Chapter 70: Resident of the Tower (1)

Chapter 70: Resident of the Tower (1)

[Just how much does he know?]

Heo Jinsu's inner thoughts were vividly conveyed.

And the content was shocking.

[It has to end here, with me. We must never let slip that the Heukun Guild and the 'residents' have made contact.]

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

What on earth was this guy talking about?

Could it be that it wasn't just about the money?

Suddenly, the conditions for copying flashed through Jinhyuk's mind again.

'Reveal their ulterior motives'.

At first, he thought he was simply tasked to uncover corruption, but there lay a deeper, hidden scheme.

The Heukun Guild, one of Korea's top guilds, and even a story about the 'residents' who had lived in the tower for a long time sprang up—something he hadn't expected.

Players have only conquered up to the third floor.

However, residents powerful enough to freely roam around the tower floors had to traverse beyond the 15th to be encountered.

That meant...

'The residents reached out to the Sirabal Guild first.'

He didn't know the reason or the purpose.

But one thing was certain: their interests aligned and Yoo Cheonyoung was an obstacle to their plans.

'From their perspective, humanity and players must be external threats to the tower...'

This was getting interesting.

That's when.

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

"They siphoned off the money given by those bastards to treat Master?"

"These damned bastards!"

"How could they do such a thing over such a paltry amount of money? Don't even think about getting out of here alive today!"

Yoo Yeonhwa, along with the people loyal to Yoo Cheonyoung, yelled out loud.

They were understandably furious that the healers they had entrusted had stabbed them in the back.

As hands reached for their swords...

"Please leave the matter of dealing with them to me."

Jinhyuk stepped in.

"Player Kang Jinhyuk. While we're grateful you uncovered the truth, I don't think I can calm down unless these bastards are killed here and now."

"I'm sorry, but I think the same. To entrust our Master to such scum..."

The apprentices expressed their feelings, as if they were swallowing bloodied tears.

The mood was hard to quell.

"Instead, let me treat Elder Yoo Cheonyoung. Right now. Right here, on the spot."

"...!"

"Is that even possible?"

Hearing Jinhyuk's words, half-drawn swords were sheathed back.

Revenge was important, but what was more crucial at the moment was saving Yoo Cheonyoung's life.

"Of course, it's possible."

He had dealt with much more severe plagues before; a mere magic overload was nothing.

In the higher floors of the tower, this was akin to a common cold.

'Let's see...'

Jinhyuk gathered a few IV bags and medicines from the medical table.

Needless to say, they were just props for performance.

They were meant to hide his fusion skill and appropriately shine in this situation.

As Jinhyuk finished his preparations, his gaze now turned to Heo Jinsu.

Watch carefully.

How to properly use an elixir.

[Unique ability 'Blessing of the Stars' fused with 'Elixir'!]

[The fusion was successful!]

[Special item 'Tears of the Stars (SS)' has been acquired!]

[A cooldown period of 90 days is required to fuse 'Tears of the Stars' again.]

Whooooom!

Instantly, the color of the elixir changed.

An indescribable bright light flickered along the surface of the liquid.

Jinhyuk took the glass bottle and approached Yoo Cheonyoung.

'If he were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago.'

Bulging veins were a sign of magic overload, indicating the condition had reached its peak.

Indeed, the strong were resilient.

The fact that he was clenching to life amid such terrible pain was a testament to his strength.

'A drop or two is not enough; he needs it all.'

Due to the deteriorated condition, he had to pour out all of the elixir.

It seemed rather wasteful, but...

For the sake of copying abilities, it was a cheap price to pay.

Gulp! Gulp!

The liquid descended down Yoo Cheonyung's throat, seeping into his body.

Then...

A gradually returning color blossomed upon Yoo Cheonyoung's pale face.

"Hooo... Hooo..."

His breathing stabilized and the sweat that trickled from his forehead ceased.

The obtrusively protruding veins all subsided as well.

The long ordeal was over.

Finally, Yoo Cheonyoung had recovered.

[The condition has been met!]

[Please select one of the skills possessed by Yoo Cheonyoung.]

He had already decided what to choose.

Without hesitation, Jinhyuk selected one of Yoo Cheonyoung's skills.

[Successfully copied the unique ability 'Jintaechunghwarangshimbeop (眞太淸花郞心法)(S)!']

[Jintaechunghwarangshimbeop (眞太淸花郞心法)]

Acquisition difficulty: S

Description: A technique developed by Yoo Cheonyoung that allows one to absorb the magic in the air. It increases the magic recovery rate by 30%, and simply by learning it, one's body appears younger.]

[The copied skill will be stored in 'Memories of the World'.]

One notification box after another appeared.

Jinhyuk skimmed over the contents of the newly acquired skill.

'Magic recovery and a younger appearance...'

So that's why Yoo Cheonyoung looked so young despite his age.

The skill level he saw through 'Eyes of Gluttony' was a whopping 13.

Almost the level of an upper-ranked named monster.

While Jinhyuk was delving into the intricate details of the skill...

"Grandfather!"

Yoo Yeonhwa gently stroked Yoo Cheonyoung's cheek with trembling hands.

"This is unbelievable..."

"Has Master really recovered?"

"Yes, it's true! The magic wavelengths have stabilized."

