-99 Level Archmage

Chapter 7. Priceless Treasure

— “You’re below my expectations.”

The day Park Chan-woo first met Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo in the Abyss. Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo crossed swords. After defeating Park Chan-woo, Lee Hyuk-soo left him with these words:

— “You’re below my expectations.”

He passed by with a disappointed gaze. After that duel, Park Chan-woo broke his own sword. At first, he denied it, but eventually, he had to admit it. Lee Hyuk-soo had far surpassed him in both talent and understanding of the sword.

“A shining talent for the sword… I was never given that.”

He thought he had talent. Even though he started later than others, he became strong quickly. But he was wrong. It wasn’t talent for the sword, it was just luck. He had merely walked a path paved by those who had died before him and mistaken it for his own skill. It was only because he had never seen someone with true swordsmanship talent that he had such illusions.

But Lee Hyuk-soo was different. His sword was in a class of its own. Even though he seemed to swing it wildly, not a single movement was wasted. His foresight spanned several moves, perhaps even dozens ahead. His ability to read opponents, disrupt their flow, and bring the battle under his control was chilling. All of these combined to make him the Undefeated Sword King. Not in a single aspect did Park Chan-woo surpass him.

After experiencing the overwhelming gap in skill and talent firsthand, Park Chan-woo realized the sword was not his path.

“At that time, my level was 90.”

Too high to start over from scratch. After wandering aimlessly, he discovered he had a talent for magic. But it was too late. He had too few level points left to invest in the mage class. Even so, he walked forward. Without direction, without a plan. It wasn’t until he surpassed level 90 that he began to seek true knowledge.

“…”

And now, Lee Hyuk-soo stood before him. Not as the Sword King, but as an ordinary man. He looked to be in his early twenties. He wore a blue jacket, jeans, and held a wooden sword. His deep-set eyes held a melancholy gaze. There was no mistake. Though he appeared much younger than in Park Chan-woo’s memories, he was undoubtedly Lee Hyuk-soo. He hadn’t even fully geared up yet. But even with just a wooden sword, his stance was already perfect. Lee Hyuk-soo stood silently, watching the entrance of Water’s Good Nightclub with caution.

“Hello, everyone! I am the demon manager, ‘Andariel’! Pleased to meet you!”

A demon appeared at the entrance of the nightclub. It had the body of a giant spider, four black wings, and a face painted like a clown. Andariel spoke to the gathered people.

“Before you enter, please form a party. As you all know, pairing up is better than going alone, a group of three is better than two, and four is even better!”

Ding!

『Form a “Booking Party.”』

『A “Booking Party” can have up to four members.』

『Party members cannot have a level difference greater than 10.』

Park Chan-woo frowned. Parties were typically formed with people of similar levels. There was no way anyone here could party with him. His level was -98, whereas most people here were likely between level 1 and 10.

“Is this hell? And are you demons invading Earth?”

A man with an axe spoke up amid the confusion. Andariel chuckled.

“Is that a question?”

“Yeah.”

“You humans voluntarily entered the Abyss, so you’re braver than I thought. The answer is: ‘This is neither hell nor an invasion.’ Now, since I answered your question, I must take my payment.”

“…Payment?”

“One life per question.”

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

A thick spike pierced the man’s chest. His blood evaporated instantly, leaving behind only a dried-up corpse. His body fell to the ground, And then vanished.

“Anyone else have questions?”

“…”

Of course not. He had asked a single question and lost his life. As if it was nothing. And not just that—

Thud!

Another man who had been sneaking away was suddenly impaled from behind.

Instant death.

Two dead already.

“You all have no choice but to enter. Now, quickly form your Booking Parties. Just hold hands, and it will happen automatically. I’ll give you exactly three minutes.”

[180]

A countdown appeared before everyone.

Three minutes.

“Once time is up, you will all enter ‘Good Vibe’ Nightclub for your booking. Oh, don’t worry! I’ve arranged some very beautiful partners for you!”

Everyone realized. It was already too late to run.

“A high-ranking demon.”

