Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 36. Final Settlement

Sweetness comes after bitterness. As the saying goes, after hardship comes happiness. Park Chan-woo gazed at the fruits of his labor before him, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.

‘Even the toughest time-attack Abysses couldn’t compare to this.’

There are certain types of Abysses that require clearing a trial or challenge within a set time limit. These are called “Time Attack Abysses,” and in the past, Park Chan-woo had made quite a name for himself in this field. However, even he had to admit that clearing 13 dungeons within 10 hours was an almost impossible mission. Despite starting with as much stamina as possible, it had been dangerously close. To make matters worse, he had to endure various status ailments.

The pain was so intense that it felt like his muscles were tearing apart, but he pushed through, running relentlessly while the “Fever Time” lasted.

‘…An inhuman achievement.’

He had nearly lost consciousness multiple times. Even though his attack and defense had been significantly boosted by elixirs, his stamina and mana remained unchanged. The continuous process of running madly and casting magic drained his energy to the point where his brain nearly shut down from exhaustion. His overworked brain kept trying to sever its connection to his body, forcing him into unconsciousness for recovery.

‘I slept for an entire day.’

As a result of resisting that survival instinct, Park Chan-woo ended up sleeping for 24 hours straight. He had passed out before he even had a chance to check his rewards. Even with his superhuman willpower, there was no way he could have stayed awake with both his stamina and mana completely depleted. At least the Abyss hadn’t invaded while he was unconscious. If he hadn’t seen the message stating, “The Abyss will not encroach upon you for a day,” he wouldn’t have dared to sleep so soundly.

“…That was a good sleep.”

It had been a long time since he had such peaceful rest. Ever since his regression, his days had been filled with constant anxiety, making restful sleep a rarity. Now, his body felt incredibly light. After a quick stretch, he began scanning through the messages he hadn’t yet read.

『Final Settlement for ‘Fever Time’』

『You have cleared a total of 13 dungeons, including the “Fire Dungeon.”』

『You have bankrupted 15 “Creators.” You have successfully bankrupted the most Creators in the shortest amount of time.』

『This is an immortal achievement that will be remembered forever.』

『The wails of the bankrupted Creators echo throughout the Abyss.』

『You have obtained the title ‘Nemesis of Creators.’』

『You have acquired 20 Coins.』

『Dungeon clear rewards have doubled: 10 Gold Boxes (★), 4 Gold Boxes (★★), 2 Gold Boxes (★★★★), 2 Platinum Boxes (★), and 2 Platinum Boxes (★★★).』

“…Unbelievable.”

Even seeing it with his own eyes, the messages were hard to believe. The 20 Coins, the new title, and the doubled dungeon rewards, every single one of them was a jackpot.

‘I already have 41 Coins now.’

More is always better when it comes to Coins. They were not just a means of escaping the Abyss, they were the only form of currency valid in both Earth and the Abyss. Before long, not just demons but every human on Earth would desperately crave these Coins.

“Money will become worthless.”

Until now, money had ruled the world. Those with wealth held power, shaping the world as they pleased. But soon, the value of money would plummet. The era where Coins determined power and authority was approaching. A treasure among treasures, priceless beyond anything money could buy. Those who understood the Abyss’ rules were already scrambling to secure Coins. But Park Chan-woo didn’t need to worry. With 41 Coins, he had more than enough to sustain his survival. Unless a Demon Lord of godlike rank personally targeted him, there was no way he’d run out of Coins. The only real threat was if the “Moon Sovereign, Aheta” used all their resources to erase him from existence. However, he doubted Aheta had the luxury to do so.

“Aheta lost a massive amount of Coins in this Abyss.”

He was certain of it. Among all the Creators, Aheta had made the most careful arrangements. The goal was clear, The intention to never let ‘Hanshin’ clear the dungeon was clearly evident.

But all those plans had failed. Every single dungeon had been cleared by Park Chan-woo. Absolutely everything that should have been impossible had been achieved. The scale of Aheta’s losses was unimaginable. Now, Aheta would be desperate to recover those losses in the upcoming “Second Night Abyss.”

“If things go well, I might be able to bankrupt Aheta before the Fifth Night Abyss.”

The Night Abyss took place once a month, on the night of the full moon. And once the “Sixth Night Abyss” began, the “First Species War” would commence. If Aheta could be eliminated before then, the war might tilt slightly in favor of humanity.

Park Chan-woo stroked his chin. Enough dwelling on the wonders of Coins. It was time to check the rest of his rewards.

‘Two Platinum Boxes (★★★).’

That was the highlight. He now had three “Three-Star Platinum Boxes”,one from clearing the Abyss of Beasts and two from the 13 dungeons. And that wasn’t even the end of it.

‘I also obtained a Creator-related title.’

Titles were already rare. A title specifically related to Creators was even rarer. Park Chan-woo turned his attention to the newly acquired title.

Title: Nemesis of Creators

Effect: The bearer of this title is immune to fear, intimidation, and charm effects originating from Creators. The title also grants immunity to “mental distortions” caused by Abysses personally created by a Creator.

‘…Mental immunity!’

His pupils dilated in shock. This title granted complete mental resistance against Creators. And only Demon Lords could be Creators. In other words, Demon Lords were all “high-ranking demons”, meaning there was a chance this immunity could extend to other high-tier demons as well. More importantly, the description explicitly stated that it nullified the effects of a “Creator’s Space.” Mental contamination and hallucinations were among the most terrifying aspects of the Abyss. Only those with high intelligence stats or specialized protection skills could resist them.

