Chapter 106

How long had it been since he left the hidden treasure vault?

The moment he stepped out of the door, the production of the [Exclusive Equipment] began.

All the resources needed for its creation had been provided by Ahheta, so the only thing left was to wait for the result.

When the Second Night ended, Park Chan-woo returned home and quietly looked out the window, waiting.

And then.

“…Huh.”

He barely managed to swallow the groan that threatened to escape at the sight of the result.

The words [Great Success] had suddenly appeared—the extremely rare outcome that sometimes occurred when crafting equipment.

Even artisans with the blacksmith class had less than a 1% chance of achieving a [Great Success].

The higher the item’s grade, the lower the probability dropped.

In particular, [Great Success] for [Exclusive Equipment] was practically unheard of.

‘A great success, really.’

The effect of [Easter Egg (001)].

That effect, which granted one stroke of luck every time a level was gained, had stacked five times and manifested as a [Great Success].

Otherwise, this result was simply impossible.

More than that, a [Great Success] usually consumed far more resources.

Sometimes, even if a great success occurred, the lack of resources meant the item couldn’t actually be created.

But in this case, everything had been covered by Ahheta.

A cost so painful it was almost freezing.

Even for Ahheta, the Creator with the most treasures, it must have been a devastating blow.

“…I didn’t expect to obtain a [Zero] grade item this soon.”

The most astonishing part was that this ‘Belt of Baal’ was of [Zero] grade.

[Zero] grade.

It could only be acquired through a [Diamond Box], which required reaching level 99 and pushing through nearly impossible odds.

The Abyss had five box grades: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

Diamond was, of course, the highest, and obtaining it was grueling.

One had to repeatedly clear the most difficult Abyss creations made by Named Creators, and even then, only one Diamond Box might be gained.

Ordinary Abyss creations didn’t even yield them.

In the past, he had poured everything into trying to acquire [Zero] grade equipment.

‘I must have opened at least a hundred Diamond Boxes chasing after Zero-grade gear.’

It had been a pitiful effort.

Looking back, it was insanity.

He hadn’t slept, running Diamond Box hunts endlessly.

He farmed the Abyss until he was sick of it.

Yet after opening nearly a hundred Diamond Boxes, not a single Zero-grade equipment dropped.

‘Just thinking about it still gives me a headache.’

And in fact, his head began to pound.

A burning pain.

Diamond Box runs?

If someone told him to do it again, he would never.

The odds of Zero-grade items appearing from Diamond Boxes were below 0.1%.

Perhaps even far lower.

‘The only Zero-grade item I had was the Holy Grail of the Demon Sealing God.’

That grail had been his only [Zero] grade equipment.

And even that hadn’t come from a Diamond Box.

Yet now… he had obtained Zero-grade equipment without even being level 99.

The equipment’s level was a little disappointing, but considering he had acquired the unattainable, there was nothing to regret.

‘This is my first.’

Gulp!

Park Chan-woo swallowed hard.

Zero-grade equipment.

And not just any, but a [Radiant Exclusive Equipment].

‘Equipment with set effects is valued even higher, even at the same grade.’

And this one had set effects.

In short—

‘It’s better than any gear I had in my previous life.’

Truly the best of the best.

The greatest piece of equipment of his life.

A ruinously powerful artifact.

Of course, it still needed confirmation.

But even without checking, he was certain it was the best.

‘Now then…’

Park Chan-woo slowly examined the ‘Belt of Baal.’

Its appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding.

A somewhat thick black belt.

‘There’s a picture.’

The only notable feature was the depiction of a large beast across its front.

The beast had four eyes, but only one held a red jewel.

The other three were empty sockets.

‘Baal. A being described as a demon in Christianity.’

But this looked nothing like the Baal he knew.

It was just a ferocious beast.

What would happen if the three empty eyes were filled?

When he ran his hand over it, the surface felt coarse, sparking with a faint static.

A material he had never seen before.

Strange, much like the magical pattern it carried.

No—more accurately…

‘It feels like this belt was made from the hide of the beast depicted on it.’

The hide of Baal.

Whatever ‘Baal’ was, there was no demon by that name among the Abyss.

It should exist, but it didn’t.

Wasn’t that odd?

In fact, many demons in the Abyss bore the same names as famous demons on Earth.

For example, the demon he faced in Kim Byung-han’s Sniper Abyss.

That demon, which he believed to be Gremory of Lamentation, was the same as one of Solomon’s 72 demons.

Indeed, the Abyss contained many of the names of the 72 demons.

