Solo Max-Level Newbie
Chapter 359: New Weapon (4)

Chapter 359: New Weapon (4)

Vvvvmmm!

With a shimmering light, white cold energy poured out.

The weapon of ice attributed with the greatest power lay asleep within the heart of the Sun’s dunes.

It was the ‘Soul of Havelian’.

The crystalline form, imbued with the frigid powers of past Havelians, was in itself a treasure of immense value.

‘If it’s refined properly, it can produce specs far superior to those of any fang.’

Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

The Soul of Havelian, containing an immense cold comparable to frozen tears, would lead to disaster if touched with bare hands.

Even if he layered himself with ice sculpture after ice sculpture, there was no escaping that chill.

But.

He didn’t come here unprepared.

Jinhyuk pulled a fiercely burning feather out of his subspace.

‘The Phoenix Feather.’

A special item he had obtained on the 7th floor of the tower.

Fwooosh!

[The resistance to ice attributes has increased by 500%!]

[The Phoenix Feather is rapidly depleting!]

Crackle… hisss… sizzle…

Using it up in one go might feel like a waste, yet anything less wouldn’t suffice and would only create a half-baked solution.

Better to…

‘Bet it all on this one chance.’

Jinhyuk reached out with hands ablaze.

Shivers!

“…!”

Even with layers of flames, he could feel the chill.

It was truly formidable.

But.

‘It’s possible.’

Coldness differs in intensity.

The key point was exactly 5cm above the base of the crystal, where a faint protrusion could be felt.

Jinhyuk grasped the weakest part of the chill.

Chiiiing!

A tremendous amount of steam erupted as fire met ice.

How much time had passed?

Finally, the suppliants at the center split aside, and the pure white crystal was extracted.

[You have acquired the ‘Soul of Havelian (魂)’!]

At last…!

He had obtained it.

Jinhyuk swung the crystal lightly.

Swirl…

A sharp crystal, about 50cm in length, rotated counter-clockwise.

It was light, yet perfectly balanced, even without undergoing a proper refinement process.

‘It just shows how good the raw material is.’

Jinhyuk examined the crystal through ‘The Eyes of Gluttony’.

[Soul of Havelian (魂)]

Difficulty to Acquire: SS

Attack Power: 12,800

Durability: 580,000 / 580,000

An SS-grade indeed.

An attack power exceeding 10,000 and nearing 600,000 in durability.

‘Crazy. Seriously.’

He was filled with anticipation of what kind of weapon could be crafted if Orun the sage refined it.

Intolerably so.

If only he could manage the remaining chill, the conquest of the 19th floor would also be within reach.

But then.

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, Jinhyuk lifted his head.

Tingles! Tingling!

‘Could it be…?’

A heavy presence was felt throughout his body.

Cold chills ran up his skin.

“Kyao?”

Even Havelian, previously distracted by eating shaved ice, perked up his snout.

The magical power targeting this nest held a distinctly different caliber.

This unique aura…

He knew what it was.

Joshua’s Horn.

One of the most powerful holy relics possessed by Eden was targeting this place.

But, was that even possible?

Gabriel needed to secure the Necronomicon, didn’t he?

‘Has someone else intervened? Or, have they offered a more enticing deal?’

All sorts of possibilities came to mind, but there was no luxury of time to calculate probabilities.

The important thing was that an absolute judgment holy relic targeted this place.

[Absolute Judgment ‘Divine Punishment’ is activated!]

Vvvvmmm!

Havelian’s nest began to be dyed white.

At most, 30 seconds.

After that, the nest itself would evaporate.

‘Think.’

Jinhyuk wracked his brain.

Even under pressure, there had to be an opening to break through.

25 seconds.

Time ticked away.

He wouldn’t be able to escape this place until the crystal was completely his own, as the conquest wouldn’t be recognized otherwise.

In essence, there was no way to dodge the attack descending from above.

‘I need to create something to defend with.’

Ice sculpture was out of the question.

Even ‘Star’s Blessing’ couldn’t evade a holy relic of Eden, the epitome of all sanctity.

Now 20 seconds.

‘Supreme Mercy’ could withstand it, but only for a scant moment – not the extended barrage spanning over ten seconds.

10 seconds.

It was time to make a decision, either way.

Right then, an idea struck Jinhyuk like lightning.

The Lucky Random Box.

An item he had acquired along with the ticket to the auction house of gods.

Using it…

His hesitation didn’t last long.

His hands moved before his mind did.

[The ‘Lucky Random Box’ is opening!]

[Different items will appear depending on the amount of magical power infused.]

[Probability Details]

Isilgram’s Wrist Guard [B], Drop Probability: 17.5%

Vitality Elixir [A], Drop Probability: 4.9%

……

The Lucky Random Box, boasting an average B-rank drop rate, ranked among the best in gambling-type items.

But what was necessary here was not an average B rank.

A probability of 0.000000128%.

Virtually zero.

Of course.

He wasn’t just relying on the slim chance of luck.

Jinhyuk touched the box.

Probabilities and calculations were irrelevant.

Infusing the precise amount of magical power was next to impossible.

4 seconds.

A white pentagram appeared out of thin air.

Due to the effect of the Absolute Judgment, everything around was beginning to be buried.

At that moment.

