Chapter 139
Hoya and the fox man exchanged looks—eyes wide, brimming with confusion.
Something impossible had just happened before them.
‘Did I… see that wrong?’
Hoya shook his head frantically, blinking several times.
No matter how hard he tried, the result didn’t change.
‘That sword shouldn’t have been pulled out…!’
The challenger was holding the Holy Sword.
Whish—whish!
He had drawn it as if it belonged to him, testing its weight with a few light swings.
…The perfect scenario had just shattered in its very first scene.
The law of the Fox Den—that the sword’s master must be a fox—had been broken.
Yet for Park Chan-woo, drawing the sword was easier than breathing.
Ding!
《Function of [Easter Egg (002)] is activated!》
《Due to ‘Harmony of Species,’ the Holy Sword recognizes you as a Fox.》
《Class Hidden Trait [Eternal Sword] is activated!》
《You have become the master of the [Holy Sword of Protection] within the ‘Fox Den.’》
He skimmed through the glowing text and smiled faintly.
‘Let’s start by breaking their script apart.’
He had no intention of playing along with the foxes’ scenario.
And although the Fallen Saint Yoo Jin-seo herself wasn’t here, to face that nine-tailed fox later, he first needed to become the sword’s master.
‘Only with the Holy Sword’s power can the Demon be killed.’
A demon couldn’t be slain by ordinary means.
That was the central flaw of this Abyss.
Only the Holy Sword could kill demons—yet only a fox could wield it.
And there was no way for ordinary challengers to know this truth.
Park Chan-woo focused on the sword, and an information window appeared before him.
Name: Holy Sword of Protection (10)
Level: None
Rank: Legendary
Description: The Holy Sword of the Tenth Temple in the “Fox Den.” Within this Abyss, it grants its wielder the power to resist Demons.
Equip Slot: Sword
Durability: 100
Unique Options:
(1) All demons in the Fox Den die after being struck ten times by this sword.
(2) The sword disappears after one hundred strikes.
(3) Cannot be repaired.
(4) The more followers the wielder gains, the higher their stats rise.
Only the sword’s chosen could see this information.
If anyone else could, they’d immediately realize that the entire Fox Den was a scam—but humanity wasn’t capable of that yet.
‘You’d need a Legendary-grade Observation spell to see this.’
Only someone with Legendary-level Observation magic could perceive such a window. But no sane person raised Observation magic that high unless they were obsessed with voyeurism.
That was why the truth came out only much later.
‘The foxes never intended to hunt the demons seriously.’
The trial of the Fox Den was deceptively simple.
Five trials.
Kill five demons.
Once the fifth—Aurum—was slain, the Den would be cleared and destroyed as intended.
That was why the foxes were so desperate.
Clearing the Abyss meant their own death.
That was what made cross-dimensional Abysses so vicious.
The Creator who had made this one had perished when their world fell, leaving no one in control.
In short… the Fox Den had no master.
‘By devouring countless lives, Yoo Jin-seo gained her freedom.’
She was the true problem.
The Fox Den had existed for a long time, consuming countless human lives.
Having absorbed nearly a million souls and coins, Yoo Jin-seo had become the new master of this Abyss.
Then she went further—posing as human and walking the Earth.
A creature born of a Creator’s Abyss escaping to the human world—an unprecedented disaster.
That, above all, had to be stopped.
“…C-congratulations. The master of the Holy Sword has been chosen…!”
Hoya finally regained his senses and spoke stiffly.
It wasn’t according to the script, but since a sword master had emerged, protocol demanded celebration.
‘…How could this happen?’
The male fox’s face twisted in disbelief.
He had planned to take center stage and become the protagonist.
Never had he imagined another challenger would draw the sword first.
‘Is he… a fox too?’
If so, that would make sense—since the sword only recognized foxes as masters.
But that thought didn’t sit right either.
Everything in this Abyss was predetermined—every line, every event.
‘Wait. Don’t tell me the scenario’s been altered?’
That was the only logical explanation.
Only a nine-tailed fox had the authority to rewrite the scenario.
If it had changed suddenly, perhaps he just hadn’t been informed yet.
This was the tenth temple, after all—news could have been delayed.
No… that wasn’t it.
Even if the guide and he hadn’t been told, that man must have known.
‘That bastard. He didn’t tell me on purpose!’
The fox clenched his jaw, glaring daggers at Park Chan-woo’s back.
If the scenario had changed, there should have been a warning.
Instead, the newcomer had humiliated him—drawing the sword right in front of him.
‘…We’ll see about that.’
Crunch.
The fox ground his teeth.
