Solo Max-Level Newbie – Pure Blood

Chapter 14: Hidden Piece (1)

Objects concealed within dungeons, higher-level labyrinths, or extremely rare ruins.

Those were generally referred to as ‘Hidden Pieces.’

Naturally, several Hidden Pieces that would greatly aid in the early-stage strategies were lying dormant within this dungeon.

Even finding them was extremely difficult.

But obtaining them was an even greater ordeal—beyond comparison.

‘Especially the Hidden Piece here… there’s something that can counter the dungeon’s true boss.’

Therefore, no matter what happened, he had to obtain it.

Yohan carefully moved his steps forward.

The terrain, tangled with jagged, pointed rocks, resembled a maze.

He turned left here.

Then crawled beneath a goblin-shaped boulder and slipped through the eleventh crevice.

‘Well, I did some preparation beforehand….’

He wondered how difficult it would actually be.

Considering how easily he had defeated the Patchwork Golem, he figured the odds were in his favor.

But hearing about something and experiencing it firsthand were worlds apart.

He couldn’t afford to lower his guard.

—The Withered Garden was literally overflowing with treasures. But it was also hell itself. Right? It wasn’t called a raid-wiper for nothing. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Ranker Lee Siwoo, we’d all have been wiped out there. Anyway, the Hidden Piece was in the direction marked by the red symbol in the valley. Only four out of two hundred survived, though.

It must have been around the 150th run.

He had the chance to speak with a survivor of this dungeon in some tavern.

The man had already become a hollow shell of himself, but when it came to the dungeon, he remembered everything as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

For the price of a single bottle of whiskey, Yohan had gotten a remarkably valuable piece of information.

And just as that man had said—

He stopped walking. On the rock before him was a crimson mark, like a beast’s claw had torn it open.

Suppressing the tension and excitement welling up inside, Yohan stepped in.

Before long, he reached a massive cliff covered in red inscriptions.

[‘Light’ is the boundary dividing the bashful from the attention-seeker.]

[‘Smile’ is the mirror urging between eloquence and silence.]

[The table set where the foe has departed marks the true beginning of the feast.]

[And at last, my cup shall overflow.]

“Hm.”

Yohan’s eyes narrowed.

It was a riddle—its meaning hard to discern.

At first glance, one might simply pass by without much thought.

But Yohan slowly chewed over each word, carefully recalling its meaning in his mind once more.

Because whether he remembered those sentences correctly or not would soon determine life or death.

And whether or not he could obtain the Hidden Piece that lay hidden here.

Just then—

“See? What did I tell you? I said he’d be an interesting one.”

A cold male voice came from behind.

“Indeed. As you said, he’s no ordinary Hunter.”

“Whoa. Didn’t know there was a place like this here.”

“Kahaha! We’re really in luck. The structure alone makes it highly probable that there’s treasure or a Hidden Piece nearby.”

There were seven of them in total.

Five men and two women.

Each bore sharp, hardened expressions—the kind of faces that had clearly been through countless battles.

They were all distracted by the fact that they had discovered a hidden area…

All except one.

The man who appeared to be their leader had his eyes fixed solely on Yohan.

“I’m Sa Junhyuk. A mercenary under the Daesan Industrial Association.”

He looked to be in his early forties.

A muscular frame nearing 185cm, a neatly kept beard, and a sly smile that left an impression.

But Yohan could already sense it.

Among everyone here, this man was the most dangerous.

That thick, lingering scent of blood soaked into his body—

The karma accumulated from collecting too many lives.

‘Looks like the fish took the bait….’

The number of them was just as he had wanted.

The only problem was—

They were far livelier than he’d hoped.

‘Eye of the Prophet.’

Ding!

[Sa Junhyuk]

Occupation: Mercenary [Before Class Advancement]

Rank: Has not yet ascended to a holy rank.

Unique Ability: Fang of the Serpent

Trait: None

Description: A veteran who has worked as a mercenary for 20 years. Shows affection toward subordinates and uses any means necessary to complete assigned missions. Currently employed by the Daesan Industrial Association under a commission from ‘Taehwa Pharmaceuticals.’

