Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng
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There were several reasons why Park Chan-woo was sipping coffee on Gwanghwamun Street early in the morning.
First and foremost.
'Experiment with Non-Existence.'
He wanted to see how the abnormal status 'Non-Existence' applied in the real world.
He strolled down the street, stopped by a few shops, and checked if people could notice him.
'There's a difference between inside and outside the Abyss.'
The results were somewhat unexpected.
For starters, Park Chan-woo's presence in reality was no different from before.
People could see him, and they quickly noticed where he was.
They'd dodge if it looked like they'd bump into him on the sidewalk, and they'd glance at him even from quite a distance.
When he ordered coffee without issue and sat down, no one sat at the same table as him.
Proof that people recognized him as Park Chan-woo.
'Outside the Abyss, people can perceive me.'
So what about 'non-humans'?
For example, the Creators.
He had a hunch about this too.
'When Kim Byung-han was sniped in the Abyss. Until I revealed myself, the Demon God Gremory inside the Abyss didn't notice me.'
Back when Kim Byung-han was being chased by his fellow coworkers.
Park Chan-woo had gigantified 'Radiant Anubis' to help him escape.
But even after that, the Creator hadn't restrained him—instead, it let Park Chan-woo roam freely through the Abyss.
Even though it knew he'd killed the Game Master Andariel.
In other words.
'Non-Existence works inside the Abyss.'
At least inside the Abyss, it was proof that the 'Non-Existence' abnormal status was fully in effect.
And with power beyond his imagination.
'If even Demon God Gremory couldn't sense my presence... then no Creator in the Abyss would notice me first.'
The opponent was a Demon God, after all.
Even the Abyss's de facto master hadn't detected Park Chan-woo.
Which meant lesser monsters or demons inside the Abyss wouldn't spot him first either.
Still, he couldn't claim it was 100% certain.
'People inside the Abyss couldn't perceive me either. But Kim Byung-han was different. At the lake park, inside the company building... People who already know what I look like can sense me first inside the Abyss.'
There was an exception to Non-Existence.
Kim Byung-han knew Park Chan-woo and had even spotted him first.
But not in front of 'Water Lover Nightclub'.
'It seems like it's not about me as a person, but based on the appearance they know...'
At that time, Park Chan-woo had been wearing the 'Demonic Set,' looking almost like a demon.
So, the reason Kim Byung-han could sense him first was that he knew Park Chan-woo's 'true appearance.'
He'd recognized him based solely on his face.
Conversely, when Park Chan-woo covered his face and body, he hadn't been recognized.
'It probably applies similarly to Creators.'
A Creator who'd encountered Park Chan-woo once would likely recognize him.
Especially since Creators could perceive in far more detail.
For humans, the 'eyes' are the most important part in recognizing someone.
But the Abyss's Creator lords dig into a being's very existence. They judge based on mana, presence, scent, and everything else they can grasp.
Demons frequently change their appearances, after all.
What they see visually means nothing to them.
'If I can't bankrupt them in one go, the risk of me being exposed skyrockets.'
Park Chan-woo thought of himself as a 'Joker card.'
Powerful enough to kill an unaware opponent in one shot, but once revealed, nothing easier to deal with.
Because the Creators would prepare countermeasures once they knew his abilities.
If they knew about Non-Existence and his negative levels and came prepared, it would be a nightmare just to imagine.
At least with 'Demon God Gremory,' he'd gained some favor, which was fortunate.
It was a Demon God that even promised to 'help' of its own accord.
He was confident Demon God Gremory didn't fully grasp his nature either.
Who could guess at a state beyond minimum calibration?
'The key is whether Creators on Earth, outside the Abyss, can detect me.'
This was the real crux of the matter.
If Creators couldn't perceive Park Chan-woo even on Earth, he wouldn't get sniped first or targeted by Incarnations.
And so far, there were no signs of that.
Even after bankrupting several Creators, they showed no particular interest.
