Chapter 69: Promising Talents from Various Countries

We cleared the Red Dungeon.

And offered the Fallen Apostle as a sacrifice.

[Bluecat’s Eye Stage 2 activated.]

[Using the ability consumes accumulated energy; you must offer another sacrifice to reactivate it.]

After reviewing the details and collecting the rewards, I exited the Red Dungeon.

Outside, the sun was setting.

An Association staff member guarding the portal approached.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes.”

“This is from the Director. He said it might be helpful to review it before participating in the Hall of Glory.”

The staff handed over a file.

Inside were details about the participants in the Hall of Glory.

What weapons they used, their presumed abilities, and who had trained them.

I quickly skimmed through it, absorbing the information in my mind.

Once you see it, you automatically memorize it, so it wasn’t difficult.

“All done.”

“Already?”

“Yes. It’s all memorized.”

I handed back the file and checked the time; it was nearly time to join the Hall of Glory.

Soon after, a message appeared.

[Do you wish to participate in the Hall of Glory?]

I nodded at the message before my eyes and answered,

In that instant, light engulfed my body.

Shuaaaak!

The bright light faded, revealing a new scene.

White pillars.

Various statues.

Colorful murals.

It looked like the interior of a temple.

Inside the grand and spacious temple were several people.

Flags floated above their heads.

Just like in the labyrinth, you could immediately tell which nation they belonged to.

‘They’re all Korean.’

Everyone inside the temple wore the Taegukgi.

I calmly surveyed my surroundings.

A familiar face appeared.

Yoo Seolha.

She was looking around like I was but noticed me and walked over.

“You’re here.”

“What are you doing here? Haven’t you cleared the 30th floor yet?”

“No. My uncle asked me to wait until after the Hall of Glory participation before going down.”

“You know…”

“He said something felt off and told me to participate and help out. I just agreed since being a day or two late wouldn’t be a big deal.”

Well.

Not entirely wrong.

Director Lee Changgeon was cautious because he knew there were those targeting me.

Having someone who would unquestionably be on my side when Apostles were after me was a huge advantage.

“Tower Master!”

“Over here.”

A man and woman approached happily upon seeing Yoo Seolha and stood beside her.

“Say hello. This is Dokkaebi. And this is the mage who recently cleared the 30th floor of the Magic Tower.”

“Hello!”

“It’s an honor to meet you!”

Thanks to these three, the research on Instant Death Magic progressed quickly.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

We exchanged greetings with a light handshake, then I once again scanned the surroundings using Golden Dragon’s Eye to check for information.

Just in case.

To see if any other Apostles or those blessed by the Dragon God were hidden among us.

I examined about a hundred people but found no one linked to another Dragon God.

‘At least that’s a relief.’

No need to worry about a betrayal from inside.

“Is that really a Dokkaebi?”

“I pay my respects to Dokkaebi! I’m Kim Woojun, the team leader of Team 3, applying through Imemaengnyang!”

“I’m Han Seolyun, selected through the Hall of Glory special screening. Nice to meet you.”

“Please take care of me too!”

“Me too!”

As the walls once blocking us with the Golden Tower mages crumbled, more people approached and greeted us.

Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit chaotic, an announcement echoed.

“The Hall of Glory’s War begins now.”

Drawn in by the majestic and dreamlike voice, everyone looked straight ahead.

There was an angelic figure descending from the sky.

Pure white wings and a halo above their head.

Their face was hidden behind a veil, but the overwhelming presence radiated holiness.

“That’s the Administrator.”

“The Glory’s Angel…”

“To think we’d see an angel with our own eyes.”

All eyes that had been on me shifted immediately.

“Only the last survivor in the Hall of Glory’s War will have their name engraved in the Hall of Glory. Are you all ready to participate?”

“Yes!”

“Of course!”

“Let’s get this started! We’re ready.”

A faint smile appeared beneath the trembling veil.

That smile was strangely unsettling.

I used Golden Dragon’s Eye to check the information on the being called the Glory’s Angel.

[??????(???)]

No information could be retrieved.

‘A higher being immune to Golden Dragon’s Eye, then.’

At the very least, it must be above Apostle rank or the Dragon God intentionally blocked information access.

I should hear more from Rose or Baltimos about this.

There wasn’t much to discover with the limited info, and worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

“Now, let’s begin the Hall of Glory’s War. I pray you all survive until the end and have your names engraved in the Hall.”

The Glory’s Angel spread their hands, projecting a model of a space.

A colossal arena.

A colosseum.

As the model touched the floor, it transformed into a brilliant white portal.

“Those who are ready, please move through here.”

“Wooooah! Let’s go!”

“With Dokkaebi here, Korea’s definitely winning.”

“We can’t lose. No way.”

“If it’s a team match, we actually have a shot.”

The Korean Hunters stepped through the portal of light and headed into the battlefield colosseum.

I followed alongside the Golden Tower mages and crossed through the portal.

Beyond were iron bars.

