I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 51

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 51

Kuguguguuu-!

A dark aura spread through the training hall, causing the lights to flicker.

Screech, screech-.

The deactivated humanoid was pushed back with the grinding sound of mechanical gears meshing.
Everyone’s gaze fixed on a single point.
The source of all this commotion, the origin of that dark power.
There, a pair of eyes gleamed crimson.

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing echoed.
Yet everyone in that space believed it was they who had swallowed.
The atmosphere was suffocating, and goosebumps covered their entire bodies.

“….”

Even Yang Sang-jin, who had been complaining incessantly, felt an urge to cast holy magic and gripped his wand tightly.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to move.
The moment he shifted even slightly, he felt certain those fangs of a dark beast would tear into his throat.

Hyeon-jun squeezed his eyes shut.
In that instant, the face of his beloved girlfriend flashed across his mind.
He couldn’t die like this.
Such was his desperate thought.
The killing intent radiating from Kang Ha-jin, whom he’d just witnessed, was shocking and terrifying.
If he could only survive, he resolved to be far less insolent going forward.

Park Seong-cheol slowly brought his trembling hands toward his chest.
Inside lay the “Spear of Seth” that Ahn Jae-jun had given him.
One thrust, and Kang Ha-jin would die.
He’d been told to use it only in a special dungeon layer to leave no evidence.
But what did location and timing matter when facing death?
This was self-defense.

Thud—.

I found myself gripping the handle with all my strength.
It was a foolish move I would never normally make, but the killing intent had clouded Park Seong-cheol’s judgment.

Park Eun-ji wanted nothing more than to collapse right then and there.
She wanted to lose consciousness.
But the monster before her eyes wouldn’t even grant her that mercy.

Beep—.

A ringing filled her ears.
Her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Her legs trembled, yet her survival instinct kept her from falling.
It felt as though death itself, in the form of a serpent, was crawling toward her with deliberate slowness.
By the time she found herself wishing for a quick death instead,
the man radiating killing intent finally opened his mouth.

“Stop.”

It was Kang Ha-jin.

* * *

“So, who will be the leader?”
“Leader? That sounds so cringey.”
“We’re a raid party, so shouldn’t we have a raid leader?”
“Whether it’s leader or team captain, let’s just decide quickly.”

The conversation flowed smoothly.
I flexed and unflexed my hands.

‘Did Black Armor possess this much power all along?’

I had held back my strength, accounting for the times with Barkalor and Yahwi.
Yet they looked at me as though I were a monster.

“…Hey. Did I happen to make a mistake somewhere?”

Even my childhood friend Hyeon-jun came over and whispered to me.
This is driving me crazy.

“You’re making a mistake right now. Treat me like you normally do.”
“Well, I mean. You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

Hyeon-jun shrugged his shoulders.
Even as he did, he took a subtle step backward.
If even my childhood friend Hyeon-jun was like this, what about everyone else?
A sigh escaped me.

‘Well, I’ve gotten much stronger than before, after all.’

I couldn’t control my strength properly.
Who would have thought they’d be so frightened?

“…When we’re all Level 10, who should really be doing this anyway?”

The conversation kept going in circles without reaching a conclusion.

“But still, shouldn’t the strongest person be the one to do it?”
“I disagree. In team-based raids, we can’t just prioritize combat power. The person with raid experience should be the one to lead.”
“Then, are you saying Yang Sang-jin should do it?”
“That’s right.”

Watching them was like observing an elementary school class president election—it was entertaining.
But my patience was wearing thin now.
This was getting ridiculous.

“Yahwi Style, Fourth Form.”

I summoned the Darkness, gathering it in the center of the training ground.
Then I spun it.

Keeeeen—!

As it rotated with a tremendous sound.
A powerful gravitational force erupted from that spot.
The raid party members who had been talking lost their balance from the force.

Boom!

“Ugh, wh-what!?”

Yang Sang-jin, the scrawny one, was the first to cry out, bracing himself against the ground.

“…Ugh.”

Jinhyeok, the noble, grimaced and endured.

“Kyaaah!”

Park Eun-ji screamed.

“….”

