Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Grand Assembly Announcement
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[Top 5 Ranking Restricted Notice]
Grand Assembly.
This... isn't just some ordinary event, is it?
Events end once you claim the rewards and return, but the Grand Assembly's effects linger until the next one. And no one knows when that will be, which makes it even more problematic.
Feeling the gravity of the Grand Assembly, I read the notice once more.
Afterward, I began sorting through my thoughts.
In the end, no matter how decisions are made in this assembly,
it's clearly a privilege granted only to the top 100 rankers.
Now that they've drawn this line between rankings,
they might even introduce rank-based disparities within the assembly itself.
All I can do is hope the format favors those closer to 1st place.
Another question popped into my mind.
Are the issues decided by majority vote?
But the notice doesn't mention voting—it's just vaguely "various methods."
I searched the community for any posts about the top 5 notice.
There was only one related post.
Posted by Sword King [4].
As expected, I thought, and clicked on his post.
His post, as always, brimmed with idealistic vows.
However, the comments had a completely different vibe.
Remnant Light? A new powerhouse.
Climbing to 3rd place means massive growth since the tower.
Probably by massacring people or monopolizing Zone 3 monsters.
Their brief exchange in the comments clearly revealed each of the four's tendencies and future directions.
I pondered their inferences and conversation.
They all had valid points. Especially Remnant Light's analysis, which aligned with mine.
The system's vague wording suggested the Grand Assembly wouldn't be a mere debate hall.
It might even become another battlefield.
I recalled today's announcements.
Special Dungeon and Grand Assembly.
These two pieces of info could upend the entire landscape ahead.
On top of that, the Special Dungeon was the biggest reason to hasten Zone 4's opening.
I could no longer delay Zone 4's unlock.
I need to buy the Monster Summon Scroll as soon as possible.
But for that, I need more Soul Origins.
More people are using the Soul Shop now.
There must be others thinking the same as me.
Soul Origin.
I thought calmly.
This wasn't a problem with an easy answer.
I immediately started calculating.
The number of Monster Summon Scrolls needed from the Soul Shop and the required Soul Origins.
To hunt Zone 4 even a day sooner, I needed a total of 7 scrolls.
That required 35 Soul Origins total, minus the 8 I already had—27 more.
That meant 27 lives.
Of course, killing higher-level ones could reduce the number, but level 10s were all managers, so I held off on them.
In that case.
Averaging 10 new arrivals tomorrow, plus current 37 people makes 47.
Killing 27 tomorrow...
Over half gone. Proper turnover.
But one issue remained.
My relationship with the managers was just starting to form.
If I pulled off a massacre of 27 in this situation?
The managers and everyone in the dimension would plunge into extreme chaos.
Those who've endured one indiscriminate slaughter might cling to faint hope.
Believing it won't happen again, they'd grit their teeth and survive.
But a second slaughter?
From the second onward, it's different. It signals thirds and fourths could follow.
In this case, Siron might keep following me... but the other managers? The rest?
I realized Dimension 64 had become hard to massacre freely.
Wait, why assume everyone will know it's me?
If I kill without them knowing... problem solved?
......
I let a faint smile creep across my face.
In the end.
Just kill in a way that avoids suspicion.
Missing? No, that won't work.
With only us and monsters here, too many disappearances would raise eyebrows.
Then use monsters?
Zone 3 goblins are still dangerous to them, so using them would deflect suspicion.
Form teams for "hunting" in Zone 3.
Split beforehand into outer Zone 3 team and base assault team.
The base team gets wiped by me waiting inside.
That was the broad frame of this massacre plan.
Now refine it for success.
Hmm...
Thinking it over,
27 tomorrow seems too many to kill off cleanly.
Better spread over days. Mix in daily newbies to avoid mid-tier gaps.
One manager per base team to lead them to me. Rotate daily.
Fortunately, manager roles haven't been publicly revealed, so they're still seen as Siron's lackeys.
One survivor returning would just be "lucky."
If anyone's suspicious, watch and kill in the next round.
But all this assumes
the managers actually manage people well, as their title implies.
Managers. Will they obey me? Join the slaughter?
Siron's case.
Siron probably won't betray. Probably.
And the managers.
Before they trust me, I don't trust them.
That's why...
After endlessly refining the massacre plan,
I stepped out of my lodging, grabbed a passerby in the village forcibly.
Something sprinting down the village's main road.
None other than Siron.
Moments ago, I'd told the flustered guy I grabbed to fetch Siron.
He'd rushed straight to Siron's lodging.
In front of Oh Heon's lodging.
Siron cautiously opened the door.
His body radiated unresolved tension mixed with a faint buzz from power.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Siron immediately lowered his posture in courtesy.
This sudden summons from Oh Heon was a first for Siron too, leaving his face no less rattled than the guy's.
The room hung in suffocating silence.
Oh Heon, seated in a chair, slowly rose,
and began explaining, focusing on what the man needed to know, omitting key details of the full plan.
"Tomorrow, we start the Zone 3 base assault."
"Two teams total: one breaches the front, the other clears the path."
Siron responded instantly.
"Understood. How should we assign personnel?"
"Put 6 managers on path-clearing. One on the base team."
"On path-clearing, catch monsters for manager quests if possible, but don't force it. Base team passage is priority."
Perched on the bed, he continued explaining the plan in a flat, emotionless voice.
As his words flowed, bewilderment rose on Siron's face.
Okay to catch non-quest monsters?
This strayed from his usual efficiency focus.
And above all, Oh Heon could clear Zone 3 solo.
Siron ventured carefully with his questions.
"Oh Heon... is there... another plan I'm unaware of?"
To Oh Heon, Siron seemed to sense this wasn't a simple plan.
Time to reveal the truth.
"The base team—everyone but one manager—dies."
"Base assault is just cover. Real goal... personnel adjustment."
Siron finally grasped the true intent, chills erupting across his skin.
The fates of everyone in this dimension were being decided in this tiny lodging.
In a trembling voice, Siron asked,
"...What must I do?"
"Select survivors, lead them. Drive the rest to death."
"Finally, explaining to managers is your task too."
It was an order with no room for choice.
His eyes held zero emotion as he issued it.
Siron, by contrast, had wildly shaking pupils.
This was an order to decide who lives, who dies.
The crushing weight of choosing lives cruelly bore down on him.
But soon, as if resigned to all, he bowed deeply.
"Understood."
Oh Heon, satisfied with the reply, added a final warning.
"If this plan fails due to any leak..."
He paused, then continued in an icy voice.
"I'll replace every manager. Relay that too."
Siron could only stare at the floor, speechless.