Chapter 141
The moment the name ‘Ten-Tailed Fox’ was mentioned, a crack formed in Gumiho Yoo Jin-seo’s expression.
‘…I can become the Ten-Tailed Fox?’
It was every fox’s dream, their ultimate aspiration.
In short, it was the ‘god’ of foxes—an ultimate being lost to time.
When the Ten-Tailed Fox still existed, even the demons of the Abyss dared not touch the foxes.
But after losing the Ten-Tailed Fox, they became little more than the demons’ playthings.
They were often summoned into the hell known as ‘Creation Abyss’ for the amusement of those beings.
‘That was the fate of those who lost the Species War.’
…According to the foxes’ records, the world of foxes perished after the Ten-Tailed Fox’s death.
Having ranked low again and again in the Species War, they lost countless “important things.”
Those who once opposed or defied demons no longer existed.
The foxes that remained knew of their world only through ancient records.
Yoo Jin-seo had lived her entire life in the ‘Fox Den’.
To her, that was the entirety of existence.
Becoming the protagonist here and driving challengers to despair—that was her one and only mission.
Until death, to repeat that endlessly, eternally.
‘Finally, my chance has come.’
The world where the Fox Den was installed had perished.
Because of that, the Fox Den was ejected and settled in a completely different world, breaking free from the grasp of the ‘Creator of the Burning Boundary.’
This was her opportunity—one that would never come again.
‘If I become the master of this Creation Abyss, I will finally find freedom.’
A foothold to become the true “protagonist.”
One leap, and she could finally claim the right to roam the world beyond this Abyss.
But then, right as it began, some unfamiliar fox appeared, offering a tempting proposition—that she could achieve the Ten-Tailed Fox only if ‘that’ fox became the protagonist instead.
The method was the problem.
“Are you saying I can only achieve ‘Ten-Tailed Fox’ if ‘you’, not I, become the protagonist?”
She asked again for confirmation—it was too incomprehensible.
That the divine qualification could only be attained through another’s achievement.
“Yes. The moment I complete the scenario, the [Fox Fire] that grants the power of the Ten-Tailed Fox will appear.”
“Fox Fire…”
Ah. Yoo Jin-seo nodded.
Fox Fire was the lost magic of the foxes—
one of the greatest treasures and symbols of identity they lost in the Species War.
Could it be that the ‘Creator of the Burning Boundary’ possessed it all along?
“……”
Yoo Jin-seo quietly gazed into Park Chan-woo’s eyes, her crimson pupils gleaming.
If his words were lies, then the Fox Den would vanish entirely.
Once they defeated the demon ‘Aurum’ and cleared the scenario, both the Den and she herself would cease to exist.
But if his words were true…
‘The liberation of the foxes.’
It might be a chance to not just regain freedom—but to gain the power to liberate all foxes.
Yoo Jin-seo pondered.
It was far too convenient.
A hidden piece left behind by the Creator.
If it was designed to appear only when the Fox Den’s life was about to end—why?
“What was the Creator of the Burning Boundary planning to do by completing the Ten-Tailed Fox?”
“For fun.”
“……?”
“Wouldn’t that be more interesting?”
“……”
Park Chan-woo answered honestly without hesitation.
That was how hidden pieces worked—devices creators left purely for amusement.
Likewise, the completion of the Ten-Tailed Fox was nothing more than another form of entertainment for the Creator.
Yoo Jin-seo knew that too.
The question and answer were so obvious that she was left speechless.
She bit her lip lightly.
‘Was he really charmed?’
The Gumiho’s charm was absolute.
Once eye contact was made, none could resist it.
They would serve faithfully until death.
But this man was different.
‘I cast the highest level of charm—he shouldn’t even be able to speak his own thoughts.’
It was a side effect of powerful charm: the victim could only answer when spoken to.
Eventually, their mind would collapse, turning them into a puppet.
Yet, this one did not.
She recalled their earlier conversation.
— “The final hidden piece—what is it?”
— “I cannot say it here.”
— “What?”
— “I can tell only you, the Gumiho.”
If he were truly under her charm, he should’ve answered immediately.
But he clearly thought, judged, and responded on his own.
Of course, had he answered right away, things would have become complicated.
The Ten-Tailed Fox was an honor every fox desired.
If that rumor spread, the other foxes would turn against her sooner or later.
Though she didn’t believe they would betray her immediately, in this situation, anything could happen.
‘One thing is certain—the charm isn’t working strongly.’
He seemed to possess some mental resistance.
