Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Treasure Chest
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Kuuuung!
A massive "hippo" body crashed to the ground.
The beast was easily three times the size of an ordinary hippo. As it fell and shook the floor, the people nearby erupted into cheers and applause.
"Ooooh!"
"Saviors!"
"We believe in you, we believe!"
More than thirty people.
They were the members of the "Dawn Fellowship" who had followed Yu Han-seop at the start, along with others who had recklessly entered and found themselves in peril.
They gazed at the two men ahead with unanimous praise.
"……."
"Looks like I win again."
A small "Gold Box," shrunken down, rested in the man's palm.
He had made the greatest contribution to slaying the giant hippo and received it as his quest reward.
Lee Hyuk-soo, in second place for contribution, had gotten a "Silver Box."
The man smirked.
"Not bad, though. Aside from putting too much strain on your shoulders and wrists. It's because you're not used to real blades yet. Fix it before it becomes a habit."
"……."
The man jabbed at Lee Hyuk-soo.
He loved to nitpick everything, from sword stance to how to fight monsters.
But Lee Hyuk-soo stayed silent.
No one would enjoy some guy suddenly showing up to backseat drive.
'What the hell is this guy?'
After slicing off Yu Han-seop's arm, Lee Hyuk-soo had rampaged through the Abyss, hunting monsters nonstop.
In the process, he'd saved people, and a group had naturally formed around him.
The others hailed him as a "savior," but Lee had no intention of becoming some grand heroic figure—not even a little bit.
There was only one reason he'd entered the "Incarnation Abyss."
To protect his mother.
Korea had to be safe for his mother to be safe.
Then this guy had appeared out of nowhere, insisting on joining him, and now he was constantly interfering in everything.
"So, how about forming a 'party' now?"
The man kept pushing for a party.
Of course, Lee knew from experience that parties weren't a bad idea.
Thanks to the Prophet, he'd been able to kill the Dragon God General in the "First Night Abyss."
But this was different.
This overly familiar stranger was a burden, plain and simple.
Lee Hyuk-soo wasn't the social type to begin with.
He knew that well.
And he also knew that guys who suddenly acted chummy were rarely any good.
As he turned away, the man rattled off the benefits of a party nonstop.
"Parties let you share rewards based on contribution. Quests get easier, leveling up is smoother. And together, we could take down the 'Incarnation.'"
Udok!
Only after the mention of the Incarnation did Lee Hyuk-soo stop.
"…I have no interest in partying with some unknown."
"……Han Shin. Family name Han, given name Shin. Thirty-one years old."
"Lee Hyuk-soo."
A curt reply, but Han Shin smiled.
Exchanging just names suited his style perfectly.
In the world ahead, age and jobs wouldn't matter.
True power—martial might—would be everything.
The raw strength to crush flesh and bone would rule all.
'He's definitely got talent.'
Han Shin rated Lee Hyuk-soo's potential highly.
The more he fought, the more close-quarters scraps with monsters he survived, the faster he adapted.
Proof of solid fundamentals.
He seemed born for battle.
'And he's a little crazy.'
But what he liked most was something else.
…Virtually no fear.
He never averted his eyes or backed down—a fearless courage.
Like a beast, he bit until the enemy died.
'To think there's someone like me in this world.'
Han Shin let out a sigh of admiration.
He'd been different since childhood.
Stronger than others, instinctively knew how to fight.
His muscles grew just from breathing; he had innate talent with weapons.
But Han Shin had no interest in sports.
A month was enough to surpass lifelong masters.
National team? World's best?
In any physical field, he dominated.
It took less than thirty days to crush them.
If born in ancient times, he'd have been called a martial god.
So why bother?
'Everything was boring back then.'
In the modern world, his abilities were a curse.
No place to fully unleash a honed body.
A battlefield soaked in blood?
No matter how strong, bullets would end you.
So Han Shin lived in hiding.
…Until the Abyss appeared.
'The Abyss is a world made for me.'
He was insanely excited.
Finally, a place to test his limits.
Guns meaningless.
A lawless realm where only physical prowess proved itself.
Perfect survival of the fittest!
'I'll reach the pinnacle.'
Become the strongest.
Save humanity.
Rule the world as its leader.
But he couldn't do it alone.
He needed reliable subordinates—hands and feet.
Like this one.
Lee Hyuk-soo. A brilliantly shining talent.
Han Shin could make that unbloomed potential flower.
"Let's hunt the 'Incarnation,' Lee Hyuk-soo."
