Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 139

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 139. Master of the Holy Sword
Hoya and the Male Fox.
Their gazes crossed, unleashing a torrent of unanswerable questions.
Something that should never happen before their eyes was happening.
‘Did I misread something?’
Hoya shook his head frantically.
He blinked hard, forcing his eyes wide open.
But no matter how much effort he expended, the result remained unchanged.
‘It shouldn’t be possible to draw it……?’
The Challenger was holding the Holy Sword.
Whoosh—whoosh!
He was drawing it from the stone as easily as if it were his own possession, swinging it back and forth experimentally.
…The first scene of a perfect scenario had just shattered.
The law of the Fox Den—that only a fox could be the master of the Holy Sword—had been broken.
Yet for Park Chan-woo, drawing the Holy Sword was easier than falling asleep and eating rice cakes.
Ding!
《The function of ‘Easter Egg (002)’ manifests!》
《Due to ‘Species Harmony’, the ‘Holy Sword’ recognizes you as a fox.》
《The hidden class trait ‘Eternal Blade’ activates!》
《You become the master of the ‘Guardian Holy Sword’ within the ‘Fox Den’.》
He smiled faintly as he skimmed the messages blooming before his eyes.
‘I’ll shatter this from the very first move.’
He had no intention whatsoever of playing along with the foxes’ scenario.
And though the Fallen Saint Yu Jin-seo was not here, to properly confront that Nine-tailed Fox, he needed to become the master of this Holy Sword.
‘Only with the Holy Sword’s power can I kill Demonic Beings.’
Ordinary methods could not kill Demonic Beings.
That was the critical flaw in this Fox Den.
It had been designed so that only the Holy Sword could kill Demonic Beings, yet only a ‘fox’ could ever become its master.
The problem was that ordinary Challengers had no way of knowing this fact at all.
Park Chan-woo focused intently on the Holy Sword.
Soon an information window regarding the Holy Sword appeared before him.
Name: Guardian Holy Sword (10)
Level: None
Grade: Legendary
Description: The guardian Holy Sword of the Tenth Temple enshrined within the Fox Den. Within the Fox Den only, it grants its user the power to oppose Demonic Beings.
Equipped Slot: Sword
Durability: 100
Unique Options:
(1) All Demonic Beings in the Fox Den die after receiving 10 strikes from the Holy Sword.
(2) After 100 strikes, the ‘Holy Sword’ is destroyed.
(2) Cannot be repaired.
(3) As followers increase, the ‘Holy Sword user’s’ stats rise.
An information window visible only to those who have become the master of the Holy Sword.
If one could only see this information window, one would conclude that everything about the Fox Den was a ‘sham’, but that was impossible for present-day humanity.
‘Only those with Legendary-grade Observation Magic can see this.’
One needed to possess ‘Observation’ Magic at least at Legendary grade to learn of this, and no one would cultivate Observation Magic to Legendary grade unless they were a voyeur.
Thus it was revealed only later.
‘The foxes have no genuine intention of hunting Demonic Beings.’
The trials of the Fox Den were simpler and more straightforward than one might think.
Five trials.
Kill the five Demonic Beings that oversee the trials, and it ends.
The moment Aurum is hunted at the fifth gate, the trial clears, and the Fox Den, having run its course, will vanish as scheduled.
That is why the foxes were so desperate.
Clearing this Abyss meant their death.
Why the Abyss of another dimension was so vicious.
The Creator—the owner of the Creative Abyss that spawned the Fox Den—had lost authority as the world perished.
In other words… this Abyss has no master.
‘By drawing in countless lives, the Fallen Saint Yu Jin-seo gains freedom.’
The greatest problem was, as always, Yu Jin-seo.
The Fox Den had existed for quite some time, and had caused the deaths of countless people.
Having absorbed nearly a million lives and Coins, Yu Jin-seo had finally become the new master of this Abyss.
What’s more, she had begun to move about Earth, posing as a human.
An unprecedented crisis—a monster from the Creative Abyss advancing into Earth.
That situation, at least, had to be prevented.
“……C-congratulations. The master of the Holy Sword has appeared…!”
Hoya managed to speak at last, barely gathering her wits.
Though it deviated from the Scenario, a master of the Holy Sword had been born.
As the official assistant, she had no choice but to offer her congratulations.
‘…How did this happen?’
The male fox, who had intended to appear at the last moment and become the protagonist, wore an expression of dismay.
He’d never imagined another Challenger drawing the Holy Sword instead of himself.
‘Is that creature a fox as well?’
If so, then he was a fox too.
The Holy Sword only recognized species other than “fox” as its master.
Yet for this man to actually be a fox seemed like an impossibility.
In this Abyss, everything was predetermined.
Every last detail.
‘Wait. Could the Scenario have been changed?’
The only possibility was that the Scenario had been hastily altered.
Only the Nine-tailed Fox possessed the authority to change the Scenario.
If it had been changed suddenly, he might not have been informed yet.
Being at the Tenth Temple, news could well be delayed.
No, wait.
Even if the Nine-tailed Fox and the assistant didn’t know, that man would have.
‘That bastard. He deliberately didn’t tell me!’
The male fox glared at Park Chan-woo from behind, a hint of jealousy in his gaze.
If the Scenario had been changed, surely he could have given some advance warning.
But that creature had made him look like a fool.
He must have known the Scenario was altered.
Yet he’d deliberately drawn the Holy Sword right in front of him.
‘…We’ll see about this.’
Grit.
