“Nope, I’d better not!”
Quickly deciding against the idea, I stepped away from the gate. This time, not out of fear— but logic.“I could probably take them, I think…”The problem was that if I kept killing Demons, there would be nearly nothing left for the Subjugation team to fight. Judging by their respawn rate and how long the horde must have begun their conquest, I estimated that they had at most five compounds. No, most likely four.I had taken care of two, leaving about two left. I wasn’t a fan of unfinished work, so if I was to dive into the third compound, I would become too immersed and I wouldn’t stop until every single Demon in sight had been vanquished.That wasn’t a good thing.Plus, I needed more Demons for target practice when considering“Well, as for you Lara, I’ve decided that you’re worth keeping alive.” I said as I smiled at the young woman.A look of relief broke out on Lara’s stoic face, causing her to relax a little. She bowed a little and thanked me for sparing her life, as though it was only natural.This felt a little strange, considering she was five years older than me. Still, I had to get used to such treatment. After all, this was how the weak addressed the strong.—And I was strong!“W-what about me?” Larry asked, cutting into my thoughts with a shivering voice.His eyes displayed hope that I would spare him since I had done the same for Lara. Unfortunately, his hopes were all for naught.“Oh? You’re going to die here.” I said blankly.This caused Larry’s eyes to bulge. His face told me that he was processing millions of thoughts as he tried to understand my decision.“B-but why?!” He snapped, feeling a mix of anxi
“That’s the least of your problems, buddy.” My voice leaked out in amusement.I was fond of talking to myself so this wasn’t strange. However, out of habit, I had spoken and forgotten that there was a person beside me.“Hahaha…” Lara chuckled slightly, responding to my words.I was a little, no, very surprised by this reaction. Even though she had done quite a lot to make me consider her strange, who would laugh at an awful statement while another man writhed in agony— close to death.Apparently, Lara would.“Arghhh! Please save me! Please! I’ll do anything! Please!!!” His screams irritated my ears and dragged me from my deep thoughts and back to the reality of his bloodied flesh.The Hobgoblin took its time to approach Larry’s legless body, appearing to grin in excitement. From the creature’s expression, it was enjoying this quite well.‘I wondered why it didn’t just use its Claw spikes to fini
I felt uncomfortable seeing the remnants of Larry’s corpse, so I sent the entire thing into [Subspace]. This made me, once again, grateful for my Gift’s upgrade. ‘Whew! I’m happy I don’t need to touch things like that!’ My mind rang happily. I caught Lara observing my actions with a degree of interest in her eyes. She was curious about the true nature of my Gift, no doubt. Well, there were a few things about her that I was curious about as well. It was good that she had also developed— or rather, reciprocated the interest I showed. “Are you hungry?” My question caused her to look at me in puzzlement. After what seemed like a few seconds of consideration she nodded, yes. She was honest—good. I summoned a decent amount of food for the both of us since I was feeling a little famished myself. Meat, and vegetables, with freshly made rice which I had cooked in my spare time in the apartment— all lined up on the neat mat I had also taken out from my special storage. Since any object p
