Chapter 4: National Central Museum (1)

Swish!

Jinhyuk nicked the tip of his finger with a knife.

Drops of blood beaded up immediately.

Had this been a day before, it would have been nothing more than ‘the red liquid flowing through his body.’

But things were different now.

Blood imbued with mana was a medium capable of actualizing various spells and sorceries.

‘It’s been quite a while since I’ve set up a boundary that distorts space.’

It wasn’t an official boundary he could employ within the tower, but even so, activating it was no easy feat.

Jinhyuk placed his finger on a piece of paper.

…Swoosh!

dētórquĕo.

The Latin word written in blood emitted a faint glow.

‘Good. That should do it here.’

Next was the eastern entrance.

Jinhyuk had written the activation words for the boundaries at the four compass points of the National Central Museum.

As soon as he finished with the last, the northern entrance…

Woooom!

An invisible barrier enveloped the entire museum.

[The barrier ‘Imperfect Dimensional Severance’ has been activated!]

[Your vision will be distorted.]

[Noise will be reduced by 70%.]

If he had better materials, he could have omitted the adjective ‘imperfect.’ But this was the limit with supermarket-bought ingredients and blood that carried a diluted concentration of mana.

‘Still, not too shabby.’

His vision distorted and the noise level reduced, it should at least prevent the disaster of the police showing up.

Jinhyuk stood up, stretching his arms and legs.

‘Now that I think about it, it reminds me of the old days.’

The first time he came to the museum, there was chaos because he hadn’t erected a boundary.

The memory of a nightmare with dozens of police cars and a helicopter, along with a bounty event lasting three weeks, came to mind.

A memory he couldn’t forget even if he wanted to.

‘I hope the others haven’t forgotten that time, if possible…’

Well.

He would see how it actually turned out only by checking for himself.

[You have entered the event area.]

As soon as he stepped inside, a heavy scent of blood hit his nose.

‘As expected…’

He had anticipated this.

With the world changed, people would change as well.

But the gap between expectation and reality was more than he had thought.

A security guard lay collapsed on the floor, the amount of blood he had lost indicated he couldn’t have survived.

‘Seems I’m not the only guest who arrived early.’

He wasn’t alone.

The wounds on the body were inflicted by at least three different types of weapons.

And what they were after…

Was the sacred relic stored in the Medieval and Renaissance Hall.

Specifically, everyone who had infiltrated this place was after the same thing.

Daedongyeojido (The Great Map of the East Land).

A map compiled and published by the cartographer Kim Jeongho.

Of course, the intruders were not interested in the landscape of the eight provinces of Korea.

A map infused with mana contained information about the Tower of Trials, and that’s why everyone wanted it.

Think about it.

Knowing exactly where mazes and ruins are,

What items and monsters lie within.

Who wouldn’t desire such information?

Even though it only contained information up to the 10th floor, it was more than enough to ignite avarice.

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth lifted slightly.

Right.

Everyone would long for just that.

‘They have no idea that the truly important relics are hidden in the mud.’

***

Thump! Thud!

Crunch!

“Ahhh!”

“You bastards! Son of a—”

“Let go! That’s mine. Mine!”

Screams and shouts intermingled.

Artifacts that stood the test of time spilled out from the broken display cases.

Just then.

“Stop right there. DON’T MOVE!”

A man in a black suit shouted, a vein throbbing in his neck.

A muscular man in his early thirties with crew-cut hair.

“From this moment on, anyone who moves will die by my hand.”

A textbook threat was issued.

But naturally, it had no effect.

“Talking crap.”

“We don’t have a single scaredy-cat here.”

“If anyone as much as wiggles a toe, I’ll smash your skull in.”

The people around brandished their weapons.

As if they were more than willing to commit murder over a sacred relic.

“…I am Oh Hyungseok of Yongdoo Faction.”

In Korea where organized crime almost vanished, there was no one who didn’t know the name of Yongdoo Faction.

