely contain the ultimate skill destruction code.]
The Administrator's hand began to lament as it mentioned the code medium.
Saying if only he had this.
'...Why is everything this guy needs in my inventory?'
Seong Jihan looked at the Administrator's hand suspiciously.
Could it be that he knew and was doing this on purpose?
"If I obtain this code medium thing, I just need to write the ultimate skill destruction code on it?"
[If you have that, you need to fuse it with that spear. Then you can see the 'Spear of Total Annihilation' that will always be activated.]
"Hmm... how do I fuse them?"
[Write the fusion code on both sides and combine them... That will give it a performance worthy of being an Administrator's weapon.]
"It can reach the level of an Administrator's weapon? Can it really achieve such performance?"
Seong Jihan's eyes flashed.
The Phoenix Spear and the code medium.
They were just sitting in his inventory recently because their utilization was ambiguous...
If he fused them well, would they become an Administrator-grade weapon?
[It's a spear with Total Annihilation always activated. If you add more red to it, you can further strengthen it. With this, it can become the main weapon of the Red Administrator.]
"Hoh..."
[...But. Main Body, you don't happen to have the code medium, do you?]
"The void has it, you said. Would I have such a treasure?"
[Right. That's true, but I have a feeling you know something...]
"That's because I'm curious."
[Indeed... There's no way you would have it... If you did, you would have used it, not left it...]
That's right.
It's a good thing he separated it from the sword and hand and didn't use the spear after obtaining it.
As Seong Jihan was managing his expression like that,
[Ugh... I don't have the leeway of power... This crazy seal... How can a mere constellation seal the Administrator's hand?]
"I know, right. It was strong."
[Main Body... Then find another SSS-grade fire attribute weapon separately, and just write ultimate skill on it and leave it...]
"Then the weapon won't fly away?"
[With just the letters of ultimate skill, it won't fly away... Rather, the weapon will be strengthened to match red.]
The weapon doesn't break and only gets strengthened.
Except for the name being 'ultimate skill', it's a completely good code.
Of course, since it strengthens red, he couldn't write it on all weapons.
"Okay. Then I'll steadily strengthen this weapon."
[Please... Main Body. You must... unseal me. Only then can we achieve the grand endeavor...]
"Got it."
[And if you really can't find an SSS-grade weapon, there is a final method... First, try inquiring about weapons...]
Swish.
With those last words, the Administrator's hand lost strength.
Had it been sealed again?
'Then.'
Seong Jihan organized his thoughts about the absolute weapon 'Spear of Total Annihilation' that the Administrator's hand had told him about.
'I have all the ingredients ready, but there's no need to combine them right now.'
If he completed the Spear of Total Annihilation, the Administrator's hand would once again plead to undo the seal.
Revealing his true intentions to this hand would have to wait until later.
'I'll keep the code medium in my inventory.'
He should try strengthening the Phoenix Spear first by writing ultimate skill on it.
When Seong Jihan made that resolution,
"...Uncle, did you unseal Red?"
Yoon Seah, who had been quietly listening from the side since Seong Jihan said he hated gambling, opened her mouth.
"He was unsealed for a bit. But he told me how to undo the seal and got sealed again."
"Oh, so it was possible to undo. How do you do it?"
"He said to write ultimate skill on a weapon first."
"...Is he not in his right mind because he's sealed?"
This is the normal way to think.
Seong Jihan nodded and looked at Yoon Seah.
Come to think of it,
'I didn't get to ask why he kept staring at Seah.'
The red eye of the hand that kept looking at her, according to Yoon Seah.
There's no way the Administrator's hand would look at Yoon Seah for no reason.
There must be a reason.
Seong Jihan recalled the hand's last words.
[And if you really can't find an SSS-grade weapon, there is a final method... First, try inquiring about weapons...]
The 'final method' that he didn't specify.
This must be the catch.
"Seah."
"Yeah?"
"Even if the hand tries to tempt you, ignore it."
"Haha, how could I touch Uncle's belonging?"
"Just do the opposite of whatever he says to you. We're not in a fully cooperative relationship."
