Chapter 25
It was a scene forever etched into his mind.
The horrifying sight of someone ignoring the Dragon God General’s attack—a being who had slaughtered countless people—and exploding him with a single slash. That moment remained vivid as ever.
‘The other Twelve Generals were manageable, but the Dragon God General was an exception.’
They couldn’t even get close.
It was an unachievable mission.
He couldn’t take a single step, could do nothing but watch.
Everyone, including Yoo Han-seop, had been the same.
Then suddenly, a fully armed man appeared and charged straight at the Dragon God General.
At first, he thought the man was throwing his life away.
It looked reckless. Foolish.
But…
‘That scene… it honestly sent shivers down my spine.’
It was a moment deeply imprinted into the minds of the hundreds of thousands who witnessed it.
A man who made the impossible possible.
The one who killed the Dragon God General and became a hero in the process!
…Yoo Han-seop hesitated.
It seemed the man hadn’t noticed him yet.
Hidden in the dense brush, Yoo Han-seop watched Lee Hyuk-soo with narrowed eyes as he approached.
‘As I thought. He really is an Incarnation.’
Coming here proved Lee Hyuk-soo knew the elixir’s location—clear evidence he was an Incarnation.
Only an Incarnation could have killed the Dragon God General.
A normal human could never accomplish such a feat.
There was no doubt. Lee Hyuk-soo was an Incarnation.
Though… he might not be a typical one.
As much as he hated to admit it, that man was superior to him.
‘Maybe the Creator he contracted with told him the Dragon God General’s weakness.’
Each Creator raised their Incarnation differently.
Maybe his Creator helped a lot.
Revealed a weakness, gave him high-grade gear, or perhaps blessed him directly—raising and protecting his stats.
In that case—
‘An ambush will work.’
No matter how strong Lee Hyuk-soo was, he was still human.
And a human couldn’t survive a blade they never saw coming.
Yoo Han-seop couldn’t accept the existence of someone superior to him.
That guy was just heavily favored by his Creator.
He was lucky, that was all.
His talent or effort couldn’t surpass Yoo Han-seop’s own.
Even when he killed the Dragon God General, all he did was charge in recklessly and slash once, right?
Could that really be called skill?
Even giving the broadest benefit of the doubt, it was only possible because of his Creator’s intervention.
‘If I want to stand at the top of humanity, I have to erase him here.’
He planned to grow the Dawn Fellowship into a full-blown cult.
To become a living god—ruling not only Korea, but the entire world.
And that guy stood in the way of it all.
As long as a being stronger than him existed, he could never truly become a “god.”
‘Three… two…’
Lee Hyuk-soo was close now.
Yoo Han-seop waited, then leapt from the brush at the perfect moment.
He immediately thrust his sword to strike Lee Hyuk-soo.
A moment too fast to perceive—utterly unseeable.
Clang!
…but it was blocked.
That was the beginning.
Lee Hyuk-soo tilted the [Greatsword of the Immortal King] to the side and swept through the air.
The offense and defense reversed in an instant. Feeling the danger, Yoo Han-seop quickly bent his upper body backward and barely avoided death.
‘What is this reaction speed…!’
It wasn’t something he reacted to knowingly.
It was instinct.
Until now, every Incarnation Yoo Han-seop ambushed either died instantly or took a fatal blow.
A chance to counterattack?
He never gave them one.
The surprise alone was enough to keep them reeling.
But Lee Hyuk-soo—he wasn’t even flustered. He fluidly switched between defense and offense like flowing water.
Thud!
He planted his feet and leaned forward, slashing diagonally again with his greatsword.
Yoo Han-seop, caught in an awkward stance, extended his sword to block—
Claang!
‘How is he this strong…!’
His arm nearly tore off.
That man swung the greatsword like a toy.
Yoo Han-seop was flung backward, tumbling across the ground.
The ambush had completely failed.
He scrambled to his feet and readied his stance.
Then, his eyes met Lee Hyuk-soo’s.
…He broke into chills.
Eyes without a shred of wavering.
Yoo Han-seop opened his mouth unconsciously.
“I… I mistook you for someone el—”
He was about to apologize for mistaking him for someone else—
Fwwoosh!!
