Chapter 160
In the final battle at the Tower of Arrogance, Kankun had undeniably fallen.
Though he believed he had conquered fear, he couldn’t overcome the Death Witch Adora, who had awakened her [Wish]. Misunderstanding led him to attack Park Chan-woo—his comrade and savior.
As a result, Park Chan-woo was left on the verge of death.
‘I gave you my heart.’
Afterward, the two heroes ceased fighting and gave everything to save Park Chan-woo.
Adora offered her [Wish], and Kankun offered his own heart.
All for the sake of Park Chan-woo’s survival.
Leaving only one request—to slay the ‘Black Witch’, his tribe’s nemesis.
Thus, Kankun had died.
‘My heart will become your blade.’
That was enough.
Even if Kankun perished, his heart would remain as Park Chan-woo’s eternal sword.
Wielded forever by his hand, Kankun would live on as a blade for eternity.
The thought alone brought a smile to his lips.
He pitied Ahheta and the Black Witch—who would one day face this monstrous warrior.
When Park Chan-woo brushed the edge of death—
‘I saw it. The other death within you.’
Originally, Kankun was supposed to vanish in the [Realm of Zero].
The fate of one offered as a sacrifice.
To be forgotten and lost, fading into the void where nothing existed.
…And yet.
At the moment of annihilation, something seized his soul.
A being that was death itself. Something Kankun could not even begin to comprehend.
The end of all things.
A being that dwarfed the Lords of the Abyss—a monster beyond compare.
An absolute entity that lay beyond the void and beneath the realm of shadows.
【Do you truly believe this one bears a radiance greater than mine?】
‘It’ spoke in a voice brimming with irritation.
When Kankun praised the brilliant talent of Park Chan-woo, the being appeared—demanding not to be compared, issuing a subtle threat.
So Kankun answered.
Yes.
Nothing could surpass Park Chan-woo’s brilliance.
Then, ‘it’ sneered and devoured Kankun’s soul.
【Your soul is rather satisfactory. In accordance with your wish, I shall watch a little longer.】
It delayed Park Chan-woo’s death—just a bit.
And only then did Kankun realize what it was.
That entity…
It was the one destined to bring Park Chan-woo to his end.
The one forcing limits upon his life and driving him toward ruin.
‘The death of Park Chan-woo.’
The true [Death].
—
Kankun’s soul had surely been devoured by ‘Death’.
But the moment Park Chan-woo stepped into the ‘Temple of Death’—
‘Strange. Why does my soul still remain?’
His soul began to take form.
As if ‘Death’ had spat him back out.
And naturally, the reason was obvious.
‘…You want me to help him? Even if my soul vanishes in the end?’
It was Park Chan-woo.
Perhaps this ‘Temple of Death’ was deemed too dangerous for him.
Or maybe there was another reason.
The ‘Death’ Kankun had encountered was too fickle to understand its intentions.
But one thing was certain.
“How amusing.”
……For the first time in ages, he could truly unleash his strength again.
‘An Orc Lord, huh.’
It was Kankun’s first time facing an orc with the stature of a monarch.
Kankun was an [Orc Master], the leader of a tribe.
But a monarch reigned over countless tribes.
The number of orcs under them alone couldn’t compare.
Nor could their strength.
Yet he didn’t care.
Shiiiing!
Two greatswords floated around Kankun.
Combined with the one in his grip, he wielded three swords forged from the manifestation of his soul.
“Having overcome death and experienced death, I now stand above death itself.”
He had effectively lived three lifetimes.
And with the enlightenment gained from them, Kankun had surpassed even the rank of Swordmaster.
Perhaps that’s why ‘Death’ had spared his soul.
It believed Kankun still had value.
After all, that ‘Death’ seemed to treasure those with exceptional talent.
No—more precisely…
‘It envies Park Chan-woo.’
It coveted Park Chan-woo’s talent.
‘It became so envious that it made Park Chan-woo terminal.’
To prevent his brilliance from fully blooming, it imposed a time limit.
No matter how great your talent, let’s see if you can truly blossom in time.
But Kankun believed differently.
“Keep up, comrade. My speed will surpass your expectations.”
Park Chan-woo would bloom.
He would shine so brightly it would engulf the entire Abyss.
Kankun fused his three swords into a single greatsword.
Then—
CRAAAAACK!
He charged straight at the chimera that had once been the Orc Lord.
—
The system message announcing the Legendary Quest had left everyone in shock.
But none were more shaken than Ahheta.
‘How…?’
