Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: The Third Night (14)
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Kankun tilted his head.
The moment they entered Zone 3, Park Chan-woo's figure had vanished into thin air.
'Where did he go?'
Barring teleportation, there was no way he could've disappeared so suddenly.
This was the guy who'd been dead serious about purifying the temple, after all.
He wouldn't have just ditched Zone 3 to head somewhere else.
Which meant...
'Something in Zone 3 must've drawn him in.'
It had to be the power of this zone itself that made him vanish.
But that was puzzling.
Park Chan-woo's form wasn't something you could forcibly summon easily.
If it had been summoned against his will, that meant it possessed supreme stature.
'...Park Chan-woo. The guy's on a whole other level. With Adora's Wish and my heart right now, he's superior to most beings.'
And that wasn't all.
The 'death' lurking within Park Chan-woo was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
He wielded the realm of nothingness, extending even into the yin world—an unlimited monster.
More than anyone Kankun had ever met... not even the lords of the Abyss could forcibly summon him.
"......Pandarian?"
Soon, a certain race entered Kankun's view.
The ones dominating Zone 3 were none other than the Pandarians.
Unlike in Zones 1 and 2, they retained much of their original forms.
Yet they still seemed to have lost their reason, staring at Kankun and the warriors with blank white eyes.
"Incredible. First the nagas, now Pandarians too......"
Priest Yan exclaimed in shock.
Both nagas and Pandarians were races said to have been wiped out long ago.
They existed only in ancient texts as bygone lifeforms.
But even within the Abyss, these two were infamous.
Nagas, who resembled dragons and wielded magic.
And the sage race, the Pandarians!
"I've heard that the Pandarians' minds are as upright and lofty as mountains, enough to make even demons click their tongues. That must be why they're maintaining their original forms even inside the Temple of Death."
"...I've heard that too. That our ancestors sought counsel from the Pandarians."
Pandarians were dwellers of mountains and forests.
They resembled pandas but were far larger, with a turquoise gem embedded in their foreheads called the 'Jewel of Wisdom.'
There they housed their wisdom and souls.
They inherited knowledge and viewed the world with keen insight.
Lovers of peace who idolized purity.
Countless races sought their advice.
The problem was the demons of the Abyss.
Right after the Abyss connected to the Pandarians' world, the demons began coveting the 'Jewel of Wisdom' in their foreheads.
'The demons coveted the Jewel of Wisdom fiercely but ultimately failed to obtain it.'
Realizing this, the Pandarians—convinced of their impending defeat—shattered their own 'Jewels of Wisdom.'
Thus, the demons never got their hands on them.
Not a single one was left intact.
It was a testament to how noble their spirits were.
'Even though these are souls of dead Pandarians shaped into forms, it seems they lack the Jewel of Wisdom here too.'
No gem was embedded in these Pandarians' foreheads.
Only scars where they had once been.
......This was a temple directly filled by Aheta.
According to Priest Yan and the orcs, Aheta was crafting new life from souls.
He didn't know what he aimed to create by gathering warrior orcs, mage nagas, and sage Pandarians.
"They don't seem to have any will to fight."
"...Let's wait for now."
Kankun made his decision.
He didn't feel right attacking Pandarians who showed no hostility.
'Pandarians who still retain their minds.'
Even the Orc Lord and Naga Queen had lost theirs.
It was truly intriguing.
There was excitement too, at encountering a legendary race.
So Kankun decided to wait a bit longer.
For Park Chan-woo to reappear.
He wasn't particularly worried.
The Park Chan-woo he knew always pulled off miracles, no matter the crisis.
A massive pupil.
At the end of a cave-like, deep and dark space, a giant panda leaned against the wall, clutching a staff.
Without a moment's hesitation, Park Chan-woo spoke.
"Are you the Pandarian King who summoned me?"
"Indeed. Warrior of Arhan, bearer of an unyielding spirit."
The Pandarian King's voice cracked like a spiderweb.
His eyes were dead white, his body gaunt to the point of showing bones.
Yet a 'Jewel of Wisdom' was unmistakably embedded in his forehead.
Though it didn't radiate legendary brilliance, it proved his reason intact.
"Your entry here must be to purify the 'Temple of Death.' Am I right?"
"Yes."
"Stop."
"...Why?"
Park Chan-woo tilted his head.
In Zone 1 and 2, purifying the essences had saved the souls.
Without it, they'd have suffered eternally.
Forgetting themselves, living as grotesque monsters forever.
But now, to stop?
"You mustn't awaken the Outer God. The way it grants wishes is never peaceful......"
