Using the Giant's Grasp to wield a pillar as a weapon was a kind of performance.
One meant to attract the opponent's attention.
'The one who deceives the opponent must also deceive the eye.'
Jin-hyuk smiled.
It wasn't for nothing that magicians always captivated their audience with flashy outfits and antiques.
If such a gap in captivation could be created, then any kind of boss could be taken down.
"Uh… when—how can you joke like this?!"
Medusa looked down and gritted her teeth.
Runes were drawn with blood.
It was a technique performed using the blood of the tanker she had killed. Medusa tried to move back, but it was already too late.
"I made this specifically for you."
If he couldn't confine her using an intermediate barrier,
Then all he had to do was use the entire terrain—
Woong!
A massive rune formation drawn across the floor shone brightly.
"Breaking it will not be easy."
That was a known fact.
Because this was on a completely different scale.
Woong!
[A 3-star (level) barrier 'Sealed Coffin' is activated!]
A modifier that appeared only when the proper process and magic were perfectly combined.
For the first time, a barrier with a star level had been activated.
Nice.
Jin-hyuk nodded as he looked at the shining light.
He had been slightly worried since he had drawn this using his feet, but his body remembered the runes well.
Wasn't there a saying that even if the form dies, the class is eternal?
Trapped inside the square barrier, Medusa screamed.
"Akkkk! Let me out right now!"
Kwang! Kwang! Bang!
Even as she lashed out with her whip and smashed it with her tail, the barrier didn't budge.
As stated before, it wasn't easy to break.
There was a way to destroy this barrier, but if one tried to brute-force it with ignorance, it wouldn't break even after a thousand years.
A barrier was a delicate thing.
Jin-hyuk glanced over.
Now that the boss was locked inside, the status window indicating quest success should appear.
At that moment—
Tring!
Several status windows appeared.
[Third condition has been met.]
[You have succeeded in achieving the 1st job of a Barrier User.]
[Because you succeeded in trapping the highest-level boss monster among the options, the 'hidden job quest' has been activated!]
[You have changed your job to a higher-level job: 'Rune Interpreter'!]
No way…!
"Right! I knew it would turn out like this!"
Jin-hyuk cheered.
The quest description stated that he needed to imprison a boss monster, but it never specified how strong the boss had to be.
Naturally, players who chose the Barrier User job usually sought the weakest possible target to fulfill the third condition.
A goblin or slime on the 1st floor—something easy to capture.
'That isn't a boss at all.'
Few people chose the difficult path when an easy one existed.
However—
A veteran never took the easy way.
Even with no information and greater difficulty, they always aimed for more than what was required.
The more difficult the situation, the fewer people dared to attempt it.
And that resulted in greater rewards.
That assumption proved correct.
Ba-dump!
His heart pounded violently.
It couldn't be helped.
The game had existed for eleven years, yet not a single player had obtained a hidden job.
By sealing Medusa—the most difficult target the Gray Temple could offer—he had expected extra rewards.
He had also hoped for something hidden.
'This is something even I didn't know.'
Still, being blindsided by a pleasant surprise was always welcome.
Jin-hyuk clenched his fist.
'First, let's check the details.'
Being a hidden job meant nothing without understanding its contents.
Jin-hyuk gulped and began reading.
[Rune Interpreter]
Acquisition Difficulty: Overrank
Description:
If a barrier can be built using an existing rune, the Rune Interpreter can comprehend the rune's essence and reinterpret it to create a barrier that has never existed before.
Understanding all things through runes—this is the true essence of an interpreter.
Barriers created by a Rune Interpreter possess twice the performance of ordinary barriers, and their structure is nearly impossible for anyone other than the caster to understand—let alone destroy.
"Huh…"
This was exceptional.
Of all the descriptions he had ever read, this was the one he liked most.
The job perfectly suited a veteran who knew how to exploit it.
The best conditions to grow strong.
'Difficult to destroy…'
A playful smile formed on Jin-hyuk's lips.
