Chapter 120
Glasses.
An item that rarely appeared in the Abyss.
In terms of rarity, it was classified among the highest tiers, with scarcely any instances at all.
‘There are no demons with poor eyesight.’
Demons had no need for them.
Not just demons; most goods that appeared in the Abyss already existed in the worlds of the Twelve Species or of races that had perished and vanished.
Among them, the races and beings that needed something like glasses were extremely few.
Practically none besides humans.
Naturally, the total quantity had to be low.
‘People with the blacksmith class will mass-produce them later, but that will take time.’
There was likely no blacksmith yet who could make proper “glasses.”
Of course, these were far from glasses for people with bad eyesight.
They were crafted for special effects that only attached to glasses.
For example, detecting traps through clairvoyance, sensing the activation of magic, or translating ancient languages—effects that suited glasses best.
However—
‘Glasses are classified as tools, not equipment.’
All glasses were categorized as “support tools.”
Specialized tools used only in specific situations.
Yet the “Glasses of the Resplendent Lord” were clearly a piece of equipment with a grade.
Park Chan-woo held the glasses and inspected them slowly.
Extremely thin and light, with a unique tint swirling between silver and teal. Their color shifted subtly depending on the reflected light.
The fine “runes” engraved on the inner side of the lenses were striking, layered so densely that they were hard to read.
‘…“Fire shall be seen,” huh?’
They seemed to bear countless phrases along those lines.
What fire would be seen?
Was it literal flame, or a metaphor for something else?
One thing was clear: these glasses were not made by a blacksmith.
They were equipment forged by ultra-high-level magic.
‘I can feel a strong malice from the glasses themselves.’
The problem was the sticky “malice” seeping from the front of the frames.
This was why he did not immediately open the item’s information.
Items like this often exerted significant influence over the wearer; one had to examine them as thoroughly as possible before equipping.
In a few cases, objects created from “malice” could curse you merely by inspecting their information.
The name Devil Box and this “malice” combined to put him on guard.
“Hm?”
Park Chan-woo tilted his head.
He had found a “mark” on the inside of the rim—so small he almost missed it.
“Wait……”
The mark looked familiar somehow.
A small demon stood atop a Möbius strip (∞).
Park Chan-woo had definitely seen this mark before.
‘…It’s the mark of Demon God Dantalion.’
For a moment his head swam.
Dantalion was a notorious eccentric even among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods.
On rare occasions, equipment hid his mark; those pieces were famous for having utterly deranged options.
Ding!
[You have completed an investigation of ‘Glasses of the Resplendent Lord.’]
[You have found a hidden mark left by a great being—something that cannot be known by simply opening the info window and must be discovered by close examination.]
[Superb talent for inquiry!]
[Intelligence +3.]
[‘Demon God Dantalion’ gifts you 5 Coins.]
[The item’s name updates to ‘Glasses of Resplendent Dantalion.’]
Checking the messages, Park Chan-woo nodded inwardly.
Sometimes luck came like this when you examined an object by hand.
The name had even changed.
And to glasses that bore the name of “Demon God Dantalion” outright.
‘So the malice I sensed was because of this name.’
Hidden though it was, they were glasses stamped with a Demon God’s name.
Even if you tried to hide it, a certain ominousness could not help but leak out.
At any rate, at least the “outside” had no issues.
All that remained was to look “inside.”
Soon the equipment’s info window appeared before his eyes.
Name: Glasses of Resplendent Dantalion
Level: -79
Grade: Eternal
Description: Glasses personally created by Demon God Dantalion, the eccentric Lord of the Abyss who possessed countless authorities. To harass Lords hostile to himself, he has specially embedded one of his authorities within the glasses.
★ By the ‘Resplendent’ effect, the inherent ability is doubled and one inherent option is enhanced.
Slot: Glasses
Defense: 300 (150+150)
Attack: 300 (150+150)
Durability: 10,000
Inherent Option:
(1) You can ‘unconditionally’ discern Incarnations contracted with Lords of the Abyss.
Additional Special Option:
(1) Incarnations of Lords whose tier is lower than ‘Dantalion’ are weakened by 10%.
It was treated as equipment, raising attack and defense.
But more unusual than that was the inherent option.
The fundamental reason Han Shin had obsessed over hunting Half-Human, Half-Demons!
‘…I can locate Incarnations.’
A tremendous gain.
It was an unspoken rule to keep Creator–Incarnation contracts secret.
By default, no one could ever notice unless they were parties to the contract.
But by the Demon God Dantalion’s authority, he could now distinguish Incarnations.
An authority befitting a Demon God who ignored the Abyss’s rules.
