Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Predator's Dilemma
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In the center of the village, the glowing mark where I had first been summoned still shimmered in place.
Depending on the choice I made,
it could become an altar for sacrifices offered to me... or a gateway where unknown rivals appeared.
I climbed onto that mark, mulling over what I'd read in the book just moments ago.
"When monsters respawn, new people are summoned at the spawn point."
The death of others would become my nourishment.
The law of the jungle. A perfectly natural rule.
Even in the original world, that law operated implicitly, in more cunning and hypocritical ways. This place was merely an environment that stripped away the facade with ease.
But this wasn't as simple a matter as it seemed.
"...Can I really pull it off?"
I kept my emotions coldly in check and began calculating the plan.
The benefits of success were clear.
I'd claim a monopoly on all initial resources, experience, and gold in Dimension 64—an overwhelming advantage.
The growth that 5-6 people, or up to 10 in busier dimensions, would split among themselves? I'd absorb it all alone.
On top of that, other dimensions would see steady influxes of new arrivals daily, making competition fiercer with each passing day.
In the end, the gap would widen to an insurmountable level right from the start.
An absolute powerhouse no one could threaten.
That was the surest way to survive in this brutal world of survival and cutthroat rivalry.
Yet the risks were equally clear.
First, potential system intervention from the act of killing itself.
Did penalties exist for player kills—PK? A red name for murderers? Being barred from certain NPCs? Or, worst case, stat reductions across the board?
There was no guarantee that my fixed Evil alignment wouldn't bring extra penalties on top of that.
Second, variables from the opponents.
The exact number of new summons was completely uncertain.
Would they arrive one by one?
What if two or three showed up at once? The community folks said an average of 5-6 per dimension.
And if one of them had a unique ability granting superior physical prowess over mine, or something far stronger and more specialized than Universal Resistance?
The moment I thought my ambush was perfect, a blade could turn back on my throat instead. Failure meant death.
Of course, the odds of them instantly grasping their unique ability and activating a skill upon arrival were slim.
They'd most likely be crippled by headaches like I was, unable to do a thing.
But passive abilities, auto-triggers, or prior knowledge were all variables in play.
If they came one at a time, it'd be far simpler—but alone, I had no way to know.
Other dimensions surely knew how their first arrivals had come: all at once, or sequentially?
No such posts in the community. It was treated like common sense.
Finally, the issue of me as a person.
I'd never killed anyone before.
Sure, I was confident I wouldn't agonize much over the morality or guilt of taking a life.
To me, others' lives were just one of three things: means to profit, obstacles in my way, or worthless irrelevancies.
But thinking it and doing it were different.
Even with those thoughts, my life so far had been peaceful.
I couldn't predict what that first kill might unleash in me.
Selfish as I was, humans still felt emotions.
Dozens of plans flashed through my mind and vanished. Success odds, risks, variables... the scales tipped endlessly back and forth.
The conclusion was singular: insufficient information.
Deciding now would be foolish gambling.
I wasn't a gambler. I had to be a predator who moved on thorough calculations.
"First... I need to get stronger."
Putting the decision on hold, I cleared my thoughts and headed back to Zone 1.
Ten slimes remained there, untouched. The only risk-free growth path available to me now.
I'd left them just in case, but the community showed plenty from other dimensions hadn't thought that far.
Thanks to them, killing them all hadn't triggered any odd variables.
Still, even gazing at the upbeat community feed, I didn't rule out planted misinformation.
But info on common scenarios like wiping out all slimes was too consistent to fake—odds were it was legit.
After that,
stepping back into Zone 1, the serene meadow greeted me once more.
At level 5, my eyes locked on as the slimes moved in slow motion, like stationary targets.
I gripped my sword tighter. The sensation felt different from before.
With Strength 5 and Agility 5 added, my body felt light yet brimming with power.
I charged the nearest slime. No need for caution this time.
Closing the distance at overwhelming speed, it couldn't even react.
Swish!
The sword sliced through its body smoothly, unlike the previous bursting pop!.
No resistance—just a clean cut, blade never touching the ground. Swordsmanship precision.
The difference came from accuracy. Agility didn't just boost speed; it sharpened precise senses too, I realized.
The slime crumbled to dust, and I turned to the next target.
The hunt was a one-sided massacre.
The remaining ten fell in under two minutes. Closer spacing could've ended it in seconds.
Experience and gold piled up, but no level-up. As expected.
Level 6 demanded more EXP, it seemed.
"All done."
The now-empty meadow fell eerily silent.
I stared at it a moment, then returned to the village without regret.
Everything I could do was finished. All that remained was waiting.
[Dimension 34]
"What I'm saying is, we should split this equally."
Kim Min-jun spoke in a calm, firm voice.
