Chapter 266: The Strongest Support (4)

Chapter 266. The Strongest Support (4)

As the contract with KDS was officially signed, massive promotional campaigns were launched through the media.

[The Hidden Behind-the-Scenes of the Largest Raid in the Tower of Trials]

[Kang Jin-Hyuk Declares Collaboration with Olympus Europe for Ruins Strategy]

[Yoo Cheon-Young's Debut. 'Kang Jin-Hyuk is the benefactor who saved my life.']

[Why did the Saint of Amsterdam come here? It turns out she enjoyed a vacation with Jin-Hyuk in Europe. Even rumors of an engagement with the third daughter of the Rosenberg family are circulating.]

[Continued condemnation of the Gandhara Guild towards India. Indian Prime Minister rebuts, saying, 'We know nothing of this.' Stay tuned for the upcoming press conference on KDS Channel.]

For Jeong Beom-Hui, inflating worm-sized stories into dragon-sized facts was nothing. Most of it was based on facts anyway.

Living for Today: The lineup is insane. My heart is about to burst.

Hun: There was so much talk about Yoo Cheon-Young being overrated, but he definitely drew the line this time. He's just a monster, a monster.

Choi Joo-Won: The strongest in the original world are bald and old. Haven't you heard of Halabeoji?

tbvj: The same goes for Teresa. Who ever said she was weak, kind, and gentle? Come out. Is that the saint you wanted?

cel: It's like a blender. The mosaic makes it even scarier.

Black-and-White Photo: It was me, but I'm changing my nickname to my profile picture.

Rielia: Sister, I'm dying! (Really dead)

BeginnerSsi: I'd die for her.

Nine: But aren't all these people here because of Jin-Hyuk?

That's right.

The reason all the prominent rankers gathered here, putting aside their own tasks, was all for Jin-Hyuk.

"Report the situation. How is it now?"

Jeong Beom-Hui asked in a trembling voice. The mix of overflowing expectations and the anxiety of whether they would come true was evident.

"We've surpassed 20% viewership on TV. Unbelievable, 20% for a live broadcast on public TV. It's hard to believe even while watching."

"The concurrent viewers... have exceeded 500,000. It's been less than 30 minutes since we started broadcasting, and I've never seen this before."

"The ads are a hit, too. At this rate, we'll easily get twenty offers."

'To think one player could have such an impact.'

Jeong Beom-Hui barely suppressed a cheer bubbling up from inside. Indeed, it was the right decision to pay the hefty contract fee. This is a jackpot.

***

Good.

'Everyone seems to be doing their part well.'

Jin-Hyuk nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the broadcasting windows that were simultaneously lit up. He had assigned filming to Goguma, Jeong-Ryeong-Soo, T-Bone, and the Ancient Soldiers, and things were going well.

Thanks to the Weeping Witch's attempt to forcibly intervene in the system, they could use that gap to their advantage.

All that was left... was to finish it well.

Crunch!

As he took a large bite of the grayish meat, a sour taste spread in his mouth.

'It's a bit bitter... but it's edible.'

Thankfully, he didn't end up like Elise, who was foaming at the mouth on the rock. Having eaten a proper meal, it was at least consumable.

[The Curse of Gluttony has been lifted.]

[You can now inflict damage on the Apostle of Gluttony.]

A status window announcing success appeared.

-Wac: 5252, I knew it!

-Hawaii: It was all part of Jin-Hyuk's plan. He's sweeping the entire top-level corporation.

-Kim-Seon: He has a devilish talent for getting views. This is a must-watch.

-Limoncello: Jin-Hyuk is great at mukbangs too. Even though he cooked it, how can he eat that? It looks like stinky tofu.

Seeing the status window scrolling crazily, he realized they had resumed live broadcasting.

Just at that moment.

"Graaaah!"

The Apostle of Gluttony roared fiercely, celebrating its victory.

Maria, Yoo Yeon-Hwa, and Lee Tae-Min tried to buy time, but they couldn't overcome the condition of their attacks not working. Still, they lasted over 10 minutes, so they fulfilled their roles.

"You did well."

Jin-Hyuk nodded slightly towards the direction where the three were.

-Under the Sky: I'll remember! Press X to show JOY.

-121: They're not dead yet, idiots. Don't kill perfectly fine people.

-mangmang: Yoo Yeon-Hwa and Lee Tae-Min are rankers known by everyone in Korea, but they couldn't inflict a single wound on that monster?

-Jo Kyung-Min: Even Maria of the Olympus Guild was taken down. Damn. Can that thing even be killed?

