-99 Level Archmage

Chapter 4. Obtaining The Wrecking Reward

Rewards poured in like waves after waves. If these were the rewards for the first Abyss, the names alone were shocking. Leaving aside the Gold Box, there was even a Platinum Box! And not just any Platinum Box…

‘A 3-star Platinum Box… I didn’t even get a normal Platinum Box until I was past level 70. I’ve never even seen a 3-star Platinum Box.’

It was said to be a miracle beyond comprehension. Hunting down a Corrupted Being with a level difference of 109 all by himself was nothing short of a “mythical achievement” He deserved endless praise for it. But even so, receiving a 3-star Platinum Box was beyond even Park Chan-woo’s expectations.

In the Abyss, there were five types of boxes: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The Diamond Box was a “special box” that could only be obtained upon reaching level 99, meaning that for almost everyone, the Platinum Box was considered the highest tier. Every additional star significantly increased the quality of rewards in a box. And this one had three stars? He couldn’t even begin to imagine what would be inside.

‘In the first Abyss, less than 1% of people obtained a Gold Box.’

Even obtaining a Gold Box was an incredible feat. In the past, less than 20% of participants had survived, with most only receiving a single Bronze Box as a reward. The number of people who received a Gold Box in the first Abyss was estimated to be around 1% of the total participants. However, this time, an astonishing 90% of the participants survived, making it 824 people in total. It was an unprecedented miracle. And all 824 survivors received a Gold Box.

‘No one ever got a Platinum Box, though.’

If someone had obtained a Platinum Box, Park Chan-woo would have known about it. The weapons from a Platinum Box were extremely powerful and would give the recipient a massive advantage in future Abyss challenges. Even though the difference between Gold and Platinum was just one rank, the rewards were on an entirely different level. If anyone had obtained a Platinum Box before, they would have quickly grown much stronger and monopolized the benefits. And there was no way Park Chan-woo wouldn’t have noticed such a person. This was precisely why he had decided to return to the time point when the first Abyss opened.

‘The rewards from the first Abyss determine the pace of growth.’

In his past life, he had been too slow, too late. He had only begun seriously challenging the Abyss only six months later, when society had already collapsed beyond repair. How much had he regretted that? If he had shortened that time and secured an early advantage, he might never have reached the point of making such a desperate decision, offering up Sephiro as a sacrifice just to turn back time. If only he had acquired the right rewards in the first Abyss, his entire trajectory of growth would have been different.

‘Still…’

Park Chan-woo glanced again at the floating text in the air. The rewards were already insane, but the message that followed was even crazier. Countless Creators were now interested in him.

He smirked.

‘Looks like the Creator of this Abyss might go bankrupt.’

The ones who designed the Abyss were the Creators. The all-mighty beings responsible for placing the corrupted creatures and orchestrating the deadly game of “hide-and-seek” with 881 participants. These beings were distinct from the twelve races. They were the Lords of the Abyss. Based on their calculations, the expected survival rate for this Abyss had been 21.7%.

But in reality, 93.5% survived, more than four times the expected number. That meant the Creators who had bet on this Abyss had lost all their coins, and the one who initiated this Abyss ‘the Abyss Host’ was now being forced to cough up 824 Gold Boxes and a 3-star Platinum Box. Bankruptcy was a real possibility right now.

‘It should be showing up any moment now.’

Park Chan-woo cleared his mind. Then, another message appeared before his eyes.

『The Host ‘Panting Maw’ has requested a trade, offering a better deal.』

『If you accept, you will receive 100 Gold Boxes instead of the ‘3-star Platinum Box’.』

『Additionally, you will be able to form a ‘Divine Avatar Contract’ with ‘Panting Maw’.』

『Unlike an ‘Apostle Contract,’ a ‘Divine Avatar Contract’ grants you special benefits in Abysses created by ‘Panting Maw’ and allows you to inherit a ‘Secret Class’.』

Just as he expected.

‘So they really don’t want to go bankrupt, huh?’

There had been cases in the past where Creators went bankrupt. Whenever that happened, they desperately struggled to recover, trying to persuade those who cleared their Abyss to make deals under various pretexts. The most common trick was reducing the rewards, making it seem like they were offering something better while sneakily devaluing the actual reward. They weren’t just targeting him; they were likely trying to lower the rewards of all 823 survivors as well.