The male fox ground his teeth.
But soon he calmed himself, composing his mind.
While losing the supporting role was disappointing, it was questionable whether this sudden upstart could properly fulfill the duty at all.
Right. It wouldn’t be long anyway.
He’d inevitably disappoint the Nine-tailed Fox, the queen of foxes, and be demoted once again.
Before the first Trial, he would first have to Charm all the people gathered here.
Neither the assistant Hoya nor the male fox had any intention of helping him.
‘Let’s see how well he does.’
* * *
Unfortunately, Park Chan-woo was not a fox.
Therefore, he could not use Charm.
He had no choice but to approach the people differently than foxes would—those who naturally seduced and led them.
Having drawn the Holy Sword and with everyone’s attention upon him.
Park Chan-woo spoke to the gathered people.
“Do you want to live?”
…Whether they wanted to live.
The gathered onlookers’ faces went blank.
Why, would they wish to die?
Everyone was fighting desperately to survive.
None wanted to die here in this Abyss they’d been suddenly swept into.
If they died here, there wouldn’t even be a corpse left behind.
‘What is he doing?’
‘Is this really the changed Scenario…?’
Both Hoya and the male fox questioned Park Chan-woo’s actions.
The original Scenario was to subtly Charm the people first, then give them motivation.
To defeat the demon Aurum together.
So that they might all escape this cursed Abyss as one!
“I will save you.”
Ping!
A single Coin flicked from Park Chan-woo’s hand.
But that wasn’t all.
Whisk.
Ten Coins spilled across his open palm, piled high.
“C-Coins!”
“Insane! How many Coins does he have?”
The crowd recoiled in shock.
A Coin could buy escape from the Abyss.
Yet Coins were as rare as plucking stars from the sky.
The strong could stockpile a few, but these ordinary Awakened gathered here had none—not a single one.
Their eyes going wide was inevitable.
Park Chan-woo spoke with unhurried ease.
“I will gift these Coins to those who trust me with genuine hearts and follow me.”
A fox cannot use Charm the way a fox does.
But this kind of charm—this, he could manage.
Perhaps far more powerful than a fox’s Charm.
‘Materialism,’ he thought.
Park Chan-woo suppressed a quiet laugh.
This, in its truest sense, was genuine Charm.
Not vague hope, but a direct path to escape.
There was no stronger way to awaken desire—he was certain of it.
“What if you’re lying?”
“Right. Why should we trust you at all?”
Doubt rippled through the crowd, as expected.
Possessing ten Coins meant incredible power.
Yet a strong individual could easily be an Avatar.
Even if not an Avatar, such a person warranted caution.
The Abyss’s nature meant that to grow strong alone, one had to sacrifice others.
Park Chan-woo lifted his shoulders.
“Your task isn’t to fight for me. I alone am enough for combat.”
“Then what should we do?”
“If following and trusting me doesn’t mean fighting together…”
Their confusion was reasonable.
Park Chan-woo nodded and opened his mouth.
“Simply don’t stray from my side. Bring more people to stand with me.”
“Are there others besides us here?”
“Ah, now that I hold the Holy Sword, I see it clearly. More will join us.”
Hoya and the Male Fox went rigid at his answer.
‘He’s leaking the Scenario?’
‘What is this bastard?’
He was mad.
A fox—leaking the Scenario!
If the Queen learned of this, he was a dead man.
…Unless this too was part of the changed Scenario?
Yet something felt wrong no matter how he thought it through.
Whether this Scenario truly made sense.
And those Coins.
Even ordinary foxes couldn’t easily handle such a quantity.
Scattering Coins in such numbers without hesitation?
Unless he truly was insane….
“When your group joins another, find thirty people who will follow me, and I’ll gift each one a Coin. But remember—this offer is for those gathered here alone, so keep it secret, if you please.”
“Is it really true? A Coin for every thirty recruits?”
“If you wish, I can swear it before the Covenant God. All you need is to bring thirty souls willing to follow me.”
“We’ll do it!”
At last, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Bring thirty from any group that joins—that was the offer.
No need to fight themselves. That was what moved them.
And so, with that, an automatic Charm Legion had been born.
‘Fox Charm takes time, after all.’
The foxes charm slowly.
Charm that shifts perception abruptly breeds resistance, and once resistance takes hold, it unravels quickly.
Thus, at the outset, people invariably succumbed to a far more potent Charm.
Now Park Chan-woo had woven the strongest Charm upon them all.
He touched their survival instinct and kindled motivation in the same breath.
Not false hope dangled before them—but genuine hope, substantive and real.
In that moment.
《One hundred nineteen Challengers now follow you.》
《The Holy Sword user’s abilities surge dramatically!》
The Holy Sword flared with radiance, and power flooded through him.
Yet satisfaction at this alone was not an option.
There were ten Temples in total.
Assuming roughly a hundred people per Temple, that came to approximately one thousand.
‘If all of them follow me, I alone can kill Aurum.’
Destroy all five demonic beings including Aurum, and the Fox Den clears.
The moment it clears, the Fox Den vanishes, and the foxes within it disappear along with it.
“Then, let us depart.”
The First Trial.
He turned his steps toward the place where all Holy Sword users gathered.
There, surely, she would be—Yu Jin-seo, the Nine-tailed Fox and the Fallen Saint.
Ding!
《You advance toward the First Trial.》
《You have succeeded in bringing all personnel from the Tenth Temple with the greatest speed.》
《As scenario reward, you obtain one Black Star.》

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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