To think such a thing could be housed in mere glasses.
‘Are all items from Devil Boxes related to Incarnations?’
Not everything would bear the name “Dantalion.”
More likely, because they were related to “Incarnations,” Han Shin had guarded them so desperately.
Han Shin played the savior of humanity.
If someone else obtained equipment from a Devil Box with similar options, it would be troublesome.
As time went on, distrust of Incarnations spread rampantly.
If it were exposed that he was an Incarnation, his hero act would end that very day.
‘A round of cleaning is necessary, indeed.’
There were many Incarnations.
Far more than one might think.
Vermin that seethed without rest.
If not removed, they were tumors and cancers that would gnaw at humanity.
For now they acted quietly, but once the proportion of Incarnations reached a certain level, they would no longer hide.
They would instead overthrow nations and attempt to rule.
Having witnessed the disaster once already, he could not simply watch it happen.
‘Titles.’
His gains from defeating Balzac were not limited to this.
Titles had evolved and been added.
Park Chan-woo checked his status to confirm them.
Lordslayer: applies a ‘Threat’ effect to all Lords of the Abyss.
True Demon Hunter: applies a ‘Fear’ effect to all Incarnations.
Oh-ho.
He smiled faintly.
His former title [Nemesis of Creators] had evolved into [Lordslayer], changing its versatility and effect.
‘An unbending will against Creators has become Threat.’
Moreover, it applied not only to Creators but to “all Lords of the Abyss.”
Threat. Literally, making the opponent tense.
And what of True Demon Hunter?
All Incarnations would instinctively feel fear toward him.
They would naturally shrink and fail to display their full abilities.
…This effect would apply to Han Shin, an Incarnation, as well.
“Dagon.”
Pop!
At the utterance of the demon merchant Dagon’s name, smoke billowed before his eyes and Dagon was summoned.
As ever, he was in an awkward posture reading a book.
It seemed he had been lying on the floor, savoring each page.
“……Are you doing this on purpose?”
Meaning, why summon him only when he was reading.
But Park Chan-woo could only tilt his head after taking a look at Dagon.
“You’ve grown quite flashy.”
Dagon was decked head to toe in gold.
Adorned with all manner of jewels, he looked every inch the nouveau riche.
When asked, Dagon rose and bowed deeply.
*Ahem, ahem,* “All thanks to you, Contractor. In this ‘Second Night,’ I ranked #1 in sales among all merchants and received considerable rewards!”
“So you splurged?”
“Splurge? Investment. You must dress to this level or other demon merchants will not take you seriously.”
“…Is that so?”
The world of demon merchants was hard to grasp.
To him it looked like a kind of compensation behavior.
Dagon, scorned for poor performance, had succeeded this time and started laying on the swagger.
“Yes. And the performance gala was truly spectacular. I flattened Vivola’s snout. Ah, you should have seen it yourself.”
Dagon was visibly excited.
He rattled on about unasked matters.
All of it thanks to Park Chan-woo spending a large amount of Reputation at the “Reputation Shop.”
Clap!
Dagon clapped and continued.
“Ah! My tier rose as well, so the scope of goods I can sell has expanded. If you need anything, say the word.”
Dagon’s tier had plummeted when he first contracted with Park Chan-woo.
But with this one great success, he had recovered.
He had returned to the ‘Ancient’ tier.
Not only that, he drew great attention in the merchants’ guild.
In the Second Night, though the many “demon merchants’ guilds” across the entire Abyss had selected only the very best merchants to enter, Dagon—who had received no expectations—became the final winner.
A miracle.
If he rode this momentum, gained more “value,” and raised his tier, Dagon’s name would resound across the Abyss!
However, Dagon could trade only with Park Chan-woo.
Because they had an exclusive contract.
To acquire value, he absolutely needed Park Chan-woo’s help.
Dagon’s eyes shone.
With his tier raised, he could now sell higher-value goods.
‘Sephiro is a god.’
*Thump! Thump!*
Dagon’s heart raced.
Since he had gotten involved with him, everything felt like it flowed smoothly.
‘Surely he needs something tremendous. A treasure! A value enough to leap to the next tier and beyond!’
He eagerly anticipated how much value he would be gifted this time.
At length, Park Chan-woo spoke slowly.
“I need paint.”
“……Pardon?”
“Paint that can only be seen under special conditions, if you please.”
“……That will suffice?”
“A brush would be nice, too.”
Wobble!
Dagon’s form half-collapsed.
He had uttered items utterly beyond expectation.
He was now the star of the merchants’ guild.
If needed, he could bring treasures of inestimable price.
Paint? A brush?
“…Why not just buy them at the stationery shop next door?”