Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Another Murderer
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Gimmicks on every floor?
I'd thought this event was just about slaying monsters until the end.
Gimmicks, huh...
The system's deliberate use of the word "gimmicks" stuck with me.
If it were a simple contest of strength, they wouldn't phrase it that way.
Regardless of my thoughts, the slimes in the meadow continued to drop dead.
Thanks to the effects of Grasp Complete, slime hunting had reached a realm where my body moved on autopilot without any conscious effort.
I pondered while tracing the optimal path to slaughter them.
Gimmicks could mean endless possibilities.
A simple maze, complex mechanisms, special powers required...
Or maybe avoiding or destroying something specific.
Of course, overwhelming stats could neutralize most gimmicks.
I still didn't know if we'd all enter the tower together or go in solo.
If there were gimmicks, solo would be easier. Multiplayer setups were usually the harder difficulties.
Would it force reliance on others? If so...
That would be a massive problem.
While solving gimmicks, others' value would skyrocket, enough to infringe on my rights.
The rights of the master, the rights of the strong.
They might demand something in return.
My rewards, or my life as blackmail.
At that thought, my expression hardened for the first time since arriving in the Transcendent World.
'Would the system really design it that way?'
Based on the system's patterns so far,
the odds were low.
It encouraged competition by favoring the strong,
giving a slight edge to latecomers over the weak.
In other words, the system viewed the weak's elimination as natural.
In this survival-of-the-fittest Transcendent World, would it suddenly create a scenario where the weak could trample the strong's rights?
But I knew it was futile to try guessing the system's intent this early.
How could anyone predict the mind behind this colossal world? It was impossible for now.
I set aside thoughts of the system and focused on planning for the gimmicks themselves.
With no clue what form they'd take, I needed to prepare for every contingency.
I'd have to revisit the shop for purchases too.
Money was piling up, so I could afford decent items now.
Until then, I'd grow as much as possible, reaching a point where raw power could crush any variables.
In the midst of these brief thoughts, the meadow was cleared of slimes.
I gazed toward the forest of Zone 2. The wolves inside weren't visible.
Not even with my high Agility stat.
Monsters from other zones weren't visible within your own. The same rule applied between the village and the meadow.
Passing through felt like slipping through an invisible barrier as I crossed from Zone 1 to Zone 2.
While casually dispatching wolves, I realized I'd hit my first benchmark and paused my hunt.
'Checking how many newbies arrived today mid-hunt is a hassle.'
Time to adjust the plan.
Scout the numbers from afar first, then start slime hunting.
Today, beyond skill training, I'd carve out time for special experiments.
I sat on a tree stump in the woods for a short rest.
I awakened my senses to check my body.
As expected, yesterday's experiments had left lingering fatigue.
No tests the day before the tower. I had to wrap them up beforehand.
No matter how superhuman I'd become, my limits had just risen—fatigue was still real.
During rests, I usually browsed the Soul Shop or community.
The community was as useless as ever today.
The only helpful bits were job discussions, but with jobs limited to the top ranks, info was scarce.
Even including ranking-restricted posts.
Opinions on the first event, the tower, were much the same.
Habitually, I opened the Soul Shop next.
Maybe I'd missed an item or there'd be a small change. Hadn't happened yet, but worth checking.
Same old items and skills. Nothing new.
As I moved to close the window, a sense of wrongness hit me.
I double-checked the skill list, especially the limited ones.
'...It's gone.'
A limited skill that had been there yesterday was missing.
Gatherer's Instinct.
The one that boosted item material drop rates—seemed useless for now.
Someone had bought it.
And the implication was clear.
Somewhere in this Transcendent World, besides me, another murderer existed.
One who'd claimed at least ten lives and gathered ten Soul Origins.
Ranking-restricted notices had already revealed the Soul Origin and shop.
I knew from the community that someone called "Regen" might've killed besides me—could be a lie.
But at this point, ten deaths confirmed another who saw humans as resources, just like me.
Gatherer's Instinct not only raised material drop chances but revealed hidden gathering points.
Crucially, it was one of the rare growth-related skills.
My heart sank coldly.
I might've vaguely assumed I was the sole frontrunner in this massive game.
But no.
Invisible, another predator was stacking blood altars my way—or crueler.
Even if they'd started late, they were now direct rivals for the Soul Shop.
Who?
Second place "Eok"? Third "Lord"?
Or a third, fourth still submerged?
Where were they now? What were they doing?
Had they noticed me upon seeing the sold-out notice?
I stared at the Soul Shop window in silence.
A rival was unwelcome, but it ignited a primal fighting spirit deep in my chest.
From now on, I'd barely touch Soul Origins except for limited skills.
I had to think farther ahead.
'The real competition begins?'
Arriving at the forest entrance, Dwin spotted me first and rushed over.
Behind him, a much larger group than yesterday emerged.
Manav, the six survivors from before, and two new faces. Ten slaves total.
His arrival filled the newbies' formerly defiant faces with terror.
Probably Dwin's "education" via violence.
I approached Dwin. Before I could speak, he began reporting.
"As ordered, we split into two teams and hunted."
Dwin's report was concise.
His team had completed the Compound-Eyed Wolf quest. Siron's team was still hunting.
Three newbies were attached to Siron's side.
So five new arrivals today. That set my remaining wolf count.
