Chapter 145
All doubts began to melt away like snow—but at the same time, confusion grew even stronger.
If Park Chan-woo was truly the Ten-Tailed Fox, then where had he come from?
Why had he suddenly appeared, declaring himself the “protagonist”?
…Wasn’t that strange?
The Ten-Tailed Fox was the god of foxes.
Had he revealed that from the start, there would’ve been no resistance.
Everyone would have followed him willingly.
‘You deceived me.’
A flicker of anger appeared on Yoo Jin-seo’s face.
She was now certain—Park Chan-woo wasn’t some simple “hidden piece.”
No matter how capable the ‘Creator of the Burning Boundary’ was, even he could never ‘create’ a Ten-Tailed Fox.
The Ten-Tailed Fox wasn’t something that could be born from a hidden scenario.
If that were possible, Aurum would’ve long become the Ten-Tailed Fox himself—the embodiment of despair.
Only a true Gumiho could claim that title.
‘The hidden piece, the Fox Fire, the charm—all of it was a lie.’
‘Grit.’
Yoo Jin-seo clenched her teeth.
She had never felt such humiliation before.
It was as if she’d been toyed with completely.
She crossed the cloud bridge swiftly.
When she finally found Park Chan-woo, she confronted him.
“What are you?”
Her eyes were cold.
Her tone and expression, frost itself.
Park Chan-woo turned his head toward her.
They stood at the threshold of the next trial—only the ‘final battle’ with Aurum remained after clearing the fourth.
Everything had been going according to plan.
‘Looks like she’s realized.’
His continuous feats must’ve drawn suspicion.
He couldn’t blame her; anyone would find it strange.
He was clearing the Fox Den too easily.
But no Creator would ever leave all their power inside a hidden piece.
‘A crossroads.’
He had to choose his next words carefully.
How he answered would decide everything ahead.
Without Yoo Jin-seo’s faith, he couldn’t defeat Aurum.
The Holy Sword’s power increased according to the number of followers—
but not by mere numbers alone.
The faith of one Gumiho like Yoo Jin-seo was worth far more than that of a hundred ordinary challengers.
If she began to doubt him, it wouldn’t be easy to recover.
He needed her to believe—no matter what.
‘She thinks I’m no longer under her charm.’
Her stern tone, her attempt at dominance—proof she was certain he’d broken free.
But she wasn’t calm.
Gone was the composure she had when convinced her charm worked.
Now she was tense.
Her very first question—his ‘identity’.
She clearly believed he wasn’t a hidden piece.
After a brief pause, he spoke.
“Exactly as you think.”
“…You’re saying you’re the real Ten-Tailed Fox?”
The Ten-Tailed Fox?
What nonsense was that?
He’d only said he could ‘find’ the Fox Fire that would make her the Ten-Tailed Fox—he had never once claimed to be one himself.
Yoo Jin-seo was gravely mistaken.
And surely, the other foxes thought the same.
Park Chan-woo nodded inwardly.
‘Even better.’
If they wanted to believe it, he’d let them.
That misunderstanding could win him the faith of every fox.
But that lie was a double-edged sword.
It could easily turn everyone into his enemy.
“I don’t see why I owe you an answer.”
He didn’t deny it.
Let the misunderstanding grow.
Silence breeds imagination—and imagination grows, rolling like a snowball until it becomes truth in the minds of those who believe.
He needed Yoo Jin-seo to ‘convince herself’ that he truly was the Ten-Tailed Fox.
“Then where did you come from? Why pretend to be under my charm?”
Her pupils trembled faintly.
She was certain now he hadn’t emerged from any hidden piece.
No Ten-Tailed Fox should’ve just appeared inside the Fox Den.
It was only natural for her to question it.
If he wasn’t created by the ‘Creator of the Burning Boundary’, then he must’ve come from outside the Den—but from where?
Park Chan-woo recalled what he knew of the Ten-Tailed Fox.
He had researched fox legends before—the race that fell during the Species War.
Just like humanity.
He answered.
“I came from the Rift.”
“…The Rift? You expect me to believe that?”
Her brows furrowed deeply.
It was absurd—unbelievable.
Of course, he knew that.
But he had to make this ‘impossible story’ sound convincing.
“When the world that housed the Fox Den collapsed, it fell through a rift into another world. I entered then.”
“Lies. Only Divine Beasts can survive in the Rift.”
“Cygnus.”
“…?”
In that instant—
‘Flap!’
From the high sky descended Cygnus, landing gracefully on Park Chan-woo’s shoulder.