-LaTD: No matter how strong Jin-Hyuk is, this might be difficult.

From the viewers' perspective, it was inevitable that it looked tough because they didn't know how to inflict damage on the Apostle of Gluttony. The rankers who had been so formidable fell helplessly, adding to the perception of impossibility. The conditions for a spectacular performance were all set.

'I've used the sword many times. It's time to show something different.'

Jin-Hyuk pulled out the longbow 'Fang' from his subspace inventory.

-dyd: Oh? Using a bow?

-lke: Come to think of it, I heard the heirloom bow from the Elf village was stolen.

-Rolling Cake: Ah, I remember. The longbow from the wanted poster, written in High Elf language.

-Lucky Charm: Yeah, it looks exactly like that.

-Seo Young-Jin: No way, it must be a coincidence. Jin-Hyuk wouldn't do that.

-Satan: I'd like to follow him as my master now.

-SSS: Wow, even Satan shows up now.

Jin-Hyuk ignored the slight pang of guilt and nonchalantly changed the subject.

"Only doing melee combat is boring. Since it's come to this, why not give me a mission? Other BJs get a lot of those."

Reminiscing about his BJ days, he thought it was a good opportunity to gain loyal subscribers and earn coins through missions. There was still time before the Weeping Witch realized her barrier was breached.

-Heckler: Look at that confidence. LOL.

-Original Stone: Can you do it? Not overdoing it, right?

-Kwon Tae-Kyung: Speedrun possible? I'll bet 10,000 coins if you can cut down that Apostle in 10 minutes.

-Daldong: I know you're close with Player Chun Yoo-Sung. Upload a video of his med student life, and I'll give you 10,000 coins.

-Just Trust Me: What, are such missions possible? Then upload a video of you playing with Elise, and I'll bet 20,000 coins.

-tom: Feed Teresa over there some Korean-style nuclear fire noodles for 30,000 coins. Deal?

-Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Hmm. Isn't that just a mission to kill her?

There were some strange missions, but the coins at stake were pretty lucrative. Anyone betting tens of thousands of coins had to be a core player from a well-known guild.

Except for the last one, none of the missions were too difficult, so he couldn't refuse them.

"Are you... sure?"

With those words,

Rumble!

A magic-charged arrow began to blaze fiercely on the longbow.

[Unique Ability 'Dragon's Breath' activated!]

Blaze!

Just then, a terrifying flame erupted around the Apostle of Gluttony.

"Graaaah!"

For the first time, a pained scream escaped the Apostle's mouth.

It must hurt.

The once-reliable Blessing of Gluttony could no longer protect its massive body.

But did it know?

The pain was only just beginning.

"I'll cook you with arrows alone."

Jin-Hyuk nocked an arrow on his bowstring within the flames.

[Lv10 'Red Magic Bullet' used!]

Amidst the acrid smoke,

a streak of light sliced through the air.

Thud!

The Apostle staggered as its right knee was pierced.

Without missing a beat, more red bullets were fired.

Thud! Thud!

He targeted the joints.

Specifically, he sequentially aimed at each joint to cause the balance to collapse to the right.

"Graah! Aaaah!"

The Apostle screamed madly, swinging its mace.

Though it seemed rough, it was a deliberate act.

Tap!

Jin-Hyuk lightly pushed off the ground, moving to the side.

Almost simultaneously, a long tongue shot out from the Apostle's body.

'As expected, it comes out like this.'

What looked like its head wasn't the real head. The true head of the Apostle of Gluttony was a massive one located in its abdomen.

After distracting with the mace, it used a sharp tongue to skewer and devour its prey.

That was its favored hunting method.

Of course, it had to use that strategy selectively.

Rip!

The abdomen split open, revealing sharp teeth.

The tongue had already retracted, replaced by a concentrated green light.

"You like to eat, but you use acid? If that hits, there'll be nothing left to eat, you know."

[The Apostle of Gluttony uses 'Green Acid Shot!']

It seemed to have given up on eating.

Green beams of light shot out in all directions, more like a haphazard bombardment than targeted strikes.

However.

Boom!

Dozens of green beams were blocked by red streaks.

Intercept.

With precise mana allocation, all the attacks were neutralized.

"Not bad, but if you really wanted to melt me, you should've tripled the number of acid shots."

Jin-Hyuk's taunting would hardly be taken kindly.

"Graaa!"

With a roar of rage, the Apostle focused its energy. The gathered mana was incomparably stronger than before.

As if challenging him to block it again, even more green beams began to gather.

"...Gra?"

