Solo Max-Level Newbie

The day passed in the blink of an eye.

After spending the day at an internet cafe, Jinhyuk and the members of the Veteran Corporation ventured to various locations to relieve their accumulated fatigue.

And the next day.

“We’ll call it a day here.”

“See you next time.”

Min Jeong-woo and Lee Yuri, too occupied with personal schedules, were the first to leave.

“Bro, see you later. We’ll be working hard to grow too.”

“Hyung, I have additional information on the unexplored labyrinth. Let’s go together next time.”

Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeon-hwa also bid farewell as they had plans for conquering labyrinths.

Finally, even Melena disappeared after saying she had work dealing with the remnants of the surviving mines.

The group was nearly half its original size.

…It was then, after the shareholder’s meeting, that everyone had to rest.

“I messed up…”

Jinhyuk let out a low sigh.

The second day’s plan was to try playing baseball together.

Teresa, who always loved watching baseball, cautiously suggested the idea, and everyone readily accepted.

As a result.

Hell began.

One team consisted of Teresa, Jinhyuk, the Moonlight Spirit, and guardian spirits.

The other team was made up of Elise, Cheon Yoo-seong, Andria, ancient warriors, and T-bone.

[185th inning score 0:0]

A game that had been forced for seven hours.

Though most of the innings didn’t even take two minutes, the absurd specs of the players gathered had made it this way.

In truth, Teresa’s personality flipped 180 degrees when she actually got into the game from her original pure nature.

“Jinhyuk-ssi…”

“Yes?”

“That ball just now. Jinhyuk-ssi, could you have hit it?”

An icy chill brushed against the skin.

The atmosphere turned frigid.

Teresa, who had already partially invoked ‘Corruption’, bore both a holy and decadent image simultaneously.

Damn. Look at that,

A dark crimson energy surged through the baseball bat.

It was as if intending to slash the whole baseball stadium in half.

And the problem was…

“I can’t stand losing. I just won’t.”

Elise too absolutely hated losing even more than death itself.

“I agree. Rather than losing to that guy, I would prefer biting my tongue and dying.”

Cheon Yoo-seong also had an unimaginable desire to win.

Thanks to them, a Möbius strip-like game that never seemed to end was in progress.

Whack!

[Moonlight Spirit activates his unique skill ‘Shadow Extreme Murder (陰影亟殺)’!]

As Moonlight’s shadow on first base began to fuzz, in an instant, he reached the very edge of second base.

But at that moment.

[Cheon Yoo-seong activates his Lv19 ‘Soul Chasing Sword (追魂劍)’!]

Boom boom boom boom!

A long line etched into the baseball diamond.

“It’s futile.”

The strong intent was clear, indicating that any further motion would be met with cutting.

“Tch!”

Moonlight clicked his tongue and returned to his original place while Elise, the pitcher, twisted her lips subtly.

Whooom!

The ball vibrated violently with a concentrated crimson aura.

The ‘Blood Lord’ technique was gathering magic power to its limit.

“I will end this round for good.”

“We seem to misunderstand the rules of baseball. You’re fielding and we’re batting. The game only ends when the batting side scores.”

“Hey, it’s okay to not know the rules of baseball. And you called me a little one? Is that, that remark meant for me?”

“Oh my. Did I misspeak? But no matter how I look, you seem quite the youngster to me. What to do?”

“Aaaaaack! I’ll kill you. This foolish saint!”

Elise geared up to throw the baseball.

The sound of a sonic boom echoed as the ground dug deeply into itself.

Dead ball.

She was evidently targeting a hit-by-pitch.

However, here a hit from that ball would truly be a ‘dead ball’.

Not just at the level of instant death, but an impact that could erase one’s very existence.

“It’ll be fun to hit.”

Flames roared!

A fierce inferno followed Teresa’s baseball bat.

The power mixed with equal parts of sacred force and corrupt energy required unimaginable control.

Swoosh.

The ball vanished.

Then the wind disappeared.

What followed was…

A tremendous roar as if the entire baseball stadium was about to collapse.

The ball shot high into the sky.

Twirling in a parabola, the white spot fell slowly.

“Catch that ball, quick!”

“It’s heading over there.”

“Yep. Leave it to me.”

“Quiet, everyone. My head hurts.”

“Clatter. If you don’t want to turn into bone broth, get a grip, all of you.”

The guardian spirits and ancient warriors hustled around.

Above, the Mild Black Crane held its treasure, ready for any external threats.

Sweet Potato was playing with a magic stone, observing everything from the bench.

Vroom! Boom boom bang!

Unique abilities and skills ran rampant.

The field almost resembled real combat.

Jinhyuk nodded with an exhausted expression.

‘What a total mess.’

Perhaps it would be better to have another round with Shub-Niggurath.

If there was one good thing…

Jinhyuk’s eyes fleetingly turned towards his phone.

Live broadcast on Vtube.

Although it wouldn’t earn any coins, it was an effective means of boosting personal donations and subscriber count.

As soon as the baseball game started, Jinhyuk opened the live broadcast to accumulate viewers.

And naturally…

…the response was explosive.

-golgol: Wow. Is this for real? This game is epic.

