Chapter 144
The moment Cheon-ryeong was reverse-summoned—in the realm of the final trial—
…the Gumiho, ‘Aurum’, lifted his gaze toward the sky.
He bore the face of a fox, yet stood upright on two legs.
His muscular, sculpted body was clad in white garments resembling a martial robe.
“Divine Beast.”
He ‘felt’ it.
The final image seen by the spirit flashed in his mind.
And in that instant, he was certain.
That was a ‘Divine Beast.’
A sacred creature born within the cracks of existence.
It had gone unnoticed all this time for being far too ethereal, its presence practically nonexistent.
But now, after Cheon-ryeong’s defeat, it had finally revealed itself.
“How interesting.”
The scenario was being rewritten.
The Gumiho Yoo Jin-seo had abandoned the lead role and handed it to another.
And that new protagonist… was a ‘Divine Beast’s contractor.’
…Who was he?
What kind of fox could achieve such a miracle?
Yoo Jin-seo was a greedy Gumiho.
Now that no Creator remained, she must be eyeing the Fox Den itself.
Still, Aurum had let her be.
He had no interest in the Fox Den.
The only thing that ever mattered to him was one thing—
“To become stronger through sacrifice.”
His strength.
His power.
That alone was his joy.
To crush every challenger, to win, to transcend—and to break the wall ahead.
But for ages, no challenger had come.
Yoo Jin-seo would never step into this ‘final trial.’
All he could do was train alone.
And yet, he was fine with that.
“Spirits.”
‘Shhhhhh!’
Hundreds of spirits surged around him.
Then they began transforming into all manner of grotesque beasts.
Spirits were much like foxes—
without fixed form, capable of transformation.
—Kill me!
—Kill our summoner!
—Kill him for real!
These were his sparring partners.
Aurum trained by battling the very spirits he had contracted.
Every reverse summoning carved agony into his heart, but that pain itself became fuel for his growth.
Thus he trained for centuries.
The spirits evolved alongside him, gaining will and attacking him with ever greater persistence.
Through endless summoning and reverse summoning, his total mana grew to monstrous levels.
This was nothing like an ordinary spirit summoner.
Nor were these ordinary spirits anymore.
To attack one’s own contractor—that should have been impossible by contract.
And yet—
‘I am starving.’
It wasn’t enough.
Even as he fought the spirits, his face remained steeped in dissatisfaction.
The hunger couldn’t be filled.
A stagnant routine.
An empty existence with no challengers.
No thrill.
Yoo Jin-seo, and the other foxes—they were all cowards.
But this time was different.
That newcomer—he was definitely approaching him.
And in quite the audacious way.
What should he do?
Simply sit back and watch the scenario rewrite itself and the lead change hands?
And why had Yoo Jin-seo made such a sudden choice?
‘Either she was tempted by something irresistible—or forced to yield.’
If that greedy fox had stepped down, it could only mean the reward was worth more than her pride.
Ownership of the Fox Den?
No, that couldn’t be it.
With the ‘Creator of the Burning Boundary’ gone, the Den was already hers in all but name.
Then there was only one possibility.
A fox who could wield a Divine Beast.
A fox who could make the Gumiho Yoo Jin-seo kneel.
It was the same tale passed down through generations.
If that were true, then this one must be—
“The Ten-Tailed Fox.”
‘Smirk.’
“At last, my true rival appears.”
—
‘Ding!’
《Welcome to the ‘Land of Poison.’》
《At the end of the ‘Land of Poison,’ defeat the demon ‘Dok-ryeong!’》
《All ‘Poison Bugs’ in this land will infect anything that moves.》
《They enter through the mouth and nose, taking control of their hosts.》
《Once a host, the victim loses all bodily control and attacks other challengers until death.》
A rather vicious announcement.
And as if to match it, the ‘Land of Poison’ spread before them—ominous and foreboding.
The ground glowed faintly violet-black, a barren, lifeless plain.
Below the surface, writhing poison bugs occasionally emerged.
“…There’s a path where the toxins are weaker. I’ll lead the way.”
Yoo Jin-seo stepped forward.
The foxes’ path—only that route could spare them from certain death.
Even the poison bugs avoided it.
This wasn’t something she could easily explain to others, so she volunteered to guide them.
To create a new scenario and eventually kill Aurum, they had to preserve as many survivors as possible.
But—
“Everyone, stay here.”
Park Chan-woo’s words broke all expectations.
‘Step.’
Then he boldly stepped onto the poisonous land.
“……!!”
“Is he insane!?”
“Does he even know what kind of poison that is!?”
The foxes couldn’t stop themselves from shouting.
The poison that filled this land wasn’t ordinary—it was strong enough to even infect the Gumiho Yoo Jin-seo herself.
There was no antidote.
The only way to cleanse it was to kill ‘Dok-ryeong.’
