Persuasion of Proxy Alpha
Snow whipped through the Arctic blizzard.
Crackle, crackle—!
Amid heavy static noise, a blonde girl materialized.
Her identity: Proxy Alpha.
A blonde girl with an eyepatch. Holding scales in her hand, she landed lightly.
There stood Sa Choiheon, bundled in winter gear. He'd clearly waited quite a while—white frost blanketed his entire body.
“Proxy Alpha.”
Sa Choiheon's breath came out in a white puff as he spoke.
Alpha couldn't comprehend it. How had an ordinary human summoned her? Proxies were only called to the present world under special circumstances.
Proxy Alpha questions the summons.
“The method doesn't matter. I just need coordination on what's happening now.”
Sa Choiheon's calm voice carried a grave glint in his eyes.
“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have descended to the present world. Revived by ma-in, no less. You must know that already?”
Some improper actions have been observed, but no adjustment target can be found at this time.
Sa Choiheon's brow furrowed.
'No adjustment target?'
It was probably the Four Horsemen's doing. They'd hidden the ma-in responsible for the summoning somewhere.
But punishment wasn't Sa Choiheon's goal.
With the Horsemen already descended, killing one top-tier ma-in wouldn't end this mission.
'At least one continent will be destroyed.'
Even if one continent fell, five Black Endings of Doom would remain. The entire world wouldn't be obliterated, but the catastrophic damage was obvious.
Sa Choiheon gritted his teeth.
'Regression is the last resort.'
The one and only regression where Mumyeong existed.
He couldn't squander this chance.
Proxy Alpha asks about your business.
The ma-in adjustment wasn't the issue.
The reason he'd hastily gathered special items and triggered a minor system rift to summon the proxy was something else.
“If things continue like this, humanity will meet an absurd end. The present world, just entering Phase 1, will collapse at a rapid pace.”
What was the system's adjustment for?
It existed for the constellations.
To let them fully enjoy the game board called the present world. To eliminate unstable elements and punish those who broke the rules.
Humanity's swift extinction wouldn't benefit the system either.
So Sa Choiheon aimed to persuade the proxy.
“The battlefield rewards need a massive boost. Enough to serve as a foundation for humanity's growth.”
Proxy questions the validity of the proposal.
“Plenty of constellations are voicing their dissatisfaction already, aren't they? And more than that...”
Sa Choiheon continued evenly.
“The current situation mirrors the Civilization Realm. No dimension met as disastrous an end as that one. You wouldn't want to repeat those mistakes, right?”
Civilization Realm.
Another world once visited by the system. Ma-in had dominated there too, all sorts of dooms had arrived, and it vanished in record time.
Numerous constellations and rulers raged furiously, leading to a system-wide blackout.
A few constellations question 'Sa Choiheon's' knowledge.
The proxy even tilted her head.
This was knowledge unattainable at the current point. Not even prophecy could fill the gaps.
Yet Sa Choiheon ignored their doubts.
“So, what will you do? Just sit back and watch?”
How he knew wasn't important.
What mattered was what came next.
Reminding them not to repeat the Civilization Realm's fate was enough.
Once per regression.
The way to persuade Proxy Alpha.
And such attempts were always...
Proxy Alpha agrees with your opinion.
Battlefield reward system greatly enhanced.
...bound to succeed.
The effects Sa Choiheon wrought appeared immediately.
Players participating in the battlefield can now purchase benefits with points.
Available benefits have been upgraded.
“Master, the benefits have gotten way better.”
“Which parts?”
“Everything's been buffed ridiculously. See for yourself.”
China's hunter Hao Ran and his master smashed through the monsters ahead as they advanced.
“You brat, is that how you talk to your master?”
“Ah, I forgot about your old eyes, Master. But system windows aren't affected by eyesight, right?”
Kaboom—! Boom!
Their conversation was leisurely, but they never stopped moving.
Their movements—swiftly clearing monsters through the forest—transcended human limits.
Snap!
Hao Ran leaped off a tree branch, smashing the lizardman's head. Splurt! Its skull exploded.
Hao Ran's form vanished instantly.
“Kieek?!”
“Kreurgh!”
Pow! Pum-pum-pum!
The monsters hiding in the forest looked around frantically before meeting their ends. At their level, they couldn't even catch up to Hao Ran.
Master and disciple shot forward without slowing.
“I'll use the acquired points on experience multiplier.”
Hao Ran manipulated the system window deftly even as he dashed ahead.
You have selected Experience Multiplier boost.
Experience multiplier increased to 4.3x.
“Whoa, the efficiency is insane. Why the sudden buff? No idea, but this pace should do it.”
“It'll take a bit to reach a hunting ground matching our level.”
“The battlefield's huge, huh.”
Stronger monsters appeared toward the center. The red aura thickened like autumn leaves turning.
“One continent vanishing... it's a disaster, but no better place to grow our power.”
Hao Ran paused atop a massive tree, glancing back. Countless hunters had entered the battlefield and were hunting.
No rank restrictions here.
From F-rank to S-rank.
Anyone who could fight had joined—to protect their continent or for personal gain.
“And not dying even if you do makes it appealing.”
Hunters who entered the battlefield revived upon death.
Hao Ran gave a wry smile.
“If they weren't holding our continent hostage, it'd be a total boon.”
The early vibe was all about hunting, but give it time, and war could break out anytime.
“Master, no way we can stop it?”
