Chapter 60
Silence reigned.
As if time itself had stopped, the world stood still.
Even Kankun’s heart—once pounding fiercely—had gone quiet.
No heartbeat. No breath.
And before long…
Kankun was quietly smiling.
Meeting his end as an Orc Master, as a great warrior.
‘Comrades… I have conquered death.’
He spoke to the orcs of his tribe who had departed before him.
That he had finally reached the summit.
Now, he no longer feared death.
He could entrust his will to a sacred warrior. What a meaningful death this was.
An honorable and glorious end, and also—not an end, but a beginning.
‘My heart will never cease within that warrior.’
So, in the truest sense, Kankun wasn’t dead.
As long as his heart and will carried on—
The being known as Kankun would be eternal.
‘I shall sing the eternal song with my sword.’
And thus, continue forward, never ceasing.
From beyond the threshold of death, Kankun traced a [Heart Sword].
Then handed that sword to Park Chan-woo.
His heartbeat would now become a sword’s song, played through the instrument called Park Chan-woo.
‘…If there is one regret.’
At death’s threshold—
Standing just one step away, Kankun looked at Park Chan-woo.
He felt regret.
Park Chan-woo’s talent shone so brilliantly—it was enough to contain Kankun’s heart and his sword both.
Only here could he truly see Park Chan-woo’s worth.
If he had realized it sooner—if they had met earlier—
‘We could’ve been great friends.’
Of course, Park Chan-woo was already a friend of the orcs.
From the beginning, his soul reeked of a warrior’s scent.
The Orc Priest Yan and ten thousand orc souls!
Once inside the [Domain of Death], Kankun could see them more clearly.
It wasn’t just because Park Chan-woo had consumed the [Ten-Blood Elixir].
The ten thousand orc souls had told Kankun Park Chan-woo’s story—
That he had saved Priest Yan, comforted the souls of warriors bound to the altar, soothed their rage, and promised revenge.
That he would bankrupt the Creator who had driven them into the Temple of Death—Lord of the Moon, Ahheta.
What a warrior he was.
Kankun wished he could have fought beside him.
It was a shame he wouldn’t see him defeat Ahheta and kill the Black Witch with his own eyes.
But it was fine.
‘I am your sword for eternity.’
Kankun smiled as he offered himself as a sacrifice.
He almost pitied Ahheta and the Black Witch for having to face this monstrous warrior.
He could already imagine their suffering.
Only now, standing at the threshold of death, could he truly know.
Park Chan-woo—
He was death itself, a being who stood at both the beginning and the end.
Inside him was something vast—something no Lord of the Abyss could compare to.
It was [Annihilation Magic].
Something that should not exist. Something impossible. A malevolence that stood beyond perception.
Something more chaotic than chaos itself resided within Park Chan-woo.
But it was fine.
Park Chan-woo’s brilliance outshone even that.
So radiant, even chaos could not carelessly invade it.
【Do you truly believe this boy’s radiance surpasses even me?】
Ruuuuumble—
And then it happened.
The world collapsed.
Suddenly, Kankun stood beyond the threshold.
The gateway to death, lined with countless fangs, devoured him in an instant.
Gulp!
【Mmm… Delicious.】
Death spoke.
Kankun had been a truly satisfying meal.
Grinning in rare satisfaction, Death muttered:
【Your soul was pleasing enough. I shall honor your wish and watch a little longer.】
—
《You have acquired the hidden trait: “Eternal Sword, Annihilation Magic.”》
《Your class evolves.》
《The duration of the status effect [Terminal] is extended.》
《You will die in 530 days.》
Park Chan-woo slowly opened his eyes.
Before him were countless message windows.
But before he could even read them, he looked around.
‘Where is this?’
It wasn’t the 10th floor.
It wasn’t the place of the final battle.
This was an entirely different realm.
It was the top of the Tower.
‘…The 11th floor.’
He had ascended to the 11th floor.
Meaning the battle had concluded.
Adora lay unconscious beside him.
And Kankun—was nowhere to be found.
Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded wildly.
Proof he had returned from death’s threshold.
But if what he’d seen was true…
“Kankun…”
Orc Master Kankun.
He had offered his heart as a sacrifice to save him.
No—he hadn’t merely given his heart.
He had given his entire being.
‘Why…?’
Park Chan-woo furrowed his brow.
He couldn’t accept it.
Even if he had helped Kankun conquer death, the time they had known each other was mere moments.
What part of him could Kankun have trusted so deeply to give everything?
Then a voice echoed in his mind—
—Offer my heart as a sacrifice to this warrior. And kill the Black Witch together. I entrust the revenge of our tribe to you.
He had clearly asked for vengeance.
To kill the Black Witch, handing over his heart.
But Park Chan-woo had never answered.
Kankun had simply believed—and entrusted it to him.
Believed he would do it, no doubt.
…How foolish.
If it had been him, he would never have left such a choice to someone else.
How could Kankun entrust everything with such certainty?
Yet—
‘Even if you hadn’t asked, I would’ve done it.’
It wasn’t about fulfilling a request.
He had planned to do it anyway.
Stupid Kankun.
What Orc Master? What great warrior?
You knew absolutely nothing about Park Chan-woo.
To die just to make that kind of request—
Even calling it foolish wasn’t enough.
‘I will bankrupt the Black Witch, the Lord of Arrogance.’
If the Tower of Arrogance was created by the Black Witch—
Then naturally, the Black Witch was a Creator.
And to Park Chan-woo, Creators were enemies to be bankrupted.
