-99 Level Archmage

Chapter 29. Han Shin’s Fury

…He thought he had seen wrong.

It had to be an illusion, a hallucination, or a dream, something that should never have happened had actually occurred. The only possibility was that this land where Han Shin stood was so filled with poison and curses that he had become intoxicated. However, there was no poison in the surroundings, only lush, green grass growing abundantly. Moreover, if something were disturbing his mind, he would have noticed it immediately. His body, mind, and soul were so perfectly unified that even creators marveled at his harmony. This meant he never misjudged his own condition. He possessed a talent that allowed him to understand more than a hundred things from knowing just one. As a result, he knew himself better than anyone else. He had achieved complete self-awareness. Han Shin had already reached the state of oneness when he was just a child. Even demons coveted his talent, so there was no way he would be confused.

‘……Water God is dead?’

That would mean that the message he was seeing was true. Han Shin’s expression twisted. At this moment, there was no human or group capable of hunting down Water God. Except for himself.

However, even he needed to scour the Abyss for certain items before he could attempt to hunt Water God. If he were to fight Water God right now, his chances of killing him would be exactly fifty-fifty. With Lee Hyuk-soo’s help, maybe sixty percent. If he lured Water God to favorable terrain and used Lee Hyuk-soo’s death as a shield, his odds would rise to seventy percent, but considering the future, letting Lee Hyuk-soo die was an undeniable loss.

‘Who the hell…?’

Had he miscalculated? Was there another irregular like him? The world was vast, and humans were many. It wouldn’t be strange if someone else had exceptional talent. But the creator he had contracted with once told him:

【Among all humans, you are the greatest.】

Han Shin himself believed this to be true. He had competed against the world’s best athletes and had broken ‘world records’ repeatedly. From physically demanding sports like running, swimming, and long jumping to those requiring professional skills, he had mastered them all. Of course, everything was unofficial or self-recorded, but the gap between him and others wasn’t minor, it was overwhelming. So, there was no human superior to him.

A true God of War . That was Han Shin. Han Shin turned his gaze to Lee Hyuk-soo.

‘By all known accounts, this guy was the one who killed the Dragon General.’

Hadn’t he done it in a single blow? Even if there was some exaggeration, it wasn’t entirely impossible for Lee Hyuk-soo. He might have a hidden trump card. Most importantly, he was fully equipped with the Lion King’s Gear. Han Shin had confirmed it with his Mind’s Eye, which saw through everything. If Lee Hyuk-soo hadn’t obtained it through a contract with a top-tier creator, then it meant he had acquired it purely through skill. A human capable of obtaining such equipment through sheer ability could very well have slain the Dragon General.

Thus, Han Shin was convinced that Lee Hyuk-soo had a special trait or unique skill like himself. But now, someone other than the two of them had killed Water God.

‘There was definitely a lightning strike.’

A lightning bolt had struck Water God’s location, and it was over in an instant. Unless he had seen it wrong, there was someone there who could wield lightning magic. And it wasn’t just any lightning magic. It had been so powerful that it made his ears ring and illuminated the entire Abyss. It was undeniably a top-tier lightning spell.

‘Unless the God of Thunder himself appeared…’

What kind of destructive power was that? Moreover, the message simply stated, “Water God is dead.” That made it even more suspicious. There should have been more details, yet that single line was all there was.

“Looks like there’s someone else out there who can hunt Water God.”

Lee Hyuk-soo spoke. Han Shin had been certain that only the two of them could kill Water God. But now, someone has actually done it. Unlike Han Shin, who was troubled by this unexpected event, Lee Hyuk-soo remained composed, probably because his goal had been Water God’s death from the start. And then—

‘…A follow-up message.’

A new message appeared before Han Shin. He didn’t know why there was a time delay, but he focused on the message.

『’Water God Abyss’ has been cleared.』

『The estimated clear rate of ‘Water God Abyss’ was 0.1%.』

『All challengers currently inside ‘Water God Abyss’ will receive a ‘Gold Box’.』

『South Korea gains 1,000 additional points.』

『South Korea’s current total score is 2,200 points.』

『22 hours have passed since the start of ‘Dungeon Abyss’.』

『76 hours remain until ‘Dungeon Abyss’ ends.』

『If 5,000 points are not reached within the remaining time, the ‘Invasion Abyss’ will commence across all of South Korea.』

『Prepare yourselves.』

『’Water God Abyss’ will close in 30 minutes.』

『Once the dungeon closes, all participants within ‘Water God Abyss’ will be forcibly transported back to their initial entry points.』

『All parties formed within ‘Water God Abyss’ will be automatically disbanded.』

“……”

Messages that confirmed everything. It really had been a human who cleared it. And on top of that, they were rewarded with Gold Boxes. Simply being inside the dungeon was enough to receive one, meaning something truly extraordinary had taken place. But there was no time to dwell on it.

“I need to go somewhere for a bit.”

Han Shin spoke, and Lee Hyuk-soo nodded.

“Good. I need to do the same.”

“See you outside.”

“Sure.”

