Chapter 27

Kuuuuung!

A massive ‘hippopotamus’ collapsed.

It was at least three times the size of a normal hippo. As its enormous body hit the ground and the earth trembled, the nearby crowd erupted in applause.

“Ooooooh!”

“Saviors!”

“We believe in you, we believe!”

Over thirty people.

Those who had initially followed Yoo Han-seop as part of the ‘Dawn Fellowship,’ along with others who had entered recklessly and found themselves in danger.

They all turned to the two men ahead, showering them with unified praise.

“……”

“Looks like I won again.”

The man held a ‘Gold Box’ that had been miniaturized to fit in his palm.

He had contributed the most to slaying the giant hippo and received the reward chest accordingly.

Meanwhile, Lee Hyuk-soo, who had the second highest contribution, received a ‘Silver Box.’

The man smirked.

“Still, not bad. You just had too much tension in your shoulders and wrists. It’s because you’re not used to using a real sword. Better fix that habit before it sets in.”

“……”

The man offered criticism toward Lee Hyuk-soo.

From his sword stance to monster-handling techniques, he constantly delivered unsolicited lectures.

But Lee Hyuk-soo remained silent.

There was no way he would welcome advice from someone who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started giving instructions.

‘Who the hell is this guy.’

After severing Yoo Han-seop’s arm, Lee Hyuk-soo had continued hunting monsters throughout the Abyss.

Along the way, he rescued people, and naturally, a group had formed around him.

They called Lee Hyuk-soo a ‘Savior,’ but he never once intended to become such a grand figure.

There was only one reason he had entered the ‘Invasion Abyss.’

To protect his mother.

As long as South Korea remained safe, his mother would be safe too.

But at some point, this man appeared, asked to join, and ever since had been butting in constantly.

“So. How about forming a ‘party’ now?”

The man kept pestering him about forming a party.

Of course, Lee Hyuk-soo understood from experience that parties weren’t inherently bad.

Thanks to the Prophet, he had been able to slay the Dragon General in the ‘First Night Abyss.’

But this time was different.

The guy acting friendly out of nowhere was honestly just uncomfortable.

Lee Hyuk-soo wasn’t a social person.

He was fully aware of that himself.

And he also knew that most people who suddenly acted overly friendly turned out to be trouble.

When Lee Hyuk-soo turned away, the man persistently listed the benefits of partying up.

“If we form a party, we can share rewards based on contribution. Quests will be easier, and leveling up will go more smoothly. And if we team up—we could even kill the ‘[Water God].’”

Stop!

Only when the [Water God] was mentioned did Lee Hyuk-soo halt in place.

“…I’m not interested in forming a party with some mystery guy.”

“……‘Han Shin.’ Surname Han, given name Shin. Thirty-one years old.”

“Lee Hyuk-soo.”

Though curt, Han Shin smiled.

Giving just a name—that suited his style.

In the world to come, what would age or occupation matter?

What truly mattered was strength.

Power that could crush flesh and bone—that alone would define everything.

‘He definitely has talent.’

Han Shin held Lee Hyuk-soo’s potential in high regard.

The more they fought, the more monsters they faced together, the faster he adapted.

A testament to how solid his fundamentals were.

It was as if he had been born to fight.

‘And he’s unhinged, too.’

Of course, there was something Han Shin liked even more.

…He had no fear.

He didn’t avert his eyes, didn’t back down—he had the courage to bite down until his opponent was dead.

Like a beast.

‘To think someone like me actually exists in this world.’

Han Shin was amazed.

Since childhood, he had been different.

Stronger than most, and innately gifted in the art of combat.

His muscles grew just by breathing, and he displayed natural mastery of all weapons.

But Han Shin had no interest in sports.

It only took him a month to surpass even seasoned masters.

National representative? World-class athlete?

If it involved using the body, Han Shin could do it all.

He never needed thirty days to defeat them.

Had he been born in the past, he would’ve been called the Martial God.

So nothing held his interest.

‘The past was all so boring.’

In this modern society, his abilities were more of a curse than a blessing.

Even if he honed his body to perfection, there was no place to truly unleash it.

A battlefield drenched in blood?

No matter how strong you are, you can’t stop bullets.

So Han Shin chose to live quietly.

…Until the Abyss appeared.

‘The Abyss is my world.’

He was thrilled to the core.

Finally, a world where he could test his limits.

A place where guns were meaningless.

Where only the strength of one’s body mattered—a lawless world.

A perfect society of survival of the fittest!

‘I will rise to the top.’

He would become the strongest.

And in doing so, he would save humanity.

Become the ruler of the world, its leader.

But he couldn’t do it all alone.

He needed reliable subordinates—hands and feet that would serve him.

Like—

Lee Hyuk-soo. A talent that radiated brilliance.

A yet-to-bloom gift that Han Shin himself could help flourish.

“Let’s kill the ‘[Water God],’ Lee Hyuk-soo.”

Han Shin spoke with conviction.

Just moments ago, Lee Hyuk-soo had stopped at the mention of the [Water God].

He truly intended to hunt it.

It was reckless—but that made it even better.

“……”

Lee Hyuk-soo hesitated.

Han Shin was undeniably strong. Even though he hadn’t seen him during the ‘First Night Abyss,’ his raw power and gear were impressive.

In a head-on clash, Lee Hyuk-soo honestly had little chance of winning.