However.

“Pffft! A gangster, he says! How scary is that, huh?”

“Does being a gangster mean your belly won’t get sliced by a knife?”

“If you spout nonsense, I’ll twist your neck like wringing a chicken’s throat.”

The mocking reactions continued.

“This…Looks like talking won’t cut it.”

Oh Hyungseok clenched his fist.

Then…

Crack!

His arms fractured.

His unique ability that hardened his body like rock.

‘Stonemorphosis.’

Only then did the smile fade from the faces of those who were laughing earlier.

“H-have you already acquired a unique ability?”

“Damn it, that’s dangerous…”

Everyone instinctively stepped back.

Unique abilities could only be awakened through special encounters.

Naturally, mere blades wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

The atmosphere shifted decisively to one side.

“The map is mine.”

Oh Hyungseok scanned the area as if he was cementing his ownership.

But at that moment…

“Heh heh. I’m afraid I can’t agree with that.”

A weathered old man stepped forward from the back.

A thick vein popped on Oh Hyungseok’s forehead.

“Hey, old man. Didn’t you see what just happened?”

“The name’s not ‘old man,’ but ‘Min Jungwoo.’ It’s a name that means to ‘live with fairness and brotherly love.’”

“Who’s asking for your formal introduction? Read the room and stay out of the way. Or else I’ll wring that scrawny neck of yours.”

“You’ve got quite a vicious mouth, my young friend. A tongue sharper than a blade. Tsk tsk.”

Min Jungwoo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

But that was only for a moment.

The words that followed held not a trace of chagrin, only a thick intent to kill.

“But who will be faster? You, breaking my neck? Or me, turning you into a pile of charcoal?”

Whoosh!

A fist-sized ball of fire blazed atop Min Jungwoo’s palm.

A unique ability to control the fire element.

“Mag…magic?”

Yes. It was indeed magic.

Oh Hyungseok’s pupils shook like an earthquake.

But before he could even think to dodge…

Min Jungwoo’s hand released the ball of fire, engulfing Oh Hyungseok’s body completely.

Kaboom!

“Aaaaagh!”

Oh Hyungseok thrashed his body wildly.

“Sa-save me! Please save me!”

Having his arms covered in rock made no difference when the rest of his body was composed of fragile flesh and blood.

Stonemorphosis was no help at all.

“Eeeurgh…”

His screams didn’t last long.

Only a charred lump of coal remained, amidst noxious fumes.

“Wow. Fire-type magic really is scorching, huh? Good thing I teamed up with you.”

The bob-haired woman next to Min Jungwoo whistled softly.

“Lee Yuri. You’ll take care of the rest, right?”

“Don’t worry. If anyone tries to interfere, I’ll deal with them.”

Lee Yuri placed a black statue she was holding onto the floor.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The statue began to grow enormous.

A humanoid figure with the head of a jackal.

It was the ‘Avatar of Anubis’ from the Egyptian special exhibition.

“Grrrr…”

The Avatar of Anubis extended its long spear forward.

“Anyone who moves from now on will be considered an enemy. Got it? I’ll start by crushing your skulls.”

Lee Yuri smiled sweetly.

The arrival of a 2 meter tall monster halted every thought of movement in the people there.

Moreover, not one, but two Awakened ones.

A Mage and a Summoner.

Just the troublesome types.

“Damn it.”

“Why are there so many high-level players here? They’re all Awakened.”

“Forget the map and the noise. Take it all. Just take it!”

No one dared to move a finger.

To move meant to ask for death.

But then…

Step.

Someone brazenly walked through the frozen crowd.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of stepping on glass loudly echoed.

“Hey there. You, who lost his mind. Do I look like I’m joking to you?”

Lee Yuri’s expression turned cold.

“Grrrr!”

The jackal’s muscles tensed up, ready to leap at its master’s command.

