Chapter 78

While Lee Hyuk-soo was opening his eyes to a new world,

Park Chan-woo was gaining inspiration as he watched him.

It was a new perception called enlightenment.

What is enlightenment, to begin with?

‘It’s a blessing.’

But blessings do not come to just anyone.

Only those who face the Abyss with sincerity, who hold on to their convictions without losing themselves, can reach the blessing that is enlightenment.

Those who only walk the easy path, who refuse to learn, who cannot accept—enlightenment never comes to them.

In other words, Lee Hyuk-soo is sincere.

His attitude toward the Abyss, his approach to himself—everything was earnest, without the slightest jest.

‘I’m envious.’

It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel jealous seeing that.

He had talent, but it was possible because his mind was open.

Lee Hyuk-soo at this moment was like a pure white sheet of paper.

He absorbed everything as soon as it was written.

In contrast, Park Chan-woo was the exact opposite.

At present, he knew too much to change himself.

He had witnessed the fall of humanity from beginning to end.

Because he knew too much, he could no longer step into the realm of enlightenment from a mere word.

Regression gave him an advantage, but the overabundance of information turned into poison.

In the end, he could only build upon what he already possessed.

He was long past the level of gaining enlightenment from a single word of another.

If Lee Hyuk-soo was a blank sheet, Park Chan-woo was pitch black.

“……”

When Lee Hyuk-soo opened his eyes, his gaze was much clearer than before.

Like a high monk who had forgotten all worldly concerns.

With a gaze full of clarity, Lee Hyuk-soo looked at Park Chan-woo and spoke.

“Thank you, Prophet.”

Just a few words tossed his way.

If that was all it took, yet Lee Hyuk-soo, who had grasped reason, offered heartfelt thanks.

“…It’s not something you need to thank me for that much.”

Park Chan-woo shook his head lightly.

Honestly, it wasn’t something worth such gratitude.

‘Is he embarrassed?’

The way Park Chan-woo turned his head slightly as he spoke was quite unexpected.

As if he was embarrassed by the thanks.

It seemed he had misunderstood the Prophet all this time.

He’d thought, from their first meeting, that he was the arrogant type who didn’t care about others’ opinions.

‘He seemed like someone who lived in the world alone. Turns out he’s more humble than I thought.’

Lee Hyuk-soo smirked inwardly.

It was the first time he felt any ‘humanity’ from Park Chan-woo.

Now he realized the Prophet was someone who could also feel embarrassment, someone who was ‘human’ just like himself.

Moreover, for Lee Hyuk-soo, it was more than just a few words.

To use a metaphor, it was like a top-ranked player giving honey-like tips to a complete newbie.

It might be obvious to the ranker, but it was by no means obvious to the newbie.

It was information only those with experience could understand—information worth its weight in gold, given for free.

Of course, Park Chan-woo was sure because he had already walked the path.

But for everyone else, no one truly understood the difference a single word could make.

Thanks to this, Lee Hyuk-soo could stand on a different, higher path from the very beginning.

“…Then let’s get going.”

After a moment of silence, Park Chan-woo spoke.

Every second was precious.

They had lingered longer than expected.

There was no telling how much time it would take to find the traces left by the ‘ancient being’ for the Legendary Quest.

This was truly uncharted territory.

“Follow me. It’s going to be a tough journey.”

“Hmm? Aren’t we going to party up?”

“Just stick with me.”

“Oh, right… The level difference is too big to form a party anyway.”

The maximum party level difference allowed was ten.

Lee Hyuk-soo was firmly mistaken.

He thought his level was too low to form a party with the Prophet.

He didn’t realize the truth was the complete opposite.

If he knew it was because Park Chan-woo’s level was actually too low to form a party, what kind of face would he make?

Park Chan-woo turned his back and started walking.

‘Ahheta won’t just sit and watch.’

This domain of the “second night” belonged to Ahheta.

But before Ahheta took control, it was the domain of an ‘ancient being.’

They couldn’t kill it, so they just sealed it using twenty shelters.

What did this mean?

‘Ancient being. It means even Ahheta couldn’t easily kill it.’

So, Ahheta would hardly welcome the ancient being awakening again after it had been sealed with such effort.

Ahheta would try to interfere in any way possible.

Park Chan-woo unfolded the “Masterpiece Map.”

Something that hadn’t happened in the past.

An unknown challenge never before faced!

Nothing excited him like the word ‘unknown.’

And if he succeeded, he’d surely deal a heavy blow to the “Master of the Moon, Ahheta.” What a beautiful journey this would be.

“Keep up.”

Park Chan-woo began walking swiftly toward the newly appeared “question mark” on the map, presumed to be traces left by the ancient being.

—

The place where all creators gather to share their opinions.

The “Creator Community” was burning hot.

[“Earth” is the real-time number one category page.]

Category: Earth.

Posts about the location of the second night were being updated at a tremendous pace.

—You’re releasing doppelgangers to explore human potential?

—Even if Earth was the first to conquer Arrogance, is it really worth it?

