Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 41

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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 41. Seoul Union
That day.
The day a Sniper Abyss manifested, swallowing the office and everything around it whole.
Kim Byung-han felt murder in the air from every person who’d come to work.
From employees who’d shared casual jokes with him mere moments before, to team leads he’d always gotten along with—
All of them wanted him dead.
If the Prophet hadn’t appeared.
That day, Kim Byung-han would have died.
A narrow escape from the brink of nine deaths, one life spared.
Yanked back from that precipice, Kim Byung-han changed.
‘In this world, there’s only one person I can trust—myself.’
Not a soul to believe in.
Even the Creator he’d made a contract with had betrayed him.
―The being who signed that contract with you dumped every sin straight onto your shoulders.
Just as the Prophet had said.
The Ring of the Dead’s Oath that he’d stolen from Game Master Andarel—it was suddenly given to him by the Creator of the Invisible Hand, the one he’d contracted with.
Handed over to him.
So that he himself would become the target when the Creator suddenly attacked.
Thinking it was treasure, he’d been burning with humiliation.
So he’d decided to become harder still.
To trust no one ever again.
‘From now on, strength is truth. I need to raise my level.’
The moment he decided, Kim Byung-han moved.
He traveled through the Abyss raising his level, and seized glittering high-grade equipment and even a pet.
Comrades?
They were all just people who’d stab him in the back eventually anyway.
Party or no party, they were nothing but expendable to Kim Byung-han.
Even when danger came rushing in, he looked after himself first.
Surviving that way, he reached the Tower of Pride.
‘Level 15.’
There was nothing left to fear.
No one stronger than him existed anymore.
If a situation like that Sniper Abyss incident happened again, he had the confidence to crush the skulls of anyone who came at him.
Of course, the Prophet was an exception.
‘The Prophet isn’t human—the Prophet is a god.’
How could he treat as a mere mortal someone who’d reduced a Death Knight to powder in a single blow and even summoned the Creator directly?
The miraculous Magic the Prophet wielded was like a miracle itself.
It covered the entire Abyss in thorns and saved him.
More than that.
He was certain—it was the Prophet who had raised the hero Lee Hyuk-su.
‘I nearly died, but I gained something from it.’
Though the Prophet hadn’t healed him, he’d saved his life.
Thanks to that, Kim Byung-han had been able to reflect deeply on existence.
It was the decisive turning point that made him cease to fear the Abyss.
“Uh…… Sir Kim Byung-han? Is that you?”
It was as Kim Byung-han was heading toward the Tower of Pride.
Hearing a familiar voice, he turned his head.
“…Lee Min-su?”
“Yes, it really is you, sir!”
Lee Min-su stood before him with a grimy smile, greeting him.
His loyal subordinate.
―I can’t stand being here one more second!
The moment the Abyss descended, Lee Min-su had been the first to try to kill him.
His most trusted subordinate.
The one who’d taught him firsthand that there wasn’t a single soul to trust.
“Wow—sir, is that thing you’re riding a pet? You really are something else!”
“…….”
“I…… if I may be so bold, would it be alright if I came with you?”
“…….”
“Yes, well, this seems to be outside the Tower of Pride’s jurisdiction. We never know when the Abyss might cover us. People have just vanished all of a sudden. Please, I’m begging you, for old time’s sake…….”
Lee Min-su dropped to his knees.
Kim Byung-han was now moving alongside the Seoul Union, drawing closer to the Tower of Pride.
The Seoul Union was one of Korea’s largest alliances, and they were currently treating Kim Byung-han—who had reached the remarkable threshold of Level 15—as an honored guest.
“Do you know him, Kim Byung-han?” one of the alliance members walking ahead called back.
He turned to ask the question directly.
And.
“…No. First time seeing him.”
Kim Byung-han shook his head immediately.
He wanted to beat the man to death, but he was no longer the Kim Byung-han of before.
Letting emotions rule you was something only the weak did.
Lee Min-su wasn’t worth killing.
Left alone, he’d disappear on his own soon enough.
Kim Byung-han turned his body and continued forward toward the Tower of Pride.
“Team Leader! Kim Byung-han, Team Leader!!”
He ignored Lee Min-su’s voice calling from behind.
It was after walking roughly five more minutes.
‘Hmm?’
