The Philosopher’s Stone.
In and of itself, it’s nearly a panacea, and the possibilities it opens up for those who can wield it are virtually limitless.
Indeed, it is called the very embodiment of an alchemist’s dream.
And.
For this auction, Jinhyuk had created a replica.
‘It was quite a tough job, indeed.’
The method to create a Philosopher’s Stone was high-level knowledge known only to a select few alchemists.
Not to mention the myriad of ingredients that needed to be prepared.
‘Without everyone’s voluntary assistance, it would have been impossible.’
Jinhyuk briefly reminisced about the past.He had pestered the blacksmith Grandpa Orun… raided Ellis’s treasure vault.
By relentlessly ordering the Elemental Spirits to gather materials from all over the tower, he had quite a spectacular time.
‘The effects are… undeniable.’
The red liquid he applied to his wrist shimmered faintly.
As a sweet scent wafted up, Homunculus’s pupils started to quiver violently.
It felt the same aura as its origin.
A bond.
Yes.
To gain obedience from the first Homunculus, this bond was essential.
While the other deities tried to seize it through sheer power and failed, Jinhyuk had accurately understood what the organizer wanted.
Now, all that was left…
Was to perfectly blend affinity and skill.
“Hoo…”
Jinhyuk composed his breath.
The arcane energy circulated smoothly in his body, and the edge of his fangs was shrouded in a blue glow.
[Your unique ability ‘Celestial Demon God Technique’ has been activated!]
In an instant.
Whooooosh!
An overwhelming aura surged.
The primeval Celestial Demon was one of the absolute beings who could not be taken lightly even by the deities in their heyday.
His unique martial art was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
“In Murim… I knew you made your mark, but to have mastered the Celestial Demon God Technique…?”
“However, that’s all there is. Your unique sacred spear didn’t make a scratch, and neither will the Celestial Demon God Technique change the outcome.”
“You have a point. Even if he received martial arts from the Celestial Demon, considering the time, his realm couldn’t possibly be that high.”
The deities each casually dismissed Jinhyuk.
Their stance was mostly negative.
For good reason.
Although Jinhyuk was undeniably a remarkable player, this was true only within his level of expertise.
Compared to the carefully selected Apostles they sheltered, he wasn’t particularly outstanding.
However.
A few of the deities harbored starkly different thoughts.
“Hmph.”
The corners of Beriel’s mouth lifted.
“…”
“…”
Both Thor and Loki, representing the Norse pantheon, watched Jinhyuk with grave eyes.
“Hmph. That terrifying fellow won’t fail to deal with just that one thing.”
Anubis also snorted disdainfully.
All of them were deities with either firsthand experience with Jinhyuk or memories with him.
At the very least, they believed an anomaly would occur.
＊＊＊
The atmosphere in the auction house was gradually becoming tense.
Jinhyuk made the first move.
Celestial Demon King’s Descent.
Boom!
With a deep footprint left on the ground, Jinhyuk’s body vanished like the wind.
“……!”
The Homunculus immediately swung its spear.
As always, a pair of shorts were spun like a pinwheel.
Clang!
A fang that approached from the side was deflected.
As expected, not an easy opponent.
“A couple of fakes won’t be enough.”
Jinhyuk increased the intensity of his Celestial Demon God Technique.
Whish!
Barely audible, the sound of his movement grazed the ground, and abruptly, Jinhyuk appeared on the opposite side.
‘Black Celestial Demon Emperor Technique.’
‘First Form.’
‘Black Wheel Shadow Shattering Fist’!
Boom!
The blow aimed at the back was evaded.
Like how it deflected Medeus’s unique sacred spear, the Homunculus continued to disperse the force of the powerful attacks rather than confronting them head-on.
“Of course, I knew it would turn out this way.”
“Just wasting time until the organizer intervenes to stop this.”
“He sure knows how to dodge. It’s astonishing there is a puppet that can so skillfully evade attacks.”
The negative voices were soon replaced with certainty.
The contest was apparently over.
And yet,
As everyone jumped to conclusions, Jinhyuk had perceived something during the recent exchange.
‘Good.’
The scent emanating from the ‘replica Philosopher’s Stone’ was agitating the Homunculus.
Ever so slightly. The opponent was reacting slower.
A sensation transmitted to his fingertips.
Just a bit faster…
If he could make his strikes a bit sharper…
[Your unique ability ‘High-Speed Sword’ has been activated!]
[Your unique ability ‘Shadow Extreme Kill’ has been activated!]
Boom!
Clang!
Jinhyuk wielded his fang in a flurry.
Leaping from shadow to shadow, and with the High-Speed Sword increasing his attack speed by at least double, the trajectory of the dagger itself became almost indistinct.
“….uh.”
As the Homunculus frantically defended itself, a short moan escaped its lips.
Now!
At the point where the line of sight crossed.
Jinhyuk deliberately slowed down the tempo of his assault.
‘Glacial Modeling.’
‘Ice Jade Kaleidoscope’
Crack!
Thin frost sprouted from the ground, blurring sensation and causing the chilled body to start hallucinating.
The Homunculus’s small mouth gaped vacantly as it slowly lifted a hand toward the beautiful and dazzling spectacle it was seeing for the first time.
[‘The bond with the target deepens due to the ‘replica Philosopher’s Stone’.’]
[‘Sympathy Ability’ is activated!]
[Your unique ability ‘Mentra Taming’ is activated!]