The two unknown hunters, Li Wei and Lin Xiao-wei, remained silent as they lowered their stances.
Seong U-jae, Park Do-hyeon, Yun Seo-rin, and Hyeon-jun as well.
There were no exceptions.
And I too was not free from that gravitational force.
Of course, the difference between me and them was.
I was accustomed to this gravity.
And I knew how to use it.

Whoosh!

I kicked off the ground with my feet.
My body lifted lightly into the air.
The dark focal point at the center immediately pulled my body toward it.

Hum!

Without missing the timing I had practiced.
Following the flow of gravity, I carved the sword path of the three-second Night Wanderer’s Return in sequence.
The moment my body rode the sword path, I was launched forward at tremendous speed.

Whoosh!

They moved at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
Moreover, the Darkness prevented them from moving properly.

‘Success.’

I smirked as I felt the crushing gravity pressing down on my entire body.
From here on, this is my domain.
My body circled rapidly through the training ground, drawing closer to each member of the raid party one by one.
They wore the holy power items I had gifted them with care.
First, I swung my blade and cleanly severed only the pendant string around Yang Sang-jin’s neck.

Scritch.

The leather processed with sunlight certainly had considerable durability, but it wasn’t impossible to cut with a Yahwi-class blade.

Whoosh!

My vision shifted before I could even register a response.
Flying at high speed toward Park Eun-ji.

Snip!

Jinhyeok.

Slice!

Park Seong-cheol, Seong U-jae, Park Do-hyeon.

Snip-snip!

Hyeon-jun, Yun Seo-rin, and the two mysterious hunters as well.

Snip-snip-snip!

Flying about, I severed only the pendant strings of everyone with perfect timing.
I would probably hear some nagging from Min-hee about this.
But for a genius alchemist like her, reconnecting the severed strings would be no difficult task.

“…Twilight Banquet.”

After completing the initial stance, I drew the jet-black longsword from its sheath.

Clang.

That single motion was everything.
They would only realize something had passed before their eyes when the holy power pendants they’d been wearing so carefully fell to the ground.
This was different from when I’d demonstrated this against Barkalor before.
My proficiency had accumulated, and the technique had become more refined.
Through training, I’d developed the speed, the durability and stamina to withstand the gravitational force.

Pitter-patter.

The pendants fell to the ground all at once.
Only then did they react.

“What, what?!”
“Something just… passed by!”
“…It’s Kang Ha-jin. Look over there.”

Jinhyeok gestured toward me with a nod of his chin.
He was right.
Because I’d brought the Yahwi-style Barkalor Version Fourth Stance, Yuya Manchan, to a halt.
Skid marks were etched clearly across the training ground floor.
Smoke from friction heat was rising from my sneakers.

Ding!
【Black Armor grumbles and forms new sneakers.】

Whoosh!
My sneakers were restored to pristine condition.

‘Thank you.’

Ding!
【Black Armor licks its tongue happily.】

‘Hmm? It seems happy, so why is it licking its tongue?’

Setting aside my questions about Black Armor’s identity.
I slowly got to my feet.
Seong U-jae picked up the fallen pendant and turned it over in his hands.

“…The string was cut clean through.”

Park Eun-ji nodded in agreement.

“They’re sending a message. To sever such a thin string so cleanly—that’s incredible precision and accuracy. You’d need stats comparable to Tian Ming, the Chinese hunter, to pull off something like that.”
“…Regardless, one thing is certain now. None of us can defeat that person in direct combat.”
“We already knew that from the killing intent they showed earlier, didn’t we?”

I looked around at everyone and spoke.

“Then I’ll be the team leader. If anyone has complaints, speak up now. Otherwise, keep quiet until the team disbands.”

That’s just how I am.
I find it easier to let my blade do the talking than my words.

“…I can’t accept this.”

But not everyone shared the same opinion.
In any group, appearances and intelligence vary.
There’s always someone whose self-awareness is so low they don’t even understand what’s happening to them.

“This—this isn’t right!”

Yang Sang-jin couldn’t contain his frustration and huffed.

“It was a surprise attack, a surprise attack! Isn’t that right, everyone!?”

Of course I expected this.
I walked straight toward Yang Sang-jin with heavy steps.

