Chapter 415: Watch Out, or I’ll Crawl Through the Network to Beat You
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 415: Watch Out, or I’ll Crawl Through the Network to Beat You
"Stop arguing! Everyone, shut up! They haven't gone far yet!"
Just as the tensions on the scene were about to boil over into a full-blown brawl, someone suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Who the hell do you think you are, saying they haven't gone far? You think you're some kind of expert?" One of the hot-headed players, still fuming, snapped back immediately.
The man who had shouted didn't get angry. Instead, he spoke with chilling calm. "One of our people planted a tracker on that girl. I can find her right now. Her coordinates show she’s not far from us." As he spoke, a virtual screen flickered into existence before him, displaying a real-time map with a pulsing marker.
He reached out and expanded the map. Everyone standing nearby could see the live status.
In an instant, the crowd found their focus. The previous bickering vanished as if it had never happened. After all, this was a game—why get worked up over a petty argument?
Perhaps this was the unspoken understanding among players.
With the top-tier players having a clear target, the rest of the crowd followed suit without a second thought.
The big shots would eat the meat, and those following behind would at least get a taste of the soup. Even if they were just there to watch the spectacle, it was worth it. Besides, the sheer momentum of such a massive crowd was terrifying; at the very least, they wouldn't be the ones getting bullied.
However, it didn't take long for them to realize something was wrong. The tracking signal they were locked onto suddenly vanished into thin air.
As the players looked at each other in confusion, the sharper ones quickly realized what had happened: the target had discovered their little trick.
With the target gone, the fragile trust they had built began to crumble.
But those who hadn't seen the girl with their own eyes refused to give up. They activated their flight equipment and sped toward the last known coordinates.
Seeing people take the lead, the rest of the players began to show off their own tricks. A dazzling array of flashy, high-tech mounts streaked across the streets, a blur of motion that made the eyes wander.
Practicality aside, for these players, special effects were second to none. Nothing could claim the top spot unless its power was truly world-shaking—like, say, a strategic nuclear warhead?
But even if it were a strategic nuke, they’d probably find a way to mod some custom particle effects onto it.
Their obsession with flashy visuals was etched into their very bones.
But as they raced excitedly toward their goal, the sunlight hitting the buildings shifted. The shadows cast upon the ground suddenly began to writhe.
The first sound was a blood-curdling scream, followed by the shattering of a mount. A murky, twisted shadow emerged from the darkness of a building. Mounted on a warhorse condensed from pure shadow and wielding a pike several meters long, it charged. With a single thrust, it impaled the player through the chest.
In the next heartbeat, no one had the luxury of worrying about the screaming man. They realized that these shadow-wrought monsters had already formed a battle line and were sweeping toward them.
Armed with primitive polearms and using the most brutal methods imaginable, the shadows tore through the vanguard. They moved like a force of nature, crushing everything in their path. No one could stand against them.
The wealthy players equipped with flight gear hovered in the air, trembling at the sudden carnage below.
They wiped non-existent cold sweat from their brows, thinking they had escaped the slaughter. But a moment later, a spear erupted through one man's chest. The shadow-forged spear tip glistened as it exited his back, trailing a spray of blood and shattered equipment fragments.
The other "lucky" survivors scrambled to activate their shields, desperate to save their lives.
This sudden, overwhelming assault instantly sent these Secret Diggers—who hadn't even begun to take the fight seriously—straight to the respawn screen.
In that moment, it felt as if the sky itself had darkened. A shadow that blotted out the sun blanketed the area. The Shadow Legion moved as if they were on their home turf, unstoppable and relentless.
* * *
Standing atop a rooftop, Qiu Ruxin and I looked down at the battlefield. From this vantage point, the scene was even more breathtaking.
As Qiu Ruxin watched, her eyes grew increasingly fervent. It was a pure, raw thirst for power—the ability to wipe out a horde of Secret Diggers with a mere wave of a hand.