Vvvvmmm!

Blue waves rippled along Jinhyuk’s fingertips.

“….”

Normally, he wouldn’t have dared such insanity.

The Lucky Random Box was stored in a corner of his subspace, intended for exchange rather than use.

‘Controlling the flow of magical power with nano-precision is far too likely to fail, even for me.’

But he had one thing to believe in, unlike in the past…

The power of the ‘First Conqueror of the Tower’ title and stats.

Luck and Adaptation.

The special privilege granted solely to the one who has seen the zenith of the tower, converting the impossible into the possible.

The utmost concentration, countless trial and error memories, and the serendipity all came together in one moment.

Kukukuku!

[Joshua’s Horn is activated!]

[The absolute judgment ‘Divine Punishment’ descends!]

A massive light fell from the sky.

The horn, bearing Eden’s will, rang out a proclamation of the end.

And concurrently…

[You have miraculously drawn the highest-grade holy relic from the ‘Lucky Random Box’!]

A golden notification signaled success.

…It’s done!

Jinhyuk hastily grabbed the holy relic that was starting to take shape.

A square shield was raised towards the sky.

[Prydwen – ‘The Face of Evening’ responds to its master’s call.]

Magical circles blooming like petals guarded the shield.

This was one of the strongest shields that pursued the pinnacle of holy power, akin to Joshua’s Horn.

Kwaang!

An unimaginably loud roar shook the entire Havelian nest.

＊＊＊

Chiiing!

The collision of holy relics turned the surroundings into complete ruins.

An utterly massive strike that shook even the axis within the Sun’s dunes.

“My ribs… feel like they’re busted for sure. Lucky it ended with just that, though.”

Fortunately, there were no other severe injuries.

Just a crippling muscle pain he’d have to endure.

“Kyah, kyahaaa…”

Havelian also looked around with fear stricken eyes.

Indeed, for him, it was as if an intruder had brought a natural disaster to his nest without warning.

But perhaps feeling grateful for being protected from an enemy attack, Havelian seemed significantly less wary.

The shaved ice and Mentra taming must’ve played a part in gaining his favor as well.

‘It’s not over yet.’

Using Joshua’s Horn indicated that the opponent was serious.

And having withstood such an attack, they certainly wouldn’t just sit by.

Jinhyuk quickly grabbed the crystal.

To stand against them, at least…

Just as he thought this.

[An upper echelon deity has descended to the upper floors!]

[Restrictions are lifted by a senior administrator!]

Damn.

It was too late.

No time to prepare.

Beyond the previous pentagram, an angel with white wings descended.

Boom!

The muscular figure.

Kizakiel, the commander of the combat legions.

To think he’d encounter this simpleton here – a brute who recognized only martial law and knew nothing else.

It made sense now, the earlier attack, given Gabriel and Eden had no reason to backstab him, but upon seeing this guy, it all clicked.

‘Collaborating with Hastening… aiming to seize the crown.’

The belief that only Eden must obtain all the crowns resulted in this situation.

“Are you the human called Kang Jinhyuk?”

Kizakiel’s gaze fell upon Jinhyuk.

“A lot of folks have been seeking me out lately. Sure. That’s right. I’m Kang Jinhyuk.”

“Good. I don’t like to talk much. I detest dealings and contracts, like certain others.”

Whoosh!

A flame-enveloped sword was unsheathed.

“Simply hand over the crown.”

His approach was so straightforward it was almost comical.

Truly a dogged single-mindedness.

“And if I don’t?”

“I will annihilate you, and all forces allied with you.”

“A threat, huh… That’s interesting.”

Jinhyuk let out a cynical laugh.

“It seems like you’re busily going rogue with Hastening, but if Gabriel knows about this situation, she wouldn’t be happy, would she? I’d strongly suggest you think a bit more prudently.”

“Once this matter concludes, I will personally face the consequences of my disobedience. But before I perish, I will ensure your extinction as well.”

“…….”

A willingness to sacrifice even life itself.

Individuals with such outlooks were the true headaches.

Willing to sacrifice their own lives so readily in the name of a cause.

But conversely…

Given that Eden’s will was cast aside and they acted alone, the burden felt on this side significantly lightened.

At least it wasn’t as if the whole of the grand force was of one mind with Kizakiel.

‘If I can just weather this current crisis, that’s all there is to it.’

That wasn’t particularly difficult.

Jinhyuk opened his subspace.

What emerged was the ‘Crown of the Tyrant’.

“It’s not too foolish. Yes. Hand that over, and I’ll spare your life and the lives of your comrades.”

“Hmm. Well, what to do? Should I hand it over or not? It’s a tough decision.”

Jinhyuk dangled the crown over the same spot where the ‘Soul of Havelian’ had been.

A seemingly bottomless abyss, leading to the deepest part of the Sun’s dunes.

If it dropped through that fissure, it would vanish not to the 19th floor but to another layer of the tower.

“You…!”

Kizakiel’s brow knotted with intense anger.

Kukukuku!

The flames on the sword roared fiercer.

“Not even fit for empty threats! Do you think such shallow tricks would work on me?”

As his enraged shout ended.

“Uh-oh.”

Swoosh!

The crown slipped into the abyss.

“My hand slipped.”

That was actually an accident.