Six people sat around him. A mid-thirties office worker in his original life, he'd only been here three hours but had naturally become the group's anchor.
Thanks to being the first to regain composure amid the chaos and calm the others.
At their feet lay gold pouches from over ten slimes—the proof of their hunt.
They'd discovered gold could be withdrawn from inventory slots just minutes ago.
"Why split the gold equally? Shouldn't those who killed more get more?"
A gruff middle-aged man in his fifties shot back.
He seemed convinced he'd slain more slimes than the young ones.
"Mister, is that really what matters right now?"
Hasr snapped sharply. The early-twenties college student was, alongside Kim Min-jun, the most proactive in tackling their plight.
"We're not here to do business. This is about survival. If we start fighting over shares now, how will we handle what's ahead? Stronger monsters? We'll just pass the buck until we all die!"
The man clamped his mouth shut at her words. She was spot-on.
This place was too dangerous for fractures already. He didn't want to go solo.
In Dimension 34, eight people had been summoned total.
Led by Kim Min-jun and Hasr, these seven had ventured out together, slaying slimes and accepting this nightmare as reality.
A ragtag bunch including a teenage boy and an elderly man.
But not everyone faced facts.
The excluded one—a high school girl in uniform—huddled in a village corner, unmoving.
To Kim Min-jun, she looked like someone denying reality as a horrific dream, just waiting to wake.
He sighed and spoke again.
"We're a team now. Individual strengths vary, but united is how we survive. The hunt was collective, so gold gets split evenly—even if EXP doesn't. Use it for food or gear as needed. Any objections?"
No one opposed his proposal.
Truth was, Kim Min-jun and Hasr had started hunting early, realized slimes were finite, rallied everyone, and kicked off the group hunt.
Yet neither mentioned their pre-group EXP or gold.
The middle-aged man seemed to suspect it but couldn't push back— they'd informed everyone first, and it was 2v1.
The tense air dissipated. These seven hadn't had time to engage the community much. Dimension 34 was one that grabbed key info but posted nothing.
Most were overwhelmed just surviving and bonding with those nearby.
Yet adaptation varied. These two especially.
"With my unique ability..."
"No one else here is level 3, right?"
Kim Min-jun and Hasr each harbored their thoughts, marking their strong start in this new world.
Not just them—across 100 dimensions, fragile, precarious mini-societies were just beginning to form.
[Dimension 64]
Before long, the sky began dyeing red. But it wasn't like a normal sunset.
A cloudless canvas brushed evenly with red paint—unrealistically vivid.
Like high-end game graphics, the artificiality amplified the unease.
I opened my inventory to check gold: 600 total from 100 slimes plus quest rewards. No small sum at this stage.
First, to the village grocer. The NPC greeted me in an emotionless tone.
"What can I assist with, traveler?"
I bought two chunks of hardtack-like rations. 10 gold each, 20 total spent.
As items, they had detailed nutrition info—surprisingly nutrient-dense despite appearances.
Then to the cheapest inn.
20 gold covered a night with basic meals, water, and hygiene.
I considered camping outside to save it, but rest mattered too.
A well-rested body could be an edge over others. If I grew into a true superhuman, sleep might become obsolete.
Inside the room, I perched on the creaky wooden bed.
Out the window, the transcendent world's fake dusk painted the sky black.
Tomorrow noon.
Exactly 24 hours since arrival—monsters would respawn, new people appear.
I still hadn't decided.
Or rather, not fully committed.
My inner scales already tipped one way. My extreme selfishness leaned harder toward slaughter and monopoly as time passed.
But reason issued final warnings.
Unknown risks demanded assuming the worst and preparing.
Indeed,
without solid intel, what variables killing might trigger was anyone's guess. Risks were massive on review.
Yet success meant massive gains. A lead over all, benefits rivaling any first-day psycho who'd tried it.
In the end, tomorrow at noon would reveal it.
How they appeared, how many.
The instant their weakness and my dominance confirmed, my last reason would kneel to instinct.
I mechanically chewed one 20-gold ration. Tasteless.
Just fueling for survival.
Meal done, I lay on the bed. No fatigue, but top condition for tomorrow's hunt was key.
Staring at the ceiling, I reflected on the day. My immersion felt oddly intense.
Reality's sudden shift had ignited this adaptive zeal—unlike the me I knew.
Was this survival instinct awakened? Had my peaceful life never demanded it before?
Sudden weariness hit, but my mind sharpened.
Tension, probably.
I forced my eyes shut.
My head swirled with tomorrow's scenarios.
How to ambush. Elimination order. Contingencies.
Night was silent outside, but within, the fiercest battlefield raged.
A long night plotting not monsters, but humans.
And so, the first day in the transcendent world ended.