‘If I didn’t know any better, I might have accepted.’

To those who didn’t know, the offer would seem tempting. The idea of allying with the one who created this nightmare or receiving 100 Gold Boxes instead of one Platinum Box might seem like an incredibly good deal. Some might even believe the Divine Avatar Contract would make them an unprecedentedly powerful figure. But Park Chan-woo knew the truth.

It was a trap.

The Creator was only trying to avoid bankruptcy. 100 Gold Boxes? That wasn’t even close to being comparable to a single Platinum Box. As the box rank increased, the difference in quality became exponential. Not to mention a 3-star Platinum Box.

‘The Divine Avatar Contract is nothing but a slave contract. It’s just a play on words.’

The Creators. The Lords of the Abyss were best kept at a distance. Once someone became a Divine Avatar, they would fall under the Creator’s influence. They could be forcefully summoned into any Abyss created by that Creator, or even ordered to manipulate the survival rate of an Abyss. If the survival rate was higher than expected, they could be commanded to secretly kill other participants to lower it. There were plenty of Avatars who acted as hidden executioners like that.

‘Go… to… hell.’

With a triumphant smirk, Park Chan-woo raised his middle finger. In that instant—

『“No! This can’t be! I worked so hard for this!”』

『The Host ‘Panting Maw’ has gone bankrupt!』

『‘Panting Maw’ has lost their status as a ‘Creator’!』

『Due to an overwhelming debt, their title as a ‘Lord’ has been downgraded!』

『As the person who contributed most to bankrupting a Creator, you have received ‘3 Coins’!』

『Coins can be used to escape unwanted Abysses.』

‘Just as expected.’

A Creator had been eliminated right from the start. It was hilarious. He hadn’t even eaten yet, but he already felt full. And now, he had Coins.

‘Three escape Coins right from the beginning? If my old teammates saw this, they’d probably pass out from jealousy.’

Coins were the most valuable treasure. A treasure among treasures. The ability to freely escape from any hellish Abyss at will. As time passed, Abysses would become even more difficult. Some had worthless rewards but consumed a ridiculous amount of time. Others were specifically designed to target certain individuals, the so-called “Sniping Abysses”. Getting caught in a Sniping Abyss without a Coin meant a 95% chance of death. But now From the very start he had three of them.

It means if you’re up against the creators, you shouldn’t show any hesitation.

‘Creators who open a Sniping Abyss also bear a significant burden. If the target escapes, the damage will be severe.’

The Abyss is a place where participants and the host compete against each other. Naturally, if the host’s objective fails, they also suffer consequences. In cases like this, they could even go bankrupt. So—

‘I’m not going to make a contract with any of you.’

『All Apostle proposals have been rejected.』

『The creators who made the proposals are upset.』

‘If you’re mad about it, just open a Sniping Abyss against me.’

At this point, he didn’t care even if they did open one. Gaining a class through an Apostle contract? That was one way to do it, but Park Chan-woo had no intention of making deals with the Lords of the Abyss.

Creators were beings who always demanded more than what they gave. He intended to walk his own path, without any interference. Only then did Park Chan-woo finally close his eyes with ease.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, the world had changed.

<‘Abyss’ experienced simultaneously by all people worldwide—what is this place?>

Everywhere, on TV, in newspapers, and across the internet, the only topic being discussed was the Abyss. By late afternoon, Park Chan-woo had just managed to return home. After taking a shower, he sat on his bed, drying his hair with a towel while fiddling with his phone.

“…Was it always this difficult?”

After 20 years of living without using electronic devices, he struggled to remember how to operate one. In half a year, society would collapse entirely.

‘If we just could at least minimize the damage when the large-scale Abyss opens in six months and the Twelve Races first make their appearance…’

At the very least, the government might still be able to function. The difference between maintaining infrastructure and losing it was as vast as the gap between heaven and earth.

However, the “Large-Scale Abyss” set to open in half a year, the First Races War, was no easy challenge. Even against the weakest soldiers, humanity had suffered an overwhelming defeat. As a result, humans were forced to offer 120 million people as sacrifices. Each of the Twelve Races was given 10 million sacrifices. Just thinking about it made his blood boil even now.

