Chapter 71. The Hyenas
〚Rune: Time – Hourglass
Rank: Origin
Grade: SSS
LV 1
Description: A minor law created by the system, separated from the grand law of time, for the one who has returned by reversing time.
Abilities:
- Can return everything to 1 second ~ 1 hour ago. (Cooldown: 30 days)
- Can reset the cooldown of one ability (excluding this rune). (Cooldown: 24 hours)
- Can accelerate the time of a chosen non-living object by 1.1x ~ 10x for 1 second ~ 10 minutes. (Cooldown: 1 hour)
- Freed from all time-related constraints.
- LV 2 Unlocked〛
Runes are a great blessing.
And so, they are powers that can be used without any cost.
No matter how absurd—like reversing time across dimensions.
‘I can go back in time.’
Even though the maximum limit was one hour, knowing what it meant to reverse time, I couldn’t help but be amazed.
[You could avoid death by rewinding time right before dying.]
[You could fix a wrong choice by going back and picking the correct one.]
[You could profit immensely by using future knowledge.]
As expected of an Origin-grade rune.
I was busy marveling at it when the following message popped up, completely catching me off guard.
〚You have been freed from time’s greatest constraint—lifespan!〛
〚You have reached the realm of immortality!〛
…What?
I had reached the realm of immortality, the very thing that the black magician who had once become a great archmage had so desperately sought.
And yet here I was, dumbfounded and speechless.
What was going on all of a sudden?
Wait, aging was also a constraint? Well, I guess nothing is scarier than aging…
Should I be amazed at the power of an Origin-grade ability?
There was no point in questioning it—it was already done.
So I just gave up thinking about it.
The next ability was also quite necessary for me.
Maybe the system thought the same and granted it.
‘I should be able to reduce Longinus’ startup penalty to some extent.’
Though it boasted overwhelming power, Longinus came with the penalty of “startup.”
Only by increasing the startup percentage, even by 1%, could one activate its special restricted Authority or utilize its full destructive force.
‘Now that the damage doubles with World Destroyer, and 10% is fixed damage…’
I wondered what would happen if I started Longinus’ Spear at 100%.
Just thinking about it sent a strange thrill down my spine.
I closed all system windows and lay down on the hospital bed.
“Too bad I didn’t get 30% ownership of the Golden Tower.”
It was 29.999999…%.
As if a single piece was missing, it stopped just before the threshold and didn’t rise any further.
It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed.
But I had gained so much already that I wasn’t in a rush.
The right conditions would come eventually.
With that thought, I was finally able to get some real sleep—for the first time in over two weeks.
* * *
In the primordial village—Teraium City, many people lived.
First, there were those who settled in the Abyss after losing their hometowns due to destruction or other reasons and received the title of resident from the system.
Then, there were the Korean players who had arrived here via the Abyss Portal.
And finally, those who had come down to this place from higher Stages (Floors) for various reasons.
Even though this was a very low Stage—Stage-0-1, the city boasted a continent-level scale, and the number of people inside it was enormous.
Naturally, where five people gather, one is bound to be a troll—so evil existed here too.
No matter how powerful the head of security, Braimoon, was, he was still human, and therefore not perfect.
In the outskirts of the Primordial City, an area commonly known as the domain of criminals—people were gathering.
They assembled in the largest room of a particular inn, waiting for someone. How much time passed?
The door opened, and a man wearing a robe entered before them. As soon as they saw him, the gathered men all stood up and bowed at over 90 degrees.
“You’ve arrived!”
The robed man nodded and took his seat at the head of the table as if it were natural. Then he looked around, as if telling them to go ahead and speak.
Gulp.
A loud swallow was heard, and one of the brutish-looking underlings seated next to him opened his mouth.
“The final quest of the Primordial City has been unlocked. And… the quest has been cleared.”
At those words, the eyes beneath the robe gleamed sharply.
With interest clearly piqued, the man adjusted his posture and leaned in to listen more closely.
“The quest name was Eliminate the Monster in the Underground Aqueduct [Advanced-E+]. It’s a quest that could be given by the city’s head of security. The one who received the quest was a newbie who just entered the Tutorial.”
“From what we found, he completed a bunch of random quests on his first day and ended up befriending the head of security’s daughter. That seems to be how he got the quest.”
At those words, the robed man frowned, clearly displeased.
“A newbie? You’re saying a newbie received the quest? What, he did a few trash quests and then landed the final one?”
“Yes, sir. After a quick investigation, his name is Shin Juha. He was the top scorer in the most recent License exam and was recently promoted to E-rank. It’s unconfirmed, but it’s said he’s close with the princess of the Seohwa Group…”
“Hmph? This isn’t Earth. What’s the big deal about knowing the Seohwa Group’s princess? That useless Seohwa Group is no match for our organization, either in the Abyss or on Earth!”
At the man’s confident words, his subordinates’ eyes lit up with admiration.
And understandably so—because the man before them was a Demonkin, chosen by a demon!
