Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Alteration
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In the past, during the 'Second Night' trial of 'Pursuer and Fugitive'...
People competed, each armed with their own qualifications.
They chased and fled with desperate fervor.
Yesterday's ally became today's enemy.
Just because they were granted 'qualification,' they killed without hesitation.
To prepare for the 'Second Night,' Park Chan-woo pushed his power to its absolute limit.
He had no intention of getting entangled in the squabbles of others and ending up in some middling position.
He planned to display overwhelming might, ensuring no one dared even think of touching him.
'Everyone is an enemy.'
At least during the 'Second Night,' that was the case.
Pursuers frequently killed other pursuers, and the reverse was just as common.
Pursuers stole marks from fellow pursuers to increase their captives, while fugitives allied with pursuers to betray and rat out other fugitives.
It was pandemonium.
The 'Second Night' that Park Chan-woo remembered was nothing short of living hell.
But now, the trial had changed.
The name was the same, but the content was completely opposite.
'Almost everyone has become a pursuer.'
The number of pursuers had surged dramatically.
In the past, pursuers hadn't even made up 10%.
Because it was far too easy for pursuers to gain the upper hand.
Yet now, the vast majority of participants had become 'pursuers.'
He and the other fugitives were a tiny minority.
In other words...
'......The past has been altered.'
The past that Park Chan-woo remembered had been twisted.
Proof that his actions had changed the future.
Why?
Why had the 'Lord of the Moon, Aheta,' introduced such an extreme change already in the second night?
'First off, the 'First Night' failed.'
The 'First Night,' meant to announce his arrival, had failed.
All Twelve Divine Generals had been hunted down.
Thus, the name of 'Night'—which should have instilled terror in everyone's minds—now seemed utterly ridiculous.
Of course, at the center of that failure was none other than Park Chan-woo himself.
'I stole Han-shin's arrangements and rendered the rewards he was meant to claim in the Tower of Arrogance worthless.'
The arrangements prepared by the Lord of the Moon, Aheta, for Han-shin.
He had stolen the Full Blood Immortal Pill.
And that wasn't all.
In the past 'Tower of Arrogance,' Han-shin had collected the most boxes.
Han-shin gathered 50 boxes and obtained the 'Prajna Gloves.'
But Park Chan-woo bankrupted the Tower of Arrogance, turning all the boxes worthless.
The Prajna Gloves vanished along with them.
'Aheta, who has never known failure, is failing repeatedly.'
Undoubtedly, 'Aheta' had helped Han-shin climb the tower.
Surely providing subtle aid to make the ascent easy.
Yet it failed.
Kept failing.
From Aheta's perspective, it must have been baffling.
The Lord of the Moon—a supreme being that most creators wouldn't even dare approach!
Such a monster was tasting bitter defeat at the hands of a mere human.
Unable to properly aid even a single incarnation.
'Did Aheta target me?'
It was possible.
The Lord of the Moon, Aheta, might have figured out Park Chan-woo.
And resolved to kill him no matter what in the second night.
Though the 'Non-Existence' concealed his presence in the Abyss, it wasn't foolproof—he'd been exposed before.
'If I was exposed, where and when?'
He pondered deeply.
For example... on the first day after regression.
During the trial fleeing from the Fallen Ghost, when he killed it.
'There were creators watching me with interest.'
Those creators must have taken notice of Park Chan-woo then.
They never dreamed a fresh Awakener just entering the Abyss would slay a level 10 Fallen Ghost.
Thanks to that, quite a few creators sent 'Apostle Offers.'
'Did 'Non-Existence' glitch for a moment?'
At least at the moment he killed the Fallen Ghost, his 'Non-Existence' hadn't activated.
Perhaps because it was right after regression, or due to the 'Apostle Offers' being active, or some other reason—unclear.
Of course, afterward, Park Chan-woo decided to reject all 'Apostle Offers,' and from then on, no other creators watched him or proposed apostleship.
'No creator messaged me again after the Fallen Ghost. If they'd kept watching, they'd have reacted to my feats.'
It meant 'Non-Existence' worked perfectly after the first trial ended.
No further offers or messages from those initial creators confirmed they didn't know his true identity.
If they did, they'd have tried to recruit him for sure.
Park Chan-woo's exploits were unparalleled.
Was that all?
'......No.'
There was one more.
'Demon God, Gremory of Grief. Her too.'
In the Abyss where Kim Byung-han was sniped.
Park Chan-woo had made a deal with Gremory of Grief.
The sole 'Queen' among the 72 Demon Gods, her influence absolute even in the Abyss.
She was the only one who knew Park Chan-woo's true identity precisely.
Had Gremory leaked it?
Park Chan-woo shook his head inwardly.
The Demon God Gremory owed him a debt.
When he gave her Andariel's ring as she wished, Gremory promised future aid before vanishing.
A Demon God wouldn't blab his identity to mere ordinary creators—or even the Lord of the Moon, Aheta.
Especially after promising 'aid'...
'...Not Gremory.'
If not the early creators or Gremory, he had no clue.
