Chapter 23

Elixir Addict

 

Park Chan-woo had never experienced a Dungeon Abyss before.

Just like with the First Night’s Abyss, he had no direct experience.

In fact, he only seriously started clearing the Abyss more than half a year from now.

It was only after the first Interspecies War had ended, and 120 million humans were randomly selected as ‘offerings’ and disappeared.

After tasting the horror of that event, Park Chan-woo couldn’t remain idle.

‘All hope I could rely on had vanished.’

He instinctively realized that true pandemonium had begun.

He knew that without making an effort, he wouldn’t survive in the world that was about to unfold.

When 120 million people evaporated all at once, the world came to a standstill.

While everyone else froze, Park Chan-woo moved.

This was the reason why, despite starting late, Park Chan-woo was able to reach level 99 faster than anyone else.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

‘I may not have experienced it directly, but I was always well-informed about everything related to the Abyss.’

Park Chan-woo was always listening closely to anything related to the Abyss.

As much as he was fearful, he was also curious. He didn’t dismiss anything just because it was in the past.

Gathering those pieces of information bit by bit helped him survive and grow quickly.

Naturally, he had also familiarized himself with the information regarding the Dungeon Abyss.

 

―The Water God Abyss isn’t a place you’re supposed to clear. The Water God, that bastard, was utterly terrifying.

―But it’s also the place with the most rewards among all the dungeons.

―I’ve heard quite a few stories of people finding elixirs there.

―The sooner you enter, the bigger the benefits. But if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t go in. Those filthy Avatars were running wild like lunatics.

 

People who had memories of that day had a consistent opinion.

It was absolutely brutal.

Especially when it came to the Water God Abyss. They said they would never enter it again, even if asked.

It was the dungeon where the most Avatars were rampant.

‘So the reason the Avatars swarmed this place… wasn’t just because it had the highest score.’

He had oversimplified it.

He thought the Avatars had gathered here to prevent the dungeon from being cleared.

After all, the Water God Abyss was worth a whopping 1,000 points, the highest among all Dungeon Abysses.

But that wasn’t the whole story.

There was a different reason why Yoo Han-seop had led people into the Water God Abyss from the beginning.

Park Chan-woo had suspected something was off, and it turned out there was indeed another reason.

‘Yoo Han-seop knows the location of the treasures hidden in the Water God Abyss.’

Park Chan-woo quietly followed behind Yoo Han-seop.

He became certain when he saw how Yoo Han-seop walked confidently in a determined direction without any hesitation.

Yoo Han-seop clearly knew the layout of this place.

More than that, there was a high likelihood that he knew the locations of all the hidden treasures.

‘The Creator he contracted with must have told him.’

Yoo Han-seop’s Creator, the one who had made a contract with him, along with numerous other Creators, had sent their Avatars into the Water God Abyss.

Now, Park Chan-woo understood why so many Avatars had gathered here.

‘…The Water God Abyss. This place is designed for Avatars.’

Sometimes Creators would create special Abysses to help their contracted Avatars grow.

There were even times when they collaborated with other Creators.

This case was probably the latter.

The Creator who made the Water God Abyss must have collaborated with other Creators.

They likely placed rewards within the dungeon to serve as growth engines for their contracted Avatars.

The best example of this was the elixirs.

‘It’s not easy to place elixirs in an Abyss. Unless it’s a properly structured environment like this one.’

The rewards a Creator could place in an Abyss depended on the environment of the Abyss.

Elixirs were the most difficult rewards to manage.

This was because most Abysses were created around the overarching theme of “death”.

How could proper herbs or elixirs exist in a land where everything had died?

However, the Water God Abyss was different.

It had a well-maintained environment, unlike typical Abysses.

The high value of the Abyss itself made it an ideal place for planting elixirs.

‘The discovery of multiple elixirs in the Water God Abyss follows the same logic. If the Creator planted various elixirs here for their Avatars…’

Splash!

“Damn it! Why isn’t it here?!”

Yoo Han-seop slammed his fist into the lakeside.

He was furious, as the item that should have been there was missing.

Even though Park Chan-woo was nearby, Yoo Han-seop didn’t notice him.

‘As expected, ‘Non-Existence’ works well inside the Abyss.’

While people could perceive Park Chan-woo outside, even the same people couldn’t notice him first inside the Abyss.

Using this advantage, he formulated a plan.

‘I’ll rob these damned Avatars of everything.’

Park Chan-woo despised Avatars.

He hated them more than insects.

At least bugs benefited the earth or served as food for other life forms.

But these Avatars— they contributed nothing to humanity’s survival.

At first, they pretended to help by playing nice, but ultimately, they were the ones who ruined the world.

No one would disagree with that.

Stealing from an Avatar, well.

Doesn’t that make me something of a righteous thief?

“Could the map be wrong? Or did someone take it first?”

Yoo Han-seop pulled a map out of his inventory and spread it out. The spot where he stood was clearly marked with an X, with the words [Centennial Snow Ginseng] neatly written next to it. But the ginseng wasn’t there.

The map couldn’t be wrong, so had someone entered before him?

“Damn it!”

Yoo Han-seop scratched his head in frustration.

The Centennial Snow Ginseng was an elixir he absolutely needed to consume. The reason he led people here first was because of the ginseng’s effects.