Naturally, he belonged to the Ten Thousand Demons Palace, the organization composed of those who’ve made contracts with demons.
And unofficially, he was also the true boss of the villain group Hyena within the Primordial City.
“So, was the quest cleared?”
“Yes, but that Shin Juha cleared it in less than half a day after entering the underground aqueduct.”
“Hmph, I guess it wasn’t that difficult of a quest then. I suppose the head of security just kept the monster alive to create a proper quest.”
His subordinates nodded. They too believed that explanation.
Because if that wasn’t true, then it would mean a rookie just one month into the game had entered a city-sized underground aqueduct and slain a monster even the head of security couldn’t defeat—within mere hours.
No one would accept that as truth.
Especially not the members of Hyena, who had now decided to target him.
Although in truth, that supposedly impossible scenario was exactly what had happened.
Technically, the monster was far weaker than Braimoon, the head of security, in terms of raw combat power.
But the fact remained that Braimoon had failed to slay it—so it wasn’t entirely wrong.
And considering Shin Juha’s current strength, he was on par with—or only slightly below—Braimoon, a former candidate for Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom.
Which meant this whole situation was simply a misfortune for them.
But unaware of that fact, they clung to more favorable assumptions that justified their actions.
“You mentioned the quest reward included a letter of recommendation from a Cardinal of the Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes. Apparently, the head of security was holding it. I don’t know how a mere city guard came to possess something so rare, but… with just that one item…”
Greed lit up in everyone’s eyes.
Not just the subordinates— even the robed man coveted the letter.
‘If I hand that letter to the High Apostle currently working in the Holy Kingdom…’
The Ten Thousand Demons Palace is divided into seven levels, from 1st to 7th rank.
The robed man was only recently contracted and had made a deal with a low-tier demon, making him a 7th-rank Apostle—the lowest level.
But the one leading the current project he was assigned to was a 4th-rank Apostle—a high-ranking Demonkin rarely seen in single-digit Stages like this one.
If he could just catch that person’s attention, his path to promotion would be assured.
Perhaps even a seat as Korea’s branch leader—currently vacant after that monster Dan Gunjihyuk, the Dangun Genius, annihilated the former one—could be his.
A 4th-rank Apostle held the power and authority to place someone into a regional leadership role for a minor planet like Earth.
The man’s eyes glinted darker with greed. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
‘This is exactly why I’ve been preparing my assets.’
He removed his robe.
His subordinates, surprised at first, soon looked deeply moved.
They believed he had finally come to trust them, revealing his face after always hiding it behind perception-blocking magic.
Of course, that wasn’t the truth at all.
‘I’m going to be a branch chief. No need to be tied down by these worms and give others a chance to dig up dirt on me.’
They were failures.
Losers who lacked the courage to escape Stage-0, who made no efforts to grow, who were nothing but filthy, greedy pigs.
They had no luck, no connections—utter failures.
It had been laughably easy to gather them under him, and just as easy to discard them.
He had already decided—their end would come soon, their deaths swept away as if it were a meaningless incident.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing this yet.
He looked each subordinate in the eye, pretending to build trust and loyalty.
“If we succeed in this mission, we’ll all secure a place in the Holy Kingdom. Just selling the letter on the black market would let us live in luxury anywhere, not just there.”
The quest rewards included a title, 30,000 Purple Coins, one item, and the recommendation letter.
The real takeaways were the letter, the item, and the coins.
30,000 coins sounded like a lot, but when split among this many people, the total per person was meager.
The item, even if rare, wouldn’t fetch more than a few million.
Even adding it all up, each person would maybe get ten million won.
That amount wasn’t enough to leave and start over outside Teraium City, let alone maintain influence.
But the recommendation letter—that was different. It was a blank check.
Of course, he had no intention of selling it. Its value was immeasurable.
A player tycoon’s third-generation heir would pay a fortune for it.
The letter granted access to a high-ranking position in the Holy Kingdom—the final stage fully conquered by players across all dimensions.
That power was priceless.
Moreover, it was a letter whose origin wasn’t questioned.
Even if stolen, no one would investigate.
It was written by one of the four Cardinals who governed the Holy Kingdom in place of the symbolic Pope.
If used wisely, it could even grant titles like Saint and unlock powerful high-tier classes—just like the very first Saintess.
‘Besides, only Earthlings can enter the Holy Kingdom.’
It was similar to how each nation could only access certain cities in Stage-0.
Some believe it’s a system safeguard to protect Earth, but the truth remains unknown.
Of course, there would be strict identity verification.
But as long as he wasn’t a demon or a Demonkin, there wouldn’t be any problem.
And he had a younger brother—free-spirited and pleasure-seeking—who hadn’t signed a demon contract yet.
That made him the perfect candidate.
All he had to do was hand over the letter and recommend his brother.
The man smiled with satisfaction as he looked at his subordinates, who now burned with resolve.
“The sooner the showdown, the better.”
The time for the hunt had come.
The ravenous and malicious hyenas had begun to move.
—
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