Chapter 373
Chapter 373
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 373
Chapter Title: Interspecies War (12)
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All the warriors in the Interspecies War were watching humanity's rebellion with keen interest.
"...Oh. They must be pretty capable."
From the floating island in the sky where the upper seeds gathered, the ancient giant warrior 'Garum' muttered in a low voice, sounding intrigued.
There was almost no change in his rock-like face, but his eyes were sharply fixed on the humans.
"Not bad for a first-time participating species. The Gremlins, sure, but to unilaterally crush the Yorong tribe like that."
The Golden Lion clan's warrior Leonik said, arms crossed.
His voice carried a hint of wariness instead of his previous arrogance.
He had backed down a step in the earlier standoff with the demons, but he was still an ambitious contender vying for dominance in the Abyss.
The unexpected emergence of humanity as a variable forced him to add new considerations to his plans.
If they somehow climbed all the way to the 'upper seeds,' it might even be worth bringing them under the Golden Lion clan's wing.
"......"
The demons' camp remained shrouded in pitch-black darkness and the stench of sulfur flames, but even from within, the gazes of several demon gods and demon kings turned toward humanity.
In particular, 'Grimory of Lament' seemed to stare at Lee Hyuk-soo for a moment with her hollow eyes, but soon withdrew her gaze as if utterly unmoved.
To her, humanity was still not worth noting.
On the other hand, the surviving lower seed species now looked at humanity with eyes mixed with fear and awe.
"Crazy. Humans really in joint first place?"
"The Yorong bastards finally met their match. Serves them right!"
"What if those humans are our next opponents? It'll be just like the Gremlins... only a matter of time."
To them, humanity had become a disaster they wanted to avoid, and at the same time, perhaps an unknown variable they might need to ally with.
Especially the fact that humanity bore the title 'Species Annihilator' weighed on them like immense pressure.
It meant they charged toward victory alone, without mercy.
Proof that they shed no blood, no tears.
The mid-tier seed species responsible for the waist of the rankings also took note of the humans.
"Humans, huh."
"Must be the blessing of first participation."
"Even so, they're a wildcard. The Gremlins, fine, but winning against the Yorong tribe? Can't just chalk that up to a simple blessing. Especially that 'bloodless existence'—quite impressive."
Their attention was drawn to the bizarre combat style humanity had displayed.
Mid-tier seeds.
They weren't as desperate as the weak lower seed species, nor as leisurely as the absolute powerhouses of the upper seeds.
They were the most fierce and pragmatic competitors, always eyeing a chance to surge into the upper seeds while knowing full well a single moment of carelessness could send them plummeting to the lower seeds—or to oblivion.
To them, humanity's emergence was a new variable: a potential rival, or perhaps easy prey.
Reactions to humanity's appearance varied subtly based on each species' interests.
But one thing was certain.
"Something... different about them."
"Their combat isn't formulaic."
The mid-tier seeds' analysis was spot on.
Humanity had survived each matchup by adapting entirely different strategies and tactics to their opponents and conditions—even unveiling the unimaginable irregular 'bloodless existence.'
It could be the flexibility unique to a newborn species, or the desperate wisdom born from peril.
But perfectly reading their foes and devising irregular countermeasures was a strategy rarely seen in the Interspecies War.
The reason was simple.
The Interspecies War pitted the ten strongest elite warriors each species could boast against one another.
Warriors of that caliber usually held firm convictions and pride in their own power and methods.
They took honor in honing their species' traditions and combat styles—passed down for thousands or tens of thousands of years—to their utmost limits for victory, and tended to shun irregular or unorthodox tricks.
To them, such deviations were no different from weakness or cheap tricks.
But humanity was different.
They had no combat style handed down over millennia, no absolute species traits they blindly trusted.
Instead, they embodied the unpredictable 'irregularity' born from each Awakened's diverse abilities and potential, above all, the desperate drive to 'survive no matter what.'
Sometimes through leader Lee Hyuk-soo's self-sacrificial resolve.
Sometimes through Adora's inscrutable curse.
Sometimes through Han Shin's demonic power.
And sometimes through Ling Ling's shadow-like assassination arts.
They weren't bound by rigid frameworks.
They thrashed about, seeking the optimal solution for every opponent and situation.
To other species, this seemed 'primitive and barbaric,' but it was precisely humanity's greatest weapon.
The arrogance and complacency of powerhouses ossified over long ages.
Exploiting those gaps was humanity's survival method.
