Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 25. The War of the Incarnations

It was an unforgettable scene. Ignoring the attacks of the Dragon God General, who had slaughtered countless people, he had obliterated the General with a single slash. That terrifying sight was still vivid before my eyes.

‘The other Twelve Generals were manageable, but the Dragon God General was an exception.’

He couldn’t even get close. It was an impossible mission to clear. He was frozen, unable to do anything but watch. That was true for everyone, including Yoo Han-seop. But then, a fully armed man suddenly appeared and charged at the Dragon God General. At first,  he thought he was throwing his life away. He seemed reckless and foolish. But…

‘That sight… It was truly electrifying.’

It was engraved in the minds of the hundreds of thousands who watched. A man who made the impossible possible. The one who slew the Dragon God General and became a hero himself!

He was in a dilemma.

For now, he didn’t seem to have noticed him. Yoo Han-seop, hidden deep in the dense foliage, watched Lee Hyuk-soo approach with half-lidded eyes.

‘As expected. He’s an Avatar.’

The fact that Lee Hyuk-soo was coming here meant he knew the location of the elixir, proof that he was one of the Avatars. It must have been because he was an Avatar that he was able to kill the Dragon God General. How could an ordinary human possibly slay the Dragon God General? It was certain. Lee Hyuk-soo was an Avatar. But… perhaps he was not just any Avatar. As much as he hated to admit it, he was superior to him.

‘Maybe the creator who contracted him revealed the Dragon God General’s weakness.’

Each creator had their own way of raising Avatars. Perhaps his creator had given him significant aid, either revealing the enemy’s weak points, granting him high-grade equipment, or even bestowing blessings to enhance his abilities and protect him. If that was the case…

‘An ambush should work.’

No matter how strong Lee Hyuk-soo was, he was still human. And as long as he was human, an unforeseen blade would take his life. Yoo Han-seop could not accept the existence of a human stronger than himself. That bastard was only powerful because he had received his creator’s blessings. He was simply lucky. No matter his talent or effort, he shouldn’t be able to surpass him. The same was true when he killed the Dragon God General. All he did was charge in recklessly and swing his sword once, could that really be called skill? Even with the greatest generosity, it was only possible because of his creator’s heavy intervention.

‘If I am to stand at the pinnacle of humanity, I must erase him here.’

Yoo Han-seop intended to raise the “Dawn Fellowship” into a powerful religious order. He would become a living god and extend his influence beyond Korea to the entire world. And in that process, this man would be an obstacle. As long as there was someone stronger than himself, he could never become a true god.

‘Three, two…’

Lee Hyuk-soo was now within reach. Yoo Han-seop waited for the perfect timing, then sprang from the foliage. And in an instant, he thrust his sword toward Lee Hyuk-soo. A moment so fleeting that he would never even perceive it.

Chaaang!

…Yet, it was blocked. That was the beginning. Lee Hyuk-soo raised the Lion King’s Greatsword sideways and slashed through the air. In an instant, offense and defense switched. Sensing danger, Yoo Han-seop bent backward just in time to save his life.

‘What is this reaction speed…!’

He hadn’t consciously blocked. It was instinct. Every Avatar he had hunted until now had either died or suffered fatal wounds from the first ambush. A chance to counterattack? He had never allowed one before. His sudden assaults always left his victims too flustered to react. But Lee Hyuk-soo, rather than panicking, had fluidly transitioned from defense to offense.

Boom!

Planting his foot into the ground, Lee Hyuk-soo shifted his weight forward and swung his greatsword diagonally once more. Off-balance, Yoo Han-seop thrust his sword forward to intercept it.

Chaaang!

‘How is he this strong…!’

He had nearly lost an arm. The bastard swung his greatsword as if it were a mere toy. In the end, Yoo Han-seop was flung back, rolling across the ground. The ambush had completely failed. Scrambling to his feet, Yoo Han-seop regained his stance. At that moment, his eyes met Lee Hyuk-soo’s.

…A shiver ran down his spine. Those unwavering, resolute eyes. Unconsciously, Yoo Han-seop opened his mouth.

“I mistook you for—”

Before he could say he had mistaken him for an ordinary man, before he could apologize—

Shwwoooosh!

