The officetel living room echoed with noise.
"Uooooooo!"
Momo's hands moved at a terrifying speed.
"Uooooo indeed!!"
Kancho twitched his ears just as frantically. Of course, ear-twitching was the only thing he could match Momo in. Her hands were far too deft for him to keep up with.
"Excellent."
Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze—
Flinch!
He'd caught Elia slacking off. She quietly returned to her work the moment their eyes met.
Jinhyuk strolled over and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Eleven? Elia, is this really your best? Momo's already made over three hundred."
Right now, Jinhyuk's party was deep in manufacturing mode.
Using Camel's Blank Card engraved with Camela Sirin's Puppet Creation, they needed suitable vessels to act as puppets. Since the puppets had to wield steel weapons, they were crafting simple humanoid dolls by hand.
"Physical ability declines with age, you know? Fast-paced repetitive work like this is way too harsh for a 3,271-year-old granny."
"You're always saying you're young."
Elia only brought up her age when it suited her.
"My heart is eternally two-thousand-and-young."
Sixteen and two thousand. The number of digits might be similar, but the gap in meaning was astronomical.
"Captain, just leave her alone. That old hag can't do a thing. All she knows how to do is sip tea and brew nasty potions."
"That's rich coming from a badger who can't do anything but spew nonsense—"
Thwack!
Kancho didn't hold back. He launched himself into the air and dropkicked Elia in the shoulder.
Soon enough, the two—well, one yordle and one elf—were grabbing at each other's hair.
Jinhyuk shook his head.
Two workers down.
"And Seira and Dark…"
As he made his inspection rounds, cold sweat trickled down his back.
Dark's dolls were exquisite—nearly on par with Momo's.
But Seira's…
Was this even a doll? Could it legally be defined as one?
He tried to slip away unnoticed.
"Keh!"
Dark had shifted his gaze toward Seira and burst out laughing.
Seira, who had been hunched over working diligently, slowly lifted her head. A dark killing intent flickered in her eyes.
"I'll cut him."
That wouldn't do. This wasn't even his house—he couldn't let it get destroyed.
Clap!
Jinhyuk clapped his hands sharply.
"That's enough! It's almost midnight. Let's head to the Tower."
"Guaaah! Finally!"
Elia, who had done the least and slacked the most, stretched the widest as she stood up.
At that very moment, she made a solemn vow.
Next time there was puppet manufacturing involved, she would absolutely flee to the workshop.
Jinhyuk walked over and pressed down on Elia's disheveled hair. Kancho had really gone at it.
"I think I'm going bald."
"Nope. Still sturdy. Like a broom."
"That's a relief."
After packing up the completed puppets, Jinhyuk activated Ertra's Bracelet.
The Elder Centipede's Scale Armor and Hermes' Boots materialized around him. Karakhal's Ring shimmered into place on his finger.
"Damn."
Fully armed with a single click. It was absurdly convenient.
Once he confirmed that everyone had put on their fur coats, he pressed the entry button.
[Entering the Tower of Despair, Floor 63!]
A fierce snowstorm greeted them immediately.
"Brrr…"
Camel shivered and quickly raised a barrier.
As if by unspoken agreement, Elia rushed over to huddle inside it. Those two were especially sensitive to the cold.
"Tsksk. The 'one-foot-in-the-grave' duo, as expected."
Kancho clicked his tongue.
At that moment, Commander-in-Chief Noir of the Inuit approached.
"You've come!"
He laughed heartily and clapped Jinhyuk on the shoulder.
He couldn't help but be pleased. Ever since Jinhyuk arrived, the battles had become much easier.
Still, there was no room for complacency.
"You see that dark mass over there?"
"The Yeti forces?"
"You notice quickly. They've figured out the location of our camp. They've gathered in large numbers."
Floor 63 of the Tower of Despair was a defensive stage.
For one hour, they had to defend the Inuit encampment against waves of Yeti troops.
Clear time didn't matter—only the degree of damage to the camp determined the grade.
A 30-minute preparation timer floated in the air. It didn't count toward the record; it was meant for setting up defenses.
"Today, I brought a guide. There are crevasses along the way—one wrong step and you'll fall in."
An important warning. Plenty of players had broken their legs from a bad fall and been forced to hit the escape button.
"This is today's guide. You've met before, haven't you?"
"Huh?"
Two creatures stared at each other.
"Isn't that the badger from below?"
"It's that crazy bomb raccoon."
"Please omit the 'crazy.' It's offensive."
That might have been the cutest way anyone had ever said "offensive."
Jinhyuk waved.
"Hi, Konyu."
"It's Konu."
"Hi, Konyu."
"…Let's just go with Konyu."
Konu gave up with a resigned wave.
Come to think of it, they had always alternated between the two names. Next time, Jinhyuk really would try to get it right.
After the greetings, Konu padded into Camel's barrier.
A campfire had already been lit, warming the space. Konu looked around briefly—
Fwoosh!
