Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 62

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

Chapter 62. The Black Witch
The Tower of Arrogance had gone bankrupt.
It was not mere collapse or destruction—it was erasure.
When a Creator becomes insolvent, they lose their standing forever; this was the same principle.
A permanent, irrevocable loss.
The name “Tower of Arrogance” would vanish from existence entirely.
But this bankruptcy had far exceeded even the usual limits of execution.
The Tower of Arrogance could contain a maximum of two hundred Boxes of Arrogance.
That figure applied only when one individual had gathered all two hundred.
It did not matter if multiple climbers each gathered a handful of boxes.
Only an individual mattered.
Once a single person accumulated more than two hundred, it became a problem.
Yet if you asked whether such a number was even remotely possible, the answer would be an unequivocal no.
…
In the deepest reaches of the Abyss.
In the center of what was called the Heart of the Abyss.
There, the Black Witch was staring down at her own hand.
She who possessed the eyes that glimpsed the future—the owner of the Ten-Thousand-Stream Ten-Thousand-Eyes—had failed to foresee this.
The moment the Tower went bankrupt, her pinky finger was subject to Forced Execution.
The Tower of Arrogance had transferred the debt it owed to her flesh instead.
It was unthinkable. It should never have happened.
No matter how much residual value remained to be claimed, no force should have dared lay hands upon the body of the mightiest witch.
The Black Witch.
The supreme being among all witches, the mistress of the Heart of the Abyss whom even the lords of the Abyss feared.
She was the Heart of the Abyss itself, and her body was one with its totality.
Therefore.
What had just been taken was not merely a pinky finger—the Forced Execution had claimed a piece of the Heart of the Abyss itself.
This was a shock the Black Witch, for all her eons of existence, had never known before.
For none had ever dared lay hands upon the Black Witch in such a manner.
The Heart of the Abyss, which even demons hesitated to enter.
And someone had severed the flesh of the Black Witch at its very center!
“Are they a being outside Providence?”
If such a being could exist, they would be a violation of nature’s law itself.
Something had been twisted profoundly out of place.
Yet for all that twisting, even the Black Witch found it difficult to comprehend how one could exceed the limits so immensely.
For the number of Boxes of Arrogance an individual could obtain in the Tower she herself had created had a clear ceiling.
Fifty was already exceedingly difficult to gather.
Even that much required becoming the closest confidant of Kankun or Adora, displaying all manner of treasures.
One hundred?
If one hunted down every hidden element the entire Tower contained, an individual might amass one hundred.
One hundred fifty… with those achievements plus success in hidden quests, there existed a slim possibility.
But two hundred lay in the realm of the impossible.
One would need to display all ten treasures alone in the display case, continuously upgrade to better treasures as climbing the Tower’s floors, achieve every hidden quest and element, and never use a single box to reach two hundred.
And upon reaching two hundred, the Tower would grant an Eternal Grade reward without fail.
Beyond that, if one gathered roughly two hundred fifty boxes and the Tower went bankrupt, one could claim the ultimate treasure, the Star of Arrogance—yet the Black Witch would never have simply let the thief walk away with it.
The reason she could not stop it was the sudden onset of Forced Execution.
An unforeseen event that happened without warning.
Because the Black Witch’s pinky finger had been severed, the Star of Arrogance had poured out as compensation.
“…So the Star of Arrogance was stolen from me.”
Stolen it was.
For even she, who had created the Tower, had not anticipated that a single human could alone gather three hundred twenty boxes.
Boxes of Arrogance compound in value the more one collects.
Even if a hundred people each held one hundred boxes—even if ten thousand boxes leaked out that way—it would not match the value of one person holding three hundred twenty alone.
Not even close.
Yet three hundred twenty was a number no single faction could have amassed.
Kankun and Adora.
One would need to be the absolute priority of both to make it possible.
But Kankun and Adora held natures that were dramatically opposed.
Becoming the top priority, the closest confidant of both, was a difficult thing to achieve.
And Adora, in particular, would never allow anyone to stand at her side.
In other words.
A being who escaped Providence had transcended the unknowable and touched the Black Witch’s very flesh.
And so the Star of Arrogance was stolen from her.
Who could it be?
Who possesses the power to take her star and her pinky finger?
The Black Witch touched the Witch’s Orb.
Soon, the face of Adora appeared above the sphere.
—Adora….
The shock did not end there.