“...Can a human block a river with their palm?”
If you couldn't stop the flow, you had to ride it. Otherwise, you'd be weeded out.
“Yeah, figured. Onward, then.”
It was then, as Hao Ran looked up.
Kwaaaaang—!
A massive explosion rocked the battlefield's center. Not the first one. Several had gone off while Hao Ran and his master traveled.
Mumyeong was probably there.
The air crackled with power.
“Master.”
Hao Ran stared blankly before speaking to his master.
“If it's not a palm but an excavator... maybe we could block it?”
Intercontinental Scoreboard
Even now, Asia's share kept climbing endlessly. If it was Mumyeong, he might be plotting something else.
Thwack—!
His master's staff struck Hao Ran's head. Mana-infused, it made him clutch his skull.
“Ow, why'd you hit me?”
“We're on the same continent, so whatever... but how do hunters from other continents feel about Mumyeong's rampage?”
“Pretty unfair, I'd bet.”
Hao Ran's master stroked his beard and spoke again.
“I don't know what Mumyeong's thinking... but in this situation, envy is inevitable.”
“Think he'll care?”
“...This brat keeps talking back.”
Hao Ran bolted before the staff could fall again.
Chomp.
I bit into the bread of harmony. A nutty flavor spread through my mouth.
'Tasty.'
Satiety filled me at the same time.
'And the effects are ridiculous.'
The moment I ate, vitality surged through my body.
And that wasn't all.
Kwaaang—!
The apostles could unleash max-output skills freely. The massive red orb Zhuque summoned slammed into the ground.
Kwaaaaa—!
A colossal pillar of fire erupted. A devastating blow that charred everything around to ash.
Points acquired. +423pt
Points acquired. +646pt
...
Points acquired. +575pt
Vast amounts of points kept piling up.
“How's this, my lord? Seems we've cleared the monsters in this area.”
Zhuque descended near the tent.
I gave a thumbs-up.
“Excellent.”
Myth+ firepower was on another level. Even without a weapon, it outdid Lucifer with his dedicated gear.
It had even sponsored its own weapon fragments in advance, so a dedicated weapon seemed imminent.
“Not that impressive. This is just a fraction of my power. More importantly, have you gathered many points?”
I checked my points.
Held Battlefield Points: 5,294,352 pt
Nearly five million points. Insane, considering the battlefield had just opened.
I recalled the apostles I'd sent in all directions. Stronger monsters lurked inward, so central hunting would be more efficient.
'The lantern's souls are filling up too.'
The battlefield itself was pure profit.
“Shall I buy some other benefits with points?”
“Not a bad idea. It won't end in a day or two anyway.”
Come to think of it, a message about enhanced benefits had popped up earlier.
Temporary stat boosts.
Item drop rate ups.
Battlefield EXP Multiplier enhanced → 10.0x
Battlefield Item Drop Multiplier enhanced → 10.0x
Point Acquisition Multiplier enhanced → 3.0x
Plenty left even after spending this much.
Vast points consumed.
Special Benefits Shop opened.
'Let's see.'
Adjusts EXP multiplier in parts of the battlefield based on points spent.
Grants blessings to parts of the battlefield based on points spent.
Increases monster spawn rate in parts of the battlefield based on points spent.
It looked like I could tweak battlefield settings.
'Like this, huh.'
I got the gist. Claim territory, then strengthen your land. No immediate use for it.
My goal wasn't victory here anyway.
Summons monsters based on points spent.
I checked the system window I'd planned to use originally.
“Using massive points could rift the battlefield, right?”
“Exactly. The battlefield isn't a sturdy world. Lucky I could scout it as a constellation back then.”
The battlefield had limits on monster strength. Summon something beyond, and...
The Four Horsemen themselves might appear.
“Issue is how many points it'll take.”
“My analysis says around day 13, we'll have enough.”
Zhuque said confidently.
The battlefield lasted a fortnight. Day 13 was cutting it close. Failure meant no fallback.
“Gotta test this first, so summon one monster.”
No telling what weird thing might pop out. Better know the mechanics.
Monster Summon used.
I spent 500pt to summon one. Red light gathered, forming a monster.
Grrr...
A Shadow Beast.
Zhuque flicked a tiny flame from its fingertip at it.
The Shadow Beast charged me simultaneously.
Fwoosh—!
Fierce flames engulfed the Shadow Beast. It thrashed before scattering as ash. Tremendous power.
'Even America's rank 1 can't take one down...'
Well, with endless massive fire pillars, no surprise at an apostle's strength now.
I'd grasped monster summoning.
Monsters spawned where I designated.
'Day 13, huh.'
Time to gather points for a battlefield rift.
'Gotta farm.'
As I casually swiped the system window.
Points acquired. +532pt
“Hold on.”
“What is it, my lord?”
Killed a 500pt summon, got 532pt. 32pt profit.
Test: killed another. Similar points.
'The upgrade?'
I invested points to boost point acquisition multiplier. Cost a ton.
Point Acquisition Multiplier enhanced → 5.0x
Summoned again.
“Kill it once more?”
“Killing's easy, but...”
Fwoosh.
The 500pt monster vaporized in Zhuque's flames. The message:
Points acquired. +824pt
Point gains exploded ridiculously. Zhuque realized too, eyes widening.
“Points are... duplicating...?”
A miracle from lucky coincidences stacking.
End
ⓒ Chayong#1g25m