Past the bars stretched a vast circular stadium.

Beyond the sprawling arena, Hunters from other nations appeared.

Everyone.

At that moment, a message popped up.

[Starting the first game.]

[Random participants will be selected.]

Some of the Korean Hunters inside vanished and appeared in the center of the arena.

Hunters from other countries did the same.

The arena was packed with a crowd.

While everyone scrambled around in a bit of a frenzy, the detailed game rules appeared via message.

[All stats and skills will be fixed at S-rank for this war.]

[Winners earn points to purchase exclusive Hall of Glory War items.]

[Points: 100 per kill, 50 per assist, 1,000 for victory.]

[Keep fighting until only Korea remains.]

[The match will start with the countdown.]

Huge numbers appeared in the air.

As the countdown ended, a whistle blew, signaling the start.

“Aaah!”

“Kuh!”

“Block left! Left!”

A fierce brawl erupted inside the arena.

If you turned your back, your sword would be driven into you immediately; if you fell, it was game over.

Everyone wielded their weapons mercilessly to rack up points.

“It’s like a game.”

I nodded at Yoo Seolha’s words beside me.

“It is. A point-collecting game.”

“The 4th Hall of Glory was a colosseum battle too, but it was a pure one-on-one fight. You could really tell who the strongest was. This is too unfair, though.”

At that, a Golden Tower mage listening nearby expressed doubt.

“Everyone’s S-rank, so isn’t it fair? Everyone’s stats are fixed equally. Lower-ranked Hunters finally get a chance to win.”

“That’s exactly the flaw. This game favors the S-rank Hunters above all.”

Yoo Seolha pointed out the mage’s mistake.

“Look over there.”

Her finger pointed to the ongoing fight.

A Hunter skillfully wielding their power.

Another Hunter awkwardly struggling with their strength.

The difference was stark.

The skilled Hunter killed the other.

“The winner is Japan’s S-rank Hunter, Kenji…”

“S-rank Hunters are used to fighting with S-rank stats and skills. The others aren’t. They have to handle power they’ve never used before to try and beat the S-rank Hunters.”

At a glance, it seemed fair, but a closer look revealed it wasn’t.

Ultimately, the S-rank Hunters monopolized all the points.

And now, they would use those points to grow even stronger.

This game heavily favored the side with the most S-rank Hunters.

‘Something feels off.’

It felt like the game was designed to target me or Korea.

There were many A-rank Hunters, but no S-rank Hunters in Korea.

They forcibly fixed the stats and created gaps between S-rank Hunters through points.

If there was an Apostle hiding inside here—

If that Apostle accumulated a large number of points and targeted me—

I might be trapped with no way out.

The one relief was that there were no restrictions on usable items.

“Bluecat’s Eye Relic, activate.”

I awakened the relic I possessed and activated Bluecat’s Eye Stage 2.

I closed my right eye and blinked with my left.

The world turned black.

Focusing my will, I selected a target.

‘Apostle.’

I searched for a being with the special energy bestowed by the Dragon God.

In the blackened world, a white line appeared.

The line sharpened and formed a single figure.

A black man with dreadlocks standing next to Japan’s S-rank Hunter, Kenji.

The relic pointed at him.

[Bluecat’s Eye Stage 2 deactivated due to ability use.]

[To reactivate Stage 2, a sacrifice is required.]

Now it was time to confirm if this guy really was an Apostle.

[Using Golden Dragon’s Eye.]

[To Dragon God’s Lesser Apostle (???)]

He must have been watching me too.

When our eyes met, he smirked.

He didn’t even bother hiding his identity.

The Apostle fixed his gaze on me and plunged a sword into the back of a fallen Korean Hunter on the floor.

[The last surviving nation is Japan. All survivors earn 1,000 points.]

The surviving Japanese Hunters were moved into a holding room made of iron bars, and the corpses filling the arena disappeared.

[Selecting the second participant.]

Shuaaaak!

Again, Hunters behind the iron bars moved into the arena.

Among them was a familiar face.

‘Kim Muhyeok.’

A Swordmaster’s Disciple and promising Korean Hunter who defected to China.

[Starting the second match.]

As the match began, the Chinese Hunters moved swiftly.

All ten were S-rank.

Without hesitation, they wiped out their enemies and amassed points.

The Chinese Hunters displayed overwhelming skill.

The match ended in a flash.

[The last surviving nation is China. All survivors earn 1,000 points.]

[Selecting the third participant.]

Shuaaaak!

With a flash of white light, my body was transported into the arena.

I clenched and unclenched my fists.

Checked my Dragon Heart.

I quickly gauged my strength and scanned around to see which allies had joined me in the battlefield.

They ranged between B and C rank in skill.

“Fall back.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

The Korean Hunters pulled back.

Turning my gaze forward, everyone in the arena was staring at me.

The most dangerous enemy.

The highest priority target to eliminate.

That was me.

“Hoo.”

I exhaled and curled my lips into a smirk.

“Come on.”