It was also the invisible will Park Chan-woo had sought to instill in Lee Hyuk-soo and his comrades.
The strength to never give up amid despair, to reject a fated path and ceaselessly seek new roads.
A trait unique to humans, absent in other species.
Lee Hyuk-soo gazed at the light in his arms.
After securing victory against the Yorong tribe, he had once again discovered something glowing.
It resembled the time he found the 'Forgotten Gremlin's Heart' where the Gremlins' last warrior had vanished, but the light felt somehow different.
The Gremlins' light had been like a faint, pitiful candle flame.
But the light he sensed now was sharp and feral, like the glint in a starving beast's eyes.
It lingered right where the Yorong tribe's leader, 'Khan of the Blood Wind,' had declared surrender and slunk away with his remaining five warriors.
Invisible to others' eyes.
'Because I'm synchronized with the Prophet?'
In Lee Hyuk-soo's eyes—80% synced with Park Chan-woo's existential foundation—it shone as clearly as a lighthouse piercing any darkness.
The light, upon reaching him, transformed into another shape.
Like a wolf's fang molded perfectly.
Within it writhed the Yorong tribe's savage demonic energy, mingled with suppressed rage and desperate survival instincts.
In an instant, a cold, razor-sharp aura swept through his mind, accompanied by the illusory roar of a beast.
'Tribal relic...'
Lee Hyuk-soo looked down at the 'Blood Wolf's Claw' in his hand.
Unlike the Gremlin's Heart, which held the tribe's aspirations with warm comfort, this was a sharp, dangerous, untamed wild power in its purest form.
He had awakened 'warrior's pride' in the Gremlins, but against the Yorong, he had crushed their pride with overwhelming force and irregular strategies.
The resulting relic bore an entirely different nature.
Lee Hyuk-soo didn't know what these 'tribal relics' meant.
Just as with the Gremlin's Heart, the 'Blood Wolf's Claw' had appeared at the end of this battle through a light only he could see.
And it seemed only he could wield it.
The 'Friend of Fallen Species' title inherited from Park Chan-woo, and their deepening synchronization, appeared to be the key enabling these miracles.
What was clear was that these relics held special power infused with a species' resentment and essence—far beyond mere equipment.
Lee Hyuk-soo silently tucked away the fang-shaped relic, 'Blood Wolf's Claw,' into his bosom.
'My very existence feels like it's deepening.'
The more tribal relics he acquired, the more his being—his soul—seemed to deepen.
He couldn't explain it precisely, but it felt like his 'presence' as a living being was elevating.
He sensed a fundamental change stirring within him.
Just then, a system message appeared before all species.
"......Joint first?"
Reaper Johnson rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Beside their name floated '28 points' and the 'Joint 1st Place' marker.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with powerhouses like demons, dragons, and celestials.
"We've been assigned to mid-tier seeds. That means the real battles against the powerhouses start now."
Adora said calmly.
"But look at that list. Most of the top 15 are the 'Twelve Great Species' we've heard about. Including demons, over ten species are dominating the top. To break into the top 13... we'd have to pull down at least a few of them."
Adrianne's analysis was cold and clear.
Humanity's path ahead remained treacherous.
Ling Ling pointed to the new announcement, her voice low.
"...The next round format is completely different from before."
Her expression was grave.
Detailed content will be revealed in 12 hours. All species' warriors, take sufficient rest and prepare for the next trial. In this round, 'interspecies alliances' are permitted, and there are no penalties for betrayal.
'Apostle's Trial,' 'interspecies alliances permitted,' and 'no penalties for betrayal.'
Every word foreshadowing the next round hinted at a ominous, chaotic future.
Beyond mere tests of strength, they now faced fierce mind games, diplomacy between species, and the constant threat of betrayal.
Adora watched it all in silence.
Her red eyes gleamed deeper and colder than ever.
'In the past, humans couldn't ally with any species.'
That was the root cause of humanity scraping bottom at 128th place.
Now the real game began.
This was where they'd rise or fall.
Depending on which species they allied with, their ceiling would change.
Or they could face total annihilation from betrayal.
Which species to ally with?
Obviously, the upper seed 'Twelve Great Species' would be ideal, but those proud elites had no reason to team up with humans.
No—the possibility they wouldn't ally with anyone at all was high.
"Interspecies alliances..."
"We're in such a disadvantageous spot."
Everyone nodded at Reaper Johnson's words.
Humanity had never properly interacted with other species.
They couldn't approach recklessly.
That was when it happened.
"How about allying with us, humans?"