Chapter 111

               

“…Do I post it like this?”

Land of Valhalla.

As all preparations were completed, Adora asked with a doubtful look.

It was because the post she had just uploaded to the [Creators’ Community] seemed far too strange.

She had written and posted it exactly as Park Chan-woo ordered, but the content was extremely messy.

At least compared to anything else she had ever seen on the [Creators’ Community]…

“Isn’t this too crude?”

Not just low quality—utterly low.

The posts in the community were all composed.

Perhaps because they were Lords of the Abyss?

Even under anonymity, they kept a degree of dignity.

No one crossed the last line.

They all maintained their “class” until the end.

Would they even respond to such a so-called “undignified” post?

“That’s the point.”

But Park Chan-woo remained calm.

The Lords of the Abyss were rulers over countless devils.

For eons, they had maintained a façade of “nobility” across their vast domains.

That was the role of a king.

To sit on the throne was to bear its weight and to strain to never lose dignity.

But to him, it was utter nonsense.

‘Just some image maintenance fossilized over the ages. Their words and deeds don’t match at all.’

Nobility? Dignity?

The weight of the throne?

All bullshit.

The most frivolous, burdensome, and worthless things in the world were the Lords of the Abyss and the Creators.

If given the chance, they would always stab another Creator in the back—it was the standard and norm of their world.

Long friendships? Deep camaraderie?

Such words were nothing but jokes in the Abyss.

If a Lord lost their qualification as Creator and weakened, it was common for the very devils who had served them for life to kill them and seize the throne.

‘And these are the so-called rulers of the Abyss?’

Frankly, he couldn’t even understand how they still governed the Abyss.

It wouldn’t be strange if they had long perished and gone extinct—devils were the peak of selfishness.

One question remained.

Why did the Twelve Species leave the devils alone?

He knew after facing the Dragon God Sephiro. The true body of Sephiroth, the [Transcendent Dragon], was an overwhelming existence that could erase humanity with a single word.

A being of that scale could flip the Abyss upside down.

And if they joined forces with the other Twelve Species, they could surely stand against the Great Nine Lords.

Yet, they never united.

They remained utterly apart.

Humanity never discovered the reason.

They couldn’t.

During the Species War, humanity always ranked last.

To them, humans were less than slaves.

At best, perhaps cockroaches.

…Anyway.

The low-level post on the [Creators’ Community] through Adora was entirely Park Chan-woo’s intent.

The Lords of the Abyss only kept up appearances.

They were stagnant, far too long, and so were weak against new kinds of bait.

If their attention was drawn and their identity exposed, there was no greater humiliation.

A mistake could mean other Lords rising in unison to bombard them.

So they desperately pretended to keep their dignity.

But Adora and Park Chan-woo were different.

They were neither Lords of the Abyss nor Creators.

“…Hmm.”

Adora still looked unconvinced.

Understandable.

When had she ever drawn such bait?

She only posted it because Park Chan-woo made her, but he clearly saw her hand hesitate when using the community.

“Do you see it now?”

“Hmm, even mixed in with other posts, it stands out quite a bit, but…”

“What about its ranking?”

“Among posts tagged under ‘Earth,’ it’s currently number one in real time.”

“The reactions?”

“…Do you really need to hear them?”

“They can’t be good.”

“They’re very bad.”

At Adora’s answer, Park Chan-woo looked satisfied.

She honestly couldn’t understand his reaction.

It was one thing to know about the [Creators’ Community] and intend to exploit it, but the users’ responses went beyond fiery rage—it was terrifying.

―This bastard is one of us?

―Hah.

―I thought I misread…

―Never imagined I’d see such vulgar filth on the [Creators’ Community].

―Who is it? Which bastard?

―Earth 666? Fine, I’ll burn it all down.

―That such trash is a fellow Lord of the Abyss? Disgraceful. I’ll uncover who’s behind this “Earth 666” Abyss.

―For offending my eyes, I’ll flay you alive and throw your limbs into boiling lava.

―Insect Hell will feast on your eyes and brain…

Adora couldn’t bear to read further.

It was nothing but “threats” written in polite tones.

Problem was, it had gone beyond just “drawing attention.”

The location was exposed.

Earth 666’s Creative Abyss!

If they pursued its creator, Adora’s existence could be revealed.

And if she were identified, her territory—and even this land of Valhalla—could burn to ashes.

“Do not worry. They have no way to trace us.”

Park Chan-woo understood her fears.

But they were unfounded.

Unless a Creator exposed themselves, there was no way to pinpoint them.

Unless someone went bankrupt or made a direct deal, it was impossible.

“Very well. If you say so, then so it must be.”

Adora accepted.

The die was cast, and all they could do was wait to see how it rolled.

