Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Path of Evil Reward
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Ten lives. The tally of souls I'd claimed over the past two days.
If I claimed there wasn't even a flicker of anticipation for what the system might bestow in exchange for that blood price, I'd be lying.
With this hunt, the number of humans I'd slain hit exactly ten. Just yesterday, it had seemed like it'd take longer, but I'd achieved it more easily than expected.
I hit confirm without hesitation. What powerful skill or item might it be? A sliver of excitement welled up inside me.
But the reward that appeared before my eyes was something entirely different from what I'd imagined.
It wasn't some commonplace skill or a predictable stat boost.
Just a 'key'.
A key of unknown origin.
I immediately opened my inventory to inspect this enigmatic key.
An old key carved from black obsidian, etched with bizarre patterns.
I pulled up the item info window. Material that seemed to swallow light itself—obsidian.
Holding it sent a chill coursing through my hand, along with those strange patterns on the key.
I called up the item info right away.
"......!"
The moment I saw the item's description... I stopped breathing. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
This... the purpose of this key transcended imagination.
I quickly closed the item info window and steadied my ragged breath.
This went beyond mere talk of the item being incredibly powerful.
If I could just use this key properly, my entire path to growth would fundamentally change.
An enormous variable. An opportunity too vast to handle.
I moved the key to the deepest part of my inventory.
Now wasn't the time. Until I could fully grasp its value, I had to pretend it didn't exist.
A sense of satisfaction from the overwhelming gain mixed with the unknown possibilities the key had unveiled, leaving my mind in turmoil.
I could probably use it now, but to harness its true power properly, it was still too soon.
But that day would come soon enough.
I checked if the title had changed somehow. Since it'd given the reward, it might have vanished.
Sure enough, the title had already updated to Path of Evil 2.
The conditions had shifted from 10 to 100. I'd need to take down 90 more to get whatever came next.
If the next reward—item or otherwise—carried impact on this level, I might be able to stay at the top forever.
But the abilities of the others were still largely unknown. Complacency was off the table.
The reward was huge, and it meant reshaping my plans on an entirely new level. But first, I had to finish today's tasks.
As I left Zone 0—the medieval village—I mulled it over.
What I needed to focus on now was crystal clear: leveling up and using my Soul Origins.
I left the village and headed to Zone 1, where the slimes awaited.
Outside the village lay an empty plain, and that was Zone 1.
Mid-stride, I suddenly halted. I'd nearly repeated yesterday's mistake.
The general quest.
I gave a wry smile and accepted it.
Losing sight of minor gains amid grand schemes was foolish. I wouldn't allow it twice.
One hundred slimes once more.
Hunting after awakening was a one-sided slaughter that made even the word "massacre" feel inadequate.
I no longer swung my sword.
Instead, I hunted with other weapons.
The slimes were mere practice dummies.
Clearing five to complete the quest took the blink of an eye.
I didn't stop, sweeping the entire plain clean.
Tedious labor, but watching the steady rise in experience was the sole joy of the hunt.
I was level 9. I'd hit it while killing those people.
It wouldn't even take thirty minutes to wipe out all hundred.
But before that, level 10 came first.
Unlike awakening, when all stats hit 10, this was different.
Awakening's sensation was a one-time thing; this felt like my previous level-ups—a distant haze.
And one system message floated before me.
'A job, huh.'
A new element had entered the fray. One more thing to check back in the village.
A few minutes later, I'd slain them all.
Killing all the slimes was supposed to cap my schedule for the next two days, but not today.
I summoned the Soul Shop—today's real goal.
Adding the seven I'd gained today made a total of ten Soul Origins waiting for me.
I dove straight into the item list without hesitation.
Monster 100 Summon Scroll. Price: 5. I could buy two.
But right before hitting purchase, I opened the skill list one more time.
Limited. That word held me back.
For someone as selfish as me, passing up a skill only I could claim was unthinkable.
Levels could be raised anytime, but that skill might vanish forever if I didn't grab it now.
Levels or rarity?
I closed my eyes and weighed the options.
Yesterday, I'd thought buying the summon scrolls was wisest, but I pondered deeper.
Grasp Complete. "Easier to hunt" was far too vague.
I was too pragmatic to bet everything on vagueness.
The summon scroll's value, on the other hand, was clear-cut.
100 experience, 500 gold.
And the chance to repeat it twice.
Nothing could strengthen my current self more reliably than leveling up.
The awakening at level 8. Every time stats leaped by an order of magnitude, I'd see explosive growth.
That overwhelming power surge couldn't compare to the hazy benefits of some unknown skill.
'Right. I'll seize the sure present over an uncertain future.'
I opened my eyes.
Back to the item list. I bought two Monster 100 Summon Scrolls.
No regrets.
I walked to the center of the plain.
Standing alone in the empty field, I pulled a scroll from my inventory and activated it.
The ground trembled faintly, and countless magic circles began etching themselves around me.
From those circles, familiar slimes emerged one after another.
In an instant, the barren plain brimmed with a hundred slimes again.
'Should I use the second one here?'
No. If respawns reset each zone to its monster cap, Zone 1 might max at 100 slimes.
The scroll could go to waste.
Safer to kill them all first, then use it.
I gripped my dagger tighter. Now it was bonus round time.
Hunt, hunt again. Boredom wrapped around me, but I pressed on.
While clearing the first batch, then using the second scroll to add another two hundred slimes...
Messages popped up in sequence.
What was this? Zone 2?
Zone 2. Time to advance to the next stage.
'Ah, right—that book.'
Definitely the one I'd found on day one.
Someone in the community had publicly shared its location.
Among its contents, one thing I'd overlooked: monsters respawn every 24 hours.
Next zones unlock automatically upon meeting conditions.
Those conditions often tied to total monsters slain in the dimension.
My summon scrolls had accelerated the process.
Not 100% certain, but Zone 2's unlock was indeed based on kill count.
But why were slimes still around?
If the threshold was 500, it should've unlocked the moment I finished them. Maybe not in hundreds.
I scanned the plain.
Nearly all slimes were dead, but a few stragglers wandered.
No way...
'Humans count too...'
Exactly ten left.
The humans I'd killed also totaled exactly ten.
Threshold was 500 kills, including people. The numbers lining up like this confirmed it.
The summon scrolls had been right.
Adding a whopping 200 monsters sped up the next zone, meaning more experience and gold tomorrow.
Limited skills mattered too, so I'd snag one next time after using these.
But if kill counts unlock zones faster, I'd have to rethink.
Today's unexpected gains overflowed.
The power of going solo was this immense.
Thriving alone outpaced collaborative dimensions by leaps and bounds.
Everything was unfolding not just as planned, but beyond it.