Chapter 79
The traces left by the ancient being.
Only those who have lifted the seal from every shelter can follow those traces.
That’s why only Park Chan-woo, who destroyed all 20 shelters by himself, could unlock the Legendary Quest.
However, even after unlocking the quest, there was another requirement.
He needed to bring along a member of the “same species.”
Meaning, he needed another human with him.
But why was a “fellow species” necessary?
He realized why once he found the trace.
[‘You have discovered a trace left by the Ancient Being.’]
[‘Trace (1): Statue of the Goddess of Valhalla’ appears.]
The moment he arrived at the marked spot,
Rumble!
A colossal goddess statue rose from the ground.
In front of the sword-wielding goddess stood a single bowl and a dagger.
[‘The ritual for the Holy Festival begins.’]
[‘For the ritual, you need the forefinger of a fellow human undertaking the Legendary Journey.’]
[‘Use the Sacred Sword to sever the forefinger and place it in the bowl.’]
[‘You have 30 seconds.’]
[‘If 30 seconds pass, the ritual ends and the Legendary Journey is recorded as a failure.’]
It required not the finger of Park Chan-woo, the one progressing the journey, but the finger of Lee Hyuk-soo, who was accompanying and witnessing it.
“…”
Park Chan-woo was taken aback.
He thought he’d faced every sort of trial, but never expected the journey to proceed in this manner.
A hurdle right at the start.
He couldn’t force Lee Hyuk-soo.
A swordsman missing a finger—could anyone imagine it?
He wouldn’t be able to grip a sword properly, and even if he did, he’d never wield it with the same force.
One-armed swordsmen did exist, but it was obvious it took a long time to regain their original skills.
“Is this the price of sharing in the legend?”
Lee Hyuk-soo spoke nonchalantly.
Then immediately took up the Sacred Sword.
“With this, I repay my debt to you, Prophet.”
Thunk!
Without hesitation, he severed his left forefinger.
It happened in an instant.
A bold, decisive act.
There wasn’t even time to stop him.
Without caring about the dripping blood, Lee Hyuk-soo placed his severed finger in the bowl.
“…Lee Hyuk-soo.”
All Park Chan-woo could do was call his name.
He never expected him to cut off his own finger without a moment’s thought.
Let alone speak of “repaying a debt.”
Did he really think he’d repaid the kindness shown to him so far?
It could even be misunderstood that he was brought here for this very reason.
“You don’t need to worry. I know you didn’t bring me here for this.”
…Surprisingly, that wasn’t it either.
Rather, Lee Hyuk-soo was vouching for Park Chan-woo.
He was certain Park Chan-woo had not brought him with such an intention.
But Lee Hyuk-soo believed in the Prophet, without a doubt.
He might have even thought he’d read this future, creating a situation that couldn’t be refused from the start.
But the truth didn’t matter to Lee Hyuk-soo.
‘The Prophet is my benefactor.’
If not for the Prophet, his mother wouldn’t be alive now.
Becoming the Immortal King’s Beloved Disciple, and gaining power faster than anyone, was all thanks to the Prophet’s arrangements.
That alone was worth giving up a finger with a smile.
Besides… the Prophet told him to become a “savior.”
But Lee Hyuk-soo thought differently.
‘The true savior isn’t me, it’s the Prophet.’
Nemesis of the Creators, a miracle-worker.
One who forges a new path where none exists.
It was enough just to walk alongside that legend.
Above all, he was someone who could blush at a single word of thanks—a genuinely pure person.
Lee Hyuk-soo believed what he saw in him.
Whether this was planned or not, whether he was pure or not, no matter what others said.
Lee Hyuk-soo believed only what he had seen and experienced.
And the Prophet, Park Chan-woo, was a “good person.”
If not for him, tens of thousands more would have died during the first night; Lee Hyuk-soo would have become a complete orphan, and the entire Korean Peninsula would have been lost to the Abyss for lack of points.
He had already saved tens of thousands.
And there was so much more the Prophet had done behind the scenes, unknown to anyone.
For example, right now.
‘No one knows how much the Prophet has sacrificed.’
No one could imagine how lonely a path this was.
He himself could never do it.
Doing what no one else would, all alone—without extraordinary selflessness, it was impossible.
The Prophet was doing his best to save the future.
All by himself.
Fwoosh!
At that moment,
flames burst from the bowl.
[‘O king with loyal and valiant followers!’]
[‘You have proven your worth as a Khan.’]
[‘The ritual for the Holy Festival begins.’]
[‘The path to the Khan’s Palace is revealed.’]
[‘Be warned. The road to the palace will be anything but smooth.’]
[‘And to the companion of legend!’]
[‘The Goddess of War acknowledges you.’]
[‘The Goddess of War is deeply moved by the spirit to sacrifice oneself without hesitation.’]
[‘The Goddess of War kisses your forefinger.’]
[‘It is strengthened as “Forefinger Blessed by the Goddess.”‘]
[‘Fulfill your duty as a Khan’s Knight on this Legendary Journey.’]
Ssssss!
The forefinger severed by the Sacred Sword was reborn in sacred fire.
The finger, now floating in the air, was reattached to Lee Hyuk-soo’s hand, perfectly regenerated.
…It was astonishing.
It seemed to be a ritual to select “king” and “knight.”
Park Chan-woo was the king, and Lee Hyuk-soo had been recognized as the king’s knight.
‘The ancient being was the king of this land.’
Moreover, a great Khan who walked with the Goddess of War.
