Chaos, Part 2
Competition never stops, not even at this very moment, and it decides the rise and fall of countless lives.
Those who stake their lives on competition are not just the pro gamers who openly fight for rankings. In this world, where society and ethics are merely masks and the truth is nothing more than brutal survival of the fittest, everyone is forced to endure that merciless struggle. There are only a precious few who bask in glory while the losers are dragged through humiliation, so it is only natural to do whatever it takes to win—and only natural to feel joy when that goal is finally achieved.
"I didn’t think it was that dangerous. Even in a narrow field like this, it’s common for skill to swing wildly from season to season. Bold interviews aren’t exactly rare either."
"If that’s how you see it, then I have no objection."
"There are always one or two rising stars in every field, after all..."
Agares had only meant to suggest that I ought to be a little more careful. But I hadn’t thought this was dangerous enough to warrant concern.
If this game was indeed aimed at the entire planet, then the number of players was only seventy-two. I didn’t know what criteria or conditions governed that selection, but there was a good chance there weren’t any in Korea at all.
"As you wish. I only wished to remind you once more. Then let us set that matter aside for now and move on to something else."
He shifted the topic and enlarged the screen. On it, the reward I could claim was already waiting.
"You have achieved the accomplishment of your first victory in reality’s tournament. The experience points you received as a reward are a miracle that can grow a unit regardless of its conditions. Which unit do you intend to raise this time?"
"I’ll hold off for now. It’s not like I won’t have plenty of chances to rack up achievements from here on."
I decided to postpone using the experience points. When I’d been pressed for time, I’d used them immediately, but right now there was no real urgency.
There was nothing wrong with saving them up as I kept winning and collecting achievements, then spending them when I truly needed them.
"A lot is happening on all fronts, but for now it seems manageable."
As my organization grew, the number of things I had to choose and direct grew with it. While quickly sweeping through the situation, I began handling the backlog one item at a time.
"The most important thing is still here."
And so I devoted concentrated time to one place in particular. Unlike the smaller incidents that were little more than mopping up stragglers, this was where the enemy I absolutely had to eliminate was causing real havoc.
***
"Ugh, ahh! It’s coming! It’s coming this way!"
"Hurry and shut the door!"
High on a hill overlooking the village below stood the estate of a local landowner, protected by sturdy walls. As a group of people rushed in desperately, those who had been waiting hurriedly slammed the thick doors shut behind them.
"Kyaaaah!"
"Kihik..."
At the same time, the madmen who had been chasing them slammed their bodies against the door and began clawing at it like lunatics. Madness in its purest form. At the sight, which seemed made to summon fear itself, the people gasping for breath stumbled back with tense faces.
"What we heard in rumors can’t even begin to compare. I’m worried we won’t be able to get out of here."
"R-right. Why in the world is something this dreadful..."
In the silence that followed, a middle-aged man in armor let out a pale, stunned sigh.
Though this estate belonged to a count’s domain, they had been living in relative peace despite the turmoil raging across the continent—until the one terrible rumor from the neighboring barony reached them.
A deadly curse, presumably from the Demon Realm, had broken out and was said to be making people kill one another.
But no one had imagined that the curse would suddenly spread all the way here.
"It’ll be difficult, but let’s hold out a little longer. There’s no way the lord would just stand by and watch his land be ravaged like this. We have enough food."
Men, women, and children of every rank who had fled here decided, at least for the moment, to simply endure. They had no strength to break through the hordes of zombies infesting every direction and reach safety.
"Just in case, everyone who can fight, get ready."
Faced with disaster right before their eyes, status meant nothing. Under the knights’ command, they began resisting in whatever way they could, simply to survive.
"You don’t need to go out there. Stay with the others."
She, too, was no different, even though she had to leave her younger sibling behind.
Rising with a sword that still had traces of blood on it, she joined the others in defending the estate.
"The refugees who fled from Waut Barony said something like this, didn’t they? They said the walking corpses, the undead, didn’t seem to be rampaging mindlessly. It was as if they were following someone’s orders, moving toward some purpose."
Purpose.
She caught fragments of the explanation given by the middle-aged knight who had temporarily taken command. At the thought that the zombies had a purpose, her eyes trembled.
