Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Radiant Anubis
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'Must be seeing things.'
At first, he denied reality.
But no matter how many times he looked, the face floating above the sun was unmistakably Kim Byung-han.
'Just someone who looks like me.'
No name was mentioned.
So, couldn't it just be someone who resembled him?
There was no reason he should have to die in the first place.
Kim Byung-han examined the text that had appeared again.
Find and kill.
Why on earth?
It was completely different from the Abyss he'd gone through yesterday.
There, he just had to fight monsters.
But killing another human? Was that even remotely reasonable?
"Isn't that you, Team Leader?"
"...Don't cross the line, Lee Min-soo. How is that me?"
"It is you. The background shining around it is our office. See? I'm waving my hand, and it's showing up next to it."
"What the hell is this punk babbling about?"
Thwack!
Kim Byung-han slapped Lee Min-soo's hand away hard.
Because Lee Min-soo's waving hand from the office was reflected above the sun.
Anyone could see Kim Byung-han was the target, but he denied it vehemently.
"Does that even make sense? I'm not a monster."
"...Who knows."
However, Lee Min-soo's expression had turned ice-cold.
"Hey. Don't you know me? I'm your Team Leader Kim Byung-han!"
"Team Leader. Actually, I went through an Abyss yesterday at lunch too."
"...?"
"In my Abyss, monsters disguised as people chased us. I ran like crazy for six hours straight. Do you know what happened to the ones who tripped or collapsed from exhaustion?"
"How would I...?"
"They got eaten alive. Eyes gouged out, brains spilling, bellies ripped open as they buried their faces in and devoured the guts."
A dagger was now gripped in Lee Min-soo's hand.
His eyes were utterly cold.
Reading that gaze, Kim Byung-han's face hardened.
"You... don't do anything you'll regret."
"If there's an Abyss like that, couldn't there be a monster pretending to be a real person too?"
"Lee Min-soo! You really don't recognize me? Do I look like I'm acting?"
"After yesterday, I realized something. The answer to Abyss is to escape as fast as possible. Ah, I can still hear those kids begging to be saved. Fuck, I thought coming to work would make me forget."
Thud! Thud!
Lee Min-soo slammed his own head with his left hand.
The playful guy bantering with Kim Byung-han moments ago was gone.
The act had been Lee Min-soo all along.
He'd come to work on purpose to forget yesterday and live normally.
But he couldn't forget it at all.
It wasn't a dream.
It was reality. A goddamn harsh reality.
"Why did Abyss drag kids into it? It's weird. Monsters run at adult speed—how are kids supposed to outrun that? It's not even a fair fight."
When first trapped in the Abyss, Lee Min-soo had held the children's hands as he ran.
But he let go.
Staying with them meant he'd be the one eaten.
"Snap out of it, man!"
"I don't want to spend one more second here!"
Ignoring Kim Byung-han's shout, Lee Min-soo swung the dagger with real intent to stab.
But Kim Byung-han wasn't just taking it.
He urgently leaned back to dodge the blade, then kicked Lee Min-soo hard.
Bam!
Kim Byung-han spat curses as Lee Min-soo slid across the floor.
"You fucking bastard! After all I've done for you! You worthless shit!"
It had been just five minutes ago that he'd been kissing ass, calling Team Leader the best.
Fuming, Kim Byung-han swung his hand through the air.
Equipment tumbled out from his 'Inventory.'
As it touched his body, it auto-resized and equipped itself.
Now fully armed, murder flashed in Kim Byung-han's eyes.
"I'll beat you half to..."
"He's here!"
"Grab him!"
"Kill him quick!"
Kim Byung-han had no choice but to panic as a mob poured in.
People from the entire building were rushing to catch him.
At least fifty by rough count.
No matter how much stronger he'd gotten from two Abysses, handling over fifty at once was impossible.
He swung his sword at the approaching crowd.
Slash! Swish!
"S-stay back! I'll cut down anyone who gets close!"
But there was no answer.
In an instant, Kim Byung-han was cornered against the office wall.
"I'm Kim Byung-han! The guy you've eaten rice with for over ten years!"
No one listened, no matter how desperately he screamed.
To them, Kim Byung-han was just a target to kill—nothing more, nothing less.
And as time passed, the crowd only grew.
Amid it all, Park Chan-woo was lost in thought.
