Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 19

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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 19. Named Creator
Countless lines of text swam before his eyes.
Park Chan-woo furrowed his brow as he read through them, one by one.
‘…I haven’t gone bankrupt.’
The gap had been closed to a degree that would astound the world. A level-96 deficit defeating Death Knights of at least level 41 or higher meant transcending a dimensional gulf. That much was certain.
As a result, over a hundred people received Gold Boxes (★★) as rewards, while Park Chan-woo, who had effectively hunted the Death Knight, was given both a Platinum Box (★★★) and a Latent Ability Bestowal Scroll.
All the rewards were overwhelming.
Especially what he obtained were treasures of a transcendent caliber that could be called the realm beyond the heavens.
‘Any ordinary Creator would have gone bankrupt three times over with this haul.’
Yet he hadn’t gone bankrupt.
Which meant he possessed a considerable quantity of Coins.
At this point in time, the number of Creators holding a substantial amount of Coins was minuscule.
This meant the one who created this “Sniping Abyss” was no ordinary Creator.
‘If not a Named Creator…’
That was precisely why he couldn’t understand it.
Though there was a hierarchy and ranking among Creators, most of those intervening in humanity at this moment belonged to the lower tiers.
For instance, the highest-ranking Creators were those called the Great Nine Lords.
Literally, only nine supremely great beings existed throughout the entire Abyss.
They were pan-universal monsters whom all Creators and demons revered, too fearful to even meet their gaze—beings that even the Twelve Lords could not rashly approach.
And beneath them were the 72 Demon Marquises.
Not quite on the level of the Great Nine Lords, but their influence over the Abyss was arguably even greater than the Nine Lords themselves. The 72 Demon Marquises were the practical rulers and stewards of the Abyss.
Below them were the 108 Demon Kings, who, though limited in domain, possessed power beyond compare.
These three classes were classified as the “summit” or “Named” in the Abyss, yet they took little interest in humanity.
Only the Creators ranked below them engaged in games with humans—a species classified as the lowest among the thirteen races, feeble beyond measure.
These beings might spare a glance at humanity only after many more years had passed, if that.
In other words.
‘Is this really a Named Creator?’
The host who opened this Abyss—the one who sniped Kim Byung-han—could possibly be a Named Creator.
As evidence, despite the message appearing, they made no request for any “deal” from Park Chan-woo.
There was no request to exchange the rewards for something else, or to reduce them.
Even though there would surely be a cost.
Named Creators possessed pride as towering as their station and would never deign to bargain with a human.
And if.
If the opponent truly were a Named Creator.
If they were one of the Great Nine Lords, the 72 Demon Marquises, or the 108 Demon Kings…
―The Queen has commanded it. You are to sweep away every human in this place. Above all, you are to annihilate this one with absolute certainty.
The Death Knight’s words surfaced unbidden in his mind.
How many Creators among the Named could be called a “Queen”?
One could count them on a single hand, and each one sent tremors down the spine.
So.
‘…This is bad.’
He must never let them become his enemy.
Making an opponent of them at this stage would be tantamount to suicide.
Because an ordinary Creator could not ignore a Named Creator’s request.
Navigating the Abyss going forward would face serious obstacles—of that he was certain.
Or he could face endless Targeted Attacks.
Just as they had turned Kim Byung-han against him and made his allies betray him.
A Creator could unearth his weaknesses.
Of course, he wasn’t afraid of Targeted Attacks. But if that happened, his growth would slow and he could lose the Racial War—and that was his greatest concern.
How could he overcome this situation?
For a moment, he thought he knew the answer.
Park Chan-woo looked up at the moon and spoke.
“Andariel and I staked our very lives on the Abyss Covenant together. And she died with honor. For a demon, death means perfection, finality. But Andariel did not meet a true end.”
The conclusion he had reached by this point was singular.
The owner of this Ring of the Dead’s Covenant, Andariel, shared a special bond with a Creator.
Thus, Kim Byung-han, who had stolen the ring, had incurred excessive hatred from that Creator.
The root cause of everything was this ring.
Park Chan-woo slowly raised the Ring of the Dead’s Covenant to the sky.
“Andariel’s very existence remains within the ring. There could be no greater dishonor for a demon. I can fully understand your rage.”
Once dead, one vanishes.
Not a speck of dust must remain—everything must evaporate.
Yet the ring endured.
Because of the power inscribed upon it by the ‘Unseen Hand’s Creator’ who had entered into a contract of incarnation with Kim Byung-han.
Wasn’t the Creator enraged by this fact?
Believing that a demon who had been close to them had met a dishonorable end.
“Nameless Creator. Lord of the great Abyss! If you desire it, I shall surrender the ring. I ask no compensation in return.”
【What do you wish for, human?】
Ah!
Park Chan-woo felt a chill run through him.
The Creator’s voice had pierced through the message and reached him directly.
It was a voice suffused with the dignity and gravitas of a queen.
This meant the other was a Named Creator.
And one who had reached a considerable rank at that.