Lee Hyuk-soo charged.
There was no better word than “onslaught.”
Like an enraged bull, he rushed in, aiming straight for Yoo Han-seop’s throat.
‘He’s this strong…?’
He’d misjudged.
Lee Hyuk-soo’s strength far surpassed Yoo Han-seop’s expectations.
His class—his very caliber—was different.
It wasn’t just about raw [Attack Power]; even his instincts were extraordinary.
The way he blocked Yoo Han-seop’s ambush just before it landed—that alone was enough to admire.
Not like a human, but a beast.
A beast among beasts—a king.
Each time he blocked the greatsword, his entire body trembled.
Bones cracked. Muscles tore.
Strength, agility, swordsmanship—he was outclassed in every way.
‘He’s a monster!’
Lee Hyuk-soo was a monster.
It wasn’t a Creator’s help that let him kill the Dragon God General—Lee Hyuk-soo had the ability to do it on his own.
A wall.
For the first time, Yoo Han-seop faced a wall he could not overcome.
[Durability of ‘Silver Knight’s Sword (7Lv, Epic)’ has decreased.]
[Durability of ‘Silver Knight’s Sword (7Lv, Epic)’ has decreased.]
[Durability of ‘Silver Knight’s Sword (7Lv, Epic)’ has decreased.]
And that wasn’t all.
His highest-grade weapon, the [Silver Knight’s Sword], screamed each time it clashed with Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword.
He could see the blade chipping away with every strike.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword remained unscathed.
[Durability of ‘Silver Knight’s Sword (7Lv, Epic)’ is nearly depleted.]
He couldn’t believe it.
‘Is that greatsword higher grade than my Silver Knight’s Sword?’
There were supposedly no grades above [Epic] yet.
Yet all of Lee Hyuk-soo’s equipment seemed to match that greatsword in color and design—as if they were a set.
Crack!
[‘Silver Knight’s Sword (7Lv, Epic)’ has been destroyed.]
For a moment, his thoughts stopped.
The shattered remains of the [Silver Knight’s Sword] scattered like dust into the air.
And the fate of a swordsman without a sword was all too clear.
Before he realized it, Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword was positioned right beside Yoo Han-seop’s neck.
“W-Who are you…? How can someone be this strong?”
His voice trembled.
Even with a Creator’s support, a person’s innate disposition didn’t change.
Their personality, emotions, and attitude toward wielding a sword—these were traits of the individual.
To Yoo Han-seop, Lee Hyuk-soo seemed like someone born solely to wield a blade.
Yet he was also fully adorned in treasures.
None of the gear Lee Hyuk-soo wore was inferior to Yoo Han-seop’s.
What kind of Creator would grant such relics right from the start?
“A-A-Anyway, I’m sorry about the ambush! I mistook you for someone else. We’re both Incarnations, aren’t we? Incarnations should help each other! No—better yet, let’s form an alliance! If we join forces, we’d be unstoppable—”
“…Incarnation?”
Lee Hyuk-soo’s brow twitched.
Yoo Han-seop was convinced Lee Hyuk-soo was an Incarnation.
“Yes, an Incarnation! Think about it. We’re the destined leaders of humanity! Beings meant to stand above mankind! There’s nothing to gain from fighting each other.”
“So you threw people to monsters to be eaten?”
Lee Hyuk-soo spoke with a voice colder than the bottom of the Abyss.
Gulp.
The moment he met those eyes, Yoo Han-seop began to tremble like a tree in a storm.
“W-We’re chosen! We can save humanity! So it’s the sacrifice of the few for the greater good. That’s why we should form an alliance and—urk!”
Yoo Han-seop screamed in pain.
A burning sensation erupted in his right arm, as though it had been scorched by fire.
Thunk!
Before he realized it, his right arm was lying on the ground.
Yoo Han-seop gasped in horror at the sight.
“M-My arm! My arm!!”
He writhed in pain.
Watching him flail on the ground, Lee Hyuk-soo spoke.
“I don’t associate with ‘Incarnations.’”
He wanted to sever the man’s neck—but couldn’t bring himself to kill.
There was still resistance within him when it came to taking a human life.
However, now that he had identified him as an Incarnation, he couldn’t just leave him be.