Park Chan-woo instantly identified Andariel. He was one of the game masters who controlled Night Abyss. High-ranking demons were the ones who enjoyed entertainment the most. They treated the Abyss as their playground, often disguising themselves like this to “guide” people. But in reality, Park Chan-woo knew the truth. They weren’t guides. They were just perverts with sick hobbies.

[168]

“A-A-Anyone wants to party up?”

“Hey! Let’s team up with strong people!”

“There’s no time!”

As time ran out, people hurriedly started forming parties. The strong gathered with the strong, the weak with the weak. Birds of a feather flock together.

Team manager, Kim Byunghan, who had finished some farming, was able to join a group quickly. However, there were some people whom no one approached. Those were Park Chanwoo and Lee Hyuksoo.

‘Do I really have no presence?’

Park Chanwoo had been noticing it for a while. Even though he was dressed in a robe that would make even a demon priest cry, no one spared him a glance. Not even the demon Manger, Andariel.

A man of no presence.

Unless he revealed himself first, no one would notice his existence.

‘At least I won’t get ambushed from behind.’

Rather, it was the opposite. He had an absolute advantage in initiating an attack. If he could sneak up and take out an enemy in one strike, there would be no ability more overpowered than this. Even though he had returned to level -99, it wasn’t all bad. However, thinking he was 100% safe would be a mistake. There had been a time when his existence was revealed.

‘But how did Team Manager Kim Byunghan recognize me at the lake park?’

Was it because he already knew him from before? Or was there another condition that allowed someone to recognize him? Because right now, even Team Manager Kim Byunghan didn’t seem to notice him at all.

“What about that guy?”

“Pass. He looks too dark and gloomy, not really suited for a party.”

On the other hand, Lee Hyuksoo was just ‘awkward.’ All he had was a wooden sword. No proper equipment, no impressive physique, just a guy who was trying too hard to look cool. Not exactly an appealing choice for a party. He could ruin the mood or disrupt team harmony.

[3]

[2]

[1]

“Time’s up! Exactly 58 parties have been formed. Ah, of course, those coming solo are also fine. I will assign you to a party myself. The remaining number is seven… Hmm?”

Andariel, who was speaking, suddenly sensed something strange and looked around.

‘What?’

There were a total of 199 people in this area. With 58 parties formed, and seven people remaining, that would make exactly 60 parties. But no matter how hard he looked…

‘One person is missing.’

Only six were visible. As the overseer of this area, Andariel’s authority allowed him to detect all 199 humans. Yet, he could only see 198.

‘Stealth?’

If someone wasn’t visible, it meant they were using stealth. However, no human could escape the gaze of a high-ranking demon like Andariel. Especially not a human who was only facing their second Abyss. So where was the missing one?

Since the system wouldn’t make an error, it meant he simply wasn’t able to find them. A variable had appeared right from the start. Andariel focused his senses, scanning the area carefully.

Tap, tap!

“Hey.”

“…Kihehehehehek!”

Startled, Andariel quickly jumped back. Someone was tapping his body with a staff. A chill ran down his spine. Even though he had been on guard, he hadn’t sensed anything approaching.

No color, no scent.

The sudden appearance of this presence made the demon manager Andariel panic.

“Wh-Who are you? When did you get next to me?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here I can party with. Would it be okay if I entered alone?”

…Was this really a human? That made it even harder to accept.

‘He’s only wearing a Demonic Set, though?’

It was a set of equipment that even high-ranking demons sometimes wore. Impossible not to recognize. For the humans here, it was a treasure. But in the Abyss, it was common equipment.

For someone who was only wearing the Demonic Set, how could he avoid the detection of a high-ranking demon? Andariel tried using his authority to forcibly assign him to a party. Then—

『Due to an overwhelming level difference, party formation is impossible.』

A system message appeared before Andariel’s eyes. …An overwhelming level difference? That meant this human’s level was on an entirely different plane compared to the others. Not a single person here was worthy of forming a party with him. Suddenly, Andariel’s gaze landed on the staff the man was holding. At that moment—

‘W-Wait. That staff is…!!’