Solo Max-Level Newbie
chapter-169

Chapter 169: Three Great Despairs (3)

Before Xiaoting’s eyes appeared none other than Jinhyuk.

“Kang… Jinhyuk.”

Xiaoting’s voice trembled thinly.

How could she not recognize him?

Currently in China, no, he was the person attracting the most attention in the whole world.

Yet, Xiaoting’s surprise was not solely because Jinhyuk was an extraordinary player.

‘The leaders of the Zhonghua Guild have fled… and he’s offering to help us?’

It was incomprehensible.

What could possibly drive someone from another country, who is practically an enemy, to rescue them?

“What on earth…”

Questions chased more questions, but in truth, the reasons were of no consequence to her.

What mattered now…

Was that someone had appeared to save them in this desperate situation.

“It’s Kang Jinhyuk!”

“It’s really him. For real!”

“How did a ranker from Korea get here?”

“Can we… survive this?”

The onlookers swallowed their dry spit.

When China’s elites had been helplessly shredded, they had had no choice but to give up on life.

Players who had always been seen triumphing with pride on TV, the very pillars of Zhonghua, died without being able to put up a proper fight.

Thus, they were certain they would meet the same fate.

But then.

At that moment.

Something unexpected happened.

＊＊＊

“Luckily, I’m not too late.”

Teresa exhaled softly.

The light that descended through ‘Blessing of the Stars’ enveloped the wounded. The injuries began to heal slowly but surely.

Flesh mended and bones found their place.

Having dealt with the crisis, Teresa glanced at Black Scorpion.

She had briefly managed to immobilize him using two swords, but she hadn’t inflicted a fatal wound.

He was struggling to escape from the ice pillars right now.

‘This is dangerous…’

Judging by the speed at which the ice shards were breaking apart, there wasn’t much time left.

A few minutes at most.

Afterwards, the first despair would start rampaging again.

Moreover.

Teresa’s gaze now moved towards the storm clouds.

It wasn’t just Black Scorpion surging through the thunderstorm.

Kukukukuku!

The airflow distorting, fissures erupted in the sky.

Overwhelming magical power.

If the third despair were to fully manifest, she couldn’t even imagine how dire the situation would become.

“In the tomb… our powers were suppressed.”

“It would have been dangerous if the tomb had collapsed due to the full release of power.”

However.

Now, there’s no need for such caution.

To them, this event was not about protection but retribution.

Listening to Jinhyuk’s calm words, Teresa carefully opened her mouth, her voice shaking.

“Aren’t you afraid, Mr. Jinhyuk?”

Victory had always been his, but the path was like walking a tightrope.

One mistake, one lapse, could cost him his life.

Yet.

How could he possibly remain so composed?

Instead of answering, Jinhyuk just smiled lightly.

‘He must be worried.’

Even monkeys could fall from trees. No matter how promising one might be, there’s no rule saying they cannot make mistakes.

But.

For a true veteran of the game…

For a player who has seen the summit of a tower everyone else has failed to climb.

Not making a single mistake is the rule.

“Please take care of those behind you. With you, Ms. Teresa, they can be protected from collateral damage due to the battle.”

Having finished speaking, Jinhyuk pulled out two swords from his dimensional inventory.

[Unique Ability ‘Sword Grave’ is activated!]

Dark flames surged around the fang he held in his left hand.

[Unique Ability ‘Mandala’ blooms.]

Golden mist flickered around the twin dragon sword in his right hand.

At that moment.

“Kieeee!”

The Black Scorpion, trapped in ice, broke free.

The black exoskeleton and the flashing red eyes stood out vividly.

Fuming with murderous intent, it clearly was incensed.

Kwaang!

In an instant, Black Scorpion closed the distance, uncharacteristic for its size, as it targeted Jinhyuk with its tail.

An attack too fast for numerous players to react to.

The stinger, moving as if ignoring mass, punctured diagonally through the air.

“Be careful!”

“Dangerous!”

Teresa and Xiaoting screamed involuntarily.

But.

They were all misunderstanding one thing.

It’s undeniable that despair is strong, but.

There’s always something greater.

Kwadeuk!

Puck!

A pair of swords moved too lightly.

Or rather, it seemed they might have moved, judging only from the outcome.

As Jinhyuk’s hands made a subtle motion, blood soon spurted from both sides of Black Scorpion’s exoskeleton.

“Kiee…”

There was no anguished scream, no furious thrashing from the wound inflicted.

Black Scorpion’s body swayed greatly.

That was the end.

Black Scorpion crashed through the windowpane into the building.

Kwakwakwakwa!

Falling debris completely engulfed Black Scorpion’s body.

[The first despair has been extinguished.]

Amidst the unbelievable spectacle, silence lingered for several seconds.

All the spectators stood frozen.

“He, he took it down with one blow?”

Xiaoting stuttered in shock, almost biting her tongue.