As soon as they finished speaking, they moved in opposite directions. Han Shin headed toward the Poison Mist Swamp, while Lee Hyuk-soo made his way to the massive lake where Water God had been. Lee Hyuk-soo thought to himself.

‘It’s him.’

The one who had killed Water God. The monster who could wield powerful lightning and erase Water God in a single strike. Lee Hyuk-soo knew of only one person who fit that description.

‘The Prophet is there.’

Lee Hyuk-soo quickened his pace.

* * *

“…Damn it.”

Poisonous Fog Swamp. Han Shin let out a curse as he arrived at the altar. Something even more incomprehensible had happened beyond just the Water God being hunted down. The deadly poisonous zombies that roamed the swamp were nowhere to be seen, the barrier had completely disappeared, and the ‘Lich Necromancer’ who was supposed to guard it was also missing. That wasn’t all. Even the altar was in ruins.

‘The chest is open.’

The treasure chest was wide open. He couldn’t understand what had happened. It was already strange that the life force contained in the Life Vessel had disappeared. But he had never imagined that even the treasure chest would be opened.

‘How did they figure out the magic pattern sealing the chest?’

It was possible to destroy the barrier with overwhelming force and kill the Lich. But opening the treasure chest? That was impossible. Only he and the Lich knew the pattern. How had someone figured it out and unlocked it? Because of this, the ‘Arrangement’ that should have been his was gone. It had been completely stolen. Han Shin looked up at the sky.

“If you have a mouth, speak. What the hell is going on…?!”

He spoke with anger toward the creator he had a contract with. This was something unheard of in the usual relationship between an Incarnation and their creator. However, no answer came. That was the condition of their contract from the very beginning. His creator had said that he was different from the others. That while he could give Han Shin more potential, he could interfere far less.

【I am a being that does not originally need an Incarnation. I was merely drawn to your talent. Be grateful for our contract.】

And so, Han Shin had to thoroughly conceal the fact that he was contracted with this particular creator. Even if he was exposed as an Incarnation, mentioning his creator’s identity was strictly forbidden by the contract. Maybe his creator was embarrassed about having formed a contract with a human. Whatever the reason, it made proper communication difficult. But it didn’t matter. Han Shin was powerful on his own. He didn’t need arrangements. He had the confidence to reach the pinnacle without them.His anger came purely from having his things stolen.

‘You dare steal from me?’

Han Shin was someone who took from others, not someone who was robbed. Not once in his life had something of his been taken away. He had always achieved his goals, had always brought despair upon others, but he had never experienced the pain of being stolen from.And yet, now he had been robbed and looted.

‘Could it be…?’

Han Shin turned his gaze in the direction where the Water God had been.

The one who killed the Water God. That person could be the one who stole his arrangement. Not only that, but they might have stolen multiple arrangements all at once.

‘Is it an Incarnation?’

The locations of arrangements were shared among Incarnations. A map of the entire Water God’s Abyss was allocated to all of them. There was an unspoken agreement to not touch each other’s arrangements. Unless someone wanted total catastrophe, no Incarnation would dare violate that rule. But someone had broken it. And that someone might be the same person who killed the Water God.

‘A creator wouldn’t take such a risk just for their Incarnation…’

If the thief was an Incarnation, it meant their creator had put them up to it. The problem was, if they got caught, they would make an enemy of all the other creators. Would any creator truly risk their honor and existence just to strengthen their Incarnation? That seemed unlikely. Then was it not an Incarnation? A normal human managed to steal arrangements and kill the Water God? That made even less sense.

Crunch!

For the first time, Han Shin gritted his teeth. He had never been this enraged before. He was furious enough to grind the thief to dust.

『‘Water God’s Abyss’ will close in 3 minutes.』

『When the dungeon closes, all personnel within the ‘Water God’s Abyss’ will be forcibly returned to their entry point.』

Just before the Water God’s Abyss closed, Han Shin’s eyes landed on one particular phrase.

‘Forcibly returned.’

That meant, everyone would be transported outside, near the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Statue. In other words, the thief would be among them. The condition for entering the dungeon was proximity. One had to be within eyesight of the entrance.

‘They will be near Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s statue.’

Han Shin resolved to memorize every single person there. Someone strong enough to kill the Water God would stand out immediately. His talent wasn’t just physical. His eyes were also exceptional.

‘There is nothing my Mind’s Eye cannot see.’

Han Shin had always been a master at observing and analyzing his opponents. From the moment he awakened, he had unlocked multiple abilities, one of which was Mind’s Eye. His Mind’s Eye could not only detect his opponent’s equipment, but even read parts of their status window. If someone had stolen arrangements and killed the Water God, they would stand out visibly from the others.

『‘Water God’s Abyss’ is now closing.』

Whoosh!

A warp opened beneath his feet. The warp forcibly teleported Han Shin away. At the same time—

“W-We escaped!”

“Ugh… I thought I was gonna die!”

Everyone who had been inside Water God’s Abyss was ejected. Most of them appeared in front of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Statue, while the rest were scattered around the area. Han Shin’s eyes sharpened as he examined each and every one of them. And then—

‘…That guy?’

His gaze, glowing with an eerie light, locked onto one person.

Park Chan-woo.