Not even demanding Apostle contracts or Incarnation contracts.
Such contracts happened outside the Abyss too.
Creators came equipped with the 'authority' to monitor the entire Earth in real-time by default.
'No offers at all? Looks like the latter. They can't perceive me.'
Thus, the latter was more likely.
They weren't aware of Park Chan-woo at all right now.
'...Only the hosts know the challengers' info for Abyss challenges. If I definitely bankrupt the Abyss's host Creator, I won't be exposed.'
He reached a conclusion.
Any Abyss he entered, he'd bankrupt for sure.
This 'Dungeon Abyss' was no different.
All the countless dungeons were creations by various Creators.
Naturally, each dungeon had different owners and hosting Creators.
He didn't know who created the Water God Dungeon, but he knew how to bankrupt it for sure.
'Use Non-Existence aggressively to one-shot the Water God.'
Until now, he'd used the 'Reflection' spell.
But to use Reflection, Park Chan-woo had to reveal himself or have someone like Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo take the hit instead.
Finding someone to tank exposed him too much.
There was nothing easier than an exposed 'Joker card.'
His plan was to solo it using only the 'Frost Helm's' option, 'Heaven's Punishment,' to kill the Water God.
Lightning magic had great synergy with water, so it wasn't impossible.
That was how, pondering the 'Non-Existence' experiment and the Water God Dungeon clear method, he ended up drinking coffee at this café.
Of course, there were other reasons too.
"Everyone! This is your chance! The perfect opportunity to grow stronger and band together!"
"Join the 'Dawn Fellowship'!"
"We'll protect you!"
...He was also here to observe the people gathering today.
The Water God Dungeon had the highest score, so all sorts of powerhouses and Incarnations were bound to flock here.
Those guys were one such group.
'Dawn Fellowship, huh.'
The name that would later evolve into the 'Dawn Church.'
They were fully geared up, shouting their lungs out.
Especially the voice of the one in the center—it was awfully familiar.
'Dawn Church's leader, Yu Han-seop.'
He hadn't expected to run into Yu Han-seop here.
A powerhouse who'd made his mark early, growing the Dawn Fellowship into one of Korea's top groups.
One of the few who didn't fear the Abyss.
Plus, Yu Han-seop never shied away from dirty work.
He'd rush to anywhere he was needed.
Leading with his positive influence, he inspired people.
Young, handsome, with a great personality and skills—his followers multiplied rapidly.
But.
'He's an Incarnation.'
...Yu Han-seop was an Incarnation.
He'd already signed an 'Incarnation contract' with a Creator on day one.
He was talented, sure, but the reason Yu Han-seop stood out so much was the full backing from his contracted Creator.
Probably saw his talent for drawing people in.
'Here for the Water God Abyss clear? Or to sabotage it?'
He couldn't tell yet.
It depended on where the Creator contracted to Yu Han-seop had 'bet.'
If it bet on Korea reaching '5,000 points,' he'd aim to clear. If on failing, he'd sabotage hard.
Or he could be the host Creator of this dungeon.
Observing his actions would reveal his goal.
Park Chan-woo was quite curious why Yu Han-seop was tackling the highest-difficulty dungeon right from the start.
"Isn't that guy Yu Han-seop?"
"Oh... Yeah, the one from the news. The 'Abyss Column' guy?"
"Yeah. Saved over 500 people inside the Abyss, right?"
"So he's super strong then?"
The area buzzed with excitement.
Yu Han-seop was already famous.
He'd shone on day one in the Abyss, and his 'Abyss Column' for the newspaper had even made headlines.
The column detailed ways to survive the Abyss. It racked up over 3 million views in a single day.
"I-I want to join too!"
"What do I need to do?"
Once his identity spread, people swarmed.
Building ties with him would only help navigating future Abysses.
Over fifty people gathered in an instant.
Then Yu Han-seop spoke.
"From this moment, you'll enter the 'Water God Abyss' with me. And there, you'll face an astonishing possibility."