It wasn’t an especially unusual record, but one detail stood out.

He was connected to Taehwa Pharmaceuticals, a corporation with a market capitalization exceeding 10 trillion won.

So that was it.

Yohan now had a grasp of why these mercenaries were here.

“Mercenaries from the Daesan Industrial Association, huh? What brings you all the way out here? As far as I know, your group’s more interested in mining Magic Stones than in dungeon raids. Shouldn’t you be heading straight to the Magic Stone deposit after taking down that Frankenstein or whatever it was?”

“Haha. You’re pretty well-informed. But right now, we’re more interested in you than in Magic Stones.”

“I don’t think I’m worth sending this many people after. Your interest is a bit… overwhelming.”

“Well, at first, I was just curious.”

But then—

“I figured I’d have to dig a little deeper.”

Sa Junhyuk’s gaze shifted.

That sly smile of his now carried the instinct of a hunter eyeing his prey.

Step.

Yohan subtly backed away.

The number of people was just right—time to start the main event.

Ku-ku-koong!

A deafening rumble shook the ground at that moment.

“W-What’s that?!”

“Something just activated!”

The mercenaries spread out, assessing the situation.

As the inscriptions faded, the valley split open—and a statue emerged.

It took the shape of a beautiful woman, about 170cm tall.

One wing sprouted from a single shoulder.

With hands joined in prayer, she exuded an air of divine solemnity for an instant.

[The Trial begins.]

[Survive.]

[Time Limit: 0H : 29M : 59S]

[Difficulty and reward grade will adjust according to the number of challengers.]

“Trial?”

“Survive…?”

“Damn it! Focus! It’s coming!”

Before they could even process what was happening, the statue moved.

Its target—the muscular man standing at the front.

Thoom!

“Guaaaah!”

He blocked with his shield, but the sheer impact tore through to his bones.

“She’s strong! Don’t face her head-on! Focus on evading and analyzing her abilities!”

“Click!”

Sa Junhyuk alternated glances between Yohan and the statue, then turned his body.

Smart move.

At this moment, it made sense to leave the weaker prey alone.

After all, from his perspective, Yohan was an easy target to handle later.

‘Still… this is even better than I expected.’

Despite her delicate, girl-like appearance, the air-rending swing of her sword was terrifying.

Power and speed—

The statue possessed the perfect balance of both as it danced among the mercenaries, cutting through the air.

Kwaang! Kwaa-aang! Kaa-ang!

The clash of steel against steel sent a thrill through every cell in his body.

Still, they probably thought they could handle it for now.

However, the real trial had yet to begin.

Whoooosh!

Suddenly, a bright light burst out from the statue.

Yohan swiftly lowered his gaze.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, merely covered their eyes for a brief moment—

then focused all their senses to anticipate the statue’s next move.

That was the beginning of the tragedy.

Crunch!

“Gahk!?”

The man’s body bent along with his shield.

Slash!

The upper half of the muscular man’s body was sliced clean off and flung high into the air.

“J-Jang Hyungseok!”

“No way…! The shield broke in one strike…!”

The light faded, and the surroundings dimmed.

Yohan’s gaze lifted from the ground back to the statue.

Without blinking, he continued to watch his opponent.

“Uaaaaagh!”

Another scream echoed.

Light faded, then brightened again.

As light and darkness alternated, the stench of blood grew thicker.

Paaang!

The statue spread its single wing wide and soared forward.

Its speed was tremendous.

Before the eye could even follow it, the statue had already appeared behind the short-haired woman.

From above—

Downward.

It swung a blow that could have split a mountain.

However—

Kaaaang!

Sa Junhyuk crossed his two daggers and blocked the statue’s sword.

“T-Team Leader?”

“When it shines, avoid its gaze! When it’s dark, look straight at it! That way, it won’t attack you!”

He shouted the warning to his subordinates without hesitation.

At the same time—

“You… knew about this, didn’t you?”

Sa Junhyuk glared at Yohan.

[When it’s bright, become bashful—never meet its eyes. When it’s dark, become the attention-seeker—never look away from the statue.]