If this zombie disaster that had shattered all peace in an instant was not a natural catastrophe but someone’s scheme, she did not know if she could contain her fury.
"I also heard that the undead fought a full-scale battle against the Black Beetles. You know what the Black Beetles are, don’t you? Monsters that were whispered about even earlier than the undead."
"Aren’t those monsters nowhere near here?"
"If the Black Beetles won against the undead, maybe they drove them all the way here. I heard they even attacked the lord’s castle."
Black Beetles.
She learned of yet another monster force from the conversation—these new creatures who had already killed two lords and turned those lands into their own territory.
Her anger flared again. Why in the world were those monsters tormenting them here, now?
"I-is this possible! Come here, everyone!"
At that moment, someone standing watch atop the temporary lookout tower shouted in panic. It was such a desperate cry that everyone nearby, horrified, grabbed their weapons and rushed over.
"I’ve heard of this! The corpse golem that’s formed when many undead are fused into one..."
"What do we do?! It’s coming this way."
The commander’s voice trembled as he climbed the wall himself and looked out. The hulking monster, with multiple overlapping organs and a massive body, was heading straight for them.
And with it came other zombies at its side. This was nothing like the usual sight of them giving up and wandering off when the door was shut. They carried the oppressive presence of soldiers coming to storm a fortress.
No way!
Seeing that, she recalled what she had just heard—that the zombies seemed to be obeying someone with purpose.
"We have no choice. Prepare to fight! If the wall or the gate falls, we won’t survive anyway!"
In the end, the commander chose battle. In truth, they had no other option, so before long they had done everything they could to prepare, waiting for the enemy with tense faces.
"Fire! Aim for the head! Go for the neck or the skull!"
The battle began with the arrows they loosed. Arrows sliced through the air and buried themselves in the zombies’ heads and bodies.
But the corpse golem in the center lifted its massive arm and shielded its vital points.
"Please, Fartse."
"I don’t know if it’ll work."
Still, having confirmed that it had a weakness, the only mage among them stepped forward and sent a blazing fireball flying. Everyone watched it with bated breath.
Wrong...
But she saw the exploding fireball being weakened by the force of mana, and she clenched her teeth, gripping the hilt in her hand even tighter.
Then there was only one thing left to do: fight with a sword.
"Hah... Fine, then. Am I supposed to just end here?"
And while they prepared for a battle that would decide their lives and deaths, there was someone else grinning as he watched them through the eyes of his soldiers reflected in a crystal orb.
"More materials, more troops! If I have those, I can..."
"Is that truly the most rational decision? As when you controlled Waut Barony, should you not have dealt with the count first?"
"SHUT UP!!!"
In a dim cave, the skeleton who had been staring only at the crystal orb—Diego—suddenly flared with light in his eye sockets as he shouted at the voice only he could hear.
"We don’t have time. And that was you who said the ones beside the count are too strong, Malpas!"
"I said be cautious, not rush forward. Thanks to that, you now have enemies on both sides. The count’s forces, assembled into a punitive expedition, are coming from the east, and the Black Beetles that devoured the entire barony are coming from the west. Can you really handle that?"
"I have to. I must!! The exam is coming soon. If I want a better score, if I want to get into med school, I need more Mythic Essence."
What an idiot...
Malpas, Diego’s guide, who had faithfully played his part and offered all the advice he could, sighed and pressed a hand to his head.
The rampaging Diego had long since lost all reason.
He’s already hit the limit of a conqueror-type user. Of all the people he could have chosen, why did it have to be this moron?
Users who begin at 100% Synchronization and can merge their bodies with their avatars are a major category in Pandemonium, and naturally they come with both strengths and weaknesses.
Their strengths lie in rapid early growth and greater freedom of control, but their weakness is that they can, in turn, be devoured by their own avatar.
The only thing that can keep that in check is a person’s strong identity and conviction. But a fool who buries himself in his own desires will ultimately be swallowed by the avatar, becoming nothing more than a being that runs wild in pursuit of that desire.
"I-I’ll win. I’ll win no matter what..."
"Is it already too late? At this point, I can only hope your opponent suffers from the same side effects as a monarch-type user."
Whatever Malpas thought of him as he sighed, Diego bared his teeth and clutched the crystal orb tighter.