Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 140

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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 140. Enchanting the Ten-Tailed Fox
Ding!
《Someone has acquired the Black Star as a Scenario reward!》
Yu Jin-seo gazed quietly at the message that had materialized before her without warning.
For another fox to acquire the Black Star here in the Fox Den—other than herself—was something that should never have happened.
‘Who could it be?’
The Scenario of the Fox Den meshed together like clockwork from beginning to end.
She had always been at its center.
In truth, she was the protagonist.
The remaining users of the Sacred Sword, the other foxes, were merely supporting characters.
The entire Fox Den Scenario consisted of her—the protagonist—acquiring all the Black Stars, then facing the Demon Aura and suffering a narrow defeat.
‘How dare someone interfere with my Scenario?’
The Black Star is an extraordinarily precious reward.
It was also currency necessary for becoming the new master of this Creative Abyss, now that its previous master was gone.
Therefore, she could absolutely not allow the Black Star to be taken from her.
Yet it had been taken.
By someone.
Some fox had acquired the first Black Star.
…Though the acquisition condition wasn’t terribly difficult, to be fair.
‘It was enchanting all personnel the fastest.’
One simply had to enchant and lead all the challengers in the Temple.
However, a powerful enchantment from the start could risk side effects, which was why even she, a Ten-Tailed Fox, rarely resorted to it.
If someone had forcefully cast an enchantment to acquire the Black Star—
If it turned out that they had indeed interfered with her Scenario—
‘…I will not forgive them.’
Their end would be riddled with screams begging for death.
I’ll use every method at my disposal to leave them in a state where they can neither die nor live.
“Um… Jin-seo, is it really true that we can all escape together?”
A man standing beside her suddenly spoke.
Yu Jin-seo offered him a faint smile.
“Yes. As long as we don’t lose hope.”
“Ah…”
Those who beheld that smile fell into the illusion that their breath had stopped.
Beyond mere beauty—there was something almost sacred in her expression.
Her radiant smile possessed a subtle power that drew people to follow her.
‘A saint.’
‘A goddess.’
‘Our hope itself.’
Fear? Terror?
Such things had long since vanished.
Looking upon that smile, not a trace of worry remained.
“We will stand with you.”
“I’ll lend a hand too!”
“Let’s fight together!”
Young and old alike, all rose eagerly to their feet.
She stood at the center of them all.
The Fox King.
The protagonist of this Scenario.
Yu Jin-seo, the Ten-Tailed Fox.
“Thank you for trusting me. I swear on my life that I will protect you all.”
Yu Jin-seo did not let her smile fade.
Yet her true feelings were entirely at odds with her outward appearance.
There was someone who had provoked her irritation.
That one who had moved toward the first Trial faster than she had.
‘I’ll know soon enough.’
Yu Jin-seo suppressed her anger.
Before long, the truth would reveal itself.
There would be no harm in waiting to judge until then.
* * *
The first Trial—the Swamp of Resentful Spirits.
As they arrived at the muddy marshland, more people began converging from all directions.
Ten temples.
Roughly a thousand people, including ten Sacred Sword users, had gathered as one.
Ding!
《Welcome to the Swamp of Resentful Spirits.》
《Reach the end of the Swamp of Resentful Spirits and defeat the demon ‘Hwa-ryeong’!》
《However, in the Swamp of Resentful Spirits, you must never look back.》
《The moment you turn around, you will be consumed by the Resentful Spirits.》
The rule was simple.
Just don’t look back.
No matter what happens.
“Wow, there are so many people here?”
“Feels like over a thousand?”
“With numbers like this, we might actually pull it off!”
The atmosphere was warm and optimistic.
Humans grow stronger when they unite and stand together.
Yu Jin-seo took the lead at the front and addressed the crowd.
“We Sacred Sword users will go first. You must follow us without fail. No matter what interference tactics arise, you must not look back.”
“Yes!”
“We’ll trust and follow you!”
Unaware that Yu Jin-seo and the other Sacred Sword users were foxes, the people responded with fervent enthusiasm.
Yu Jin-seo turned her gaze, maintaining her smile.
‘Is that him?’
The man at the edge of her vision.
Standing vacantly with the people from Temple Ten.
‘A fox I’ve never seen before.’
It was strange.
A fox she’d never encountered should not exist in this Fox Den.
Perhaps some error had occurred.
But she couldn’t reveal it openly.
Not with so many people watching her.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Yu Jin-seo.
And then.
‘…He’s smiling?’
He smiled.
Was he truly out of his mind?
It seemed confirmation would be necessary.
Yu Jin-seo advanced into the fog-shrouded marsh.
“Follow me. I will guide you all.”
Because she had to be the protagonist here.
* * *
—Uuuaahhh!
—Honey, look here!
—Stay behind me!
—It hurts! It hurts!
The marshland.
The voices of countless Resentful Spirits enticed the people forward.
Those who couldn’t resist their curiosity and turned around
“S-save me!”
were dragged toward the bottom of the marsh by countless hands rising from the bog.
Only screams filled the air.
They had thought they would escape easily once they entered.
But vague terror took root instantly.
“W-where is Yu Jin-seo?”
“She should be right in front of us…”
“Damn it! I can’t see anything!”
