Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Volume 1 - Chapter 2 (5)
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Oh Heon's command to report.
His voice was low and calm, yet it rang out clearly across the entire plaza.
Siron had countless questions about this man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
But for Siron, who had already become a faithful slave, obeying orders took precedence.
Slaves were not permitted to ask questions.
They were only allowed to carry out commands.
Remembering this, Siron immediately lifted his head and began his report without hesitation.
Eleven new recruits had arrived, and all twenty-one had completed the standard quests. Only Siron had cleared the goblin quest in Zone 3.
He also reported on various other matters: the unique abilities of today's arrivals, the fact that no one had cleared the elite quests in his absence, the excess of more than ten new recruits, and so on.
Siron's report was clean and concise, without any superfluous details.
Once finished, he bowed his head deeply again, no longer looking at Oh Heon.
Oh Heon pondered the reports for a moment before addressing Siron, who remained kneeling.
"You've surpassed level 10."
"Yes. I'm currently level 11. I haven't chosen a job yet."
A faint smile—almost imperceptible—flickered across Oh Heon's lips upon hearing the response.
Good thing he didn't choose a job on his own.
There are still plenty of experiments to run with jobs.
And Siron.
Unlike Dwin before him, he had quickly suppressed his fear and reported his level straightforwardly.
Siron hadn't noticed the smile, but Oh Heon approved of his demeanor.
Siron probably understood.
Revealing his level meant openly declaring how much experience Oh Heon would gain by killing him right then and there.
Yet he had answered swiftly, and he hadn't touched on anything Oh Heon hadn't hinted at.
He had perfectly fulfilled his role within the bounds given to him.
A fine slave.
I glanced back at those bowed behind him.
Even after slaughtering half of them yesterday, the numbers had filled up again. I pondered the sudden increase in people.
Eleven in Dimension 64, thirteen in Dimension 34.
Both dimensions had seen summons exceeding ten people.
And today marked the eleventh day.
As expected, the number of summoned people increased every ten days.
This dimension's population would grow exponentially from here on.
And that heralded countless changes.
On the surface:
An increase in Soul Origin supply, more quest completions leading to greater overall dimensional resources.
Digging deeper:
Unique ability holders becoming rarer, a surge in low-level ability users, explosive growth in community information volume, heightened importance of the Soul Shop, and maximized experience gaps.
In the end, the value of hoarded resources would rise, while human lives would depreciate.
Conflicts sparked by the accelerating erosion of human rights would slowly ignite across the dimension.
While Oh Heon was lost in these deep thoughts,
Everyone tensed, awaiting his next words.
"Siron, you're the only one coming with me."
"Understood."
As the two gradually vanished from the village, the plaza's people—silent until then—finally exhaled and exchanged wary glances.
Then, one or two began to speak up.
"...Is it safe now?"
"Can we talk?"
"I'm drenched in sweat from all the tension..."
"Even Siron couldn't move a muscle in front of him. Who is that guy?"
"Isn't he the top dog?"
"What's his level?"
Most who spoke were the new recruits from today.
Rabupan eyed them amid the growing murmurs.
These fools...
They're starting to cross the line.
Before the newcomers could spout anything truly dangerous, Rabupan stepped forward and silenced the commotion.
"Enough. Useless talk will only shorten your lives."
"Make no guesses about him. Don't voice any thoughts. That's the rule."
The newcomers clamped their mouths shut at Rabupan's warning.
Especially those who had already learned through violence from him.
Watching them, Rabupan thought:
They have no idea yet.
That man isn't just some powerhouse—he's a calamity transcending human common sense.
He wasn't merely the pinnacle of the hierarchy like Siron.
Even Siron had barely qualified to become his slave...
To forget that this dimension was essentially an experience farm, Rabupan hurried back to the lodging.
During the trek to the meadow, Siron remained silent.
Oh Heon walked ahead without a word as well.
Oh Heon's stat and skill level reductions had already lifted, and Grasp Complete was functioning normally.
The only remnants were permanent aftereffects, but they wouldn't significantly impact combat right now.
Upon reaching the meadow, Oh Heon swung his sword at the slimes without hesitation.
Half the slimes vanished in under a minute.
Siron watched the scene in a daze.
The last time he'd witnessed Oh Heon hunting was when his stats were stuck in the 20s.
Anyone could kill slimes, but Oh Heon's speed was unreal.
Where he passed, only dust-remnants of slimes remained.
'He's incomparably stronger than before... What rewards did he sweep up in the tower?'
As the slime hunt neared its end,
A drastic change began overtaking Oh Heon's body.
Just a hundred slimes. Monsters worth a measly 100 experience even if all caught.
This tiny experience triggered his transformation.
'Finally...'
Breaking through 40 stats—the third awakening.
Not forced by a key, but reached through normal means.
And achieving level 30.
At level 30, he could acquire a new job skill.
Awakening and a new job skill simultaneously—for the first time.
Even after finishing the hunt, Oh Heon sat in place, seemingly engrossed in something.
Siron felt a bit flustered watching him but chalked it up to the man's unpredictability.
Meanwhile, a fierce vortex raged inside Oh Heon.
All physical organs and mental faculties tied to Strength, Defense, and Mana stats were being reshaped.
A fundamental redesign of the body. That was awakening.
Similar to the marrow-cleansing rebirth in wuxia tales.
Except rebirth was one-time, while awakenings repeated.
I was viewing my status window as the awakening progressed.
Stats were rising in real-time by 0.1 increments.
Alignment: XUnique Ability: [Universal Resistance]Skills: [Domain 3rd Grade], [Demi-God Body 3rd Grade], [Grasp Complete 2nd Grade], [Precision Enhancement 2nd Grade], [King's Pressure 1st Grade] (Item)
[Permanent Aftereffect: Body Fracture]
All stats had surpassed or approached 40.
