Chapter 265
Chapter 265
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 265
Chapter Title: Achieving the Incalculable Task
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In the time it took to journey to the Mountain of the Cultivator, many changes had swept across the land of Valhalla.
The number of Creation Abysses personally crafted by Adora had increased, and even the golems seemed more numerous.
Above all, the majesty of the Primordial God Arcana pierced the heavens.
"You're back."
Adora, who had lightly descended from Arcana's shoulder, looked at Park Chan-woo and spoke.
"I'm glad you're safe as well."
Park Chan-woo replied with a smirk.
Her tone was utterly flat and emotionless, but he knew this was the best welcome she could muster.
Climbing the Mountain of the Cultivator had taken far more time than expected.
He had worried something might go wrong in his absence, but seeing everyone's faces melted away the tension in his heart.
He turned to Adora and continued speaking.
"Adora, nothing major happen while I was gone?"
As the Witch of Death and the Creator sustaining this land of Valhalla, Adora had handled his duties in his stead.
She was a reliable partner, equal and equivalent.
That meant every event and outcome here had been reported to her.
Adora nodded.
"I cleared 328 mid- to small-scale Creation Abysses near the 'Earth 666' Abyss. In the process, I turned twenty-five Creators to ash, and fed the empty lands all to Cygnus."
...328?
The number was far higher than anticipated, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Honestly, it exceeded his expectations.
She had gone beyond faithful execution of his request before heading to the golden land of the Mountain of the Cultivator, approaching perfection.
To smash that many Creation Abysses alongside the black dragon Ataraxia, master of pursuit.
'Earth 666' was the Colosseum-type Creation Abyss he had set up in Korea.
In short, she had eliminated most of Korea's Creation Abysses.
'There were far too many Abysses being created in Korea.'
Too much of a good thing.
A moderate number of Abysses strengthened humanity, but too many led it to ruin.
Korea had been drawing considerable attention among Creators.
Thus, a proper culling was necessary.
"You did well. Must not have been easy."
"Ataraxia helped enthusiastically. He's exceptionally skilled at locating coordinates."
A plain compliment.
This, too, was the utmost expression Adora could offer.
Park Chan-woo turned to look at Ataraxia.
"Looks like you did far better than I expected."
"A-heh, ahem! It was only natural, my duty to the great one!"
Ataraxia stiffened and bowed his head deeply.
But he could hardly lift it again.
'He acknowledged me!'
Words affirming greater achievements than even he had imagined.
What else could this be but recognition?
Emotion surged over him like a wave.
All his efforts repaid in a single phrase.
Which dragon among the dragonkin had ever heard such words?
Pursuing relentlessly, day and night without rest—it had been worth it.
"Calling them 'mid- to small-scale' suggests there were some fairly large Abysses too?"
Park Chan-woo asked again.
Almost all Abysses currently in Korea were modest in scale.
At best, experimental in nature—nothing more, nothing less.
Proper Abysses crafted by high-caliber Creators in earnest would emerge after the Interracial War ended.
Adora nodded.
"A Demon King's Abyss appeared. I held off, judging it unwise to touch recklessly."
"Any idea which Demon King created it?"
"The Demon King of Karmic Flames. The new 'Master of the Night.'"
"...The timing is suspicious."
"Seems tied to the next 'Night.' No one has entered yet, apparently."
The new Master of the Night.
The one who had bankrupted the Moon's Lord Aheta and claimed his place: the Demon King of Karmic Flames.
The monster who paid a million coins to seize Aheta's very existence and location!
Why would such a Demon King create an Abyss in Korea, and one of considerable scale, no less?
With the fourth Night looming.
'An unopened Creation Abyss, or one opened but with harsh entry conditions.'
Its intent was unclear.
But he knew about the Demon King of Karmic Flames.
'The least prominent among the 72 Demon Kings.'
A Demon King who showed no notable activity until the apocalypse, now Master of the Night.
And targeting Korea directly.
There was purpose behind it.
Unprominent meant meticulous.
One couldn't simply sit idle as a Demon King.
It meant handling matters quietly and cleanly, unknown to all.
Otherwise, they couldn't afford a million coins.
'One of the trickiest Demon Kings.'
Personally, he viewed it as underrated.
A powerhouse incomparable to the likes of Aheta.
With a curveball thrown, caution was needed.
"Good call. Rushing in could have been disastrous."
Adora's judgment was sound.
He hadn't yet reached the level to face a Demon King head-on.
Not without another miracle like the 'Error'... or the Heavenly Demon bursting from the Demon-Sealing God's Chalice.
But he never wanted to repeat that experience.
This time, luck had favored him.
