Chapter 13

A 3-Second Cut

The Game Master, Andariel, had said that everything needed to take down the Twelve Divine Generals could be found at the ‘Great Water Nightclub’. He claimed that the treasures behind the curtains would be more than enough to help.

To some extent, he was right.

‘The problem is that it’s impossible to gather enough points.’

By normal means, it would be impossible. You’d have to personally gather all the points and purchase every item you needed. Due to the nature of the Abyss, what you obtained could only be used by you.

The only thing that could be transferred was ‘coins’.

But if you had a party member who followed orders well, things could be different. You could delegate tasks effectively.

That’s why Park Chan-woo had equipped Lee Hyuk-soo with the ‘Undying King Set’.

The first-time activation of the Undying King Set’s ‘Indomitable’ effect was the key.

Indomitable activated upon receiving a fatal blow, granting three seconds of invulnerability! It was a one-time option that disappeared after being triggered, but those three seconds were enough to take down the Dragon Divine General.

Of course, there were still risks involved.

Would Lee Hyuk-soo follow his plan?

He would be walking straight into the jaws of death. Could he really trust in the Indomitable effect and risk his life?

Honestly, Park Chan-woo thought even he might refuse if it were him.

That’s why he had a sweet deal in mind, one that Lee Hyuk-soo couldn’t refuse.

“Lee Hyuk-soo. We’re going to kill the Dragon Divine General.”

“…Can we really kill it?”

With about ten minutes remaining, Lee Hyuk-soo asked, half-doubtful.

It was a monster that had killed 50,000 people by itself.

Even though Park Chan-woo had killed the Game Master, Andariel, to Lee Hyuk-soo, the Dragon Divine General seemed even stronger than Andariel.

“If everything goes according to plan, we can kill the Dragon Divine General within the three seconds that Indomitable is active.”

“…Wait. Indomitable only activates when you take a fatal blow… Don’t tell me, you expect me to face death?”

“Oh, you catch on quickly. Yes, you need to reach the Dragon Divine General within three seconds after Indomitable activates.”

The activation of Indomitable was a prerequisite. It meant he had to start by taking a fatal blow.

“…Why should I do that?”

However, Lee Hyuk-soo had already bought an Elixir. He had followed Park Chan-woo’s orders all this time, continually booking in the nightclub.

Now, all he had to do was leave the Abyss. With the equipment he had obtained here, he could easily raise his contribution score and make it into the top 20,000.

Even if Park Chan-woo had killed a demon and was a monster of a man, asking him to jump to his death was a bit too much.

Seeing Lee Hyuk-soo’s predictable reaction, Park Chan-woo pulled out a ‘coin’ from his pocket.

“Take this.”

“…Is this a ‘tip’?”

Lee Hyuk-soo blinked as he caught the coin that had been tossed to him.

It was the same coin Park Chan-woo had given as a tip to Andariel. It was the only thing left after Andariel’s death.

Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo explained,

“I told you that saving your mother with the Elixir wouldn’t be the end.”

“You did say that…”

“Take that coin to your mother. As long as she has it, the demons of the Abyss won’t be able to take her easily.”

Lee Hyuk-soo’s eyes widened.

“…What kind of item is this?”

“It’s an escape coin. As long as you have that coin, you can escape the Abyss.”

“An escape coin… Can I use it here too?”

“Of course, you can use it right now, if you wish.”

Hearing this, Lee Hyuk-soo glanced down at the coin in his hand again.

Andariel had treated Park Chan-woo with the utmost respect after receiving this coin. It was undoubtedly an extraordinary item.

If holding this coin meant he could stay out of this hellish place—or even escape from it—it might be more valuable than the Elixir.

“What makes you trust me enough to give me this coin first? I could just use it to run away right now.”

“Lee Hyuk-soo, you’re a bit ‘different’, but you’re not a selfish person.”

“…”

Lee Hyuk-soo fell silent.

Park Chan-woo’s words had touched something deep inside him.

—Hyuk-soo, you’re a good boy. You’re just a little different from others, and they don’t understand that.

His mother had always said that to him. Even after fights, she had always been on his side. She believed without a doubt that Hyuk-soo had never been the one to start trouble.

“…Tell me what I need to do. I’ll do exactly as you say.”

At last, Lee Hyuk-soo put his life on the line.