Han Shin said with emphasis.
Just mentioning it had made Lee stop.
He really intended to hunt it.
Reckless—and that's why he liked it more.
"……."
Lee Hyuk-soo hesitated.
Han Shin was undeniably strong. Lee hadn't seen him in the First Night Abyss, but his pure power and gear backed it up.
Head-on, Lee would probably lose.
No idea where this monster came from, but partying would make taking the Incarnation easier.
Forming a party was simple: clasp hands, and it happened automatically.
Han Shin extended both hands without hesitation.
"What more is there to think about? I want to save Korea too. But I can't take the Incarnation alone. Isn't this when we should join forces?"
"……."
Lee's hesitation stemmed from Han Shin's true nature.
What if he was the Incarnation?
It was possible.
But hunting the Incarnation was crucial too.
That was the moment.
"Hm?"
Han Shin tilted his head.
Then he rummaged in his pocket, pulled out an empty glass vial, and frowned.
'……The lich's life force from the Life Vessel is gone.'
Strange.
It was his contingency.
To destroy the lich necromancer, he'd prepared by shattering its Life Vessel ahead of time.
Approach, smash the vial, and the altar guardian vanishes.
The barrier lifts, he claims the treasure chest atop the altar—his "contingency" secured.
He'd planned to let people see it all, cementing his "savior" status naturally.
But now it was gone.
The massive life force that should have filled the Life Vessel.
'No way…….'
Han Shin frowned inwardly.
Had the lich died?
Did someone open the barrier?
Even then, no one could open the treasure chest.
Only he knew the magic pattern to unlock it.
Well, technically the altar's priest—the lich—might know too… but a soulless shell couldn't share it.
Han Shin took a slow breath.
'Still, no one can open that chest.'
Yeah. His "contingency" was safe.
He was certain no one else could take it.
"Something wrong?"
"…No, nothing. Anyway… shall we form the 'party' now?"
Han Shin forced a smile at Lee Hyuk-soo's question.
Lich Necromancer Yan.
The orcs' priest was now facing annihilation.
Most of the petals had already entered Anubis's mouth.
But Yan was joyful.
He could finally find peace—especially since it came at the hands of that existence. Nothing could be better.
「I humbly offer my death to you.」
The one who calls death, guides it, devours it.
Yan rightfully dedicated his death to him.
He should have died long ago.
In the war against other races, his orc comrades were wiped out. Yan alone guarded the altar.
To fulfill his priestly duty, he sacrificed his life to erect the barrier.
Yet somehow, he had become a lich.
'Aheta. Damn you, god of the night.'
Aheta. That night god had turned Yan into a lich and bound him.
Aheta's followers had turned Yan's world to ash, forcibly sealing those with special powers under the name of "death."
Afterward, Yan was trapped in the "Temple of Death" for ages.
Anubis, guardian of the Temple of Death, had fallen to corruption, and the temple's master had become "Aheta" as well…
「I meet the master of 'death'!」
Yan joyfully accepted his end.
He didn't know why it was with a human, but that existence was undoubtedly deeply tied to death itself.
Gulp!
Radiant Anubis swallowed the final petal.
That instant.
Radiant Anubis grew rapidly.
Not just that—it even gained a "stat growth rate."
A miraculous effect.
'Better than any elixir.'
Eating death seemed akin to a human consuming an elixir.
And 10 freely assignable stat points to boot.
Not even legendary elixirs could grant that.
「I know the magic pattern needed to open the treasure chest. Allow me to unlock it with my remaining mana.」
In an instant, the lich Yan's fixed body began to move.
He raised his staff toward the altar.
Then.
Whoooong!
A brilliant light poured from the altar.
The light surged into the "treasure chest."
And soon.
Kiiiiiik!
……The treasure chest opened.
「Thank you… for granting me peace…」
As Yan's words ended.
Poof!
His body crumbled to dust and scattered.
Hidden quest and first achievement to boot.
Humans getting coins was unprecedented outside bankrupting a Creator.
But if the Creator who'd contracted with that guy tossed them in as rewards, it changed things.
'They really showered rewards on that 'contingency's' owner.'
The rewards and achievements were impressive.
Later, "honor" would unlock Abysses, quests, or titles—so steadily piling up achievements was key.
Park Chan-woo smirked and slowly approached the treasure chest.
He was dying to know what "contingency" lay at the end of this convoluted process.
Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo peered inside the chest.
And.
"……Crazy."