Chapter 272: The World of Duty and Chivalry. Murim (武林) (1)

Chapter 272: The World of Duty and Chivalry. Murim (武林) (1)

Cheon Yoo-seong opened his interspatial inventory as if he had been expecting it.

Whirr!

Along with the dazzling light, a multitude of magical stones poured out, colorfully shimmering.

"Mosquitoes?"

Goguma tilted his head slightly in confusion.

However, the bewilderment was fleeting.

"Mooosquiiitoooeeeees..."

The sizeable magical stones began to fill the amber eyes of Goguma.

That's greed. Lust and greed coexisted in one place.

It was dangerous to leave it at that.

Jinhyuk made a quick judgment and opened his mouth.

"Koo, Guma, don't fall for it! I also have magic stones. Haven't you forgotten? The magic stones that we were supposed to get as a guarantee from KDS. Even if you eat those alone, you'll burst from fullness, right?"

"Well, I wonder if there's something like this among what they promised to give?"

Among the magic stones that Cheon Yoo-seong was keeping, there was a kind that was completely different from ordinary magic stones.

"Ele, Element Magic Stones!? How did you...?"

The wind escaped Jinhyuk's mouth.

To imbue an item with elemental magic, there are various methods, and using these Element Magic Stones was the most efficient way.

Now, even a blacksmith from a failing backwater town could competitively strike the cheek of a royal blacksmith...

To speak of their performance was just a waste of breath.

"Guma?"

"Mosquito!"

Goguma answered vigorously as if to ease worries.

But why Cheon Yoo-seong was snuggling inside was unclear to him.

Nor did he know that the light of Breath was pointing this way.

"Master, don't worry. I will protect master's life no matter what happens."

"Tibon...?"

That's right. He was the only one, the faithful summoned creature.

Jinhyuk's eyes were about to moisten when he said that.

"You are... the undead summon that guy had with him."

"Clank! Right. I am the master's summoned creature. I am Death Knight Tibon! I've come all the way to this point with my loyalty......"

As Tibon proudly continued his speech, Cheon Yoo-seong poured himself a glass of milk from a crystal goblet, gulp, gulp, gulp.

"There is also something for you. This is top-grade milk brought from the thousand-year-old ice dairy on the 7th floor. I'm not sure, but the dairy owner said it's the best quality product with a scent that's top-ranked across the entire tower."

"Clank. Even just sniffing it seems to increase bone density. The ogre milk given by the master pales in comparison."

Tibon's pupils sparkled.

"And if it's the Elemental Spirits... I believe they prefer things appropriate to their own elements, am I wrong?"

Cheon Yoo-seong continued to lay out the items.

For Undine, he provided Etriang water, known for its beauty benefits.

For Sylphid, a dress blessed with the Wind's Grace was given.

And for Salamander, lukewarm flames from Molosomon Volcano were presented.

"Master, thank you for everything."

"I watched human TV recently and heard that you reap what you sow."

"Master is really a good master... Whew. I can't even finish my sentence."

"Die. No, sorry. My true feelings slipped out."

"Everyone, be quiet. I have a headache."

The Elemental Spirits turned around without a second of hesitation.

How could this be?...

That damned Sword Saint. When exactly had he made these preparations?

After being so nice, now he plans to smack us from behind.

He had invested a considerable sum in coins to broadcast this event live outside the tower.

If it ends here, the losses would be greater than the gains.

However, what worried him most wasn't the loss of coins.

"You've taken the Hippocratic Oath, right? Huh? Look me in the eye and answer me."

"Don't worry. I've said it before, didn't I? Personal emotions don't matter when I'm operating."

Surely, he had said something like that at a bar in Hongdae.

But why is he infusing his scalpel with sword energy?

Most importantly, if you hold the scalpel that high, aren't you simply saying you're going to stab right through?

"The operation will be perfect. One cut will do it."

Cheon Yoo-seong wore a bright smile that could melt the viewer's heart.

It was a smile that seemed to make all accumulated frustration disappear in an instant.

"Sister. Shouldn't you help out?"

"It's okay. The strong ones usually don't die easily."

"Yoo-seongaaaa!"

A plaintive scream echoed from Jinhyuk's mouth.

***

A dazzling moonlight shone on the garden.

In this place, exempt from the tower's rules, six shadows had gathered.

The beings who oversee the major affairs of the tower, something not even divine beings could interfere with lightly.

They were the 'Senior Administrators.'

Hidden in the shadows, there was nothing to be heard but each other's voices, yet the conversation flowed as if each was familiar with the others.

"Weren't all members supposed to gather today? Why is one missing?"

There were only six people sitting in the seven stone chairs.

One seat was vacant.

"The Nordic divine beings and the Egyptian divine beings had a minor skirmish. Isabelle is dealing with the aftermath, hence her absence," Hastings spoke.

"A war, huh? Well, those two have been itching for a fight."

"Hoo. Can't they live quietly for once? Now there's more work piled up like a mountain."

"With those two aggressive forces clashing, what else can you expect?"

Complaints mixed in with sighs around the gathering.

The Senior Administrators, responsible for maintaining the balance of the tower, could not help but find such large-scale events troublesome.

At that moment, the largest shadow in the circle brought up a grave matter.

"Was it once again because of the 'crown'?"

The crown.

Indeed.

The cause of every conflict, and one of the most important relics in the tower.

To reach the summit of the tower, it's essential to gather all seven crowns.

However, no one has been able to collect all the crowns scattered across the tower.

Of the seven crowns, only five had confirmed owners and even among those, only one person owned more than two crowns.

Therefore, the crownless kings floated throughout the tower, waiting for another chance to ascend to the summit.