The Heavenly Demon had tampered with the heart's mana, allowing him to 'seize' it.
The issue was the heart's true nature.
'Sepiro's heart is with me.'
Had it come back with him upon regression?
Because he regressed while it was seized?
Moreover, this was the first time he fully realized it.
Even the Heavenly Demon attempting to wield its power was unexpected.
'Can those sealed in the Demon-Sealing God's Chalice use the heart's mana?'
Still unknown.
No reckless tests possible.
When possessed, he had glimpsed the Heavenly Demon's thoughts, however faintly.
'Using the heart's mana kills me.'
The Heavenly Demon was utterly convinced of death upon use.
No matter the method, survival impossible.
Of course, the situation precluded use anyway.
The mana normalized, and it vanished completely.
One might even doubt if Dragon God Sepiro's sealed heart had truly been there.
Still, the lingering unique mana from the Heavenly Demon had saved Charpham—for better or worse.
Sorting his thoughts, he glanced up at Arcana.
"That said, the Primordial God's appearance seems a bit different."
It looked larger, its form and mana flow altered.
Especially the wings.
"...We'll explain that."
Ziiing!
A warp opened, revealing another group of dragons.
The Sloth Clan dragons and their leader, Drakan.
"We expanded and refined the mana circuits of those wings, which seemed tied to the 'Lord of Giant Evils.' Leaving them risked 'demonic corruption,' so..."
"Demonic corruption?"
"Yes. We feared influence from the Lord of Giant Evils' authority. It should be safe now."
"Well done."
Those black wings clearly resembled the authority of the 'Lord of Giant Evils.'
One of the great Nine Lords, the Lord of Giant Evils granted kin powerful strength while controlling their flesh and soul.
Drakan had modified them to prevent any such influence.
"Um... one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"How about linking the Primordial God's mana circuits to the golems, forming a single 'hive mind'?"
"You mean organize them?"
"Something like that. Synchronizing the self-aware golems with the Primordial God would extend that authority's power to them."
"Unifying their minds, eh."
"Yes."
"There'd be side effects."
"Aside from all being destroyed if the Primordial God falls..."
"Hmm. Unifying minds doesn't strike me as purely beneficial."
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
Unifying consciousnesses.
Hadn't he just witnessed the Immortals' actions?
Seemingly powerful, but as the Heavenly Demon said, unity weakened them.
Outcomes calculated by countless minds weren't always correct.
Especially...
'Individuality vanishes.'
Lack of individuality was profoundly tragic.
The Immortals were strong, but that was all.
They became uniformly similar.
Thus, more easily dismantled.
Yielding more readily to superior power.
Losing resilience against stronger beings, perhaps.
Hence their frenzy to create a new Heavenly Demon, evolving Taebaek.
No such mistake here.
"Let them grow strong in their own ways."
"Understood."
Drakan readily conceded.
Exchanging views with him was enough.
He was more curious about Park Chan-woo's stance, honestly.
Linking cores and minds would birth a mighty hive, but his confident reply affirmed its flaws.
Dragons were a hive of sorts.
Following mighty lord Sepiro, yet each grew in their own way.
This must be Sepiro's ultimate vision.
'Gotta research the downsides.'
Investigating would be intriguing.
Thus, Drakan and his clan were inwardly pleased.
Moments later, Adora glanced behind Park Chan-woo, asking as if only just noticing.
"Them?"
"Ah, my comrades."
"...Comrades?"
Adora tilted her head.
They differed vastly from prior comrades.
Chiwu stepped forward.
"I am Chiwu, follower of the Successor."
"...Adora. But Successor?"
"Isn't he the great one's successor?"
Ataraxia snapped irritably at the remark toward Park Chan-woo.
"What nonsense. He is the great one incarnate."
"Ah...!"
The Dragon God Sepiro, obviously—but Chiwu took it as the Heavenly Demon himself.
'So it was true!'
Chiwu scanned the surroundings, face alight with awe and smile.
The dragonkin followed him.
This vast, fertile land's master too.
Putting the stories together, one conclusion.
'Aiming for the top of the Abyss!'
Not mere Mountain of the Cultivator—the entire Abyss.
Truly standing above the heavens.
A chance to serve the Heavenly Demon at his side.
Thump! Thump!
'Glad I'm alive!'
Chiwu's heart pounded hotter.
After the reunion.
Park Chan-woo took a moment alone to regroup.
First, assess himself.
'Status Window.'
Calling up the Status Window filled his vision with text.
But not what he expected.
Before he could tilt his head, text flooded his view.
Messages kept pouring in.
Adora had destroyed 328 Creation Abysses.
True to her word, rewards for exactly 328 flooded in relentlessly.
And that wasn't all.