But the man ignored Lee Yuri’s warning with ease.

“Ugh, what a mess. Don’t these people have any basic respect for fine art?”

Jinhyuk picked up a painting from the floor.

Brushing the dust and glass off with his hand.

“At least it’s not torn, what a relief.”

If the damage had been severe, it would have been unusable.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that bad.

“If you move… I said you’ll die! Can’t you hear?!”

It was just at that moment Lee Yuri shouted.

And simultaneously.

Vrooom!

As Anubis’ Avatar leaned back, it hurled the spear.

A javelin throw.

A fearsome sonic boom ripped through the air.

The trajectory was not a parabola but a straight line.

That’s why the perceived speed was several times faster.

But right before the spear could pierce its target…

Kabang!

Jinhyuk punched the side of the incoming spear, deflecting it.

The spear spun in the air and plunged into the ground.

“Crazy!”

“What, what just happened there?”

“He deflected the spear. Isn’t that just…?”

“Isn’t he supposed to shatter his hand doing that? It’s a steel chunk, after all…”

The onlookers’ eyes bulged in amazement.

‘They don’t know how high my stats are, so they react like this.’

Even players who have eaten the mangrove fruit can only raise 3 stats at the max.

On the other hand, he had allocated as many as 12 stats.

“What now? Your doggy’s one and only weapon is gone, isn’t it?”

Jinhyuk shrugged toward Lee Yuri.

“Who says so… That I only had one statue?”

Lee Yuri pulled four more statues from her handbag.

Did she actually steal that many from the Egyptian exhibit?

Artifacts temporarily loaned from other countries for exhibition, and she’s using them as if they were her own.

“You’ll get scolded by the Pharaoh for that.”

“Is this the time to be joking around?”

No joke.

If you recklessly use artifacts from Egyptian mythology, you might end up with a curse.

The kind that’s incredibly difficult to lift.

[The sacred relic ‘Avatar of Anubis (Replica)’ rises!]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Growl…”

“Yap! Yap! Yap!”

“Awooo!”

Four more ‘Avatars of Anubis’ materialized.

Armed with knives, shields, spears, halberds, and maces, displaying their thick fangs.

“How do you like that? Can you still smile?”

Lee Yuri looked at her summoned creatures with arrogance.

“Not bad. Honestly, I’m a little surprised.”

Considering she could maintain five creatures simultaneously with such limited mana, she was clearly no ordinary level.

Like the old mage I met before.

There seem to be more mature players around than I thought.

“…Only a little surprised?”

Lee Yuri’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yeah. Precisely between ‘a little’ and ‘very little.’”

“Don’t act tough. I know you’re trying to figure out how to run away.”

“Is that how it seems?”

By words alone, it might seem so.

But then.

I’ll have to show her.

Whether it’s an act or not.

Jinhyuk spread out the paper in his hand.

[Mana is being infused into the sacred relic ‘Pine Tree and Tiger (Replica).’]

[‘Mountain King’ manifests!]

Era: Joseon

Identity: Unknown

All that is known is that it contained the formidable presence of an era encapsulated within.

“Kwaaar!”

The tiger that emerged from the paper roared fiercely.

The atmosphere reverberated violently.

Boom!

Its body measured up to 3 meters, with rippling muscles.

Its bright yellow eyes carried an indescribable sense of intimidation.

“It’s im…possible.”

Lee Yuri stammered.

This wasn’t just about materialization; it was about manifesting the source itself.

Until now, many uses of sacred relics had been publicized, but none suggested this method.

And this mana.

Zzzzzt!

The skin tingled sharply from its concentrated density.

These weren’t just enlarged statues.

That painting encapsulated the power of a spirit that had once conquered the mountains.

The odds were 5 against 1.

‘But…there’s no chance.’

There was not the slightest thought of being able to win.

“A desert jackal should never challenge the Mountain Lord.”

Jinhyuk stroked the forehead of the tiger.