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chapter-88

Chapter 88: The Ritual Sacrifice (2)

The Knights of the Round Table.

These legendary knights from the tale of King Arthur each possess special abilities.

Magic, swordsmanship, illusion, tanking—the pinnacle abilities of their respective fields.

‘Among the second-class jobs, they’re almost at the top.’

It was no coincidence that unaffiliated miners wielded great influence within the government and guilds.

With such strong abilities and power backing them, no one dared to mess with them carelessly.

‘One of these big shots is this man…’

Jinhyuk wet his lower lip with his tongue.

Even just confirming this justified the use of the white elixir a hundredfold.

The ‘Protector’s Ability’ to reach the pinnacle in one field was unnecessary for the versatile Jinhyuk, but ‘Mental Barrier’ was indeed a tempting skill.

‘With this upgrade, it’ll become a driving force to withstand Heavenly Gods or Demon Kings in the future.’

However.

Upon confirming the copy conditions, Jinhyuk felt a shock akin to being hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

[Copy Conditions]

1. Identify the knight’s name of your target.

2. From this moment forward, speak and act as if you are afflicted with a middle school syndrome.

Fulfill these two conditions to copy a unique ability or skill from the target.

Once again, he was faced with conditions far from normal.

Of course, considering the target, it’s understandable that the copy conditions would be more challenging. Absolutely.

But.

Damn it.

‘What kind of madman is managing the tower’s system?’

Seriously.

It almost seemed like something that should be decided during a booze-filled punishment game had been mistakenly set as a copy condition.

Jinhyuk pressed his temples with his index fingers.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Hosenbelt, who had been observing him, asked.

“Ah. Sorry. Just trying to calm down the raging Black Flame Dragon in my left hand.”

Jinhyuk grasped his left hand with his right.

His right hand trembled slightly.

As if holding back an explosion in his left hand.

A moment of silence passed.

It felt as if time itself had stopped.

After a few seconds.

“Is this man really the one you were speaking of? It’s hard to believe he’s an enemy to be concerned about.”

The look on the cult leader’s face was one of incredulity.

Hosenbelt was equally perplexed.

“…This is ridiculous. Even with your life on the line, you’re spouting such nonsense?”

Even the ring of Braham he was wearing bobbed crazily up and down.

Elis inside the ring must have been clutching her stomach with laughter.

Yes, I’m aware of how absurd this is, so no need to remind me.

Please just save me from this cycle of insanity.

“I’ll say it only once. You will soon be offered as a sacrificial offering.”

“Hehe. A sacrifice, you say… It reminds me of five years ago. The first time my madness was revealed to the world.”

Jinhyuk covered one side of his face with his hand.

If he had only worn a black cloak and red circle lenses, he would have been perfect.

Damn it.

The longer he acted, the more he got into character.

“…”

Watching Jinhyuk’s strange behavior, Hosenbelt hesitated.

He felt a sense of discord from the person before him who was so different from what he knew.

Could it be…?

‘Has he prepared something?’

The nonsense about a Black Flame Dragon and madness… it could be a chant or groundwork to activate a unique ability or skill?

Given Jinhyuk’s past performances, that seemed more plausible.

‘An individual not to be underestimated.’

After all, he was a player who had played the association’s elites for fools.

Hosenbelt heightened all his senses to the extreme.

Yet, he felt no hint of a magic being activated.

It’s all a bluff.

‘Damn it…’

Still, why couldn’t he shake this sticky sense of unease?

“Don’t be played.”

With effort, Hosenbelt brought the main topic to his lips.

“You might be strong, but there’s no way you can survive the ritual with your unique abilities and skills sealed.”

“Hmm. You came here just to say something like ‘You’re already dead,’ didn’t you?”

“No, I came here… to make the process a little more comfortable for you.”

Hosenbelt produced a transparent glass bottle from his attire.

The liquid inside sloshed.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a sort of anesthetic. It will help you escape the terrible pain during the ritual.”

The notoriety of the sacrifice ritual was due to its exceedingly cruel process.

Since death was inevitable, the human instinct was to die as comfortably as possible.

“I don’t think pain can break my will… but I won’t refuse if you’re offering it.”

Jinhyuk extended his hand.

Then.

“It’s not free.”

Hosenbelt moved the glass bottle slightly back.

“Information about the Unknown. Provide that, and I’ll give this to you in return.”

So this was his angle—as expected.

“You’re quite curious about the Unknown, I see.”

“Potential threats must be crushed early.”

“Fine. I’ll tell you, but I don’t need the anesthetic. Instead, I’d like to ask one question.”

“A question?”

Surprised by the unexpected request, Hosenbelt’s pupils narrowed.

He hadn’t expected that to be the man’s desire.

“Just a fair exchange of one question each. Fair, right?”

Jinhyuk shrugged.

“…Alright. Ask.”

“Your name and your rank within the Myin Association. That’s all I need to know.”

“Why would you want to know such trivial stuff?”

“I’ve been quite curious about the Myin Association. I have a personality that can’t stand not knowing things. Oh! And. Since my Devil’s Eye sees through everything, don’t even think about lying.”

