Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 3. Success in Mythical Task

Park Chan-woo was one of humanity’s five strongest individuals. He was the fourth person to reach the limit level of 99 and was revered among the level 99 awakened because he was the only one who possessed a ‘Dual class’.

However, no matter how much he reached the limit level or wrapped himself in the most prestigious treasures, he could not defeat a ‘Supreme’ like the Dragon God, Sephiro. The difference was simply too vast.

The limit of humans is the tenth realm, but a supreme being is at least a Thirteenth Realm monster. They referred to levels of strength as “Realm” when crossing different thresholds.

For example, the First Realm corresponds to levels 1 to 10 in human terms. With humanity’s maximum level capped at 99, no human could exceed the Tenth Realm.

In fact, without completing a limit-breaking quest for every 10 levels, one couldn’t level up at all. Each step was a path to becoming a higher existence. But the rulers of the twelve races, the ‘Twelve Supremes’ were different. They were at least in the thirteenth realm.

In terms of levels, that meant roughly level 130. A difference of 30 levels made victory impossible. Even just a 10 level gap exponentially decreased the chances of winning.

But 109 levels?

‘It’s not impossible.’

Park Chan-woo was a magician. Though he had walked the path of magic late, he had delved into the true magic and mastered its essence. A magician’s goal was to turn the impossible into the possible and then build even greater possibilities on top of that. If so…

‘It seems impossible, but there’s a chance.’

Even the slimmest possibility was worth pursuing. The greater the challenge, the greater the rewards from the Abyss. If he could close this vast gap in strength, the rewards would be beyond imagination.

“Hey! Park Chan-woo! You bastard, what are you doing there?!”

At that moment, a man ran toward him. He had a rather sturdy build and an oddly familiar face.

‘Who was that again?’

Park Chan-woo furrowed his brow. Then, after a moment, he nodded in recognition.

‘Ah, My former boss.’

At 27 years old, Park Chan-woo had been working at a company. A securities firm in Ilsan, where his boss constantly cursed at him for his poor performance. He quit a few months later due to poor results, but he had regretted not quitting sooner. The experience left him with severe depression and social anxiety.

‘That’s right. Kim Byung-han.’

Everything came back to him. In his past life the first time he encountered Abyss was  during a weekday lunch break. He had been taking a walk in a park near the office when he got caught up in it. Kim Byung-han must have been pulled in for a similar reason. However, he never encountered him in the first Abyss. They were probably too busy hiding to run into each other.

“Chan-woo, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Kim Byung-han approached with a worried tone. Then, his gaze subtly shifted toward the Dragon Slaying Sword in Park Chan-woo’s hand.

‘Damn. I need a weapon to protect myself.’

Since the Abyss opened, the park had turned into hell. Monsters had appeared, massacring people left and right. Every possible hiding spot was already packed with survivors. If he stayed still, he would be killed by the monsters. Then, he saw Park Chan-woo by the lake, holding a large sword.

‘With that sword, I’d be invincible.’

He could drive people out of hiding spots and secure a safe place for himself. In the worst case, he could fight off a monster or even throw Park Chan-woo to them as bait. Sure, Park Chan-woo had a big sword, but he was a timid, introverted loser.

‘Lucky me. I found an easy target.’

To Kim Byung-han, Park Chan-woo was nothing more than a pushover. If he coaxed and manipulated him properly, he’d listen.

“It’s dangerous! Let’s stick together, okay? If we stay here, the monsters will get to us!”

“It’s been a while, pig.”

“P-Pig? What did you just call me?”

schwing!

Park Chan-woo drew his sword and held it against Kim Byung-han’s throat.

“H-Huh?! Wh-What are you doing?! It’s me! Team Leader Kim Byung-han!”

It may have only had 1 attack power, but it looked like a perfectly normal sword. Kim Byung-han, not knowing it was a level -99 weapon, was frozen with fear.

“P-Park Chan-woo! Put that sword down right now!”

“If you scream, the Fallen Ones will come. If you want to get eaten, keep yelling.”

“Hnnngh…!”

Kim Byung-han immediately shut his mouth. He stared at Park Chan-woo in disbelief.