'What grudge did he earn from a Creator to get sniped just two days in?'
It was rare.
No, he'd never heard of anyone getting sniped this fast.
Opening an Abyss was risky even for Creators, and if the content was just killing 'one person,' they gained almost nothing.
'What does a Creator gain from killing Kim Byung-han?'
He was too much of a ragtag nobody for that.
So, curiosity bloomed.
What the hell had this guy done?
What massive crime to get sniped after just two days?
"Push him!"
"Kill him! Hurry up and kill him!"
A mob seething with killing intent.
Their number had swelled past fifty to a hundred.
The only magic Park Chan-woo could use was Reflection.
No leeway to extract Kim Byung-han from this.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzzzle!
He glanced down at the floor.
A white furball circling him.
He reread the name floating above it.
A window popped up.
Even at level 1, its stats were impressive.
Total of 60 points.
'For a level 1, it rivals a decent level 10.'
And its level wasn't negative.
Radiant Anubis registered as a 'pet,' not equipped gear.
Though Park Chan-woo had rarely seen Legendary-grade pets.
Pets obtainable from Abyss were exceedingly rare.
This was a demon-made world to begin with.
In a place teeming with monsters bent on killing humans, a pet following humans was a contradiction.
"Gigantification."
Poof!
Activating the skill, Radiant Anubis swelled with smoke.
It became a 1.5-meter furball.
"Wh-what?"
"M-monster!"
"Run!"
Mistaking Anubis for a monster, people paled and scattered.
The giant furball bounced through the gap.
Exhausted Kim Byung-han, seeing it approach, clung to his last hope.
"Pl-please, that thiiing...!"
Whoosh!
Kim Byung-han's body was pinned under the furball.
Anubis secured him with tough fur and leaped out the window.
Crash!
Amid shattering glass.
'I-I'm dying. Really dying!'
Kim Byung-han plummeted from the 11th floor.
"Where's that bastard hiding?"
"Found him?"
"Not here!"
"Damn it!"
People from inside the building poured out, searching for Kim Byung-han.
"Hngh...!"
Shiver shiver shiver!
Kim Byung-han huddled under building debris, clamping his mouth shut, barely breathing.
He trembled like a frightened animal.
The white furball that pulled him out vanished the moment it hit the ground.
After that, Kim Byung-han could only sneak around, avoiding eyes.
'Why are they doing this to me? What did I do wrong to deserve being hunted like this!'
A silent scream.
He felt like he was going mad.
Why had he become the one who must die?
He wondered if it was a hidden camera, but their killing intent was real.
People really tried to kill Kim Byung-han.
When night fell and the moon rose, Kim Byung-han's face no longer appeared like during the day.
Instead, 'Evil Spirit Bats' flew everywhere.
The bats scoured even tiny crevices beyond human reach.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Shit...!"
In the end, Kim Byung-han's position was exposed.
He ran for his life.
But as time passed, the clinging Evil Spirit Bats only multiplied.
The bats beamed bright light from their eyes, revealing his location.
His surroundings were lit like broad daylight.
"There he is!"
"He was hiding nearby after all!"
"Grab him!"
Screee!
Thuk!
"Aaaagh!"
An arrow struck Kim Byung-han's side.
He screamed and rolled on the cement.
He struggled to rise again.
Scree!
Thuk!
"Argh!"
This time, his left thigh was pierced.
The pain was so intense no more screams came.
It was hell.
Dozens surrounded the crawling Kim Byung-han.
"Why not just die quietly? Why make it so hard?"
"What a pain over one pig bastard!"
"Stomp him first!"
"Never liked him anyway!"
"Punk who strutted around like he was something!"
They hurled insults and stomped him with all their might.
Curled up, Kim Byung-han shed endless tears.
He prayed desperately this was all a dream.
These stompers were once colleagues who'd shared meals and laughed together.
Faces he'd matched with across departments.
Yet now, they lynched him without hesitation.
'H-help... me...'
No voice left.
No one in this world was on Kim Byung-han's side.
Were they the real monsters?
Everyone looked like demons.
Poof!
Then.
A familiar sound from somewhere.
"Huh?"
"I-it's that monster from before!"
"But... who's next to it...?"
People startled, stopping the stomping.
In that gap, Kim Byung-han lifted his head to see who appeared.
