Chapter 126
‘Now they want me to take successor lessons?’
Han Min-oh’s expression was grim as he left the group.
After facing the head of Han Yeon Group—his father—he couldn’t even bring himself to lift his face.
—Shouldn’t you be the one to fill your brother’s place, Min-oh?
Since when had he ever spoken so warmly?
Hadn’t that father always coldly compared him to Han Shin?
Now he calls for him, as if expecting him to respond?
The reason the head was acting this way was obvious.
‘My brother is gone.’
…Han Shin had gone missing.
During the ‘Second Night’.
Even after 860,000 survivors returned once the trials were over.
Han Shin was nowhere to be found.
Han Yeon Group launched a massive search, but not a single trace was found.
‘He… died.’
The search team concluded that Han Shin was dead.
In the end, something went wrong during the ‘Second Night’.
It was hard to believe.
Han Shin had been that strong.
Both outwardly and inwardly, he was someone who didn’t seem like he could ever die.
And yet they say he’s dead.
Of course, to Han Min-oh, Han Shin was a terrifying presence.
More like a stranger than family, closer to a demon than a man.
So he didn’t feel sadness or heartbreak.
It just didn’t feel real.
—Min-oh. Take over Han Yeon Group. I’ll support you as much as I can until you reach my position.
Now that the seemingly indestructible Han Shin had died, the head had become desperate.
From that day, Han Min-oh’s treatment changed.
He had to fill the void left by Han Shin.
If something had happened to Han Shin, then the only son left to the group’s head was Han Min-oh.
Succession had to happen quickly.
‘He still doesn’t expect anything from me.’
Expressions and tone can be hidden.
But eyes don’t lie.
Those eyes, full of regret.
The head still longed for Han Shin.
He believed only Han Shin could lead Han Yeon Group to the top.
Han Min-oh had never even been considered.
They had barely interacted in the past ten years anyway.
‘I hate it too.’
His face contorted naturally.
This kind of group—he would reject it.
Han Min-oh intended to stand on his own.
‘I want to be a hero like Lee Hyuk-soo. Not a cold-blooded villain like you all.’
Han Min-oh’s role model was none other than Lee Hyuk-soo.
The man who rose to the top with a single sword.
That’s the kind of person the future world would be led by.
Han Min-oh wanted to be a hero as well.
Han Yeon Group, the head, Han Shin—they were far from heroes.
They were more like villains who scorned, disregarded, and insulted others.
“This way, young master.”
“…You don’t need to follow me. At least let me go home on my own.”
The sheer number of bodyguards was enough to stun him.
Was Han Shin’s death really that painful to them?
It showed how determined the head was not to lose Han Min-oh as well.
This entourage had followed him from the house.
No—in fact, it had been like this for over a week, ever since Han Shin was declared dead.
‘This is insane.’
Wherever he went, someone was watching.
Even in the Abyss, they followed him.
He had no idea where they found these bodyguards, but each one of them had power rivaling that of strong elites.
‘At least level 20.’
Even the team leader seemed to exceed level 30.
Such high-level individuals were rare even within the Abyss.
So he couldn’t even run away if he wanted to.
They listened to the head more than they did to him.
Han Min-oh let out a sigh.
At that moment—
Sssshhh!
“What, what is this?!”
“It’s the Abyss!”
“Shit! Why is the Abyss suddenly…?!”
“It’s a Sniper Abyss!”
Suddenly, ‘purple smoke’ rose from beneath his feet.
A sign that the Abyss was opening.
There was no message.
It just started out of nowhere.
‘A Sniper Abyss!’
He had already read plenty about Sniper Abysses.
When a Creator wanted something from a human—or held a grudge—they would open a Sniper Abyss and kill them directly.
But who was the target?
‘Don’t tell me it’s me?’
…He still wasn’t sure.
But the surrounding landscape was changing fast.
The ground cracked, thick vines draped over buildings.
The sky was redder than twilight.
Caw! Caw!
Half-rotted crows began circling the sky.
The car they were about to board was crumpled and half-destroyed, every window shattered.
The atmosphere was chilling to the bone.
“A-Are you all right, young master?”
“Protect the young master!”
The bodyguards, regaining their senses, hurried to surround Han Min-oh.
This was now the Abyss.
A demonic realm swarming with monsters.
Ding!
[Find and kill the human named by the ‘Corpse Crow’.]
[The Abyss will end upon completion.]
[Time limit: 72 hours.]
[If failed, the identities of all ‘Incarnations’ currently present will be revealed.]
Corpse Crow?
Incarnations’ identities?
None of this made sense.
But the moment the message appeared—
“……”
“……”
The expressions on the bodyguards subtly shifted.
Because they were all Incarnations.
But wasn’t this strange?
Why reveal the Incarnations’ identities?
‘Did something break out between the Creators?’
‘If it’s revealed we’re Incarnations, we’ll be ruined.’
They’d no longer be able to serve as bodyguards.
