Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 18. Dazzling Brilliance

Kim Byung-han had heard Lee Hyuksoo refer to that man as a “self-proclaimed prophet.” And everyone gathered there had witnessed the “prophet” perform a miracle. It was when he summoned the “Grim Reaper” to kill Andariel. The chills from that moment were still unforgettable. However, Byung-han had never seen the prophet personally display any martial prowess.

‘Lee Hyuksoo did everything by himself.’

The first night in the Abyss, at Cool Night Club, where they experienced the death booking, a game where the monsters grew stronger with each stage. The prophet had stood with his hands behind his back, not moving a single step. Only Lee Hyuksoo had swung his sword with all his might, drenched in sweat, doing his part as a bus driver to the fullest. So, it was natural to have doubts about the power of the prophet clad in that demonic armor. A reasonable suspicion, was the prophet actually weak?

“…….”

But at this moment, all such doubts were completely erased. It wasn’t just Kim Byung-han. Even those who had rushed in suddenly found themselves frozen, as if someone had pressed the pause button on a remote control. Just as Park Chanwoo opened his mouth, the magic unleashed from the tip of his staff changed the world.

“W-What…?”

“What is this…?”

People looked around. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Thorns had erupted across the entire area. Sharp, towering thorns engulfed the world. So densely packed that movement was impossible. The ground, the buildings, every visible space was filled with them. The world had become a thorn-covered hell.

“Do not move.”

A voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone’s gaze. The grand mage Park Chanwoo, the one who had caused this entire phenomenon. While the world was covered in thorns, only his surroundings remained clear.

“If you recklessly touch the thorns, you will die.”

“Gasp…!”

His words made everyone shudder. But even if he hadn’t said anything, they wouldn’t have been able to move. Because the thorns didn’t just invade space. They had already grown long enough to wrap around their entire bodies. Even the slightest movement, a mere twitch of the lips or the twist of a finger, risked piercing them. Breathing was the only thing they could do.

“For the next two hours, you will remain as you are. This is the price for your arrogance.”

Park Chanwoo sentenced them to the punishment of thorns. A penalty for their reckless assault. Blindly charging forward without understanding the difference in power,  was no different from begging to be killed. Yet, he didn’t kill them. He merely confined them. Park Chanwoo had shown them mercy.

‘Ignorance is a crime in the Abyss that costs lives.’

Ignorance. To know nothing was a sin. But the greatest sin of all was not even trying to understand. Just like these fools. The rules had suddenly changed. An additional enemy had appeared out of nowhere. Wouldn’t the first course of action be to calmly assess the situation and figure out the new opponent? Wouldn’t it be necessary to understand why the creator had changed the rules and why did a new player enter the field? Before blindly attacking, shouldn’t they have sought context and meaning?

Thus, Park Chanwoo had punished them to teach them a lesson. So that they would never repeat the same mistake. This would be an unforgettable experience for them.

‘But still… This is quite a powerful domain spell. The King of the Thorn Hell…’

‘Andariel’s rank might be higher than a mere high-class demon.’

Just using it had covered the Abyss in thorns. A domain spell of this scale was exceedingly rare. “Domain magic” was an exclusive spell of only top-tier mages. A unique space that allowed a mage to store and use ultra-high-level magic with ease. Normally, casting such high-grade spells required immense calculations and unimaginable mana. But with domain magic, they could be pre-stored for use. Thus, battles between top-tier mages often depended on who could unleash their domain magic first. And this Thorn Hell King was Andariel’s world, Andariel’s domain. It wasn’t something a mere high-class demon could possess.

“Ugh, this is too much…”

“Aaaagh…”

About ten minutes in, the captives began to moan in pain. Being completely immobilized,  maintaining an awkward position for two hours was agony beyond imagination. Holding a frozen posture in a state of extreme tension? A plea for mercy would come naturally. But Park Chanwoo paid no mind. Sitting cross-legged, he gazed up at the night sky.

“Ow! It pricked me!”

“It hurts! It really hurts!”

“Aaaaah!”

Screams erupted from all around. As time passed, people began collapsing onto the thorns. Flesh was torn, blood was spilled. They struggled to fix their postures, but it was pure torment.

‘This is unbearable!’

‘The pain is too much!’

