Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Zekiel 223.38 (4)
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Hierarchy.
It meant lining people up according to some standard, and in any gathering of sentient beings, a hierarchy was bound to form inevitably.
In that brutal food chain, those who claimed the higher spots reaped all sorts of benefits—a fact so obvious it hardly needed explaining.
Therefore.
Zekiel intended to seize the top of this hierarchy.
This wasn't a welcoming party for new members. It was a place designed to thoroughly crush and exclude rookies, so the only way to earn respect was to climb over them.
Benefits or drawbacks.
The choice was crystal clear.
"Wh-what...?"
Confusion spread across the face of the guy with green hair, elven ears, and reindeer antlers sprouting from his head.
"What did you just say to me...?"
The other members merely observed the unfolding scene. They planned to gauge the newbie's capabilities fully before deciding how to act themselves.
Zekiel welcomed that attitude.
The more they assessed him, the more likely they'd side with him.
The reindeer antlers swept his bangs back dramatically.
"Dog bone, say that again."
He radiated fury like a bomb about to explode, but Zekiel remained utterly calm.
"I hit you lightly, that's all. Like, um..."
"You mad bastard!"
Sparks flew from the reindeer antler's eyes.
He seemed properly enraged now, but that was better than watching him strut around with smug confidence.
Then it happened.
"Hey, you piece of shit."
The moment the reindeer antler unleashed a massive surge of mana.
Immense pressure crushes down!
An overwhelming weight began to press down on Zekiel. It felt like gravity had suddenly intensified.
Mana imbued with unparalleled heaviness.
'But it's subtly different from real mana.'
There was that peculiar discomfort of artificially amplified weight. At the same time, Zekiel understood. This must be the effect of the 'adjustment' within the virtual world.
'So that's the principle.'
He marveled once more at the intricate illusions of the black world. It took ordinary magic, adjusted it through hallucination, and applied it to the target—that was the mechanism.
Zekiel scanned the opponent's status.
A mage bolstered by mana operation specialization—an excellent class compared to Zekiel's slacker build.
The reindeer antler ramped up the pressure even more.
"Look me straight in the eye and say it again."
"Hmm."
Zekiel slowly flexed his fingers, acclimating to this world's rules. The conclusion was simple: his modified constitution still made him the strongest.
His body felt just as light as ever.
"No answer? Finally realizing your place?"
The reindeer antler pressed him.
The surrounding members finally relaxed, popping snacks into their mouths. To them, it probably looked like the cocky newbie was getting subdued.
"For a dog bone, you sure had a lot to say earlier. Oh, was it too intense? You might die like this. Guess I should ease up."
It was a lie. He was actually intensifying it.
That one remark must have bruised his pride badly, because the reindeer antler was pouring everything into crushing Zekiel.
Of course, Zekiel was perfectly fine.
"I don't get it—why do you want to hear it again?"
"Scared to repeat it? Can't handle it?"
"I thought of your mom when I hit you. Lightly."
"...?"
Shock crashed over the reindeer antler's face like a wave.
"Wh-what? I cranked it up pretty high..."
The impact was so great he admitted his own lie. It contrasted sharply with Zekiel's nonchalance.
'At least he won't suspect I'm from the Imperial Tower.'
There were plenty of ways to deflate someone's ego, but Zekiel deliberately went crude. The more undignified he acted, the better he hid his true identity.
Not bad at all. Felt pretty good, too.
Meanwhile, the other members chimed in.
"Strange. I felt the pressure go in."
"Maybe the newbie's just tougher?"
"Either way, drawing attention like this from the start isn't good. Standing out in a secret meeting never ends well."
Some were confused, others intrigued. Zekiel's plan to boldly claim his seat was progressing steadily.
"You piece of shit, clearly exploiting something shady, and you dare act like this to me? You dare...!"
The reindeer antler's clenched fist trembled violently, but.
Zekiel shifted his focus elsewhere.
Suddenly, Elder Seina of the Blue Tower came to mind.
—A waste? Absolutely not. This virtual world helps in reality too. Training here affects the real world to some extent.
What Seina had hinted at was straightforward.
For example, if a low-tier mage handled mid-tier magic in the virtual world, that sensation lingered even after returning to reality.
—Low-tier mages can experience mid-tier magic here. It massively helps break through their limits later, right?
