Chapter 149
Aurum’s domain unfolded, marking the beginning of the [Final Battle].
The Nine-Tailed Fox, Yoo Jin-seo, watched the scene with a pale face.
‘Was my judgment truly right?’
Even for the Ten-Tailed Fox, this wouldn’t be easy. Aurum was a fox evolved through the desperate efforts of the [Creator of the Burning Boundary].
‘That thing… is a calamity.’
Just thinking of him made her shudder.
Aurum had been born with radiant talent—learning a hundred things from one. The Creator who recognized his potential bestowed endless enhancements upon him, and so Aurum’s combat prowess grew stronger by the day.
But what truly made him terrifying wasn’t his raw power.
‘Eyes that see through an opponent’s weakness.’
Aurum called them the [Eyes of Enlightenment].
For those on the receiving end, it was merely hearing their hidden weaknesses spoken aloud by him.
But knowing didn’t mean fixing, and understanding didn’t mean overcoming.
Only Aurum could do that—he alone, blessed with a limitless, heaven-granted talent.
So even the Ten-Tailed Fox would not find this an easy fight.
If anything—
‘Maybe I’ve only given Aurum another stepping stone to grow.’
The stronger his opponent, the faster Aurum recognized his flaws and evolved. Watching him evolve in real time was enough to make one feel wretchedly powerless.
…Maybe I should have entered the battle alongside him.
Countless thoughts flooded her mind.
Then—
Rumble!
The ground shook.
“T-the barrier…!”
“It’s breaking!”
“Everyone, fall back!”
The foxes wielding Holy Swords cried out in panic.
Aurum’s domain was collapsing.
That could mean only one thing.
‘…The battle is over.’
Yoo Jin-seo’s fate had been decided.
If Aurum had won, he would never forgive her for altering the scenario and replacing the protagonist. She had overturned the board at will; he would do the same.
With tense eyes, she stared at the crumbling barrier.
And soon—
“Ah…!”
“……!!!”
Yoo Jin-seo gasped.
The other foxes’ eyes widened as well.
Because—
“Aurum…!”
He was still alive.
—
Aurum had died.
To be exact, the [Demon Aurum] had died.
After all, Aurum was a fox—a Nine-Tailed Fox. He was not something that could be slain by a Holy Sword.
The previous four trials were the same—all merely spirits disguised as demons, programmed to be reverse-summoned after ten strikes.
However—
‘I definitely died.’
If that sword hadn’t been a trial weapon, but Park Chan-woo’s true blade, then he would have died when his head was severed.
The Holy Sword was a [No-Rank] tool that could only be used within the Fox Den. Even generously rated, it wouldn’t surpass [Rare-grade]—essentially trash.
There was no way Aurum could die from such a sword.
And yet, it was as good as death.
He had lost in a battle of pure skill.
It was his first defeat, and Aurum accepted it.
‘There’s always another sky above the sky…’
Just as there was a true heaven above the false sky of the Abyss, so too did such a gap exist between him and his opponent.
He accepted it humbly.
Especially since that overwhelming talent was not something he could ever obtain, no matter how much he desired it.
So he let go.
Breaking through the collapsing veil, Aurum stepped out.
Facing those staring at him with bated breath, he spoke.
“I have been defeated.”
He came out only to declare that single truth.
Seeing their blank faces, Aurum added another sentence.
“The victory is yours.”
“W-wait. Then where is Park Chan-woo…?”
Yoo Jin-seo asked with a trembling voice.
Aurum brushed his neck once before answering.
“He’s right over there.”
Indeed, Park Chan-woo stood in the distance.
But it was strange. Why had the loser emerged to proclaim defeat while the victor remained behind?
“Then why… did you come out instead of him?”
“He’s reviewing the fight as the victor.”
“Reviewing?”
“Aah… what a monster he is.”
Park Chan-woo sat with eyes closed, recalling every moment of battle—engraving each spark of talent into himself.
Aurum chuckled softly.
Truly insatiable. A mass of relentless desire.
‘Did I hear that right?’
‘If even Aurum calls him a monster…’
‘Unbelievable…’
The foxes were equally stunned.
Aurum—the genius who deemed all others inferior—had acknowledged his defeat and admitted his shortcomings.
Yoo Jin-seo raised her Holy Sword and asked,
“…Then what now? Is the Fox Den saved?”
“It will disappear.”
“Disappear?”
“When the Fox Den vanishes, I and all foxes will fade with it.”
“……What?”
Yoo Jin-seo froze.
Aurum merely shrugged.
He was doomed regardless. When the Fox Den was cleared, their deaths were sealed.
They were not Creators; they could not exist outside this realm. Born and raised within the Fox Den, they could never adapt to the outside world.
Once the Den vanished, it would merge with Earth’s environment—and that would destroy them. In a non-Abyss domain, they could not survive.
Unless one possessed a Creator’s qualification.
“Th-that can’t be…”
Yoo Jin-seo trembled.
Was it all a lie from the start?
But thinking back—
“In a sense, it was the ‘salvation of the Fox Den.’”
Indeed, Park Chan-woo had promised salvation for the Fox Den, not for the foxes themselves.