Still, he forced himself to calm down.
He might have lost his moment in the spotlight, but could that stranger really fulfill the role?
Hardly.
He would surely fail soon and disappoint their queen—the great Nine-tailed Fox—earning himself a swift demotion.
Before the first trial, he would need to “charm” the gathered people.
But neither Hoya nor the fox had any intention of helping.
‘Let’s see how well you do.’
—
Unfortunately, Park Chan-woo wasn’t a fox.
He couldn’t use charm magic.
Unlike the foxes, who lured others naturally, he would have to take a different approach.
As all eyes fixed on him after he drew the sword, he spoke.
“Do you want to live?”
…Do you want to live?
The question stunned everyone.
Of course they did. Who would want to die?
Every single one of them was desperate to survive.
They hadn’t chosen to be here, and dying in an Abyss meant even their bodies would vanish.
‘What’s he doing?’
‘Is this part of a new script?’
Both Hoya and the fox man stared in confusion.
The original scenario called for subtle charm—to inspire hope and rally them to defeat the demon Aurum together.
“To survive, you must fight alongside me! Together, we’ll escape this cursed Abyss!”
That was how it was supposed to go.
But instead—
“I’ll let you live.”
Ting!
A single coin bounced from Park Chan-woo’s fingers.
And then—
Slide.
Ten more coins appeared in his palm.
“C-coins!”
“Holy—how many is that?!”
People gasped.
Coins—currency of the Abyss.
They could be used to escape, but were unimaginably rare.
While the strong might stockpile them, the people here were ordinary Awakened—most had never even seen one.
The moment the coins glittered in his hand, their eyes changed.
Park Chan-woo spoke leisurely.
“To those who truly trust and follow me, I’ll gift these coins.”
He couldn’t use a fox’s magical charm.
But this kind of charm? He could. (T/N: Damn, rich kid lol)
Perhaps even stronger than the foxes’ own.
‘Materialism,’ he mused with a quiet smile.
This was the purest form of temptation.
Not false hope, but tangible salvation.
No spell could ignite desire more powerfully than this.
“What if you’re lying?”
“Yeah, how can we trust you?”
Their doubt was natural.
Ten coins meant immense power—enough to mark someone as a terrifying opponent.
And in the Abyss, the strong often grew stronger by sacrificing others.
Park Chan-woo simply shrugged.
“You won’t have to fight for me. I’ll do all the fighting.”
“Then… what do you want us to do?”
“If following you doesn’t mean battle, then…”
Their confusion deepened.
Park Chan-woo nodded and replied.
“Just stay behind me. And when you meet others—bring them to my side.”
“There are… others?”
“Yes. The sword told me so. More people will join us soon.”
At that, both Hoya and the fox froze.
‘He’s leaking the scenario?’
‘What the hell is this guy?’
He was insane.
A fox leaking the scenario would be executed on sight.
Unless—this was somehow part of the rewritten script?
But no matter how they thought about it, it made no sense.
And those coins—
Even foxes rarely handled such quantities.
To distribute that many freely? Utter madness.
“When you find another group, bring me thirty followers. I’ll give you a coin in return. Oh, and this offer is only for those gathered here, so keep it secret.”
“R-really? One coin for thirty people?”
“If you wish, I can seal the promise with the [Reaper of Oaths]. Just bring thirty people who will follow me.”
“I’ll do it!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Recruit thirty followers from new groups—no fighting required.
That was all.
And thus, the “Legion of Allure” began to form.
‘A fox’s charm takes time anyway.’
Foxes ensnared minds gradually.
Sudden enchantment caused resistance—and resistance broke the spell.
Park Chan-woo, however, had invoked the strongest charm of all—
He had touched their survival instinct.
Given them hope—not illusion, but real, tangible hope.
Then—
《119 challengers have chosen to follow you.》
《The ‘Holy Sword User’s’ stats have greatly increased!》
The Holy Sword glowed brightly as power surged through his body.
But this was only the beginning.
There were ten temples in total.
Roughly a hundred people in each.
‘If I can make them all follow me, I alone can kill Aurum.’
Defeat all five demons—including Aurum—and the Fox Den would be cleared.
When that happened, the Den would vanish—and with it, the foxes.
“Then let’s go.”
The first trial awaited.
He began walking toward the place where all sword bearers would gather.
…Where she would be.
The Nine-tailed Fox. The Fallen Saint—Yoo Jin-seo.
Ding!
《You are heading toward the First Trial.》
《You are the first to rally all members of Temple (10).》
《Scenario reward: Acquired one [Black Star].》