Normally, those under her charm acted entirely for the fox’s best interest.
Likewise, this man had chosen what he thought was best ‘for Yoo Jin-seo.’
A private meeting with her alone—so only she could know this truth.
He believed that only the Gumiho should hear it for safety.
That meant…
“…You asked to meet privately because you thought the other foxes might become a threat to me?”
She probed him carefully.
If he couldn’t answer properly—or hesitated even a little—then he wasn’t under the charm.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
“The Fox Den’s Gumiho isn’t the only one here, is it?”
“……”
“The demon Aurum—the final trial of the Fox Den—that being is also a Gumiho.”
“…Did the Creator of the Burning Boundary tell you that?”
Heh.
So he even knew that.
Very few foxes were aware of that fact—only those chosen as ‘Holy Sword Users.’
“I know everything about this Fox Den.”
Park Chan-woo replied with calm confidence.
As if the Creator himself had whispered it to him—though that wasn’t the case.
He had simply learned it through countless experiences, unwillingly burned into memory.
How many sacrifices had it taken to uncover the secrets of this Den?
Each death served as a key, passing fragments of truth to others.
Yoo Jin-seo—the fox the challengers called “Saint.”
They believed that killing the demon Aurum would change everything.
In the end, she became the master of the Fox Den and freely roamed Earth.
As the so-called Saint, she led people and harvested countless lives.
So now—
‘Perish with the Fox Den, Yoo Jin-seo.’
Park Chan-woo swore to himself.
No matter what happened, he would ensure that she and the Den disappeared together.
Meanwhile, Yoo Jin-seo was deep in thought.
‘If Aurum learns of the Ten-Tailed Fox, he’ll emerge from the trial to eliminate me.’
That fox was dangerous.
The reason the Fox Den’s scenario could never truly be cleared was because of Aurum.
He was a Gumiho evolved purely for battle—driven only by desire for strength and destruction.
If he found out, he would burn everything to ashes to claim the Ten-Tailed Fox for himself.
Honestly… she was afraid.
The thought of facing that monster Aurum terrified her.
‘Perhaps it’s better to eliminate him here and now.’
Achieving the Ten-Tailed Fox was a noble dream, yes—but the chances of dying before reaching it were far higher.
If she tried to alter the scenario now, Aurum would grow suspicious.
That suspicion would soon turn to certainty—and then to her death.
Killing this dangerous one here and now would help her far more in becoming the Abyss’s new master.
‘She’s probably debating whether to kill me or not.’
Park Chan-woo understood her hesitation—so he drove in the final nail.
“The Creator of the Burning Boundary chose ‘you’, Yoo Jin-seo, not Aurum.”
“……”
For a while, Yoo Jin-seo didn’t respond.
Her gaze wavered, filled with conflicting emotions.
This Den was her entire world.
Naturally, the Creator who made it was her god—the very embodiment of her reality.
It meant that god had finally acknowledged her.
Though the Creator had been her chain, he was also the one being she’d always wanted to meet.
Finally regaining composure, she spoke.
“Your name?”
“Park Chan-woo.”
“…Hardly a name fitting for a fox.”
Yoo Jin-seo shook her head slowly.
At least there was no contradiction in his story.
Everything he said made sense—too much sense.
He kept saying exactly what she wanted to hear.
So she made her decision.
In that instant—
‘Puk!’
`Yoo Jin-seo’s hand pierced through Park Chan-woo’s chest.
—
At the Swamp of Resentful Souls.
The Holy Sword users had finally arrived.
“Shall we kill Hwar yeong?”
The sword-wielding foxes asked if they should slay her and proceed to the next trial.
“Let’s stall for a bit. It seems quite a few humans are being ground up in this swamp.”
“Idiots. All they have to do is not look back—how hard can that be?”
The foxes snickered mockingly.
The sight of humans struggling in the very first trial was too amusing to resist.
At least two hundred would die here.
Normally, Yoo Jin-seo would time it just right—killing Hwar yeong with her holy sword to advance.
But this time—
“This trial will be cleared not by me, but by that one.”
“Pardon?”
“You mean you’re changing the scenario?”
“And besides, that one…”
The foxes turned in shock to look where Yoo Jin-seo was pointing.
There stood Park Chan-woo—the mysterious fox who had suddenly appeared, spoken with her, and now… had completely rewritten the scenario.
No, this wasn’t just a change to the story.
“W-wait…!”
“You mean… you’re changing the protagonist?”
In other words—she was overturning the entire stage itself.