Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 79

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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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Chapter 79. Goddess of War
A trace left behind by an Ancient Being.
Only those who have unsealed all the Shelters can pursue that trace.
This was why only Park Chan-woo, who had destroyed twenty Shelters single-handedly, could open the Legendary Quest.
Yet even if the Quest were opened, there was another condition.
Namely, the necessity of bringing along one member of the ‘same race.’
Park Chan-woo. It meant that someone human like him was required.
But why exactly was a ‘kinsman’ necessary?
Upon finding the trace, the reason became clear.
《You have discovered a trace left behind by an Ancient Being.》
《’Trace (1): Statue of the Goddess of Valhalla’ has appeared.》
The moment he arrived at the location where the trace was marked.
A low rumble echoed.
An enormous statue of a goddess rose up from beneath the earth.
Before the goddess statue holding a sword lay a single bowl and a short blade.
《The Ceremony for the Ritual has begun.》
《For the Ceremony, the index finger of a kinsman who shares the ‘Legendary Journey’ is required.》
《Cut the index finger with the Holy Sword and place it upon the bowl.》
《You are given thirty seconds.》
《Should thirty seconds pass, the Ceremony will end and the ‘Legendary Journey’ will be recorded as a failure.》
It meant that not Park Chan-woo, who was undertaking the journey, but Yi Hyuk-soo, who accompanied him to observe, needed to sacrifice one of his fingers.
“…….”
Park Chan-woo felt genuinely taken aback.
He had thought he had endured every conceivable ordeal, yet he had never imagined the journey would proceed in such a manner.
He found himself facing an obstacle from the very start.
He could not force this upon Yi Hyuk-soo.
A swordsman missing a single finger—could one even imagine such a thing?
He would not be able to grip his sword properly, and even if he did, he would never wield it with his former power.
One-armed swordsmen did exist, yet it was evident that recovering one’s original strength demanded considerable time.
“It seems this is the price of sharing a legend.”
Yi Hyuk-soo spoke without hesitation.
And immediately, grasping the Holy Sword,
“With this, I have repaid my debt, Seer.”
A wet sound.
Without delay, he severed his own left index finger.
It happened in a mere instant.
It was a resolve as resolute as it was unhesitating.
There was no time to stop him.
Ignoring the blood dripping steadily, Yi Hyuk-soo placed the severed finger into the bowl.
“……Yi Hyuk-soo.”
All Park Chan-woo could do was speak his name.
He had never imagined that Yi Hyuk-soo would sever his index finger without a moment’s hesitation.
Moreover, to say he had ‘repaid his debt.’
Did he truly believe he had repaid the kindness Park Chan-woo had shown him all this time?
There was even room for the misunderstanding that Park Chan-woo had brought him along with this very intention from the beginning.
“Do not worry. I know that was not your intention in bringing me here.”
……Surprisingly, that was not it either.
Rather, Yi Hyuk-soo was defending Park Chan-woo.
He seemed certain that Park Chan-woo had not brought him along with any ulterior motive.
Yet Yi Hyuk-soo believed in Park Chan-woo as the ‘Seer’ with unshakeable conviction.
One might even think that he had foreseen this very future.
From the start, one might believe he had engineered an inescapable situation for exploitation.
But regardless of the truth, it mattered not to Yi Hyuk-soo.
‘The Seer is my benefactor.’
Had the Seer not existed, his mother would no longer be in this world.
That he had become the favored disciple of the Lion King, that he had grown stronger faster than anyone else—it was all owing to the Seer’s arrangement.
For that alone, offering up a single finger was something he could do with a smile.
And moreover…… the Seer had told him to become a ‘savior.’
Yet Yi Hyuk-soo’s thoughts were different.
‘The true savior is not me, but the Seer.’
The natural enemy of Creators—one who endlessly manifests miracles.
He walks an uncharted path and instead forges entirely new ones.
To share in that legend was meaningful enough in itself.
Above all, he was so pure that he would feel embarrassed by a single word of gratitude.
Yi Hyuk-soo believed in that image he had witnessed.
Whether he intended this situation or not.
Whether he was pure or impure.
Even if the entire world spoke against it.
