Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Clear
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Kankun lay sprawled on the floor in a spread-eagle position, passed out cold.
Park Chan-woo looked down at him and spoke.
"You did well, Bok-sil."
Kyuuu!
Bok-sil burst out from Park Chan-woo's sleeve.
Bok-sil's ability to devour death had worked on Kankun too.
It had consumed the "Death Magic" that the witch Adora had placed on Kankun's heart.
'Bok-sil can only devour a target's death if that target trusts me.'
The Flower of Life that bloomed to eat death didn't apply to everyone.
Neither the orc shaman Yando nor Kankun.
They both had to trust Park Chan-woo to a certain degree before the Flower of Life could bloom.
It meant he couldn't arbitrarily erase death.
Park Chan-woo had bet against Kankun and won, then built trust quickly by granting him enlightenment.
That had satisfied the condition, allowing the Flower of Life to bloom.
'Kankun. Impressive guy.'
Park Chan-woo was inwardly amazed.
What he'd given Kankun was mere advice.
Don't fear magic—face it head-on and fight!
Advice anyone could give.
He'd just added a bit of flavor to make it more palatable.
Yet Kankun had sliced through the Death Magic on the spot.
'A Sword of the Heart user. Even at max level, it's not easy to wield...'
He hadn't cleaved it entirely, but it was definitely a Sword of the Heart.
...Though Park Chan-woo had only meant for him to use sword aura to dispel the magic.
Instead, Kankun had drawn a sword in his mind upon hearing the advice.
'The 10th realm. Kankun's a monster who can surpass even that.'
Exceptional talent.
Park Chan-woo had never seen an orc wield the Sword of the Heart before.
Adora, who had terrified Kankun, must be something else.
'...The Tower of Arrogance wants Kankun and Adora to fight again.'
Park Chan-woo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The danger had passed, and he'd removed Kankun's fear.
Now he just needed to raise Kankun, reach the 10th floor, and make him battle the witch Adora.
...But was that all?
The picture the Tower of Arrogance desired.
Was it really just pitting the two against each other again?
'Pit them against each other in peak condition, then sacrifice one as an offering?'
Kankun was the most outstanding orc Park Chan-woo had encountered.
Adora probably was too.
Beings of transcendent caliber, blessed with brilliant talent and power.
Climbing to the 10th floor would inevitably force them to clash.
And one would die, leaving the other.
In peak condition, at their strongest, ascending to the 11th floor.
'The 11th floor is normal.'
That place was standard.
But no one knew what happened there.
Since it urged them to ascend together, something was bound to occur on the 11th floor too.
Park Chan-woo's thoughts deepened.
He pulled out every clue he could infer from his memories of the future and current experiences.
Warrior Kankun and mage Adora, growth via holy relics, layer guardians strong enough to annihilate everyone, the showdown on the 10th floor...
And.
'...I need to check the altar.'
The altar!
There was definitely an altar.
The goal was to place holy relics on the display case atop it, but the altar itself enabled that.
He'd overlooked it, obscured by the display case and relics.
It had no distinctive features.
But looking back, Kankun had never strayed far from the altar.
Except when placing relics on the display case, he'd blocked approaches with threats.
He'd even seemed to hide parts of it with his massive body.
...Now that Kankun was out cold, it was the perfect time.
Park Chan-woo quickly examined the altar.
'What language is this?'
But he couldn't read it.
The inscriptions and drawings on the altar weren't in Orcish.
It wasn't an orc altar.
Suspicious, right?
An orc master like Kankun guarding a non-orc altar.
And in a script he'd never seen before.
"Dagon."
Pong!
Chanting the name summoned smoke, and the demon merchant Dagon appeared.
"...What business this time?"
Again, in an awkward pose.
One leg stretched out, hands raised—he'd clearly been sitting reading a book.
Park Chan-woo spoke to Dagon, who dusted himself off and stood.
"Do you know the language on the altar?"
"You don't know it?"
Dagon asked with surprised eyes.
The ruler of magic, Sepiro, not knowing something!
"I can interpret it, but it's tiring."
"Don't tell me it's because of that orc?"
Dagon turned to gaze at the unconscious Kankun.
Even at a glance, he was monstrous.
A beast far stronger than the demon Dagon.
The mana density prickling his nose was profoundly deep.
'...An orc of tremendous value.'
To a merchant's eye, Kankun was top-tier.
Beyond supreme—he held value that transcended.
His raw power was on another level.
Even thousands of dungeon bosses that Park Chan-woo had one-shot couldn't compare to this one orc.
Dagon himself wanted to steer clear of such a monster. And Park Chan-woo had knocked him out solo?
In a human body, without a scratch?
"That's right."
Park Chan-woo nodded, and Dagon's eyes wavered.
Dagon saw Park Chan-woo as Sepiro, but figured a human body had limits.
Knocking out a 9th-realm monster changed everything.
'He truly has no limits!'
A feat and dignity worthy of Sepiro's name.
He'd anticipated it when divine beasts were tamed, but now it inspired awe beyond surprise.