‘Did this guy take drugs or something? What’s wrong with him?’

He had never acted like this before. Park Chan-woo was always the type to take orders without complaint. Whenever Kim Byung-han was stressed, he took it out on him, humiliating him, telling him he was useless and should just quit. Not once had he ever resisted. Yet now, that coward was holding a sword to his throat.

“Chan-woo, let’s talk this out, okay?”

“Move forward.”

“…Huh?”

“If you want to live, walk.”

Tap, tap.

The tip of the sword pressed against the back of Kim Byung-han’s head.

‘What the hell is this bastard doing?’

Kim Byung-han glared at Park Chan-woo in anger. Then—

‘W-What the hell…?’

He lowered his gaze immediately. For the first time, he had looked into the abyss-like, icy cold eyes of Park Chan-woo. There was no emotion. No sign of fear or hesitation.

‘Was he… always like this?’

No. Park Chan-woo had always been a weakling. If he was put in a situation like this, he would have collapsed from panic. But now, he wasn’t the same person. If anything, right now he was more like a ghost or a demon. Had he gone insane after entering the Abyss?

“F-Fine! I’ll go! I’m moving, okay?”

Kim Byung-han slowly walked forward.

“Kieeeeee—”

A Fallen One’s scream echoed nearby.

Tap.

“Keep moving.”

“B-But there’s a monster ahead—”

“Move. Forward.”

He must have lost his mind. Unless he wanted to die together, there was no reason to do this!

‘This bastard…!’

Kim Byung-han bit his lip. He shouldn’t have come here. How was he supposed to know that Park Chan-woo had completely lost his mind? But he wasn’t in a situation to refuse. The one holding the sword was not him. And so, he took a few more steps forward.

“Aaaaagh!”

“Kugh…!”

Nearby, a man and a woman were slaughtered by the Fallen One. Kim Byung-han watched it unfold in front of his eyes.

And then—

“A-Ah…!”

Their eyes met with another.

That was the Fallen One.

“Kiee… Kieeeee!”

The Fallen One changed its target. It started rushing towards Kim Byunghan.

‘I- I’m going to die!’

Kim Byunghan’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. He wet himself and tightly shut his eyes.

“ It really doesn’t recognize me at all.”

In that brief moment, Park Chan-woo stood in front of Kim Byunghan. Thanks to using him as bait, he was able to confirm it. Even at close range, the Fallen One only focused on Kim Byunghan. He even deliberately stepped back a little further, but the Fallen One’s target did not change. All eight of its eyes were locked solely on Kim Byunghan.

‘Now there’s only one thing left to confirm, whether it will recognize me if I attack it.’

Non-existant.

It was now certain that he had no presence. But whether the creature would feel his presence after an attack was still unknown.

“Hey, pants-wetter. If you want to live, run like a dog in that direction.”

Park Chan-woo pointed toward the lake.

“H-Huaaahhh!”

Kim Byunghan, pulled himself together at the last moment, barely got up and started running in the indicated direction.

“Kieeee!”

The Fallen One turned and began pursuing Kim Byunghan. Park Chan-woo steadied his breath. And just as the Fallen One was about to pass him by—

‘The Fallen One’s weak point is below the navel.’

A channel where mana flows. It was the most vulnerable point, so even a proper punch could deal significant damage. Park Chan-woo slashed at the Fallen One’s lower abdomen with the Dragon Slayer Sword.

Tang!

“……”

The Dragon Slaying Sword bounced off.

‘What the hell…?’

He was dumbfounded. Even though it was a proper sword, he never imagined that instead of leaving a wound, it would just completely bounce off. A tragic combination of Strength 1 and Attack Power 1. His shoulder ached as if it were dislocated.

“Kieeeee?”

The Fallen One halted and tilted its head. It must have felt something hit it, so stopping was inevitable. The Fallen One looked at Park Chan-woo.

“……I will offer the Dragon Slaying Sword as a sacrifice to strengthen my strength for 10 seconds, O God of Sacrifice.”