He had come this far, so he might as well see it through to the end.

‘It’s done.’

Park Chan-woo nodded in satisfaction.

Preparations were complete.

Only one thing remained now.

‘I just need to awaken my Mage class.’

***

At the same time, Lee Hyuk-soo began running like a madman.

Indomitable was active, and he had three seconds. He had to reach the Dragon Divine General within that time.

Once those three seconds passed, he might not survive.

Charging straight ahead instead of fleeing when retreat was already difficult—this was insanity.

“Slash. Be cut down. Be slashed again and again.”

Even though Indomitable granted him three seconds of invulnerability, just getting close was a challenge.

The Dragon Divine General wasn’t going to just stand there.

He had twelve arms, each holding a long scimitar.

Approaching him was suicide.

Yet Lee Hyuk-soo charged headlong toward the Dragon Divine General without stopping.

—Lee Hyuk-soo. I’m going to cast a spell on you now.

Park Chan-woo had told him.

He hadn’t explained what the spell was, but he had told Lee Hyuk-soo to get close to the Dragon Divine General and swing his sword.

What kind of spell it was, Lee Hyuk-soo didn’t know.

But one thing was certain—Park Chan-woo’s entire demeanor had changed when he cast it.

‘Was he… a mage?’

He didn’t know.

Though he called himself a prophet, suddenly he was casting magic—why?

There was no time for Lee Hyuk-soo to ponder such things. As instructed by Park Chan-woo, he approached the Dragon Divine General.

Precisely at the moment when the Indomitable effect wore off—

Swish!

He swung the Undying King’s greatsword.

“Futile, human,” the Dragon Divine General sneered, effortlessly blocking with his scimitar.

But the moment their weapons collided—

BOOM!

A massive explosion, loud enough to pierce the eardrums, erupted.

However, Lee Hyuk-soo remained unscathed.

The explosion had engulfed only the Dragon Divine General, as all its force was directed solely at him.

As his skin burned and peeled away, the Dragon Divine General couldn’t help but scream.

“Arrrghhh!”

The pain was unbearable, yet what confused him more was that he instinctively understood what had caused the explosion.

‘It’s my own magic. My own attack was reflected.’

All the magic that had gathered in the Death King’s greatsword had originally come from the Dragon Divine General himself. The power he had poured out during those three seconds had been absorbed, then detonated.

‘A reflection spell? No, reflection magic has limitations. Collecting all of someone’s magic and releasing it at once is impossible!’

It was undoubtedly based on reflection magic, but it was completely different from what he knew.

Reflection magic, at its core, was a kind of defensive shield, a basic spell that all mages learned to protect themselves. However, it was now obsolete. Reflecting an attack consumed more magic than simply defending against it, so no one used it anymore.

But somehow…

…this outdated magic had been perfected to this extent?

“I don’t know which astounding mage is helping you, but… you’ll regret siding with Aheta!”

The Dragon Divine General realized there was a great mage behind the human attacking him.

However, that was the last thought the Dragon Divine General had.

The immense magic he had unleashed had been reflected back at him, and in an instant, he was reduced to ashes.

“…”

Meanwhile, Lee Hyuk-soo stood there, dumbfounded.

He had followed Park Chan-woo’s instructions, and somehow, the Dragon Divine General had truly been killed. It was also true that Park Chan-woo had cast a spell on him.

The strike and the explosion just now? They had nothing to do with his own strength.

‘It really only took 3 seconds.’

A chill ran down his spine.

He could barely breathe.

From the moment Park Chan-woo summoned the Grim Reaper to kill the demon, Lee Hyuk-soo had known he wasn’t ordinary.

‘A monster at the pinnacle.’

The very thing that 2 million people couldn’t do, Park Chan-woo had accomplished in just three seconds.

Even the Dragon Divine General had called him an astounding mage.

In hindsight, maybe Park Chan-woo hadn’t needed his help at all.

Lee Hyuk-soo couldn’t deny it anymore—the self-proclaimed prophet was undoubtedly an ‘archmage’ who had reached an unimaginable level.

Clap, clap!

Just then, the sound of applause rang out from somewhere.

The first to appear was Team Leader Kim Byung-han.

“As expected! I knew from the moment I first saw you at the ‘Great Water Nightclub’ that you were capable of this! I had faith in you!”

