Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 37. 7-Star Gold Box

His brow furrowed involuntarily.

A Gold Box?

He had put in an excessive number of boxes, so many that it almost seemed absurd. There were even multiple 1-star Platinum Boxes and 3-star Platinum Boxes mixed in. Yet, the final result was merely a Gold Box?!

‘Wasn’t the maximum number of stars a box could have just five?’

Of course, this wasn’t an ordinary Gold Box. It had seven stars. Normally, the number of stars that could be attached to a random box was limited. Five stars were supposed to be the maximum, this was common knowledge. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond. Even special-colored boxes couldn’t be strengthened beyond five stars. He had never heard of a six-star box appearing before. Yet here was a seven-star box. This was something that completely defied common sense. Even Park Chan-woo, who had been through many experiences, was dumbfounded.

‘The number of stars increased, but the grade dropped.’

Still, the issue remained, the box’s grade. Despite the large number of Platinum Boxes he had put in, the resulting box had been downgraded to Gold. This was unprecedented. Generally, when the ‘Combination Area’  appeared, the grade would go up. He had never heard of it going down.

“…No matter how many stars it has, the grade of the box is more important.”

Even if a box had a lot of stars, it couldn’t easily replace a higher-grade box. For example, a 3-star Bronze Box could not replace an ordinary Silver Box. Likewise, a 3-star Silver Box could not replace a Gold Box. It was said that things changed at four stars, but in most cases, the grade had absolute priority. Park Chan-woo took a deep breath as he stared at the 7-Star Gold Box.

“A considerable amount of luck was involved. There must be a reason why it turned into a Gold Box.”

During the combination process, ‘Easter Egg (001)’ had brought luck. The Easter Egg had the ability to bring one piece of luck whenever it leveled up. And from the phrasing ‘brought luck’, it was clear that a significant amount of luck had been infused into this process. The luck it provided was anything but ordinary. With just one instance of its luck, it had turned ‘Cursed Anubis’ into ‘Radiant Anubis’ before. Not to mention, it has also improved the rewards of boxes many times. It had never once resulted in a loss. So what would happen with a 7-Star Gold Box infused with multiple instances of luck?

There had to be a reason for the downgrade in grade. However… if the result wasn’t worth it, the loss would be catastrophic. He had used enough boxes to replace all of his equipment several times over.

“Hoo…”

Taking another deep breath, he focused on the box.

“Open.”

『Opening ‘Gold Box (★★★★★★★)’.』

『You have obtained ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’!』

Name: Golden Mystery of Arahan

Level: -89

Grade: Ancient

Description: The ultimate ideal form that a practitioner can attain. A being of absolute knowledge who has mastered all there is to learn and train in the ways of gold has finally completed this mystery.

Equip Slot: Shoulder Guards

Defense: 35

Durability: Indestructible

Unique Options:

(1) Generates a ‘Golden Aura’ around the wearer.

(2) Attack and defense increase based on the number of coins possessed.

(3) If the number of coins exceeds a certain amount, the grade of ‘Golden Mystery’ increases.

(4) Unlocks at 100 coins.

(5) Unlocks at 500 coins.

“……!!”

His eyes widened in shock. It felt like he had been struck on the head with a blunt weapon. The result from the 7-Star Gold Box was so overwhelming that it sent a jolt through his entire being. And it wasn’t in a bad way, rather, in an incredible way.

‘Arahan!’

The name Arahan carried immense weight. It referred to the ultimate state a practitioner could attain. Only a select few with the proper qualifications could earn the title of Arahan. It signified reaching the pinnacle of a particular field. So if this was the ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’, then it meant it had achieved perfection in the field of gold. Indestructibility. A power boost based on the number of coins. It was, quite literally, a fantasy come to life.

Gold was something that could never be destroyed. Equipment with the ‘Indestructible’ option was almost nonexistent, even in the Abyss. There was even a saying that finding indestructible equipment was harder than plucking a star from the sky. Not to mention, the more coins he held, the stronger he became. Even more shocking was the lack of a limit on the equipment’s grade upgrades.

‘If there’s no upper limit,  could it possibly reach Zero Grade?’

Zero-Grade equipment only came from Diamond Boxes. And Diamond Boxes could only be obtained at Level 99. For Park Chan-woo, that was an unreachable grade. But if ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’ could increase in grade just by holding more coins, then reaching Zero Grade wasn’t impossible! He quickly checked the ‘Golden Aura’ ability.

Name: Golden Aura

Description: Shares the aura with the user and any deeply bonded entity.

The effects of ‘Golden Aura’ are the same as the 2nd option of ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’.

Increased Attack & Defense: 41

Entities affected by the aura: Park Chan-woo, Radiant Anubis

‘…It stacks.’

The effects of the Golden Mystery and the Golden Aura overlapped. In other words, his attack and defense increased by twice the number of coins he held. Currently, he has 41 coins. So with both the equipment option and the Golden Aura, his attack and defense had each increased by 82! This was insane. No, this was completely, utterly insane.

‘This really could be called the ultimate counter to creators.’