-Maison Hwang: The rankers’ battle footage is like child’s play compared to this.

-Moon Yuchan: I’ve seen plenty of boss, labyrinth, and ruins battle footage, but honestly, this seems more thrilling and spectacular.

-cry: What the heck is this, a deathmatch baseball? Hahaha!

-Anonymous: But really, do the heroes need to stake their lives on this? Am I the only one who thinks this is weird? Someone give me a rational critique.

The endlessly scrolling chat window was dizzying to follow.

‘At least the company’s name value will surely rise.’

With the admission into one of the World’s Top 8 Guilds already skyrocketing the stock, these promotional videos would further enhance its effect.

With that calculation, the chaotic baseball field didn’t seem all that bad to Jinhyuk.

‘If it’s come to this, I’d prefer we completely demolish the stadium.’

The more injuries there were, the more intense the public’s interest would grow.

***

The sweet two-day holiday came to an end.

As the appointed date arrived, Jinhyuk activated the gate leading to the auction house once again.

Wooom!

Bright light and an effect similar to when the ticket was first torn unfolded.

“Phew.”

Jinhyuk took a light breath to compose himself.

Even after running multiple simulations in his head, it was still necessary to double-check the variables.

Especially since the upcoming auction would be attended by divine beings who reigned supreme within the tower.

At that moment.

“Oh my, you’ve returned.”

The small fairy that greeted him previously appeared in front of Jinhyuk.

The same guide he had encountered two days ago.

“Hello. Your name was… Setilda, right?”

“Yes, yes! Oh wow, I’m honored that you remembered my name. Did you not find anything to your liking last time? Seeing that you’ve returned. Oh, wait. Just a moment. Let me see. Ah, here it is! Today’s auction schedule. I recommend the B-3 auction hosted by the middle manager Rick. Look, it features fresh items from the 20th floor of the tower…”

Her rapid-fire words once again bombarded his eardrums.

“No, that’s good too, but this time I intend to partake in the special auction conducted by the divinities.”

“Oh, that… well…”

Setilda trailed off, seeming troubled.

“What’s the matter? Is there an issue?”

“It’s just… the auctions managed by divine beings have very high prices. Admission alone costs as much as a small castle, in terms of magic stones or equivalent values.”

In short, it was an event that even those with considerable wealth might struggle to access.

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have come unprepared.”

Jinhyuk produced a rather substantial orb.

It was one of the orbs newly crafted and cherished by the Mild Black Crane, which he had nonchalantly taken.

He still recalled the Green Dragon’s tearful eyes reluctantly pleading for that one orb not to be taken…

Yet, any feelings of guilt were fleeting.

“I know the way from here. You needn’t guide me any further.”

“Okay. Have a good auction!”

As always, Setilda offered a bright farewell.

***

Thud.

As he moved further in, corridors lined with luxurious marble columns came into view.

And with them, energies far different from those at the entrance emerged.

‘Indeed…’

Jinhyuk’s lips twisted slightly.

Beings with the ultimate power within the tower.

Each one was an absolute ruler of their own myth and world.

Just being in their presence was a suffocating experience, as if their entirety was bearing down on you.

‘Norse, Greek… even beings from the Spirit Realm and Hell are here.’

These were powerful forces that were challenging to encounter even in his past ascents of the tower.

As if the auction’s importance was being declared outright.

Just then.

“My goodness.”

A beautiful woman approached with long, golden hair tied to one side.

She was Gabriel, an archangel from ‘Eden’.

Beside her was a strapping angel who seemed to be her bodyguard.

As his face didn’t ring a bell, he probably wasn’t a prominent angel.

“You’re here as well.”

Gabriel was the first to speak.

“It’s not often we have events like this.”

“That’s true. Until now, I haven’t had many opportunities to meet with the divine beings.”

Gabriel nodded as if she understood.

However.

“That’s the case, but my main purpose isn’t the high-ranking gods but rather the apostles who’ve contracted with them. I’ve noticed there are some non-divine beings amongst them.”

“…!?”

At Jinhyuk’s words, Gabriel’s pupils dilated slightly.

The male angel beside her also tensed, clenching his fists.

“Where did you hear such information?”

“Players may not have been chosen by divine beings yet, but it’s a different story for residents. The gods themselves would need stewards to exert their influence over the lower floors. And if they were eager to show off at an event like this, it’s likely they would bring their apostles too.”

Just as those chosen by Hell are called ‘Black Apostles’, those chosen by other deities also have similar titles.

Among them are select rankers from the residents.

In the future.

Rivals with whom he would ascend and fight in the upper echelons of the tower.

“Hehehe. So you’ve thought that far ahead. How very intriguing. Most players would brag about being the first among their peers here, but not you.”

Gabriel’s voice carried a peculiar laughter, signifying her growing interest.

“As I mentioned before, Eden has an interest in player Kang Jinhyuk. If we could welcome someone of your caliber as an apostle, it would be very reassuring.”

With that in mind.

“Let us make the first proposition.”

The tremendous force made the first offer.

One that would be exceedingly difficult to refuse.

“We’ll provide you with information about the upper administrator, Hastings, including his future plans.”

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