Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Anubis's Name
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Radiant Anubis.
The being that emerged from the 'Black Box' infused with a powerful curse!
Originally, it was meant to be summoned as a harbinger of death, scattering it far and wide. However, the luck of the 'Easter Egg' had transformed Anubis into something radiant.
The Anubis that Park Chan-woo knew was the guardian of the Temple of Death, a monster that haunted everyone's nightmares.
But this Anubis, appearing with an unprecedented descriptor, was far removed from such nightmares.
It was nothing more than a tiny, adorable fluffball of a pup.
"You... why...?"
This made it all the more incomprehensible.
Only Park Chan-woo himself could offer a sacrifice to the God of Offerings.
No one had ever done it in his place.
Naturally, Radiant Anubis sacrificing itself was utterly impossible.
...Unless, somehow, it was possible.
'Deep Bond.'
The description etched in the golden aura.
It meant that only those connected by a Deep Bond could share the 'Golden Aura'.
In other words, Park Chan-woo already shared a Deep Bond with Radiant Anubis.
But what exactly was this Deep Bond?
In an incredibly short time, he'd charged ahead without looking back. They'd never cared for each other or exchanged emotions, that much he could swear.
"What have you... done...!"
Park Chan-woo panicked.
He was so flustered that words failed him.
Self-sacrifice.
Radiant Anubis had chosen to sacrifice itself to help him.
To drive away the encroaching darkness and dispel the curse, it had thrown its body into the fray without hesitation.
If the roles were reversed, Park Chan-woo wouldn't have sacrificed himself for Anubis.
He'd never intended to show it any affection.
In the world ahead, 'emotion' was a luxury.
To forge ahead, he couldn't afford to look back.
That was why he'd never given it a name until now.
A life that could turn to dust at any moment without it being strange.
Both he and Anubis walked the edge of a blade.
Even if one of them vanished, the survivor could press on without regret.
That's why he'd avoided forming any bonds.
And yet.
...Now, of all times.
What good would naming it do after it had become the offering?
Besides, this was something Park Chan-woo had to bear himself.
The deadline for the 'Terminal' status ailment had shortened because he hadn't offered enough sacrifices.
Even if he scraped together everything he had to buy more time, the end result wouldn't change. All the gear and tools he'd painstakingly acquired were 'possibilities' for the future.
Sacrifice possibilities for time?
No, the opposite.
He had to preserve those possibilities, even if it meant sacrificing time.
So, he'd resolved to endure and accept it.
Whoosh! Whoooosh!
Radiant Anubis's tiny body floated into the air.
Soon after, related messages appeared before his eyes.
Once offered to the God of Offerings, that was the end.
What was given once could neither be undone nor reversed.
Knowing this, Park Chan-woo's eyes trembled intensely.
"Is it just because of a name? Because I didn't give you one?"
Kyuwoo...!
Radiant Anubis shook its head.
His mind went blank.
Then why?
Why sacrifice itself to save me?
But to Radiant Anubis, this sacrifice was only natural.
To it, Park Chan-woo was no different from a parent. The first being it met upon entering the world was none other than him.
Anubis, trapped with a vicious curse.
The one who brought the light of hope was also Park Chan-woo.
Anubis's world had been Park Chan-woo from the very beginning.
It didn't want him to die.
Nor did it want his death hastened.
Moreover, Anubis understood his pain.
It felt the exact same emotions he did.
Lonely, in a cold, deep cave.
That was the world where Park Chan-woo lived.
It had also grasped that he was forcibly avoiding attachment. Sad as it was, that's why Anubis had burrowed even deeper into his embrace.
What Anubis truly desired wasn't a name.
It was for him to escape that cave.
And to become radiant, just like itself.
"...Fluffy."
Park Chan-woo forced his mouth open.
Seeing Radiant Anubis's transformed appearance, he'd thought, 'It really looks so fluffy.'
Its body, covered in white fur, could only be described as 'Fluffy.'
So.
"Your name is Fluffy."
He finalized the name for Anubis, having sorted his thoughts.
At that moment.
Kyuwooo!!
Seemingly delighted with the name, Fluffy let out a bright cry.
Naming something meant remembering it.
He probably wouldn't forget it for a long time.
'I should have named it sooner...'
If he'd known it would love it this much, he would have named it from the start.
But it was far too late now.
Thanks to Fluffy's sacrifice, the darkness enveloping him was fading.
Once this darkness fully vanished, he'd never see Radiant Anubis—or Fluffy—again.
Whooooooong!
At the same time, a pure white light began emanating from Fluffy's entire body.
He thought it might be to dispel the curse and banish the darkness.
But soon, he realized that wasn't the case.
Above Fluffy's head, an incomparably massive flower of light bloomed.
The moment arrived abruptly.
The moment he named it, the Flower of Life fully bloomed, triggering an evolution.
The Flower of Life was absorbing every last drop of 'Holiness' overflowing in the surroundings.
'It's even absorbing all the Holiness left in the Synthesis Domain.'
The Synthesis Domain had appeared after acquiring a massive haul of rewards at once.
When he'd fed it countless 'Boxes,' holy light had exploded, spitting out a '7-star Gold Box.'
But that wasn't all he'd gained.
He'd leveled up a whopping three times and forcibly broken through his level cap.
An overwhelming surge of energy.