I watched the scene with cold indifference. The power of the Shadow Legion Summoning spell had exceeded my expectations. It wasn't just the variety of units or their eerie methods; its ability to suppress grouped enemies with low individual strength was absolute.
But… it wasn't enough.
I realized that killing them like this didn't give me the satisfaction of revenge. What died here were merely shells they could discard at will. No matter how much suffering or pain they endured before death, it was all artificial.
This wasn't revenge. It wasn't even a lesson.
What I wanted… was to deal Real Damage to them.
Currently, the only method I had—aside from "cutting their connection" by severing their luck threads—was nothing more than a thought. I really wanted to reach through the screen and punch whoever was sitting behind those monitors!
But I didn't even know where their world was. I could only dream… and I had no way to cross between worlds… Wait…
Did I really have no way to cross worlds?
I instinctively glanced at the spellbook for the Reverse Summoning Ritual. In an instant, my path forward cleared!
If… if these people spread the ritual for my Reverse Summoning Ritual in their world… wouldn't I be able to descend upon them whenever I pleased?
The problem now was how to make an ordinary person complete a Transcendent ritual. I had to prepare for the worst-case scenario: if their world was so bleak that ordinary people had no access to the Transcendent, how could a commoner use mundane means to complete the ritual?
Currently, the summons I had attempted were all based on the summoning runes I created within this spellbook. Even so, the connection across worlds wasn't particularly strong. It would be even harder with common materials and basic rituals.
The only saving grace was the information I’d gathered from the Real Protection Association. Their world did have Transcendent energy, but most ordinary people couldn't touch it. The only thing they might encounter were the energy blocks used to power their game pods.
Still… it wasn't impossible. It would just be difficult.
Once the Shadow Legion Summoning had cleared out the weaklings, the only ones left were the elites among the Secret Diggers.
It was a bit of a shame I couldn't wipe them all out, but compared to the blessing of the Elemental Spirits, this summoning spell—while perhaps not as powerful—was far more convenient. I barely had to do anything. Moreover, the weak ones couldn't escape even if they wanted to, which made it perfect for handling complex battlefield situations.
"I have something to take care of. Wait for me here," I said, glancing at Qiu Ruxin before adding another layer of shielding to her.
"Sister Xiao Han, are you going to finish off the survivors?" Qiu Ruxin asked instinctively.
"No. What I’m about to do is far more important than finishing them off." Without further explanation, I leaped from the roof and dove toward the heart of the most brutal part of the battlefield.
At this moment, the Secret Diggers were having a miserable time. Their weapons were largely ineffective against the agile Shadow Legion, and they couldn't use large-scale area-of-effect weapons without killing their own allies.
The Shadow Legion seemed endless. As time dragged on, their desperation grew.
They couldn't see it, but I could: the Shadow Legion Summoning was nearing the point where it would be exhausted by these Secret Diggers.
"Watch out! That Calamity Witch is back!"
Amidst their frantic struggle, someone spotted a figure descending from the sky, a brilliant flame trailing a wave of heat.
But just as they braced for the end, the flaming figure came to a halt above them, sending only a slight heat wave rippling through the air.
At that moment, the Shadow Legion that had pushed them to the brink vanished back into the darkness.
"Congratulations on passing my test."
I hovered in the air before them. Having dismissed the Shadow Legion, I spoke calmly to the survivors.
"A test? You call this a f*cking test? You—argh!"
One man, driven to the brink of madness, hadn't snapped out of his frenzy yet. He started screaming insults at me, his emotions clearly unstable.
His reward was an instant kill. The sheer efficiency of the strike immediately cowed the rest of the crowd.
"The weak have no right to stand before me and communicate, and the arrogant have even less right to speak to me in such a manner."
A rune flickered near my vocal cords. My voice wasn't loud, but it carried with crystalline clarity to the ears of every Secret Digger.
"I know you are players. I also know exactly what you are looking for in this world. And yes, your suspicions are correct—I do hold the answers you crave. But if you think I will simply share them with you… heh… it won't be that simple."