It was well-known that the opponent was strong.

But this level was inconceivable.

How high the level, how special the ability, it was beyond imagination.

Teresa was just as flustered.

She thought she knew Jinhyuk better than anyone present,

But this… This simply didn’t feel real.

‘The more I see, the more amazing he is.’

She suddenly recalled their first meeting.

When he had asked her to trust him no matter what came their way.

‘Once again, I worried over nothing.’

A faint smile appeared on Teresa’s lips.

Once again, she assured herself.

No matter how hopeless the enemy faced, there was a player she could trust and follow.

A comrade who would stand firm in any situation.

Right there, before her eyes.

＊＊＊

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[You have acquired the title ‘Challenger of Despair’.]

[Challenger of Despair]

Acquisition Difficulty: Immeasurable

Effect: When facing the Three Great Despairs, all stats are increased by 10%. However, the effects of this title will disappear once all three despairs are defeated.

A whole 4 levels.

Considering that he was in his level 50s, this experience gain was unreal.

‘Definitely something worthwhile.’

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.

The manifestations of the despairs did indeed release various restrictions, but there was also a cost that came with it.

‘With greater strength also come vulnerabilities.’

Equivalent Exchange.

In the Tower of Trials, it’s impossible to gain only benefits. To acquire something, an equal price must be paid.

In this case, it was the appearance of fatal vulnerabilities that counted as payment.

2.7cm to the left of the heart, and 3.3cm below where the lungs were situated.

These were Black Scorpion’s weak points.

But even knowing them, delivering a precise attack with the correct force and angle was needed for it to be effective, so success wasn’t guaranteed even with the knowledge.

Just one person.

‘Except for me.’

At that moment,

Multiple status windows appeared before Jinhyuk.

[Several factions are extremely excited.]

[The massive faction ‘Empire’ expresses admiration for your heroism.]

[You have gained 10,000 points in public credit.]

[The Elemental Realm bestows 3,000 points in public credit.]

[The goodwill towards you has risen to a very high level.]

Yes.

This was it.

Crossing over to China and bridging a dangerous gap was not only about leveling up but also about attracting the attention of the factions.

After all, in the ‘Faction Selection War’, the most important point was accumulating public credit.

To the factions that value honor, the existence of a ‘hero’ was a temptation too hard to resist.

‘Titles may or may not be given, but luck seems to be on my side this time.’

The second despair might be manageable, but the third ‘Black Sphere’ was quite tricky to deal with,

With its speed and destructive power.

If taken lightly, it could pierce one full of holes.

However, the presence of the title allowed for a more favorable design of battle.

Now, just one more issue needs to be resolved.

Jinhyuk glanced briefly at Teresa.

To achieve the goal of bringing Teresa instead of Elise or Cheon Yuseong…

There was still one more issue to deal with.

‘The situation needs to be carefully orchestrated…’

But as Jinhyuk pondered that very moment,

Kwaang!

Kwaang!

With a loud noise, green vines burst from the ground.

Cars hit squarely by the vines shot up into the sky.

The second despair had made its appearance.

‘…Sure got impatient.’

Jinhyuk quickly leaped away to get some distance.

Wherever he set foot, huge craters formed continuously.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

As the storm of green waves surged, an individual darted smoothly through it.

Thus, a dangerous game of tag, caught yet uncaught, continued.

The one growing increasingly impatient as time dragged on was the gigantic carnivorous plant.

“Kieeeeek!”

Between the shattered ground, a mouth filled with hundreds of teeth emerged.

[The second despair ‘Yantaman’ activates ‘Seismic Detection’!]

That was exactly why this creature was troublesome.

Not only could it sense the slightest tremor on the ground to pinpoint its target, but it could also send shockwaves to that exact location. Its offense and defense could only be described as flawless.

‘Is this where the real game begins?’

Jinhyuk’s movements quickened further.

As the vines became quicker and more accurate, he had to adapt his movements to a more unpredictable pattern.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pointed tips of the vines penetrated the ground like bullets.

Jinhyuk weaved in and out of lampposts, slowly luring the creature towards the outskirts.

Whoosh!

Tiny flames created through ‘Fire Elementals’ flickered dimly atop the lampposts.

Just a little more.

Just a bit more and…

At the junction where buildings met, Jinhyuk used ‘Sword Demon Emperor Step’ to leap as far as he could.

He crossed over 15 meters in an instant.

And then.

A black sphere appeared right in front of Jinhyuk.

He had finally reached the territory of the third despair.

Patsuts!

The sphere’s surface rippled.

A lance faster than thought was ready to thrust forward without any preparatory movement.

“Kieee!”

From behind, the real body of the plant that had been pursuing him revealed itself.

Chunks of earth and fragments of cement fell towards the ground.

The immense body, nearly 100 meters, was intimidating in its very presence.

Front and back.

There was nowhere left to run.