Kim approached, acting overly familiar, showering him with flattery.

This confirmed for everyone that Lee Hyuk-soo was indeed human.

Soon after, more people who had been hiding began to show themselves.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

“The Dragon Divine General is dead!”

“A hero who killed the Dragon Divine General!”

“A hero is born!”

In no time, a crowd gathered around Lee Hyuk-soo.

The number of people was overwhelming.

“What’s your name?”

“Where did you get that equipment?”

“What country are you from?”

Questions rained down on him.

Lee Hyuk-soo finally opened his mouth.

“I wasn’t the one who killed…”

“Haha, so humble!”

“No one else could even approach it, but you cut that monster down with one strike!”

In the end, Lee Hyuk-soo couldn’t say anything more.

…Because he hadn’t been the one to kill the Dragon Divine General.

‘Where did he go?’

No matter how much he looked around, the ‘self-proclaimed prophet’ was nowhere to be found.

Instinctively, Lee Hyuk-soo knew.

He had already left.

Having completed what he needed to do, he had disappeared quietly.

A sense of emptiness welled up inside him. He felt something missing, as if a piece of him had been hollowed out.

Although their time together had been short, Lee Hyuk-soo knew he would never forget what had happened during the First Night’s Abyss.

‘I should have at least asked for his name…’

***

Park Chan-woo stood alone by the side of a deserted road.

After confirming that the Dragon Divine General had been killed by his magic, he slowly raised his head.

He gazed up at the sky.

And at the ‘moon’ that hovered there.

“Thank you, Master of the Moon.”

Szzzzt!

Along with the sound of moving flesh, the blood-red eye etched on the moon gazed down at Park Chan-woo. The moon had gradually turned crimson.

Seeing this, Park Chan-woo smiled, as if he could feel the rage emanating from the bloodshot eye.

“Thanks to you, I’ve become a ‘Mage’.”

He deliberately taunted it.

Finally, he had achieved what he had long desired.

And as he quietly muttered the words for his ‘status window’ to appear.

Looking at the status window, Park Chan-woo clenched his fist.

It was just the first day.

From the very beginning of the Abyss, he had already acquired a class.

Hadn’t he always regretted not walking the path of the mage sooner? Now, that regret had finally been corrected.

‘In the Abyss, obtaining an original class is actually more difficult.’

An ‘original class’ refers to basic classes like Mage, Swordsman, and Archer.

In the Abyss, such ‘original’ classes were considered the highest tier.

‘Almost every class you can obtain in the Abyss comes with a modifier.’

For instance, even if one became a mage, most would have a modifier like ‘Fire Mage’ or ‘Star Mage’. These modifiers, while seemingly grand, ultimately imposed limitations.

A Fire Mage could only learn fire magic, and a Star Mage could only learn star magic.

Therefore.

‘An unmodified, original Mage is the best.’

Especially among mages, the value of the ‘original’ class was overwhelming.

Having no modifier meant one could potentially learn ‘everything’. While it didn’t specialize in any one area, it allowed for a broad range of skills, making it possible to go further and learn more.

Of course, this didn’t mean one could simply learn opposing elements at will.

But Park Chan-woo was an exception.

‘Void. It’s a relic that allows you to learn opposing elements of magic.’

The Void was a relic that eliminated the repulsive force between opposing elements, making it a ‘Holy Grail’ for mages.

It was an excellent start. Better than anyone else’s.

Although his level was catastrophically low, the benefits more than compensated for it.

Park Chan-woo shrugged his shoulders as he checked the remaining time.

‘To think I’d find a book for the original Mage class here.’

Books that passed down original classes were incredibly rare. Yet there it was, behind the curtain.

That’s why he had poured all the points from his 70-win streak into purchasing the book to awaken as an ‘Original Mage’.

All thanks to the Master of the Moon.

He truly couldn’t help but feel that the guy was unbelievably generous.

“I’ll see you at the next ‘night’.”

Park Chan-woo grinned, revealing his teeth.

It was a smile filled with the resolve to eventually bankrupt the Master of the Moon as well.

At that moment.

……

“…A Black Box?”

T/N: It’s a bit confusing, but the author kept switching between ‘Death King’ and ‘Undying King’ in this chapter. I’m not sure if it’s a mistake or if it’s intentional, so I’ll just keep things as is.

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