Chapter 481
Chapter 481
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 481
Chapter Title: Conqueror
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At that moment, in the Dragon God Temple.
Zero, disguised as Park Chan-woo, sat on the jade throne with a bored expression, propping up his chin.
All the dragons were bustling about.
The Clan of Sloth was the busiest among them.
In a massive laboratory, Darcan was tearing at his hair alongside dozens of his kin.
"Damn it, another failure!"
Darcan roared as he crumpled and tossed aside the magic circuit diagram he had designed.
Park Chan-woo's first special command.
'Complete a new magic system suitable for humans.'
It was a thrilling mission that ignited the soul of the researcher dormant within Darcan.
But at the same time, it was a far more difficult task than he had imagined.
The human body structure was utterly different from that of a dragon.
From the size of the vessel that held mana to the structure of the pathways through which it flowed.
Everything was fundamentally different.
The natural flow of mana, as effortless for dragons as breathing, became a rampaging torrent within the fragile human body, destroying everything in its path.
"It's perfect in theory, so why won't it work in practice?!"
Darcan and his clan had run hundreds of simulations, but the results were always failure.
'If only we could do live experiments.'
A forbidden thought flashed through his mind.
Directly experimenting on living humans and gathering data would solve the problem much faster and more simply.
But he shook his head.
He knew better than anyone that their new god, Park Chan-woo, would never permit such inhumane methods.
As if piercing through Darcan's anguish, an indifferent voice echoed from somewhere.
"If you're that frustrated, why not try this."
Darcan looked up to see a transparent container tossed casually before him.
Inside the container, a human heart and lungs, along with intricately intertwined blood vessels and nerves, pulsed faintly as if alive.
"......W-What is this?"
Darcan asked in shock, and Zero, in Park Chan-woo's form, replied with annoyance.
"Human organs. Not real ones, of course—these are artificial organs I've shaped with my mana. Their structure and function are 99.9% identical to the real thing, so feel free to burst them, tear them apart, and experiment to your heart's content."
Darcan stared blankly, alternating between the artificial organ in his hand and the god on the throne.
Even if they were artificial, he never dreamed Park Chan-woo would make such a decision.
The Park Chan-woo he knew wasn't the type to coldly use something modeled after life—even if fake and mana-made—as an experimental tool.
He had always shown respect for the value of life, even toward enemies.
'What change of heart could there be?'
Park Chan-woo's eccentricities didn't end there.
He was Zero.
All his judgments were based solely on 'efficiency' and 'logic'.
The unnecessary variable of 'emotion' that Park Chan-woo possessed was not factored into his calculations.
A few days later, while observing the dragon clan's military training, Zero tore apart the report submitted by Ataraxia with disdain.
"Is this the best you can come up with, Dragon of Despair?"
"......My lord, is there a problem?"
"A problem? It's nothing but problems."
Zero's cold gaze swept over the dragons diligently training.
"Your training methods are too outdated. You're relying solely on past glories and failing to read the changes of this new era at all."
A ruthless evaluation.
Ataraxia's face stiffened.
Without waiting for his rebuttal, Zero issued a new order.
"From now on, conduct joint training with the human armies."
"......Pardon?"
"Humans are weak, but cunning. Learn their irregular strategies and unpredictable tactics. Only when your overwhelming power is combined with human ingenuity will a true 'legion' in every sense be complete."
The decision was rational, but it trampled on the dragons' pride.
The great dragon clan learning tactics from lowly humans?
Yet no one dared to question the command of the god on the throne.
And so, the Abyss witnessed its first bizarre sight: dragons and humans training side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
The changes Zero implemented didn't stop there.
He opened all the sealed treasuries of the Dragon God Temple.
The ancient knowledge slumbering within was unconditionally shared with humans and other allied races.
Everyone was stunned by the unprecedented move.
But Zero's thinking was simple.
Treasures merely hoarded in a warehouse were worth less than roadside pebbles.
Only when used and leveraged to boost the overall war potential did they gain true 'value'.
Zero was different from Park Chan-woo.
Where Park Chan-woo moved people with 'heart' and built relationships on 'trust',
Zero proved everything through 'results' and 'efficiency' alone.
His methods sometimes felt unbearably cold and ruthless, but no one could deny the outcomes he produced.
Under Zero's rule, the Dragon God Temple was transforming day by day into an empire incomparably more efficient and powerful than under Park Chan-woo's leadership.
Those massive waves of change spread beyond the Dragon God Temple's walls, across the entire Abyss.
In the demons' territories and the worlds of other races still observing from the sidelines, ominous new rumors began to swirl.
"Did you hear? Humans, dragons, giants, and twilight folk have formed an alliance."
Before the throne of one demon king.
His loyal subordinate reported in a trembling voice.
"That's not all, my liege. They've declared they will guarantee 'safety' to all races joining their union. Promising coexistence and protection, not plunder and domination."
"Ha!"
The demon king let out a incredulous scoff.
"Guarantee safety? Coexistence and protection? Have they all gone mad? In the eons of this Abyss, has such a lofty ideal ever worked even once?!"
His mockery represented the pervasive negative sentiment in the Abyss.
The will of one of the great seven lords echoed to the other thrones.
Most demons, and the races aligned with their interests, belittled the new alliance.
History proved it.
No alliance of this scale in the Abyss had ever succeeded.
Even if formed, they collapsed pathetically from internal distrust and betrayal.
But beneath their overt scorn lurked an unmistakable 'wariness' they couldn't fully hide.
They were afraid.
What if.
What if that absurd alliance actually succeeded?
What if Park Chan-woo, that unknown entity who shattered common sense and laws, truly turned the impossible ideal into reality?
Then the Abyss's power balance would flip entirely.
The demons' order of terror would crumble, and their dominance would lose its foundation.
The sense of crisis bloomed thickest among the great seven lords.
They could no longer remain mere spectators.
They had to make a move.
Before that massive current became an unstoppable tsunami.
Then, amid the seven lords' silence, the most cunning and insidious among them spoke in a serpentine whisper.
The one enthroned as the 'Lord of Black Glory'.
All the other lords' attention turned to his throne.
A cruel smile curled on his lips.
The conclusion was singular.
A faint ripple stirred in the other lords' minds at his blunt and brutal proposal.
One lord countered warily.
But the Lord of Black Glory scoffed at the concern.
Absolute confidence laced his words.
He continued.
His logic was enough to steady the other lords' wavering resolve once more.
Yes.
The Racial War was, after all, an exceptional circumstance.
But the reality of the Abyss was on their side.
The Lord of Black Glory drove in the final nail.
At his sweet whisper, greed and murderous flames reignited in the eyes of the other lords.
While the seven thrones plotted in the darkness,
Park Chan-woo walked his path in the light.
God's Tower.
He did not stop.
He kept ascending the tower.
The tower's masters were aghast.
Park Chan-woo dismantled all their predictions, all their traps, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His journey faced no obstacles, no crises.
Finally, Park Chan-woo's footsteps halted.
'99th floor.'
Park Chan-woo had now reached the 99th floor.
Soon, he would become the conqueror of 'God's Tower'.
And finally uncover the last legacy left by the transcender Lil, along with the secrets hidden within this tower.