Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Savior
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"...Insane."
A groan escaped my lips.
The moment I laid eyes on it, a dull ache bloomed in my chest.
It felt like all the fatigue from two straight days of marching had melted away in an instant.
A top-grade latent ability!
The odds of drawing the highest grade from a 'Latent Ability Grant Scroll' were less than 1%.
It was already rare enough to obtain one, and now it had landed the pinnacle grade on top of that?
What could possibly bring more joy than this?
Park Chan-woo took a deep breath before focusing on the 'World Tree Staff'.
💪 Name:World Tree Staff⚡ Level:-98💨 Grade:Eternal✨ Description:A staff crafted by the God of Blacksmithing, Agzosa, using the World Tree as material. Legends say that in an ancient, highly advanced magical civilization, only those hailed as 'Archmages' could wield it.🍀 Equip Slot:Staff (One-Handed Weapon)🛡️ Attack Power:31💪 Durability:1,500Unique Options:
(1) Magic Power +10
(2) Enhances the grade of all magic by one level.
(3) Transcends one chosen spell into a 'Great Magic'.
✨ Unlocked Latent Abilities:
(1) Stamina +10
(2) Attack Power +49
(3) Attack Power +51
"...Perfect."
Park Chan-woo closed his eyes as he confirmed the added abilities.
The payoff for two sleepless days of nonstop Abyss grinding.
It felt like the crowning jewel on a haul of brilliant rewards.
Applying a Latent Ability Grant Scroll adds three random options, with the range determined by the equipment's level.
The result? A Stamina +10 and two Attack Power boosts nearing 50 each.
True to its 'highest grade' label, it had maxed out the World Tree Staff's potential.
'All three options are exactly what I need.'
And the added latent abilities couldn't be better.
Park Chan-woo had been plagued by crippling 'abnormal status' effects.
A brutal three-hit combo: Frailty, Sickliness, Weakness.
All pure stats locked at 1, vulnerability to debuffs and curses, constant exhaustion.
'Stamina' was the key stat to mitigate these 'abnormal statuses,' even if just a little.
With no easy way to boost his low Stamina, it had been a growing worry.
And at his low level, compensating for Attack Power was tough too.
The Latent Ability Grant Scroll had solved both issues at once.
Plus, 100 Attack Power was no small number.
At this point in time, Park Chan-woo was confident he had the highest Attack Power of any human alive.
For a mage, 'Attack Power' was a case of more-is-always-better.
'This'll carry me at least 20 more levels.'
Stamina +10 and Attack Power +100.
To catch up to that gap, it'd take at least 10 more levels.
With the base options equally solid, this staff would stay relevant for a good 20 levels minimum.
Even if he leveled another 20 and hunted for a new one, he doubted it'd be better.
'Worth every second of nonstop grinding.'
A satisfied smile crept onto his face unbidden.
His stomach felt full without a bite of food, and the darkening world seemed as bright as early morning.
Everything had gone perfectly.
Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo invested his 'Class Level Points'.
His Mage class had reached level 5.
A world of difference.
Something unimaginable in his past life.
Back then, Park Chan-woo had started down the mage path far too late.
Switching to Mage at level 90, he'd only managed to raise his class level to 9.
How far could he go this time?
Would he finally witness the mage's ultimate pinnacle, his long-cherished dream?
"Status Window."
To wrap things up, Park Chan-woo called up his 'Status Window'.
...Excellent.
Nothing more to see.
Park Chan-woo flopped straight onto the bed.
He'd lost 2.5kg in just two days, but that didn't matter one bit.
He'd gained far more than that.
'Sleeping in a fluffy bed... feels like it's been forever.'
He couldn't even remember the last time he'd crashed in a proper bed.
His last truly restful sleep was at least five years ago.
...He'd always been on edge.
No matter that he was one of humanity's top four level 99 powerhouses—true rest was impossible in a shattered, apocalyptic world.
Abysses popping up relentlessly, the twelve races' monsters hunting and enslaving humans like livestock.
For nearly five years, Park Chan-woo hadn't relaxed for even a minute or a second.
No survivor had.
