Chapter 380
Chapter 380
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 380
Chapter Title: Racial War (19)
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With Lee Hyuk-soo's final orders, the team members sprang into action, busily preparing for their respective roles.
Before long, Adora was left alone.
She stared quietly at the proposals floating in the air, formed entirely of mana.
'Lee Hyuk-soo... He has some intriguing qualities. I can somewhat understand why Park Chan-woo chose him.'
Recalling the 'Trojan Horse' strategy Lee Hyuk-soo had proposed, she let a faint smile play across her lips.
It went beyond mere faith or sacrifice—thrusting a blade into the enemy's heart with ruthless audacity when the moment called for it.
That was the essential condition for surviving this hellish Abyss.
And no one was more suited to that role than she was.
But the most surprising part was Lee Hyuk-soo himself, the one who had devised such a plan.
'...You're alike.'
Lee Hyuk-soo and Park Chan-woo.
One walked the path of a hero leading humanity from the light, while the other tread the archmage's road of plotting and manipulating everything from the shadows. Yet at their core, the two were eerily similar.
The boldness to stake everything and overturn the board in moments of absolute desperation.
The extraordinary ability to shatter common sense and create variables.
And even the ruthlessness to deceive those closest when necessary.
Lee Hyuk-soo's 'Trojan Horse' plan felt like Park Chan-woo's thoughts transplanted directly onto the page.
Perhaps Park Chan-woo had chosen him because he saw the same kind of madness in Lee Hyuk-soo.
Or maybe they were each discovering in the other what they lacked—or desired—and gradually becoming alike.
'Which race should I approach for maximum efficiency?'
Her crimson eyes swept once more over the betrayal proposals hovering in the air.
The Steel Claw Tribe was too simplistic.
Allying with them offered only limited gains.
The Core Minds' technology was intriguing, but that was all.
It might contribute to humanity's advancement, but it was far removed from victory in the Racial War.
The Night Shadow Tribe's offer was tempting.
But trusting their word was less appealing than licking the claws of a demon god.
'The optimal path to victory. The most dangerous road, yet one that yields the greatest rewards.'
Her deliberation continued.
Not long after, Adora's crimson eyes settled on the last remaining proposal—from the Twilight Tribe.
The proposals from other mid-tier seed races demanded clear compensation or urged direct betrayal of humanity.
But the Twilight Tribe's was different.
They recognized the value of Adora's existence itself, calling her a "being beyond human limits" and offering to "embrace" her.
Perhaps they had already faintly sensed her true nature as the "Creator of Death."
'Protection and support from the Ancient Spirit Realm.'
Fragments of information from Park Chan-woo's records flashed through Adora's mind.
The Ancient Spirit Realm was one of the places where the Abyss's most primordial powers slumbered, deeply tied to its very birth.
And the "Transcender Lil" was likely connected to it as well.
If the Twilight Tribe truly had ties to the Ancient Spirit Realm, joining them would be a golden opportunity to uncover crucial clues about Park Chan-woo's legacy and his return.
'They see me as beyond human limits. Perfect conditions for infiltrating as a Trojan Horse.'
Other races had approached her as "humanity's strongest representative," proposing deals on those terms. But the Twilight Tribe came closer to her essence.
Their arrogance could serve as an excellent disguise.
They would likely take it for granted that she had shed her human shackles to join their side.
Of course, the risks were greater than any other choice.
Entering the Twilight Tribe's heart was like walking willingly into a tiger's den.
Their power was unknown, and if her identity or purpose was exposed, she might not return alive.
But what would Park Chan-woo have done?
He had always found the most brilliant answers on the riskiest paths.
He wrought miracles from the brink of despair and turned the impossible into reality.
Just as Lee Hyuk-soo was becoming like him, she too had to follow his way.
"...I've decided."
Adora murmured softly, as if sealing her resolve.
Her crimson eyes blazed with determination.
"Only by entering the deepest darkness can one behold the brightest star."
She scattered all the other proposals into the air, leaving only the Twilight Tribe's mana letters behind.
The decision was made.