"That must be the case. Since Odin lost his crown, the influence of the Nordic divine beings has plummeted."

"Being administrators of seven is, in fact, to safeguard the seven crowns. Precisely to ensure that the crowns reach those who are worthy."

"Well, truthfully, it doesn't matter who has the crowns. As long as their process doesn't violate tower rules, there's no problem."

"Right. We are observers and guardians. We just watch and only intervene against those who break the rules."

One shadow's gaze fell upon Hastings.

"However, not everyone seems to think this way, do they? Hastings."

"What do you mean?"

"There are signs that 'they' from the 50th floor have moved. Judging by the traces of magic, a seal has been broken, and somewhere a gap has opened."

"The ancient beings? Are you serious?"

"...Surely, their intervention is forbidden, isn't it?"

A great stir erupted among the shadows.

"The mere magic traces can't conclude that a crack has opened in the 50th floor. It's just that the overwhelming magical power has seeped through the barriers. Everything is still under strict control, I assure you all, upon my name."

Hastings shrugged casually.

"Really?"

"Why would I lie? There is no entity threatening enough to gather all the crowns, be it divine beings, residents, or players. You need not worry too much over something that will never happen."

No matter the monster, no matter how powerful a faction and its retainers are.

They will never be able to gather all seven crowns.

Not so far.

And never ever in the future...

"Surely..."

"There isn't anyone capable of causing such an anomaly."

"It's true."

This was an implicit agreement among all the Senior Administrators.

***

Murim, located in the middle levels of the tower.

This place, with a force comparable to the empire, is a large alliance composed of numerous sects.

As it closely resembles China's historical regions, it has been a prime location for players associated with China in the past.

There had only been a handful of people who had scaled the 20th floor.

After taking a few days of rest, Jinhyuk finally reached this place.

'It's quite amazing to be here after such a long time.'

A bustling city filled with people as far as the eye could see.

The noisy streets made him realize that he was truly stepping into a new layer.

"This place is pretty lively. I haven't been around here much, but like you said, it's not too bad."

"Lord, it will take a full month to reach Mount Simman by foot from here. Of course, the duration can be greatly reduced using Lightfoot."

Cheon Yoo-seong and Moon Shadow each added their comments.

Jinhyuk planned to immediately visit Cheon Ma Sin Gyo at Mount Simman, while Cheon Yoo-seong intended to go to Huasan Faction to meet Soo Hon Sae Yeong.

Since the masters teaching them swordsmanship were different, their destinations were naturally different.

'Go and learn diligently.'

Become stronger, and stronger still.

Then next time, you can copy more delicious skills.

[Breath of the Blade - Passive]

Difficulty of acquisition: SS

Description: Not only people who wield swords, but also the swords themselves possess a unique breath. By acquiring this skill, you can bring out the potential of the sword you own. (Note: The limit of potential you can draw out varies with the proficiency of the skill and the level of training.)

A cheat-like effect that makes the weapon's rank-up possible.

This was a skill gained from meeting Cheon Yoo-seong.

'While I fought with the Witch of Lamentation, he went to acquire this.'

A minimum of ten sword-related skills had to be possessed, and one must have been trained in sword technique for at least 10,000 hours to learn it.

For this reason, 'Breath of the Blade' was quite difficult to acquire through conventional means.

Of course, the story was entirely different if the conditions for copying allowed for easy acquisition.

Looking at it now, this annoying Sword Saint was looking rather charming.

After 90 days, he would come back to donate another skill.

Just three more good skills to donate, and perhaps the grudge from Han Korea University could be overlooked.

Maybe.

That was when it happened.

"Everything is nice, but can we eat something before we go? In any case, we have to get that identity badge or whatever it's called, and then move on, right?"

The geometric-patterned mask grumbled.

Unknown, or rather, Elis, who had taken on the role.

Gurgle.

A sound like the launch of the Titanic emerged from Elis' stomach.

"Didn't you just eat 30 rice balls? And you even devoured our portion of vanilla ice cream intended for dessert. Have you already forgotten?"

"Ri, right, you said you could eat as much rice as you wanted. And the ice cream was just a light snack."

"Four tubs of ice cream are a snack?"

"It's fine to eat meals and snacks separately. Those caramel macchiatos and tiramisu cakes tasted good too. Oh, right. Don't forget our promise to go to the café together next time!"

At this rate, it's hard to say whether this guy is a vampire or a gastronomic deity.

However, I agree that a break is necessary.

If not here, then there'll hardly be any comfortable places to rest in this layer for a while.

'I should secure the identity badge incidentally.'

In the layer governed by Murim, an 'Identity Badge' is absolutely necessary.

Analogous to the modern-day ID card...

Without it, one would not only be considered the public enemy of the Five Great Clans and Nine Faction Alliance but would also be subject to a myriad of penalties in the system.

"Here is under the control of the Konryun Faction, so how will you handle it. Will you really go to the none-alliance and take the identity test?"

Cheon Yoo-seong mentioned the most basic method.

3rd grade, 2nd grade, 1st grade, special grade.

Depending on the test results, one could obtain different types of Identity Badges, and naturally, the privileges differed.

The higher the recognition, the more comfortably one could reside in Murim.

"The test, huh... Of course, I'm going to take it."

There was certainly an intention to take the test.

However, in a slightly different manner than ordinary tests.

"You... what sort of plan are you scheming this time? I don't care about the rank, as long as I get any identity badge. But if your strange actions cause trouble for me too..."

"Huh? Ah, no. Don't worry. How could I possibly harm you? I plan to take it very ordinarily, very ordinarily indeed."

Jinhyuk smiled lightly.

The world's most unsettling smile stretched across his lips.