Chapter 31
Han Shin had an exceptional eye for people from birth.
He possessed an innate talent for discerning the strength of others.
This talent manifested upon his Awakening as [Mind’s Eye], allowing Han Shin to grasp another person’s stats at a glance with just a look. (T/N: Changing it from Insight to Mind’s Eye)
Of course, it came with a limitation—only applicable to those of a lower level than himself.
‘All stats are 1?’
It was a figure too unbelievable to trust even after seeing it.
Every single [base stat] of Park Chan-woo was a mere 1.
Even elderly people on their last legs wouldn’t be this bad.
It made one wonder if perhaps this was the kind of stat distribution seen in a newborn infant.
For a fully grown adult, the numbers were far too small.
Thinking he might’ve seen it wrong, Han Shin looked closely at Park Chan-woo’s complexion.
‘…Is he a terminal patient?’
A face so pale it was nearly colorless.
Cracked lips, skin full of dead cells, deep shadows beneath the eyes, unfocused pupils, sunken cheeks… Only after checking off all those signs did Han Shin feel convinced.
Park Chan-woo’s condition was no different from that of someone critically ill and dying.
A man who should be in the ER on a ventilator was out walking around.
Based on what [Mind’s Eye] showed, most people with unusually low stats turned out to be critical patients.
They would step outside thinking they’d recovered after Awakening, only to die tragically soon after.
That man was likely one of them.
‘It definitely isn’t him.’
The one Han Shin was looking for was someone who had stolen the arrangement meant for him and killed the [Water God].
It was likely someone of a higher level—or with an absurd stat multiplier.
An “irregular” on an entirely different level.
But…
‘…Nothing.’
He had checked the stats of exactly 627 people.
But there wasn’t a single person—or group—that could plausibly have hunted the [Water God].
Could he have missed someone?
It had taken roughly 30 seconds to inspect all 627 people around the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin.
No one had slipped away in that time.
He had better dynamic vision than any beast, and possessed transcendent senses.
The phrase “possesses humanity’s greatest talent” was no exaggeration.
And yet he missed someone.
If the culprit was among them, there’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed.
Even without [Mind’s Eye], no one could deceive Han Shin’s gaze.
And yet, no matter how many times he looked around, no one seemed capable of having hunted the [Water God].
Even Lee Hyuk-soo, who had caught his eye, wouldn’t be able to do it for now. And Lee Hyuk-soo had even been with him inside the [Abyss] when it happened.
…Who could it be?
Just who…
“I nearly died in there!”
“Damn it. I can’t even imagine entering another dungeon.”
“S-Somebody take me to a hospital!”
People began to scatter, one by one.
Han Shin’s sense of urgency grew.
No matter how talented he was, he only had one body.
Meanwhile, the people were dispersing in dozens of directions.
Han Shin’s eyes darted relentlessly.
If the culprit was among them, now was the only chance. If not now, it would be difficult to find them later.
Still, he paid no attention to Park Chan-woo.
‘As expected, he didn’t recognize me.’
Park Chan-woo turned his back.
Slowly. Casually.
With a gait no different from usual.
It was his first time facing Han Shin since regression.
The monster who first reached Level 99 in human history.
And what’s more, he had achieved Level 99 a full three years earlier than the second person to do so.
Of course, that was only the “official” record.
In truth, it must’ve been even earlier.
A hero of phenomenal growth who became a beacon for humanity.
Once, Han Shin’s name had been a symbol of hope for mankind.
Now, facing that very Han Shin, Park Chan-woo was tense.
That man would be desperate to uncover the one who stole his arrangement and killed the [Water God].
And with Han Shin’s abilities, it wasn’t an impossible feat.
[Mind’s Eye].
A broken skill capable of reading everything about a target.
Thanks to it, Han Shin could extract information on anything and everything.
So much so that people joked he was “peeking into status windows.”
Maybe that’s why.
Standing before Han Shin always made one feel completely exposed.
And yet, Han Shin’s gaze had passed right over him just moments ago.
‘His skill level must still be low, so he couldn’t see everything.’
Every skill has its own rank.
There’s no such thing as a skill with full functionality from the start.
Even if one possesses talent coveted by the gods and it becomes a skill, if they don’t raise their class level and increase the skill’s grade, the skill will have restrictions, or its range and efficiency will be drastically reduced.
At best, he probably only saw the [base stats].
Proof of that was Han Shin checking Park Chan-woo’s condition and excluding him from all suspicion.
‘You still hate the weak, don’t you, Han Shin.’
You could tell just by his eyes.
That characteristic gaze that looked down on the weak.
It had just flashed toward him.
He had been viewed as a pitiful, pathetic weakling.
Perhaps because he hadn’t donned the mask yet, it was even more obvious.
That confirmed everything.
‘I learned three major things.’
First. The creator Han Shin contracted with is not one of the [Great Nine Lords], but rather the [Master of the Moon (Ahheta)].
Second. Even [Ahheta] cannot recognize someone who bears [Nonexistent]. If he could, he would’ve tipped Han Shin off in some way.
Third. Han Shin truly knows nothing. That he is the one who stole the [Ten Thousand Blood Elixer] and killed the [Water God]—Han Shin didn’t harbor the slightest suspicion.
‘I’d love nothing more than to kill him right now…’
He almost let his expression twist just from seeing Han Shin’s face.
That was how genuine his desire to kill the man was.
But [Ahheta] was behind him.
If Han Shin were killed, Ahheta would undoubtedly seek revenge.
[Ahheta] was one of the most troublesome among the [Creators].
Cruel and vicious as a baseline.