Coins were something that had to be drained from creators, bankrupting them was the only way to obtain them. But now, coins have even more uses. They could be used to escape the Abyss, for trade, and now, simply holding them increased his power. Not to mention, the locked abilities and potential infinite grade upgrades made the possibilities endless. On top of all that, ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’ was armor. Armor with an attack power boost was extremely rare. And it even came with an aura.

This was a legendary treasure among treasures. It was impossible not to be delighted, as this was a mysterious item that had appeared against astronomical odds.

『Unequipping ‘Demonic Shoulder Guards (-98Lv, Epic).’』

『Equipping ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan (-89Lv, Ancient).’』

As soon as it was equipped, golden radiance shimmered over both shoulders. The aura’s light soon connected with ‘Brilliant Anubis.’ This was the true advantage of an aura, It strengthened together.

‘It should apply to pets, summons, or party members as well.’

Though the exact criteria for deep bonds were unclear, if it applied to ‘Brilliant Anubis,’ then surely the range could be expanded further.

Excellent.

Assuming an ample supply of coins, ‘Golden Mystery of Arahan’ could rival or even surpass Eternal-tier equipment. Now, only one thing remained.

‘The World Tree’s Fruit.’

I had planned to eat it after clearing the dungeon abyss. It was a fruit capable of removing all status ailments that triggered negative effects. Perhaps with this, the afflictions of Weak, Sickly, Frail, Nonexistent, and Terminal would be nullified. Of course, ‘Nonexistent’ had brought significant benefits, but strictly speaking, it was still a debuff.

‘I just hope Terminal gets erased.’

Terminal, a status effect that guaranteed death within 500 days unless the negative level was removed. No matter how rapid my growth was, erasing my negative level within 500 days was impossible. I still needed to gain 90 more levels, and even with my abnormal growth rate, there were limits. Even if not all status effects were erased, at least ‘Terminal’ needed to be removed. Slowly, he took out the ‘World Tree’s Fruit’ and shoved it into his mouth.

Gulp!

『You have consumed the ‘World Tree’s Fruit.’』

『A mystical effect takes root within your body.』

『Removing harmful status effects.』

『Removing status effects.』

『Removing status effects—』

『Cannot be removed.』

‘…What? What do you mean, it cannot be removed?’

The power of the World Tree’s Fruit is absolute. It can even dispel tailored curses crafted by creators who design sniping abysses!

『The effect of the ‘World Tree’s Fruit’ has been nullified by the ‘Chalice of the Sealed Demon.’』

『Due to the ‘Chalice of the Sealed Demon,’ the remaining time for ‘Terminal’ has been shortened.』

『To restore ‘Terminal’ to its original duration, you must offer a tribute to the ‘God of Sacrifice.’』

Whoooosh!

A chilling wind blew, and my vision turned black. I could see nothing. The world was swallowed by darkness.

‘The Chalice of the Sealed Demon?’

Why was that name appearing now? The Chalice of the Sealed Demon was originally the vessel that imprisoned the God of Sacrifice. I didn’t have that item anymore. Yet, somehow, it had nullified the effects of the ‘World Tree’s Fruit.’ Even worse, it shortened the duration of ‘Terminal.’ Something impossible had just happened. The Chalice of the Sealed Demon was used as an offering to travel back in time. It shouldn’t have reappeared out of nowhere.

‘Wasn’t the Chalice of the Sealed Demon sacrificed?’

And why had it interfered with the effects of the ‘World Tree’s Fruit’? There was no way to know. He gritted his teeth. Darkness was spreading. Instinctively, he knew this darkness meant death. As the ‘Terminal’ duration shortened, death was approaching. To counteract it, I had to offer a tribute to the God of Sacrifice.

‘The God of Sacrifice is still helping me. But the Chalice of the Sealed Demon is pushing me off the cliff.’

He forced himself to think logically. When he returned to the past, the God of Sacrifice had disappeared, but the system it left behind was still functioning. If the same were true for the Chalice of the Sealed Demon Even though it had vanished, something left inside it might still be active.

‘Wait a minute.’

‘What was inside the Chalice of the Sealed Demon?’

‘…Sephiro.’

Half of Sephiro. Could that be linked to his status effects, including ‘Terminal’? Was his curse slowly devouring him? …Could this also explain why the God of Sacrifice remained silent?

『Offering ‘Demonic Helmet’ as tribute.』

『Offering ‘Demonic Shoulder Guards’ as tribute.』

『Offering ‘Demonic Boots’ as tribute.』

『Tribute is overwhelmingly insufficient.』

He had offered everything unnecessary, but it still wasn’t enough. If he needed to offer something truly valuable, it had to be my equipped gear or coins. But he couldn’t offer them. Even if he counteracted the effect, death would eventually come anyway. He couldn’t let all my efforts go to waste.

‘I’d rather die than give them up.’

His vision blurred. He sank deeper into the darkness. He struggled to regain his senses, but he couldn’t.

Kkyuing! Kkyuing!

Then, from somewhere, he heard a familiar sound. Just before he lost consciousness.

Like an illusion, or a hallucination…

At that moment—

『‘Brilliant Anubis’ offers ‘itself’ as tribute.』

A miracle occurred.