Chapter 23
This was Park Chan-woo’s first time in a [Dungeon Abyss].
He had never directly experienced one like the [Abyss of the First Night].
In the first place, he didn’t start actively raiding the Abyss until more than six months from now.
Only after the end of the first [Species War] did he finally begin to move.
When 120 million randomly selected people vanished as “sacrifices.”
After tasting that staggering fear, Park Chan-woo had no choice but to act.
‘Because every last hope I could lean on had vanished.’
He instinctively realized that true hell had begun.
And he knew: if he didn’t put in the effort, he wouldn’t survive in the world that was to come.
When 120 million people evaporated all at once, the world came to a standstill.
But when everyone froze, Park Chan-woo moved.
That’s how he, despite his late start, managed to reach Level 99 faster than anyone else.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
‘Even if I didn’t experience it firsthand, I was always well-informed about the Abyss.’
Park Chan-woo always kept his ears open for anything related to the Abyss.
As fearful as he was, he was also deeply curious.
He never brushed off past events as irrelevant.
Piece by piece, all that accumulated knowledge had supported his survival and rapid growth.
Naturally, he had also picked up quite a bit of intel on the [Dungeon Abyss].
—Don’t even try to clear the [Water God Abyss]. That thing, the [Water God], is horrifying beyond belief.
—But out of all the dungeons, it has the most rewards.
—I’ve even heard stories of people finding elixirs in there now and then.
—The sooner you enter, the more you’ll gain. But if I could go back, I wouldn’t enter. Those damn [Incarnations] ran wild like lunatics.
Everyone had the same sentiment when recalling that day:
It was absolute garbage.
Especially the [Water God Abyss]—no one wanted to go back in even if offered the chance.
Because it had the most rampant [Incarnation] activity of any dungeon.
‘So that’s why the [Incarnations] ran wild here… It wasn’t just because of the high score.’
He had assumed it was simple.
That the [Incarnations] had gathered to interfere with the dungeon’s clear.
After all, the [Water God Abyss] was worth 1,000 points—the highest among all [Dungeon Abysses].
But that wasn’t it.
There had been another reason Yoo Han-seop had entered the [Water God Abyss] with people from the very beginning.
He had sensed something off—and now he knew what it was.
‘Yoo Han-seop knows the locations of treasures buried within the [Water God Abyss].’
Park Chan-woo quietly followed behind Yoo Han-seop.
Seeing the man confidently choosing his path with zero hesitation confirmed it.
There was no doubt Yoo Han-seop was familiar with the terrain here.
More than that, he likely knew the exact locations of all the hidden treasures.
‘His contracted [Creator] must’ve told him.’
The [Creator] who made a contract with Yoo Han-seop.
And many other [Creators] had also dispatched their [Incarnations] to the [Water God Abyss].
Now it was clear why this dungeon was swarming with [Incarnations].
‘…The [Water God Abyss] was designed for the [Incarnations].’
Sometimes, [Creators] crafted special Abysses specifically to help their [Incarnations] grow.
There were also cases of collaborative efforts between [Creators].
This seemed to be the latter.
A collaboration between the [Creator] who made the dungeon and others who worked together.
These [Creators] had deliberately seeded “arrangements” within the dungeon as a way to fuel their [Incarnations]’ growth.
The best example being: elixirs.
‘Placing elixirs in the Abyss isn’t easy. Unless it’s a properly cultivated environment like this one.’
The rewards a [Creator] can place depend heavily on the Abyss’s setting.
And the most difficult reward to place is an elixir.
That’s because most Abysses are built around “death.”
On a land where everything has died, how could proper herbs or elixirs even exist?
But the [Water God Abyss], unlike normal Abysses, had a well-structured environment.
Its inherent value was high, making it suitable for planting elixirs.
‘It all fits. The multiple elixirs found in the [Water God Abyss]—they were part of the same setup. If the [Creators] had intentionally placed them here for their [Incarnations]…’
SPLASH!