Not at all.
…Adora was smiling.
She wore a smile.
While looking at someone.
A face she had never seen before.
A witch smiling, of all things.
Especially Adora, who presided over death itself.
The witch least inclined to laughter.
But that was the end of it.
With Adora’s smile, the image cut to black.
‘He stole everything.’
The tower, the star, Adora herself.
Everything—a ‘thief’ who took it all.
She longed to see his face, but even the Witch’s Orb could not reveal the thief.
This meant he was protected by some absolute force that even the Ten-Thousand-Stream Ten-Thousand-Eyes and the Witch’s Orb could not penetrate.
—Adora. You can never escape me.
A faint glimmer kindled in the Black Witch’s emotionless eyes.
Remarkably, it was the light of emotion.
Obsession, or perhaps dominion.
That was not all.
—Whoever you are, being who escaped Providence. You too will face the same fate.
A Staff appeared in the Black Witch’s hand.
Immediately after, she swung it once.
Then.
Whoooosh!
「I pay my respects to the great Black Witch.」
With a plume of smoke, a colossal black dragon emerged.
—Ataraxia. Ancient dragon of Despair.
The black dragon was not merely a dragon in appearance—he was a true member of the dragon race.
And of the highest houses of dragonkind, the clan known as Despair itself.
Among them, an ancient dragon bearing the title of the old.
Though sunken in the Heart of the Abyss and become the Black Witch’s servant, his rank and standing were recognized by both the Abyss and the Twelve Races.
—There is work you must do for me.
When the Black Witch spoke, Ataraxia bowed his head.
「If it is something I am capable of, I shall do whatever you require.」
The ancient dragon of Despair was the Black Witch’s loyal servant.
He was a problem-solver who would accomplish anything she commanded.
Because he succeeded in every task without a single mistake or failure, the Black Witch issued her command without hesitation.
—Adora has awakened the Wish. Bring it to me. Along with the Star of Arrogance.
At that moment, the gaze of the ancient dragon of Despair wavered ever so slightly.
The Wish.
It was something his own kin yearned for without end.
Had not one ancient dragon of the Light Lineage also awakened the Wish and ascended to the Dragon God’s Hall?
Rising to serve the Dragon God himself, he had earned the opportunity.
Through this, the Light Lineage gained unparalleled prestige.
Their pride had swelled accordingly.
Possessing the Wish was an honor of such magnitude among dragonkind.
‘The Star of Arrogance!’
And to possess the Star of Arrogance itself!
The Star of Arrogance was what the Black Witch cherished most.
This meant someone had claimed it.
The Witch of Death, Adora.
Or someone connected to her.
Realizing the magnitude of what this meant, Ataraxia’s expression hardened.
“…I shall procure it without fail.”
* * *
Along with word that the Tower had gone bankrupt,
Park Chan-woo gazed upon two rewards hovering in the void.
One took the form of a necklace.
A necklace studded with a diamond-shaped blue jewel.
‘Star of Arrogance.’
A treasure spoken of as the ultimate relic.
At a glance, it was no ordinary object.
Even he, who had encountered countless martial treasures and antiquities, was seeing it for the first time.
《Star of Arrogance – ‘Unknown’》
Though he examined it carefully, not a single detail came to mind.
‘Perhaps certain conditions must be met to reveal the information?’
It happened sometimes.
Treasures or relics that could only be used once conditions were fulfilled.
The Star of Arrogance seemed to be one such object, revealing itself only when certain conditions were satisfied.
Park Chan-woo naturally shifted his gaze.
To the other object hovering beside the Star of Arrogance.
It bore a rather grotesque form.
‘…Black Witch’s Pinky Finger.’
A pinky finger hung suspended in the air.
This was the pinky finger of the ‘Black Witch.’
The result of applying Forced Execution against the Black Witch to recover the debt left after the Tower’s bankruptcy.
Name: Black Witch’s Pinky Finger
Level: ???
Grade: ???
Description: The pinky finger of the Black Witch, ruler of the Heart of the Abyss. By using this finger, you may grant specific qualifications to another, transcending all conditions.
“That finger…”
Perhaps it was the effect of the terrible magical power radiating from it.
Adora opened her eyes and spoke.
In Adora’s gaze fixed upon the finger lay unmistakable disbelief.
Park Chan-woo grasped the finger and gave a slight shrug.
“It belongs to the ‘Black Witch.'”