Among the countless crowds, one man stood out conspicuously.
Mixed into the throng yet fundamentally unmixable—like oil and water.
Kim Byung-han broke into a smile and called out.
“Park Chan-woo! You’re alive?”
“……?”
“Man, I’ve got to give it to you. You’ve got real survival instinct—tough as they come.”
Kim Byung-han descended from his mount and approached Park Chan-woo.
During the time when the Sniper Abyss had activated.
‘The only one who didn’t attack me.’
Park Chan-woo alone had refrained from attacking Kim Byung-han.
Even when everyone from the company had swarmed in to surround him, creating a scene of madness, Park Chan-woo had remained motionless at a distance, simply watching.
Moreover, he was the only one who hadn’t pursued Kim Byung-han with intent to kill.
That was why.
Unlike Lee Min-su, Park Chan-woo was welcome.
‘This bastard isn’t ordinary.’
At first, he’d thought the man had suddenly gone insane.
When the Abyss had opened at Lake Park, Park Chan-woo had pulled off strange moves—using himself as a shield to draw the Corrupted Spirit’s attention.
But it wasn’t that.
He understood now.
Park Chan-woo had simply taken control of the situation with cold precision.
Even when Kim Byung-han was caught in the sniper’s crosshairs, Park Chan-woo had looked elsewhere and thought of other things entirely.
The ability to seek solutions with remarkable composure in dangerous circumstances.
The world was full of fools and idiots, but Park Chan-woo wasn’t one of them.
He was decidedly different from the rest.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I quit the company too. The world’s upside down—what’s the point of a company? You made the smart move.”
Kim Byung-han wiped the bridge of his nose at Park Chan-woo’s peculiar gaze.
They weren’t close, but Kim Byung-han had come to realize that, at this point, such a relationship was preferable.
At least Park Chan-woo had no intention of killing him.
The man simply had no interest in others.
Park Chan-woo shrugged.
“Seems you’re doing well enough.”
“After retiring, I’ve been running through Abysses relentlessly. I’m not sure I’d call that doing well… But what are you doing here?”
“Waiting.”
“For what? Ah, the line? Never mind, come with me. Let’s go together.”
Tap, tap.
Kim Byung-han patted Park Chan-woo’s shoulder as though they were close associates.
The building representative who witnessed this stepped in.
“Um, excuse me. Could we come along as well? We’re actually quite close with Chan-woo here.”
“That so?”
Kim Byung-han looked at Park Chan-woo.
It was a question—was that true?
Park Chan-woo nodded in response.
They lived in the same building, after all; in times like these, that made them fairly close neighbors.
‘Better to slip in with a group than draw attention going alone.’
He had no desire to stand out.
His only goal was to enter the Tower of Pride quietly.
“How many of you are there?”
“Oh, around fifty or so.”
“Hold on a second. Hey!”
Kim Byung-han raised his right hand, and one of the Seoul Union members watching over the crowd approached.
“You called for me?”
“These people can come along with us, right?”
“Are they acquaintances of yours, Kim Byung-han?”
“More or less, yeah.”
“No problem then. Let’s go together!”
It was all part of courting high-level Awakeners.
This kind of privilege meant nothing to them.
Soon fifty-odd people had joined the Seoul Union’s procession.
Wherever they moved, paths opened before them.
Like the Red Sea parting, no one dared stand in the Seoul Union’s way.
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
“It’s all thanks to the guy in 505.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
People from the same apartment complex offered Park Chan-woo their gratitude.
Park Chan-woo said nothing, his gaze fixed on the Tower of Pride.
A tower that rose endlessly into the sky, its summit lost to view.
With each step closer, a strange tingling ran through his chest.
‘The equipment level here is pretty solid overall. It wasn’t like this before.’
As they drew nearer to the tower, the quality of people’s gear became increasingly impressive.
Far better than it had been in the past.
After everyone had endured the Dungeon Abyss, every Korean citizen had been given a Gold Box—naturally things had improved.
Society had leveled up as a whole.
‘Still hasn’t broken through the Threshold Level, it seems.’
Meanwhile, Kim Byung-han, standing just beside Park Chan-woo, was studying him out of the corner of his eye.
The fact that he was standing in line meant he hadn’t reached Level 11 yet.
That was slightly disappointing, but all things considered, Kim Byung-han himself was remarkable.