"Astonishing possibility? What's that?"
"Courage!"
"Courage...?"
"Yes. You'll gain the courage not to fear the Abyss. You'll gain power and become astonishingly strong. The 'Dawn Fellowship' and I will support you every step of the way."
The Dawn Fellowship had about ten members.
All fully armored, looking incredibly reliable.
If they helped, gaining power wasn't an empty promise.
People had spent two days in the Abyss, learning the harsh unfairness and despair of the powerless.
The promise of power.
How sweet a temptation.
They couldn't help but take Yu Han-seop's outstretched hand.
Soon, led by Yu Han-seop, the Dawn Fellowship and the crowd gathered in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue.
"Then, let's head out."
Yu Han-seop boldly stepped into the Water God Abyss.
His Fellowship followed without hesitation, and the crowd trailed in after a moment's pause.
'All showmanship.'
There were a few ways to enter a Dungeon Abyss.
Like Yu Han-seop, stepping directly through the 'gate.'
But just staring at it long enough would bring up the entry prompt anyway.
Like right now.
No expected survival rate, because it wasn't a betting target.
In this game, Creators had bet solely on 'whether Korea surpasses 5,000 points' or 'whether the dungeon gets cleared or not.'
'Still, won't draw attention.'
He just wanted to avoid being the first in.
Even with Non-Existence, he couldn't be 100% sure of total imperceptibility.
You test a bridge before crossing, especially for first-timers—they draw extra scrutiny.
Thankfully, with Yu Han-seop and the crowd entering en masse, he could dodge even unlikely scenarios.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
Upon entering the Water God Abyss, Yu Han-seop smirked inwardly.
'They're just stepping stones for me to grow stronger.'
There was a reason he'd entered the highest-score dungeon right away with a crowd.
'My contracted Creator told me. Treasures and elixirs are scattered throughout the Water God Abyss.'
Yu Han-seop was an Incarnation, contracted to a Creator.
And the Creator had tipped him off in advance.
About the Water God Abyss.
It had even handed him a map.
His contracted Creator was like a giving tree.
Genuinely invested in powering up Yu Han-seop.
Thanks to that, he'd achieved solid results on day one and in the 'First Night's Abyss.'
And it would be the same here.
Yu Han-seop smiled.
'Here it is.'
They'd arrived at the 'lakeside' marked on the map.
It took time herding the crowd, but no one could've beaten them since they moved with clear purpose.
Besides, the 'Water God Abyss' was the most dangerous dungeon in Korea.
Few challengers meant no one else at this lakeside.
He could leisurely claim his prize.
That was when it happened.
"M-Monster!"
"Mermaids with spears from the lake!"
Five mermaids appeared.
Yu Han-seop instantly drew his sword and shouted.
"Don't panic! Kill the monsters with me!"
Yu Han-seop charged first.
With his Fellowship joining, the five mermaids were slaughtered in seconds.
'He's really strong.'
'No wonder he wrote that column!'
'Not human!'
The crowd was awestruck.
Meanwhile, Yu Han-seop rushed to the lakeside.
Rumble!
The lake and ground began to shake.
Soon after.
Roooar!
A massive hippo emerged from the water.
Three times larger than a normal hippo, with razor-sharp tusks.
The giant hippo charged the crowd the moment it appeared.
'Just as the Creator said.'
Yu Han-seop had hidden in the bushes right before it spawned.
'The spirit beast giant hippo guards the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng.'
He'd known the monster was coming.
"R-Run!"
"Kyaaah!"
As the giant hippo barreled toward them, the crowd scattered in terror.
Once they were gone, Yu Han-seop moved for real.
To claim the 'Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng' hidden here.
'According to the map, it should be right here.'
Comparing the map, he searched the area thoroughly—but his face soured.
"...What? Why's nothing here?"
'A bit bitter.'
Chomp! Chomp!
Near the lakeside, Park Chan-woo smacked his lips while consuming the 'Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng.'