Worse—
If their identity as Incarnations was publicly revealed, it would drastically affect their lives going forward.
Even now, public opinion of Incarnations was terrible.
And it would only get worse.
Of course, if only they were here, it might’ve been fine…
“P-Please save us!”
“What the hell is happening?!”
“Mommy!”
There were a lot of spectators.
Just counting those visible to the eye, there must’ve been at least a thousand people.
Still, it would be fine.
“If it’s the Corpse Crow, does that mean those crows in the sky?”
“Everyone, quiet!”
As long as they killed the target, the Abyss would be cleared automatically.
Once silence was restored, everyone focused on the sounds from the corpse crows flying above.
Caw!
Han! Caw!
Min! Caw!
Caw! Oh!
“…What are they saying?”
“They’re saying one syllable at a time?”
“O Han Min?”
“Min Oh Han?”
“Han, Min, Oh?”
Piecing the words together revealed a few name combinations.
And at that moment—
‘It’s me!’
Han Min-oh’s face turned pale.
But there was a way to escape the Abyss.
“Use the coin, young master!”
The coin.
The only way to forcibly escape the Abyss.
Han Min-oh pulled a coin from his pocket.
He had already heard that once you’re hit with a Sniper Abyss, you can’t escape without a coin.
Ding!
[Using 1 ‘coin’ to escape.]
He could escape!
Just as his trembling heart began to calm—
Ding!
[Escape failed.]
[The Creator who opened the Abyss adds 1 more coin.]
What?
It failed?
That meant the Creator blocked the escape?
‘Damn it!’
He didn’t have many coins.
At most, two.
He’d used one, so only one remained.
[Using 1 ‘coin’ to escape.]
[Escape failed.]
[The Creator who opened the Abyss adds 1 more coin.]
Han Min-oh’s face went beyond pale—he turned blue.
“Young master, what’s wrong?”
“…It seems the Creator has no intention of letting me go.”
“Pardon?”
What kind of bullshit was this?
Didn’t using a coin guarantee escape?
“P-Please use my coin!”
The flustered team leader handed over a coin.
Han Min-oh looked at him with eyes full of emotion, as if asking if it was really okay.
That coin was like blood.
But the team leader had no choice.
【Give your coin. Han Min-oh must get out of here first.】
…Damn Creator.
As an Incarnation, if the Creator demanded it, he had to comply.
“Th-Thank you.”
“I’ll repay this debt.”
Han Min-oh bowed deeply with sincerity.
If he escaped, the ‘Sniper Abyss’ would disappear too.
For everyone’s sake, he had to get out fast.
[Using 1 ‘coin’ to escape.]
[Escape failed.]
[The Creator who opened the Abyss adds 1 more coin.]
“Huuh…!!”
How many coins were needed?
More importantly—why weren’t they letting him go?
“U-Use mine too!”
“Take mine as well!”
Coins gathered quickly.
A total of five extra coins.
“……”
But the result was the same.
Eight coins in total evaporated into the air.
Now they had no coins left.
Han Min-oh stared blankly up at the sky.
The Creator wanted him dead.
But then why…
‘Why reveal the Incarnations’ identities?’
If he didn’t die, the Incarnations would be exposed.
Which meant—
There were a lot of Incarnations here.
But how?
Unless an Incarnation spoke for themselves, there was no way to know.
…And for the Creators, it was equally baffling.
Unless a Creator knew every Incarnation gathered here, ‘Incarnation exposure’ wasn’t possible.
Even the Creator who made the Abyss didn’t have that much authority.
In other words—
【There’s a traitor among us.】
【Who is it? Who opened the Abyss?】
【You dare betray us?】
The Incarnations gathered here—
Their Creators had been working together.
Secretly agreeing to capture the divine beast contracted to Han Min-oh.
To share the rewards among themselves.
Of course, they had shared each other’s Incarnations and identities beforehand.
So if ‘Incarnation exposure’ was now possible, it meant someone among them had betrayed the rest.
【I never trusted any of you.】
【I knew this would happen!】
【What’s the goal here?】
【Trying to monopolize the Destroyer, Cygnus?】
The Creators were the first to descend into chaos—faster than the Incarnations.
…Because they were all demons who never trusted anyone to begin with.
—
Park Chan-woo quietly watched the scene unfold.
From amidst the crowd, he observed the process of breakdown.
‘The Creators are splintering, and that split will affect the Incarnations.’
It was obvious.
How many Incarnations had he already killed?
If their identity as an Incarnation were exposed, their future would be grim.
How many Incarnations would sacrifice their own future just to protect Han Min-oh?
Only two options remained.
Either the bodyguards would kill Han Min-oh—
Or they would kill all the witnesses except him.
The former was overwhelmingly more likely.
If so, it would appear.
‘First, I need to confirm exactly what kind of divine beast is contracted to Han Min-oh.’
The divine beast contracted to Han Min-oh—
Only then would he know.
Whether Han Min-oh was a human worth saving.