Even Ahheta didn’t know the conditions for unlocking a Legendary Quest.
It wasn’t a quest he had created.
It had been left behind by the original ruler of the Third Night—just before their sealing—as a final trump card.
Had the conditions been too easy, Ahheta might’ve found and deleted it long ago. So naturally, they were far from simple.
‘Archmage… was it you again?’
Ahheta never took his eyes off the Mage Camp.
Since the trials proceeded sequentially, he had observed the leading humans, carefully scanning each faction.
If the ‘Archmage’ had chosen the Mage Camp, there was no way Ahheta would’ve missed him.
…But.
‘Did he pick a different faction?’
If it wasn’t him, no one else could’ve unlocked the Legendary Quest.
No species had ever done it before.
He had provoked the Archmage, so he was certain the man would choose the Mage Camp—but he was wrong.
Avoiding a frontal clash, the Archmage had chosen another faction and unlocked the Legendary Quest in just one day.
The real problem was what came after.
“He… persuaded warriors from the Legion of Death?”
An unbelievable turn of events.
The ‘Death Warriors’ placed in the Warrior’s faction as examiners—including Gula—were now radiating pure holy power and completing other factions’ trials in reverse.
He was past disbelief and on the verge of madness.
‘There should be no way to undo the death flower Anubis planted!’
Anubis plants death.
That’s how he turns beings into [Death Warriors].
No matter how holy the victim, the [Flower of Death] remains absolute.
And yet…
They were all gone.
Every Flower of Death had vanished.
In their place, [Flowers of Life] had bloomed.
And if that weren’t enough—
The Archmage had disappeared, leaving only the converted warriors behind.
“You… entered the Temple of Death, didn’t you?”
Crack!
Ahheta ground his teeth.
He’d vanished again.
After orchestrating all of this, he had disappeared into a place where Ahheta could no longer observe.
…He’d been careless.
He had been certain the Archmage would pick the Mage Camp.
Instead of scanning all of the Third Night, he had tunnel-visioned on one faction.
Had he spared just a glance elsewhere, the Legendary Quest might never have been unlocked.
Had he even bothered to check whether the ‘final trials’ were proceeding smoothly…
“…It must end.”
He could not lose this territory again.
This was where the [Temple of Death] resided.
Among all his lands, this one held the greatest value.
Even if he had to give up every treasure vault, he had to protect this place.
It held a ‘special meaning’ that couldn’t be replaced.
Naturally, the Legendary Quest’s difficulty was incomparable to the ‘Second Night’—
…And yet, why did he feel so uneasy?
It should be impossible to reach the end, but with the Archmage… it felt disturbingly plausible.
The sting of repeated losses still lingered.
Ahheta clenched his jaw.
“…Anubis.”
“You called, my master?”
Anubis appeared at Ahheta’s summons.
Though the appearance conditions hadn’t been met yet, if things continued, all trials would be completed, and balance would be forced.
Summoning Anubis now would break the rules and cost an immense number of coins, but…
“It’s time for you to act. End the ‘Night’ as quickly as possible.”
There was no room for hesitation.
He had to end the ‘Third Night’ immediately.
That would terminate the Legendary Quest too.
Anubis bowed his head.
“Yes. I shall lead them all to death.”
—
Ruuuumble!
The ground shook.
The massive beast—the Orc Lord—collapsed and vanished.
“……”
Priest Yan and the orcs could only stare speechlessly at Kankun.
Kankun’s blade had cleanly severed the Orc Lord’s head.
The head of a monarch once followed by tens of millions—felled in a single strike.
“That one… just who…”
Yan had never seen an orc this powerful.
Not just among orcs.
Even the [Death Knights] he had seen in the war against death didn’t compare to Kankun.
His overwhelming power, the precision of his swordsmanship, the courage to charge forth, and the unshakable resolve in his eyes—
None of the warriors they’d seen before even came close.
FWOOOOOSH!
In that moment—
The Orc Lord’s body vanished, his soul igniting into flame.
Ding!
《You have obtained the ‘Essence of the Orc Lord’.》
《The ‘Essence of the Orc Lord’ purifies Area 1 of the ‘Temple of Death’.》
《All souls of the dead in Area 1 return to their original form.》
《Collect more Essences in the ‘Temple of Death’.》
《Once all areas are purified, the ‘Temple of Death’ will transform into the ‘Temple of Eternity’, and the ‘Ancient Being (Outer God)’ will awaken.》
《Wish upon the ‘Outer God’, and it shall be granted.》