Chapter 179
Cygnus had been divine from the moment he was born.
A single horn rising from the center of his elegantly curved forehead, emerald-colored fur soft as down, long wings that matched his frame, and a sleek black tail.
His blue eyes—so deep they seemed to pull you in—were captivating just by looking at them.
He had been about waist-high.
Still a cub, still adorable.
He resembled a griffon—an extremely rare creature even in the Abyss—but the mystery emanating from him was on a completely different level.
“It’s me, Father. Cygnus. Can’t you recognize me?”
Cygnus sounded hurt.
But anyone who had known the former Cygnus would have reacted just as Park Chan-woo did.
First, the size.
The creature who once barely reached his waist was now tall enough that Park Chan-woo had to look up.
A little over four meters.
He had grown far too much.
Park Chan-woo had never seen any living being grow this drastically in a single hour.
Cygnus had devoured the Eternal Land and digested its power at an absurdly fast rate, completing his growth instantly.
It defied logic.
But that was why he was a Divine Creature—
a being born from the cracks of the world, beyond all common sense.
The largest Divine Creature he had ever seen…
Had been larger than Mount Everest.
There were quite a few Divine Creatures taller than skyscrapers—
some so massive that he couldn’t see their full bodies with the naked eye.
He had always wondered what they ate to grow like that.
It seemed the answer was simple:
each time they devoured a high-value Creation Abyss, they underwent explosive growth.
Cygnus’s appearance now was close to that of a dragon.
Not like the Dragon race—whose forms resembled Western dragons.
Cygnus resembled an Eastern dragon.
His single horn had become two.
His face was more wolf-like.
His blue eyes burned with far greater intensity, radiating an intimidating aura.
The cuteness was almost gone.
In its place—dignity.
Presence.
Authority.
In other words—
“…You look amazing.”
He really did.
That was why Park Chan-woo had asked if he was truly Cygnus.
The difference before and after was so drastic that it was hard to believe they were the same being.
“Thank you. But I still have more growing to do. My brothers should be rapidly growing by now as well.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
“Even so… There isn’t much time before we must enter the crack and compete. I have to win.”
Cygnus spoke with clear ambition.
Victory.
He wanted to surpass all his siblings.
To become king among the Divine Creatures.
But… were his siblings really growing like this?
Park Chan-woo doubted it.
“Don’t worry. Eternal Land—territories like that—are rare even in the Abyss.”
The Eternal Land was valuable enough to serve as the main base of a Lord-class ruler.
And Cygnus hadn’t only devoured the Eternal Land—
He had also consumed the Super Blue Moon.
One of the strongest Night powers.
It was natural he grew so quickly.
Even if a fully grown Divine Creature was helping another, they would have to face Named Creators to gather this level of Creation Abyss.
Named Creators… even a powerful Divine Creature risked death facing a Lord-class ruler.
Would any Divine Creature throw its life away for that?
No.
Which meant Cygnus’s growth rate far outpaced his siblings.
“We’ll win. No matter what.”
Their goals were different, but their direction was the same.
Three months until the Species War.
Park Chan-woo had to prove himself there.
When his power was revealed, people would learn he was the Archmage.
Once that happened—
if he didn’t prove himself completely, he would be sniped the moment the Species War ended.
So—
I’ll show them.
He would demonstrate his strength.
Dominate the rankings.
Display overwhelming power.
Show the creators—
There is a threat among humanity.
Humanity can become the thirteenth species.
That was humanity’s first step towards survival.
“Yes, Father!”
Feeling Park Chan-woo’s resolve, Cygnus nodded vigorously.
“I found the entrance to the Secret Laboratory.”
“Let’s head out immediately.”
“You’re exhausted. You should rest—”
“I’m fine.”
“There’s no need to rush too much, right?”
Cygnus echoed Park Chan-woo’s earlier words.
“…Then let’s rest for 30 minutes.”
“…Only 30?”
“Fine. Forty.”
“Yes… Forty minutes should be enough.”
Cygnus joked lightly, realizing his father’s stubbornness.
Their hearts were aligned.
They would win.
No matter the hardship, no matter the adversity—
they would charge forward like a rhinoceros horn.
Like father, like son.
Though they were different species and unrelated by blood, the bond between Cygnus and Park Chan-woo had always been there—
from the beginning.
Park Chan-woo stretched out on the ground.
Fatigue washed over him instantly.
Sleepiness like Lilith’s whisper pressed down on him, but he endured.
A title had been added.
Feeling himself on the verge of fainting, he opened the status window.