Tears of joy streamed down everyone's eyes.

Overwhelmed with emotions too immense to contain due to the seemingly dreamlike reality.

On the other hand, as Heo Jinsu watched the scene unfold, he was agape, utterly speechless.

'Unbelievable.'

The opponent specialized in combat.

Yet, how could he possibly know the cure for a magic overload syndrome that no one else knew?

Adapting the concentration of the elixir with IV fluids and medicines sounded simple, but it was nearly impossible without insight into the complex mixing ratios.

But the opponent had accomplished it.

Even they, who had spent their lives dedicated to medicine, hadn't dared to try such a feat - yet he did it so nonchalantly.

Shivering!

Heo Jinsu's chin trembled.

The insight that read every single card of theirs.

The overwhelming potential that earned an S-rank designation.

And even knowledge of medicine.

It was as if he was facing a monster.

All he could think about in his mind was escaping from here but his limbs wouldn't move.

Then.

Jinhyuk approached the trembling Heo Jinsu.

"It seems the others are too distracted by their reunion to focus, so let's have our conversation separately."

"What, what are you planning to do to me?"

"Huh?"

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"No, if it were inside the tower, maybe, but killing someone carelessly outside can bring about a headache. Besides, it's absurd to kill someone over a minor embezzlement."

So...

"All the money you've taken. Just cough that up and I'll let you go. That's all."

"Just return the money... and you'll let me go?"

"Isn't that a reasonable deal? You get to escape from Yoo Cheonyoung's wrathful apprentices. And I get to pocket a tidy sum."

Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders, emphasizing as if his only interest was the money.

'Does he want money?'

Heo Jinsu gulped down dry saliva.

If money was the motive, he could simply give it up and be done with it.

The mission to kill Yoo Cheonyoung had failed but at least the most crucial information hadn't been exposed.

The hesitation didn't last long.

"I'll do as you say."

"Then once the money is deposited in this account, I'll release you."

Jinhyuk handed over a slip of paper.

It was an account with a number untraceable, a benefit granted only to S-ranked individuals.

Soon after.

Ding!

[A new financial transaction has occurred.]

[Kang Jinhyuk's account has been credited with '36,350,000,000 KRW'.]

An alert appeared on Jinhyuk's cellphone.

About 36 billion KRW.

A significant portion of the money unduly taken from Yoo Cheonyoung had been returned.

"Can I leave now?"

Heo Jinsu asked cautiously.

"Yes. It was a truly satisfactory deal."

Jinhyuk smiled and stepped back from the door.

There was nothing more blocking the exit.

If one wished to flee, now was the only chance.

Thud!

"EEK!"

"Hurry, get out!"

"I'm saved!"

The moment the door opened, the healers scrambled out in a frenzy.

Worried that Jinhyuk might change his mind, they dashed away as if their lives depended on it.

"Hmm. You're just going to let them go like that? It's not like you."

Elis's voice caught him at that exact moment.

'As expected, she was watching from inside the ring.'

She was prone to meddling in everything.

Well, it meant he saved the trouble of calling her.

"Elis."

Jinhyuk opened his mouth slowly.

"Find out where that guy goes, who he talks to, everything."

"You let him go on purpose?"

"It'd be tough to make him talk if we interrogated him here. Besides, the Heukun Guild or the residents wouldn't give much information to those low on the food chain."

Killing worker ants was pointless.

Therefore...

"Let's guide the fleeing worker ant all the way to the queen."

The corner of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.

* * *

After the commotion had subsided, only Jinhyuk and Yoo Cheonyoung were left in the ward.

Yoo Yeonhwa and the others had stepped outside after Jinhyuk gave a plausible reason, saying he needed to check if the elixir was fully absorbed into the body.

Jinhyuk looked at Yoo Cheonyoung, who was lying motionless.

"It's just us now."

"..."

There was no reply.

"I know you've been awake since before."

Jinhyuk added another sentence.

Then...

"Keke. I thought I'd perfectly masked my energy, but you're quicker on the uptake than I thought, young man."

Surprisingly, the seemingly unconscious Yoo Cheonyoung opened his eyes.

"Was my breathing so poorly done?"

"No, it was perfect."

Even a player with detection skills would not have been able to read Yoo Cheonyoung's breathing.

It's just that Jinhyuk had the 'Eyes of Gluttony'.

Any trivial deception could be thoroughly discerned.

"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to deceive you."

"It's okay. Given my entrance was quite timely, and the fact I knew how to treat a little-known magic surge syndrome, it is reasonable for you to be suspicious."

"Puhaha! Exactly! That's the very reason why."

Laughter erupted from Yoo Cheonyoung. If Jinhyuk had made excuses or tried to evade the question, he would have never believed him.

But because he was so frankly exposing his inner thoughts, Yoo Cheonyung couldn't help but laugh.

"It seems I've misunderstood the person. So, young man, what do you want from this old man?"

"There's one thing I'd really like to ask."

"If it's within my knowledge, I'll answer anything for the one who saved my life."

Yoo Cheonyoung smiled brightly and nodded.

But...

"Did you fight with the resident on the very first day that the Tower of Trials appeared... am I right?"

Faced with such an unexpected question...

"How did you know...?"

Yoo Cheonyung's face lost all traces of a smile.