Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Evolution
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Silence flowed.
The world had come to a standstill, as if time itself had frozen.
Even Kankun's heart, which had been pounding fiercely, was no different.
There was no sound of a heartbeat, not even the sound of breathing.
Before long...
Kankun was smiling quietly.
He was welcoming his end as the Orc Master, a great warrior.
'Comrades, I have overcome death.'
He spoke to the orcs of his tribe who had departed first.
That he had finally reached the pinnacle.
Now, he was no longer afraid of dying.
Because he could pass on his will to the holy warrior—what a meaningful death this was.
An honorable and glorious finale, and at the same time, not an end, but a beginning.
'My heart will beat eternally within that warrior.'
Thus, in the truest sense, Kankun was not dead.
As long as his heart, his will, continued on.
The existence known as Kankun would be eternal and immortal.
'My sword will sing the song of eternal ages.'
And it would press onward without end.
Standing on the threshold of death, Kankun drew a sword from his mind.
He then handed it over to Park Chan-woo.
His heartbeat would now become the song of the sword, played through the instrument that was Park Chan-woo.
'...But if there's one regret...'
On the threshold of death.
With just one step remaining before it, Kankun gazed at Park Chan-woo.
Because it was regrettable.
Park Chan-woo's talent shone so brilliantly that it encompassed both Kankun's heart and his mind-sword.
It was only here that he could truly recognize Park Chan-woo's worth.
If only he'd known sooner. If only they'd met earlier.
'We could have been fine friends.'
Of course, Park Chan-woo was already a friend of the orcs.
The souls of the orcs, the scent of a warrior, had emanated from him from the very start.
Orc Priest Yan and the souls of ten thousand orcs!
Upon entering the realm of death, they became all the clearer.
It wasn't simply because Park Chan-woo had consumed the Full Blood Pill.
The souls of those ten thousand orcs had conveyed Park Chan-woo's tale to Kankun.
That he had saved Orc Priest Yan and comforted the souls of the warriors bound to the altar.
That he had soothed their rage and promised to avenge them in their stead.
To bankrupt Moon Lord Aheta, the creator who had herded them into the temple of death.
What a tremendous warrior.
It was a shame they couldn't fight together.
He regretted not being able to witness Park Chan-woo bankrupting Moon Lord Aheta and slaying the Black Witch with his own eyes.
But it was fine.
'I am your eternal sword.'
Kankun smiled as he offered himself up as a sacrifice.
Pity the likes of Aheta and the Black Witch, who would soon face this monstrous warrior.
Their wretched fates played out clearly in his mind.
Only after standing on the threshold of death did it become utterly clear.
Park Chan-woo.
He was death incarnate, an existence at both the beginning and the end.
Within him lurked a monster more unfathomably distant than the lords of the Abyss.
It was the magic of eternal annihilation.
A foreboding that did not exist, could not exist—something standing beyond cognition!
Something more chaotic than chaos itself dwelt within Park Chan-woo.
Yet it was fine.
Because the talent Park Chan-woo possessed shone even more radiantly than that.
It was a brilliance so pure that not even chaos could easily encroach upon it.
【Do you truly believe this brat possesses a brilliance that surpasses even me?】
Kuuuung!
It was at that moment.
The world sank.
Before he knew it, Kankun had crossed the threshold.
The door to death—smeared with countless teeth—devoured him in an instant.
Gulp!
【Mmm, delicious.】
'Death' declared.
Kankun had been a most satisfying meal.
At the rare taste of contentment, 'Death' smiled.
【Your soul proved quite satisfying, so as per your wish... I'll keep watching a while longer.】
Park Chan-woo slowly opened his eyes.
Countless messages floated before him.
But before he could check them, he scanned his surroundings.
'Where...?'
This wasn't the 10th floor.
Nor was it the site of that final battle he'd witnessed.
This was an entirely different realm.
The pinnacle of the tower.
'......11th floor.'
He had ascended to the 11th floor.
It meant the confrontation was over.
Adora lay unconscious at his side.
And Kankun was nowhere to be seen.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded wildly.
A sign that he'd returned from death's doorstep.
However...
If what he'd seen was real.
"Kankun..."
Orc Master Kankun had sacrificed his heart to save him.
No, it wasn't merely his heart—it was Kankun's entire being handed over.
'Why?'
Park Chan-woo scowled.
He simply couldn't comprehend it.
A status window so dazzling it defied description.
Contents that would leave anyone who saw it aghast.
However...
"......"
The man himself, Park Chan-woo, couldn't bring himself to rejoice.
'......Magic Swordsman.'
To him, Magic Swordsman was a name like a curse.
Knight and Mage.
Dual classes, tossed around on people's tongues as 'Magic Swordsman.'
But he'd never actually possessed a Magic Swordsman class.
Now, the words 'Magic Swordsman' were unmistakably etched into his status window.
No escaping it. No turning away.
Cruel, but reality.
'Class hidden traits...... What the hell?'
Yet it was clearly different from any ordinary class.
None of the classes he knew had such a thing as 'hidden traits.'
'Does it activate under specific conditions?'
The descriptions trailing them were all question marks.
Looked like he'd have to figure it out himself.
'100 coins, 170 Arrogance Boxes.'
The rewards from climbing to the 11th floor were staggering.
100 coins at this stage?
But the real anticipation lay with the Arrogance Boxes.
Han Shin had cracked open about 50 at once and scored the Legendary-grade 'Banyan's Gloves.'
170?
He couldn't even imagine what might pop out.
That was when it happened.
A new message appeared.
As it said, the settlements were done.
No climbing higher, so time to tally the results.
But.
"Settlements complete?"
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
As if he couldn't grasp the Tower of Hubris's sinister intentions.
Why send such a message to prod his choice? Obvious without seeing.
Even why it specified 'Adora faction.'
"Tower of Hubris. I haven't received full settlement yet. From the start, the faction I chose was 'Kankun's,' not 'Adora's.'"
Right. Unclaimed rewards remained.
He'd been Kankun's closest ally. Climbing the tower with Kankun meant natural entitlements to rewards.
Kankun had reached the 10th floor too, so selecting his faction warranted claiming those prizes fairly.
Park Chan-woo extended his hand, palm up.
"Hand them over."
And then.
"Shut up and hand them over."