Episode 63. Mine Association (1)
The night of the Tower of Trials is a bit special.
The temperature, which was warm during the day, dropped rapidly, and the ferocity and attack power of the monsters jumped up.
So at night, most players stopped hunting and found a safe place.
It’s a natural story.
Because there was no need to take the risk.
And about an hour had passed since the Thousand Hands Guanyin was processed.
Jinhyeok was able to take a seat in front of the shrine with a thick bamboo forest.
‘It reminds me of the past.’
A space where I spent most of my time except for sleeping or broadcasting. [Tower of trials].
After hunting like crazy, I always found a place where I could see the night sky.
Not a bad place to take a break.
Especially since I was able to see the pouring meteor shower when I was here.
‘It’s also nice to be able to get bamboo shoots and materials that can only be found in pagodas.’
After making a fire, Jinhyeok put bamboo shoots and rice rock salt in a bamboo barrel and boiled it. In addition, 3 Ironclad Shrimps that can be caught in the valley have been added.
Immediately, a fragrant smell hit my nostrils.
growl
Appetite stirs.
Take a spoonful and put it in your mouth. The soft, warm porridge went down my throat.
The meaty quality of the shrimp, which was plump in the middle, created a fantastic texture.
Great, this is the taste.
‘Next time, I’ll have to copy some of my cooking-related skills.’
As we climbed the tower, all kinds of delicacies were overflowing.
Desert veal, so full of gravy that it overflows and doesn’t even need olive oil.
A rainbow crab that can be obtained from the sea.
Thousand Apples, which are said to contain a thousand scents.
Ingredients that could never be tasted outside the tower.
It is truly a treasure trove of ingredients from the heavenly sea.
But just then, when Jinhyeok is enjoying a long-awaited dinner.
“Yeah. It smells good.”
“It’s a pretty good-looking meal.”
A pair of men and women appeared through the bamboo forest.
An Asian man with an alluring Western beauty and a solid body.
It was Melena and Richao.
“ah! I don’t have any bad intentions. I only came once because I saw the light.”
“Just avoiding the night dew for a while is enough.”
Melena and Richao calmly approached the bonfire.
What is it, these guys can’t believe…
Are they planning to play ordinary players, not mine associations?
sincerely?
‘It’s ridiculous.’
At this point, I am exhausted and have nothing to say.
Or stupid people beyond imagination. Or…
Is there a way to win even if my identity is revealed?
will be one of the two
I wish it was the latter, if possible.
That way, you’ll be able to spend this long night without being bored.
“It’s possible to keep you out of the cold, so please sit down.”
Jinhyeok pointed to one side of the campfire.
“thank you. Call me Melena.”
“My name is Richao. Then excuse me for a few hours.”
Melena and Liqiao took one seat each.
At least it seemed like he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to avoid the night dew.
Watching them hurriedly thaw their half-frozen arms and legs.
“You seem to have suffered a lot.”
“Don’t talk. Didn’t the older brother wearing the mask not know, so he shivered all day on top of the tree?”
Yes, of course it must have been difficult.
How much did you have to lose your eyes to spy on this side like a rat?
“The food was quite generous, but how? Would you like some?”
Jinhyeok handed over a bamboo bowl.
The prawns and immaculate rice stood out.
don’t give up
Everyone knows that my stomach is stuck to my back from starvation.
“…”
Melena swallowed dryly.
It is the face of conflict.
However, he did not readily reach out for food.
that’s suspicious
You don’t know what they did to the food. However, his pupils flinched several times in that short moment, probably because of his strong appetite.
On the other hand, Liqiao drew a line with a single sword.
“We are fine. I’m sorry, but it’s a caution not to touch food given to you by people you don’t know. Especially if the target covered his face.”
“You seem to be bothered by the mask?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I won’t wear a mask unless I want to hide something.”
“hmm. If you don’t feel comfortable looking at it, I can take it off.”
“…what?”
“…really?”
At Jinhyeok’s words, the pupils of the two rapidly dilated.
The opponent who tried to find out his identity somehow declared that he would reveal his identity, so of course he had to react like this.
“Of course, it’s no fun if you just take it off, so let’s play a simple game.”
“If it’s a game…?”
“It seems like we have questions for each other, so we exchange questions three times in turns. If you will answer all my questions, I will remove the mask as soon as the game is over.”
A game in which information can be exchanged with each other.
Liqiao’s head turned quickly.
‘There is no way to find out the authenticity of the words anyway.’
It doesn’t matter if you give false information.
On the other hand, the opponent who does not know our true identity must be careless.
‘Even if we accept that offer, we have nothing to lose.’
Melena, who was next to her, also nodded and whispered softly.
“We still need five more minutes for the relic to activate. It would be great if we deliberately delayed our time.”
The worry didn’t last long.
“…Fun. Wouldn’t it be bad to pass the time.”
Richao opened his mouth.
and that moment.
[‘Judgment of Anubis’ is activated!] A
transparent wave spread around Jinhyeok.
＊＊＊
…It’s stuck.
Jinhyeok smiled meaningfully.
In fact, I knew right away that the two would accept the offer.
Because it was them who needed time.
Parts Tsutsu!
A unique wavelength that flows from a woman named Melena.