‘Just this once, can I loosen up a little?’Of course, I didn’t mean to let my guard down. However, I always had to put up a wall that masked my true intentions from others. People like Anne, Katie , Adam, and even Charles didn’t really know who I was and what I was capable of.If I was to fully express myself to this woman, would I be able to let go of the loneliness welling up within me? No one understood my point of view in this world— even before the world came to this. However, Lara felt like a kindred spirit. Perhaps if it was her…In any case, the problem was how to begin the conversation and gear it in the direction I wanted. I could think of a bunch of questions I wanted to ask, but couldn’t decide on a particular one to start from.“My full name is Lara Spitz. I’m twenty-three, a Gifted like you. I am, no… I was a Psychiatrist.” I was shocked that she started her introductions before having me kick-start the conversation. As she kept talking, I found out more about her.‘A
Lara and I talked for a little while longer, spending over an hour together— meal time included.“Alright, let’s stop here for today.” I had gotten enough information about her to satiate my present curiosity. The best way to utilize someone like her would be to fully exploit the [Shapeshifting] Gift she possessed.Of course, I told her my intentions and she had no objections. She had to earn her keep, after all.“You need to get strong, though… stronger than you currently are!”I had no use for weaklings. Her Gift would only make for better utility if she was considerably strong.My plan was to incorporate her into the surviving members of the Subjugation Team and fatten them up together. The strategy was efficient, however, one problem was evident in it.“But I ditched the camp alongside the others. How will you be able to bring me back into the fold?” She asked.My grin stretched wider. I had already anticipated this issue.According to Lara’s earlier explanation, she has already
“WHAAAAATTTT?!!” Anne’s loud disbelieving shriek pierced everything in the room. The shock she felt was clearly displayed on her face as the young woman glared at the man in front of her while trying to comprehend what she had just heard.“Anne, calm down.” Charles quickly interjected.“What the hell, Charles? How can I calm down?!” Anne let out, refusing to listen to the man’s request.At this point, she had let go of the notion of superiority or hierarchy. Anne’s rage was far too intense for her to consider such a thing.Charles looked a little flustered and even annoyed by Anne’s reaction— this only caused the latter to flare up in greater anger.“You sent Damian to the battlefront?! How could you?!” Her shriek increased with each passing statement.Charles attempted to speak, but she cut him short and kept spurting words of annoyance and disbelief.Not only Anne, but every member of her team expressed their displeasure— of course, none of them were bold enough to say anything, bu
“Call me whatever you want. As long as the enemies are vanquished… that’s all that matters.”Anne was not surprised to hear Charles utter those words, but she still felt utterly terrible due to his nonchalant— no, ‘justified’ actions.“What could I have expected from someone like you?” She spat.Her trust for Charles was now hanging by a thread, but unfortunately, she couldn’t deny his authority.“I’m going after Damian the moment I’m done giving my report!”Charles sighed the moment he heard this. He had expected her answer to go along this line. Still, he had to stop her.“Will you be reasonable, Anne? In your current condition, you’re exhausted. If you encounter a group of Hobs you wouldn’t be able to hold your own!”Anne’s lips tightened— she had already realized this. However, there was no way she could abandon Damian to suffer an unpredictable fate.“Just as you want to protect Damian, I’m sure he wants to do the same for you. That’s probably why he chose to go with the Subjugat
“So, Larry’s dead, uh?” A deep voice whispered in the darkness.More smoke came from his mouth as he absent-mindedly stared at the ceiling. The expression on his face was impossible to tell. Did he feel angry, vengeful, or relieved? Suddenly, a knock interrupted the man’s melancholy. The knock sounded three times, each resounding in loud rhythms.After the knocks sounded, without so much as a word from the man who dwelled alone in the darkness, the door leading to his office opened.>CREAK!