What about for Zekiel?
Would practicing magic with his fixed constitution carry over significantly to reality?
No reason not to try. Especially with this eager opponent.
—So, Master, try the 'fight' function with me later! It's one-on-one duels with insane realism.
Seina added one more thing.
—There's practice mode and serious mode. Losing in serious mode resets your black world avatar... Huge penalty, huh?
Then obviously serious mode it was.
I quickly scanned the notification window.
Just thinking about using the fight function was enough—the window popped up in front of him automatically.
"...?"
The reindeer antler scrutinized the notification in front of me, then snorted in disbelief.
"...Fight? Serious mode? You messing with me?"
"Seemed like what you wanted."
"Pathetic, but if you insist, fine."
The reindeer antler accepted the duel right away.
"They say cornered rats bite cats—guess it's true. If you'd begged, I might've tossed you some scraps of info."
"...Why so chatty?"
"Shut your trap, dog bone. Or you will soon."
Sssshhhh—
The surroundings shifted as the duel began. A vast plain, just the reindeer antler and me.
'Let's start by lightly drawing out some cold qi.'
I casually circulated my cold qi.
Swish—
"Even in this virtual world, pain feels just like reality, got it? You arrogant—"
The nonstop yapping reindeer antler froze abruptly.
"..."
His form stiffened completely.
But he wasn't utterly still. His body trembled faintly at high speed.
"...Ahh."
A strangled gasp escaped the reindeer antler.
To Zekiel, it was a familiar sound—one he'd heard more than any other in life.
Cold.
The wail of those tormented by extreme cold.
"...What, ending it with just cold qi?"
Zekiel muttered in disbelief.
He approached quietly and tapped the reindeer antler's shoulder.
Just shivering, no response.
"Wrapped in mana, and still out of it."
Normies froze easily from light cold, but mages circulated mana rapidly by default. They shouldn't freeze so readily.
Yes, that was normal.
But the reindeer antler before him was blatantly frozen solid.
A mana-specialized mage avatar, utterly defeated by Zekiel's cold qi.
"Wh-what... What the hell..."
The reindeer antler mumbled incomprehensibly.
His HP bar hovered above his head, plummeting at a terrifying rate.
Zekiel pressed his middle finger to his thumb and flicked the guy's forehead—what folks called a knuckle rap.
"What else?"
Flick!
Crack! His head shattered.
"Your avatar's hopeless. Start over from scratch."
A total rout. Zekiel's tone held no excitement.
"...!"
Returning to the original space after crushing the reindeer antler, the other members' eyes went wide.
It was only natural. Zekiel's HP bar was still maxed out even after the fight ended.
The secret meeting's atmosphere shifted in an instant.
First, everyone avoided Zekiel's gaze.
"Ahem..."
"Hm! A proper newbie's finally joined."
Those who'd looked down on him flipped attitudes in a flash—familiar as breathing. Zekiel waved dismissively, not wanting to waste time.
"Anyway, that's settled. Let's share info already."
"Not yet..."
"Not yet?"
Zekiel whipped his head around, and the beastkin with a cat head on a human body backed up a few steps.
"Wh-why glare like that, nyaa? We can't start yet. The host hasn't arrived, nyaa."
Odd speech pattern.
But more grating was the mention of the host.
"Host?"
"Y-yeah."
The beastkin avatar nodded. The surrounding members backed him up, confirming it was true.
"There's someone leading this secret meeting."
"Who?"
"We don't know their real identity, obviously, but they're presumed to be the top figure even in reality. The info they handle here is on another level."
"Right, nyaa...! Nothing works without them, nyaa...!"
"Surprising, right? Deep magic knowledge, and they casually drop imperial palace intel sometimes."
Who could the host be?
And how long until they showed, time was precious.
As Zekiel pondered that.
Creeeak—
The door opened.
The members brightened instantly.
"They're here, nyaa!"
"Host, you've arrived!"
"Greetings, Host."
And.
Zekiel was thoroughly flustered too.
Rare for him.
"That's..."
But it was unavoidable.
The sight before him was shocking.
'Me?'
'Zekiel' has entered the secret meeting.
The figure who entered as the secret meeting's host.
He appeared using the alias Zekiel, perfectly mimicking Zekiel's appearance.