Together, they turned their gaze.

There lay the “Creative Abyss” they had prepared.

The ground divided by black lines.

Within those lines stood only one massive cylindrical building.

‘Colosseum.’

Yes, the Colosseum.

The arena of Rome where gladiators once fought.

Ordinary in appearance, but its contents were anything but.

Had it been ordinary, they would never have started.

His purpose was only one.

To create a proper Creative Abyss that would draw Creators’ attention and benefit humanity.

And beyond that, to sweep up the Creators’ coins.

This was the stepping stone for that.

‘I had vaguely known of the [Creators’ Community].’

Humanity had discovered there was a space where Creators exchanged opinions.

They didn’t expect it would literally be called [Creators’ Community].

After hearing from Adora, he was certain.

So he decided to use it.

Every card available had to be played.

‘The bait is set. Now all that remains is waiting for the guests.’

He decided to wait patiently.

Since the post was rising to the top of the trending list, it was inevitable many Creators would come rushing toward “Earth 666.”

The location was revealed, the contents were intriguing.

The danger of too much attention spilling into damage was real, but he had prepared for that too.

At that moment.

Shhhhhh!

A small ripple stirred inside the Colosseum.

Someone had entered.

Shhhhhh!

Soon another ripple appeared.

A deep smile spread across his lips.

‘Now, kill each other.’

—

Mount Bukhan.

There, a [Creative Abyss] opened.

Earth 666.

It meant the 666th Abyss now remaining on Earth.

And because it was already the talk of the [Creators’ Community], many Creators were closely observing.

But mere observation revealed nothing.

So some sent their [Incarnations] up Mount Bukhan.

“In this sweltering weather, climbing a mountain?”

Summer.

The peak of heat and humidity, discomfort index at its highest.

Kim Ki-hyun sighed as he climbed.

“Just because they’re a Creator? What am I, a slave?”

Though he grumbled, he couldn’t ignore the demands of the Creator he contracted with.

The benefits of the [Incarnation Contract] had saved his life many times.

It let him grow far faster than others.

《‘Creator of the Blue Hand’ is very displeased with your words.》

“Gasp…! I-I apologize! I’ve committed a grave sin! Please, forgive me just once…!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He immediately threw himself flat and banged his head against the ground.

He had never imagined the Creator would actually be listening.

‘W-What’s going on? Suddenly paying attention to me?’

The [Creator of the Blue Hand] usually ignored him completely. Seemed to have little interest at all.

So even when Kim Ki-hyun cursed him out or flipped the middle finger sky-high, there had never been a reaction like this.

But now.

‘Urgh!’

…His head went blank.

He felt another’s gaze.

It was the gaze of a Creator, only perceivable by one under an [Incarnation Contract].

He soon realized.

…The [Creator of the Blue Hand] was seeing the world through his eyes.

Why?

‘Something midway up the mountain caught his interest?’

That had to be it.

Kim Ki-hyun quickly got back up and hurried his climb.

Fortunately, the Creator didn’t seem intent on punishing his earlier words.

Honestly, it was just indifference.

Who gets angry at a bug for cursing?

So he ran with all his might until he reached mid-mountain.

“…An Abyss?”

At the same time, he found it.

That purple mist was proof.

【‘Enter.’】

The Creator of the Blue Hand spoke directly to his ear.

Enter that Abyss.

What kind of Abyss was this, that his Creator personally gave such an order?

Kim Ki-hyun drew a deep breath and stepped in.

At that moment.

Ding!

《Entry Requirement: ‘Incarnation Contractor’》

《Only humans with an [Incarnation Contract] may enter.》

《Do you wish to enter?》

“……”

He frowned.

Such a condition was new.

Entering meant broadcasting to the world that he was an [Incarnation].

And the perception of Incarnations was already bad.

They all desperately hid it.

But entering here meant exposing it.

Yet he was being told to go in?

【‘Enter.’】

‘Damn bastard!’

His silent echo.

Kim Ki-hyun wore a bitter face.

But the Creator’s command was absolute.

An Incarnation’s fate was to obey.

Ding!

《Condition satisfied. Entry successful.》

《Congratulations!》

《You have won the first-come-first-serve event.》

《You gain 1 Coin.》

《The Creator of your Incarnation shall now begin betting!》

Whoooosh!

The scenery shifted the instant he entered.

He looked around and blinked in shock.

“…What the—Colosseum?”

“Seems so.”

“Gah…!”

Startled by the sudden voice, he jumped.

Someone else had arrived first.

And that wasn’t the end.

Ding!

《Match scheduled between Incarnation ‘Kim Ki-hyun’ and Incarnation ‘Park Cheol-min.’》

《The match will begin in 6 hours!》