Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 60

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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 60. Evolution
Silence flowed.
The world had frozen as if time itself had stopped.
Even Kankun’s heart, which had been pounding so fiercely, was the same.
There was no sound of his heartbeat, no sound of breath.
Somewhere along the way.
Kankun was smiling quietly.
Meeting his end as an Orc Master, as a great warrior.
‘Comrades, I have overcome death.’
He spoke to the orcs of his tribe who had gone before him.
That he had finally reached the pinnacle.
Now he was not afraid to die.
For his will could be passed on to this sacred warrior—what a meaningful death this was.
Glorious and magnificent, his ending, and yet not an end but a beginning.
‘My heart will never cease to beat within that warrior, eternal.’
So in the truest sense, Kankun did not die.
So long as his heart, his will, continued on.
The being called Kankun would be immortal.
‘My blade shall sing an eternal song.’
And thus would it advance without ceasing, onward still.
At the Threshold of Death, Kankun drew forth the Heart Sword.
Then he offered it to Park Chan-woo.
His heartbeat would now become the song of the blade, played through Park Chan-woo as an instrument.
‘…but if there is one thing I regret.’
The Threshold of Death.
Standing before it, one step remaining, Kankun looked upon Park Chan-woo.
Because he did regret it.
Park Chan-woo’s talent shone so brilliantly that it could encompass both Kankun’s heart and his Heart Sword alike.
It was only here that he could truly confirm Park Chan-woo’s worth.
Had he known sooner, had they met earlier.
‘What a fine friend he might have been.’
Of course, Park Chan-woo was already the friend of orcs.
For the spirits of orcs, the scent of a warrior, had emanated from him from the very beginning.
Orc Shaman Yan and the spirits of ten thousand orcs!
When he stepped into the realm of death, they became clearer to him.
It was not merely because Park Chan-woo had consumed the Ten Thousand Blood Selection.
The ten thousand orc spirits told Kankun the story of Park Chan-woo.
How he had saved Orc Shaman Yan, how he had brought comfort to the warriors’ spirits bound to the altar.
How he had soothed their anguish, how he had promised to take vengeance in their stead.
Aheta, Lord of the Moon, he would bankrupt that Creator who had driven them into the Temple of Death.
What a magnificent warrior he was.
It would have been good to fight alongside him.
It was somewhat regrettable that he could not witness directly as Park Chan-woo bankrupted the Lord of the Moon Aheta and slew the Black Witch.
But that was all right.
‘I will be your blade eternal.’
Kankun smiled and offered himself as a sacrifice.
For it would be pitiful for Aheta and the Black Witch, who would have to face this tremendous warrior henceforth.
Their desperate forms were already taking shape in his mind.
Only now, standing at the Threshold of Death, could he know it with certainty.
Park Chan-woo.
He was death itself, a being who stood at beginning and end alike.
What dwelt within him was a monster so vast and fathomless that it could not be compared to the lords of the Abyss or any other creature.
That is Eternal Annihilation Magic.
That which is not and cannot be, standing outside all perception—an ominous force!
Something more chaotic than chaos itself dwelt within Park Chan-woo.
Yet that was all right.
For the talent Park Chan-woo possessed shone far brighter even than that.
A radiance so dazzling that even chaos dared not easily intrude upon it.
【Does he truly believe that this one possesses a radiance that surpasses me?】
Fwooooom!
It happened in that instant.
The world collapsed.
Before he knew it, Kankun was beyond the threshold.
The gate leading toward death, studded with countless teeth, swallowed him whole in a heartbeat.
Gulp!
【Mmm, delicious.】
‘Death’ had spoken.
Kankun made for a most satisfying meal.
Tasting such nourishment after so long, ‘Death’ smiled.