—
[Titles Held]
Friend of the Extinct Species — Recognition effect from relics left behind by extinct races
One Who Received the Call of Light — Light Resistance +30%, all positive Light-related effects +30%
Lord Slayer — Fear effect applied to all Abyss Lords
—
Anubis’s final gifts.
Even Lord Slayer had evolved, changing from Threat to Fear.
Excellent.
Nothing here was useless.
All three were top-tier titles depending on how they were used.
He continued checking his status.
And immediately—
His eyes widened.
“…!”
Sleep vanished at once.
—
The Black Witch stared into the silver eyes of Ataraxia, the black dragon.
The deepest abyss.
His gaze was deeper still.
“You failed?”
She had ordered Ataraxia to retrieve Wish and the Star of Arrogance.
She had commanded him to punish Adora and the helper who had taken her treasures.
But today, Ataraxia reported failure.
“…Yes. I concluded further tracking is impossible.”
“You couldn’t track Adora or the one with the Star of Arrogance? Not even with your magic?”
“I apologize, Black Witch.”
Ataraxia bowed.
It was a lie.
Inside the territory of the Second Night, Ataraxia had encountered Dragon God Sephiro.
For dragons, Sephiro was absolute.
He could not interfere with his play.
He followed the Black Witch only for superficial reasons—
to stir war in the Abyss.
The only master I follow is Lord Sephiro.
Sephiro possessed Wish and the Star of Arrogance.
Naturally, he could not tell the Black Witch that Sephiro was responsible.
“This is the first time. You’ve never failed a mission before.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Ataraxia had completed more than a hundred missions flawlessly.
Once he pursued someone, he never missed.
The Black Witch had every reason to be suspicious.
“It seems he is someone who cannot be tracked by ordinary means.”
“He is the one who sliced off my flesh. He is no ordinary being.”
He had defied providence.
He climbed the Tower of Arrogance and severed her finger.
He had touched the Black Witch’s body—something unthinkable.
She would find him.
No matter what.
“Ataraxia. I know you reached Valhalla’s Territory. What did you do there?”
Ataraxia stiffened.
How did she know?
Valhalla’s Territory—the realm of the Second Night.
The Black Witch knew he had gone.
He had met Sephiro and stalled, wandering around aimlessly for a month before reporting failure—just in case he was being watched.
But the Black Witch specifically mentioned Valhalla’s Territory.
“…Were you watching me?”
“I simply found out naturally.”
She was caught.
She had been observing the Second Night from the beginning.
Humanity on Earth—the ones who conquered the Tower of Arrogance—
she had been watching them as well.
She must have spotted Ataraxia during that time.
Ataraxia remained expressionless and replied.
“I was searching for special humans. I assumed they would stand out if they held Wish and the Star of Arrogance.”
“Archmage.”
“…?”
“That’s the name of the one who registered the Star of Arrogance in the Mystery Codex.”
A brazen man.
Openly registering what he stole.
It infuriated her.
“He must have played a decisive role in Ahhetta’s bankruptcy. The Demon God punished Ahhetta, but the cause lies with the Archmage.”
“I’ll find the Archmage.”
Ataraxia bowed.
Of course—
I’ll pretend to look.
He had no intention of actually finding him.
A mere dragon could not interfere with the Dragon God’s game.
But the Black Witch shook her head.
“No. Find Ahhetta’s Secret Laboratory. Before the Archmage does.”
“…Do you know where it is?”
“The Eternal Land where the Third Night took place. It must be hidden there somewhere. Even if the Archmage finds it, Ahhetta surely set up countless devices. He won’t enter easily.”
“The Night has ended. I can’t go in.”
“I’ll open the way. I’ll send three witches with you. Bring me the most precious thing inside.”
“…The most precious thing?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
“…Understood.”
He said he understood, but he didn’t understand at all.
What could be more precious than the Archmage?
Yet the Black Witch seemed desperate—
pushing Ataraxia to reach the Secret Laboratory before the Archmage.
If she was sending witches to watch him, he had no choice.
He couldn’t secretly abandon the mission.
The Black Witch clearly didn’t trust him fully.
“Leave immediately.”
—
—
《Cygnus’s Foxfire reveals the true form of the Secret Laboratory.》
《Detected bloodline of Grand Commander of Death Anubis.》
《The Shadow of Death encasing the Secret Laboratory recognizes you as the new Grand Commander (Special Administrator).》
《The Special Administrator has full authority over all traps and defenses, including 500 Dark Guardians, 300 Death Golems, and 100 Nightmares protecting the facility.》