Satisfied, I closed the status window.
Time to test this new realm's power.
After mopping up the remaining slimes, we headed to Zone 2.
My body, having broken through 40 stats, defied imagination.
Wolves no longer qualified as prey.
A mere brush, and they exploded.
I tore through the forest, shredding everything in my path.
Siron trailed behind, staring in horror at the trail of destruction I left.
Before long, we reached the final zone.
Zone 3.
It felt like ages since last time, though I'd been yesterday.
Oh Heon traversed the trap-filled dirt path as if it were nothing.
Goblins leaping from the road or bushes.
Unlike my first time, they now felt exactly goblin-level in strength.
Siron watched from afar as I toyed with them like playthings.
I recalled why I'd brought him here while glancing at him.
To feed him an elite goblin and complete his quest.
And so, we arrived at the goblin outpost.
For the first time since hitting 40 stats, I activated Domain.
'Domain.'
[Domain 3rd Grade]
Activated
I enveloped the entire outpost in my domain.
A massive 200-meter radius domain unfurled, revealing every goblin's position and movement within like an open palm.
I decided to demonstrate the domain's power to all the goblins.
The outpost was engulfed in an invisible force.
And the massacre began.
Over a hundred goblins inside burst and died instantly under the overwhelming domain pressure.
The larger ones past 10 stats held out a few seconds longer, but
Their defense plummeted rapidly under the domain,
limbs twisting, guts spilling, vomiting blood as they perished.
I entered the outpost immediately. Siron swiftly collected all the loot.
Confirming he'd gathered everything, I headed underground.
Siron hurried after me, his face showing he'd never imagined a passage here.
The two descended the underground passage without resistance.
At its end lay an underground outpost resembling an altar.
I charged the goblin shaman at blinding speed.
Even using minimal demigod power, I reached the altar far faster than my first fight.
The goblin shaman was bisected before it could cast.
At that horrifying speed, the four elites abandoned combat and fled.
I instantly killed three and battered the last one just enough before tossing it to Siron.
"Kill it."
Siron gripped his sword with trembling hands, the scene eerily familiar.
He slew the half-dead elite goblin.
Afterward, Oh Heon and Siron returned topside, and the hunt soon concluded.
On the way back to the village,
Traversing Zone 3's forest, Siron reflected.
All this had happened in mere dozens of minutes.
His power had reached an unfathomable level.
At that moment,
"From now on, you're the chief administrator."
Oh Heon's voice shattered the forest's silence.
I immediately bowed my head at his words.
"And select three managers under you. Do it like Dwin did."
"Yes."
I answered without hesitation.
But his final words—'like Dwin did'—made Siron falter slightly.
Dwin.
The former chief administrator.
He'd been brutally murdered by the man before him without explanation.
Chief administrator? Siron knew such a title was essentially meaningless.
The forgotten terror of death began to awaken in him.
The result of obedience.
Even Dwin, who followed every order meticulously, had been slaughtered like livestock.
Then me? The same fate awaited.
I was still just his livestock. Ready for slaughter anytime.
As if reading my thoughts, Oh Heon continued.
"And starting tomorrow, help the managers clear the goblin quest."
"Understood."
Siron responded instantly.
But though his reply was quick, his heart was not.
Fear gripped his entire body. At this rate, he'd meet Dwin's end too.
Siron desperately shook off the fear, searching for a way to survive this.
Resist Oh Heon? Betray him? He dismissed such folly.
Persuade Oh Heon? How?
Beg him not to kill the managers? Like that?
...Spare us? Uttering that could cost his head instantly.
He was the type to do it.
Dwin's case: No words spoken, yet suddenly slain.
....
Siron sorted through countless thoughts and finally resolved himself.
A life-or-death gamble.
With a trembling voice, feigning utmost composure, Siron spoke.
"Lord Oh Heon, may I make one proposal?"
Oh Heon turned to him wordlessly.
Overwhelmed by that emotionless gaze, suffocation hit. Regret surged.
'I could really die here. Should I not have spoken?.. No, if I don't now, death comes someday anyway.'
Ultimately, Siron didn't back down.
"Your goal must be absolute power and efficient growth. For that, a stable resource supply system is paramount."
"Thus, guarantee the survival of the managers, including myself. Not unconditionally, of course."
"If we hinder your growth or become useless, discard us anytime. But show us minimal trust, and we promise to deliver greater gains, staking our lives."
"However, more managers could risk rebellion."
I caught my breath and struck at the core.
"So, please restrict our levels."
It was a slave's desperate survival struggle—and utterly rational proposal.
I finished speaking and awaited his judgment.
Time felt eternal.
Finally, his mouth opened.
"Logical. Very well."
Oh Heon fell silent a moment, then continued.
"Level cap at 15 for now."
At his approval, I felt strength drain from my body as I bowed deeply.
I survived.
For now.
Manager was now a meaningful position.
One with life assurance.
They could vanish if his mind changed even slightly,
but that was the mindset needed.
The two returned to the village, and Oh Heon headed somewhere.
I watched his back, sighing in relief while steeling a new resolve.
Now the real start. Become his most useful tool and prove my worth.
At that moment,
Oh Heon was heading to the Hall of Revelation for his new skill.
Siron's proposal was one of the methods I'd considered.
Cap levels to preempt rebellion.
Assured of life, managers raise livestock more diligently.
To think he'd suggest it first.
He's different from Dwin.
Mulling over Siron,
I habitually opened the community for info.
Needed to check other dimensions' reactions to Zone 3.
But what caught my eye first was a post by the 88th ranker.
Another proposal, following Siron's.