Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: 1st Arc - 5 (7)
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Soon after, the power of my Domain, refined through Precision Enhancement, gently enveloped me as I floated in the sky above.
And just like that, I landed silently in a narrow alley between the city's towering buildings, where no signs of life stirred.
The moment my feet touched the ground, I didn't forget to deactivate the Domain.
I immediately used my Agility stat to scan the surroundings, confirming that no one had noticed my intrusion.
As I stepped out of the alley onto the main street, the vibrant energy of the city washed over my skin.
The streets teemed with countless Abelians.
The clamor of voices, the mingled scents of food and filth,
and the Abelians all bustling about, each chasing their livelihoods.
Merchants shouted their wares,
while wagons loaded with goods rumbled past with creaking wheels.
Far more alive and pulsing than it had seemed from above.
I slipped into the crowd and started walking among them.
The Abelians were too busy hurrying to their destinations to pay me much mind.
A few who met my eyes flinched and glanced away, but that was it.
No one cried out that I was human or called for the guards.
Quite different from the reactions in the rural outskirts.
It seemed the woman in the hut had been right—this scale of city saw humans visit now and then as travelers.
Afterward, I took in the city as a whole.
The architecture of the buildings, the layout of the streets, even the Abelians' clothing.
It all felt perfectly natural, like a civilization built up over ages of history.
But I knew the truth.
The only real certainty here was that this was an artificial space constructed by the system.
Even those humans who supposedly visited the city—were they genuine travelers from other dimensions, or mere fabrications implanted in the Abelians' minds by the system? Impossible to say.
Even if all of Zone 5 was modeled after some ancient real-world nation somewhere, or reflected a live city in real time.
The system had clearly overlaid it with the core essence of a hunting ground.
Monster traits, item drop mechanics, zones divided by difficulty levels.
No different from a meticulously calculated dungeon in a game.
I walked the streets at a leisurely pace, in no hurry.
Turning this city to ruins would take me mere minutes—no, dozens of seconds at most.
The city dwarfed Zone 4's castle in scale, but it was still firmly in my grasp.
And mindlessly destroying it felt like a waste.
This was the first proper civilization I'd encountered in Zone 5.
Worth spending a little more time exploring.
There might be special NPCs or side quests somewhere,
or hidden elements tucked away by the system.
Unlike Zones 1 through 4, which stuck strictly to their hunting ground purpose, this place wore the veneer of civilization—plenty of variables.
Of course, the biggest reason I wasn't starting a massacre right away was something else.
I hadn't yet learned where the next city was, or in which direction the capital lay.
Once I'd extracted enough geographical info from them, I could wipe this city off the map anytime.
In other words, information was the goal; no need to chase down every other detail.
I tuned my ears to the conversations of passing Abelians, gathering intel.
Their chatter ranged from mundane daily gossip to business talk.
Then,
I focused on a conversation between a few merchants.
"We need to send goods from the eastern metropolis branch, but they've tightened inspections."
"Probably because the border area's getting tense."
Eastern metropolis.
Is this place the eastern metropolis?
If so, there must be more than one metropolis.
East, west, south, north—four in total?
I eavesdropped a bit more and realized my guess was slightly off.
There weren't just four metropolises.
The word "capital" came up frequently in the Abelians' talk.
The place where the royals and countless high nobles lived.
I learned that this small kingdom had its true heart—a massive central city—separate from the rest.
The capital, huh.
Bet I'd run into the general bosses or raid bosses from the quest log there.
After that, I kept wandering the city,
and as I walked, I noticed Abelians in particularly flashy attire.
One or two among every few dozen commoners, but their presence stood out sharply.
Nobles in this city too, then.
Ordinary Abelians stopped what they were doing as nobles passed, bowing their heads in respect.
Stepping aside was a given; some even dropped to their knees.
A rigid class society.
But my eyes caught an even starker divide.
Their stats.
Using my Agility stat, I gauged the rough stats of the Abelians around me.
Most were level 1 to 3.
The city had guards posted everywhere, and armed mercenaries popped up occasionally, but
even they topped out at 5 or 6.
The nobles were different.
They started at over 10,
and some even exceeded 20.
'This nation is ruled by the nobles.'
Power, wealth, and force.
All concentrated in the noble class.
My hunting priorities crystallized right then.
'Next city: the capital.'