Yi Hyuk-soo trusted only what he himself had seen and experienced.
And the Park Chan-woo he had known—the Seer—was a good man.
Had he been otherwise, tens of thousands more would have perished on the First Night; Yi Hyuk-soo would have become a solitary orphan; and without the necessary contribution points to clear the Dungeon Abyss, the Abyss would have opened across all of Korea.
So far, he alone had saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
Beyond that, the Seer had surely been doing countless things behind the scenes where no one would ever know.
Like now, for instance.
‘No one knows. No one sees how much the Seer sacrifices.’
He could not even imagine how lonely such work must be.
He himself could never have done it.
To do things unseen, work that he needn’t do at all……
It was impossible without extraordinary self-sacrifice.
To save the future, the Seer was giving his absolute best.
Alone.
Whoosh!
That moment came.
Fire erupted from the vessel.
《O King, blessed with loyal and valiant retainers!》
《The Khan’s Qualification has been confirmed.》
《The Ceremony shall now commence.》
《The path to Khan’s Palace shall be revealed before you.》
《Beware. The path to the Palace will be far from smooth.》
《And, legendary companion!》
《The Goddess of War acknowledges you.》
《She is deeply moved by your spirit—sacrificing yourself without hesitation.》
《The Goddess of War plants her kiss upon your index finger.》
《It is now fortified as the Index Finger Blessed by the Goddess.》
《Fulfill your duty as the Khan’s Knight, walking alongside this legendary journey.》
Shiiiii—
The index finger severed by the Holy Sword was reborn anew through sacred flame.
Soon the hovering finger descended and reattached to Yi Hyuk-soo’s hand, regenerating perfectly.
……It was remarkable.
It seemed to be a Ceremony for selecting both a King and a Knight.
Park Chan-woo was the King, and Yi Hyuk-soo had been acknowledged as the Knight who serves him.
‘That Ancient Being was the ruler of this land.’
Moreover, the great Khan who had walked alongside the Goddess of War.
All the more reason to be curious.
A being who walked with a goddess!
Those possessed of divine authority and divine status rarely intervened in the mortal world.
They never walked alongside those they did not acknowledge.
Just how extraordinary must one be for a goddess to guide their path?
“……In one piece, then.”
Yi Hyuk-soo flexed his index finger and spoke.
His finger had actually regenerated.
And stronger than before.
The grip felt considerably more powerful now.
The goddess’s blessing had raised his attributes as well.
Was this all part of the Seer’s plan after all?
“So we just follow this light?”
“Seems that way.”
At Yi Hyuk-soo’s question, Park Chan-woo nodded.
Before them stretched a thin beam of light, extending far into the distance.
Following it should lead them to Khan’s Palace.
The problem was whether the line of light was visible to only the two of them.
Park Chan-woo confirmed once more the passage stating that the road to the palace would never be smooth, and he contemplated the path ahead.
‘……So this is where it truly begins.’
* * *
Han Shin heard Aheta’s voice.
《’My Avatar. Slaughter every obstacle that stands upon the Path of Light.’》
《’Then shall you be reborn as a true king.’》
It was the first proper voice he had heard since contracting with Aheta.
It spoke to how urgently Aheta needed this done.
‘The Legendary Quest must be progressing properly.’
A quest he had never believed could succeed.
Yet it seemed to be advancing more steadily than expected.
Aheta, not wanting to lose its territory, had asked Han Shin—its Avatar—to take action.
“Then it shall be done.”
Han Shin nodded.
He too disliked seeing anyone else gain prominence instead of himself.
Swoooosh—!
Simultaneously, Moon’s Blessing was granted to Han Shin.
Aheta had consumed its own authority and numerous Coins to strengthen Han Shin.
Unlike a blessing prepared in advance, this kind of immediate enhancement required far more Coins—a fact Han Shin understood well.
And that was not all.
Han Shin’s qualification, Night Emperor, had evolved.