Jinhyuk deliberately widened his eyes.

“…Rest assured, I won’t deceive you.”

Hosenbelt nodded.

Then, he introduced himself slowly.

“My name is Hosenbelt. I hold a place at the Round Table. My knightly name is ‘Lancelot’.”

Lancelot.

The Knight who protects the Round Table.

That was Hosenbelt’s knightly name.

‘Good.’

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth rose.

He had fulfilled one of the two conditions. The other was as good as met as well.

“Is your curiosity now satisfied?”

“More or less.”

“Then it’s my turn. Tell me about the identity of the Unknown.”

Easy enough.

“I’ll say it once, so listen carefully. Unknown is…”

Jinhyuk glanced around cautiously before slowly opening his mouth.

“It’s a guy called Cheon Yuseong.”

“Cheon Yuseong? Surely not?”

“Yes. The very person you’re thinking of. You guys tried to eliminate him once but failed, right?”

“…”

Hosenbelt clenched his mouth shut.

So that’s what it was.

Now everything made sense.

Why Unknown was so powerful.

Why they were hostile to them.

And above all, why the player Kang Jinhyuk knew so much about Unknown; it fit together.

“Have you heard everything you wanted?”

The cult leader, who had been silently observing, asked.

“Yes. That’s sufficient.”

Hosenbelt nodded.

“Farewell, Kang Jinhyuk. We shall not meet again.”

With a final glance at Jinhyuk, he turned away without lingering.

At that moment.

Ding!

[Conditions have been met!]

[Choose one ability that the target possesses to copy.]

The system window notifying him of the condition’s completion appeared.

‘It’s a success.’

Jinhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

Although he had to endure being laughed at, he had achieved his goal.

“I’ll copy ‘Mental Barrier’.”

[Successfully copied the unique ability ‘Mental Barrier (S)’!]

[The copied skill is saved in ‘Memories of the World’.]

[Mental Barrier]

Difficulty of acquisition: S

Description: A skill that enhances the mental field, which can protect the status window, and defends the caster from various types of mental attacks.

An S-rank defensive skill for the mind.

Considering what lay ahead, ‘Mental Barrier’ would be a significant help.

Just then.

“Send the offerings out. The ritual is about to begin.”

The jailer commanded the guards.

“No, please!”

“Please save us. I beg you!”

“I don’t want to die here. I don’t!”

The imprisoned players screamed.

However, it was futile.

No sympathy or pity could be expected in front of the fanatics.

‘It’s time to go.’

Finally, it was time to move to the last stage that marked the finale of this lunatic asylum.

Jinhyuk scanned the cell.

‘Found it.’

He noticed a brick with a deeper gray color than the others.

He tapped the brick seven times with a one-second interval.

Thunk!

Miraculously, a small space appeared on one side of the wall.

A gap leading to the sewer.

Jinhyuk carefully retrieved another elixir he had hidden and pushed it into the sewer.

The red elixir tumbled down.

And shortly after.

Splash!

A pleasant sound echoed.

＊＊＊

The Chamber of Sacrifices.

The massive area reminiscent of a coliseum was filled with fanatics who had come to witness the ritual.

“Aaaargh!”

“Raaar!”

The ‘Breaker,’ deemed the emissary of the god, slaughtered the offerings.

With every flash of an axe or a greatsword, players were cleaved in half.

“Kill!”

“Glory to the god!”

“Ohh! More! We need more offerings!”

Blood spilled and stained the sands red.

Yet the madness of the fanatics showed no signs of subsiding.

They wanted more blood.

To forget this insane world, even if only for a moment.

Shiver!

And the faces of the players in the waiting room, looking at that living hell, were beyond pale; they were ghastly white.

“Ugh!”

“Blargh!”

To cry or vomit was relatively sane.

In severe cases, some wet themselves or even fainted.

Soon, they would have to enter that place themselves.

‘Can’t expect to fight the emissaries with these folks.’

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, looking at the players who had lost all will to fight.

Those who cowered before even starting to fight would only be a burden.

Still, he couldn’t blame them.

If anything, the lowest people here were the ones who treated the players’ lives as mere toys.

A chilling intent appeared in Jinhyuk’s eyes.

‘Really… I can deal with them without any hesitation.’

The hidden quest to kill villains and gain stats.

He had wondered if there might be a hint of reluctance to take human lives.

It was a needless worry.

With the stage set and all the main actors present…

‘Let’s get started.’

Jinhyuk took out a carefully hidden book from within his clothes.

Makedrian’s Magic Tome.

Among the multitude of magic books in the magic library, he had chosen this one for one reason.

Ssssshhhh!

The pages flipped.

Countless runes inscribed on the pages unfolded before his eyes.

The life of a great dragon who struggled to find loopholes in the world’s laws.

This tome contained the dragon Makedrian’s life’s work.

[You have read the ‘Black Dragon, Makedrian’s Magic Tome’.]

Simultaneously.

[The seal on your unique abilities has been lifted.]

[The seal on your skills has been lifted.]

[Time limit: 0h:9m:59s]

The shackles suppressing his power were released.