"Ah, is that so? There must be a reason... Okay, Uncle!"
Yoon Seah nodded with her eyes wide open.
"Then, I'll go write ultimate skill for a bit and come back."
"...You're really going to write that?"
Seong Jihan nodded and disappeared into the void training room.
'Ultimate skill, no matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense.'
Yoon Seah looked at the spot where her uncle disappeared, tilted her head, and headed to the refrigerator.
Taking out an ice cream from there, she was eating it on the sofa while watching TV.
Vibrate...
She saw her vibrating phone.
'Hayeon unnie?'
Beep.
As soon as she answered the call,
[Seah! What did Boss do?!]
Hayeon's excited voice was heard from the phone.
"What's going on, unnie?"
[The guild options suddenly got strengthened! By +4 in all of them!]
"Re... really?"
[Yeah. I thought it wouldn't be easy to increase further here, but how did they all rise by +4? Is the Boss at home by any chance?]
"No, he went to the training room."
[Is that so? What is he doing there...]
At those words, Yoon Seah blinked.
What Seong Jihan said he would do in the training room was definitely writing the ultimate skill...
'...Did that actually work?'
* * *
Martial God's star, Tuseong.
[You did well.]
Martial God welcomed Ashoka, who had returned from the tournament, with a pleased voice for the first time in a while.
"...I couldn't bring the hand, I'm ashamed."
[It's fine. In the next tournament, Dongbang Sak can step up.]
This time, only up to Level 8 constellations could participate in the tournament.
But if Seong Jihan got promoted from the Challenger League, Level 9s will also be able to participate someday.
If Dongbang Sak, the sole Level 9, steps up, retrieving the hand will be certain.
[Before that, you've done your part sufficiently by sealing it so he can't act recklessly.]
"...Thank you."
Ashoka, who had lowered his head and raised it, pointed to his pierced chest.
"Then... may I enter the seal site now to mend my wounds?"
Entering the seal site on his own.
'Seems he's not harboring any rash intentions.'
Martial God interpreted those words positively.
Once inside the seal site, Ashoka wouldn't be able to influence the outside world at all.
And he would only come out at the final moment to assist the return by turning the Golden Wheel.
Judging by his actions, he was the most loyal disciple to Martial God.
[Is your body condition very bad?]
"I was directly hit by the void's sword. In this state, it will be difficult to operate the Golden Wheel even at the final moment."
[If you were hit by the void to that extent... even if you go to the seal site, it will be hard to fully recover your body.]
"I will try my best."
When Ashoka spoke plainly, Martial God's eyes flashed.
The attitude of trying his best was good, but if things go wrong at the final moment because of that, only he would suffer.
'His loyalty has been proven to a certain extent.'
Martial God, whose mind had become more at ease after the Administrator's hand was sealed, treated Ashoka more generously than usual.
[Go to the Golden Tower. It will heal you there.]
"Do you mean Gilgamesh's Tower of Babel?"
[Yes. You can obtain a fruit that will heal your body. I will inform Pythia.]
"...Thank you. I will follow your order."
Ashoka deeply bowed his head and soon disappeared.
Martial God looked at the spot where he disappeared for a moment.
Flash!
This time, he activated Divine Eye without Pythia.
Peering into the possibilities of the future through Divine Eye, he,
[Indeed.]
let out the most satisfied voice in recent times.
[The future where I lose... is no longer visible.]
Seong Jihan, who could only win by becoming the Red Administrator.
Now that the possibility had disappeared with Ashoka's seal, Martial God's victory was certain.
[As soon as I retrieve the hand, I will wrap up this round.]
This round.
It was eventful, but if he just concluded it like this, it would be the time when he gained the most.
While Martial God was evaluating the sealing achievement this time with satisfaction like that,
'Is this the place.'
Ashoka set foot in the Golden Tower with sunken eyes.
There,
"You're here? You did it today, huh?"
was Pythia with a full smile on her face in front of the tower.
"Ugh... ugh..."
And Gilgamesh, with most of his body buried in the tower wall, barely showing his face.