Its fortunate that theres someone with a rational way of thinking among them.

Yoshio slowly opened his mouth to speak.

However.

Huh?

Jinhyuk tilted his head in confusion, as if to ask what Yoshio meant.

I mean, thanks for stopping that woman. If you had gone any further, we wouldnt have just stood by and watched.

Ah!

So thats what he meant.

It seems theres been some misunderstanding

Jinhyuk smiled.

Then.

[Lv10 Glacial Sculpture is activated!]

Patsutsutsu

Ice hammers suddenly formed in his hands.

Jinhyuk clutched the ice hammer tightly and drove it vertically down.

Crunch!

A sound of bones misaligning came from Tsutomus back.

Argh!

A painful scream burst forth, but Jinhyuk did not stop.

There was no mercy in his hammering, which, in a way, seemed cruel.

Dont move. Does it hurt when I hit a bone?

Crash!

AAARGH!

Hey, thats why I told you not to move.

Whack!

Argh!

Ah. Sorry. That one was my mistake. That mustve hurt.

Wham!

Grooaaargh!

Tsutomus entire body turned purple as he writhed with his massive body.

It wasnt until he had been completely flattened like sludge that Jinhyuk stopped his hammering.

Phew.

The larger the surface area, the harder it was to hit evenly.

You bastard.

Yoshios voice grew stern.

His waist vibrated and the handle of a katana appeared from the space there.

However, Jinhyuk was not intimidated by Yoshios indirect threat.

I didnt stop you to save your underling.

It wasnt out of sympathy because of Eliss excessive harshness for a simple mistake.

It certainly wasnt because he was afraid of the Samurai Guild or Yoshio.

Rather.

Its just that those who talk back to me need to be beaten by me to taste right.

It kills the pleasure to let someone else handle those who need to be punished.

Whether repaying kindness.

Or seeking vengeance.

All should be done personally.

The people who heard Jinhyuks reason showed different reactions.

Right. This guy. Hes been a devil all along.

Elis immediately accepted it.

On the other hand,

Yoshios face became even stiffer.

We have an alliance with the Midland Guild. Are you saying youll act like this despite that?

The superb guild led by Nangong Cheon, the best guild of China.

With its vast number of players and the unimaginable power of its top rankersrecently, their growth was said to be practically irrational.

Of course, the Samurai Guild, renowned as the worlds best in swordsmanship, was also an enormous power that could not be ignored.

To bare teeth against these two tremendous forces?

It was no different from begging for death.

We have an alliance with the Midland Guild

Thats right. Are you starting to realize youve made a mistake?

Well, I dont think its me who has made a mistake

Jinhyuk slowly removed his mask.

As the white mask came off, his bare face was revealed.

Kang Jinhyuk!

Yoshio inhaled sharply.

His pupils were shaking violently.

He met the player he least wanted to encounter.

I only heard he associates with Yu Yeonhwa, Lee Taemin, Theresa, and that Sword Saint

There was no information on the silver-haired girl.

Therefore, Yoshio had not predicted that his opponent could be Jinhyuk.

Damn it

He had drawn the worst card from the deck.

They had to retreat here.

Engaging in a fight with such a person wasnt part of the plan.

At least until after they entered the ballroom, they had no choice but to endure.

There would be a chance to pay back this humiliation later.

After all, he had prepared everything for this occasion.

Lets see if you can laugh later.

The disgrace he suffered in front of the journalists must be repaid a thousandfold.

Yoshio retreated one step, grinding his teeth.

Good heavens

Its Kang Jinhyuk. Koreas Kang Jinhyuk!

So, he also received an invitation.

More importantly, did you see? Yoshio couldnt even make a peep and just retreated?

Even if its a big guild, they cant handle the player Kang Jinhyuk. You can tell just by the videos that have come up. Hes a complete monster.

Right Who in their right mind would pick a 1-on-1 fight with him?

Exactly Youd have to be really out of your mind to fight him.

The overwhelming prowess shown by the silver-haired girl and Jinhyuks appearance.

As the two events intertwined, cheers burst from among the journalists.

The scene was overwhelmingly powerful, creating a vast ripple effect.

Chacha, chacha, chacha, chacha!

Camera shutters began to dazzle with blinding flashes once again.

Theyd snagged a topic for the upcoming real-time search queries and headlines, so naturally they were busy.

Just before entering the ballroom, Jinhyuk said one last thing.

I dont care who youre linked up with or who you want to mingle with as if youre the bosses of some alley.

To be frank, he couldnt care less if they just argued in their own domain.

But dont become an obstacle in what Im doing.

The eyes that had looked down on people just moments before.

The heart that had sneered as if he was in an entirely different dimension from the likes of them.

He understood.

Because that was exactly how he felt looking at them.

After all, no matter how hard you try a hundred times, youll fail to reach the top.

That was all he had to say.

Leaving a furious Yoshio and the unconscious Tsutomu behind, Jinhyuk entered the ballroom.

[You have entered the event area.]

With a dazzling light, the scenery before his eyes completely transformed.