“God of Sacrifice. How long do you plan on sleeping?”

He muttered to himself. Yet, there was still no response from the God of Sacrifice. If he had returned to the past, that deity should have come along as well, but there was no sign of him. There was something else that seemed off. He distinctly remembered seeing a message stating that “more offerings were required” to resurrect the God of Sacrifice.

“Hey, don’t tell me you sacrificed your own soul just to send me back?”

It was unlikely, but he said it as a joke. The God of Sacrifice was an entity that operated purely on give-and-take principles. It never made a deal that resulted in a loss for itself. Even though Park Chan-woo had accidentally formed a contract with the entity during his pursuit of magic, the god had never once given him more than what he had offered. So, there was no way that it would have sacrificed its own soul just to send him back in time.

‘…It’s probably just sleeping.’

There had been times in the past when it would remain silent for days at a time. Park Chan-woo shook his head, dismissing the thought he had before. Right now there was something else that required his attention.

‘My level only increased by 1?’

From Level -99 to Level -98. It didn’t make sense. He had expected to gain at least five levels. Since he was at Level -99, the required experience points should have been low, making it easy to level up rapidly. But that wasn’t the case.

‘If I don’t return to a normal level, I’ll die in 500 days.’

A normal level meant reaching Level 1. In other words, he needed to level up 99 more times. He had barely gained one level in the midst of all this chaos. For a moment, his vision darkened because of all the confusion.  More concerning than the 500-day deadline was the fact that he could die at any time within those 500 days. And even worse—

‘…My stats didn’t increase even though I leveled up.’

His stats were still stuck at the minimum value of 1. Because of the status effect “Weakest”, his base stats were permanently fixed at 1. That didn’t mean there was no way to get stronger.

‘I can raise additional stats through equipment effects, class abilities, support magic, and sacrificial offerings.’

Only his base stats were locked, but any bonus stats would still apply. And there were plenty of ways to increase bonus stats. With the level gap being so large now, the rewards for victory in abyss would also be much better. After organizing his thoughts, Park Chan-woo brought out two boxes. A Gold Box and a 3-Star Platinum Box.

‘Time for some exciting unboxing.’

There was no reason to hesitate. Opening these was far more thrilling than unboxing luxury items. Park Chan-woo loved this part the most. Exploring the Abyss, collecting boxes, and finding treasures inside, it was all exhilarating. He started with the Gold Box.

『Opening ‘Gold Box’…』

『You have obtained ‘Demon’s Pauldrons (Epic)’!』

Item Information: Demon’s Pauldrons

Name: Demon’s Pauldrons

Level: -98

Grade: Epic (E)

Description: Shoulder armor favored by high-ranking demons of the Abyss. Due to its low level, its durability and defense have been reduced.

Equip Slot: Shoulder (Pauldrons)

Defense: 2

Durability: 110

Unique Option: Increases Strength and Vitality by 2 each.

“Oh…!” A short exclamation burst from his lips.

It wasn’t bad. It was the same rank as the Dragon Slayer Sword, but its unique effects were much better. This was exactly the kind of equipment he needed. As he placed the pauldrons on his shoulders, they adjusted themselves to fit him perfectly.

‘Much better.’

With +2 Strength and +2 Vitality, his body felt significantly more comfortable. His base stats were still locked at 1, but the additional stats were applied correctly. Now, only one thing remained. He could wait until he leveled up to open it, but Park Chan-woo thought differently.

‘If you hoard things, they’ll just go to waste.’

The Abyss was not a place where you could afford to save treasures. And if something better came along later, he could always sacrifice his old equipment to the God of Sacrifice for additional benefits. With that, he cautiously opened the 3-Star Platinum Box.

『Opening ‘Platinum Box (★★★)’…』

『The Platinum Box’s rewards have transcended three times.』

『A reward of ‘Eternal’ grade has been confirmed.』

『Choose one of the five rewards below.』

『 World Tree Staff, Helmet of the Annihilator King, True Demon Dragon’s Heart,  Book of Stars Magic, Gaz Knight’s Greatsword』

“…!!!”