The most dangerous path, one offering the greatest rewards, and perhaps the one closest to Park Chan-woo's will.
The Twilight Tribe. Diving straight into their heart.
Determination filled Adora's eyes.
The greatest risk in this 'Trojan Horse' strategy wasn't discovery within the Twilight Tribe.
She was confident she could deceive and exploit them with her abilities.
The real danger lurked much closer.
'What if... there's a true traitor among us.'
Adora thought coldly.
Lee Hyuk-soo had chosen "trust," but she knew all too well how fragile such trust could be.
Park Chan-woo's logs were drenched in records of betrayal like blood.
At this critical moment, when she joined the Twilight Tribe to earn their trust and extract internal intel, what if someone on the human representative team leaked the plan to them—or tried to eliminate her?
No matter her power, surviving attacks from both sides would be nearly impossible.
It would be as good as a death sentence.
'Lee Hyuk-soo said he'd take full responsibility.'
She recalled her recent conversation with him.
His eyes had been sincere, but sincerity alone couldn't block everything.
In the end, the success of this extreme operation paradoxically hinged on the "mutual trust" Lee Hyuk-soo had emphasized so strongly.
To deceive the Twilight Tribe, at minimum, Lee Hyuk-soo and the core allies had to believe in and support her to the end.
The moment their faith wavered, her life would flicker like a candle in the wind.
'What a contradiction.'
Adora murmured softly.
"The most desperate trust blooming amid the greatest distrust."
She imagined Park Chan-woo would have rooted out or turned any internal traitor to his advantage, even in such a situation.
But she—and Lee Hyuk-soo—lacked that luxury now.
'In the end, this is a gamble too.'
Adora reached out toward the Twilight Tribe's proposal in the air.
Black mana flowed from her fingertips, absorbing its contents as if claiming it as her own.
'A stage to test mutual trust. Fine. Let's play the game. In this hellish Abyss, just how strong is human faith?'
Adora didn't truly know humanity yet.
All she knew was that Park Chan-woo cared for them, and the man he'd chosen—Lee Hyuk-soo—was carrying on that will in a rather intriguing way.
'Human trust...'
She recalled the distrust and suspicion that had filled the tent moments ago, and how Lee Hyuk-soo had still tried to believe in everyone amid that precarious tension.
Perhaps what Park Chan-woo had fought so hard to protect was that frail, insignificant thing called "faith"—one that sometimes wielded unimaginable power.
'I'll trust once, too. Your faith.'
A dangerous gamble staking her life—and perhaps humanity's fate.
But she willingly stepped into it.
If it led to Park Chan-woo's return and unraveled the Abyss's cursed laws.
Adora quietly closed her eyes, preparing for the stage of chaos to come.
A cold system message.
At the same time, a sensation like the ground vanishing beneath their feet assaulted them.
The scenery of the vast battlefield plains vanished in an instant, replaced by utter darkness and a violent vertigo as space twisted around them.
And in the next moment, they were hurled into an entirely different realm.
"Cough, cough! W-where the hell is this?"
Reaper Johnson hit the ground first, rolling in the dirt and coughing up dust.
Before their eyes stretched a dank beach shrouded in thick fog and bizarre plants.
Unidentifiable monster cries echoed from all directions.
The endless crash of waves against jagged coastal rocks filled the air.
The sky was blanketed in storm clouds, the air humid, and the briny sea stench permeated everything.
The successive system messages made it clear: the 'Archipelago of Chaos' would unfold in a completely different manner from previous rounds.
Not simple 1v1 duels, but exploration, discovery, and endless competition against other races.
The rule that killing another race's warrior directly awarded points foreshadowed just how merciless a survival-of-the-fittest arena this would be.
"Map shards, warrior hunts, and treasure... The objectives are clear."
Lee Hyuk-soo spoke first.
His eyes were already rapidly analyzing the new battlefield's intel.
One hour of safe time.
They needed to grasp this 'Nameless Isle of Wraiths' as thoroughly as possible and decide their next moves.
"We must link up with the Breeze Tribe. Han Shin, where are they?"