“…!”
The name she’d suspected escaped Park Chan-woo’s lips.
But because she knew how tremendous an existence the Black Witch was, Adora’s eyes could not help but waver, if only slightly.
The apex of all witches.
She was called the Matriarch of Witches—that was the Black Witch.
“I think I’m beginning to understand what power the Black Witch wields.”
Park Chan-woo turned the finger over in his hands, examining it from different angles, then opened his mouth.
Every witch commands a different type of power.
As Adora commands ‘Death.’
The Black Witch, too, possessed a special ability.
But nothing was known of it.
Information about a witch dwelling in the deepest reaches of the Abyss was extraordinarily rare. The ‘Black Witch’ was known by name alone.
For the first time in human history, Park Chan-woo had discovered the Black Witch’s power.
“The ability to turn falsehood into truth.”
“…Turn falsehood into truth?”
Even Adora seemed unfamiliar with the ‘Black Witch.’
If that were true of her, it would be the same for other witches as well.
Park Chan-woo explained slowly.
“The Black Witch can grant false qualifications. The qualification of ‘Creator’ would be no exception.”
Qualification.
A condition necessary to accomplish a certain deed.
Even the qualification of ‘Creator’ itself could be fabricated through certain conditions.
“However, a sacrifice is required. To create a qualification of the order of ‘Creator,’ part of the Black Witch’s very body must be used.”
The pinky finger served precisely that purpose.
Vast magical power had accumulated, yet the Black Witch’s body was nothing more than a vessel for sacrifice.
In other words.
‘A flesh that serves no purpose except as a sacrifice.’
Was it not extraordinary?
A being born solely to offer itself, to turn falsehood into truth.
A monster that devotes itself to transform lies into reality.
He had never encountered a creature of this kind before.
Perhaps “anomaly” would be a more fitting word than “monster.”
It produced phenomena that defied all understanding.
The Black Witch herself was indistinguishable from a crack in reality itself.
“What are you planning to do with that pinky finger?”
Adora asked.
Park Chan-woo rubbed his chin.
“I’m not sure.”
Truth be told, he had no idea.
The Black Witch’s body was a sacrifice that turned falsehood into truth.
With just a single pinky finger, he could create a Creator.
But Park Chan-woo had no intention of becoming a Creator himself.
He’d even considered offering it to the God of Sacrifice, but.
“The Black Witch’s Pinky Finger cannot be offered as a sacrifice.”
“What belongs to an Illusion is not recognized as a valid offering.”
The pinky finger seemed to be deemed worthless.
Even if illusion were made real, it remained a lie in essence.
The God of Sacrifice had determined that the Black Witch herself held no value.
“Then will you not make me a Creator instead?”
“…?”
An unexpected statement.
Hearing Adora’s words, Park Chan-woo tilted his head inwardly.
Then Adora continued.
“To stand against the Black Witch, I must be qualified to enter the Abyss. And I wish to become the master of the Abyss and aid you.”
“Have you resolved to make the Black Witch an enemy?”
“I have.”
A direct answer.
Adora seemed intent on destroying the Black Witch.
She was certain that the Black Witch was behind all of this.
The annihilation of Kankun’s tribe, the near-fatal ambush here in this tower—
And for attempting to make her the Lord of Arrogance without her consent, Adora had no reason to remain loyal to the Black Witch.
Park Chan-woo paused to consider.
And then he reached his conclusion.
“Very well.”
Adora could become a Trojan Horse.
A weapon hidden among the Creators, tightening the noose around their throats.
It was a rather clever notion.
Moreover, if she could learn the movements and intentions of the Creators, the benefits he could gain would be boundless.
The moment he reached his decision, Park Chan-woo acted.
“I use the Black Witch’s Pinky Finger.”
“I grant Adora the qualification of Creator.”
“Adora has been promoted to Creator!”
“You have obtained the epithet ‘Creator of Death.'”
“Creator of Death enters into a Soul Contract with Park Chan-woo.”
“This is an absolute covenant beyond comparison to an Avatar Contract.”
“From this moment forward, Adora, Creator of Death, shall be the companion of Park Chan-woo’s soul and his aide.”
Whoooosh!
It was then.
Suddenly the Star of Arrogance began to emit a brilliant blue light in all directions.
“The Star of Arrogance begins to shine.”
“The Star of Arrogance reveals itself!”
From within it, something appeared.

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