-99 Level Archmage

Chapter 10. Easter Egg

“Ugh…!”

Andariel’s eyes rolled back, showing only the whites. His pupils trembled uncontrollably, unable to accept reality.

“Wow, how many wins in a row is that now?”

“But isn’t it strange? Why are only skeleton soldiers appearing?”

“Yeah… isn’t this discrimination?”

The other participants in the “Death Booking” event were equally puzzled. Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo’s party had been winning match after match, yet their opponents remained the same: skeleton soldiers. Meanwhile, other participants faced increasingly stronger enemies after each victory, zombies, ghouls, and even three-headed man-eating dogs.

Naturally, complaints of unfairness and favoritism arose. After all, they had all seen Park Chan-woo giving a “tip” to the game master.

“Hey, Andariel! Isn’t this an issue of fairness?”

Kim Byung-han, the team leader, shouted angrily, veins bulging from his neck. After experiencing the Abyss during lunchtime and facing a flesh-eating monster, Kim Byung-han had realized that the world was turning into something out of a fantasy novel. To reach the top in this new world, he knew he had to act faster than anyone else.

‘Park Chan-woo. That bastard. Just you wait. How dare you call me a pants-wetter?’

Of course, the biggest reason he ended up in the Abyss that first night was because of Park Chan-woo. That look in his eyes, the way he stared down at him arrogantly, calling him a pig, a pants-wetter, he couldn’t forget it. To him, Park Chan-woo was nothing more than a pushover. So, that made the fire inside him to soar. The moment he entered the Abyss, he wasted no time gathering loot and recruiting strong people. Kim Byung-han and his party had been together even before arriving at “Good Vibe Nightclub”. Naturally, they had better teamwork than any other group. They had already won three consecutive matches without even using a pass.

“Hey, demon manager!”

“…Shut up, human.”

“…Hiccup!”

Kim Byung-han was so startled that he hiccupped, then immediately covered his mouth with both hands. Andariel’s demeanor had changed. The friendly demon manager, who had pretended to be polite while playing the role of a waiter, was gone. He, too, couldn’t understand what was happening.

‘…This has to stop.’

The winning streak. Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo were rampaging uncontrollably.

『41 consecutive wins.』

『Current points: 2,990.』

They had already achieved 41 victories. This wasn’t part of Andariel’s calculations. No one, not even the “Owner of the Moon” who created the Abyss or the other creators could have predicted this. The problem was that Andariel himself was the game master of this event.

‘I should never have let them in…!’

Despite not forming a proper party, he had allowed Park Chan-woo inside. If anyone were to be held responsible, it would undoubtedly be Andariel. Abuse of power as a game master. And to make things worse, he had even accepted a bribe in the form of “coins” leaving no room for excuses.

‘If I don’t stop this now… I’m as good as dead.’

His role was simply to help humans arm themselves adequately. To give them a glimpse of hope, to put on a “show” that would entertain the creators. But Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo had gone far beyond that limit. The treasures available for purchase with Booking Points? No human should ever be able to collect more than 500 points. That’s how it was designed. Those items existed only as false hope, to make people believe they could obtain them with enough effort. If they failed the hunt for the Twelve Heavenly Generals, it was their fault for not trying hard enough. They were supposed to accept their deaths quietly. To let them taste absolute despair, the “Owner of the Moon” had even opened his own treasure vault. Because humans were never meant to buy anything from it anyway.

『42 consecutive wins.』

『Current points: 3,300.』

The longer the winning streak, the faster the points accumulated. After 42 wins, both of them had collected 3,300 points each. The biggest problem was, as long as they were in the game, Andariel had no authority to stop them.

“They’ve already surpassed 3,000 points.”

“…”

Park Chan-woo looked at Lee Hyuk-soo and spoke. With 3,000 points, they could buy an “Elixir.” A once-in-a-lifetime chance to fulfill a long-cherished dream. After each battle, players could freely spend their points on purchases, without interference from anyone.

“Don’t you want to buy the Elixir right now?”

“…You told me to do as you say.”

Hearing Lee Hyuk-soo’s response, Park Chan-woo smirked. He hadn’t ordered him to buy the Elixir, so he didn’t. If Lee Hyuk-soo had purchased it on his own or shown any hesitation, he would have been disappointed. But Lee Hyuk-soo was following Park Chan-woo’s orders completely. He instinctively understood that he could see further into the future by taking advantage of the current situation. And he knew that this opportunity was entirely thanks to Park Chan-woo.

“Buy the ‘Lion King’s Greatsword.'”

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, Lee Hyuk-soo spent all of his Booking Points. Then, a “Lion King’s Greatsword” appeared in both of his hands. A weapon of “Ancient-grade”, one with no level restrictions and the greatest potential to strengthen him. It granted additional effects against undead enemies. And in “Death Booking,” all the monsters were classified as “the dead.”

“Lee Hyuk-soo. Is your level still 1?”