'Th-that guy...?'
He'd definitely seen him before.
The one who'd killed Game Master Andariel yesterday and partied with Lee Hyuk-soo.
"H-human... right?"
"Demon!"
Called a demon, Park Chan-woo approached with gigantified Anubis; people backed away furtively.
By the time he was close, they'd all scattered.
Kim Byung-han looked up at Park Chan-woo with his battered face.
"Saaave... me..."
Teeth broken, speech slurred.
Park Chan-woo smiled and asked.
"Do you want to live?"
"...!"
Kim Byung-han nodded frantically.
"Then answer my questions with nothing but the truth."
"A-any... thing... ask away...!"
"Did you make an 'Avatar' contract with a Creator?"
"N-no... such... thing..."
"Guess I'll be going then."
If he left now, the crowd would swarm again.
Then he'd really die.
As Park Chan-woo turned, Kim Byung-han yelled desperately.
"Y-yes... I did."
"With whom?"
"It was... the 'Creator of the Invisible Hand'..."
Kim Byung-han stammered.
Avatar contracts forbade telling others.
But on death's door, such rules meant nothing.
'So that's how it is.'
Park Chan-woo's smile deepened at the answer.
He now knew why Kim Byung-han was sniped.
The 'Creator of the Invisible Hand' was the most despised among Creators.
Because.
"What did you steal?"
"Pardon?"
"No, rephrasing. What did the 'Creator of the Invisible Hand' order you to steal?"
"Th-that was..."
Kim Byung-han hesitated.
The Creator of the Invisible Hand offered him an Avatar contract and power.
But the condition was unique.
Steal an item the Creator wanted, and get fitting rewards.
And yesterday, in the 'Night Abyss,' Kim Byung-han stole something.
The moment Game Master Andariel died!
"I-it was... just slipping a small ring..."
"Where's that ring now?"
"The 'Creator of the Invisible Hand' already took it..."
"No, it's with you. Search properly."
Kim Byung-han groaned, rummaging his pockets.
The ring popped out from his back pants pocket.
"Wh-why is this here?"
"Got caught, so dumped it on you."
Park Chan-woo answered frankly.
Now the full picture emerged.
The Creator of the Invisible Hand proposed the Avatar contract to Kim Byung-han, who accepted and stole the ring on orders.
He offered it to the Creator, but the true owner discovered the theft.
To cover it up, the Creator secretly returned the ring to Kim Byung-han and pinned all blame on him.
'Creator of the Invisible Hand. That thief has repeated this with multiple Avatars.'
His antics were so unique, they stuck in memory.
Hated by Creators, not humanity.
But what ring warranted a snipe?
Park Chan-woo examined it closely.
And.
'...Worthy of a snipe.'
He understood the sniping Creator's fury.
Of all things to steal.
'Ring of the Dead's Oath!'
Ha.
Park Chan-woo inwardly admired.
Not just the ring's performance, though.
'The ring itself isn't exceptional...'
No standout unique options.
Only one ability.
'It seals the user's power.'
One could seal their own magic power into it.
And Park Chan-woo had definitely seen this ring in the 'First Night Abyss.'
'Game Master Andariel wore it.'
Why did Andariel wear the Ring of the Dead's Oath?
Simple.
To run the game.
Emitting full upper demon aura would've overwhelmed humans.
Andariel was stronger than all Twelve Divine Generals combined!
'This ring holds an upper demon's full might.'
...Chills ran down his spine.
Upper demons were rated at least level 80 monsters.
Appearing now defied norms.
So, the ring surely sealed unimaginable magic power. He was dying to know how such vast power was inscribed.
But more shocking was Kim Byung-han.
'Knew he had sticky fingers before.'
He'd caught him stealing colleagues' stuff a few times.
Likewise, in that split second before Andariel's death, Kim Byung-han used the Creator-granted authority to snag the ring.
The sniping Creator was likely close to the deceased Andariel.
Ballsy bastard.
'What to do.'
...He pondered deeply.
Creator of the Invisible Hand.
His authority was near-miraculous in this Abyss.
Treasures he desperately stole didn't vanish even when transferred.
That's why the Ring of the Dead's Oath remained after Andariel's death.
That anomaly made other Creators loathe him.
In other words.
'...I could swallow this ring myself.'