After circling about half the city, I summed up my observations.
This place had
pretty much every building you'd expect in a city.
Inns, taverns, general stores, weapon shops, armorers—the basics of a medieval setup, of course.
Even labor exchanges, smithies, and magic supply shops dotted the area.
In the center stood grand stone government buildings, surrounded by nobles' estates walled with high fences.
Construction sites for new builds, and training grounds echoing with sword clashes and shouts.
Everything you'd call civilized was here.
No banking system, though.
Their economy hadn't evolved that far yet.
Scanning the streets further, a weathered sign caught my eye.
[Parchment / Maps / Blueprints]
A crude shop on the first floor of a rundown building.
Maps?
That place might have a full map of Zone 5, or at least precise directions to the capital.
The map I'd taken from the village chief only covered the eastern region.
I pushed open the shop door right away.
Ding-a-ling.
A clear bell rang as I entered, hit by the musty scent of old paper and ink.
The shop brimmed with scrolls and books crammed everywhere.
An elderly Abelian in glasses looked up from behind the counter.
He paused at the sight of me.
Human customers must be rare.
But he quickly flashed a merchant's sales smile.
"Welcome, traveler. What can I help you find? Rare parchment? Or maybe a tourist map?"
I approached the counter and said curtly,
"I need a map of the entire country."
The owner pushed up his glasses, sizing me up.
"A full map of our nation... Common enough item. Essential for travelers, especially."
He paused dramatically, then rummaged through an old drawer behind him.
Moments later, he pulled out a dusty leather tube and set it on the counter.
The map inside was impressively detailed.
The four metropolises—east, west, south, north—the central capital, major roads, terrain features all marked precisely.
Mountains and rivers too.
Everything I wanted.
The owner unfurled it proudly.
"As you see, the latest edition. Hand-copied from the royal surveyors' original—accuracy guaranteed. Shortcuts to the capital, even dangerous hybrid beast habitats marked."
He finished and eyed me greedily.
"200 gold. Not cheap, but vital stuff."
200 gold.
Chump change from a handful of monsters.
But instead of my wallet, I lightly raised a finger.
Never planned to pay.
Monsters don't get paid.
You kill and take what you need in a hunting ground.
Besides, this city wouldn't last.
A tiny wisp of dark crimson energy condensed at my fingertip.
Unique Annihilation.
As the owner sensed the ominous aura and opened his mouth—
Pop!!
A muffled burst like a silenced gunshot.
The space where the owner stood vanished in an instant.
No scream, no resistance.
The map he'd held fluttered down to the floor.
I reached over the counter and snatched it up.
Not a drop of blood on the pristine map.
My handling of Unique Annihilation improved by the day.
I stowed the map in my inventory
and checked the shop, but no other loot.
Then,
I left the shop as if nothing happened.
Outside remained peaceful.
No one knew the owner was dead.
A niche shop with few customers anyway—
by the time word spread, I'd have started the slaughter.
After dealing with the shopkeeper,
I headed straight to the adjacent market.
A sizable market sprawled here.
Stalls and tents lined both sides of the long street,
Abelians swarming to browse and haggle.
Near the entrance, mostly daily necessities like food and clothes.
The air carried the aroma of mystery meat skewers grilling amid spice scents.
Deeper in, the vibe shifted.
Shiny ores, monster hides and bones, jewelry pulsing with mana.
Even enchanted-looking accessories and weapons.
I stopped at one stall.
Blue-glowing dagger, staff, armor fragments laid out.
Special weapons.
I picked up the most striking dagger.
Heavy feel, faint mana thrum.
I channeled mana into it experimentally.
Hummm—
It activates?
Responded to my mana, function awakening.
I swung it through the air.
Shwick!
Sharp air-cutting whoosh.
Far superior to shop-bought gear in durability and power.
'Weapons like this, not as drops but just pick up and use?'
Does that mean all those magic items, armors piled up—they're usable too?
Scanning the market, these weren't rare.
Armor stalls over there, magic shops across.
Dozens in the market,
hundreds city-wide,
thousands across Zone 5, easy.
If I could claim it all?
I tried stowing the dagger in inventory.
Nothing. No response.
No system message.
Rejected like any random rock.
As expected.
Knew it from community posts, but still disappointing.
Non-item objects couldn't enter inventory.
Couldn't take them outside the zone.