Fwooo—
In the dim darkness, Park Chan-woo took a deep breath.
He had already grasped how he’d reached the 11th floor. Now it was time to look inward.
‘…Not a promotion, but an evolution. Even the countdown to death has been extended.’
Everything was riddled with the unknown.
Normally, a class would be “promoted” upon reaching a certain level.
In the past, Park Chan-woo had promoted from Barbarian to Knight. At Level 90, he had obtained the brand-new [Mage] class.
But the concept of a class “evolving”—he had never heard of such a thing.
The two terms were fundamentally different.
A promotion meant an upgrade in rank.
Like a soldier becoming a commander, Park Chan-woo had gone from a barbaric brawler to an honorable swordsman.
But evolution?
That meant gradual change across generations.
Discarding unnecessary traits and gaining new ones—this was the nature of evolution.
So when applied to a class, it was hard to even grasp what it meant.
Evolution was something tied to life.
Even though he had a [Mage] class, that merely meant he had the qualification to use magic—it had nothing to do with biology.
And yet, his class had evolved.
Worse yet—
Why had his terminal time been extended?
At the center of all these changes were Kankun’s heart and Adora’s [Wish].
There was no doubt that these two sacrifices—beyond imagination in value—had caused his evolution.
‘Status window.’
To confirm, he opened it.
The other messages disappeared as a single window appeared before him.
—
Affiliation: Earth / Human / Republic of Korea
Name: Park Chan-woo
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: 180 cm / 67.1 kg
Level: -89
Strength: 13 (1+12)
Stamina: 23 (1+22)
Agility: 18 (1+17)
Intelligence: 13 (1+12)
Mana: 37 (1+36)
Status Effects: [Weakest], [Frail], [Feeble], [Nonexistent], [Terminal], [Immune to All Poisons]
Total Attack Power: 485 (285+200)
Total Defense Power: 477 (277+200)
Active Auras:
[Golden Aura] (Attack/Defense ×2 based on Coin count)
[Seeker’s First Step] (All stats +1 for every 10 Coins)
Class: [Magic Swordsman] (Level 11)
Available Magic:
[Reflection] (Great Magic, Unique)
[Judgment] (Lightning Magic, Unique)
[Super Regeneration] (Passive, Unique)
Hidden Traits Related to Class:
1. [Eternal Sword] – ???
2. [Annihilation Magic] – ???
Remaining Class Level Points: 0
—
Equipped Gear:
[World Tree Staff] (-98Lv, Eternal)
[Stolen Helmet] (-95Lv, Legendary)
[Demonic Armor] (-98Lv, Epic)
[Golden Mystery of Arahan] (-89Lv, Ancient)
[Demonic Gauntlets] (-98Lv, Epic)
[Whish Belt] (-95Lv, Unique)
[Hermes Shoes] (-92Lv, Ancient)
Inventory – Abyss Items:
[Easter Egg (001)]
[Mage’s Stone] (Mana +9, Legendary)
[Nihility] (Eternal)
[Coins (100)]
[Boxes of Arrogance (170)]
—
A dazzlingly radiant status window.
Anyone who saw it would be speechless with awe.
“……”
Yet the man himself—Park Chan-woo—couldn’t be pleased.
‘…Magic Swordsman.’
To him, that title was a curse.
Knight and Mage.
People had tossed around the term [Magic Swordsman] when he held dual classes.
But he had never truly possessed such a class.
And now, it was clearly etched into his status window.
He couldn’t avoid it. He couldn’t deny it.
It was cruel, but it was reality.
‘Hidden traits tied to the class… What are these?’
Clearly, this class was not ordinary.
He had never known a class to come with “hidden traits.”
‘Do they activate under specific conditions?’
But the descriptions were all question marks.
It seemed he would have to discover them on his own.
‘100 Coins. 170 Boxes of Arrogance.’
The rewards he’d earned climbing to the 11th floor were astonishing.
To have 100 Coins at this stage…
But the true prize was the Boxes.
Han Shin had once opened 50 at once and obtained the Legendary-grade item [Banyan’s Gauntlets].
170?
He couldn’t even imagine what might pop out.
—
《You have reached the top of the Tower.》
《Settlement for the “Adora Faction” is complete.》
《Would you like to open 170 Boxes of Arrogance?》
—
At that moment—
A new message appeared.
The settlement was complete.
There was nowhere else to go, so it made sense to check his rewards.
But—
“Settlement is complete?”
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
He knew this Tower’s twisted nature too well.
There was no mistaking what that message was pushing him toward.
He even understood why it used the term “Adora Faction.”
“O Tower of Arrogance. I haven’t received all of my settlement yet. I chose Kankun’s faction—not Adora’s, remember?”
Yes. There were unclaimed rewards.
Park Chan-woo had been Kankun’s closest aide.
He should be entitled to the rewards Kankun would’ve received had he continued his climb.
Kankun had reached the 10th floor too—so Park Chan-woo deserved everything Kankun’s faction should earn.
He reached out his hand, palm open, and said:
“Hand it over.”
—
《……》
《……》
《The Tower of Arrogance presents a special offer.》
—
“Shut up. Hand it over.”
* * * * * * * *
(T/N: damn, just caught up with the batch of chapters from almost 2 weeks ago. now i’m only like a week behind lol. good news though, i should be back to our regular release rate (or even faster) by the end of this month. we’ve got everything arranged, so we’re all set. i apologize if I hadn’t been posting for a while, baby time was rough. baby is currently on a sleep regression phase.)
