Chapter 29

Han Shin’s Wrath

 

…He thought he was seeing things.

It had to be a hallucination, an illusion, or a dream—something that could never happen in reality.

The only possibility was that Han Shin, standing on this land, had been poisoned or cursed, causing him to be delirious.

But there was no poison in the air, only fresh, green grass.

And—if something were affecting his mind, he would have sensed it already.

His body, mind, and soul were so perfectly integrated that even Creators admired him. This meant he never misjudged his own state.

He had the talent to grasp over a hundred things from just knowing one, and he knew himself better than anyone.

In other words, he was perfectly self-aware.

From a young age, Han Shin had reached the state of “oneness with the universe”. A talent even demons coveted, he wasn’t someone who would be easily confused.

‘…The Water God has died?’

If the message he was seeing was true—

Han Shin’s expression twisted in disbelief.

At this point, there was no human or group capable of hunting the Water God.

Except for himself.

Even he needed to gather certain items scattered throughout the Abyss in order to be able to hunt the Water God.

If he were to face the Water God now, the chances of victory would be exactly fifty-fifty.

With Lee Hyuk-soo’s help, maybe the odds would increase to 60%.

If he lured the Water God onto favorable ground and used Lee Hyuk-soo as a shield, the odds could rise to 70%. But in the long run, losing Lee Hyuk-soo would be a major loss.

‘Who could’ve done this?’

Had he miscalculated?

Was there another irregular like himself?

The world was vast, and it wasn’t impossible that someone else with exceptional talent existed.

However, his contracted Creator had told him:

 

“Among all humans, you are the most exceptional.”

 

And Han Shin believed this to be true.

He had competed against top athletes worldwide and broken countless ‘world records’.

Whether it was physical feats like running, swimming, or long jumping, or events requiring specialized skills, he had conquered them all.

Of course, none of this was official, as it was done privately, but the gap between him and others was so overwhelming that it wasn’t mere self-consolation.

There was no human greater than him.

Han Shin was a person with the talent of a true God of War.

Han Shin glanced at Lee Hyuk-soo.

‘From what I know, this guy killed the Dragon General, didn’t he?’

Supposedly, he had slain the Dragon General in a single strike.

Even if that claim was exaggerated, it wasn’t entirely impossible for someone like Lee Hyuk-soo.

He might possess some hidden trump card.

And most importantly, he was wearing the full “Lion King’s Equipment” set.

Han Shin had assessed him with the Mind’s Eye skill, which saw through everything, so it was certain.

If Lee Hyuk-soo hadn’t received the equipment through a contract with a top-tier Creator, it meant he had earned it through sheer ability.

A human capable of acquiring gear like that purely through skill could very well have killed the Dragon General.

Thus, Han Shin was convinced that Lee Hyuk-soo, like him, possessed some “special traits” or “skills”.

But now, someone other than the two of them had hunted the Water God.

‘There was definitely a lightning strike.’

A bolt of lightning had struck where the Water God was, and in a single blow, it was over.

If he hadn’t been mistaken, there was someone wielding lightning magic over there.

And it wasn’t just ordinary lightning magic.

It was an incredibly powerful high-tier lightning magic, bright enough to illuminate the entire Abyss, deafening enough to hurt his ears.

‘Unless a god of lightning has appeared…’

What kind of destructive power could that have been?

Moreover, the message only said, The Water God has been slain.

This made it all the more mysterious.

There should have been more information, yet there was only that one line.

“It seems there’s someone else who can hunt the Water God besides us,” Lee Hyuk-soo remarked.

Han Shin had confidently said that no one other than the two of them could hunt the Water God, but in reality, someone had already done it.

Unlike Han Shin, who was clearly frustrated, Lee Hyuk-soo’s face remained calm, as if he had expected this from the beginning.

At that moment—

‘…There’s an additional message.’

An additional message popped up in front of him.

Han Shin didn’t know why there had been a delay, but he focused on reading the new message.

 

 

“……”

A series of finalizing messages.

It was clear that the Water God had indeed been slain by another human.

And on top of that, a Gold Box had been given to everyone in the Abyss.

Even just being present had earned them a significant reward, meaning something extraordinary had occurred.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

“I need to go somewhere for a moment,” Han Shin said.

Lee Hyuk-soo nodded.

“That’s convenient. I do as well.”

“Let’s meet again outside,” Han Shin said.

“Let’s do that.”

As soon as they agreed, Han Shin and Lee Hyuk-soo moved in opposite directions.

Han Shin headed toward the ‘Poison Mist Swamp’, while Lee Hyuk-soo moved toward the massive lake where the Water God resided.

Lee Hyuk-soo thought to himself.

‘It’s him.’

The one who killed the Water God.

There was only one person Lee Hyuk-soo knew of who could wield such powerful lightning and obliterate a target with a single strike.