‘When will this end?!’

Time seemed to have stopped. It felt like hours had passed, yet only 30 minutes had gone by.

“Serves… them right. those bastards…”

Kim Byung-han smirked as he watched. The people who had attacked him indiscriminately were now suffering. He couldn’t help but feel satisfaction. So what if they had shared meals for over ten years? In the end, humans betray each other. And in the days to come, society would become even more brutal. Without becoming strong, or aligning with the strong, survival would be impossible.

‘I survived.’

Kim Byung-han turned to look at the prophet, Park Chanwoo, who was gazing at the moon. Stronger than even Lee Hyuksoo, who had slain the Dragon Lord in a single strike, this prophet seemed even more powerful. A mage who could cover the entire world in thorns. A monster capable of wielding such magic. It wouldn’t hurt to stay on his good side. Besides, they had already made a deal. Wasn’t that as good as having a connection?

“Um… Prophet, sir. Could you perhaps heal me?”

Byung-han Kim spoke with a pale complexion. Although the vital points were avoided, two arrows had pierced through. He truly felt like he was going to die. Park Chan-woon watched Byung-han Kim for a moment before replying.

“Why should I?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Why should I heal you?”

“Ah, you said earlier that you would let me live…”

“Not killing you means I let you live, doesn’t it?”

“…?”

What kind of absurd logic was this? Was he seriously saying that not killing him was the same as saving him? Strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong. If he had the power to kill but chose not to, then it was indeed an act of letting him live.

“I said I’d let you live, not that I’d heal you.”

“Ah…”

Byung-han Kim thought, ‘I’m doomed!’

It seemed Park had assumed that Kim was trying to take advantage of him. Kim’s heart grew anxious. If he didn’t receive treatment, he might actually die. Even if he survived, he would likely suffer permanent disabilities. But he had no options. In this world full of thorns, he had no strength left to move. At that moment, Byung-han Kim realized something. His situation was no different from those who had attacked him earlier. And so, time passed.

『All allotted time has elapsed.』

『A ‘Death Knight’ is appearing in the center of the Abyss!』

『The ‘Death Knight’ will massacre all living humans.』

『Survive for one hour against the ‘Death Knight’ to complete the Abyss.』

Park Chan-woo slowly stood up. Finally, the one he had been waiting for had arrived.

The Death Knight.

A knight formed from corpses, yet one who had been a great hero in life.

Boom! With a mighty leap, it crossed the ground and the sky, appearing instantly before Park Chan-woo.

“The Queen has commanded. Eradicate all humans in this place.

Especially you, she has ordered your total annihilation.

It spoke of death in a chilling voice. Clad in jet-black armor, its glowing eyes, visible through the helmet, were like bottomless pits. The magic emanating from its sword sent shivers down the spine.

‘Sword Aura.’

A technique that only a swordsman who had broken through the fourth realm and reached level 41 could wield. That was what Sword Aura was. In other words, the Death Knight’s minimum level was at least 41. Park Chan-woo’s level was -96. An unfathomable difference. Even if a million of him were present, they couldn’t defeat a single Death Knight. No, the general rule was that a level gap of over 30 could not be bridged, no matter how many people were involved. Therefore…

‘Running away is the best option.’

Even the system had said so. Survive for an hour by escaping. Winning was never an option in the first place. Victory was not possible.

“Fake magician. This magic is not yours. You cannot defeat me using magic that is not your own.”

The Death Knight knew as well. This ‘domain’ did not belong to Park Chan-woo. Furthermore, ‘Domain Magic’ served as a preparation ground for ‘Ultra-High-Level Magic.’ Unless it was Andariel herself, controlling this domain at will was impossible. Moreover, the ‘essence’ that the Death Knight sensed from Park Chan-woo was nowhere near Andariel’s.

“Accept your death quietly, fake magician.”

The Death Knight raised its sword. It took its stance and kicked off the ground.

Whoosh—

Fwoooosh!

The moment its foot touched the ground, its form vanished. It closed the distance toward Park Chan-woo at a speed akin to folding space. Park Chan-woo raised his staff.

Ssssssshhh!

Thorns surged from the ground, forming a barrier in front of him.

Slice!

The Death Knight effortlessly cut through the obstructing thorns.