“Damn it! Why the hell isn’t it here?!”
Yoo Han-seop slammed his fist into the lakeside.
He was furious that something that should’ve been there was missing.
Even with Park Chan-woo nearby, he didn’t notice him.
‘[Nonexistent] works inside the Abyss.’
Outside, people had recognized Park Chan-woo, but inside the Abyss, even those same people couldn’t detect him unless they already knew what to look for.
Using this, he formed a plan.
‘I’ll rob every last one of you damn [Incarnations].’
Park Chan-woo hated [Incarnations].
More than bugs—he found them utterly repulsive.
At least bugs contributed to the earth or served as food for other life forms. These [Incarnations], on the other hand, offered humanity nothing.
In the beginning, they pretended to help, putting on a show.
But in the end, no one would deny that they were the ones who ruined the world.
Stealing from the [Incarnations]—one could even call it justice.
“Is the map wrong? Or did someone get here before me?”
Yoo Han-seop pulled a map from his inventory and unfolded it.
The spot he now stood on was clearly marked with an X.
The words [Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng] were printed plainly beside it.
And yet—nothing.
There was no way the map was wrong, so was it possible someone had arrived before him?
“Damn it!”
Yoo Han-seop scratched his head in frustration.
The [Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng] was an elixir he absolutely had to consume.
The whole reason he had brought people here first was because of the elixir’s effects.
‘They said it boosts base stat growth, didn’t they?’
Leveling up increases one’s base stats.
Each level raises the average stat by around 5.
The [Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng] boosts that average by about 0.5.
It even retroactively enhances levels that had already been gained.
Elixirs like this either raise base stats directly or enhance stat growth rates.
If you could get your hands on it, you absolutely had to.
“Whoever it was, once I catch them—they’re dead!”
Crack!
With eyes clouded in fury, Yoo Han-seop shoved the map back into his inventory.
Then he left the lakeside to regroup with the scattered people.
‘So the [Creator] even gave him a map, huh.’
…Beside him, Park Chan-woo smiled.
Thanks to that, he got to see the map himself.
And more importantly—
《The effects of the [Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng] are beginning.》
《The energy of the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng spreads through your body.》
The elixir’s effects had started to manifest.
But he was still half-skeptical.
‘[Status Condition: Weakest]. All my base stats are locked at 1.’
The [Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng] boosted “base stats.”
But Park Chan-woo’s base stats were fixed.
He wasn’t sure if an elixir could override that.
Still, there was hope.
In the Abyss, elixirs were extremely rare.
Elixirs were herbs grown with nature’s energy over long periods—completely incompatible with the barren, death-saturated environments of most Abysses.
Unless [Creators] collaborated to grow their [Incarnations], like in this case, you’d never even get to see one.
Therefore—
《The energy of the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng spreads throughout your body.》
《Due to [Status Condition: Weakest], base stats cannot be increased.》
《[Attack Power +30] for 100 hours.》
《[Defense +30] for 100 hours.》
‘…So instead of boosting my base stats, it manifests as an immediate buff effect.’
…It worked.
Although it didn’t increase or adjust his base stats, his [Attack Power] and [Defense] had risen sharply.
Park Chan-woo nodded.
‘This isn’t bad at all.’
It might even be better.
The main reason for raising stats was to boost [Attack Power] and [Defense].
To hit harder—and take less damage.
This was essentially a 100-hour buff.
And considering his current [Attack Power] total was 159 and [Defense] was 46, this was an absurd increase.
Park Chan-woo stroked his chin.
‘I might actually be able to one-shot the [Water God].’
The dungeon everyone had given up on.
The monster said to be absolutely unkillable!
He was planning to kill that monster—the being called the [Water God]—in a single strike.
And to do that, he intended to steal every last elixir the [Creators] had prepared for their [Incarnations].
‘That bastard must’ve come here for something too.’
Humanity’s strongest [Incarnation].