The Apostle tilted its head in confusion. Jin-Hyuk, who had been holding the bow, had disappeared.

To intercept, he would have to maintain some distance and calculate the trajectory.

But no matter where it looked, Jin-Hyuk was nowhere in sight.

"When you destabilize the right balance, the left field of view tilts upwards. In other words, it creates a blind spot."

Jin-Hyuk's voice came from just below the left side.

"Graaa!"

Though he couldn't understand the monster's language, it probably asked if he wouldn't only use the bow.

It was true that he boasted about it.

He even declared it confidently.

But.

"Sorry, I'm a liar," Jin-Hyuk said with a sly smile.

[Unique Ability 'Blood Explosion' activated!]

'Blood Explosion' was a unique ability used by Amulam. It was bloodline magic based on blood. Given the amount of blood spilled so far, its destructive power was unquestionable.

Boom! Boom!

With a deafening roar that seemed to shake the ruins, the Apostle of Gluttony's body exploded. Pieces of flesh scattered and splattered all over the ground.

-oo: Who gave the mission? Speedrun in 10 minutes? What a joke.

-kdb: It didn't even take a minute. How is it this easy?

-Hobbang: It's not easy, the skill combo is just insane.

-Jun-Young: Did you see him targeting the joints while barely seeing anything? Is he Legolas or what?

-Koyalya: Even that was a buildup for a big finish. Chills.

-Es: Give him a harder mission, like destroying Earth or beheading the Demon King.

-Kim Ki-Bum: Isn't everyone romanticizing it too much? He just hit it hard from behind. He's basically a devil.

The chat was now moving so fast it was impossible to keep up.

***

The Weeping Witch realized something was wrong a few seconds later.

"To break through my barrier..."

Seeing Jin-Hyuk laughing at the sky, she had a suspicion.

It was certain.

That was probably what the players often referred to as a live broadcast.

For some unknown reason, there was a breach in her barrier.

As if to confirm her suspicion, Jin-Hyuk switched the broadcast system from private to public.

This allowed even the Weeping Witch to see the chat messages.

-Kim Ji-Wang: Tongha Tongha. It means hi to the Weeping Grandma.

-Asyam: How does it feel to get your head smashed by Jin-Hyuk?

-Darkshadow: They say it feels really bad to get beaten. Is it true?

-tom: Ah, I want to be bullied by Jin-Hyuk too.

"These insolent humans. Do you know who I am...? Don't feel safe just because you're outside the tower. Soon, I will have the opportunity to find you all."

-Rlawotjdo637: Oh, really? I'm so scared I might wet myself. Better go change my underwear.

-Bamboo: My cat that I didn't feed for a week would be scarier.

-leve: True, if you haven't experienced a cat punch, you wouldn't understand.

-No Gun-Hee: Sometimes, my power frightens me.

-coma: But, won't you die here before you get to us?

"These scum..."

Did she realize it was useless to talk anymore?

The Weeping Witch waved her hand towards the air.

[Barrier strengthened to 10 stars.]

[All broadcast systems blocked!]

[Broadcasting from the ruins is no longer possible.]

"Isn't that too much? The viewers were enjoying it."

This was expected.

But it didn't matter.

He had already extracted enough content and completed the mission perfectly.

Next...

Jin-Hyuk activated 'Eyes of Gluttony.'

Name: Weeping Witch (Real name unknown)

Gender: Female

Age: 469

Level: 115

Strength: 65

Agility: 58

Stamina: 45

Magic: 156

Corruption: 147

Stat Points: 0

Unique Ability: Black Tears

Skills: 'Curse of the New Moon' Lv39, 'Advanced Barrier' Lv35, 'Herbalism' Lv34, 'Black Magic' Lv28, 'Twisted Familiar' Lv27, 'Guardian Creation' Lv25, 'Magic Distortion' Lv25

[Copy Condition: The Weeping Witch's pride in her abilities is beyond imagination. She is confident that even the inhabitants of the upper floors cannot survive her barriers and curses. Defeat the Weeping Witch using only barriers and curses. If you do, you will be able to copy one of her unique abilities or skills.]

A splendid status window appeared.

The 'Corruption' stat, which maximized the efficiency of curse-related skills, stood out. The balanced skill levels also caught his eye.

As expected, the Weeping Witch was not an easy opponent.

However,

What mattered wasn't how strong or tricky the opponent was.

The important thing was that he now had the opportunity to copy such an opponent's abilities.

This would lay the foundation for withstanding the dragon's breath in the future.

Finally...

...just one step remained to acquire this ability.