Most of them were Named Creators.

But Baal was not.

At least, not as far as he knew.

‘Powerful Lords don’t let others use their names.’

Out of respect.

And the Lords of the Abyss did not like demons bearing the same name as them.

They had to be unique.

So then—

‘An old Lord’s name, perhaps?’

It was possible.

Baal could have been the name of a Lord long gone.

If it were a Lord revered across time, perhaps others refrained from using the name Baal.

The visual inspection was over.

Now it was time to see the belt’s true nature.

As he focused on it, a window appeared.

—

Name: Belt of Baal (Radiant Exclusive Equipment)
Level: -84
Grade: [Zero]
Description: Believed to be a transcendent belt crafted from the hide of ‘Fierce God Baal,’ one of the four beasts handled by the Creator God of the Abyss. Who made it and why is unknown, but it is said that if the four related equipment pieces are gathered and the seals undone, ‘Fierce God Baal’ will appear.

★ [Radiant Exclusive Equipment] effect: Defense increased threefold. All inherent options enhanced.

Equipment Slot: Belt-type
Defense: 450
Durability: Indestructible

Inherent Options:
(1) Strength +66
(2) Stamina +66
(3) Authority: [Roar of the Fierce God] (Legendary) available
(4) All regeneration doubled

Set Effects:
(2) Collect 2 set pieces to unlock [Absolute Being]
(3) ??? – Information unlocked when 2 set pieces are gathered
(4) ?? – Information unlocked when 3 set pieces are gathered

—

The moment he confirmed the information, Park Chan-woo’s eyes widened like lanterns.

It was beyond shock or disbelief.

“…This is absurd.”

Simply absurd.

Even for Zero-grade, this equipment was unmatched.

Gaining around 130 stat points from a single item was unbelievable enough, but the third and fourth inherent options went far beyond.

Equipment that granted an Authority.

The Roar of Baal seemed to be an Authority that induced [Fear], a power wielded by powerful monsters.

An Authority, not magic—it would carry absolute effect.

Moreover—

‘All regeneration. That means HP, Mana, and any magical regeneration are all doubled.’

There was nothing useless here.

Every option was essential.

It resolved much of his chronic endurance problem, and he also possessed the so-called great magic [Super Regeneration].

This meant even that spell’s effects would be doubled.

…Insane.

If anyone else saw it, they would accuse him of lying and throw a fit.

‘Even the set effect is clear.’

He reread the description and set effects.

It was a four-piece set.

Gathering two pieces would unlock [Absolute Being].

He didn’t know exactly what that meant, but the description suggested it was tied to Fierce God Baal.

‘…A Fierce God, huh.’

There had been beings called Fierce Gods before.

Monstrous entities like gods that drove all into despair and dragged them into hell.

But they had only been called Fierce Gods by themselves or by others.

There had never been a true Fierce God.

A truly divine entity.

Yet based on the belt’s description and nature, Baal could very well be the real thing.

‘One of the Creator God’s four beasts.’

The Creator God who made the Abyss.

Who had hidden toys across it—perhaps the owner of the [Easter Egg].

If it was the Creator’s beast, then of course it carried divinity.

Though for now, this was only speculation.

Nothing was written with certainty.

If the four seals were undone, the truth would be revealed.

‘Three of them are in Ahheta’s hidden treasure vault.’

…And suddenly, he understood.

Master of the Moon, Ahheta.

The reason he had gone to such lengths to hide those three treasures.

If they were tied to the Creator God, he would have wanted them desperately.

But once known, all the Lords of the Abyss would swarm to seize them.

Ahheta alone could never withstand their assault.

So he concealed them.

So no one could ever find them.

So no one could ever know.

Never did he imagine a human like Park Chan-woo would appear.

‘If I can enter the hidden treasure vaults in the Third and Fourth Nights…’

He would at least secure three pieces.

Even those three alone would drastically transform his power.

Besides, treasures from the Hidden Vault couldn’t be moved elsewhere.

That vault was too secure.

Bound by absolute rules.

They had to remain stored there, unable to be tampered with by anyone.

Not even Ahheta, the vault’s owner, could alter it freely.

A smile crept across his face.

‘See you in the Third Night as well, Master of the Moon Ahheta.’

The Master of the Moon was indeed a giving tree.

Though whether he was giving as much to Han Shin as to himself was another matter.

Only one last step remained.

‘Status Window.’

Park Chan-woo opened his status window to check his changes.

And then.

“…Hmm?”

He frowned.

The state of his window was not as expected.

It had gone far beyond.