Chapter 152
Humanity had already learned from experience that whenever a full moon rose, the [Trial of the Night] would begin.
Although the survival rate during the first and second nights had been high, the participants knew well enough.
“If you mess up even once, you’re all dead.”
“Don’t go in.”
“Don’t even look at it!”
“If it weren’t for the Savior, Lee Hyuk-soo, we’d all be corpses by now!”
If Lee Hyuk-soo hadn’t killed the Dragon God General during the first night, 1.98 million out of 2 million participants would have died.
If he hadn’t achieved the “Unique Achievement” during the second night, at least 800,000 of the 1 million participants would have perished.
…The Trial of the Night was dangerous.
It was the most accessible Abyss to enter—and the most fatal one.
Even if the first two nights were strokes of luck, a third stroke of luck was far from guaranteed.
Even Lee Hyuk-soo himself had warned that only those truly confident in their strength should dare to enter the [Trial of the Night].
Of course, there were many who opposed such warnings.
“Then what about those who got stronger thanks to it?”
“They said everyone who survived the second night got a [Platinum Box]!”
“Sounds like they just want to hog the rewards for themselves.”
“Do they think we’re too dumb to see through that?”
“Ugh, I’m so jealous!”
The gap between those who joined and those who didn’t grew wider by the day.
The quality of the rewards obtainable from the Trial of the Night far surpassed that of most [Creator Abysses].
In particular, the [Platinum Box] that every survivor of the second night received was said to have raised the overall combat strength of humanity itself.
Countless high-grade items had flooded the world.
Some people had even obtained [Legendary]-grade equipment—albeit only a handful.
And now, those same people who’d already taken all the honey were telling everyone else not to go in?
“Super Blue Moon!”
“They said it’s a festival!”
“There’s no participant limit this time!”
“This is huge!”
The moment the full moon appeared, the “inexperienced” participants erupted in excitement.
All previous [Trials of the Night] had participant limits.
But this one—was a Super Blue Moon.
A true festival of chaos.
Meanwhile, the “experienced” participants grew frantic.
BEEP—!
BEEP—BEEEEEEP!
Emergency alerts blared across South Korea.
—This is a national disaster warning.
—Do not enter!
—Do not look at the moon!
Through loudspeakers and every TV broadcast, the message repeated: Do not participate in the Trial of the Night.
If too many people entered the Third Night and suffered catastrophic losses, it wouldn’t be a national disaster—it would be an extinction-level event.
“…We’re cornered,” Lee Hyuk-soo muttered.
Inside the Abyss Disaster Center—a facility monitoring all active Abysses across Korea—he stood before a massive display.
Every known Abyss, every spatial distortion, streamed in real time across the map.
Minister Park Sang-min, standing beside him, nodded gravely.
“We’ve prepared as much as we could, but……”
They had pursued the Incarnation Alliance, recruited talented individuals, and planned thoroughly for the Third Night.
But even they hadn’t expected this.
Just looking at the moon could transport you into hell itself.
And this time, there wasn’t even a participant cap.
“How many do you think will enter?”
“…We’re estimating around 1.5% of the population.”
“Even without a limit?”
“……”
The Minister couldn’t answer.
That scenario hadn’t been accounted for.
Even at 1.5%, that was 750,000 people out of a 50 million population.
But that was assuming there *was* a limit.
Without one, people could keep entering for all five days straight.
“Five percent……”
Park Sang-min murmured quietly.
Lee Hyuk-soo frowned.
“Two and a half million? Just in Korea?”
“…That’s a conservative estimate. No one expected the second night’s [Platinum Box] rewards to come back and bite us like this……”
The perception of the “Nights” had changed.
Now, people saw them as challenges worth taking.
The rewards were simply too good for the survival rate.
Strong Abyss players were treated as heroes on Earth.
High levels and powerful gear elevated one’s social status automatically.
Thus, the “Night Abyss” had become the land of opportunity.
Fwooo—
“We’ll have to end it as quickly as possible,” Lee Hyuk-soo said, clenching his fist.
They couldn’t rely on the Prophet’s aid again.
This time, he would succeed on his own.
He had grown much stronger since then.
Park Sang-min shook his head slowly.
“What do you think is the reason for dividing the factions?”
“In the first night, the Twelve Divine Generals were spread across the world. In the second, there were ‘Chasers’ and ‘Fugitives.’ This time, I suspect……”
“Suspect what?”
“War.”
“……!!!”
War?
Did the Creator intend for humanity to turn against itself?
But it made sense.
Each Night so far had divided people into opposing sides.
If that pattern continued, faction wars were inevitable.
“Then we should all choose the same faction……”
Park Sang-min cautiously suggested.
They needed to fight together.
But Lee Hyuk-soo shook his head.
“We need people in every faction.”
“Why?”
“If we play by the Creator’s rules, everyone dies. We can never move according to its script.”
That was what the Prophet had taught him—become a maker of your own path.
Strike the Creator from behind.
“You’re planning to prevent the war itself?”
“Yes.”
The Creator wanted to divide humanity and incite war.
So the solution was to stop the war before it began.
“You’re joining the Warrior Faction?”
“Right. That’s where most people will gather.”
“Then the Abyss Safety Bureau will handle the others. We’ll distribute our people across all classes.”
“Good luck, Minister.”
“…Let’s all make it out alive.”
Park Sang-min’s face hardened.