However, the thorns continued to rise endlessly.

“Childish tricks”

At best, it was just a delay tactic. After all, this wasn’t even his own magic. It was impossible for him to fully control the magic stored in the ring. Forcing himself to use another’s magic and mana, soon, his nerves would rupture, his mana circuits would break down, and his entire body would burn. Furthermore, thorns were not enough to stop a mighty knight like him. A sharp blade cuts through a tangled mess. The Death Knight’s sword moved so fast it became invisible to the naked eye. Soon, he had cut down all the thorns and reached where Park Chan-woo had been standing.

“Die, human.”

A dark aura gathered onto the Death Knight’s sword. And with all its might, the Death Knight swung its blade.

Squelch!

Park Chan-woo’s body was sliced apart. However, the Death Knight immediately sensed something was wrong.

“A fake body?”

It was incomprehensible. Just now, he had definitely cut down something in the shape of Park Chan-woo, but shockingly, it had been a thorn. A fake body made of thorns.

“Then where is the real body…?”

Thud!

At that moment, a thorny vine violently shot forth from behind and pierced through the Death Knight’s chest. Normally, this would never happen. A fleeting moment of carelessness. A gap no longer than a blink of an eye, yet he had been ambushed.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thorns stabbed from all directions. The vines intertwined, transforming into a massive tree that bound the Death Knight in place. The Death Knight simply could not comprehend it.

“Who are you? How do you wield another’s magic as if it were your own?”

This domain magic, the Thorn Hell, belonged to Andariel. The only one capable of fully controlling it should have been Andariel herself. Yet this magician was controlling it as if it were his own. No, “controlling” wasn’t the right word. It was as if he was ‘commanding’ the magic. Like a master over a servant or slave. It defied all reason. It ignored conventional understanding and concepts. At first, he had been gazing up at the moon, but in an instant, he had created a clone from thorns, manipulating the Death Knight into letting his guard down. If the Death Knight hadn’t been careless, he would never have been ensnared by the thorns.

“Since when? Since when were you standing there?”

The Death Knight’s gaze shifted forward. Before he knew it, Park Chan-woo was right in front of him. Even though he had been cut down, he stood there unscathed. More than that—

“From the very beginning.”

The staff in Park Chan-woo’s grasp gathered an overwhelming amount of magic. The Death Knight recognized it immediately. That magic was his own. Mana accumulated from his own attacks! It was a reflection spell. But ‘reflection magic’ only applied to a single target. And he had cut down not just one, but many thorns. Yet all that magic was gathered into the staff. How had he done it? No, what had even happened? the Death Knight spoke inwardly in disbelief, utterly shocked.

“You… Did you apply reflection magic to domain magic itself?”

The words sounded ridiculous even as they left his mouth. That should have been impossible. Layering magic upon magic was unheard of. Moreover, this wasn’t even his own domain magic! To wield it as his own, to overlay magic upon magic, to elevate it to an even higher realm, If that was possible, then even the weakest spell could become the strongest. And if he has really done it, then this man was no mere magician.

“You… Could it be, one of the Great Race…?”

The Great Race. The Dragons! Particularly, those on par with or surpassing ancient dragons. The true masters of magic. But—

“I’m human.”

Park Chan-woo answered indifferently.

“Do not lie! A human could never possess such dazzling magical talent…!”

The Death Knight could not believe it. Humans had clear limitations. A pathetic race, incapable of reaching any true pinnacle. It was simply impossible for a human to possess such radiant magical talent. However, the Death Knight could say no more.

Tap.

The World Tree Staff touched the Death Knight’s forehead. The magic gathered in the staff trembled violently—

BOOOOOOOM!

And in a massive explosion, The Death Knight was completely vaporized.

『You have successfully hunted the ‘Death Knight’!』

『Expected survival rate after the ‘Death Knight’ appeared: 0%』

『Against all odds, you have achieved a 100% survival rate.』

『Earth-shattering. You have defied logic and bridged an impossible gap.』

『All survivors receive a ‘Gold Box (★★).’』

『Level Up!』

『You have earned 1 Class Level Point.』

『A ‘Platinum Box (★★★)’ and ‘Potential Ability Granting Scroll’ have been additionally awarded.』