It is a magical power that I felt several times while playing [Tower of Trials] in the past.
‘Coin of Caligula…’
A coin engraved with the image of Caligula, a Roman tyrant.
What kind of card did you prepare? Was it that?
Definitely not a bad choice.
It had the downside of taking time to activate, but once it was fully activated, it had the effect of completely destroying the vigilance of the designated target.
Mind-type Relics, which allow you to confess everything you know without the need for time-consuming physical torture, were quite useful cards.
‘I’m sure you know that my body hasn’t fully recovered yet, but I’m trying to achieve a more perfect victory.’
The intention to avoid even minor injuries stood out.
excellent.
It’s great.
As long as its existence is known before its activation, you should know that Caligula’s coin is just a commemorative coin, not a holy relic.
‘Let me tell you that there is a flying one above the jumping one.’
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
“I will give you the right to go first. Ask a question first.”
“If I ask about my name or affiliation, I won’t answer…”
“If I reveal my identity to the first question, there will be no point in asking this question and answer. Taking off the mask is only after the game is over.”
“Then change the question. Are there any other comrades besides you here?”
Hmm.
I thought you’d ask something else.
That’s a pretty realistic question.
Common sense would make it hard to think that I came to the boss raid alone, so I have no choice but to think that there is another colleague.
Since the range of Caligula’s coin is 10m, we want to check the variable that will be one in tenth.
“I came here alone and I will be alone when I go out.”
“…Right.”
“I ask this time. It looks like you came here to hunt the boss monster too, but why did you just watch?”
“I was looking at the timing to go inside the temple. It’s such a notorious place, so I had to be careful.”
You’re talking like prudence.
But with this I got the answer to the first question.
There are two left.
Just then, Liqiao asked the second question.
“If you climb the tower, there must be something you wish for. Whether it’s power or denial, whether it’s that or honor. I want to know that.”
Whoa.
Jinhyeok’s eyes narrowed at Liqiao’s words.
‘I thought he came to kill me…’
It seems that he has an idea of appeasement if the conditions are right.
“I have what I want, but do you really have the ability to do it just because I said it?”
Shivering from the cold and starving.
Richao and Melina had been up in the tree all day, so they were speechless.
“Well, we must look funny now. But you don’t have to worry because you have the ability to do so.”
This is the second one….
There is only one answer needed now.
The corners of Jinhyuk’s lips twisted subtly.
At the same time, the polite way of speaking cooled down.
“They say you have the ability to do that… Then can you give me a seat at the ‘Round Table’?”
“What now?”
“How do you know about the Round Table!?”
The two shouted at the same time.
A round table that symbolizes the highest ranking officials of the Mine Association.
Because I never imagined that those veiled words would flow out of an outsider’s mouth. I had no choice but to make a flagship.
But do they know?
The fact that there is an ancient person who figured out the origin and reason of the expression ‘Round Table’ before anyone else.
“I haven’t heard the answer to your question yet, so can you give it to me?”
“Of course I can’t give it to you!”
Liqiao bit his molar.
“You’re just saying what that is!”
Melena had suddenly risen from her seat.
I thought you were going to say it anyway.
“Actually, I’m not interested in giving it to you.”
Even if they were given a position as an executive of the Mine Association for free, it would be acceptable.
And you don’t have to do clumsy acting anymore.
[Conditions fulfilled!]
Anubis’ judgment has just manifested.
Cuckoo Cuckoo!
The ground started shaking violently.
“Kuk!”
Liqiao hurriedly widened the distance.
It was an act done instinctively due to unusual magical power.
timely.
“Five minutes passed!”
Melena yelled.
The time we’ve been waiting for is finally over.
As long as he could use Caligula’s coin, he could defeat any enemy, no matter how strong.
Because no player has had the ability to defend against the mental system until now.
but.
“No, the holy relic does not activate.”
Jinhyuk laughed.
“what?”
Liqiao raised his eyebrows as he drew out his dagger.
“That coin. Right now, it would be of no use to anyone. I delayed the activation time by about 5 minutes.”
“Don’t bullshit! How could you…!”
“for a moment! Really.”
Melena’s face darkened in a critical spot.
Undoubtedly.
“The coin hasn’t been imbued with enough mana yet. That guy… He’s cheating on something. He must have done something to suppress our mana!”
“What are you talking about! We didn’t even put our food to our mouths!”
The only possibility is the dish Jinhyeok gave him.
But how the hell did he play with food he didn’t eat?
“That’s right, this dish is effective just by smelling it.”
There’s no way that vigilant people will readily accept food from others.
So I shaved my head a bit more.
A slower but more sophisticated method than taking it directly by mouth.
“When the sap flowing from the bamboo shoots reacts with the Ironclad Shrimp, it creates a toxic substance that suppresses mana. Of course, if you chew this grass, you won’t be poisoned.”
Jinhyeok sneakily showed the eucalyptus leaves in his mouth.
“Don’t… you can’t. You have designed everything from our identities to the effect of the relic and the way to destroy it?”
“Weren’t we… buying time?”
The two muttered in disbelief.
I thought I dug the perfect trap.
I thought time was definitely on my side.
All of that fell apart.
“From now on, I will ask questions.”
Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.
at the same time.
[Anubis chooses the opponent!]
Something started to move.
