Chapter 9
Points Can Roll Over
Lee Hyuk-soo stared at the man standing before him. Throughout his life, he had met all sorts of people, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like this.
‘Who is this guyâŠ?’
At first, he thought it wasnât a person.
The man was wearing armor and a helm that looked like something a demon would wear.
On top of that, Lee Hyuk-soo hadnât felt his presence at all until the man revealed himself.
It was only after hearing Andarielâs words that Lee Hyuk-soo realized the man was human, and when the man chose him, he was filled with nothing but confusion, asking himself âWhyâ and âHowâ.
Lee Hyuk-soo preferred to be alone. It wasnât in his nature to form a party and solve trials with others.
âMonster!
âYouâre not human!
From a young age, Lee Hyuk-soo had always been different.
His emotions were dull, and he struggled to understand other peopleâs pain.
By nature, he rarely got excited, but he never avoided a fight.
Those who couldnât understand Lee Hyuk-sooâs âdifferenceâ always tried to push him away. But Lee Hyuk-soo had never lost a fight, not once.
Even when he bled, when his wounds burst open, or when his bones broke, he never backed down.
Among his peers, Lee Hyuk-soo became known as the âDemonâ or âPsychopathâ.
So, being alone suited him.
“Hey.”
“âŠâŠ”
“Whatâs your name?”
“âŠLee Hyuk-soo.”
“Lee Hyuk-soo. Do you know how to drive a bus?”
“âŠA bus?”
Lee Hyuk-soo asked, perplexed by Park Chan-wooâs question. Asking if he could drive a bus out of the blueâthere wasnât a bus in sight, and even if there was a functional bus aroundâŠ
“Oh, right. You donât have a driverâs license.”
“How do youâŠ?”
âŠLee Hyuk-soo didnât have a license. But how could Park Chan-woo know that?
Park Chan-woo chuckled softly.
The stoic nature that defined Lee Hyuk-soo hadnât changed.
“The scar on your forehead. Didnât you get that in a car accident when you were young?”
“âŠâŠ”
Lee Hyuk-soo instinctively reached up to cover his forehead with his hair. He had grown his hair out a bit to hide the scar.
Even though it was well-concealed, Park Chan-woo had noticed it at a glance.
But seeing the scar alone wasnât the issueâfiguring out that it came from a serious accident was possible.
The problem was that Park Chan-woo had deduced far more.
“You had surgery three times, crossed the threshold of death even more. Your personality changed after that, and you became instinctively afraid of cars. Getting a license was out of the question.”
“âŠâŠ!!!”
For the first time since entering the Abyss, Lee Hyuk-soo felt shaken.
He hadnât been fazed when people were dying around him, but Park Chan-wooâs words hit the mark.
It was all true.
His dulled emotions and insensitivity to pain had started after the surgeries.
‘HowâŠ?’
But how could Park Chan-woo possibly know all of this?
âYou lunatic. Youâre asking about my life at a time like this?
Of course, everything Park Chan-woo knew was information he had heard directly from Lee Hyuk-soo.
In the alley leading to the Dragon God’s domain, the final death squad had dwindled from 100,000 to barely 100.
Everyone had realized there was no hope of victory, no chance of returning alive.
It was at that moment that Park Chan-woo asked them.
If you could go back in time, what would you want to do?
Or, what do you regret?
Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo had been one of those who answered.
âI was⊠alone. I was different from others.
Lee Hyuk-soo was a man of few words.
He never shared his personal story with anyone.
But as death approached, he finally began to talk.
Park Chan-woo had memorized every word of Lee Hyuk-soo’s story.
That was how Park Chan-woo knew himâbetter than anyone else in this world.
He knew what Lee Hyuk-soo wanted, what he desperately longed for.
“Is there someone you want to save?”
“…Did you investigate me?”
“Iâm a âprophetâ. I know the past, and I have a general idea of what will happen in the future.”
Lee Hyuk-soo still glared at Park Chan-woo with distrust, but Park Chan-woo was unbothered. He simply extended his hand toward the curtain.
“3,000 booking points.”
“âŠâŠ?”
“Gather 3,000 points and buy the Elixir. That will wake your mother from her coma.”
“âŠâŠ”
“But you have to do exactly what I tell you. Understand?”
âI want to save my mother. If I could go back, thatâs all Iâd want. But I missed that chance in the First Nightâs Abyss. 3,000 points was an impossible number to reach.
Park Chan-woo had listened. He had heard the one wish that Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo wanted more than anythingâthe single desire he would give anything to fulfill.
“If you miss this chance, you will regret it for the rest of your life. You have only today.”
By tomorrow evening, Lee Hyuk-sooâs mother would have passed away. There was no saving her after today.
“Take my hand, Lee Hyuk-soo.”
“What do you want from meâŠ?”
“I want you to become stronger.”