The one who contracted with the [Great Nine Lords]—a true powerhouse.
Said to possess strength and talent on another level—maybe even surpassing Level 100.
Why else would that bastard keep returning to the [Water God Abyss]?
Unlikely as it seemed, it was entirely possible that he had already formed a [Contract of Incarnation] with the [Great Nine Lords].
Park Chan-woo clenched his fist.
‘…Even what he was meant to have—I’ll take it for myself.’
* * *
Yoo Han-seop was losing his mind.
Even after regrouping the scattered people and resuming his “treasure hunt”—
‘Why! Why is there nothing?!’
He followed the map precisely.
Yet there was nothing at the marked locations.
Not a single treasure the [Creator] had placed for him was present.
‘My god! My great [Creator]! What is the meaning of this? Why are none of the treasures you prepared for me here?!’
No response.
Naturally, direct conversation with a [Creator] was an impossible dream.
A [Creator] was a divine being.
【…My child.】
Just then—
A clear voice from his [Creator] echoed in Yoo Han-seop’s ears.
He held his breath and listened intently.
【Something unknown is stirring within this place. It seems we are being threatened by an intruder.】
‘Please, tell me who the intruder is. I will do whatever it takes to kill them.’
【It must be an [Incarnation] of another [Creator]. A shameless one, who has broken the pact and stolen what is ours.】
The [Creators] had made a tacit agreement.
Creating a dungeon and setting up growth arrangements for their [Incarnations] cost an enormous amount of [Coins].
Especially elixirs—they were exceedingly difficult to plant due to the environmental requirements.
But the [Water God Abyss] had no flaws.
Its environment was perfectly suited.
Thus, by paying the host [Creator] a set price, they were allowed to place “arrangements” for their own [Incarnations] here.
And the rule was: never touch another’s arrangement.
Only the [Creator] who placed the arrangement—and their [Incarnation]—could claim it.
Maps had been marked to ensure no overlaps.
But now… everything had been looted.
Someone had gotten to it first.
A traitor existed among the [Creators] who knew of this plan.
Or perhaps, everyone except him was the traitor.
【We cannot let this go unanswered. The plan must change.】
‘Just give the word. I will follow.’
【We will now take the arrangements prepared by other [Creators].】
‘If I’m exposed as an [Incarnation] during that process… what should I do?’
【Then kill them. Kill any humans or [Incarnations] who notice. Leave no witnesses.】
‘……Understood.’
Yoo Han-seop’s eyes gleamed with murderous resolve.
And at that very moment—
Other [Incarnations] were receiving similar messages from their [Creators].
【Those damn thieves!】
【I knew we shouldn’t have trusted the other [Creators] from the start.】
【How dare they plunder the elixirs I prepared!】
【My [Incarnation], annihilate every last one of those thieving bastards!】
And so began—
A full-blown war among the [Incarnations].
* * *
Inside a cave—
Park Chan-woo carefully picked up a small gourd nestled deep within.
Then he popped the cork—
—and drank it down.
《You have consumed one drop of the elixir [Refined Essence of Azure Oil].》
《[Attack Power +60] for 100 hours.》
《[Defense +60] for 100 hours.》
《You have surpassed 20 types of elixirs consumed in a short period.》
《You have acquired the title: [Elixir Addict].》
《All elixir effects increased by 10%.》
《[Attack Power]: 1,114 (159 + 955)》
《[Defense]: 1,001 (46 + 955)》
…….
《You have consumed too many types of elixirs in rapid succession.》
《This clearly exceeds the limits of the human body.》
《Ordinarily, your vital energy would become tangled, go berserk, and leave you crippled.》
《However, due to the [Status Condition: Weakest], the elixirs are producing entirely different effects.》
《Because the effects manifest in the form of buffs, the medicinal properties are spreading slowly and evenly throughout your body.》
《The remaining elixir energies are blending together, causing a unique transformation in your constitution.》