Flip side: fully usable within Zone 5.
Of course, I had my mage sword; no real need for these.
'Still, grabbing a few extras couldn't hurt.'
The thought crossed my mind, but I dropped it.
No point now. Just baggage.
With the map secured, massacre imminent.
Grab necessities later.
I set the dagger down.
Crossed the market to the far exit.
At the market's end,
a building larger than the rest caught my eye.
Sign showed an overflowing beer mug.
Tavern.
Raucous noise spilled out the door—popular spot.
I pondered briefly, then entered seconds later.
Packed house,
Abelians gathered, drinking and eating.
Rowdy din mixed with booze, sweat, steaming hot.
I took a vacant table in the corner.
As I sat, the owner at the counter glanced over and nodded to a waiter.
A young-faced Abelian waiter approached.
Mechanical tone.
"Welcome. Traveler, right? Orders at the counter, prepay."
Gruff attitude.
I didn't even look at him, said nothing.
No point responding, with what was coming.
Ignored, his brow twitched.
"Hey, you deaf? No order, why sit..."
As the waiter raised his voice—
Bam!
A loud table-smash from the back.
Nearly every eye in the tavern snapped there. I alone didn't turn—sensed it fine otherwise.
There stood a nobly dressed Abelian,
a ragged-clothed young Abelian crumpled at his feet.
The youth clutched his cheek on the floor.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
The noble bellowed, fuming.
"You filthy cur! Dare spill booze on my clothes?"
"S-sorry, milord! My foot slipped..."
The youth paled, kowtowing on the floor.
But the noble's rage didn't subside.
"Sorry? Your worthless life couldn't cover this outfit!"
Classic strong-prey-weak scene.
The powerful trampling the powerless—dime a dozen anywhere.
Unsated, the noble started kicking the fallen youth.
"Urk! Guh!"
The youth curled up, screaming.
Overkill for a stained shirt.
But no other Abelians intervened.
Some averted eyes fearing fallout, others snickered as spectators.
Noble tantrums seemed routine here.
Noble's stats around 12.
Youth about 3.
No contest.
I watched impassively.
Then, dodging a kick, the youth stumbled backward.
Toward me, of all places.
He lost balance, crashing toward my table; the pursuing noble charged in.
"Where you goin'!"
The noble's foot snagged my extended leg.
"Eh?"
He toppled forward awkwardly.
Thud!
Heavy body slamming floor echoed through the tavern, silence crashing down.
The noble shot up, face beet-red.
A normal Abelian's leg would've snapped.
Glared at me, shame and fury mixed.
"You bastard! Traveler scum blocking a noble's path? Blind or what?!"
He jabbed a finger, roaring spit-flying rage.
I slowly turned to face him.
Then raised a finger instead of speaking.
As he opened his mouth for more—
Pop!
A thread of Unique Annihilation lanced from my fingertip, piercing the noble,
erasing him in a split-second only I perceived.
The tavern fell utterly silent.
All stared at me in disbelief.
I'd killed a noble.
A ruling class with absolute power in this city, slain by an outsider.
First to recover: the battered youth.
He shakily stood and approached me.
Eyes mixing terror, shock, faint relief.
"Th-thank you... for helping."
Glancing around,
he bowed deeply, then whispered urgently.
"But... big trouble. Killing a noble means guards swarm soon. This city's under noble rule—flee now..."
He genuinely worried for me.
Saw me as his savior.
"Ruining your precious journey... my fault, so sorry. Run, please..!"
Seeing me still seated,
he grew more frantic.
"This city grovels at nobles' word. Traveler or not, caught means execution! Back door there. Go that way..."
Tears welling, he urged escape endlessly.
I gazed down at this monster stone-faced.
Then extended my hand.
His eyes widened in confusion.
As my hand touched his head—
Pop!
Unique Annihilation flashed again.
The youth vanished just like the noble.
"......"
The tavern froze in terror too deep for screams.
Not just the noble—his rescuer too.
Incomprehensible slaughter. Overwhelming power.
The Abelians instinctively knew.
This guy was a serial killer, a madman.
I rose slowly from my seat.
Dozens of fear-stricken eyes locked on me.
Thanks, escape advice—meaningless to me.
From the moment I entered,
I'd already decided.
The massacre starts here.
'Domain.'
Domain 4th Grade
Activated