‘It was said to enhance pure stat growth.’

As one levels up, their base stats increase—about five points per level, on average.

The Centennial Snow Ginseng raised that average by approximately 0.5 points per level, retroactively applying the boost to all past levels as well.

Elixirs like this either directly improved base stats or enhanced stat growth rates, making them treasures that couldn’t be passed up.

“Whoever you are, if I catch you, I’ll kill you!”

Crackle!

Yoo Han-seop shoved the map back into his inventory, his eyes blazing with anger. Then he left the lakeside, searching for the people who had scattered.

‘So the Creator actually gave him a map.’

…Watching from the side, Park Chan-woo smiled. He had gotten a good look at the map, after all.

And besides…

 

 

The effects of the Centennial Snow Ginseng were starting to take hold. However, Park Chan-woo was still a bit doubtful.

‘With the status effect [Weakest], all my base stats are fixed at 1.’

The Centennial Snow Ginseng was supposed to boost base stats, but Park Chan-woo’s stats were locked due to his status effect. He wondered if the elixir could bypass that limitation.

Still, there was a chance. In the Abyss, elixirs were incredibly hard to find.

They were like rare herbs that had absorbed the natural energy over a long period—completely at odds with the harsh environment of the Abyss.

Unless it was a major event where Creators collaborated to nurture their Avatars, like this one, elixirs were nearly impossible to come by.

Thus…

 

 

‘…So instead of boosting stats, I’m getting an immediate buff effect.’

…It worked.

While it didn’t raise his base stats or enhance his stat growth, his attack and defense had surged dramatically.

Park Chan-woo nodded to himself.

‘Not bad at all.’

In fact, it might even be better.

The main reason to raise stats was to increase attack and defense—to hit harder and take less damage.

Though it was closer to a 100-hour buff, considering his current total attack power of 159 and total defense of 46, the increase was absurd.

Park Chan-woo stroked his chin.

‘I really might be able to take down the Water God in one hit.’

The dungeon that no one could clear, where everyone had given up.

The monster that was said to be impossible to kill!

Park Chan-woo’s plan was to kill that monster— the being known as the Water God—in a single blow.

And to achieve that, he was determined to steal every elixir the Creators had prepared for their Avatars’ growth.

‘That guy was probably after something here too.’

The strongest Avatar of the human race.

The one who had made a contract with the Nine Supreme Monarchs—a true powerhouse.

He possessed strength and talent on a completely different level, and it was even speculated that he had surpassed level 100.

Why had that guy kept coming back to the Water God Abyss?

It seemed impossible, but if anyone could have made a contract with the Nine Supreme Monarchs, it would have been him.

Park Chan-woo clenched his fist.

‘…Whatever he’s after, I’ll take it for myself.’

 

* * *

 

Yoo Han-seop felt like he was going crazy.

He had gathered the scattered people again to resume the treasure hunt, but…

‘Why! Why isn’t there anything here?!’

He had followed the map exactly. Yet, there was nothing at the marked locations. None of the treasures that the Creator had arranged for him were there.

‘Oh, dear almighty God! My great Creator! What is happening? Why can’t I find any of the treasures you’ve prepared for me?’

There was no response. In the first place, freely conversing with a Creator was unthinkable. After all, Creators were like gods.

 

 

Suddenly, the clear voice of the Creator echoed in Yoo Han-seop’s ears.

Yoo Han-seop tensed up and listened closely.

 

 

‘I implore you. Please tell me who this meddler is. I’ll do whatever it takes to kill them.’

 

 

Creators had a tacit agreement. It cost a fortune in coins to create an Abyss directly and prepare a special arrangement for an Avatar. In particular, creating the right environment to place elixirs was incredibly difficult.

But the Water God Abyss was perfect in every way. All the necessary conditions were in place.

Thus, the Creators had paid a fee to the host of this Abyss and placed their own arrangements here for their Avatars.

The rule was simple: don’t touch what was arranged by others. Only the Creator and the Avatar it was meant for could claim those rewards.

To ensure there were no conflicts, the locations were marked on maps.

And yet… everything had been stolen.

Someone had taken it all first. The culprit was either one of the Creators in on the plan—or it could be all of them, except for Yoo Han-seop’s Creator.

 

 

‘Say the word. I will follow your orders.’

 

 

‘What should I do if it’s inadvertently revealed that I am an Avatar?’

 

 

‘…Understood.’

Yoo Han-seop’s eyes gleamed with a murderous glint.

At the same time, other Avatars were hearing similar messages from their own Creators.

 

 

Thus began the war between Avatars.

 

* * *

 

Inside a cave.

Park Chan-woo carefully grasped a small flask that was resting deep within the cave. He opened it and poured its contents into his mouth.

 

 

……

 

 

 

---

 

T/N: Gongcheongseokyu – often depicted as a milk-like liquid pooled deep within caves; depicted as an elixir that even just a single drop can cure a body twisted by energy deviation, bring someone back from a half-dead state, or increase the internal energy of a martial artist. It is considered a top-grade mystical substance among the many inner elixirs and spiritual medicines in martial arts novels. It is often found in untouched, secluded mountain valleys or caves, and the amount is typically extremely small. (Source: Namuwiki)