Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Water God Hunt
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Brrrr!
His eyes twitched in spasms.
The moment he saw what was inside the treasure chest.
The instant he identified it.
He couldn't hold back without cursing out loud.
'...This is supposed to be a provision.'
……It was something he never could have imagined.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it.
It was just a small, round pill.
Artificially processed, in other words.
But it was starkly different from all the provisions he'd discovered so far.
The provisions prepared by the creators for their contracted incarnations had mostly been pure spiritual herbs and the like.
Elixirs in their natural state.
Unrefined and unadulterated, making them easy to absorb.
It hadn't been long since the Abyss had opened.
The incarnations still had a long way to go before they could grow strong.
Consuming an elixir bursting with explosive energy or an impure one could easily lead to death.
Naturally, it made sense to prepare provisions at an appropriate level.
But the pill before his eyes far exceeded that "appropriate level."
'Myriad Blood Immortal Pill.'
What was an immortal pill?
A pill personally crafted by an immortal.
It was typically called an immortal pill when various miraculous herbs were combined in the right proportions and formed into a pill.
He wouldn't have been so shocked if it were just any ordinary immortal pill.
The problem was the "Myriad Blood" prefix.
An immortal pill infused with the blood of ten thousand.
'A pill made by separating and blending the blood serum of ten thousand individuals.'
The creator of this thing wasn't right in the head.
Clearly a blood-mad immortal.
It didn't make sense for ten thousand people's blood to be mixed into one tiny pill.
They had personally drawn the blood, refined it into serum, gathered ten thousand portions, and processed it further.
In short.
'...The lives of ten thousand are contained within this.'
And they called it a "provision."
Moreover, it probably wasn't made using humans as ingredients.
Likely the result of massacring other races or lifeforms.
And that was probably…….
'Orcs.'
Park Chan-woo grimaced as he recalled the words of the orc priest Yan, who had been guarding the altar.
—...Ahh. Why am I still guarding this altar? Even though a profane offering defiles us. It's agonizing. I want to follow my fallen comrades... follow them…….
He wanted to follow his fallen comrades.
A war had broken out, and Yan must have deployed a powerful barrier to protect the altar.
Given that the barrier was set to allow only his kin to pass, it must have been a war against another race—or something even more alien.
He had said a profane offering was placed atop the altar, but in truth, it was the "Myriad Blood Immortal Pill" made from his kin's blood, disguised as a provision.
'Insulting.'
It was an act that mocked and humiliated Priest Yan.
It went far beyond giving humiliation to the vanquished.
It was hard to find anything more despicable.
They made the Myriad Blood Immortal Pill from the blood of the defeated orcs and placed it atop the altar dedicated to their god to shame them.
And they forced Priest Yan to guard it.
So that Han Shin could claim the Myriad Blood Immortal Pill intact.
Thus, the creator who made and prepared this "Myriad Blood Immortal Pill" was likely the mastermind behind the orc massacre.
At the same time.
'The Lord of the Abyss contracted with that bastard.'
The outline was coming into focus.
The being who turned Yan into a lich and handed Life Vessel to Han Shin.
Who could be cruel enough to pull off something this vicious?
...He was dying to know.
If Han Shin had already contracted with one of the "Great Nine Lords" at this point, it wouldn't add up.
No matter how desperately Han Shin grew stronger, he couldn't keep up with that pace.
The benefits a Great Nine Lord could grant an incarnation were endless.
Even monopolizing all rewards and bankrupting countless creators wouldn't surpass the ruler of the entire Abyss.
'Not one of the Great Nine Lords.'
Park Chan-woo was certain.
They had no reason to massacre orcs or create such contraptions to insult Yan.
Even among the so-called "named creators," few had personalities this vicious.
Could it be one of them?
'Not a named creator either.'
He shook his head.
No matter how devilish they were, named creators had their own sense of dignity.
They wouldn't proceed this way unless directly insulted.
Of course, a mere orc priest wouldn't provoke that kind of reaction from them anyway.
Thus, not a named creator.
But if not a named creator, they couldn't prepare a provision of this caliber.
Someone who wasn't a named creator but could prepare provisions incomparable to other creators.
Who could that be?
'Only one comes to mind.'
Just one name surfaced.
'A Lord of the Abyss who's not a named creator but rivals them.'
He'd experienced that scum's lowly antics several times.
Forcing bindings like this to inflict humiliation was exactly that bastard's style.
Park Chan-woo recalled the dreadful name.
'......Aheta.'
Aheta, the Lord of the Night!
Aheta was the sole lord governing the Night Abyss.
That Aheta was likely the creator contracted with Han Shin.
Another mystery resolved itself naturally.
'Now I get why Han Shin didn't shine in the first Night Abyss.'
He hadn't even participated in the Twelve Divine Generals hunt, let alone the first Night Abyss.
No need to participate.
If contracted with Aheta, he'd get better rewards than anything available in the Night Abyss.
Especially since he didn't expect the Dragon God General to be cleared anyway.
No reason to deploy Han Shin and cause interference.
'Did Aheta have an incarnation?'
