Chapter 22

Centennial Snow Ginseng

 

There were a few reasons why Park Chan-woo was sipping coffee on the streets of Gwanghwamun early in the morning.

First and foremost, to do an experiment on his ‘Non-Existence’.

He wanted to see how the status effect of ‘Non-Existence’ applied in reality. He walked around the streets, visited a few shops, and observed whether people would notice him.

‘There’s a difference between inside and outside the Abyss.’

The results were somewhat surprising.

In reality, Park Chan-woo’s presence seemed no different than before. People could see him, and they quickly noticed where he was. When he walked down the street, others avoided bumping into him, and some even looked at him from a distance. After he ordered coffee and sat down, no one sat near him.

This was proof that people were aware of the person known as Park Chan-woo.

‘People can perceive me outside the Abyss.’

But what about those who aren’t human? For example, the Creators.

He had a hunch about that as well.

‘When Kim Byung-han was targeted by the Sniper Abyss, the demon Gremory didn’t notice me inside the Abyss until I revealed myself.’

Back when Kim Byung-han was being chased by his coworkers, Park Chan-woo had enlarged his Radiant Anubis to help him escape. Even after that, the Creator didn’t stop him or prevent Park Chan-woo from moving freely within the Abyss, despite knowing he had killed the Game Master, Andariel.

In other words, the ‘Non-Existence’ status was effective inside the Abyss.

At least within the Abyss, the status effect of ‘Non-Existence’ was working properly—beyond his expectations.

‘If even the demon Gremory couldn’t sense my presence, then it’s safe to say that no one among the Creators in the Abyss would be able to detect me first.’

After all, Gremory was a demon lord. If even the true master of the Abyss couldn’t sense Park Chan-woo, then no lesser monsters or demons within the Abyss would be able to spot him first.

However, he couldn’t be 100% certain.

‘People inside the Abyss didn’t notice me either. But Kim Byung-han was different. At both the lakeside park and inside the office… it seems that those who know what I look like can recognize me within the Abyss.’

There was an exception to ‘Non-Existence’.

Kim Byung-han knew Park Chan-woo and even recognized him first. But this wasn’t the case in front of the ‘Great Water Nightclub’.

‘It seems that people can only recognize me based on the appearance they know of….’

At that time, Park Chan-woo was wearing the Demonic Set and looked almost like a demon himself.

So, the only reason Kim Byung-han was able to recognize him was because he knew what Park Chan-woo originally looked like. It was simply recognition based on his face.

Conversely, when Park Chan-woo covered his face and body, he couldn’t be recognized.

‘This likely applies to Creators as well.’

A Creator who had encountered Park Chan-woo once would likely be able to recognize him again. Moreover, Creators might even recognize him in greater detail.

For humans, ‘eyes’ are the most important feature for recognizing someone. However, the lords of the Abyss, who are Creators, perceive existence itself. They rely on things like magic power, presence, scent, and any other detectable traits.

Demons frequently change their appearances, so how they look isn’t important to them at all.

‘If I can’t take them down in one blow, there’s a high chance I’ll be exposed.’

Park Chan-woo considered himself a ‘joker card’. He was powerful enough to kill an unknown enemy in one strike, but once discovered, he was an easy target.

If the Creators became aware of his abilities, they would prepare for him. Just imagining it was horrifying.

Fortunately, he had earned the favor of the Demon God Gremory. Gremory was a demon with whom he could communicate, even to the point of asking for help.

He was confident that even the Gremory couldn’t fully understand him.

After all, who could predict a state that went beyond the minimum threshold?

‘The key question is whether Creators can detect me outside the Abyss, here on Earth.’

This was the most crucial point.

If Creators couldn’t recognize Park Chan-woo on Earth, then there would be no reason to fear being targeted by snipers or Avatars. So far, there had been no signs of such a threat.

Despite having bankrupted more than one Creator, they hadn’t shown any special interest in him. Not even an Apostle contract or an Avatar contract had been proposed, though such agreements could easily be made outside the Abyss.

Creators had the inherent ability to monitor the entire planet in real-time.

‘Since there’s been no proposal, it’s likely the latter. They can’t detect me.’

Thus, it was highly likely that the latter was true—they weren’t aware of Park Chan-woo at all.