【Your soul proved most palatable indeed. Therefore, in accordance with your wish, I shall observe a while longer.】
* * *
《You have acquired the Hidden Trait ‘Eternal Sword, Eternal Annihilation Magic.’》
《Your Class has evolved.》
《The duration of your ‘Limited Lifespan’ condition has been extended.》
《You will die within 530 days.》
Park Chan-woo opened his eyes slowly.
Countless messages lay before him now.
But he had no time to check them—his gaze swept across his surroundings.
‘Where am I?’
This was not the 10th Floor.
It was not the place he had seen during the final battle.
This was an entirely different realm.
It was the summit of the Tower.
‘……The 11th Floor.’
Somehow, he had ascended to the 11th Floor.
It meant the battle had been decided.
Adora lay unconscious at his side.
And Kankun was nowhere to be seen.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded like madness.
It meant he had returned from the Threshold of Death.
Yet, if what he had seen was real—
“Kankun……”
Orc Master Kankun.
Kankun had offered his heart as a sacrifice to save him.
No—it wasn’t merely his heart. He had surrendered his entire existence.
‘Why?’
Park Chan-woo’s brow furrowed.
He could not reconcile it.
No matter how much he had helped Kankun overcome death, the time they had known each other was barely a moment.
What of him did Kankun trust enough to surrender everything?
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his ears.
—Offer your heart as a sacrifice to this warrior. And together, slay the Black Witch. I entrust our clan’s vengeance to you.
He had unmistakably asked for vengeance.
To kill the Black Witch, he had given his heart.
Park Chan-woo had not answered.
Kankun had simply entrusted it to him.
He had believed, without doubt, that it would be done.
……Was that not foolish?
If it had been him, he would never have deferred such a choice to another.
What could he have believed in, to lay his all before someone?
And yet.
‘I would have done it regardless of your asking.’
It was not a matter of granting a request. He had always intended as much.
Foolish Kankun.
What manner of Orc Master or great warrior was this?
Did he know so little of Park Chan-woo?
To choose death over such a trivial plea.
Foolish does not begin to describe it.
‘I will bring the Black Witch, the Sovereign of Arrogance, to ruin.’
If the Tower of Arrogance was created by the Black Witch.
Then naturally, the Black Witch was also a Creator.
And for Park Chan-woo, a Creator was an enemy to be bankrupted.
He exhaled slowly.
In the dim space, Park Chan-woo drew in a deep breath.
He’d grasped the circumstances of reaching the 11th Floor; now it was time to take stock of himself.
‘……Not Advancement—Evolution. And my Limited Lifespan has even been extended.’
It was nothing but mysteries.
Normally, when a Class reached a certain level, it would undergo a Class upgrade—an Advancement.
In the past, Park Chan-woo had been able to advance from Barbarian Warrior to Knight, and after reaching level ninety, he’d acquired an entirely new Mage Class.
But he’d never heard of a Class “evolving.”
The two words were fundamentally different from their very essence.
Advancement literally meant rising in rank.
Just as one’s position rises in the military or a company, Park Chan-woo had advanced from Barbarian Warrior to the more honorable Knight, one who wielded the blade with greater skill.
But what was Evolution?
It was gradual change over successive generations.
When unnecessary parts disappeared or necessary ones emerged—that was what one called evolution.
And so, when applied to Class, one could scarcely even grasp the concept.
Evolution was normally something bound to living things.
Though he possessed the Mage Class, that merely meant he was qualified to use magic—it had nothing to do with being a living organism.
Yet he had evolved nonetheless.
And that wasn’t all.
Why had his Limited Lifespan been extended?
At the center of all these changes lay Kankun’s heart and Adora’s Wish.
It was certain that these two sacrifices, possessing value beyond imagination, had catalyzed his evolution.
‘Status Window.’
He summoned the Status Window to confirm with certainty.
Other messages slipped to the side, and a single window materialized before him.