“You want me⊠to become stronger? Is that really all you want?”
Lee Hyuk-sooâs expression showed that he simply couldnât understand. Park Chan-woo nodded.
Yes, thatâs enough.
The first human to reach level 99. The true âChosen One of the Nine Supreme Monarchsâ, who masqueraded as humanity’s savior!
Lee Hyuk-soo was the perfect foil against him.
Invincible, undefeated, the Absolute Sword King.
By pushing Lee Hyuk-soo to reach level 99 even faster than before, Park Chan-woo would make him the savior.
âHero, savior or whatever. I have no intention of playing that role.â
Park Chan-woo had no plans to become a savior himself.
Not only was it difficult enough to overcome his current situation, but mastering magic in pursuit of the truth was also no easy task.
Above all, drawing attention wouldnât be beneficial. The world was full of all kinds of âtrollsâ.
He would position Lee Hyuk-soo as the savior, while Park Chan-woo corrected the mistakes from behind the scenes. That was the most ideal future he envisioned.
“If youâre lying⊠Iâll kill you.”
Tuk.
With emotionless eyes, Lee Hyuk-soo took the hand Park Chan-woo offered. Park Chan-woo smiled.
“The contract is sealed. Now then⊠youâll fight alone.”
“…Fight alone?”
“Exactly as I said. You fight alone in this arena. What, are you scared?”
“Iâm not, but⊠why?”
“If I get involved, itâll end too easily. Then the level of our booking opponents will rise dramatically.”
Park Chan-woo shrugged.
Of course, it was a lie. In reality, it was the opposite.
He wanted to avoid a situation where heâd have to move and expend energy.
To keep deceiving Demon Manager Andariel, he needed to maintain an air of authority. He couldnât afford to let his weakness be revealed.
ăWill you engage in combat or pass?ă
ăIf you choose to pass, one of the two of you must be sacrificed.ă
Before they knew it, Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo were standing in an arena-like dueling ring. Park Chan-woo pointed to the other side and spoke.
“Go on, bus driver.”
***
The hellish booking had begun.
‘If you hand over all your coins, I might just let you live.’
Andariel stared intently at the duel arena where Park Chan-woo stood.
He didnât care what happened to the other humans, whether they lived or died.
He had only one purpose in mind.
Coins.
He intended to take every last coin Park Chan-woo had.
With those coins, Andariel could create his own Abyss.
He would become a Creator.
But it wasnât possible to take them by force.
In the Abyss, all items were non-transferable.
Moreover, as a game master, Andariel couldnât kill humans without a valid reason.
‘Heâll probably manage to win once or twice, but with great difficulty.’
Andariel anticipated what kind of strong opponents would appear.
He imagined a scenario where Park Chan-woo would beg for mercy, offering his coins.
Then Andariel would pretend to be generous and let him live, indebting a chosen of the Nine Supreme Monarchs to himâa beneficial situation.
But when the opponent for the booking was revealed, Andariel couldnât help but tilt his head in confusion.
â…A skeleton soldier?â
A mere skeleton soldier.
Not even a particularly special one, just a weak, weaponless skeleton soldier.
A monster designed to appear when the partyâs average level was around 1âthe weakest of the weak.
This game, the âNight Abyssâ, was prepared by the âMaster of the Moonâ who floated in the sky.
It operated under absolute rulesâthe booking opponent was supposed to be determined by the strength of the participants.
But just a skeleton soldier?
Given that humanâs strength, shouldnât an opponent of at least level 30 appear?
Another surprising thing happened.
“What⊠is with that ridiculous durability?”
With a light touch, the skeleton fell apart, crumbling into dust. It was absurd.
How could a skeleton soldier be so fragile? Even for a level 1 skeleton soldier, it was far too weak.
âIs this a bug?â
Andariel wondered if it was a bug.
But he quickly regained his composure.
The booking would continue. And after each victory, the next booking opponent would be set at âone level higherâ. The further they fought, the stronger the booking opponents would become.
This game was designed so that it was impossible to gather a significant amount of booking points.
In other words, successfully taking those treasures would be like plucking stars out of the sky.
But then…
“Am I seeing things wrong?”
Tap!
Crumble!
Tap!
Crumble!
The skeleton soldiers kept coming.
Only skeleton soldiers appeared as booking opponents.
And they were all equally fragile.
Andariel rubbed his eyes.
He couldnât believe what he was seeing.
Something that shouldnât be happening was happening.
If this continued, he might lose his status as a game master.
But.
Tap!
Crumble!
“No, this canât beâŠ!”
***
ăWill you engage in combat?ă
ă35 consecutive victories. Youâve accumulated 2,080 points.ă
Park Chan-woo stood with his hands leisurely behind his back, ignoring the panicked Andariel.
Throughout the 35 bookings, Park Chan-woo hadnât taken a single step.
âSo points can roll over, huh.â