Lee Hyuk-soo bowed once before leaving the center.
“Let’s go, Han Min-oh.”
“Yes, Master!”
—
At that same time, the Demon Merchant Dagon was briefing Park Chan-woo on the latest intel.
“Ahheta has accelerated the appearance of the [Super Blue Moon].”
“Faster than expected, huh.”
“He intends to annihilate humanity, Lord Ahheta does!” Dagon exclaimed.
The [Super Blue Moon].
It was Ahheta’s secret weapon—one that removed entry limits from the Night.
But it only appeared when Ahheta sought to *destroy* a world.
Park Chan-woo nodded calmly.
“He’s trying to summon the [Temple of Death].”
“Yes! …Yes, exactly. He’s attempting to summon the Temple of Death onto Earth.”
The [Temple of Death].
An Abyss so catastrophic that humanity had once failed to even enter its halls.
Guarding its entrance was [Anubis], the Gatekeeper—against whom humanity had been utterly defeated.
Afterward, it had been declared a forbidden zone.
But Dagon wasn’t talking about its use as a mere [Creator Abyss].
This time, its purpose was entirely different.
‘He’s trying to turn the entire planet into the Temple of Death.’
That was the sole purpose of the Super Blue Moon.
The entire world would be dragged into the Temple—and die.
That was why the message had called it a festival.
‘A festival for demons.’
Not for humanity—but for the demons.
As the world perished, unimaginable amounts of Coins would rain down.
‘If the Super Blue Moon has been summoned, it means the Temple of Death is preparing for war against humanity.’
The war against Death itself was about to begin.
And if humanity lost, “Death” would descend upon Earth.
……In a flash, memories passed through his mind.
‘So that’s how the orcs perished.’
When he had consumed the [Ten Thousand Blood Beads], the souls of ten thousand orcs had joined him.
Their civilization had fallen because of the Temple of Death.
They had lost the war against Death.
‘You’ve crossed the line, Ahheta.’
Crossed it far beyond redemption.
He had left Park Chan-woo no choice but to fight back.
But—
‘You’ll pay dearly for it.’
Because if Ahheta lost, the backlash would be catastrophic.
With so many entrants, even a modest survival rate could bankrupt him.
Still, one thing puzzled him.
“Then why divide the factions? If it’s humanity versus Death anyway.”
Dagon tilted his head.
The power of Death far surpassed humanity’s.
In truth, there was no contest.
Right now, humans were weaker than the orcs had been.
“He probably wants to balance the sides before the war starts.”
“Ah, true… Ahheta doesn’t have the authority to wage a one-sided war.”
There were plenty of other Creators with their eyes on Earth.
If Ahheta unilaterally destroyed it, the backlash from the others would be immense.
Ahheta was, after all, the Creator of the “Night Game.”
Having failed twice, he now needed to put on the most spectacular show possible.
A game without even the illusion of balance would only disappoint.
Dividing the factions was likely his way of maintaining that “balance.”
“And he’s probably trying to find me.”
“……You mean, you, the Contract Holder?”
“Yeah.”
Park Chan-woo had already read Ahheta’s intentions.
The Creator was openly provoking him.
‘He mentioned [Mystery] in the message.’
That proved Ahheta had checked the [Mystery Codex].
Otherwise, there’d have been no reason to bring it up.
He was hunting for the one who stole [Baal’s Belt].
“The shop rights—did you bring them?”
“Yes. I’ve secured permission to operate the [Grand Shop].”
“Well done.”
The Demon Merchants would also take part in the Third Night.
No merchant would pass up such a lucrative festival.
This meant Park Chan-woo now had an ally—Dagon.
He stroked his chin.
‘Ahheta thinks I’m an Archmage.’
Naturally, he would expect Park Chan-woo to enter the [Mage Faction].
He’d likely filled that place with traps.
No doubt about it.
But Park Chan-woo wasn’t just any mage.
He looked up at the sky.
Ding!
《Entering the [Third Night].》
《You have chosen the [Warrior Faction].》
《Challengers who choose the [Warrior Faction] must pass the trials of [Death Knight Gula].》
《Upon clearing all of [Death Knight Gula]’s trials, you may proceed to the next ordeal.》
《When all factions complete their trials and reach the [Temple of Death], the true war against Death begins.》
《Depending on the trial completion rates, challengers will gain the power to resist Death.》
《Within the time limit, defeat [Anubis], the guardian of the Temple and the embodiment of Death itself!》
《Failure will result in the [Temple of Death] engulfing the entire planet.》
《Additionally, the four factions with the lowest completion rates will perish along with their challengers. Only one faction will survive.》
The most ruthless night in history—
This time, it wasn’t just about surviving the trials.
Ahheta was forcing humanity to turn on itself.
He had thrown down the gauntlet.
And Park Chan-woo accepted it.
‘Anubis, huh.’
Coincidentally, he had someone similar by his side.
Radiant Anubis—Boksil.
Taking a deep breath, Park Chan-woo stepped into the Third Night, his calm laced with simmering fury.
At that moment—
Ding!
《The first trial of [Death Knight Gula] is to leave a mark on the [Black Iron].》
《Only those with Strength 50 or higher, or those possessing exceptional sword skill, can scratch the Black Iron.》
《The number and proportion of successful participants will determine the completion rate of the first trial.》
《The deeper your scratch, the higher your ranking.》
《Those who achieve top ranks will receive a very special reward: the [Death Box].》