‘This will be invaluable against Creator-led assassination Abysses.’

A smile crept across his lips. Previously, he had encountered the Demon God Gremory in an Abyss where Kim Byung-han was assassinated. That terror was still fresh in his mind. His entire body had frozen from sheer instinctual fear. But now, if the same situation arose, he wouldn’t be affected.

Not only that.

‘…I remember now. Gremory’s face.’

At the same time as obtaining the title Nemesis of the Creator, the face of Gremory, which had been obscured like mist in the abyss, finally surfaced in his mind. Park Chan-woo recalled the situation at that time. When he tried to hand over the Ring of Oath of Dead, which he obtained after killing Andariel, the demon god Gremory opened a gate and appeared. At that time, all Park Chan-woo saw was Gremory’s pure white hand. However, Gremory had revealed her true form. He immediately lowered his head and placed the ring on the hand, but he had definitely seen it. Even though he had clearly seen it, he had been unable to recall it. As if his mind had locked it away, forbidding him from remembering. A mere human could never withstand the presence of a demon god. Had he engraved Gremory’s face into his mind by looking directly, he would no longer be in this world. His heart would have stopped, and he would have departed from life.

And yet—

He remembered Gremory’s face. The full figure standing before the gate.

‘Beautiful.’

Even Park Chan-woo, who lacked aesthetic sensibility, found Gremory beautiful. It was not a beauty of this world, an indescribable elegance emanated from them. For a brief moment, he felt an intense sense of regret. That he had been unable to properly look into their eyes.

【O human who knows honor. A day not far from now, my aid shall reach you…】

Someday soon, they will meet again. Gremory had stated so directly. If he could gaze directly into those eyes, if another opportunity arose to stand face-to-face with a demon god, there was something Park Chan-woo desperately wanted to ask.

‘What is it that you all seek?’

Their purpose, their goal. At first, he thought it was just a game. But they were far more serious than he had imagined. They staked their very existence on this game. What was their driving force?

He had been genuinely curious, but in the past, he had never been able to reach the truth. Because a chance to stand before a Named Creator of Abyss, let alone a Demon King-level one, had never existed.

Ding!

For a fleeting moment, another message shimmered before his eyes.

『Final settlement is beginning.』

“…Final settlement?”

Hadn’t it already ended? Was there still more to be settled?

『A special opportunity granted to those who surpass their limits!』

『You may combine one unopened box into a higher-tier box.』

『A ‘Combination Zone’ has been created.』

『Place unopened boxes into the zone.』

『The quantity and quality of the unopened boxes will determine the tier of the resulting box.』

『The ‘Combination Zone’ will disappear in 60 seconds.』

…Was this always a thing?

‘So the rumors were true.’

He had once heard rumors that if you earned too many rewards, you would receive an extra opportunity. But for Park Chan-woo, this was a first. There were barely any precedents, so he had dismissed it as a baseless rumor. But now, it seems to be true.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A radiant field of light formed before him. It seemed that placing unopened boxes inside would automatically combine them. Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo threw in all his Gold Boxes.

‘What should I do with the Platinum Boxes?’

50 seconds left.

He needed to decide before time ran out.

‘It’s about time to change equipment anyway.’

Typically, players upgraded their gear every 10 levels. Especially since his current equipment, Demonic Pauldrons (-98Lv, Epic), Demonic Armor (-98Lv, Epic), Demonic Gauntlets (-98Lv, Epic), desperately needed an upgrade. To replace at least three pieces, He needed multiple Platinum Boxes. Naturally, he had to decide how to handle the two 1-star Platinum Boxes, Three 3-star Platinum Boxes. Park Chan-woo made a quick decision.

『10x Gold Box (★)

4x Gold Box (★★)

2x Gold Box (★★★★)

2x Platinum Box (★)

3x Platinum Box (★★★)』

If he was going to gain something, it was better to have one solid reward than a handful of mediocre ones.

Fwoooosh!

Waves of intense light engulfed everything.

『Level up!』

『Level up!』

『1st ‘Limit Break Quest’ has begun.』

『Due to overwhelming experience gain, the ‘Limit Break Quest’ has been forcefully completed.』

『You have reached -89 level.』

The sheer amount of experience forced him past the limit level. But this wasn’t even the result of the combination. It was merely a byproduct of the process. And yet, that byproduct had been enough to break his level cap. Which meant, the final product would be beyond imagination.

『The fortune of ‘Easter Egg (001)’ has arrived!』

Park Chan-woo swallowed dryly and stared at the Combination Zone.

It couldn’t have gone better than this. Even Easter Egg luck had activated. And not just a little luck. The system had said “arrived”, implying a significant amount. Perfection itself. He didn’t know what rank the final product would be, but with this level of combination, it was guaranteed to be at least a 4-star Platinum Box. Maybe even a 5-star Platinum Box.

Perhaps even a Diamond Box, the level-99 exclusive reward. Or an extraordinary box, like the one that had once contained the Radiant Anubis. Just imagining it made him ecstatic.

Boom!

『Combination Complete!』

『Congratulations! You have obtained a Gold Box (★★★★★★★)!』

“…Uh?”