It had absorbed all the remnants and the Holiness permeating the Synthesis Domain.
'This... is the real deal.'
The 'Golden Mystery of Arhat' was undoubtedly exceptional gear.
Transcendent equipment with the potential to upgrade to the unattainable 'Zero Grade' for him in reality.
But the true prize was this.
Divinity born from synthesizing everything.
A miracle brought by accumulated luck.
Something current Park Chan-woo couldn't handle—Fluffy devoured it all.
Fwaaaaaah!
Fluffy's appearance didn't change.
But everything else did.
Dazzlingly so.
It had evolved into an even more divine existence.
Aah.
And so, all the darkness vanished.
Kyu!
Now settled on the ground, Fluffy began bouncing around joyfully.
Expressing its happiness with its whole body.
Park Chan-woo bent down and extended his palm toward Fluffy.
Fluffy hopped right onto it.
As if nothing had happened.
Even though it had survived, at the cost of half its lifespan.
Seeing this, Park Chan-woo spoke from the heart.
"...Thank you, Fluffy."
Kyuwooo!
Once the situation had calmed.
Park Chan-woo couldn't help but ponder deeply.
'When I tried to lift the status ailment, the Holy Grail of the Demon-Sealing God suddenly tried to hasten the Terminal deadline.'
The World Tree's fruit removes harmful status ailments.
It had nullified that function entirely and even tried to shorten the remaining time.
Because he'd attempted to forcibly remove the status ailment.
The backlash had sprung forth like a coiled spring.
'...I can't touch it.'
It seemed he'd have to carry the status ailment as is.
Forcing it had only provoked a fierce reaction.
Still, he'd gained something.
'Offer sacrifices to revive the God of Offerings. Then I'll know exactly what's inside the Holy Grail of the Demon-Sealing God.'
For now, it was all speculation.
But reviving the God of Offerings would make it crystal clear.
He didn't know how many more offerings it would take... but it was something he had to do.
Park Chan-woo steadied his breath.
'Status Window.'
He called up his Status Window to check the changes.
He needed to meticulously assess what had changed and what hadn't.
And.
"What...!"
The Status Window he checked was nothing short of shocking horror.
'...Unbelievable.'
The demon merchant Dagon.
Thinking of the human he'd contracted with, he shuddered.
Sepiro. To form a contract with a being that even the lords of the Abyss feared!
Of course, he hadn't believed it at face value.
He'd kept doubting.
But now, that doubt had vanished entirely.
Why?
'It's unmistakably Sepiro. That absolute magical prowess...!'
He'd watched him conquer countless dungeons, smashing bosses left and right.
One-shotting them all with magic.
Sure, overwhelming stats could make it possible. But his 'rank'... or total stats were pathetically low compared to Dagon's own.
Yet, he'd felled dungeon bosses one after another that seemed impossible to hunt. He wielded magic as naturally as breathing, without pause.
'Magic far beyond what his abilities should allow. Even one or two casts should exhaust and overload him.'
What was magic?
It was borrowed from the dragon race, the progenitors.
Fixed formulas, through and through.
Non-dragon races couldn't truly comprehend magic or grasp its essence, so they could only use the prescribed formulas.
Meaning the mana required to shape it, the calculations, the activation conditions—all were set in stone.
Freely altering or manipulating it? Only dragons could do that.
Exceptions like devouring a dragon heart allowed a bit, but nothing comparable to dragons.
Yet this human, in a mortal body, had achieved transformations surpassing even dragons.
He dominated magic.
His brain and body should have exploded from the strain.
'He manipulated mana. That's beyond talent.'
Mana was the source.
Peering into and controlling the source—demons didn't call that 'talent.'
...They called it a 'monster.'
Above all.
'He was using absolute magic to conceal his presence.'
Dungeon bosses need not be mentioned; even the Creators seemed oblivious to him.
As far as Dagon knew, only one being could pull that off.
Sepiro!
The pinnacle among magic's progenitors.
The sole one who had transcended the ultimate.
Only Sepiro could manifest 'absolute magic' beyond the ultimate.
...Therefore.
It wasn't Sepiro borrowing a human skin...
'He is Sepiro himself.'
That human was Sepiro incarnate.
"Dagon. You scum, you're dead last in sales again. Given up entirely?"
It was then.
A demon sneered at Dagon as he entered the demon merchant guild.
"Idiot. Wasting a golden opportunity like that."
The 'opportunity' the demon mentioned meant trading with humans while touring dungeons.
Chances to meet humans weren't easy to come by.
Especially when Creators laid out the 'stage' like this—extremely rare.
So they called it a banquet.
In that honeyed opportunity, Dagon had recorded the worst sales among all demon merchants.
The other demon merchants around him muttered jabs.
"Fool. Tarnishing his father's name."
"We gave him every convenience, and he ends up last? I couldn't show my face."
"Pfft! No surprise from a failure student before becoming a merchant."
"Embarrassing to even be seen with him."
Dagon ignored the other demon merchants' words.
"... "
If they knew about the exclusive contract, they'd mock him even more brazenly. Better to say nothing.
Anyway, he was certain those contemptuous gazes and belittling remarks would flip 180 degrees in the near future.
The more the demon merchants insulted him, the brighter Dagon's eyes shone.
'Insult me all you want. I've seized an once-in-a-lifetime chance!'