“Fine.”

I looked him directly in the eye and stepped back three paces.
Then I drew my sword.

Crash!

“Come at me first.”
“…Huh?”
“I said come at me. You said you wouldn’t count it as a surprise attack, right?”
“No, I….”

Yang Sang-jin raised his wand.
But no holy power gathered within it.
He must have been flustered.
It seemed he believed that if he pointed out the unfairness, someone with a strong sense of justice would step forward in protest.
Someone like Seong U-jae, who was quick-tempered and full of righteousness.

“Hmm, I support Kang Ha-jin becoming the leader.”

Or perhaps the arrogant Jinhyeok.

“I’m a noble, not a leader.”

Or the prideful Yun Seo-rin.

“I always maintain balance from the center.”

When Yang Sang-jin realized that no one was on his side,
his face turned pale.

“Well, that’s…. Just do it yourself. Be the leader.”

But I furrowed my brows.

“No? That won’t work. Special dungeon floors are real combat. If you don’t move according to my commands, we’ll all be wiped out. I can’t take that position unless I’m truly convinced in my heart. Come on, come at me.”

I provoked him by drawing my sword, but Yang Sang-jin took a step back.

“I, I was never a combat type anyway.”
“That’s exactly what I told you. Keep quiet until the team is disbanded.”
“S, so-, I’m sorry.”

Yang Sang-jin bowed his head and stepped back.
But his bruised and battered face couldn’t hide his anger.

“Well, it seems there are no other complaints. From now on, I’m the team leader.”

As I introduced myself confidently, Park Do-hyeon, the nameless assassin, whispered quietly.

“…You’re not the team leader, you’re the captain. Captain.”
“Until we enter the special dungeon floors, obey my orders as team leader. Then I guarantee you’ll all return alive. That’s assuming no one acts on their own.”
“…You’re the captain though.”

I ignored Park Do-hyeon’s words and looked toward Li Wei and Lin Xiao-wei at the mention of individual action.
The pair of hunters—a man and woman—remained expressionless, their thoughts unreadable.
I studied them carefully, and it wasn’t just because of their names.

‘When I cast Yuya Manchan earlier.’

Everyone else failed to react to my attack and dropped the pendant.
Only those two reacted.
Of course, I was faster, so they couldn’t prevent me from cutting the pendant.
But the fact that they ‘reacted’ bothered me.
After all, Barkalor’s technique infused into the Fourth Form, Yuya Manchan, possessed a speed that even the old artifact-class resident had marveled at.

‘Yet mere level 10 hunters reacted to it.’

Elites.
Exceptionally well-trained elites.
Judging by their real names, they must be hunters from China.

‘What’s their purpose? What are they really doing here?’

I wanted to interrogate them immediately, but I held back for now.
There was no evidence, and according to the Association’s investigation,
they recently naturalized as Korean citizens.
Therefore, there were no legal issues, they said.

‘Cunning bastards.’

Here’s my deduction.
First, receive cash for bidding from China and enter Korea as an illegal resident.
Then coerce the Yeomyeong Guild Master to pose as a Korean.
After winning the bid with enormous wealth.
Naturalize as a Korean citizen.

‘Since the Tower appeared, they drastically lowered naturalization restrictions specifically for foreign hunters to recruit them.’

They slipped through the legal net quite skillfully.
I have no concrete proof, but I can make an educated guess.
What they’re trying to accomplish.

I smiled as if I knew nothing.

“Alright, training begins. Yang Sang-jin, Yun Seo-rin, and Jinhyeok take the rear. Hyeon-jun and Seong U-jae take the vanguard. I, Park Seong-cheol, and Li—no, Kim Min-cheol and Kim Hyeon-su will attack when we see an opening.”
“Hey, what about me?”

Park Do-hyeon crouched down and raised his hand.
…It wasn’t that I forgot.
It wasn’t that I didn’t see him either.
My mind was simply preoccupied with thoughts of Li Wei and Lin Xiao-wei.

“…Of course, you do what you do best. Assassination.”
“Oh, is that it? I thought you actually forgot about me….”
“Let’s go! Start!”

Park Do-hyeon’s face fell.

“You really didn’t forget, right?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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