Chapter 8
Demon Manager Andariel.
She was an upper demon—and a game master.
Her role here in the Abyss of the Night was to conduct “games” with the humans gathered in each zone.
The most important skill required of a game master was discernment.
So there was no way she had seen wrong.
‘That staff is made from the World Tree. And not just that—it bears a powerful hierarchy. It’s clearly a supremely high-grade relic beyond comprehension.’
Even the Lords of the Abyss couldn’t easily obtain such an item.
Not even hundreds of upper demon souls could buy it—there was no doubt this was a treasure of the highest order.
And yet, a mere human was holding it.
‘What if he’s not just a mere human?’
Think about it.
A human capable of approaching a game master undetected within their own assigned zone.
The very act of sneaking up on a game master—granted absolute authority—meant the man before him wasn’t an “ordinary human.”
The problem was that not much time had passed since the Abyss began its incursion.
It was impossible for someone to already possess such supreme strength and equipment.
‘…Could he be the Incarnation of a Great Lord of the Abyss?’
The Creators.
Even among the Lords of the Abyss, there were ranks.
And only nine beings were honored with the title of “Great Lord.”
However, those nine showed little interest in the human world.
Naturally, they paid no attention to humans.
But what if… one of them had made an “Incarnation Contract”?
If it was a Great Lord, they could easily bestow a human with that level of power and equipment.
Gulp.
Andariel nervously swallowed.
Whether Apostle or Incarnation, they were still “humans.”
Demons didn’t care who they made contracts with.
However… the nine Great Lords were different.
If he truly was an Incarnation contracted to one of them, then the human before him outranked Andariel.
‘She’s mistaking me for an Incarnation of a Great Lord.’
Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly.
Everything was going as planned.
The moment Andariel’s eyes landed on the World Tree Staff, her attitude changed.
She had instantly recognized it as an [Eternal]-grade artifact—an immeasurable treasure.
Though Chan-woo was only Level –98, there was no way Andariel could have known that.
He had approached Andariel deliberately to force recognition and guide her misunderstanding and confusion.
After all, at this point in time, the only humans who could possibly wield such power and gear were “Incarnations of the Nine Great Lords.”
‘There’s no clearing this the way the game master intended.’
He had to be a complete rebel.
Not just here, but even when facing the Dragon God.
Following the preset route would only lead to failure.
In fact, all the Creators had bet on “failure,” making this Abyss inherently hopeless.
Park Chan-woo straightened his back.
“I’ll take your silence as agreement.”
Then spoke in a voice without the slightest hesitation.
So confident, it startled Andariel.
‘He definitely has something to rely on!’
No ordinary human could react like this.
He had just watched two people die before even entering, and didn’t blink an eye.
Instead, he stared Andariel straight in the eyes.
‘…There’s no emotion in those eyes.’
Yet Park Chan-woo’s gaze gave nothing away. Proof that he knew how to completely hide his emotions.
And yet, it somehow felt like his eyes were saying, ‘Surely you’re not thinking of refusing me entry, are you?’
Andariel’s lips felt parched.
If this really was an Incarnation of one of the Nine Great Lords… it wouldn’t hurt to stay on his good side. But still, confirmation was needed.
“Regrettably, those who failed to form a ‘Booking Party’ cannot enter the ‘Pretty Faces Nightclub.’”
“Take this.”
Ting—!
A golden coin flew through the air.
Andariel instinctively caught it in a panic.
Then widened his eyes, inspecting the coin’s surface.
No matter how he looked at it…
‘A tip.’
Not just any tip—
“T-thank you very much, honored guest.”
…It was a “Coin”—an exclusive currency of the Creators.
This was insane.
The only way a human could obtain a Coin was by bankrupting a Creator.
But at this stage, for a mere human to bankrupt a Creator—a Lord—was flat-out impossible.
Now it was certain.
‘This human is definitely the Incarnation of a Great Lord!’
He was not someone that could be compared to ordinary humans.
He must’ve bankrupted a Creator in the very first Abyss.
It made sense that one of the Nine Great Lords would notice him.
But even so.
…To think he’d give a “tip” to the game master.
Sure, she had introduced himself as a demon manager, and this place did resemble a nightclub, so tipping the waiter wasn’t completely out of place… but it was still an outrageous act beyond common sense.
A human tipping a demon.
But she couldn’t refuse.
This Coin was something every demon desired.
The sole valid currency in the Abyss.
Andariel resumed her role with renewed zeal.