“…Still 1.”

As expected, hunting in this event did not grant experience points. But just by wielding that sword, Lee Hyuk-soo now possessed the attack power of at least a level 10 awakened warrior. And given his genius talent for swordsmanship, his actual combat power was likely even higher.

‘The matchmaking system determines the opponent based on the party’s average level. With my level and Lee Hyuk-soo’s combined, the average is -48.5. We can probably win at least ten more matches without any issues.’

Once they surpassed 40 consecutive wins, the rate at which they earned points had increased sharply. According to Park Chan-woo’s calculations, their next opponent, the 43rd enemy, would be at level “-5.”

How far could they go?

‘The Philosopher’s Stone requires 5,000 points.’

Purchasing that stone is a must. However, Park Chan-woo wants more. To achieve that, Lee Hyuk-soo’s sacrifice is necessary. If he gives up on buying the Elixir, winning 20 consecutive matches should be easy.

“…Would you please stop now?”

It was at that moment. Demon Manager Andariel approached with an extremely angry expression.

“I’ve let this go until now, but if you continue to gain unfair advantages through bug exploitation, I cannot overlook it as a Game Master.”

Hearing Andariel’s words, Park Chan-woo scoffed.

“You think I’m exploiting a bug? I didn’t know the Abyss was such an easy place to do that”

“Didn’t you manipulate it so that only skeleton soldiers appear?”

“Manipulation? If you’re so confident, are you willing to swear on the Abyss with your heart? Whether I used a bug to ensure only skeleton soldiers appeared or not, it can be determined through the Oath.”

“…”

Andariel shut his mouth.

They didn’t know how a human was aware of the Oath of the Abyss, but no matter how they analyzed it, this was definitely a bug. It made no sense for only skeleton soldiers to appear over 40 times. That human must have used some trick. Destroying a creator to earn coins was probably part of the same scheme. Declaring the Oath was just a bluff, an attempt to counterattack and put Andariel on the defensive.

“You think that will work?”

Andariel was a Game Master. A high-ranking demon who stood above humans. Naturally, they knew humans well. Rather, it was fortunate that their opponent was acting so boldly. Now, Andariel had absolute certainty.

“…Fine. I swear upon the Abyss with my heart. That you have used some sort of trick in this game.”

He didn’t just say bug or manipulation but expanded it to any kind of trick. If Park Chan-woo refused, he would be branded a bug abuser and destroyed. One way or another, he was doomed.

‘Of course I’m right.’

A smirk of confidence spread across Andariel’s face. It had taken over 40 times to be sure, but if this human perished, everything would be erased.

‘Gotcha.’

Park Chan-woo smiled inwardly. The bait had been cast, and the big fish had finally taken it.

“I, too, swear upon the Abyss with my heart. That I have used no tricks in this game.”

“…?”

Andariel tilted their head in confusion. Did this human not understand what that meant? To swear upon the Abyss with one’s heart,  It meant staking one’s flesh, soul, and everything else. It was a demonic ritual that inflicted pain far beyond mere death.

Wooooooosh.

In an instant, before them—

“H-Huh…!”

“T-The Reaper!”

A Grim Reaper holding a scale appeared. It was the Oath Reaper, the being that governed the Abyss. One of the most powerful Reapers, responsible for determining whose Oath was true and delivering extreme pain and annihilation to the loser. Reapers had no will of their own, ensuring absolute impartial judgment. And then—

Creeeaaak!

The scale began to move.

Thump! Thump!

Before long, the hearts of Park Chan-woo and Andariel were placed on the scale. The scale wobbled back and forth before suddenly tilting toward Park Chan-woo. Andariel’s face turned pale.

“…Wait.”

…The tilt deepened, completely fixing itself at 100% toward Park Chan-woo’s side. In other words—

“I never used any tricks, Andariel.”

Park Chan-woo’s Oath has been proven true.

“No way…!”

Andariel’s pupils dilated in shock.

It wasn’t a bug? No tricks at all?

Then how had skeleton soldiers appeared over 40 times in a row? But his mouth couldn’t open. The judgment was already made.

‘Stop…!’

Slice!

The hearts on the scale were cut. At the same time, Andariel’s body was shredded into hundreds, thousands of pieces. In just three seconds, Andariel vanished as if they had never existed.

Clink. Clink, clink, clink…

Park Chan-woo picked up the coin that had fallen to the ground. A coin he had previously tossed as a tip was among them too. Simultaneously—

『High-ranking demon ‘Game Master Andariel’ has been annihilated.』

『You have acquired ‘4,444 Booking Points.’』

『‘Easter Egg’ has been activated!』

『Winning streak points for ‘Booking Party’ increased by 20%, all treasures 20% off, obtained 4 Lucky Dice that can reduce the level of booking targets by 1 to 6.』

『Title ‘Easter Egg’ (All additional stats +2) has been added.』

『You have obtained ‘Easter Egg (001).’』