Successive status windows appeared.
All of the collected abilities were shining brightly.
“Aah…”
The Homunculus’s agitation grew.
Exhausted from the continued skirmish and disoriented by the various empathy abilities, trapped in the ‘Ice Jade Kaleidoscope’, it could only be confused.
And in that moment…
…Jinhyuk precisely seized the opportunity.
Softly.
The tip of his fang touched the Homunculus’s throat, and a drop of red liquid from the Philosopher’s Stone trailed down the neck.
Their eyes met directly.
A captivating blue that could draw one in was fixed on Jinhyuk.
“I’m not one for long-winded threats or persuasion.”
Promises of utmost respect, or a status above a mere puppet if it joined forces with them, were words he could not speak.
“Nor do I want to coerce obedience through intimidation.”
After all, loyalty borne out of mere domination, where one only presses down, is meaningless.
Even if that other were a being without emotions.
“But, I can promise you this. As long as you’re with me, I won’t ever throw you away.”
Jinhyuk quietly sheathed his blade, meeting no resistance.
This had to be a sign of agreement.
Indeed, the arcane power streaming from Homunculus had completely dissipated.
“From today on, I am your master.”
“Master…”
The Homunculus mulled over the word cautiously.
Thud.
It was at that moment its knees hit the ground.
Blue hair softly cascaded just below the neck.
Thus, the master of the Homunculus was decided.
＊＊＊
The affair between Jinhyuk and the Homunculus threw the auction house into chaos.
It was thought that someone would take the Homunculus, but no one imagined it would be a player.
“Dear deities. The auction is over. The organizer does not wish for any more disturbances, so how about we all leave?”
Had the organizer not intervened at the right time, every deity might have sought to devour Jinhyuk alive.
Such was the magnitude of this unprecedented event.
Reluctantly, the deities left, and the once buzzing auction house quieted.
Only the Apostles, who had followed the deities, remained amidst the silence.
Medeus, representing Olympus, moved towards Jinhyuk.
“……This is our first time talking directly. My name is Medeus. A resident who received the blessing of Hermes and became his Apostle.”
A Ranker with his own unique sacred spear.
It felt quite a different affair meeting him up close.
Normally, this guy could only be encountered in the upper 20s floors maybe once or twice.
“Your performance before left quite an impression. Honestly, I did not expect someone of such caliber was ascending the tower beneath the middle floors.”
For the Apostles, players these days are simply novices who have just tasted what the tower had to offer.
They believe players need to roll around for another decade before they can even be worthy of discussion.
“There are quite a few talented individuals below, aside from myself.”
“Yes. Perhaps I should take a greater interest in the lower levels from now. In that vein… could you tell me which floor you’re currently residing in the tower?”
“I got a bit sidetracked, but I’m thinking of heading to the 19th floor this time.”
“The 19th floor, is it…”
Medeus nodded slightly.
“It’ll be a long time till we meet again. Hurry on up. I eagerly anticipate the day we can fight together atop the upper floors of the tower.”
“Sure. Friend or foe, I’ll be looking forward to it too.”
Building a connection with Medeus would undoubtedly become crucial in the future.
With that brief exchange, the auction house episode came to an end.
＊＊＊
It was several hours later when Jinhyuk returned to reality.
He thought he was going to die trying to shake off Beriel, the pesky leech that was clinging on stubbornly.
“Make yourself comfortable. For now, it’s the place I use as my home outside the tower. I took some money from Ellis’s wallet, so don’t worry about expenses here.”
“Understood…”
Homunculus glanced around the hotel room before sitting on the couch.
‘First, let’s check the extent of it.’
Jinhyuk activated ‘Eye of Gluttony’ to inspect the status window of Homunculus.
Ding!
——————————————————
Name: Homunculus
Gender: Female
Age: 1 year
Level: 195
Strength 53, Agility 85, Vitality 76, Arcane Energy 62, Philosopher’s Blessing 368
Remaining Status Points: 0
Profession: Spear Master
Unique Ability: Puppetry
Skills: ‘Dual Spears’ Lv29, ‘Thousand Nights’ Tale’ Lv28, ‘Action Capture’ Lv27, ‘Arcane Breath’ Lv21, ‘Painful Wound’ Lv21…….
——————————————————
[Special Note: Once a master-servant relationship is established, betrayal is impossible under any circumstances. If certain conditions are met, you can unlock the ‘Unique Sacred Spear’.]
Incredible…
What an absurd level of specs.
She’s just been created and yet her base level is nearing 200.
However, the truly astonishing part wasn’t just the high base specs.
‘The Philosopher’s Blessing stat alone is at staggering 368.’
An upper echelon stat like Gap or Adaptation that one could only acquire after clearing special conditions.
With the potential to unlock a unique sacred spear on top of that, she truly was a goldmine that had practically fallen into his lap.
Jinhyuk swallowed a burgeoning cheer, at the same time feeling an urge to gift her something valuable.
“You don’t have a name yet, do you? A name… the word to call you by.”
“Name… do you mean? At the place I was before, they called me Homunculus.”
“Hmm. That so? I can’t keep calling you that, so I’ll come up with a suitable name. Naming things is one of my killer talents, after all.”
“It would be my honor to receive any name you give.”
Homunculus nodded quickly with a distinctly eager voice.
Hmm. Let’s see.
What name should I choose that would be memorable for a long time?
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