Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Skeleton Territory
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A flood of system messages, more than ever before, poured across my vision.
As I read through them one by one,
everyone was being transported to the tournament arena?
This event was definitely on a different scale from the last one.
On Day 20, nearly 15,000 people would gather in the arena.
This would be the first official inter-dimensional exchange in the history of the Transcendent World. Of course, there might be others like me who had unofficial exchanges.
Everyone gathered together?
As the tournament progressed, information on top rankers like me would spread at an insane rate.
Showing overwhelming power in the tournament would inevitably draw attention.
I'd always felt I couldn't avoid notice forever, but I hadn't expected it to come this soon.
Still, this was also a chance to properly gauge my competitors' strengths.
There were quite a few whose power I was curious about, like Eok, the Sword King, and others.
And it might be too early to judge. Once the matches started, we could be moved to places no one else could see.
Hmm... Rounds, huh. Probably feels like the tower.
This was the message confirmed across all dimensions. From here on, it was Dimension 64 exclusive.
I organized my thoughts and scrolled down.
New quest tiers I'd never seen before.
Superior quests, and even boss quests.
Skeleton (Superior) Hunt
📍 Location: Zone 4, hunt 5 Skeleton (Superior)
0/5
🎁 Reward: 100 EXP, 1000 Gold
Skeleton Champion Hunt
📍 Location: Zone 4, hunt 1 Skeleton Champion
0/1
🎁 Reward: 2000 EXP, 20000 Gold
...Finally, boss monsters?
The Giant King from the tower last time was overwhelmingly strong, but nominally just a mid-boss.
No idea how tough Zone 4's bosses would be.
Before heading to Zone 4, I accepted the new quests.
Feels different accepting four at once.
I set off from the end of Zone 3.
Toward the newly opened Zone 4.
I quickly crossed Zone 3's forest, searching for the path to the new zone.
Even from Zone 3, glimpses of Zone 4's new landscape came into view.
A massive canyon, and at its end, a castle.
A quick observation showed the distance from here to the castle was incomparably farther than to Zone 3's outpost.
Also, mysterious-looking magic circles had appeared in Zone 3's forest.
No flashy patterns, but they exuded an air of mystery.
Is this how we get there?
Unlike previous zones where you walked and crossed barriers, Zone 4 used magic circles for transport.
Zone 4 already felt different from what had been revealed so far.
Hinting that its difficulty was on another level.
Before teleporting to Zone 4,
I looked around to see several more such magic circles had spawned.
Multiple entrances to Zone 4?
Each seemed connected to different points in Zone 4.
Without hesitation, I stepped onto the nearest one leading to Zone 4.
A floating sensation I'd never felt before hit me, and my vision shifted in an instant.
The place I arrived at
was a high-elevation canyon flanked by enormous sheer rock cliffs stretching endlessly on both sides.
I stood in the middle.
A very gentle downward slope stretched all the way to the castle.
This wasn't a green zone like the meadows or forests. Not even a patch of grass anywhere.
Dry, desolate desert vibes permeated the air.
Dust swirled at my feet in the wind, and the parched air coated my mouth thickly.
'This is Zone 4.'
The faint tension from the new zone spurred my steps.
The canyon path was a single endless trail.
As I kept walking, Zone 4's sheer vastness sank in.
It would take quite a while to reach the castle.
As I picked up speed, a thought crossed my mind.
How big is this place?
Zone 3 was overwhelmingly larger than Zone 2, nearly ten times so.
If Zone 4 followed the same ratio...
For the first time,
I wondered if I could hunt every monster here in a single day.
Did Zone 4 mark the end of competing for limited resources and the start of true hunting?
Non-stop real combat, no training.
A system where you earn EXP proportional to time invested.
Things newcomers to the Transcendent World might think, but maybe not anymore.
Everything could fundamentally change.
Monopolies might fade, and an era of pure hunting speed and efficiency could dawn.
Lost in such thoughts as I ran, a faint sound echoed from afar.
Rattle, rattle.
The distinctive clash of bone on bone.
I locked my gaze on the sound's direction.
Finally, they appeared on the canyon's downslope.
A horde of skeletons armed with rusted swords, shields, bows, and tower shields.
Quite a number.