The Sacred Sword users were nowhere to be seen either.
The fog was too thick.
So dense that even a person right beside you vanished from sight.
While people trembled in fear,
all the Sacred Sword users gathered before them.
Foxes.
Their gazes soon converged upon a single man.
“Who are you?”
“Are you one of the foxes from the Fox Den?”
“Did you obtain the Black Star at the tenth Temple?”
The performance was over.
After all, the humans neither heard nor saw any of it.
Park Chan-woo, standing at the center, gazed only at Yu Jin-seo.
This was the beginning of his true Trial.
‘Unchanged, Yu Jin-seo.’
She was exactly as he’d seen her in that distant future.
Though their meeting was yet many years away, there seemed to be no difference in her appearance between then and now.
Yet.
‘Your mask slips far too early. A sign you’re still inexperienced.’
Her performance was somewhat lacking compared to that future version.
Had she been the Yu Jin-seo of the future, she would have continued her act even now.
She would have held back the other foxes, intending to face him alone.
Or she would have manipulated the other foxes into forcing Park Chan-woo to reveal himself.
Far clumsier than her future self.
“A new face, then.”
……
Though Yu Jin-seo spoke to him, Park Chan-woo offered nothing but silence.
Instead, he continued gazing directly into her eyes.
Perhaps she found it amusing.
“Bold of you to stare so fearlessly into my eyes. Your courage is admirable.”
She laughed softly.
In that same moment, Yu Jin-seo’s irises burned crimson.
《Fox’s Enchantment takes hold of you.》
《A powerful mental attack from the Ten-Tailed Fox.》
《Consciousness alteration is occurring!》
The Ten-Tailed Fox, Yu Jin-seo, locked eyes with Park Chan-woo and unleashed a powerful Enchantment upon him.
An Enchantment incomparably stronger than what she’d cast upon the humans.
Yet.
《Due to the Hidden Class trait ‘Sealing Magic’, the fundamental magic ‘Enchantment’ is nullified.》
Racial traits held no sway over Park Chan-woo.
Least of all when the one wielding the Enchantment was a Ten-Tailed Fox.
“To gaze upon my eyes is to become my servant. From this moment forward, you shall answer all my questions with nothing but truth.”
Unlike the Doppelgängers, the Ten-Tailed Fox Yu Jin-seo and all the other foxes seemed unaware that Park Chan-woo had resisted the Enchantment.
Park Chan-woo let his eyes glaze over.
He parted his lips in a vacant stare, his gaze fixed on Yu Jin-seo.
He knew well enough how one should appear when truly Enchanted by a fox.
Then, slowly, he opened his mouth.
“Yes. I shall answer all your questions truthfully.”
Yu Jin-seo regained her composure.
She was certain the Enchantment had taken hold.
“Where did you come from, fox?”
Now the true test began.
Acting alone would not suffice.
He had to deceive the foxes with a convincing lie.
‘So she truly believes I’m a fox.’
Understandable, given that he wielded a Sacred Sword.
Park Chan-woo’s mind raced.
Then he recalled the perfect gambit to mislead Yu Jin-seo.
“I am… the final fragment left behind by the Creator of the Burning Boundary.”
The Creator of the Burning Boundary!
The very architect of this place—the Fox Den.
At the mention of that name, Yu Jin-seo’s expression hardened slightly.
“…A final fragment? Such a thing was left behind? Yet the Fox Den has no master now. The Creator of the Burning Boundary has lost all ownership and dominion over this place.”
“That’s correct. I was born from the Hidden Piece.”
“The Hidden Piece……!”
Yu Jin-seo shivered slightly.
A Hidden Piece was a prank left behind by the Creator.
It meant an “achievement that a challenger could absolutely never accomplish.”
The rewards for achieving it would have been extraordinary, but since the task was impossible to begin with, it was left as a joke.
Yet something felt wrong.
Yu Jin-seo tilted her head and asked, “But you don’t seem like a reward or anything. Why did you appear? Under what conditions were you born?”
“I was set to appear when the Fox Den’s fate reached its end—at a moment beyond the Creator’s reach.”
Of course.
That made sense.
When the world where the Creative Abyss had been placed was destroyed, the Fox Den had suddenly been ejected from it.
Since the Creator of the Burning Boundary could not intervene, the condition had forcibly been satisfied.
Park Chan-woo continued his explanation.
“However, the Hidden Piece has not yet been fully cleared. I am the remaining fragment left to achieve the final Hidden Piece.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Yu Jin-seo’s expression hardened.
Not just her.
All the foxes wore the same expression.
“…What is this final Hidden Piece?”
“I cannot speak of it here.”
“What?”
“I can only tell you—the Nine-Tailed Fox.”
A hint that there were too many ears listening.
It also meant that if another fox heard, it would bring harm to Yu Jin-seo.
Yu Jin-seo looked around.
At that, the foxes shifted and withdrew, creating distance.
“There, they’ve all left. Tell me now. What is this final Hidden Piece?”
Her face eager with interest.
Curiosity gleaming in both eyes.
Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly and opened his mouth.
“For me to become the protagonist and complete the scenario.”
“…And what do I get from that?”
“The Ten-Tailed Fox.”
“………!!!”

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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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