"I know."
The Outer God dwelled in the Great Rift.
Why would such a destroyer reveal itself peacefully?
This 'Temple of Death' was proof enough.
'Aheta wanted to create the ultimate lifeform. This temple is the result. To make the strongest being, it's endlessly infusing death.'
The Outer God must have taught Aheta the method.
Like the God of Offerings.
In other words...
There was a chance it had revealed how to remove his status ailment 'Limited Lifespan.'
He just needed to know the method.
Grasp the possibility, and that was enough.
The rest he could handle himself.
"If the Outer God awakens, it will devour all the souls stored here. The zones you've purified are mere fragments compared to the entire 'Temple of Death.' Far more races and souls lie buried deep below......"
The Pandarian King spoke with evident worry.
What you see isn't all there is.
Of course. The 'Temple of Death' couldn't consist of just four zones and four races.
It was segmented solely for the 'Legendary Quest' progression.
Purifying the whole temple in the 'Third Night' would be impossible.
In short...
'A board laid by the Outer God?'
This 'Legendary Quest' was the Outer God's setup for its resurrection.
Devouring countless souls to revive fully—that seemed to be the goal.
If the Pandarian King's words were true, the aftermath would engulf the entire Abyss.
However.
"Wasn't it defeated and sealed by Aheta anyway?"
Park Chan-woo didn't care.
An Outer God sealed because it was weaker than Aheta.
Like Valhalla's king or Conqueror Kan.
But the Pandarian King thought differently.
"The Outer God chose to be sealed."
"Deliberately lost to Aheta?"
"Yes. To become the ultimate lifeform."
The ultimate lifeform.
It aligned perfectly with Aheta's wish.
In essence, they agreed and staged the defeat.
Still, it was baffling.
"Why would a Great Rift entity obsess over life?"
"To avoid entanglement with the 'Great Nine Lords.' They possess the only 'weapon' that can hunt the superdimensional beings within the Great Rift."
The Great Rift's abyssal beasts were said to devour dimensions.
Yet the Rift had erupted multiple times.
And the Abyss endured each time.
All thanks to the 'Great Nine Lords.'
Perhaps the reason they ruled demons absolutely.
"Anyway... If the Eternal Outer God awakens and evolves into the 'ultimate lifeform,' it won't even glance at the Great Nine Lords. Their weapons won't work. It'll become a monster devouring souls endlessly. The Abyss could collapse."
Stop here.
Before everything perishes.
That's what the Pandarian King was saying.
Park Chan-woo smirked.
"What if I don't?"
...He understood the concern, but it hadn't happened yet.
Besides, it was all speculation—his own thoughts.
Even the sage race Pandarians made wrong choices sometimes.
Giving up without trying wasn't his style.
Moreover, stopping here meant humanity's doom.
'I have to prevent the Temple of Death from being summoned to Earth.'
Stopping wasn't an option for Park Chan-woo from the start.
Pausing or failing here equated to humanity's extinction.
In that instant.
"......Then I'll have to force you to stop. Warrior of Arhan."
Whoooosh!
A blue light enveloped the Pandarian King's entire body.
Park Chan-woo immediately intoned.
"Strike fiercely, Heavenly Punishment."
Kraaaang!
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Nearly 300 magic power blazed fiercely, conjuring savage lightning.
The Pandarian King swung his staff.
And then...
Zzzzzzzzt!
Kururung!
...Heavenly Punishment's trajectory bent.
It struck the cave wall—not the Pandarian King.
'Magic interference?'
Interfering with massive magic to forcibly alter its path.
If that wasn't impressive, it'd be a lie.
Interfering with enemy spells wasn't just about raw magic power.
'What must its intelligence be?'
It required high intelligence instead.
As expected of the king of the wisdom race, the Pandarians.
"Ordinary magic won't work on me."
"...So it seems."
Probably due to Heavenly Punishment's rank.
High magic power, but at best Unique rank.
A monster like the Pandarian King could interfere with it easily if serious.
'I need higher-rank magic or a sword.'
He couldn't acquire higher-rank magic right now.
Creating it was even more impossible.
His class level didn't support it yet.
What he needed was a sword.
A proper one.
But he had no sword either.
Gazing at the halted Park Chan-woo, the Pandarian King said,
"Give up now. I'll spare you. I don't want to kill Arhan's warrior either......"
"Azos."
"......?"
"Awaken."
Kuwaaaaa!
In an instant, from within Park Chan-woo's shadow...
Azos roared thunderously and awoke.