He pulled out a thick sleeping bag and spread it on the ground.
"What are you doing, you lazy badger?!"
"Konu! The Yeti troops are about to attack! You need to guide us!"
"Huh?"
Konu, who had been about to lie down, waved his hand lazily.
"Why bother? That knight over there will just zoom in and wipe them out anyway. Huh? Why are you here?"
Seira had somehow joined them by the fire.
"Today, my master will handle it."
"Huh? Alone? That's dangerous. The Yeti troops are nasty. That bomb raccoon over there would get split in half in one hit."
"Don't jinx meee!"
Kancho lunged at Konu, pounding on him even as he lay in the sleeping bag.
Jinhyuk stretched and stepped onto the battlefield.
Commander Noir watched him with concern.
He knew how capable Jinhyuk was. He'd seen it last floor.
But this time, the Yeti numbers were overwhelming.
And the terrain was terrible.
Under the thick snow lay deadly crevasses—treacherous footing for a swordsman who relied on stable steps.
Worse, it was night. Only a thin sliver of moonlight illuminated the battlefield.
To dive into that mass alone… there were too many variables.
[The player has pressed Start! The Yeti forces will begin their assault in 10 seconds!]
"What?!"
Noir whipped his head around.
Not even three minutes of prep time had passed.
And yet—
Rumble…!
The ground trembled as thousands of Yeti charged forward.
And standing against them was a single figure who hadn't even drawn his sword.
'What is he planning…?!'
Noir glanced back toward the campfire.
Jinhyuk's companions—each incredibly powerful—weren't moving at all.
They must feel the tremors too, yet they sipped tea leisurely.
Just as Noir was about to order the Inuit soldiers to mobilize—
[Puppet Creation]
Swoooooosh!
Hundreds of dolls materialized behind Jinhyuk.
Each had a different shape and appearance, writhing eerily.
Before the strange sight could fully register—
[Puppet Release]
The entire army collapsed in unison.
They dissolved into smoke and vanished.
More question marks piled up in Noir's mind.
The Yeti were almost upon them.
Why summon them only to dismiss them?
Crunch.
Kancho stepped up beside Jinhyuk.
As an avid viewer of classic anime during downtime, he knew exactly the right line for this moment.
"Captain, are the stored weapons sufficient?"
Jinhyuk smiled and inhaled deeply.
Like Kancho, he was a fellow otaku.
"More than enough."
Swoooooosh!
"!!!"
Commander Noir's eyes widened.
Even Konu shot upright from his sleeping bag.
Hundreds of steel weapons left behind by the puppets rose into the air.
[Buried Windsor's Blade, Ferracan – Iron Brand]
A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.
Hundreds of weapons pointed toward the charging Yeti.
Moonlight cascaded from the sky, reflecting softly off steel.
"What a sight."
"Our master is so cool."
Camel and Elia sipped their tea, smiling contentedly.
Seira's lips twitched as she gave a small nod.
One hundred percent agreement. Utter pride.
Jinhyuk fixed his gaze on the approaching Yeti.
Then, at the perfect moment, he raised his hand.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The weapons launched forward in a deafening barrage, slicing through the air.
The Yeti vanguard was shredded instantly.
Their thick fur and hide meant nothing.
Each weapon carried immense power—far too much to be stopped.
Swoosh! Slash! Crack!
Even after the first wave fell, the weapons did not stop.
They rose again, carving and stabbing along shifting trajectories.
Occasionally, a Yeti survived a hit—
[Engraved Blade, Kamachi]
—but a stack-triggered explosion followed, bursting them apart in a spray of blood.
Jinhyuk glanced at the system window.
[Weapon Collecting 4/7]
Ganjiang-Moye
Salamanca
Ferracan
Kamachi
'Perfect.'
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Using Camel's puppet army to wield Ferracan and Kamachi was even more effective than he'd imagined.
[You have slain an enemy! Ganjiang-Moye's effect increases Strength!]
[Your blade has withstood an attack! Ganjiang-Moye's effect increases Agility!]
As expected of Genex, the famed iron house.
The weapons were incredibly durable. No matter how the Yeti tried to knock them aside, they didn't break.
And the best part?
Even though he wasn't personally wielding or blocking with them, Ganjiang-Moye's effects still triggered.
Absolutely delicious.
Boom! Boom!
[Salamanca's Unique Skill, Lava Eruption, has activated!]
With so many attacks landing, even a 5% trigger chance became overwhelming.
The Yeti, weak to fire, were incinerated at an accelerating pace.
Gulp.
Commander Noir swallowed hard.
Today was supposed to be a defensive battle.
They were meant to be on defense.
But what unfolded before his eyes was something else entirely.
It wasn't merely offense versus defense.
Was this even a battle?
Noir slowly shook his head.
A warrior would not call this combat.
This was a massacre.
An overwhelming slaughter by the strong against the weak.
As he stood there, dazed, watching the one-sided carnage—
Ding!
A cheerful notification rang out.
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T/N:
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