But he'd never heard of the Night's master "Aheta" creating an incarnation.
Among countless creators, Aheta was the only one whose name was known, so contracting an incarnation would be a huge risk.
Knowing the creator's name allowed ways to nullify the contract.
Yet he did it anyway.
Must have coveted Han Shin's talent that much.
One thing was clear…….
'Just keep him from catching the Great Nine Lords' eye.'
Everything was crystal clear now.
Knowing Aheta was behind it meant he couldn't touch it lightly, but it opened many more paths forward.
Han Shin.
That bastard grew rapidly thanks to Aheta and eventually caught the "Great Nine Lords'" attention.
In the end, Han Shin betrayed Aheta and contracted with one of the Great Nine Lords.
Exploit that gap right, and unimaginable gains were possible.
Park Chan-woo took a deep breath.
He then offered a brief prayer toward the altar.
The souls of the orcs lingering on the altar. Not close, but as fellow enemies of the same foe, this much comfort he could provide.
"Rest in peace. I'll make sure to bankrupt 'Aheta' for you."
Without delay, he reached into the treasure chest and grasped the "Myriad Blood Immortal Pill."
He then poured the "Myriad Blood Immortal Pill" into his mouth.
Gulp!
Just consuming it improved his constitution, and it boosted his Attack and Defense to the combined level of every elixir he'd taken so far.
Even so, he couldn't absorb it all.
And it even contained cursed energy.
'I have to spit it out.'
His body was already susceptible to curses.
Regrettable, but he knew when to cut his losses.
He was just about to expel the excess energy.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground shook.
And then.
Whoosh!
...A brilliant light poured from the altar.
The light pierced Park Chan-woo's entire body precisely.
"You're... quite the guy."
They had already passed the halfway point of the 'Water God Abyss'.
Looking at Lee Hyuk-soo, Han Shin let out a sigh of admiration.
It had only been a day, but Lee Hyuk-soo was fighting nonstop like a fish in water.
He set a goal and didn't stop until it was achieved.
Now, only he and Lee Hyuk-soo remained around.
'If things had gone according to the original plan, I'd have led the others to the swamp…….'
He planned to show them a miracle there.
But Han Shin changed plans.
He realized Lee Hyuk-soo was more important than them.
The others couldn't even dream of keeping up with the two racing ahead like madmen.
What gain was there in pandering to such weak, cowardly fools?
'This guy's the real deal.'
For the first time in ages, he felt excited.
This was the guy who partied with him and shared the thrill of growing stronger.
'With him, I could hunt the Water God right now.'
Han Shin pondered briefly.
His task was to acquire the "provision" here and then sabotage the 'Water God Abyss' clear.
If Lee Hyuk-soo went for the "Water God hunt," Han Shin would have to block him.
"Lee Hyuk-soo. Let's hunt the 'Water God' together."
But Han Shin didn't want to.
Hunting the Water God with this guy for real seemed like it would be a blast.
A spark of rivalry ignited, making his chest burn. His heart raced.
If they overcame trials back-to-back, Lee Hyuk-soo would follow him too.
Han Shin genuinely wanted to make Lee Hyuk-soo his "right hand."
For that goal, hunting the Water God a few times was nothing.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy, but not impossible.
"...Right now?"
Lee Hyuk-soo asked, and Han Shin shook his head.
"Combining our strength, nothing's impossible, but to be thorough, we need two days. Of course, no one but us could kill the 'Water God'—that's certain."
Han Shin already possessed knowledge of the 'Water God Abyss' and all dungeons.
'I know everything.'
Beyond that, he'd absorbed countless secrets unknown even to other Awakeners or incarnations.
All thanks to the uniqueness of his contracted creator.
'To reliably kill the Water God, we need to break the 1st limit level.'
No matter his monstrous talent, he hadn't broken the "1st limit level" yet.
If he wanted, he could do it in a day instead of two.
Acquiring the "provision" along the way would make it even smoother.
But the 'Water God' was a boss no one but him could kill.
Lee Hyuk-soo needed two days to stand a chance against the Water God.
Lee Hyuk-soo nodded expressionlessly.
"Got it. Let's do that."
Truly a straightforward guy.
Suddenly curious, Han Shin asked.
"But why do you want to kill the 'Water God'? Trying to be a savior or something?"
"...Not interested."
Lee Hyuk-soo's attitude was sincere.
He truly seemed uninterested in playing savior.
Han Shin smiled faintly.
"Good. No conflicts then."
"……?"
"Because I plan to become the savior."
Han Shin declared boldly.
Though the plan had derailed, now that things were like this, he'd hunt the Water God and solidify his foundation.
It would smooth things over with Lee Hyuk-soo too.
Lee Hyuk-soo said he had no interest in being a savior, but his actions and demeanor were already close to one.
He could be a fine companion.
"Lee Hyuk-soo. After the Water God hunt, come with me……."
Let's go together.
But Han Shin couldn't finish.
Suddenly.
From the far end of the Abyss.
Rumble!
A massive thunderclap roared.
And at that moment.
'Water God' has died!