Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Third Night (5)
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"Park Chan-woo...?"
Han Min-oh's eyes widened as he spotted that name in the rankings.
A name so familiar it felt welcoming, three characters he hadn't forgotten for even a moment, had suddenly appeared before him.
"Someone you know?"
Lee Hyuk-soo asked, watching Han Min-oh's intense reaction.
This was the man who hadn't just left a mark on the black iron—he'd outright destroyed it.
Frankly, it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.
To Lee Hyuk-soo, destroying the black iron seemed like an insanely difficult feat.
It required at least 100 strength and profound mastery of the sword.
Park Chan-woo had accomplished what even he couldn't.
"It's... the same name as the man who saved my life."
"The benefactor who saved you in the 'Low-rank Abyss'?"
"Yes, Master."
Ah. Lee Hyuk-soo nodded.
That was why he'd personally sought out Han Min-oh.
He was intensely curious why so many creators had been "downgraded."
But honestly, his first impression of Han Min-oh had been pure bewilderment.
The guy didn't have anything the creators would covet.
If even he didn't know why he'd been targeted, what special way did Lee Hyuk-soo have to figure it out?
But...
-You are my idol, Mr. Lee Hyuk-soo.
-Please take me as your disciple!
Han Min-oh had said those words with desperate earnestness the moment he saw Lee Hyuk-soo.
His will to grow stronger burned bright, his eyes resolute beyond measure.
Added to that was a spark of curiosity about "Han Shin's younger brother," so he'd handed him a sword to try.
The result was astonishing.
'Talent overflowing to the point of bursting.'
Han Min-oh's gift was the real deal.
Unlike Han Shin, he wasn't an incarnation.
His disposition was polar opposite, too.
He had no interest in inheriting the group—he wanted only to become a hero.
So Lee Hyuk-soo took him as a disciple.
He needed extra hands to work with, after all.
And that's when he learned about the "benefactor."
'Saved his life three times, he said.'
His talent shone so brightly that he'd forgotten to ask who it was.
Truth be told, he hadn't cared much.
Stories passed through others' mouths were always exaggerated.
But...
'Was it true after all?'
A powerhouse who wiped out dozens of incarnations in one go.
If this Park Chan-woo was indeed Han Min-oh's savior, it made sense.
Which raised a question.
'Park Chan-woo. Park Chan-woo...'
He remembered hearing the name recently.
When the Creator Abyss fell from the sky.
Park Chan-woo had been mentioned as the "Savior of the Fox Den."
A thousand people chanting the same name—it had to belong to a true powerhouse.
But he'd dismissed it.
'No one saw him actually fighting properly in the Fox Den.'
He'd checked using the Abyss Safety Department's resources, only to be disappointed.
No one had seen Park Chan-woo fight for real in the Fox Den.
They'd just waited from a distance for the results.
All they knew was his archery was masterful.
Maybe foxes were just weak monsters.
He'd assumed it was exaggerated.
But what if it wasn't?
What if he was the real deal?
Then verification was needed.
Sudden powerhouses were likely "incarnations."
If the Abyss Safety Department had missed a strong one, he needed to monitor it before it became "half-human, half-demon."
"..."
Han Min-oh glanced around subtly.
Lee Hyuk-soo, catching on, spoke.
"Han Shin isn't here, I take it."
"...I still can't believe it. That monster of a brother is dead."
"I'd think the same."
If Han Shin were alive, he wouldn't miss the "Third Night."
He'd naturally choose the "Warrior's Camp" and dominate.
But Han Shin's name was nowhere.
The thrill from facing him in the "Second Night" still lingered.
Rumble!
In that instant.
A massive crashing sound echoed from afar, as enormous walls collapsed.
"W-What's that?"
"Sandstorm!"
"They expect us to charge through that?"
Countless desert sandstorms filled the people's view.
The second trial.
Far from simply running 500km.
They had to protect themselves from traps, snares, and mechanisms to finish.
No moment to rest.
Once they started running, they couldn't stop.
Or they'd be ground to dust with the storm.
'...Not easy.'
He couldn't imagine everyone completing it.
But to wage war on the "Temple of Death," they needed as many as possible to pass.
No, wait.
Just moments ago, when Park Chan-woo destroyed the black iron, hadn't it satisfied "special conditions" and boosted the ratio by 100,000 people?
This trial would be the same.
