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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Priceless Treasure
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"Underwhelming."
The day he first met Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo in the Abyss.
Park Chan-woo crossed blades with Lee Hyuk-soo.
Those were the words Lee Hyuk-soo left for Park Chan-woo after defeating him in that duel.
That he was far below expectations.
He passed by with eyes full of disappointment.
After that duel, Park Chan-woo broke his own sword.
He had denied it at first, but in the end, he had no choice but to admit it.
That Lee Hyuk-soo far surpassed him in both talent and understanding of the sword.
'A shining sword talent. That's something I was never given.'
He had thought he had talent.
Even though he started later than others, he had grown strong quickly.
But no.
It wasn't sword talent—it was just good luck.
He had merely walked the path others had paved with their deaths and mistaken it for his own skill.
He had thought that because he had never seen someone with true sword talent.
However, Lee Hyuk-soo was different.
His sword had class.
Even though it seemed swung wildly, not a single stroke of his sword path was wasted.
The insight to see several, or even dozens, of moves ahead.
The chilling combat sense to read his opponent, disrupt their flow, and seize control for himself.
All of it combined to create the 'Invincible Sword King'.
In every way, Park Chan-woo couldn't surpass him.
Only after experiencing the gap in skill and talent firsthand did Park Chan-woo realize that the sword was not his path.
'My level back then was 90.'
Too late to start over from scratch.
After wandering, he discovered his talent lay in magic, but it was too late.
He had far too few level points to invest in the Mage class.
Still, he walked.
Blindly, aimlessly.
That was how Park Chan-woo finally began pursuing the truth after surpassing level 90.
"..."
Yet here was Lee Hyuk-soo, standing alive and well before Park Chan-woo.
As plain old human Lee Hyuk-soo, not the Sword King.
He must be in his early to mid-twenties now.
Gripping a wooden sword, wearing a blue jacket over jeans.
Eyes with heavy double eyelids. A gaze filled with melancholy.
No way he could be mistaken.
He looked much younger than in Park Chan-woo's memories, but it was definitely Lee Hyuk-soo.
Not even properly geared for farming yet.
Yet there was an edge to him.
Just holding a wooden sword felt like he was wielding a real blade.
Lee Hyuk-soo was cautiously scanning his surroundings while quietly eyeing the entrance to 'Mool Joah Nightclub'.
"Greetings, everyone! Devil Section Chief 'Andariel' at your service!"
Suddenly, a devil emerged from the nightclub entrance.
A massive spider body, four black wings, and a face painted like a pierrot—Andariel had finally revealed himself.
Andariel spoke to the crowd the moment he appeared.
"Before entering, please form your parties first. As you know, booking works much better with two rather than one, three rather than two, and four rather than three."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Form a 'Booking Party'. 'Booking Party' can have up to four members. Level difference between party members cannot exceed 10.
Park Chan-woo inwardly frowned.
Parties were usually formed among people of similar levels.
Naturally, there was no one here who could party with him.
His level was -98, while the people gathered here were mostly between 1 and 10.
"Is this hell? Are you the ones invading Earth?"
A man with an axe spoke up amid the confusion.
Andariel, the devil section chief, chuckled.
"Is that a question?"
"Yes."
"You humans who entered the Abyss voluntarily sure are brave. The answer is, 'This isn't hell, and we're not invaders.' Now, I've answered, so time to pay up."
"...Pay up?"
"One life per question."
Pff!
"Gah...!"
Before he knew it, a thick thorn had pierced the axe-wielding man's chest.
The man's blood evaporated in an instant, leaving him withered and twisted.
Once he collapsed like a mummy,
Shhh!
His body evaporated on the spot.
"Any more questions?"
"..."
...Of course not.
He had taken a life for just one question.
And so effortlessly.
That wasn't all.
Pff!
Far off, beyond his sight, another thorn pierced the back of a man trying to sneak away.
Instant death.
Already two dead.
"You all gathered here have no choice but to enter. Come on, form your booking parties. Just clasp hands with each other, and it'll form automatically. You have exactly three minutes."