That had been the hint written in the first line.

“Come on, if I knew that, I would’ve told you. I’m not a psychopath. I’ve got a heart as warm as sunshine.”

“Oh, really? Then how come you’re the only one who hasn’t been attacked even once? Still gonna lie?”

Hmm. His instincts were sharp.

It wasn’t easy to pick up on that much through observation alone in a panic situation.

“Ah, well, maybe that sunshine’s gone a bit bad lately—climate change and all. My heart might’ve spoiled a little with it.”

Yohan smiled innocently.

Grit.

The sound of grinding teeth rang sharply in the air.

“Boasting about some cheap strategy when you’ve got no real skill… Tch. Whatever. Let’s finish this first and then talk.”

Kwoooong!

Sa Junhyuk deflected the statue’s sword and pulled the short-haired woman back to a safe distance.

“I’m sorry… it’s my fault…”

“Stop the bleeding first. Our priority’s surviving the next 25 minutes.”

Fortunately, once they figured out the method, no one else was attacked.

Then—

Creak.

A smile spread across the statue’s lips.

“You humans are quite strong. Is what I guard truly so desirable to you?”

For the first time, it spoke human words.

“Well, some of it’s desirable, sure. Some of it, honestly, I wouldn’t take even if you gave it to me. Still, I hope there’s something that lives up to my expectations. Oh, and if you could stab a few of my friends here nice and cleanly, that’d make me even happier.”

Yohan shrugged as he replied.

Meanwhile, the others were too busy trying to figure out the intent behind the statue’s question to respond in time.

Spears shot out from behind the statue—

Targeting everyone who hadn’t answered.

Thwack!

The short-haired woman’s body was flung backward.

A long spear pierced through her chest, smashing into the wall behind her.

“S-Seo Yoonah!”

“It’s too late. She’s dead—instantly!”

The rest barely managed to block or dodge.

More luck than skill.

If the same attack came again, they couldn’t be sure they’d survive.

“Answer the question! You have to answer!”

Sa Junhyuk recalled why Yohan hadn’t been attacked.

“What is your desire? Why do you wish to live in this world?”

The statue, its smile gone, asked again.

“Money! Looks! Fame! Power! I want it all—”

Splurt!

The head of the man who’d first found this place was gone before he could finish.

Another mercenary nearby screamed.

“Damn it, why?! Why attack him when he answered?!”

Well, maybe because he wanted too much for what the question asked?

It’s not like the statue was a genie in a lamp.

What was it supposed to do—give him all that when it looked more like it could be drinking buddies with an orc?

Though, to be exact, the real reason was that the statue had entered a new phase.

[When it speaks with a smile, you must respond smoothly. When it speaks coldly, never answer.]

Up until now, it had all just been a warm-up. Now, the patterns started to mix.

When the light appeared, it smiled and spoke.

When darkness fell, it asked questions with a grim expression.

Kwaaang!

Thoom!

The statue, wielding sword, shield, spear, and whip, unleashed a relentless assault.

The final minute.

From this point on, even knowing the strategy didn’t guarantee safety.

Yohan approached Sa Junhyuk, who was gasping for breath.

“What was it you said earlier?”

Something about bragging over strategy without skill, wasn’t it?

Let’s see if he could still say that later.

Yohan lowered his center of gravity, holding his shield diagonally to guard his body.

The statue turned toward Yohan and smiled.

“I have heard your wishes well enough. Then answer me. The reason I was trapped in this valley—and what it is I most desire. Answer correctly, and I shall let you live.”

“Hmm… you were trapped here for stealing mint chocolate, and what you desire most is to eat as much mint chocolate as you want. Am I right?”

Yohan recalled how his father, Jinhyuk, used to praise the mint chocolate outside the Tower all day long.

A treasure worth more than gold.

Even the alchemists who had succeeded in creating gold were said to weep tears of awe before the perfect golden ratio of mint and chocolate.

It was a reasonable guess.

If all went well, he might be able to subdue the statue easily—

Kwaaaang!

“Wrong!”

The statue hurled its spear like a bullet, filled with a rage that felt strangely more intense than before.