‘…Only the host of the Abyss can know information about the challengers. As long as I bankrupt the Creator who made the Abyss, I won’t be exposed.’

Thus, he came to a conclusion.

When entering an Abyss, he would always aim to bankrupt the Creator. No exceptions.

This applied to the current Dungeon Abyss as well. All the dungeons were creations of various Creators, each with their own owner and host. Though he didn’t know who created the Water God Dungeon, he knew the surefire way to bankrupt them.

‘I’ll make full use of my ‘Non-Existence’ and kill the Water God in one strike.’

Up until now, he had relied on his Reflect spell. However, using Reflect meant that Park Chan-woo had to expose himself or find someone, like Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo, to take the hit for him. But if he relied on someone else to take the blow, it would increase the chances of him being exposed.

A revealed ‘joker card’ was the easiest target.

His plan was simple: to defeat the Water God alone by using Divine Retribution, the lightning magic option on his Frosted Helm. Since lightning magic had a natural advantage over water, it wasn’t an impossible task.

As he mulled over the experiment with his ‘Non-Existence’ status and the strategy for clearing the Water God Dungeon, Park Chan-woo calmly sipped his coffee at the café.

Of course, there was another reason he was here.

“Ladies and gentlemen! This is an opportunity! A golden chance to gather strength and power!”

“Join the Dawn Fellowship!”

“We will protect you!”

…He was also observing the people who gathered here today.

Because the Water God Dungeon was the highest-scoring dungeon, it was likely to attract all kinds of strong individuals and Avatars. And those people included the ones he was watching now.

‘Dawn Fellowship, huh.’

That was the name of the group, which would later evolve into the Dawn Cult.

Fully armed, they were shouting loudly. And one particular voice in the crowd sounded all too familiar to Park Chan-woo.

‘Yoo Han-seop, the leader of the Dawn Fellowship.’

Who would have thought that he’d run into Yoo Han-seop here?

Yoo Han-seop had gained prominence early on, building the Dawn Fellowship into one of the most influential groups in Korea. He was one of the few who didn’t fear the Abyss.

Yoo Han-seop was also known for never shying away from difficult tasks. He would rush to any place that needed him, leading with positive influence and impressing people. Young, handsome, with a great personality and skills to match, it was no surprise that his followers grew rapidly.

But…

‘He’s an Avatar.’

…Yoo Han-seop was an Avatar.

On the first day, he had already made a contract with a Creator. While it was true he was talented, his rapid rise to prominence was largely due to the immense support from his contracted Creator. The Creator likely saw the potential in his ability to attract people.

‘Is he here to clear the Water God Abyss? Or is he here to interfere?’

That was the question. Everything hinged on where Yoo Han-seop’s Creator had placed their ‘bet’.

If they bet on South Korea achieving the 5,000 points, Yoo Han-seop’s goal would be to clear the dungeon. But if they bet on the failure to reach 5,000 points, then Yoo Han-seop was likely here to sabotage other people’s efforts.

There was also the possibility that Yoo Han-seop’s Creator was the host of the Water God Dungeon itself.

By observing Yoo Han-seop’s actions, Park Chan-woo hoped to uncover his true intentions. He was genuinely curious as to why Yoo Han-seop would tackle the most difficult dungeon from the outset.

“Isn’t that Yoo Han-seop?”

“Ah… I saw him on the news. The guy who wrote the Abyss Column, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him. I heard he saved over 500 people in the Abyss.”

“So he’s incredibly strong, huh?”

The crowd around Park Chan-woo was abuzz with chatter.

Yoo Han-seop was already famous. His great deeds on the first day of the Abyss had made headlines, and his Abyss Column, which detailed survival tips in the Abyss, had been a massive hit. It had gained over 3 million views in just one day.

“I want to join too!”

“What can I do to help?”

As soon as they recognized Yoo Han-seop, people flocked to him. They figured that being on good terms with him would only benefit them in navigating the Abyss in the future.

In no time, more than fifty people had gathered around Yoo Han-seop. Then, he spoke.

“From now on, all of you will enter the Water God Abyss with me. And there, you will encounter an incredible opportunity.”

“Incredible opportunity? What’s that?”

“Courage!”

“Courage…?”

“Yes. You will gain the courage to not fear the Abyss. You’ll gain strength and become remarkably powerful. The Dawn Fellowship and I will make sure of that.”