—A pointless waste. Does everyone have too many coins?

At first, most opinions were negative.

They mocked the intent to unleash many doppelgangers during the second night to copy humans’ information and search for hidden ‘potential.’

They called it pointless, a waste of coins.

Though Earth’s humans had conquered Arrogance, the humans and potential seen from their perspective were insignificant.

Especially compared to the Twelve Species—they were less than fireflies before the sun.

—The human body is extremely inefficient.

—They can’t wield supernatural powers, nor govern phenomena like witches.

—No special physical abilities, either.

—Among the species discovered since the Abyss’s birth, humans rank at the bottom.

—Even if a doppelganger copies a human, the information will be worthless.

—Conquering Arrogance must have been a fluke.

Moreover, doppelgangers were expensive beasts to raise.

Releasing them in large numbers was bound to be called a waste of coins.

Of course, doppelgangers’ ‘copying ability’ was outstanding.

If a doppelganger found hidden human potential, the discoverer could earn a tremendous amount of coins.

They could monopolize precious information.

But would it really be possible to discover ‘talent’ that surpassed the Twelve Species?

Most thought not, but there were also creators who argued otherwise.

—Do you really think conquering Arrogance was a fluke?

—Could such an achievement, which no other species has accomplished, be by chance?

—Humans have something we haven’t found yet.

—Even if it’s just one talent possessed by a single human, if it’s found, dissected, and copied, it could be used to improve a species beyond the Twelve Species!

—That would earn an unimaginable amount of coins. You could become a unique creator surpassing the Great Nine Lords.

—Just imagining it gives me chills.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t every human—just finding one individual’s talent was enough.

Find that mutant, copy their brilliant talent, and that’s what the doppelgangers were for.

If discovered, it was worth any investment.

While support and opposition clashed fiercely—

—Wait. Someone has forcibly entered the “second night.”

—Who? One of the Twelve Species?

—The Twelve Species are already interested in humans?

—Maybe it’s a divine beast that opened a rift.

—A witch, perhaps?

—Ahheta! Why haven’t you found them yet?

An unexpected problem arose.

An intruder had appeared out of nowhere.

They had to respond quickly.

If the intruder disrupted the “second night,” the coins they had invested might vanish into thin air.

But they couldn’t intervene in the “second night.”

While the game was in full swing, only the host, “Master of the Moon, Ahheta,” could intervene to a certain extent.

They could only observe the “second night” via their contracted incarnations or check the “messages” delivered as a result.

Ahheta would have to find and drive out or destroy the intruder personally.

Naturally, the investors were anxious.

If they lost all their coins to an intruder, it would be a disaster.

They’d get some compensation from Ahheta, but never a full refund.

Of course, Ahheta felt the same frustration.

This investment wasn’t just a few coins—it was a massive venture.

Ahheta had no choice but to search desperately.

But—

—What?

—???

—What is this…?

Problem upon problem.

Another issue arose, and now the community’s boards were exploding with posts.

—Crazy!

—Unbelievable.

—A Legendary Quest?

Even the creators who invested in the Abyss of the second night received a “message.”

A message that a Legendary Quest had been opened.

This was no trivial matter.

Especially since the subject was “Master of the Moon, Ahheta,” the Creator Community ignited.

—Wait… humans opened a Legendary Quest?

—Isn’t it too early?

—Has any species ever opened a Legendary Quest in Ahheta’s territory?

—As far as I know, it’s the second time.

—Just fighting doppelgangers is tough enough, and now a Legendary Quest?

—Who did it?

—Could it be the human who conquered Arrogance?

A Legendary Quest referred to an extremely special trial that only occurred in the domains of so-called “named creators.”

The most representative named creators were the 108 Demon Kings, the 72 Demon Gods, and the Great Nine Lords.

Although Ahheta was not in these three groups, Ahheta was a uniquely special case on par with them.

Thus, Ahheta could open a Legendary Quest in their territory.

However, named creators never welcomed the opening of a Legendary Quest in their own territory.

Why?

—Ahheta’s name is a joke now. To have a Legendary Quest opened in the second night.

—Will Ahheta lose their ‘territory’ like this?

—Puhaha! Things are getting interesting!

The Creator Community was overflowing with ridicule.

If a Legendary Quest was opened, and someone cleared it, the corresponding ‘territory’ would be lost.

To lose land to a mere human—how humiliating!

If it truly happened, the prestige of the Master of the Moon would be trampled.

—I wonder what Ahheta will do.

—Will Ahheta hunt for the intruder or try to block the Legendary Quest?

—Either failure will be a major blow.

—What if both fail?

—Who would invest in Ahheta’s trials then?

—Running the ‘night’ alone would be hard even for the Master of the Moon.

—Even the Master of the Moon’s position would be threatened.

This was why the creators watched the situation with such interest.

More and more creators started paying attention to “Earth” and the “second night.”

They were truly curious to see what the outcome would be.

Flash!

At that moment,

the moon that had hung in the night sky of the “second night” finally opened its eyes.

It was an eye full of blood vessels—an eye filled with rage.