He hadn’t lied. The created Abyss had finally been cleared—a place that might have remained forever unbroken had now reached its end.
That could, in a way, be called salvation.
But still—
“I’ve lost. Thus, I’ll accept death quietly.”
Aurum declared calmly, drawing a line.
He urged the others not to interfere and to accept this end together.
Of course, no fox would willingly embrace death—but this was Aurum, the monster of monsters. Even all foxes combined could not oppose him.
…Then it happened.
[‘The Fox Den’ has been cleared.]
[All challengers will return to their original locations.]
Whoosh!
Swoosh!
People began vanishing one by one—returning to where they had been before entering, back to Earth.
Soon, all thousand challengers had returned.
Only the foxes remained.
Then another message appeared.
[Restart requires Creator authorization.]
[No Creator exists to manage ‘Fox Den.’]
[The fulfilled ‘Fox Den’ will now be erased.]
Rumble!
The heavens trembled.
The Abyss’s domain was reaching its end.
“Ah…”
“No…!”
The foxes screamed.
None had imagined their existence would end this way.
Yoo Jin-seo bit her lip, glaring toward Park Chan-woo.
Her eyes burned with resentment and disbelief.
So it had all been a lie. He had deceived them from the start.
Had she known, she never would have trusted him.
Swish—
Park Chan-woo opened his eyes and rose to his feet.
Yoo Jin-seo glared at him.
‘If you can speak… say something…’
Even an excuse would do. Anything at all.
Then—
“Cygnus.”
He spoke softly.
“Devour it.”
Swoooosh—!
A dazzling blue light erupted from the heavens, so bright it blinded the eye. The Abyss itself was being pulled into Cygnus’s body like a black hole.
Then, with heavy eyes, Park Chan-woo looked toward the foxes.
“I’ll let you all live.”
“Hm? That’s impossible. We’re bound to perish with the Fox Den.”
Aurum questioned him, but Park Chan-woo thought differently.
Ziiing!
A golden warp formed in the air.
The [Land of Valhalla].
“Live within my Abyss.”
“…Impressive. But it’s the same—we are foxes born in the Fox Den. We cannot adapt to another Abyss.”
“It’s not an ordinary Abyss. It’s the [Night Domain] I took from the [Master of the Moon, Ahheta].”
“…Ahheta!”
That name was well known.
No being of the Abyss was unaware of the [Master of the Moon, Ahheta], one of the most renowned Creators.
And he had taken that domain?
“The [Night Domain] is designed so that any Abyssal being can live within it. You’ll adapt easily.”
The Night Domains managed by Ahheta were among the most valuable territories in the Abyss.
The Land of Valhalla was one of them—a perfect new home for the foxes.
“…Why are you saving us?”
“Let’s call it a whim.”
Park Chan-woo replied casually.
Through his battle with Aurum, he had ascended to a higher realm.
He also realized that Aurum possessed a clearer spirit than expected—one who had inherited the name of [Arahan].
Yoo Jin-seo had yet to fall completely, and as long as Aurum lived, she would not easily stray.
‘I can create another personal Abyss now.’
He wouldn’t waste the opportunity to duplicate coins.
Then—
Fwoosh!
A flame appeared upon his palm.
“The Fox Fire…!”
“It’s the Fox Fire!”
The foxes instinctively recognized it.
The essence they had lost long ago—their origin.
“I’ll return it. It was yours to begin with.”
Park Chan-woo slowly approached Aurum and extended his hand.
“……”
Aurum’s eyes trembled as he gazed at the flame.
Not only was he sparing them, he was returning the Fox Fire as well.
For a fox, longing for the Fox Fire was only natural. And he was offering it back—without any condition.
‘Far more monstrous than I imagined.’
An existence beyond measure.
Aurum bowed his head in genuine awe.
Thud.
He dropped to one knee.
“…I, Aurum, shall acknowledge you as my new master.”
His attitude changed completely.
Every fox gasped in shock.
Aurum had never shown such respect—not even to the [Creator of the Burning Boundary].
He had often looked down on others but never revered anyone.
And now, he was kneeling, uttering the word master.
“M-me too! I’ll follow!”
“Please, become our Creator!”
The other foxes quickly knelt as well.
If Aurum acknowledged him as master, then so would they.
Only one fox remained standing—Yoo Jin-seo.
Her expression was conflicted.
But her hesitation didn’t last long.
Salvation—he had kept his word.
Yoo Jin-seo slowly—
Thud!
Kneeled and said quietly,
“…We shall serve you, our new master.”
—
The foxes began to settle within the [Land of Valhalla].
And the Creator Adora immediately began constructing a new [Created Abyss] for them.
Later, Park Chan-woo returned home and examined his rewards.
‘A 5-Star Platinum Box.’
It was the first he had ever obtained.
And that wasn’t all—there was a special reward as well.
He checked the message again.
[You have defeated five demons with exactly fifty strikes.]
[An unprecedented record.]
[O, you who have achieved the impossible!]
[‘Hidden Piece’ has been activated.]
[You have acquired the ‘Legendary Potential Imbuement Scroll.’]
A true [Hidden Piece] had appeared.
Reading the message, Park Chan-woo smirked.
“…Truly, the Fox Den is the gift that keeps on giving.”