[180]
At the same time, numbers appeared before everyone.
The exact seconds counting down three minutes.
"If time runs out, you'll all enter 'Mool Joah Nightclub' and book anyway. Oh, don't worry—I've lined up some absolutely stunning ladies!"
Everyone realized.
It was too late to run.
'An upper devil.'
Park Chan-woo instantly recognized Devil Section Chief Andariel's true nature.
One of the Game Masters overseeing this 'Night Abyss' sector.
Upper devils were the type in the Abyss who loved entertainment the most.
They treated the Abyss like a playground alongside the Creators, occasionally dressing up like this to guide people.
'Guide? It's just their sick hobby to watch people despair up close.'
Of course, Park Chan-woo saw it differently.
Upper devils weren't guides—they were perverts with twisted tastes.
[168]
"P-Party anyone?"
"Hey! Let's group up with the strong ones!"
"No time!"
As time dwindled, people frantically started forming parties.
Strong with strong, weak with weak.
Birds of a feather.
Team Leader Kim Byung-han, who had done some farming, quickly joined a group.
But there were exceptions no one approached.
Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo.
'He really has no presence.'
Park Chan-woo had noticed it earlier.
Despite his devil priest garb that would make even a devil priest weep, no one spared him a glance.
Not even Devil Section Chief Andariel.
Non-existence.
No one could sense him unless he revealed himself first.
'At least I won't get ambushed from behind.'
If anything, the opposite.
He held unconditional first-strike advantage.
If he could sneak up and kill with one blow, no ability could be more cheat-like.
Even returning at level -99 wasn't all bad.
But thinking it 100% safe would be a mistake.
Park Chan-woo's presence had been exposed once before.
'How did Team Leader Kim Byung-han spot me at Lake Park, though?'
Because he already knew him?
Or maybe some other condition for recognizing him.
Because here, even Kim Byung-han hadn't noticed him at all.
"What about that guy?"
"Pass. He looks shady—not great for party play."
On the other hand, Lee Hyuk-soo was too 'ambiguous'.
Just a wooden sword.
No proper gear, not even particularly fit, just posing with atmosphere.
Not an appealing party choice.
Could ruin the vibe or break group harmony.
[3] [2] [1]
"Time's up! Exactly 58 parties formed. Oh, solos are fine too. I'll pair you up myself. Seven left... Hm?"
Mid-sentence, Andariel sensed something off and scanned the surroundings.
'What's this?'
Total people in this sector: 199.
His authority read 58 parties formed, seven left over.
Grouping those seven into two parties would make exactly 60.
But no matter how he looked...
'One's missing.'
...Only six.
Andariel's authority as sector owner detected 199 humans.
But only 198 visible.
'Stealth?'
Invisible meant stealthed.
But no human could evade an upper devil like Andariel.
Let alone among those on their second Abyss run.
So where was the one?
The system couldn't glitch, so he must have missed it.
A variable from the start.
Andariel focused, alerting to his surroundings.
Tap tap!
"Hey."
"...Kihihihihik!"
Startled, Andariel jumped back.
Someone tapping his spider body with a staff.
A chill ran down his spine.
He hadn't sensed a thing despite being on guard.
Colorless, odorless.
The devil section chief Andariel could only freak out at the sudden appearance.
"Wh-what are you? When did you get next to me?"
"Looks like no one here can party with me. Mind if I go in solo?"
...A human?
That made it even harder to believe.
'Wearing just a Demonic set?'
Something even upper devils wore casually. Unmistakable.
Treasure to current humans, but commonplace in the Abyss.
How could someone in just a Demonic set shake off an upper devil's senses and approach?
Andariel tried using his authority to force a party in the sector.
Then,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Party formation impossible due to vast level difference.
A system message like this appeared before Andariel's eyes.
...Vast level difference.
It meant an insurmountable, overwhelming level gap between this human and the others.
Not a single person here could party with this man.
Suddenly, Andariel's gaze fell on the staff of the man who had tapped him.
At that moment.
'W-wait. That staff...!!'