“We’ll serve you with the highest priority. However…”
She bowed his head and hesitated for a moment.
Then carefully continued.
“You still cannot enter alone. Even if a party is not formed, the rules require at least two people to enter together.”
“Then I just pick someone from the remaining people?”
“You can choose more, of course. I did promise to serve you with the highest care.”
Andariel’s eyes gleamed.
This meant the game required a minimum of two players to proceed inside.
“P-please choose me!”
“I can fight well!”
Those who hadn’t formed a party yet stepped up desperately.
They were all people with some flaw—injured, sickly, or young.
Choosing all of them was one option.
‘You must never trust a demon’s word.’
But Park Chan-woo knew demons never speak the whole truth.
If anything, they were liars at heart.
「It’s said that booking works better with two than one, three than two, and four than three.」
‘The fewer, the better.’
Then the opposite must be true.
The fewer, the better.
Two was just right.
Park Chan-woo raised his hand and pointed to one man.
“……?”
That man—Lee Hyuk-soo, the future Sword King—looked at Park Chan-woo with slightly confused eyes.
“I’ll go with him.”
“You’re only choosing one?”
“Yes.”
“……Understood.”
There was a hint of reluctance in the tone.
But Park Chan-woo was confident he had made the right choice.
“For the remaining entrants, I’ve assigned parties myself. Now then, let the entrance begin.”
* * *
Inside the nightclub.
In a space illuminated by vibrant lights, the formed ‘Booking Parties’ sat at their tables.
‘Booking’ was originally a slang term used by waiters at clubs to pair men and women, but it meant something a little different here.
“You’re about to experience a very different kind of booking. A ‘Booking of Death,’ to be exact.”
At once, everyone’s expressions stiffened.
They had expected something like this, but the word ‘death’ struck harder than expected.
“Depending on the size of your party, you’ll meet a fitting ‘booking opponent.’ If you choose to ‘engage,’ it will be a battle. If you want to ‘pass,’ it will require a price.”
“Wait. Don’t tell me that price is…”
“Yes! As you guessed—one party member’s life!”
“Insane…!”
Faces turned pale as ash.
So that’s why Andariel looked disappointed earlier.
Had the stragglers at the end been placed into parties, it would’ve caused a huge mess.
“You may use any method. But you must offer one life within five minutes. Otherwise, the entire party will be wiped out. Win or pass three times, and you’ll be granted the right to leave this nightclub along with a reward based on your performance.”
Only with four members could you pass all three rounds.
At most, one person might make it out alive.
But with fewer members, even passing wouldn’t be an option.
In the case of Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo, they would have to win at least two out of the three rounds for even one of them to survive and leave this place.
“After the three rounds, you’re free to continue as you like. You may take on more bookings or just leave. Ah, is anyone curious about the prizes?”
“I am.”
Park Chan-woo spoke.
Andariel’s eyes glinted ominously.
“Very well. I shall now show you treasures so supreme, even I wouldn’t dare touch them!”
Sssshhhk—
A red curtain drew open.
Behind it, a transparent wall appeared.
‘There it is.’
Beyond the wall lay treasures sparkling in opulence.
At the center of it all—
‘The Philosopher’s Stone or also known as the Mage’s Stone.’
Along with it, every treasure obtainable in the First Night of the Abyss.
Everything Park Chan-woo desired.
“Here lie the weapons and tools capable of challenging the Twelve Divine Generals who rule the ‘First Night of the Abyss.’ Naturally, the higher the grade, the greater the price… measured in ‘Booking Points.’”
Beneath each item were numbers.
Ranging from 10 at the lowest to as high as 10,000.
“Simple enough.”
“Indeed. Please enjoy your ‘booking’ to the fullest.”
Andariel looked at Park Chan-woo with a relaxed smile.
If he was strong enough to bankrupt a Lord in the first Abyss—if he had been chosen by one of the Nine Great Lords—then winning three rounds should be easy.
‘You’re mistaken.’
But it was a misunderstanding.
It would be anything but easy.
Bookings, by nature, were meant to be between opponents of similar level.
And here at ‘Pretty Faces Nightclub,’ the Death Booking was designed so that the opponent was determined based on party size and power level.
That was how it had been set up.
Which meant—
‘The stronger you are, the higher your level, the more party members you have… the more impossible this game becomes. You foolish human.’
Andariel sneered at Park Chan-woo.
(T/N: Lol, so he will havbe opponents with a level -98? )