He had no idea where this monster of a man had come from, but if he wanted to hunt the [Water God], forming a party would make things easier.

The method was simple.

If both parties clasped hands, the party would be automatically formed.

Han Shin extended his hands without hesitation.

“What are you still thinking about? I want to save Korea too. But I can’t kill the [Water God] alone. Times like this are when we should join forces, don’t you think?”

“……”

The reason for Lee Hyuk-soo’s hesitation was simple—Han Shin’s true identity.

What if Han Shin was an Incarnation?

It was a possibility he couldn’t ignore.

However, hunting the [Water God] was also a crucial task.

At that moment—

“Hmm?”

Han Shin tilted his head in confusion.

He suddenly rummaged through his belongings and pulled out an empty glass vial, his expression tightening.

‘…The Lich’s life force inside the Life Vessel is gone.’

It was puzzling.

This was a setup just for him.

To destroy the Lich Necromancer, he had prepared in advance by securing the Lich’s Life Vessel.

Once close enough, he planned to shatter the vial and eliminate the altar’s guardian.

The barrier would disappear naturally, and he’d open the treasure chest atop the altar—claiming the ‘arrangement’ prepared solely for him.

He intended to let others witness the whole process and establish himself as the ‘Savior.’

But now, it was gone.

The vast life force that should’ve been sealed inside the Life Vessel.

‘No way…’

Han Shin’s expression darkened.

Had the Lich already been killed?

Did someone else break the barrier?

Even if so, the treasure chest couldn’t be opened.

Only he knew the magic pattern required to open it.

Strictly speaking, the Lich priest who guarded the altar would also know it… but how could a soul trapped in a husk possibly pass on that knowledge?

Han Shin took a deep breath.

‘They still won’t be able to open the chest.’

Yes. His ‘arrangement’ was safe.

He was certain no one else could take it.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. Anyway… shall we go ahead and form a party?”

Han Shin replied with a forced smile to Lee Hyuk-soo’s question.

* * *

Lich Necromancer Yan.

Once a priest of the orcs, he was now meeting his end.

Most of the flower petals had already been devoured by Anubis.

Yet Yan felt joy.

He could finally find rest—and to have it delivered by that ‘being’ was a greater blessing than he could’ve hoped for.

「I humbly offer you my death.」

One who summons, guides, and consumes death.

Yan offered his death willingly to such a being.

He should’ve died long ago.

His fellow orcs had been wiped out in the war against other species, and he alone had guarded the altar.

He gave his life to erect a barrier and fulfill his priestly duty.

But eventually, he became a Lich.

‘Ahheta. Cursed god of the night.’

Ahheta—god of the night—had turned Yan into a Lich and bound him.

The heterogenous races that served Ahheta set Yan’s world ablaze and forcibly sealed beings like him, those with special powers, under the name of ‘death.’

After that, Yan was trapped in the ‘Temple of Death’ for a long time.

Anubis had once been its guardian but had fallen from grace, and the temple’s master had changed to ‘Ahheta’…

「I greet the rightful master of ‘Death.’」

Yan welcomed his dissolution with a smile.

He didn’t know why that being was with a human, but without a doubt, it was deeply tied to the very essence of ‘Death.’

Gulp!

Radiant Anubis swallowed the final petal.

At that moment—

[‘Radiant Anubis’ has consumed the ‘Flower of Life (Legendary)’]

[Executed the pending death of ‘Orc Priest Yan’]

[‘Radiant Anubis’ growth rate has increased by 1.1×]

[‘Radiant Anubis’ has acquired 10 potential stat points]

[The pet’s potential stat points can be manually assigned by the owner]

Radiant Anubis had undergone a rapid transformation.

Not only that—it had even secured an increase in its stat growth rate.

A miraculous effect.

‘It’s like an elixir, but even better.’

Eating death seemed to have a similar effect as a human consuming an elixir.

And the 10 assignable stat points—such a reward couldn’t even be obtained from supreme-grade elixirs.

「I know the magic pattern required to open the treasure chest. I will use the last of my magic to unlock it.」

At that moment, the immobilized body of Lich Yan began to move.

He raised his staff toward the altar.

Then—

Fwoooooom!

A brilliant light burst from the altar.

That light surged toward the ‘treasure chest.’

And then—

Creeeeeeak!

…The treasure chest opened.

「Thank you… for granting me peace.」

As Yan finished his final words—

Fssshhh!

His body crumbled into dust and scattered.

[‘Orc Priest Yan’ has found rest]

[Hidden Quest: ‘Hunt the Lich Necromancer’ – Success]

[Achievement Unlocked: ‘One Who Guided a Lich to Death’]

[Honor greatly increased]

[Received: ‘1 Coin’]

[The treasure in the ‘Treasure Chest’ has increased by one grade]

A hidden quest and a first achievement.

For a human, earning coins was almost impossible—unless they bankrupted their Creator.

But if a Creator included coins as part of the reward, it was a different matter entirely.

‘He meant to give it all to that bastard.’

The Creator contracted to that guy clearly intended to dump all the rewards into the hands of the ‘chosen one.’

The rewards and achievements were impressive.

The ‘Honor’ earned here could unlock access to new Abysses, quests, or even titles—making it crucial to steadily complete achievements.

Park Chan-woo smirked and slowly approached the treasure chest.

At the end of this absurdly convoluted process, he was extremely curious to see what was left behind as the ‘arrangement.’

Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo looked into the chest.

And then—

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”