Even more questions arose.
A being who walked with a goddess!
Those with divine authority, a divinity, rarely intervene in the mortal world.
They never walked with anyone they did not recognize.
Just how great was this being for the goddess herself to guide the path?
“…It’s fine.”
Lee Hyuk-soo wiggled his finger.
It had regenerated.
And it was even stronger than before.
He felt his grip had grown firmer.
His stats had increased, too, with the goddess’s blessing.
Was all this also part of the Prophet’s plan?
“So we just follow this light?”
“Seems so.”
Park Chan-woo nodded in response.
A thin line of light stretched out before them.
If they followed it, the “Khan’s Palace” would likely appear.
The question was whether only the two of them could see the line.
Re-reading the message that said the road would not be smooth, Park Chan-woo thought,
‘…Now it really begins.’
—
Han Shin heard Ahheta’s voice.
[‘My incarnation. Kill all those blocking the path of light.’]
[‘Do so, and you shall become a true king.’]
It was the first time he’d heard such a clear voice from Ahheta since they made a contract.
That showed how desperate Ahheta was.
‘The Legendary Quest is progressing properly, I see.’
A quest he thought could never succeed.
But apparently, it was moving ahead steadily.
Not wanting to lose territory, Ahheta asked Han Shin, the incarnation, for help.
“I will.”
Han Shin nodded.
He didn’t like anyone else stealing the spotlight, either.
Swoosh!
At the same time, Han Shin received the “Blessing of the Moon.”
Ahheta spent his own power and a great number of coins to strengthen Han Shin.
Han Shin knew such an immediate blessing required far more coins than a carefully prepared one.
That wasn’t all.
The qualification “King of the Night” evolved.
[‘King of the Night’ evolves into ‘Emperor of the Night.’]
[‘Emperor of the Night’ gains 1,000 contribution points per captive.’]
[‘For every 10 captives, an additional 10,000 contribution points.’]
[‘Gather 100, and an extra 100,000 points.’]
[‘Tip: If you use your doppelgangers to copy humans, they count as extra captives.’]
[‘You currently possess a Hidden Map.’]
[‘All contribution points earned are doubled.’]
The best title for this trial: King of the Night.
Upon promotion, absurd benefits were added.
On top of that, the “Hidden Map” doubled the points earned.
Ahheta must really be desperate.
Thanks to this, Han Shin was truly ready to walk the “king’s path.”
He hunted all the blockers on the path of light.
Whether person or doppelganger.
If it was a person, he copied them; if it was a doppelganger, he took them captive.
Then he entered the “contribution shop” and made the necessary purchases.
[‘You spent 5,000,000 contribution points.’]
[‘You have purchased the “Chaser’s Sword” (Legendary, Exclusive Equipment).’]
The best weapon in all the shops.
The ultimate exclusive weapon, prepared only for Han Shin.
—
As expected, the “path of light” was visible to everyone.
So, they had to deal with constant interruptions.
‘It’s always me fighting alone.’
Lee Hyuk-soo, sweating, took down each attacker.
He didn’t know why, but again the Prophet stood behind with his hands clasped.
Just as he’d done all the “booking” alone on the first night.
He even got misunderstood.
“You huge red dot!”
“So you’re the ghost!”
The doppelgangers called Lee Hyuk-soo “the ghost.”
The culprit who destroyed all the shelters.
This was due to Park Chan-woo’s status ailment, “Nonexistent.”
The fugitive’s marker showed on the map, but Park Chan-woo’s presence was erased.
With Lee Hyuk-soo standing right next to the red dot, the two overlapped.
That’s why the doppelgangers thought Lee Hyuk-soo was the ghost.
Wherever the red dot was, the only detectable target was Lee Hyuk-soo.
So the doppelgangers desperately tried to block the two on the path of light.
‘Ahheta is controlling the doppelgangers directly.’
As Lee Hyuk-soo fought,
Park Chan-woo stroked his chin while watching from behind.
As expected, Ahheta’s desperate interference had begun.
‘Han Shin must also be after us.’
No way Ahheta was only using doppelgangers.
Han Shin.
He would be moving as well.
Surely for a great reward.
Han Shin would never refuse, so they were bound to meet soon.
Could Lee Hyuk-soo win against Han Shin?
…Just then.
When he’d defeated the last doppelganger—
Clap, clap, clap!
Someone nearby started clapping.
‘…I didn’t sense his presence.’
Only then did Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo notice the man standing there.
They had no idea he’d been there.
A man whose very existence was faint.
But somehow, he radiated menace.
His eyes shone as he spoke.
“Found you at last.”
Fwoosh!
Black flames flared behind him.
An immense power.
At the sight of the black flames, Lee Hyuk-soo staggered.
He nearly lost consciousness from the sudden surge of dense power.
A being that radiated such fierce might.
‘Not human.’
A non-human race in human form.
But apart from humans and doppelgangers, no other race could enter the “second night.”
‘An intruder!’
This was the intruder Ahheta was searching for.
And if it was an intruder—an entity above the 11th level.
A being who cloaked himself so his presence could not be detected.
‘Dragonkin…!’
One of the Twelve Species.
And always among the highest.
Just as Park Chan-woo expected, he was indeed dragonkin.
The Black Dragon Ataraxia!
The ultimate monster, intruding on the “second night” by the Black Witch’s command.
He smiled calmly and spoke.
“Hand over the ‘Star of Arrogance’ and ‘Wish,’ human.”