I paused. The eyes of the survivors lit up with excitement! It was true! This Calamity Witch really did know something!
Whether she actually knew or was just bluffing didn't matter. The people who had survived this long were either powerful or geniuses; no one was stupid enough to question her now.
"To be honest, I don't mind telling you what it is. It is a piece of knowledge. I am curious about it myself… so I will only share its existence with those qualified to study it."
As I spoke again, they saw a glimmer of hope. They were terrified of my power and didn't dare step forward, but every gaze fixed on me was filled with hunger.
"I will leave you with a single clue. Once you have puzzled it out, you will naturally know what to do next."
With those words, a rune manifested in my hand, surrounded by layers of complex ritual circles.
Needless to say, this rune was the summoning ritual for my Reverse Summoning Ritual. Didn't they want to find the secret? Then I would throw them a lure. Even if they suspected it was a trap, there would always be those desperate enough to try.
In fact, they wouldn't be satisfied with just studying this ritual within the "game." They would likely take their research into their original world. And as long as they wanted to study it, they would have to replicate and transcribe it there.
The moment they succeeded, the ritual would act as a beacon for that world.
And then, I would find them!
Even if I couldn't conquer that world myself, I could lead the mentors from the Witch Academy straight to their doorstep!
I only wanted one result: the total annihilation of that civilization!
I took a step forward and vanished into space. The heat from the Flame Fairy Transformation slowly dissipated.
Only after I had left did they truly breathe a sigh of relief. However, their eyes remained glued to the spot where I had been, because the rune I left behind had not faded.
Those who understood the stakes rushed forward to record every detail of the ritual.
They knew nothing about this object, but since the Calamity Witch called it a clue, they had no choice but to spend the time investigating it.
Among those who swarmed forward, a few particularly shrewd individuals took the lead in recording. Many others were wary of them, as these players worked directly for the Game Architects.
"What is this thing?"
"It's incredible. This must be magic, right? These lines… they aren't even physical!"
"Dammit! Get your filthy hands away! We haven't finished saving the sample! If your hand causes us to waste extra time on research, you're a dead man!"
Startled by the sudden shout, the man was violently shoved aside. In the face of core principles and actual profit, there was no room for error.
"Hmph! For all we know, this is just a smokescreen the Calamity Witch set up to waste our time! 'Knowledge'? What knowledge in this world could possibly compare to our home world? Our technology would crush them—"
"Enough! I have no idea how someone with your brain survived this long. Keep yapping and see if your account still exists tomorrow!"
"Who's afraid of you? I've got nothing to lose! Bring it on!"
* * *
"Sister Xiao Han… I still don't understand. Why didn't you just kill them all?"
I was walking aimlessly with Qiu Ruxin down a deserted street when she finally couldn't hold back her question.
"What would killing them all accomplish? Simple venting? That’s meaningless. Death isn't the end for them. You've dealt with the Real Protection Association enough to know what the Secret Diggers actually are, right?"
"Yes…"
"Then you understand. You’re only killing their shells. If you want to deal a lethal blow, the only way is to invade their world in reverse. Only by hitting them where it’s real can you teach them what kind of existence they shouldn't provoke."
"So… Sister Xiao Han, you want to invade the Secret Diggers' world?"
"Exactly. I’ve spread the ritual to summon me. Now we just wait to see if there’s a sucker in that world brave enough to actually use it." At this, a sinister smile played across my lips. Even Qiu Ruxin couldn't help but shiver.
"Then… where are we going now? We don't really have a place to stay, do we?"
"The world is vast. How could there be no place for us? Don't overthink it. We'll just change our appearances, and no one will recognize us. As for a place to live… we'll just rent one, or maybe buy a house. Oh, and once we're settled, I have a gift for you."
"A… a gift? What is it?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." I smiled but said no more. No matter how much Qiu Ruxin pleaded, I wouldn't budge.