'Just finish as fast as possible.'
No need for everyone to complete it.
The overwhelming powerhouses just needed to push.
Race with resolve to die, blitz through every trial.
Lee Hyuk-soo looked at Han Min-oh with heavy eyes and said,
"Can you keep up?"
"...I'll stake my life on it! I'll run with utter determination, Master."
"Don't lose sight of my back."
"Understood!"
Han Min-oh vowed resolutely.
But it wasn't enough.
One person wouldn't cut it.
Lee Hyuk-soo gathered mana and unleashed a lion's roar.
"Those confident in your stamina, follow me, Lee Hyuk-soo! I'll clear the path so we can finish as fast as possible and get as many through as we can!"
Shatter the creators' intent.
Destroy the path, forge a new one.
Not competition, but community.
This was Lee Hyuk-soo's way, following the "Prophet."
Definitely no easy trial.
The distance was one thing, but reaching it was tricky in itself.
Before, he'd have sought another way.
Even with improved stamina, status ailments made a single run tough.
But Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly.
'A trial tailor-made for me.'
The warrior's trial.
As brute-force as its name implied.
Thud!
He plunged into the sandstorms without hesitation.
The option applied to his True Shatiros Boots.
That alone made Park Chan-woo's running speed noticeably faster.
But that wasn't all.
The unique option on Shatiros Boots, which shone greater in darkness.
It activated now.
The surroundings weren't particularly dark, but the reason was simple.
'This place itself is night.'
The Third Night.
The domain of night presupposed "darkness."
A total of 300%!
And no stamina drain to boot.
'I could run forever without getting winded.'
He poured on all his power and sprinted.
Faster than the wind, smashing straight through countless storms and traps.
Even that sandstorm was a trap.
A vicious snare sucking in and shredding everything nearby.
But it had no effect on him.
On the contrary...
'The wind's direction is aiding me too.'
The wind let him run even faster.
Time limit: 24 hours.
One thing was certain—he'd arrive within it.
But he had no intention of merely "completing" it.
He'd breakthrough at a level no one anticipated.
'Death Knight Gula.'
Park Chan-woo knew that name too.
The supreme knight, warrior, once the most honored.
One who served the gods, closest to them.
'The most honored... who became the ugliest through death.'
...He was a "Guardian Holy Knight" corrupted by death.
At the finish line.
Death Knight Gula stood motionless.
To fulfill his role in the Third Night.
"Boring."
Waiting 24 hours for challengers to appear.
But given humans' level, completing it would be lucky.
Traversing the "Desert of Torment" in a day was impossible.
Even one would be fortunate; none was more likely.
'A trial where stamina, agility, and split-second wits matter.'
The first tested strength and sword skill.
But the second had nothing to do with that.
It gauged only stamina, agility, and judgment.
Even the "Black Iron Destroyer" couldn't breeze through it.
He saw no point in waiting, but fulfilling his "role" was the mission from his master Aheta.
"A war with humans lacking skill or honor..."
Of course, he wasn't without regrets.
For a war after so long, it was too lackluster.
You don't call squashing ants a "war."
War with humans wasn't war.
One-sided slaughter, closer to butchery.
So it held no thrill.
He followed his mission, but it wasn't honorable.
He was mildly curious about the black iron destroyer, but would any human reach him in 24 hours for "teachings"?
'Sigh. Teaching honorless humans.'
A sigh escaped naturally.
Clatter!
Clatter!
Gula passed time rattling his bones.
But soon after...
"Hm?"
Thud thud thud thud!
Something approached from afar.
Kicking up sand wildly, without resistance, at tremendous speed.
'No way?'
But it was strange.
Gula quickly checked the time.
Since the second trial began...
'Only 50 minutes have passed...?'
Less than an hour.
Was sustaining over 500km/h possible?
Even Gula couldn't achieve that speed.
And yet...
Thud!
The moment he noticed, a human stood before Gula in an instant.
A face utterly serene.
No sign of fatigue.
'What is this guy?'
Gula's train of thought derailed briefly.
The result defied his common sense.
Speed and stamina beyond imagination—he couldn't grasp it.
But that wasn't all.
The real reason Gula lost his words...
'...What is this...'
He could see it.
Park Chan-woo.
What he possessed.
'This absurd honor...!'
...A fame value exceeding 100,000, emanating golden light, enveloping him.