Similar to the ones I'd faced in the tower.
The skeletons patrolled the canyon like guards.
They hadn't spotted me yet.
Thanks to my relatively high Agility.
I began planning how to dispatch them quickly.
'This is real combat now. Using Domain this early to clear them easily might leave me short on mana later.'
But I needed to check their stats. Appearances could be deceiving.
Means to check from afar...
I glanced down at the item on my finger.
The item from Tower Floor 2: the red crystal ring.
I used the ring after a long time.
Mana condensed in the red crystal on my finger, forming sharp shards that shot out.
Shwick—!
The fast-flying crystal shard precisely smashed the lead skeleton's skull.
Krunch!
Its skull shattered, and it collapsed into a pile of bone fragments.
The shard continued, smashing a tower shield held by another behind it.
Several skeletons down in an instant, their hollow eye sockets all turned to me at once.
Fierce glares, but crumbling to that attack confirmed they were weak.
Judging so, I drew my magic sword and charged.
Skeleton warriors led with shields, archers behind nocking arrows in unison.
Dozens of arrows rained down like a storm.
I twisted my body lightly, dodging most, but a few unavoidable ones hit.
Ting, ting!
The arrows bounced harmlessly off my body. My Defense barely budged.
Simultaneously, skeleton warriors' swords flew from all sides.
Fast and sharp strikes, but to me, slow-motion.
Grasp Complete was already working.
I casually parried the first charging warrior's sword,
then slipped into the predicted opening.
Each swing of my magic sword shattered bones and exploded heads.
Their movements were simplistic, mindless, but each attack carried real weight.
For some reason, these skeletons were far faster and more coordinated than goblins.
I ignored the arrow barrages now, overwhelming their lines with brute force.
Now that I knew their level, no time to waste.
After felling them all, I paused in thought.
These guys all had over 20 stats.
Easy for me, but incomparable to prior monsters.
If monsters like this were Zone 4's basics,
People from other dimensions would need dozens in a party just to survive.
Stepping over scattered bone shards, I pressed on along the canyon trail.
Hunting in Zone 4 continued.
As I advanced, skeleton varieties and numbers increased.
Beyond basic warriors and archers, shaman-like ones appeared.
They didn't attack directly like goblin shamans but emitted eerie green light, buffing other skeletons.
A ragged-robed skeleton chanted an unintelligible incantation,
and the buffed skeletons moved noticeably faster, attacks stronger.
"Kurrruk!"
Blocking a charging skeleton's sword with my magic sword transmitted a much heavier impact than before.
But even enhanced, they weren't my match.
I prioritized the shamans, breaching their lines in a flash.
Smashing skulls, severing spines—it was monotonous slaughter.
Then, distant thundering hooves shook the ground.
Cavalry.
A skeleton knight mounted on a bony steed charged with a long spear aimed at me.
Its momentum more menacing than any prior monster.
I didn't dodge, meeting it head-on.
But as expected, one shot.
Not even using Divine Charge—my overwhelming power rendered its assault meaningless.
The clash snapped its spear in two, momentum cleaving the knight and mount alike.
Yet,
it felt at least late 20s in stats.
Zone 4's difficulty was steadily rising.
And the surprise.
'Wasn't that guy a superior monster?'
That knight wasn't superior.
From quest positions, I'd pegged superiors between normal and elite.
Assumed the knight was superior, but apparently not—something else is.
With slight tension, I continued.
The canyon was endless.
I leveled up once midway, but the pleasant hunting had long ended.
The path tested my patience.
Finally, at the canyon's end, a massive castle emerged.
Incomparable to the goblin outpost.
Walls pierced the sky, its majesty overwhelming.
A colossal fortress of black stone.
'Destroying this castle would be tough.'
The canyon rocks felt tougher than Zone 3's trees in combat.
Seemed terrain strengthened with zone levels.
Arriving at the castle revealed something new.
Five paths converged on it.
After clearing inside, I'd need to hunt those too, without mercy.
I eyed the castle front.
Two gatekeeper-like skeletons stood guard.
Similar to regular warriors but larger, wielding massive greatswords.
Superior? Or elite?
As I approached, one raised its greatsword.
Blue energy steamed from the blade, soon enveloping it entirely.
No way... sword aura?