『”The ‘Dragon Slaying Sword’ has been offered as a sacrifice to the God of Sacrifice.”』

『”‘Dragon Slaying Sword’ is an Epic-grade treasure.”』

『”More offerings are needed to revive the God of Sacrifice.”』

『”For 10 seconds, ‘Lizard’s Aura (Strength +20)’ will activate throughout Park Chan-woo’s body.”』

『”After 10 seconds, the ‘Dragon Slaying Sword’ will disappear as a sacrifice.”』

The God of Sacrifice did not respond. Instead, a system message of similar meaning appeared. A high-tier treasure was sacrificed for a mere 10-second buff. Since his base stats were so low, the increase was quite substantial.

‘The contract is still in effect.’

It was a pact sworn upon his soul. As long as his soul existed, the God of Sacrifice would remain contracted to him.

‘But what does it mean by “offerings for revival”?’

However, one thing that puzzled him was the mention of “offerings for revival”.

“KIAAAAAAAAAK!”

…There was no time to continue his thoughts.

The Fallen One had successfully recognized Park Chan-woo. There was a big crisis. But crises were also opportunities. Park Chan-woo gripped the Dragon Slaying Sword at an angle. He was close enough to feel its breath, there was no way his attack would miss. With all his strength, he stabbed the Dragon Slaying Sword into the Fallen One’s lower abdomen.

Puk!

The blade sunk deep. He twisted it.

“KIAAAAAK!”

The Fallen One screamed But it did not die. He had to finish it within 10 seconds.

Puk!

Paaah!

Blood splattered onto his face. Even as the blood blurred his vision, he did not stop. He kept stabbing, slashing, twisting, and stabbing again. In just over ten seconds, Park Chan-woo’s entire body was drenched in the Fallen One’s blood.

Thud!

Finally, the Fallen One collapsed onto the ground. At the same time—

『 “Dragon Slaying Sword has been sacrificed and disappears.”』

The blade’s form faded and vanished.

But that was not all.

『”You have acquired the ‘Muscle Pain’ debuff.”』

『”Your ‘Anemia’ symptoms have worsened.”』

『”Your body is exhausted, and you have caught a ‘Severe Cold’.”』

『”Your fever has reached 41°C.”』

『”You can no longer move for the rest of the day.”』

The aftermath came crashing down. As his tension eased, his whole body felt like it was being torn apart by cramps. He had no strength left to resist. Park Chan-woo collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out.

“Urgh…!”

He couldn’t even move a single finger. It felt like he was going to die right there. As his consciousness began to fade—

『”Status: ‘Terminally Ill’ – You will die within 500 days.”』

『”Status: ‘Weakest’ – Your base stats are fixed at 1.”』

『”Status: ‘Sickly’ – You are highly susceptible to diseases and curses.”』

『”Status: ‘Frail’ – You are always lacking energy.”』

『”Status: ‘Nonexistent’ – Your presence is extremely diminished.”』

『”To improve your condition, restore your level to normal.”』

…What? I’m going to die in 500 days? Park Chan-woo wanted to scream, but he didn’t even have the strength to open his mouth. It was worse than he had expected. No, it’s fair to say it was worse than the worst he could have imagined. Still, they say that after bad things pass, good things follow.

『”The Abyss is closing.”』

『”824 people have successfully survived.”』

『”Survival rate: 93.5%!”』

『”The survival rate has far exceeded expectations!”』

『”All survivors receive a ‘Gold Box’.”』

『”You have defeated the Fallen One!”』

『”You have overcome an incomprehensible difference in power.”』

『”This is a miracle that defies the impossible.”』

『”Your level has increased.”』

『”Due to accomplishing a mythical feat, you receive an additional ‘Platinum Box (★★★)’.”』

…

『”The ‘Creators’ are showing interest in your performance.”』

『”‘The One Crouching in Darkness’ offers you an Apostle contract.”』

『”‘The Observer of the Libra’ offers you an Apostle contract.”』

『”‘The Whispering Speaker’ offers you an Apostle contract.”』

『”‘The Gossiping Chatterbox’ offers you an Apostle contract.”』

…

『”If you accept, you will obtain a ‘Class’ related to that Creator.”』

『”Additionally, you may receive assistance when entering Abysses created by that Creator.”』

Countless messages popped up. Seeing them, Park Chan-woo could only utter a single word.

“…Hah.”