It was because of the warning the [Prophet] had given Lee Hyuk-soo during the “First Night of the Abyss.”
—Kill all Incarnations. That is how you will save humanity—and yourself.
—If you can’t kill them, then cut off an arm or leg. A crippled Incarnation will be discarded by their Creator.
Lee Hyuk-soo finally understood why the Prophet had warned him so.
Yoo Han-seop had abandoned the people who followed him and the Dawn Fellowship.
He threw them to monsters for his own benefit.
It was only after killing the monsters and saving those people that Lee Hyuk-soo realized—
‘Incarnations are completely unnecessary.’
Just hearing Yoo Han-seop speak made his ears feel like they were rotting.
Trying to form an alliance after attempting a surprise attack—it was laughable.
Just as the Prophet had said, Incarnations were detrimental to the survival of humanity.
Above all… the Prophet was Lee Hyuk-soo’s god.
How could he go against divine words? Lee Hyuk-soo intended to follow the prophecy to the letter.
“A-It hurts! I said it hurts!!”
As Yoo Han-seop screamed and bled profusely, Lee Hyuk-soo turned his back on him.
Not a single trace of sympathy crossed his face.
‘The Prophet said… become a savior.’
Of course, Lee Hyuk-soo had no intention of becoming a savior.
But he did have the courage to take on the harshest of trials.
If he could clear this “Water God Abyss” and earn a thousand points, the Republic of Korea—and his bedridden mother—would be safe.
He quickly resumed his steps.
—
Not long after.
A man appeared before the fallen Yoo Han-seop.
“P-Please… save me…”
Yoo Han-seop’s complexion had gone pale from massive blood loss.
His face looked like he could die at any moment.
The man looked down at Yoo Han-seop and spoke.
“…Now this is interesting.”
“Please, I’m begging you…”
Crunch!
The man stomped on Yoo Han-seop’s neck.
With a sickening crack of bones breaking, Yoo Han-seop died instantly.
Soon after, his body disintegrated into dust and vanished.
The man turned his gaze toward the direction Lee Hyuk-soo had gone.
“I thought he was an Incarnation.”
But he wasn’t.
If he were, he would’ve killed Yoo Han-seop on the spot.
Currently, every Incarnation in the “Water God Abyss” was at odds with one another.
The war had already begun.
“For someone who’s not an Incarnation to possess that level of strength and gear…”
The man stroked his chin and smiled.
He was overjoyed.
He had found one of his kind.
A true talent, one who relied on pure strength.
For the first time in his life, an emotion he’d never felt before shook him.
…That someone else had cultivated such overwhelming power.
And what dazzling talent that person possessed.
If trained properly, he could undoubtedly reach the ranks of the strongest.
His equipment was remarkable as well.
‘There’s no doubt. That’s the Immortal King’s set.’
Items that shouldn’t exist yet, couldn’t exist yet—he had them all.
And yet he wasn’t even an Incarnation. Fascinating.
“Well then…”
The man paused briefly.
If left alone, Lee Hyuk-soo might challenge the [Water God].
The Incarnations couldn’t stop him.
Unless he intervened.
Of course, the [Water God] was a monster too much for Lee Hyuk-soo to handle alone. Unlike the Dragon God General, the [Water God] was in an entirely different league.
If left alone, Lee Hyuk-soo might die.
He was a rare peer.
If he wanted to secure his grand ambitions for the future—
“…Maybe I should try getting close to him.”
There was still plenty of time.
Unlike the other Incarnations, the “Poison Mist Swamp” he needed was safe.
Without poison resistance, no one could even enter the swamp, and the guardian protecting the treasure wasn’t something one could sneak past.
‘Necromancer. One who commands death.’
No one could steal from it.
The necromancer, master of death, would launch unending attacks from within the poison mist.
Even setting aside the necromancer, the swamp paths themselves were a maze.
The path changed moment by moment, making it impossible to map.
Even if someone somehow made it to the end and defeated the Necromancer, the [Treasure Chest] would not open. Only he knew how to unlock it.
How could anyone steal something that was secured by triple and quadruple layers of protection?
With a hearty laugh, the man stepped forward in the direction Lee Hyuk-soo had gone.