A monster with no equal among the Creators who had invaded Earth.
Park Chan-woo pressed down his emotions as hard as he could before speaking.
“Do I seem like one who acts this way seeking reward?”
As if offended.
Even weaving a hint of anger into his tone.
Park Chan-woo performed with every ounce of effort he possessed.
“I too wish that Andariel, who fought me bound by the Abyss Covenant, will find eternal rest. I acted of my own accord only to honor a worthy adversary’s memory—I desire nothing for myself.”
In truth, Andariel had been far from worthy.
She had failed because she accepted bribes and abused her authority.
Had she not violated protocol by refusing to let Park Chan-woo participate in the game without forming a proper party, the tragedy of Andariel’s death would never have occurred.
Yet if the Creator and Andariel were truly close, then naturally they would wish for Andariel to be remembered with honor. And if the one who defeated her offered such praise and elevated her honor, would that not bring great solace?
【Give me the ring.】
Whoooosh!
A ‘door’ materialized in the empty air and swung open.
From within it, a ‘hand’ emerged.
Park Chan-woo approached without hesitation and placed the ring upon the palm of that hand.
‘After all, if I use it two or three more times, its mana will be depleted.’
His mana reserves had already been drained considerably from the battle with the Death Knight.
Use it just two more times, and it would be utterly spent—worthless.
《You have transferred the ‘Ring of the Dead’s Covenant’.》
《The ring’s Level will be re-calibrated to match the recipient’s Level.》
There was no risk of his own Level being exposed.
The ring’s Level would adjust itself accordingly.
At that same moment, the Creator’s voice echoed across the world.
【Human who understands honor. In the not-distant future, there shall come a day when my aid reaches you……】
* * *
The moment the Abyss ended and reality returned,
“Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!”
Park Chan-woo expelled the breath he had been holding in ragged gasps.
Cold sweat streamed down his back.
His heart thundered so violently it seemed ready to burst from his chest at any second.
His face had gone deathly pale, and both hands trembled uncontrollably.
The being that had emerged when the door opened.
From the moment he had faced that being and saw it extend its hand, the tension he had been desperately suppressing exploded outward.
‘Definitely a Named one.’
Despite encountering it for only a fraction of a second, such presence—such overwhelming presence.
Had he endured even a few seconds more, it would not have been a figure of speech. His heart truly would have stopped.
Park Chan-woo hurried home.
The moment he arrived, he collapsed onto the floor.
‘I kept hoping—praying—it wouldn’t be a Demon Marquis.’
He stared up at the ceiling, recalling what he had just experienced.
He still could not believe it.
A Named Creator.
He suspected with high probability it was one of the 108 Demon Kings.
A Creator holding a rank higher than that would have no reason to concern itself with humans at all.
Even when he had reached Level 99, the Demon Marquises had regarded Earth and humanity as beneath notice—mere playthings that could be obliterated on a whim, nothing more.
And from Park Chan-woo’s perspective as well, it certainly felt like a plaything.
From the level of Demon Marquis and beyond, the sheer quantity of Coins one possessed was simply on a different scale.
‘I’d nearly missed seeing tomorrow’s sunrise.’
A Demon Marquis was the de facto master of the Abyss.
Possessing vast territories without compare, commanding countless demons and legions beneath them, and wielding power that defied description—that was precisely what a Demon Marquis was.
If one wished it, annihilating a single human would be as trivial as breathing.
Most Creators in the Abyss could not defy a Demon Marquis’s command. To do so would mean the obliteration of everything connected to that Creator.
The owner of that hand which had just appeared was one such being.
One who held a Demon Marquis’s throne with full confidence.
As Park Chan-woo recalled that name, he bit his lip once more.
‘Gremory of Lamentation!’
Known as Lamentation, she was the sole figure among the Demon Marquises to bear the title of Queen.
Had he not exercised his wits and unleashed his desperation, tomorrow would truly not have come.
Moreover, she had taken only the ring, leaving the rewards untouched.
‘A Demon Marquis’s assistance. I can’t even imagine how she’d help, or with what.’
Yet viewed differently, there was no greater gain to be had.
With merely a single ring, he had placed himself in debt to a Demon Marquis.
For such a being to speak directly of ‘assistance’ meant the magnitude of that aid would surely be substantial.
Unlike ordinary demons, they did not speak falsehoods.
Splash!
Park Chan-woo showered in ice-cold water.
The chill of Gremory of Lamentation’s touch still seemed to linger on his skin, so he scrubbed his hands over and over again.
After leaving the bathroom, Park Chan-woo retrieved three rewards from his inventory.
‘A 2-Star Gold Box, a 3-Star Platinum Box, and a Latent Ability Bestowal Scroll.’
Since returning in time, he had obtained a 3-Star Platinum Box before, but the Latent Ability Bestowal Scroll was his first.
Had Gremory of Lamentation taken it with her, he would have felt considerable regret.
In a sense, it was far more difficult to obtain than even a 3-Star Platinum Box.
Gulp.
‘…Could I really have obtained this already?’

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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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