Chapter 1: The Path to Transcendence

Under the blazing sun, countless corpses littered the ground.

Huff. I was the only one still drawing ragged breaths amid the carnage.

Is it finally over...?

I glanced down at my feet. A massive black-brown horn pillar. It belonged to Jangdaran, one of the four great lords who dominated the continent.

A monster among monsters.

Jangdaran. Leader of the Hercules clan. He was living proof that the Hercules beetles weren't dubbed one of the strongest clans for nothing.

But in the end, I was the last one standing.

Not just the self-proclaimed mightiest Hercules clan, but their rivals—the Titan clan, the Pallawan clan, and the Amar clan—all had fallen to my blades. No one on the continent could have imagined that a mere praying mantis from an obscure clan would bring them all to their knees.

If those waiting outside for the war's outcome saw this, they'd faint dead away.

I had etched countless legends into history. Yet there were always those who dismissed me to the end, claiming the mantis clan's limits held me back. Imagining their faces when they learned today's result brought a chuckle bubbling up.

Too bad I won't get to see them.

I steadied myself and rose to my feet. It was time to witness the war's conclusion.

"What a long, long journey."

It had spanned nearly twenty years. Memories flooded back of the day I first set foot on this continent.

"It was so damn hopeless back then..."

Insect King's War. A weathered game set in a world where insects had evolved into humanoid forms, boasting infinite freedom. After grinding through every insect race and conquering them all, a few hidden races had unlocked for me. Among them, I chose the one that caught my eye the most: the Megaera Mantis.

The lore of it being the mightiest forgotten insect from ancient times had hooked me completely.

"Who'd have thought I'd end up inside the game."

Impossible as it sounded, I'd possessed one of the mantis race NPCs in the game world. What followed was a thorny path of trials. If I hadn't been a total veteran of Insect King's War, I'd have died a hundred times over by now.

"If I had to possess something, why not the hidden race I picked? Things would've been way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠easier."

To clarify: I had chosen the mantis hidden race, the Megaera Mantis. But absurdly, I'd ended up possessing a run-of-the-mill common mantis.

"Water under the bridge now, anyway."

A wry smile tugged at my lips as I pressed forward. Beyond the mountain of corpses loomed a massive door etched with ancient patterns.

Just like the game's ending.

Opening it would reveal a vast plain, and at its center, a holy grail cradling golden flames. The legendary item said to grant any wish.

Back when I played, I'd lifted that grail with every insect race, witnessing the unique wishes each one made.

Wealth and fame, immortality, absolute dominion over the continent, evolution beyond racial limits...

Innumerable desires, all of them. Watching what each race wished for had always been the highlight. Maybe that's why I'd kept grinding as a vet—curiosity about those choices.

"My wish was set in stone, though."

I muttered as I pushed open the giant door.

Just as I'd said, my wish today was decided long ago. It was...

The collapse of this system.

My eyes hardened with resolve.

For the first few years after arriving, I'd thought this world was just game data. But it wasn't.

This game—this world—was alive and breathing. Humanity, empowered by insect might, lived alongside primal beasts, carving out their lives. Witnessing it all, I had no choice but to accept this as a real, existing realm.

That's why I'll shatter this damn cage of a system.

Reaffirming my vow, I stepped through the door toward the grail.

Creeeak—

The heavy door ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠swung back, revealing the space beyond.

What the hell?

I narrowed my eyes at the scene. Stale air. Withered grass on a barren plain. Skies choked with storm clouds, heavy with impending rain. A chilling vista.

Nothing like what I remember.

The only familiar sight was the golden flames blazing at the center: the grail.

The Holy Grail.

Holy energy poured from the massive cup, confirming the golden fire as the true grail's flame.

I swallowed, a strange tension gripping me as I approached. Seeing it in person, not just on a screen, felt profoundly alien.

The 6th round...

In the game, I'd always won the 1st Racial War. This place had already seen five more cycles.

Is that why the scenery changed?

No matter. As long as the grail worked properly. I stared at it.

I closed my eyes at the grail's question. Truth be told, I could wish for wealth and glory, eternal life. Become an immortal emperor ruling the continent, grasping riches, fame, power. Or beg to return to my hazy memories of home.

Home.

Faint recollections of Earth surfaced. Before possessing this body, I'd been a jobless guy fresh out of the military, holed up in my room, burning through my parents' inheritance on endless gaming.

If I had to sum up life on Earth in one line: A barren, twisted existence drained of emotion.

This Abian Continent had breathed life into me, teaching me human connections, love, friendship.

I learned what true living means here.

Abian was my home now, my foundation.

So my decision stands.

I opened my eyes and spoke, each word laced with unyielding will.