At Lee Hyuk-soo's question, Han Shin silently pulled a small leaf flute from his bosom.
It was a signaling treasure the Breeze Tribe's Queen Sylphia had secretly given him, allowing communication with her people.
"This flute should signal our position."
As Han Shin brought the flute to his lips with a curt reply,
"Wait... Where's Adora?"
Reaper Johnson finally noticed something off and scanned the surroundings.
In the post-warp chaos, he hadn't realized it, but one of the team's core forces, Adora, was missing.
His words made the other members exchange panicked glances.
Extreme tension instantly etched across Adrianna and Ling Ling's faces.
"No way... Was she serious earlier?"
Adrianna's voice sank low.
She recalled Adora's chilling words: "If the conditions are right, my mind could change at any time."
And those "betrayal proposals" from various races.
"Damn it! Did that woman really ditch us and join the enemy?!"
Reaper Johnson shouted in agitation.
His face mixed betrayal with the terror of that powerhouse turning foe.
As the team's unrest threatened to spiral, Lee Hyuk-soo quelled them with a low voice.
"Everyone, calm down."
His tone remained steady, but his eyes churned with unprecedented complexity.
He had planned the 'Trojan Horse' with Adora.
But he hadn't heard the specifics of its execution or timing.
He hadn't anticipated her vanishing without warning.
"Adora is just moving in her own way. For now, trust her and focus on our tasks."
It was no time for excuses.
They had no such luxury.
"Han Shin, contact the Breeze Tribe first. Linking up with them is top priority."
Han Shin nodded silently and raised the leaf flute to his lips.
Piiiieee—
A clear, pure tone with a melancholic lilt echoed across the foggy beach.
A unique signal only the Breeze Tribe could understand.
How much time passed?
As the team's anxiety peaked,
Shoooaaaa—
A different kind of wind rose from the distant sea.
Not mere sea breeze.
It resembled massive wingbeats, carrying mystical harmonies like whispering spirits.
The fog began to part, and faint light seeped from a corner of the storm-shrouded sky.
"...They're coming!"
Aurum called out first.
His eyes sparkled.
As one who handled spirits, he had sensed the Breeze Tribe's unique mana waves in the wind.
And in the next instant, translucent-winged beings cleaved through the thick fog.
Like a flock of spirits, they approached the human team's beach with elegant speed.
Leading them was Queen Sylphia, her silver hair streaming, blue eyes aglow.
"We haven't kept you waiting, have we, humans?"
Sylphia's clear voice rang across the beach.
A playful smile lingered on her face, but her Breeze Tribe warriors' gazes were sharp and grave.
"Your 'wind' guided us here."
Her eyes briefly lingered on the leaf flute in Han Shin's hand.
Lee Hyuk-soo stepped forward with a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for coming, Queen Sylphia. We desperately need your aid."
Sylphia's blue eyes slowly scanned the human team.
Her gaze lingered on each member, but the one she sought was absent.
"...But one is missing."
Her clear voice cut the silence.
Her eyes fixed on Lee Hyuk-soo.
"Among your comrades, the one who bore the 'Will of the Stars' most strongly. Adora, wielder of the Star Magic Tome. Where is she?"
At Sylphia's question, the human team's atmosphere froze once more.
Reaper Johnson and Adrianna swallowed involuntarily; the others tensely watched Lee Hyuk-soo.
Adora, who had vanished without a word moments ago.
Her whereabouts were everyone's greatest question—and fear.
Lee Hyuk-soo closed his eyes briefly, then spoke slowly.
"Adora... has betrayed us."
"......"
Sylphia stared at him silently for a moment.
Her blue eyes shook deeply, as if reading his sincerity.
"...How regrettable."
She finally spoke after a long pause.
And in that instant.
The smile vanished from Sylphia's face.
At the same time, Queen Sylphia spoke in a voice cold as ice.
"Truly, truly regrettable. It was the perfect chance to wipe you all out at once."
Shwaaaaaaaa!
As the Breeze warriors beat their wings.
A massive wind barrier enclosed Lee Hyuk-soo and his comrades.