He’d toy with his victims thoroughly.
He’d trample their pride, torment them worse than death, make them beg for the release of death—and only then would he turn them into a [Lich] to serve eternally.
Among all the [Creators], the most insidious was none other than [Ahheta].
And it was that very [Ahheta] who created a [Incarnation].
‘Han Shin. Guess he really does adore that bastard.’
Right now, Han Shin couldn’t be killed.
But that was fine.
All he had to do was become strong enough that bastard couldn’t even dream of reaching him.
If he could gain the power to disregard Han Shin entirely—or if he could bankrupt [Ahheta] in the [Night of the Abyss]…
That would be the day Han Shin would die.
Park Chan-woo checked his remaining [buff duration] and smiled.
His goal had been to defeat the [Water God] in the [Abyss of the Water God].
But now that the [Water God] was slain, the goal had changed.
Larger. More ambitious.
‘Clear every dungeon in Korea.’
* * *
The moment the [Abyss of the Water God] was cleared—
South Korea had achieved a total of 2,200 points.
“Isn’t that totally doable?”
“Exactly. It’s only been a single day!”
“Feels easier than I thought?”
Four days since the start of the [Abyss].
After panicking due to the sudden appearance of the dungeons, people finally began to relax for the first time.
With only 2,800 more points needed in the next three days, people believed it was easily achievable—so long as the strong took initiative.
…24 more hours passed.
People started to realize something was wrong.
“What? Still only 2,700 points?”
“Another day’s gone by and we only gained 500 points?”
“What the hell’s going on?”
The score wasn’t increasing.
At most, it inched forward.
Everyone had been complacent—convinced that someone else would clear the dungeons. No one moved.
Of course, there was a bigger reason behind it.
Those expected to be leaders—people who should have taken charge—had vanished.
For instance, Yoo Han-seop of the [Dawn Sect].
The one who first took initiative to form a group had died.
Many capable [Incarnations] had perished in the [Incarnation War] that broke out in the [Abyss of the Water God], and the survivors showed no interest in stepping up.
Above all—
Han Shin remained silent.
…A society where no one acts.
Without challenging the dungeons, all that awaited South Korea was the [Invasion Abyss].
The 500-point increase over a single day had been entirely thanks to Lee Hyuk-soo.
“It’s already Day 3…”
“44 hours left.”
“Can’t somebody just do something already?!”
People passed the blame to each other.
Everyone was too busy gauging others’ reactions.
At the 40-hour mark—
A new message appeared before everyone’s eyes.
《Ding-dong~♬》
《40 hours remaining!》
《South Korea’s current score: 3,000 points.》
《In 40 hours, the [Invasion Abyss] will open across the entire territory of South Korea.》
《Estimated casualties: 1,755,000 people.》
《Margin of error: within 5%.》
《Once the [Invasion Abyss] begins, there will be no place to hide.》
《Be it the deep sea, underground, or the highest skies—the monsters will find you and slaughter you.》
《In addition, it will be impossible to leave the territory until the [Invasion Abyss] ends.》
《There is only one way to survive.》
《Clear dungeons and reach 5,000 points!》
The message both warned and instilled fear in the hesitant masses.
Ultimately, it was the military that acted first.
Large groups of soldiers stepped up to clear dungeons.
《20 hours remaining!》
《South Korea’s current score: 3,700 points.》
But it wasn’t enough.
Reaching 5,000 points in the remaining time felt impossible.
Clearing dungeons wasn’t just a numbers game.
Bullets were useless against monsters immune to firearms.
[Abyss] monsters could only be killed with weapons acquired from within the [Abyss].
《10 hours remaining!》
《South Korea’s current score: 4,300 points.》
As time passed, the pace of score increase slowed further.
Even those who’d been fighting from the beginning were running out of steam.
“Ah…”
“What are you hesitating for? Get in! Go already!”
“If this keeps up, we’re all going to die!”
Panic began to spread.
“All talk, huh? Then why don’t you go in yourselves!”
“The soldiers failed—how are we supposed to succeed as civilians?!”
As more people began to pressure others with a coercive tone, resistance flared.
Debates resembling warfare erupted across reality, social media, and news outlets.
And at that very moment—
‘…I can’t move anymore.’
Inside a dungeon, Lee Hyuk-soo struggled to rise with his fatigued body.
He had been silently grinding through dungeons.
Three days straight. No sleep.
Driven solely by the determination to protect his mother, he had continued slaying monsters.
But even Lee Hyuk-soo, as a human being, needed rest.
Without it, the body would break.
He had earned over 800 points by himself—but any more was impossible.
The moment he managed to stand, he collapsed with a thud.
His legs gave out—he could move no further.
Lee Hyuk-soo bit down on his lip.
Level 11 already.
Even after surpassing the level cap through his First Awakening, clearing dungeons for over three days without sleep was no easy feat.
‘Is this the end…?’
Huuuuu.
Just as he let out a long exhale—
Ding!
《Push harder! At this rate, 5,000 points cannot be reached.》
《Current success probability: less than 1%.》
《To encourage your determination, the [Creators] offer a special proposal.》
《Fever Time!》
《Dungeon clear rewards will double.》
《Dungeon entry will become easier.》
《The ‘Devil Merchant’ will appear!》
《The ‘Devil Merchant’ sells [Abyss] items in exchange for various forms of ‘value.’》
《However, 20% of humans who have never entered a dungeon before will be forcibly transported into a ‘random dungeon.’》
《Do you accept this proposal?》
《If the majority agrees, ‘Fever Time’ will commence.》
……
……
《Congratulations.》
《76.1% have agreed!》