The Dawn Fellowship had around ten members, all fully armed and looking strong. It didn’t seem like an empty promise that they would help the others gain power.

Having experienced the Abyss for two days, these people had already tasted helplessness and despair firsthand. The idea of gaining power was a sweet temptation they couldn’t resist.

Soon, Yoo Han-seop, the Dawn Fellowship, and the gathered people headed toward the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin.

“Then, let’s get started.”

Yoo Han-seop confidently stepped into the Water God Abyss. The members of the Dawn Fellowship followed him without hesitation, and soon after, the others—who had been hesitating—also entered.

‘It’s all showmanship.’

There are several ways to enter a Dungeon Abyss. One method was to step directly into the ‘gate’, just as Yoo Han-seop did. However, you could also simply stare at it, and the entry-related messages would appear automatically.

Just like now.

 

 

There was no predicted survival rate, as it wasn’t the focus of any betting. In this game, the Creators had only bet on whether or not South Korea would surpass 5,000 points or whether the dungeon would be cleared or not.

‘At least I won’t draw attention.’

He wanted to avoid being the first to enter. Even with Non-Existence, it wasn’t wise to be overly confident that he wouldn’t be noticed 100%. Better to be cautious.

Especially when it came to the first entrant—there would naturally be more attention on them. Fortunately, thanks to Yoo Han-seop and the large group entering ahead, Park Chan-woo could avoid any unlikely situation.

He nodded and made his decision.

 

 

 

***

 

As Yoo Han-seop entered the Water God Abyss, he smiled inwardly.

‘These people are just stepping stones for me to grow stronger.’

There was a reason he had chosen to enter the highest-scoring dungeon from the start with a group of people.

‘The Creator I contracted with told me there are treasures and elixirs scattered throughout the Water God Abyss.’

Yoo Han-seop was an Avatar and had a contract with a Creator. His Creator had tipped him off in advance about the treasures within the Water God Abyss.

 

 

The Creator had even handed him a map. This Creator was like a generous benefactor, fully committed to raising Yoo Han-seop’s power. Thanks to that, even on the first day, and during the First Night Abyss, Yoo Han-seop had achieved significant results.

And this time would be no different.

Yoo Han-seop smiled.

‘Here it is.’

Before long, he reached the ‘lakeside’, a spot marked on the map.

Though it had taken some time to organize the people, there was no way anyone could have arrived before him since he moved with a clear purpose.

Moreover, the Water God Abyss was the most dangerous dungeon in South Korea. Few dared to challenge it, so there was no chance anyone else would be at this lakeside.

He just needed to calmly achieve his goal.

Then it happened.

“A m-monster!”

“A mermaid with a spear just appeared from the lake!”

Five mermaids emerged.

Yoo Han-seop immediately drew his sword and shouted.

“Do not be afraid! Let’s kill the monsters together!”

Yoo Han-seop was the first to charge in. The members of the Dawn Fellowship followed suit, and in no time, the five mermaids were slaughtered.

‘He really is strong.’

‘He’s not just a columnist after all!’

‘He’s not even human!’

The onlookers were full of admiration.

Meanwhile, Yoo Han-seop quickly approached the lakeside.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the lake and the ground began to shake.

Shortly after—

Roarrr!

A massive hippopotamus emerged from the water. It was at least three times the size of a normal hippo, and its tusks were sharp and menacing.

The giant hippo charged at the people the moment it appeared.

‘Just like the Creator told me.’

Yoo Han-seop had been hiding in the bushes just before the hippo appeared.

‘The Centennial Snow Ginseng is guarded by this mystical giant hippo.’

He had known a monster would appear ahead of time.

“R-Run!”

“Gaaaahh!”

As the giant hippo rushed toward the group, people scattered in terror, fleeing in all directions.

Seeing them all disperse, Yoo Han-seop finally made his move.

He aimed to seize the Centennial Snow Ginseng that was hidden here.

‘If the map is correct, it should be right around here.’

Comparing the map with his surroundings, Yoo Han-seop searched the area carefully, but soon he frowned.

“…What the hell? Where is it? Why is there nothing here?!”

 

***

 

‘It’s a bit bitter.’

Chomp, chomp!

Near the lakeside, Park Chan-woo savored the Centennial Snow Ginseng he had just consumed.