Whether Aheta truly knew him or it was coincidence.
That was when it happened.
Death Creator Adora!
Adora, who gained 'Creator' status via the black witch's pinky finger, had sent a message.
Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly.
'Looks like she successfully entered the Central Abyss.'
The core of the Abyss.
Where countless demons and lords resided—she'd entered safely, it seemed.
Having dwelled in the depths with the witches originally, adapting to the Central Abyss wouldn't be hard.
Park Chan-woo nodded slowly.
"......"
His mind blanked for a moment.
Adora's message was far beyond what he'd expected.
'Doppelgangers?'
What were doppelgangers?
Monsters that duplicated their targets.
An exceedingly rare species, even in the Abyss.
If doppelgangers merely duplicated, that'd be one thing—but there was a far deadlier issue.
'You must kill the duplicating doppelganger within one hour.'
Time limit: one hour.
Fail to kill it in time, and the duplicated person dies instead.
The doppelganger fully absorbs the dead target's abilities, impersonates them, and continues duplicating others.
Now he understood why doppelgangers were 'fugitives.'
But...
'If all fugitives are doppelgangers, why am I a fugitive?'
Park Chan-woo frowned.
He was human, not a doppelganger.
Why was a human like him labeled a 'fugitive'?
Park Chan-woo reviewed the 'Fugitive Rules' again.
The moment people reached the spot marked with a 'red dot' on the map, they could identify the 'fugitive's' true nature.
A murky, slime-like thing.
As people approached, the doppelganger instantly transformed into their likeness.
"What the hell?"
"It turned into a person?"
"Th-that's me?"
Even the face, height, build—everything matched perfectly.
Indistinguishable if side by side.
The only giveaway was the 'X' mark on its chest, marking it a fugitive.
"Huh?"
"It's fleeing!"
The successfully duplicated doppelgangers bolted from the spot.
The duplicated humans' faces filled with horror.
Fail to kill it, and you die?
It was enough to drive anyone mad.
"N-no!"
"Catch it!"
The duplicated humans grew frantic.
But the biggest problem was their fellow 'humans.'
"Gotcha!"
Early-stage doppelgangers were weaker than their originals.
They could be subdued and captured somehow.
'Not as tough as I thought?'
Thus, the doppelganger lost its mark and became pursuer 'Shin Jin-cheol's' captive.
"P-please destroy the mark! If not, I die!"
"Why the hell should I?"
The issue was the man duplicated by the doppelganger.
He had to destroy its mark within an hour to survive.
A soft-hearted person might have obliged, but...
The participants gathered for this 'Second Night' were Abyss veterans who'd rolled around a bit.
They saw Earth and the Abyss as wholly separate.
Rules and morals didn't apply.
Shin Jin-cheol was no different.
"You bastard...!"
The cornered man attacked Shin Jin-cheol.
Shin Jin-cheol sneered coldly.
"Idiot. It's already 2 against 1."
The doppelganger duplicating the man was already his captive.
As the man attacked, the captive automatically countered.
Using the exact same skills and weapons.
A normal 2v1 was tough enough—with a perfect mirror, impossible.
The outcome was sealed.
"Aaaagh!"
Shin Jin-cheol and the doppelganger slit the man's throat.
That instant.
Whoosh!
The dead man's body crumbled to dust.
The dust was fully absorbed by the 'doppelganger.'
"Whew!"
Shin Jin-cheol whistled.
This was jackpot.
Captives that grew endlessly stronger!
Nurture this one right, and it'd be a one-man army.
Steal marks from other doppelgangers to build a legion—possible.
Beep! Beep!
In a flash.
Warning tones rang as the 'map' in the corner of his vision updated.
'...A red dot's approaching?'
The red dot drew nearer.
A fugitive.
Doppelganger.
"What? Where is it?"
Yet even at point-blank range, no 'fugitive' in sight.
Soon, the 'red dot' overlapped his position.
"Huh, nothing here...?"
Shin Jin-cheol panicked.
The positions matched perfectly.
But nothing.
No doppelganger, not even an ant.
Map glitch?
Or a ghost?
Pierce!
Shin Jin-cheol looked down at his chest.
Something sharp had impaled it.
"Wha...?"
His body toppled.
Consciousness faded.
《Attacked by 'Fugitive ???'!》
《Killed by 'Fugitive ???'.》
《Mark stolen.》
《Captives freed.》
With Shin Jin-cheol dead, the doppelganger was truly free.
Instinctively, it stared at the fugitive who'd killed Shin Jin-cheol.
'Strong.'
A fellow fugitive, but far superior.
Killed Shin Jin-cheol with speed and precision beyond perception.
"Are you... a doppelganger?"
But its aura felt faintly 'off' from kin.
Doubtful if truly the same.
'Duplicate it.'
If not a doppelganger, it could duplicate anyway.
Success would make it stronger.
Kill it and claim that strength fully.
'Duplicate and grow stronger.'
Doppelgangers had one goal.
Duplicate every human here and become the strongest!
Thus, the doppelganger began duplicating 'Park Chan-woo.'