He knew of no one else who’d climbed levels this quickly.
‘In the end, it all comes down to level.’
Kim Byung-han smiled faintly to himself.
The world ahead would be built entirely on levels.
Everything gained from the Abyss was measured by that single metric.
Look around.
Even the Tower of Pride divides entry based on level, doesn’t it?
If your level is low, you can do nothing.
The gap between levels will only grow more stark as time passes.
The question is: who runs fastest at the starting line?
In that sense, Kim Byung-han was already flying.
Park Chan-woo, meanwhile, was still crawling through the dirt.
‘Right now the Abyss is still a battle of the mind. Park Chan-woo’s mental fortitude isn’t like an ordinary person’s. Worth keeping around.’
Still, Park Chan-woo had his merits.
For one thing, his mental strength was entirely different from that of an average person.
Even now, most of the Abyss’s challenge came down to psychological endurance.
The ability to face fear without flinching—that was what mattered most.
Park Chan-woo had already crossed that threshold long ago.
However, in the more distant future, levels would be what determined everything.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Ah, we’re practically right on top of it now.”
At the union member’s words, Kim Byung-han let out a small laugh.
Following the Seoul Union had brought him right to the tower itself—it was right there beside them.
This alone showed how formidable their influence truly was in this place.
“Kim Byung-han. The Union Leader is waiting for you.”
“This one’s coming with me.”
Kim Byung-han gestured toward Park Chan-woo.
The union member’s expression stiffened.
“……Forgive me, but are you a Threshold Level Breaker?”
Only a Threshold Level Breaker could meet the union leader—that was what the question implied.
Park Chan-woo hesitated.
He had broken through the Threshold Level, but his current level was only 89.
If he tried to form a party, it wouldn’t work.
Tap, tap.
Just then, Kim Byung-han patted Park Chan-woo’s shoulder and spoke.
“Don’t worry. I vouch for this man’s identity. And he’ll break through the Threshold Level before long.”
“You must be quite skilled. However……”
“Then we’ll just forget this conversation?”
“Ah, no. Please wait just a moment.”
The union member disappeared into a barracks built near the tower.
In the meantime, Kim Byung-han watched Park Chan-woo with a sly gleam in his eyes.
‘Do I look impressive now?’
He was establishing the hierarchy.
Me above, you below.
Yet I’ll still look after you.
“The union leader says both of you should come in.”
The union member soon returned with the message.
Tap, tap.
“Don’t be nervous, kid. I’ve already settled everything with the Seoul Union. Just follow my lead.”
Kim Byung-han suddenly turned familiar.
Park Chan-woo felt a flicker of disbelief.
‘He must be quite lonely.’
After a betrayal like that, it made sense he’d crave human connection.
Yet Park Chan-woo was curious too.
The Seoul Union was one of the factions that wielded tremendous influence over Korea even in the future.
It had appeared like a comet and swallowed Seoul in the blink of an eye.
But information about them was scarcer than expected.
Especially regarding who the first union leader was.
A few names seemed plausible, but almost nothing was known about the original leader.
He never revealed his identity.
Except for a select few, it was impossible to meet the first union leader.
This meeting held significance for Park Chan-woo as well.
Park Chan-woo and Kim Byung-han followed the union member into the barracks.
“Welcome!”
“……Where is he?”
Kim Byung-han tilted his head in confusion.
Despite entering the barracks, there was no sign of the union leader.
Moments later, the tent flap was drawn closed.
Swish.
“Good to see you.”
“……!!!”
A figure materialized behind them like a ghost.
Kim Byung-han, who had sensed nothing, startled and stepped back.
At the same time, Park Chan-woo turned his head.
……and saw the man who had just appeared.
He smiled warmly at both Park Chan-woo and Kim Byung-han, who was breaking into a cold sweat, and spoke.
“I’m Im Chang-yeol, leader of the Seoul Union.”
……Im Chang-yeol?
‘The Overlord Im Chang-yeol?’
The man who had ruled as king of the criminal underworld.
Not a Level 99 Achiever, yet a monstrous figure whom even they dared not touch easily.
A tragic man who had stood as Han Shin’s counterpoint, only to meet his death at Han Shin’s hands!
…So the Overlord Im Chang-yeol had been the first Seoul Union leader all along.

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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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