Yoo Jin-seo’s eyes widened.
“A Divine Beast…!!”
Anyone could tell at a glance—Cygnus was a Divine Beast.
And descending from the heavens meant he had been in the Creator’s domain.
Then it hit her.
‘So that’s why he threw the Holy Sword into the sky…’
It was to hand it over to the Divine Beast.
That was why Cheon-ryeong never even appeared before dying.
A Divine Beast’s contractor—perhaps his words about coming from the Rift weren’t entirely lies.
And more than that—
‘The Ten-Tailed Fox was said to command Divine Beasts.’
If he could draw the Holy Sword, he was already a fox.
If he could ‘command a Divine Beast’, then there was no doubt left.
He was the Ten-Tailed Fox incarnate.
And the Ten-Tailed Fox could freely travel across other ‘Creation Abysses’ through his Divine Beast.
Everything aligned perfectly with the ancient tales.
Still, one question lingered.
“Then why pretend to be under my charm?”
“Because I needed your faith.”
“My faith…?”
“I’m incomplete. To complete this scenario, I needed your help—and the foxes’. Why else would I give you half my liver?”
“……”
Yoo Jin-seo fell silent.
Faith.
That word struck deep in her chest.
And indeed, she held half his liver—the foxes’ covenant ensuring mutual protection from charm.
His phrasing was manipulative, but not false.
“The Fox Fire… does it truly exist?”
Her final question.
She now understood where he came from, why he had pretended, what his identity seemed to be.
But not ‘why’.
Why would the Ten-Tailed Fox descend into a Creatorless Abyss to complete its scenario?
Park Chan-woo smiled faintly.
“It exists.”
“…!”
This at least was no lie.
Once Aurum was defeated and the scenario completed, the [Fox Fire] would appear—the true magic the foxes had lost long ago.
And then he said it—the decisive strike.
“Yoo Jin-seo. I came to ‘save’ this Fox Den.”
So believe in me.
I am your salvation.
—
Just before the fourth trial began, Yoo Jin-seo addressed the others.
“Only he can save us.”
She declared, before all, that Park Chan-woo was the true ‘protagonist.’
The impact was immediate.
None of the foxes had ever heard her speak that way before.
‘He really is the Ten-Tailed Fox!’
‘There’s no more doubt now!’
‘Salvation! She’s talking to us foxes!’
They were certain—those words weren’t for the humans, but for them.
Only Park Chan-woo could save the foxes.
Even the Holy Sword users joined in unison.
“I believe so too!”
“Let’s follow him!”
“I’ll follow!”
“Everyone, let’s move together!”
‘Ding!’
《896 challengers follow you.》
《1 ‘Gumiho’ follows you.》
《21 ‘Foxes’ follow you.》
《‘Holy Sword User’s’ stats greatly increase!》
《All attributes +200!》
The ripples of Yoo Jin-seo’s declaration were enormous.
Hundreds gathered behind Park Chan-woo.
It helped that his earlier followers had already been spreading the word among the challengers—
but her single statement was the final push.
Even multiple foxes joined in.
The stat increase was staggering.
‘One more step.’
Only one step remained—
Aurum was within reach.
Park Chan-woo didn’t hesitate and entered the ‘fourth trial.’
In truth, it posed no real threat to him.
‘Ding!’
《Welcome to the ‘Well of Despair.’》
《At the end of the ‘Well of Despair,’ defeat the demon ‘Soo-ryeong!’》
《You must eliminate all ‘Abnormal Fish’ within the well to proceed.》
Before him lay a deep well—its bottom unseen.
Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo leapt in.
At the same moment—
‘Crackle!’
‘Boom! Boom!’
Lightning—[Heaven’s Wrath]—rained wildly upon the well.
And then—
‘Ding!’
《‘Soo-ryeong’ has been destroyed!》
《Someone has completed a ‘Perfect Scenario!’》
《The achiever is awarded five ‘Black Stars!’》
《‘Well of Despair’ completed.》
《Scenario name changed to ‘Savior of the Fox Den.’》
“So fast…?”
“It’s already over?”
“As expected of our Savior!”
It had ended even faster than before.
The fourth trial was over—
so easily it felt almost anticlimactic.
And in that moment, everyone’s faith solidified.
Even those who had doubted could no longer deny it.
Only one trial remained.
‘Ding!’
《Prepare for the ‘Final Trial.’》
《Warning! In 30 minutes, the demon ‘Aurum’ will appear!》
《Once the ‘Final Battle’ begins, none may leave Aurum’s domain.》