Dwin added they'd rendezvous at yesterday's point once Siron's team finished.
I nodded, shifting my gaze to the newbies behind him.
Their eyes mixed fear of me with faint curiosity.
I asked,
"Anything unusual about today's arrivals?"
Unique ability holders were always suspects.
"One newbie had an ability to spew smoke... but it's immature, no real threat."
Dwin reported flatly.
No trace of yesterday's confusion or fear in his eyes.
Dwin was adapting fast to this hellish reality.
I said no more.
"Hunt Star-Eyed Wolves. Just you follow."
Dwin quickly instructed the others, and we headed deep into the woods, just the two of us.
The Star-Eyed Wolf hunt ended in seconds, same as always.
Dwin completed another quest. He seemed lost in the dizzying rush of level-up.
I watched his growth with impassive eyes.
Like a farmer seeing livestock fatten for slaughter.
When I asked his level, Dwin hesitated before saying 8.
'Level 8...'
After a moment's thought, I left him and hunted the remaining Compound-Eyed Wolves.
Dwin watched me go with trepidation.
My overwhelming pace silenced the forest bit by bit.
It was right then, as I felled one last wolf.
Zone 3.
It was finally open.
I couldn't hide my joy.
Monsters from days 4 through 8—today included—their cumulative kills.
It took five days total to meet the unlock. I'd estimated five or ten.
Five days matched Zone 2's unlock. Numbers differed vastly, but time was the same.
What about average dimensions?
While others hit Zone 3 conditions on day ten, I'd opened a new hunting ground two days early.
I recalled Zone 3's name.
Goblin Outpost.
The name alone promised organized, annoying foes beyond wolves.
But also more EXP and better loot.
Smiling in satisfaction, I swung at the forest's last Compound-Eyed Wolves.
Tomorrow, a new stage, new prey.
Dwin returned to the village with his group.
Siron's team had arrived; I exchanged oddities with Siron and parted.
Then, the system announced Zone 3's unlock to them too, blanking their vision.
Dwin was stunned by the sudden news.
'Z-Zone 3? Community said at least five days...'
Newbies didn't understand, but Manav mirrored my puzzlement.
Could it be...
Dwin realized he'd arrived on day five. Too busy to check community much, he'd missed a key fact.
Dimension 64 had Zone 2 open on day five.
Now he vaguely grasped how its master achieved such miraculous growth.
This dimension lived on a different timeline from all others.
Because of that one man.
Night fell darkly; Dwin still waited outside the lodging for him.
As he entered the square, Dwin reported every minor detail.
The short talk ended; as always, he headed inside.
Dwin stole a sidelong glance at his profile.
Even before Zone 3's massive event, his face showed no change.
As if he'd known all along, accepting the utterly predictable.
That detachment terrified me more.
Dwin could no longer hold back his question.
Curiosity overrode survival instinct in an instant.
With a trembling voice, I staked my life on the question.
"How... how did you become so strong?"
He turned to me briefly.
His eyes were an abyss of unknowable depth.
Overwhelmed, I bowed my head instinctively.
I held my breath, awaiting his answer—or furious punishment.
Regret surged; why ask?
After a silent pause, his lips parted.
His simple word shattered all my common sense.
"Spawnkill."
My mind blanked white.
Spawnkill? That means...
I desperately racked my brain for meaning.
He meant day two.
When us latecomers arrived unprepared, info-less, he massacred the defenseless.
When I arrived, only he was here...
But that was insane.
Beyond insane.
Day two arrivals were Earth's elite, battle-hardened survivors.
Day one were just lucky normals picked first.
Community consensus: day one got lucky.
Level gaps? Barely 1-2.
How could he even conceive massacring them outnumbered?
And his own arrivals? How kill peers without god-tier unique ability? Same-level kills are brutal.
Failure's risk? Unimaginable.
No info, no system kill mechanics known.
Early community posts—day one and two—were latecomers' entertainment. I knew the vibe.
Initial atmosphere: chaos, cooperation, minimal trust.
Resource hoarders existed, sure.
But none made systematic, merciless kin-hunting their growth strategy from the start. Like him.
The more I thought, the crazier it felt.
System penalties aside, reversal meant instant death.
Not gambling.
Suicidal madness.
As all doubted and guarded amid chaos, he pierced the uncertainty for the extreme choice.
But he succeeded.
Earning unmatched growth no one could rival.
Alone in his wake, I stood frozen long.
Staring at his back, pieces clicked.
His overwhelming level.
I'd seen him as a supremely strong "human."
Top ranker, hidden powerhouse.
Wrong.
He transcended human thinking, common sense.
A monster driven solely by desire and goal, beyond reason or rationality.
Such a being couldn't be mere "strong."
Chills racked me as a hypothesis formed.
Community's veiled rank one, never revealed.
Countless wondered his identity.
Perhaps...
That number one was this man before me.
Only that explained executing and succeeding this mad plan.
I recalled his vanishing silhouette with trembling eyes.
Couldn't see him as mere terror anymore.
He was an incomprehensible, unstoppable natural law.
For the first time, awe surpassed fear in me toward him.
Standing in the square, I imagined my future.
'Future... and fate. My fated path...'
Before that colossal fate, I fully realized: only obedience remained.
His commands were my system.