Without following the predetermined path,
one would die before even reaching the end.
And yet, Park Chan-woo was walking straight into the bug-infested toxic wasteland.
‘Ding!’
《[Thousand Poisons Immunity] activated.》
《Potent toxins are neutralized within your body.》
Park Chan-woo nodded.
‘Just as I thought.’
Back during the [Water Dragon Dungeon], when he’d seized the Fire God’s “Blessing” and consumed the ‘Ten Thousand Blood Pellet’—his constitution had evolved into [Thousand Poisons Immunity].
It meant a thousand poisons were harmless to him.
No toxin could take his life.
Naturally, the venom here would be no exception.
And indeed, his prediction proved right.
‘[Myriad Poisons Immunity] renders all poison useless, while [Thousand Poisons Immunity] at least ensures you won’t die from it.’
Only one person had ever reached the realm of ‘Myriad Poisons Immunity.’
Han Shin.
He possessed not only that, but also [Fireproof Body] and [Diamond Indestructibility].
But now, even Han Shin would struggle to reach that level again—for Park Chan-woo had stolen the Ten Thousand Blood Pellet meant for him.
Thanks to that, he would never again die from poison.
‘Poison bugs. Gu poison, huh.’
The worms slithering at his feet.
Park Chan-woo paused to observe.
These bugs embodied [Gu Poison]—parasites that infested hosts and took control of them.
They wielded immense venom and manipulated it freely.
‘Rare breeds grown strong by consuming toxins over centuries.’
His researcher’s curiosity stirred.
If time allowed, he would’ve dissected one to study its survival mechanism.
‘If I could absorb the poison of the Gu insects myself…’
A new idea took root.
If he absorbed their venom, perhaps his [Thousand Poisons Immunity] could ascend even further.
‘Splatter!’
He crushed a crawling Gu worm.
Violet blood splattered out—poison mixed with ichor.
Without hesitation, he lifted his poison-stained hand to his lips.
‘Gulp.’
“Mmh…”
His brow furrowed.
The taste was atrocious—beyond words.
It felt like his throat was burning away,
and his stomach churned painfully.
‘Ding!’
《[Thousand Poisons Immunity] active.》
《Potent and exotic toxins are neutralized internally.》
《Gu insects that have consumed poison for centuries possess the nature of [Spiritual Beasts].》
《Though they lack spiritual cores, their blood holds highly condensed venom that can serve as an elixir if absorbed safely.》
《Poison resistance +0.01%.》
“Oh.”
It worked.
He hadn’t expected such immediate results.
An elixir-like effect, no less.
‘This place is heaven.’
To him, the Land of Poison was paradise.
‘Splatter!’
‘Gulp!’
He crushed every approaching worm and devoured them.
Once accustomed, he chewed them whole.
By the time he reached the end of the Land of Poison—
‘Ding!’
《You have devoured all poison insects within the ‘Land of Poison!’》
《Unbelievable—such gluttony and tenacity!》
《The effect of [Thousand Poisons Immunity] doubles.》
《Title acquired: [Devourer of Poison Insects].》
—
‘Hissssss.’
The poison across the land began to fade.
The mist cleared, and even the wriggling bugs vanished.
《‘Dok-ryeong’ has been destroyed!》
《Someone has completed a ‘Perfect Scenario!’》
《The achiever is awarded five ‘Black Stars!’》
《‘Land of Poison’ complete.》
《The land is purified. Prepare for the ‘Fourth Trial.’》
“……”
The foxes were speechless.
They had thought he’d failed after taking so long—but no, he had succeeded again.
He had now reached the fourth trial.
“Who… is he?”
“He can’t be an ordinary fox…”
They were losing their minds with curiosity.
At first, they’d thought he was just some unknown upstart fox.
But with every trial, as Park Chan-woo performed miracle after miracle, all they could do was stare in awe.
Was that really a fox?
If he was—what kind of fox was he?
“……”
But Yoo Jin-seo said nothing.
She couldn’t.
Because even she didn’t know.
‘Park Chan-woo isn’t a piece of the hidden quest.’
She could only guess—as could all the others.
Every fox shared the same thought now.
If Park Chan-woo truly was a fox, if he was recognized by the Creator and granted full authority over the Fox Den—
‘Then he was never charmed at all.’
It was certain now.
She had believed he was under her charm, but that wasn’t true.
He had merely pretended.
Something had felt off from the start—and now she knew why.
In that instant, every fox’s mind was struck by the same realization.
‘The reason Lady Yoo Jin-seo made him the protagonist.’
‘The one who, with just a single meeting, made her abandon her will.’
‘The one who burned Hwar yeong, killed Cheon-ryeong by throwing his Holy Sword, and slew Dok-ryeong alone without being poisoned.’
There was only one possible explanation.
‘…Park Chan-woo is the Ten-Tailed Fox.’