《’Night Emperor’ qualification has evolved.》
《’Night Emperor’ gains 1,000 Contribution Points for each ‘captive’ you hold.》
《Additionally, for every 10 captives, you gain an extra 10,000 Contribution Points.》
《When you reach 100, you gain an additional 100,000 points.》
《Tip: If you duplicate humans using your held Doppelgänger, each clone counts as one additional ‘captive.’》
《You currently hold a Hidden Map.》
《Contribution Points gained are doubled.》
The finest qualification in this trial: Night Emperor.
Upon its advancement, absurd conditions were added.
Moreover, possessing the Hidden Map granted him a doubled Contribution Point effect as well.
Aheta must have been truly desperate.
Thanks to this, Han Shin could now fully prepare to walk the true ‘Path of the King.’
He hunted down every obstacle that stood upon the Path of Light.
Whether they were human or Doppelgänger.
If human, he duplicated them; if Doppelgänger, he made them captive.
Then he entered the ‘Contribution Point Store’ and purchased what he needed.
《You have spent 5,000,000 Contribution Points.》
《You have purchased ‘Pursuer’s Sword (Legendary, Exclusive Equipment).’》
The finest weapon across all shops, and
the ultimate ‘exclusive equipment’ prepared solely for Han Shin.
* * *
As expected, the ‘Path of Light’ became visible to everyone.
As a result, Yi Hyuk-soo had to face obstacles that appeared constantly.
‘Of course—here I am, fighting alone again.’
Yi Hyuk-soo broke into a cold sweat, striking down each attacker one by one.
For reasons he could not fathom, the Seer stood behind him throughout, hands clasped behind his back.
Just as he had done the entire First Night with his ‘booking.’
He had even become the subject of a terrible misunderstanding.
“That large red dot!”
“You must be the Ghost!”
The Doppelgängers called Yi Hyuk-soo the ‘Ghost.’
The culprit behind the destruction of every shelter.
This had occurred because of Park Chan-woo’s abnormal condition—Non-existence.
Though the fugitive’s marker appeared on the map, Park Chan-woo’s very existence had been erased.
Since Yi Hyuk-soo stood directly beside him, his red dot had merged with Park Chan-woo’s.
That was why the Doppelgängers mistook Yi Hyuk-soo for the ‘Ghost.’
At the location of the red dot,
the only recognizable being was Yi Hyuk-soo.
The Doppelgängers threw themselves desperately in the path of the two ascending the Path of Light.
‘So Aheta is controlling the Doppelgängers directly.’
While Yi Hyuk-soo was locked in battle,
Park Chan-woo watched his back and stroked his chin.
As expected, Aheta’s desperate interference had begun.
‘Han Shin must be searching for us as well.’
It was inconceivable that Aheta would move only the Doppelgängers.
Han Shin.
He would be moving too.
In exchange for the tremendous reward Aheta was offering him.
Han Shin would never refuse such a thing, so their meeting was inevitable.
But could Yi Hyuk-soo actually defeat Han Shin?
It was then.
The moment Yi Hyuk-soo struck down the last Doppelgänger.
Clap, clap, clap!
Someone was applauding from nearby.
‘…I didn’t sense him at all.’
Only then could Park Chan-woo and Yi Hyuk-soo spot the man standing there.
They hadn’t even known he was present.
A man whose very existence seemed remarkably faint.
Yet somehow radiating an air of menace.
His eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“At last I’ve found you.”
Whoosh!
Black flames erupted behind his back.
The magical power was immense.
At the sight of those black flames, Yi Hyuk-soo staggered.
He nearly lost consciousness from the sudden onslaught of such dense magical force.
An existence radiating such intense magical power.
‘Not human.’
A different race in human form.
But no race except humans and Doppelgängers could enter the Second Night.
‘An Intruder!’
This was definitely the Intruder Aheta had been searching for.
And if an ‘Intruder,’ then a monster of rank 11 or higher.
One who cloaked himself in magic to remain unseen and undetectable.
‘The Dragon race…!’
One of the Twelve Races.
Among them, surely the dragon race, which had always ranked at the very apex.
And just as Park Chan-woo had suspected, he was indeed a dragon.
The Black Dragon, Ataraxia!
The mightiest monster to invade the Second Night under the Black Witch’s command.
He smiled with ease and spoke.
“Hand over the Star of Arrogance and the Wish, human.”

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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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