Affiliation: Earth / Human / South Korea
Name: Park Chan-woo
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: 180cm / 67.1kg
Level: -89
Strength: 13(1+12)
Vitality: 23(1+22)
Agility: 18(1+17)
Intelligence: 13(1+12)
Mana: 37(1+36)
Status: Weakest, Sickly, Frail, Non-existence, Limited Lifespan, Heavenly Toxin Imperviousness
Total Attack Power: 485 (285+200)
Total Defense Power: 477 (277+200)
Active Auras:
Golden Aura (Attack and Defense doubled based on Coin count)
First Step of the Seeker (All Stats +1 for every 10 Coins)
Class: Sword-Mage (11Lv)
Usable Magic: Reflection (Grand Magic, Unique), Heavenly Punishment (Lightning Magic, Unique), Ultra Regeneration (Passive, Unique)
Class-Related Hidden Traits:
(1) “Eternal Sword” – ???
(2) “Eternal Annihilation Magic” – ???
Remaining Class Level Points: 0
Equipped Items:
World Tree Staff (-98Lv, Eternal)
Frostborne Helm (-95Lv, Legendary)
Demonic Armor (-98Lv, Epic)
Arhat’s Golden Mystery (-89Lv, Ancient)
Demonic Gauntlets (-98Lv, Epic)
Intoxicating Belt (-95Lv, Unique)
Hermes’ Shoes (-92Lv, Ancient)
List of Abyss Items in Possession:
Easter Egg (001), Mage’s Stone (Magic Power +9, Legendary), Void (Eternal), Coin (100), Arrogance Box (170)
A Status Window of unparalleled brilliance.
Every entry was something to make anyone who saw it gasp in wonder.
“…….”
Yet Park Chan-woo, the one whose status it was, found no joy in it.
‘……Sword-Mage, is it.’
The name Sword-Mage was a curse to him.
Knight and Mage.
With a Dual Class, hadn’t his name constantly flitted through people’s mouths as “Sword-Mage”?
But that didn’t mean he truly possessed the Sword-Mage Class.
Yet now, clear as day, the words “Sword-Mage” were written in his Status Window.
There was no evading it, no denying it.
Cruel though it was, it was reality.
‘Class Hidden Trait…… What is this?’
But it was clearly different from ordinary Classes.
In every Class he knew of, there was no such thing as a “Hidden Trait.”
‘Does it activate when certain conditions are met?’
The description that followed was nothing but question marks.
It seemed he would have to discover it for himself.
‘One hundred Coins, one hundred seventy Arrogance Boxes.’
The rewards he’d accumulated climbing to the 11th Floor were extraordinary.
One hundred Coins at this stage — remarkable.
But what truly thrilled him was the Arrogance Boxes.
Han Shin had opened around fifty at once and obtained the Legendary-Grade Banyan’s Gloves.
One hundred seventy?
He couldn’t even imagine what might pour out.
《You have reached the summit of the Tower.》
《All settlements for the ‘Adora Faction’ have been completed.》
《Will you open the 170 Arrogance Boxes?》
That was when it happened.
Another message appeared.
As the message said, settlement was complete.
He could climb no higher, so confirming the results made sense.
But.
“Settlement is complete, is it?”
Park Chan-woo shook his head.
How could he not understand the Tower’s sinister depths?
It was obvious why it was sending such a message, urging his choice — and what that message truly meant.
Why it had specifically mentioned the “Adora Faction.”
“Tower of Arrogance. I haven’t received all my settlement yet. From the start, it was Kankun’s Faction I chose, not Adora’s, was it not?”
That was right. Outstanding rewards remained.
Park Chan-woo was among Kankun’s closest allies, and there were rewards that would naturally come when Kankun climbed the Tower.
Since Kankun had reached the 10th Floor as well, the rewards rightfully owed for choosing Kankun’s Faction had to be claimed.
Park Chan-woo extended his hand, spreading his palm wide, and spoke.
“Hand them over.”
Then.
《…….》
《…….》
《The ‘Tower of Arrogance’ makes you a special proposal.》
“Silence. Hand them over.”

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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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