Lee Hyuk-soo charged. There was no other way to describe it but a slaughterous onslaught. Like an enraged bull, he rushed in, targeting Yoo Han-seop’s throat.

‘This… he’s this strong?’

His expectations were completely off. Lee Hyuk-soo’s strength was beyond anything Yoo Han-seop had imagined. Their very level was different. It wasn’t just about raw power, his instincts were supernatural. The way he instinctively parried the ambush was enough to inspire awe. He wasn’t just human. He was a beast, no, a king among beasts. Each time their swords clashed, Yoo Han-seop’s body trembled. Bones fractured. Muscles tore.  He could neither overpower nor outspeed him. Even his swordsmanship was inferior.

‘This monster…!’

Lee Hyuk-soo was a monster. It wasn’t his creator’s assistance that had enabled him to kill the Dragon God General. He was simply strong enough to do it on his own.

A wall. For the first time, Yoo Han-seop had encountered an insurmountable wall.

《‘Silver Knight’s Sword (Lv7, Epic)’ durability is decreasing.》

《‘Silver Knight’s Sword (Lv7, Epic)’ durability is decreasing.》

《‘Silver Knight’s Sword (Lv7, Epic)’ durability is decreasing.》

And that wasn’t all. His most prized sword, his highest-grade weapon, was screaming each time it clashed with Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword. He could see the blade deteriorating with every strike. Meanwhile, Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword remained completely intact.

《‘Silver Knight’s Sword (Lv7, Epic)’ durability is nearly depleted.》

It was incomprehensible.

‘That greatsword… Is it higher grade than my Silver Knight’s Sword?’

There had been no recorded grade above Epic yet. And yet, every single piece of Lee Hyuk-soo’s gear matched the aesthetic of that greatsword.

Crrrack!

《‘Silver Knight’s Sword (Lv7, Epic)’ has been destroyed.》

For a moment, his mind went blank. The shattered remains of his Silver Knight’s Sword scattered into dust before him. A swordsman without a sword faced an inevitable fate. And before he knew it, Lee Hyuk-soo’s greatsword was pressed against his throat.

“You… What the hell are you? How can you be this strong?”

His voice trembled. Even with a creator’s help, a person’s essence should not change. Their temperament, their emotions, their attitude toward the sword, those intrinsic qualities should remain the same. Yoo Han-seop felt that Lee Hyuk-soo was a natural-born swordsman. He seemed like someone who was born solely to wield a sword. Yet, despite that, he possessed all sorts of treasures. The equipment Lee Hyuk-soo wore was not inferior to anything Yoo Han-seop had. What kind of creator could he have contracted with to receive such treasures from the start?

“Oh, anyway, I’m sorry for the ambush. I misjudged you. We’re both incarnations, aren’t we? Incarnations should help each other. No, let’s form an alliance instead. If we join forces, we’ll be invincible—.”

“…Incarnation?” Lee Hyuk-soo’s eyebrow twitched.

Yoo Han-seop was convinced that Lee Hyuk-soo was an incarnation.

“Yes, an incarnation! Think about it. We are meant to be the leaders

of humanity. Beings who will stand above humanity! There’s no point

in us fighting each other.”

“So that’s why you threw people to be eaten by monsters?”

Lee Hyuk-soo spoke with eyes as cold as an abyss.

Gulp!

The moment he saw that gaze, Yoo Han-seop’s entire body trembled like a quaking aspen.

“We… We are the chosen ones. We can save humanity. It’s a small sacrifice for the greater good. So, let’s form an alliance and cooperate with each other… Urgh!”

A sudden pain made Yoo Han-seop scream. Then, he clutched his right arm, which burned as if it had been seared by fire.

Thud!

Before he knew it, his right arm had rolled onto the ground. Seeing this, Yoo Han-seop let out another gasp of shock.

“M-My arm! My arm!!”

Yoo Han-seop writhed in pain. Watching Yoo Han-seop rolling on the ground, Lee Hyuk-soo spoke.

“I don’t associate with ‘incarnations.’”