As time dragged on, humanity's doom loomed ever clearer, especially once the creators latched on to torment the remnants.
Unless you signed an incarnation contract and played bait to lure people in.
Or hoarded mountains of coins.
...Peaceful sleep was out of the question.
One reason Park Chan-woo despised incarnations so viscerally.
"......"
Swipe.
Lying there, Park Chan-woo shifted, pressing his back to the wall.
He curled into the corner, hugging his knees and burying his head.
The World Tree Staff lay right beside him, ready for instant reaction.
For five years, this was the only position he'd ever catnapped in.
Maybe that's why.
Even with the plush mattress and blankets, even in this safe setup.
...Only in this posture could Park Chan-woo finally drift off.
Day three since the Abyss arrived.
Humanity had no choice but to accept the world was changing.
They'd felt it with every fiber of their beings over the past two days.
Countless people had died.
Men, women, young, old—death spared no class or status.
Survivors had clawed through hell, and even the lucky ones trembled in abject terror.
The 'Abyss' struck without warning—when, where, how, no one knew.
Nations and humanity alike were powerless against such unpredictable horror.
But on day three.
An even greater shift occurred.
"What the hell is that?"
"Dungeon Abyss?"
For two days, 'Abysses' had appeared at random.
No regard for time or place.
But that morning, on day three.
Changes swept the world.
Entrances to what would be called 'Dungeon Abysses' materialized—gateways to the Abyss.
They mostly spawned in front of historic national or cultural landmarks.
In Seoul alone, gates yawned before Gyeongbok Palace, Bongeunsa Temple, the King Sejong Statue, the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Statue, and more.
"...If we don't clear it in the time limit, we're screwed?"
"Four days from now. If we don't clear the Dungeon Abysses and rack up points, a 'Invasion Abyss' opens nationwide...?"
The simultaneous system messages left people in blind panic.
Invasion Abyss!
Dungeons bursting open, monsters flooding out.
'It's started.'
At that moment, Park Chan-woo sat leisurely on a cafe terrace near Gwanghwamun, sipping coffee.
He'd known this cataclysm was coming.
The signal that all-out war with the creators had begun.
Park Chan-woo slowly read through the messages.
'...Trash creators.'
No matter how many times he read it, it was the worst.
Unite your strength?
Nothing's impossible?
'Just stay out of the way with your incarnations.'
They'd pull every dirty trick to sabotage the 5,000-point goal.
Having endured the fallout of 'Invasion Abysses' before, Park Chan-woo knew what a garbage game this was.
'We fell exactly 500 points short, and Abysses tore through Korea.'
In the past, South Korea hadn't hit 5,000. Monsters from uncleared Dungeon Abysses spilled out, massacring civilians.
Over 200,000 dead—the moment true darkness fell on Korea.
'North Korea was way worse.'
Korea had it better than the North, at least.
North Korea's Dungeon Abysses spawned at Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Il-sung statues.
No one dared challenge them, let alone clear.
Eventually, uncleared Dungeon Abysses blanketed the North, racking up over a million casualties in a grim joke of a tale.
'Just clear one.'
Park Chan-woo aimed for exactly that: one clear, nothing more, nothing less.
'Water God Abyss.'
Clearing the 'Water God' Abyss tied to the Yi Sun-sin statue granted exactly 1,000 points.
The highest score among Korea's public Abysses, with overwhelmingly brutal difficulty.
'...I have to do it.'
Without him clearing the Yi Sun-sin-linked 'Water God Abyss', South Korea could never reach 5,000 points.
'The incarnations will go all-out now.'
Incarnations contracted to creators would desperately block the goal.
One of them was 'that guy'.
'Humanity's strongest. The first to hit level 99.'
Park Chan-woo's eyes darkened.
The worst, most powerful incarnation masquerading as a savior.
'He's here too, no doubt.'
Somewhere in Gwanghwamun.
"Isn't there one brave citizen willing to enter the 'Water God Abyss' with me?!"
"We can't run! We can't ignore it! We must unite!"
"Let's show those damned demons what we're made of!"
Then, from afar.
...A voice that sounded eerily familiar rang out.