‘The Prophet is there.’

With that thought, Lee Hyuk-soo quickened his pace.

 

* * *

 

“…Damn it.”

At the Poison Mist Swamp, Han Shin cursed as he arrived at the altar.

What had happened here was even more unbelievable than the Water God’s death.

The venomous zombies that roamed the swamp were nowhere to be seen, the barrier was gone, and the ‘Lich Necromancer’ who should have been guarding it had also disappeared.

On top of that—

The altar had collapsed.

‘The chest is open.’

…The treasure chest had been fully opened.

Han Shin couldn’t understand what had happened.

It had already been strange when the life force contained in the Life Vessel disappeared, but he hadn’t imagined the treasure chest would also be opened.

‘How did they figure out the magic pattern sealing the chest?’

Breaking through the barrier with overwhelming force and killing the Lich was one thing.

But opening the treasure chest? That should have been impossible.

Only he and the Lich knew the pattern to unlock it.

How did someone figure that out and open it?

As a result, the “arrangement” that was meant for Han Shin had been completely stolen.

He had been thoroughly robbed.

Han Shin looked up at the sky, his anger boiling over.

“If you have a mouth, explain this! How could this happen…?”

He shouted toward his contracted Creator in frustration.

This kind of communication was unthinkable for a typical relationship between an Avatar and a Creator.

But no answer came.

That had been part of the deal from the beginning.

The Creator had claimed to be different from other Creators, offering Han Shin greater potential but with minimal involvement.

 

“I am a being that doesn’t need an Avatar. I was simply drawn to your talent. Be grateful for our contract.”

 

Thus, Han Shin had to keep their contract a secret.

Even if his status as an Avatar were revealed, mentioning the Creator’s identity would violate the contract.

Perhaps the Creator felt ashamed to be known by others, but this made it difficult to communicate effectively.

Of course, Han Shin didn’t need the arrangement.

He was strong enough on his own.

His anger came purely from having something that was rightfully his taken from him.

‘How dare they steal what’s mine?’

Han Shin had always been the one to take, never the one to be taken from.

In his life, he had never had anything stolen from him.

He had always achieved his goals, often leaving others in despair, but never once experiencing loss himself.

And yet, he had been robbed.

His possession had been stolen.

‘Could it be…?’

Han Shin turned his gaze in the direction where the Water God had been.

The one who killed the Water God.

Could that person be the one who stole his arrangement as well?

It wasn’t just one arrangement that had been taken—it was likely that multiple arrangements had been stolen all at once.

‘An Avatar?’

Arrangements were often shared among Avatars.

A map of the entire Water God Abyss had been allocated to all of them.

There was an unspoken rule—don’t touch each other’s arrangements.

Unless they wanted to bring about disaster, no Avatar would dare violate that rule.

But now, there was an Avatar who had broken that rule.

And it was possible that the same person who killed the Water God was behind this.

‘No Creator would risk an adventure like this for an Avatar…’

The problem was that if they were caught, they would make enemies of other Creators as well.

No Creator would take such a risk for the sake of an Avatar.

Would any Creator gamble their honor and existence just to help an Avatar grow?

So, was it not an Avatar?

Could an ordinary human have stolen the arrangement and killed the Water God?

That made even less sense.

Grind—!

For the first time, Han Shin ground his teeth in anger.

He had never felt such rage in his entire life.

He was so furious that he wanted to crush the culprit into dust.

 

 

Just before the Water God Abyss was about to close, Han Shin’s eyes caught the last message.

‘Forcibly returned.’

This meant—

They would all be teleported to the area near Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s statue, outside the Abyss.

If that was the case, the person who stole from him would also be among those teleported.

To enter the dungeon, you had to be in close proximity to the entrance, with the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin in view.

‘They’ll be near the statue.’

Han Shin resolved to scan everyone there.

If someone had the power to kill the Water God, they would stand out.

He wasn’t just physically exceptional—his Mind’s Eye skill gave him a precise understanding of his surroundings.

‘Nothing escapes my Mind’s Eye.’

His ability to assess and read his opponents had always been unparalleled.

He had awakened several abilities at the moment of his Ascension, including the Mind’s Eye skill.

With it, he could not only see the equipment someone was wearing but even glimpse parts of their status window.

If someone had stolen the arrangements and killed the Water God, they would certainly stand out from the rest.

 

 

Whoosh!

A warp opened beneath Han Shin’s feet.

The warp forcibly transported him.

At the same time—

“We made it out!”

“Wow, I thought I was going to die!”

Everyone who had entered the dungeon had now exited the Water God Abyss.

Most were gathered in front of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s statue, while others had been moved to nearby locations.

Han Shin’s eyes glinted as he scanned everyone, not missing a single person.

Finally—

‘…That guy?’

His sharp eyes locked onto Park Chan-woo.