Countless scenarios flashed through his mind.
He could trap someone he hated inside a barrier and watch their hair fall out strand by strand.
Or seal another person's treasure chest just to hear them scream.
Well—
Blocking a toilet would be amusing too.
'In Elise's case, we could trap chicken and beer inside.'
As for Chun Yuseong… maybe a barrier around his precious sword.
They were thrilling thoughts.
Of course, he wouldn't actually prank them.
Probably.
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'Still, the possibilities are endless.'
One option was to attract the Tower's attention and create massive ripple effects.
Furthermore—
['Moon Imprint' will be engraved.]
Tss…!
A white engraving spread from Jin-hyuk's wrist to his shoulder.
It was a medium that allowed him to activate barriers with minimal magic consumption.
With this, all conditions for the first job were complete.
"Kua…"
"Nice, nice."
"Very good."
As Jin-hyuk admired his status window—
"You! What are you doing with me?!"
Medusa cried out from inside the barrier.
"Uh?"
"…Are you going to kill me?"
Her earlier dominance was gone.
She looked like a mouse trapped in a cage of fear.
That reaction was inevitable.
If things continued like this, she would surely die.
Jin-hyuk smiled.
"Well? I guess I'll cut off your head and make armor from your snakeskin. I hear the demand is quite high."
"W-what?!"
Medusa looked genuinely horrified.
Even boss monsters didn't enjoy hearing their death described in advance.
"It's a joke. But if you keep screaming, I might really turn you into a wallet."
Normally, killing the boss was common sense.
Experience, rewards, materials—everything followed.
However, the Gray Temple offered less merit compared to other dungeons.
Once Medusa's head left the temple, petrification ceased.
Armor made from her skin carried poison and harmed its wearer.
There were other rewards, but—
There was a better way.
Jin-hyuk activated Coin Exchange.
"What's needed…"
"In a brass bowl: one liter of Trihon goat blood, six hind legs of a swamp miller, and a blue lotus flower?"
[Paid a total of 3,350 coins]
Most of it was cheap.
Considering his recent videos had gained over ten million additional views, this was nothing.
"Then the first thing to do is…"
Drop!
He poured the goat blood into a faded brass bowl, floated the blue lotus on top, and placed the swamp miller legs around it.
At that moment—
Woong!
The bowl vibrated violently, then stilled.
[This is… absurd.]
A deep voice echoed.
[Player Kang Jin-hyuk. How did you learn of this method?]
The voice belonged to the librarian of the Magic Library.
Rick Hennessy.
"What? I just bought things and mixed them. Hahaha. What a coincidence."
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Of course, he knew exactly what this was.
It was like entering someone's room without knocking.
But the library gate was closed—he had no choice.
[That doesn't answer my question. This contact method hasn't been disclosed yet. Explain.]
Rick's voice turned cold.
However—
"Ah! Come to think of it, I have a beast here!"
Jin-hyuk abruptly changed the topic.
[…?]
Rick paused.
This communication method shared vision.
Rick could now see the surroundings.
"Now then—watch carefully."
Jin-hyuk turned toward Medusa, curled up inside the barrier.
[Uh? That monster is…?!]
Rick gasped.
Just as expected.
'I knew you'd be interested.'
If it involved Greek artifacts or beings, there was only one collector obsessed enough.
Rick was closely associated with that god.
He would take even a single tooth if it came from Greece.
How could he ignore Medusa?
Rick's silence confirmed his calculations.
"It was wrong of me to contact you so abruptly. But there is a reason. If you don't like it, we'll forget this ever happened."
Jin-hyuk infused magic into his Twin Dragon Swords.
Psss!
The blades glowed with the color of the Sword Grave.
[W-wait! Stop! You cannot kill her!]
Rick shouted in panic.
Oh?
This was new.
Jin-hyuk smiled faintly.
"I'll ask one last question."
He pointed his sword at Medusa.
"Do you still think it's important to know how I obtained this communication method?"
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