If it were up to him, he would have cut off his head. But he still had a resistance to killing people. However, he couldn’t just let an ‘incarnation’ go free. Because of the warning the ‘Prophet’ had given Lee Hyuk-soo on the first night of the Abyss.

— “Kill all incarnations. That is the way to help humanity and yourself.”

— “If you can’t kill them, at least cut off their arms or legs.”

A useless incarnation will be dealt with by their creator. Now he understood why the Prophet had ordered him to kill every incarnation on sight. Yoo Han-seop had abandoned the people who followed him in the ‘Dawn Fellowship.’ He threw them to the monsters for his own benefit. Lee Hyuk-soo learned this while killing monsters and saving people.

‘Incarnations are truly unnecessary.’

Talking with Yoo Han-seop felt like it was rotting his ears. To talk about forming an alliance after attempting a sneak attack was laughable. As the Prophet had said, incarnations were unnecessary for humanity’s survival. More than anything… The Prophet was Lee Hyuk-soo’s god. How could he defy the word of his god? Lee Hyuk-soo intended to follow the divine words as best as he could.

“A-Ahh! It hurts! It hurrrts!!”

Leaving behind Yoo Han-seop, who was bleeding profusely and writhing in agony, Lee Hyuk-soo turned his back. He felt not the slightest bit of sympathy.

‘The Prophet told me to become a savior.’

Of course, Lee Hyuk-soo had no intention of becoming a savior. However, he had the courage to take on the greatest challenge. If he could clear this ‘Water God Abyss’ and receive the reward of 1,000 points, then South Korea, and his mother, who lay bedridden, would be safe. He quickened his steps.

* * *

A short while later. A man appeared before Yoo Han-seop.

“P-Please… save me…”

Due to excessive blood loss, Yoo Han-seop’s face had turned deathly pale. He looked as if he could die at any moment. The man looked down at Yoo Han-seop and spoke.

“…An interesting one has appeared.”

“Please, save m—”

Crack!

The man stomped on Yoo Han-seop’s throat. With a sickening crunch of breaking bones, Yoo Han-seop died instantly. His corpse soon crumbled into dust and vanished. The man turned his head in the direction where Lee Hyuk-soo had disappeared.

“I was sure he was an incarnation.”

But he wasn’t. If he had been an incarnation, he would have killed Yoo Han-seop without hesitation. Right now, every incarnation in the ‘Water God Abyss’ was at odds with each other. A war had broken out among them.

“But if he isn’t an incarnation, yet has that level of strength and equipment…”

The man stroked his chin and smiled. A thrill of excitement coursed through him. For the first time in his life, he had encountered someone like himself.

…He never imagined there could be another who had built up such immense power. And on top of that, his talent was dazzling. If properly honed, he could surely reach the rank of the strongest. Even his equipment was extraordinary.

‘Without a doubt, that belongs to the Lion King.’

It was a full set of items that shouldn’t and couldn’t exist at this time. And yet, he wasn’t an incarnation. That alone piqued the man’s interest.

“For now…”

The man pondered briefly. If Lee Hyuk-soo was left alone, he might challenge the ‘Water God.’ The incarnations couldn’t stop him. Unless the man himself stepped forward. Of course, the ‘Water God’ was a monster far beyond what Lee Hyuk-soo could handle alone. It was in a completely different league compared to something like a Dragon Commander. If left unchecked, Lee Hyuk-soo could end up dead. He was a rare kindred spirit. For the sake of his own future goals…

“…Maybe I should get to know him better?”

After all, he had plenty of time. Unlike the other incarnations, the ‘Poison Mist Swamp’ where his true objective lay was safe. Without poison resistance, no one could even approach it, and the guardian of the treasure wasn’t something that could be quietly evaded.

‘A Necromancer. A master of death.’

No one could steal from him. The Necromancer, who governed death, would relentlessly attack within the poisonous mist. And beyond the Necromancer, the swamp itself was a labyrinth. The paths changed constantly, making it impossible to map out. Even if someone managed to reach the Necromancer and defeat him, the ‘treasure chest’ would not open. Only he knew how to unlock it. With security measures layered three or four times over, how could anyone steal from him? The man laughed heartily and took a step in the direction Lee Hyuk-soo had gone.