"I wish for the abolition of the penning system that imprisons the Abian Continent, and for the dimensional realm containing Abian to attain true dimensional stature."

The earnest desire I'd harbored since learning the world's truth. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠served the world—and me.

If this dimension gains true stature, I might ascend to the next level.

I stood at the pinnacle of what insect-empowered humanity could reach: the brink of Ultimate Body.

And instinctively, I knew it wasn't the end. There was more beyond—but that wall was impenetrable, no matter what I tried.

True dimensional stature might unlock the key.

The ultimate path all life craves: transcendence. This wish could set me upon it.

Fwwoosh—

The grail's flames pierced the heavens in a massive golden pillar. The majestic scene from the game's ending unfolded before me.

"Ah..."

Awe escaped my lips at the breathtaking sight. This was the grail's manifestation effect. The sky parted, flames surging fiercer.

Then—

"What the—"

I froze. Grail approval on hold? Never happened in the game.

Thunderous words boomed in my ears.

—Hah, the audacity. A mere mortal daring to shatter the system?

The voice dripped with arrogance. I shuddered, sensing its supreme stature—beyond even Ultimate Body.

—I'll show mercy. It's not too late. Wish for something else.

Bullshit. Denying my wish meant chaining me—and all of Abian—forever.

No way in hell I'd comply.

"Cut the crap. My wish stands as is."

—Tch. Rejecting the cup and choosing the rod, eh?

With that, the sky split wide.

Crackle—

A being radiating rainbow light hovered cross-legged above the clouds. My eyes widened.

That thing...

Instinct screamed it was the voice's owner—the culprit.

Its face was shrouded in mist, but I felt its smirk.

—Direct intervention's off-limits, as expected.

The newcomer—what the system called the Administrator—snapped its fingers at me.

Apostle. Coconut crab. Descent.

Rumbleeeee—

A being of absurd presence materialized before me, so massive the vast space felt cramped.

"Foolish one. Obey the Administrator, and all would be yours."

The summoned apostle, the coconut crab, raised its enormous claw and smashed down.

I dodged swiftly, but the shockwave from its impact hammered me full-force.

Rumblle—

The ground quaked like an earthquake as the blast radiated outward.

Ugh.

My insides churned. Its power matched its size—immeasurable.

Raw destructive force beyond compare.

My eyes steadied. Impressive power, but speed was middling. Dodgable.

I can take it.

Assessing, I summoned my ether.

Shiiiine.

Brown aura shimmered around me like heat haze. My skin hardened into brown exoskeleton, mantis antennae and dual wings sprouting from my back.

Insectization—the mantis race's primal form, unlocked at Complete Body. Far stronger than my human form in attack and defense.

Now I could match the coconut crab.

Whooosh.

Another claw plummeted. This time, I charged straight at it.

Riiiip—!

Air screamed as the claw grazed past. Body exposed, I activated.

Wind God, activate.

Brown winds howled from my signature weapon, the Wind White Sword.

Fwoosh—!

Stones and gravel swirled into the gale, launching skyward. The atmosphere wailed under the sky-shredding pressure.

My full power. The transcendent might even Hercules and Pallawan lords feared!

Boom—!

Like an exploding shell, I became a tornado, shredding the crab's body.

"Graaaah!"

Its exoskeleton was the toughest I'd faced, but my blade sliced through. Wounds gushing, it roared.

"You bastard!"

Ultrasound burst from its maw with furious rage.

"...!"

My whirlwind form halted abruptly. Hit by the sonic wave, paralysis gripped me.

No!

Plummeting, I thrashed, but the numbness lingered. The claw smashed me dead-on, cratering the ground.

Kabooom!

A massive pit formed. Blood spewed from my mouth.

"Guh."

My body felt shattered. Limbs refused to move as I struggled to rise.

"Incredible strength for one not even at Transcendent Body."

The crab's feral eyes softened in admiration.

"Tch. Too late to revive now. If only you'd obeyed sooner..."

It was right. I was dying. Minutes at most.

But I wouldn't wait for death. I turned inward, inspired by its mention of Transcendent Body.

Transcendent Body! It exists. My instincts were spot on.

I'd long suspected: beyond Complete Body and the so-called final Ultimate Body, there was more. At Ultimate's edge, I'd felt it strongly.

And now, certainty dawned.

"Ahh..."

Ecstasy laced my voice. Suspicion and conviction were worlds apart. Vision cleared from fog, revealing a new path.

I stepped onto it without hesitation. System chimes rang in my ears.

In my daze, I affirmed. The silent grail erupted in ecstatic golden light like fireworks.

Dark skies blazed gold, the light converging and hurtling toward me.

"Wh-what?!"

—Block it!

The apostle and Administrator's startled cries were the last thing I heard before blacking out.