Dagon swallowed hard and looked at the altar.
"...It's Demon Tongue."
"Demon Tongue?"
"An ancient form no longer in use."
"Can you translate it?"
"Most demons couldn't, but I can."
"As expected, capable."
He'd never seen a book-loving demon before.
It meant Dagon's knowledge surpassed all demons.
Hearing the praise, Dagon began translating immediately.
"...'I shall grant you life and light, child of arrogance. Ascend to the summit and become the tower's master. Then, I shall rebirth you as the Abyss's new sovereign'...?!"
Dagon recoiled in shock upon finishing.
Park Chan-woo was equally startled inside.
"So the Tower of Arrogance is meant to create an Abyss sovereign?"
"It seems so. But Abyss sovereigns aren't made—they prove themselves and rise. So... more precisely, it's trying to create a 'Creator'."
Create a Creator?
An unexpected answer.
'Creator is a qualification. The right to freely craft and create Abyss realms.'
As far as Park Chan-woo knew.
And such a qualification belonged only to the Abyss's true rulers.
One without sovereign status couldn't wield Abyss realms at will, even as a Creator.
'Lord of Arrogance. A name absent from the Abyss. His real aim is to create Creators.'
All things bearing the name of Arrogance.
If they served to make 'Creators'...
What did the Lord of Arrogance plan to create with them?
Creators literally created.
They customized Abyss realms in their image, imposed trials.
Gathered together, they could forge a world.
So.
"...Trying to resurrect?"
Park Chan-woo murmured softly.
Perhaps the Lord of Arrogance crafted his own Creators to achieve resurrection through them.
They could build a world for his enjoyment, where he could revive or descend.
Yet even in the distant future, the 'Lord of Arrogance' never appeared directly.
Park Chan-woo had heard the name countless times, but nothing more.
"If this gets out, the Abyss will erupt."
Dagon made a grave face.
Someone artificially creating qualified Creators would send shockwaves through the Abyss.
But the Lord of Arrogance's goals were unknown.
Wasn't it odd?
If every 'Arrogance'-related thing had such inscriptions, someone would have translated them.
'At this point in time, the name of Arrogance first appears on Earth. This is a massive, unprecedented spell—naturally, it needs its formula... its objective inscribed.'
The reason was simple.
The name 'Arrogance' debuted in this world here.
He'd carved the formula onto the altar.
Only visible on the 1st floor of the Tower of Arrogance.
No one would ever learn the Lord of Arrogance's aims otherwise. Perfectly natural.
'Sacrifice the defeated one as an offering to create a Creator for the Lord of Arrogance.'
Kankun and Adora.
Empower them with relics, subject them to endless trials, build their caliber, then pit them together.
The survivor becomes the Creator.
Multiply Creators this way for resurrection or descent.
...Or perhaps to be reborn as the true 'Lord of Arrogance'.
If he truly didn't exist as an Abyss sovereign, creation fit better than revival.
Hah.
'Truly an arrogant bastard.'
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
"Keep it secret for now."
"...I agree, for the time being."
"Go finish your book."
"Yes, sir!"
Pong!
As if terrified to linger.
Dagon vanished the moment words ended.
Afterward, Park Chan-woo gazed at the unconscious Kankun.
'First...'
Time was running short.
He needed to wake Kankun and hunt the layer guardian.
Slap! Slap!
Kankun regained consciousness.
His cheeks stung oddly, but he knew time was pressing.
No leisure to question sore cheeks now.
"Layer guardian, magical creature Trog! Orc Master Kankun challenges you!"
Kankun headed straight for the layer guardian's domain.
He no longer feared magic.
Not even the grotesque magical creature Trog.
It resembled a giant frog, but with thousands of tentacles in its maw.
As a being of magic itself, he'd avoided it before, but with enlightenment and the mid-grade relic displayed, Trog was no match.
Shwick! Shwaaa!
He slashed incoming tentacles and pushed through the death mist Trog spewed.
Thick mana clenched his heart again, but it had no effect.
Kankun drew a sword in his mind, and that Sword of the Heart cleaved all approaching death.
"Even in death, remember the name of the great warrior Kankun!"
Kankun pulverized Trog's body with his blade.
Soon, Trog's core shattered.
Aaah!
Kankun roared in triumph.
The thrill of victory, reborn as a true warrior.
Then he sought the one who made it all possible.
"...?"
But Kankun could only tilt his head.
"Warrior, where are you?"
Kankun acknowledged Park Chan-woo as a warrior.
A comrade to fight by his side.
Yet the man visible moments ago was gone.
"What? Where'd Park Chan-woo go?"
"...I, I don't know."
"Doesn't seem to be around here anyway."
Lim Chang-yeol and the Seoul Alliance members echoed the same.
Park Chan-woo.
...He'd vanished like smoke.
Park Chan-woo looked around.
"...?"
An unfamiliar place.
He'd clearly been hunting the layer guardian Trog with Kankun.
The moment the magical creature Trog vanished under Kankun's sword.