Ho.

Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation.

The vast interior reminiscent of a palace.

The chandeliers and lavish decorations common in movies were more than he had thought.

Its not bad. Considering its only on the first floor, its fairly livable. Be fitting for His Highness to stay for a while.

Elis also seemed quite surprised, her rabbit eyes wide open.

Hmm.

Someone seems to have been stuck on the first floor for quite a long time.

In the most hidden corridor on the first floor, that is.

Why are you looking at me with those unpleasant eyes? You cant be thinking, Living in a windowless cubbyhole has only raised your standards without seeing other houses, and why are you rating them? It looks exactly like that kind of look?

Surely

Whats that sound of admiration?

No, its just I thought you were truly different. Im even using Mental Barrier, but I didnt expect to be read so easily. Your mind-reading skill level is high, fitting for someone who has lived for thousands of years.

What, what did you say!

Eliss voice rose about two octaves.

While she delivered a lengthy speech about the greatness of the Ataraxia family and herself, Jinhyuks interest had already moved elsewhere.

He seems to be well-prepared.

The scale of the past was considerable, but now it had reached a different level.

Of course.

More than the interior decoration, it was the players wearing various masks that caught his eye.

Inside the ballroom, several men and women had already gathered.

At first glance, they appeared to be no ordinary skilled individuals.

It was natural to say since they had invited the most promising people from around the world.

Lets see

As he concentrated, diversified magical auras scattered around began to stand out.

One, two, three, four

Just a rough scan and the count was easily over ten.

It was a complete jackpot.

Among them, the most noticeable were a woman in a black dress with long blonde hair and a man with short blonde hair dressed in a black suit.

They hid their faces with butterfly-shaped masks, but in reality, these twins were too famous among rankers.

Casey and Jude.

More known as the depraved battle freaks, their battle style, which solely pursued primal stimulation, was recognized in Europe as one to avoid at all costs.

Given that even famous slasher movie directors would vomit watching their videos, its no wonder how unbearable it was for ordinary people.

Nonetheless.

Their specialty Sharing ability was quite tempting.

During the main event of the masquerade, Ill have to acquire their abilities as well.

Though it was difficult to approach them now, there would be plenty of chances to connect with the players during the main event happening shortly.

The main event of the masquerade ball.

Exactly.

The reason all these players were gathered here wasnt merely to wear masks and dance.

It was to catch the eye of the powers ruling over the middle to lower levels of the tower.

To put it another way, to choose which force to align with in the future ascent of the tower.

And Jinhyuk

Among all those choices, he knew the best answer.

So even after mentioning our name, he disregarded it?

Yes. He scoffed at the mention of the alliance. My warning was futile just the same.

Hmm

The second-in-command of the Midland Guild,

Liao Wei let out a deep sigh.

Until just a moment ago, he had been thoroughly enjoying the feeling of floating on clouds upon attending this ball.

But that buoyant mood shattered into pieces with Yoshios words.

The reason was simple.

Kang Jinhyuk.

Once again, that relentless hound.

Because of him, the heated atmosphere cooled down as if doused with cold water.

Why did it have to happen when Nangong Cheon is away

Only two players from the Midland Guild had received invitations: Nangong Cheon and Liao Wei.

However, Nangong Cheon had momentarily stepped away to receive a new sword from the Nangong family of the central plains.

For the honor of the Midland, we must take responsibility for this.

They had already faced a significant setback in the 5th floors Elf Forest, so they couldnt endure the humiliation a second time.

It would be akin to smearing the guilds reputation.

But

On our own, its difficult.

Reason prevailed over rage, steering him to this conclusion.

Liao Wei coldly assessed the difference in strength between them and their adversaries.

If they acted on emotion now, they would taste defeat once more.

So what should be done?

As he pondered deeply,

Seems like youve got some worries.

Someone spoke to him.

A mere one-meter tall figure.

A diminutive form appeared fragile, but no one could ignore him.

After all,

The person was one of the towers lower administrators who had invited them here.

Ka Man?

Tell me, who dared touch those belonging to my power?

Kaman, closely linked with the martial arts forces, had been trying to recruit promising players and various guilds into the martial world.

As a result, he successfully got his hands on significant cards like Midland and Samurai.

Indeed, this attendance was granted in recognition of his accomplishments, quite a success for a lower administrator.

No, its alright.

Its nothing significant. Theres no need for you, Lord Kaman, to intervene personally

Liao Wei and Yoshio spoke at the same time.

Regardless of being high-ranking players, a lower administrator was on a different level.

Therefore, both found it difficult to speak to him.

Kaman scanned the surroundings.

Jinhyuk, wearing a white mask, caught his eye.

I see.

So hes the one who has been a thorn in their side.

Which force does he belong to?

So far, it seems he doesnt belong to any particular force. Given his character, he prefers to associate only with a select few.

That meant.

He could be easily crushed under the name of Martial World alone.

Dont worry. Ill personally see to the strict reeducation of that insolent human brat.

A sly smile appeared on Kamans lips.