In the quiet aftermath of the tumultuous ARMAGEDDON, I found myself standing at the precipice of a new reality. The remnants of the battle lingered in the air, and I could feel the residual power and (G) Essence coursing through the fabric of existence. As I gazed upon the aftermath, a solemn determination settled within me – a resolve to forge a reality free from the influence of both Demons and Gods.With newfound purpose, I raised my hands, drawing upon the remnants of power that swirled around me. As I concentrated, the very fabric of existence seemed to warp and bend to my will. The Demons and Gods, the Administrators of this chaotic universe, were to be left behind in the debris of ARMAGEDDON.In a surge of cosmic energy, I began to shape a pristine reality, one untouched by supernatural forces. The skies cleared, the land became fertile, and the seas calmed. I meticulously crafted a world where the laws of nature reigned supreme, untouched by the meddling hands of higher bei
"Oh well, there's nothing else I can do…" Even if I was annoyed about the whole thing with Arthur, it was still a fact that he lost.Thanks to their emergency escape, the Pariah party missed their chance to challenge the Hidden Floor of the Tower Of Conquerors.Not only that, but their plan to use Leah and the others as hostages didn't work. They were in my [Subspace].'It's not like they matter to me at this point…'I could simply keep them as (G) Karma Point banks.Now that I could once again resort to farming (G) Karma from people, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to gain as many points as I could?'Ah, but I need quite the number of Points to advance to B Rank…'My Gift was currently in C Rank. While the abilities were pretty broken at this point, I couldn't help but wonder what awaited me if I could get a higher Rank.'With this whole gods business, I need to get as strong as possible…'With a smile, I gazed upon the warbling portal in front of me."Speaking of stronger… I sh
What happens when a person keeps climbing the Tower?Yes, with each Level Up, wounds heal and the body is restored. However, mental fatigue is something that piles up. The strain a person has is something that gathers over time.The Rankers knew this quite well, so they all agreed to climb together. It was very obvious what they were planning on doing.—Letting the other person die!In this world, there were many ways to get stronger. It was also possible to use certain loopholes in the System—especially if one wasn't an Evil Aligned yet.Since the Rankers were in a Party, they must have been very certain of their Alignments, making them completely 'trust' one another.But, these things could be deceptive.Just as I managed to kill a bunch of people without a change in my Chaotic Neutral Alignment, the same applied to a lot of people—especially in a dangerous place like the Tower.As they fought monsters, it was certain that Rankers would get weakened. Then… if, by chance, some 'accid
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT!][The Tower Of War Has Been Cleared!]Torrents of thoughts flowed in my mind as I looked at the System Window displayed in front of me.'What the hell…?'Why?How?Who?It didn't make any sense.The average Level for the current denizens of the world was 50. The strong ones were about to reach Level 100, but I didn't expect anyone to have attained Level 150 talk-less 200.The Levels and Grades of the monsters climbed as one advanced through the Floors, and since the Towers had similar difficulty, I expected others to receive the same treatment I experienced.No one could have succeeded in that venture, but me. It wasn't pride… but reality!However…'Could it be.—?!'Perhaps it was something I failed to consider. I had always suspected it, but after the Tutorial ended and I kept a watchful eye on the Leaderboard, Auction, Tower Updates, and several other elements of this new world, my doubts were cleared.There shouldn't have been anyone else who was granted somet
"Rise and shine, sleepy head." A voice greeted Abhoth as he opened his astral eyes.His vision blurred, but it only lasted for a moment.Soon, he could see everything around him. It was the exact scene he remembered before dying—the underground room where he was brewing his Elixir.Did he not die? Had he managed to survive?Countless thoughts lurked in Abhoth's ghost-like body… until he realized the fact… that he was in a ghost-like body.He nearly shrieked, seeing as he had a near-transparent form, and floated like a ghost. A purple aura emanated from him, and his body was incorporeal—well, nearly.He was made of energy, and he could even see his actual body—his corpse—lying on the ground.Abhoth didn't need a prophet to tell him that he was dead.'Ghost Magic…?!' His thoughts rang, and imaginary cold sweat broke out on his forehead.He was a ghost, so he couldn't really sweat.Still, Abhoth understood the implications of what had happened to him. As an expert in Magic, he knew of th
The audience was astonished!Sweat fell from their brows and their bodies shuddered. Even though they were protected by the sturdy pink layer, none of them were immune to the chill that coursed through their bones.The group had thought they saw the full extent of the Masked Man's powers—or at least close to it. However, his current actions shattered their preconceived notion."I-impossible…""This can't be real… right?""I can't believe this… is he really human?""Masked Hero! You're so amazing!"They all had different ways of expressing their shock.For starters, the group didn't know how it was possible to clear the battlefield of corpses. They had seen so many dead bodies—like an insurmountable sea—yet, in an instant, the Masked Man cleared them all.It was a feat like none other.As if that wasn't amazing enough, a massive Dragon suddenly emerged from a dark cloud and soared into the sky. The Demon—a being that far surpassed anything they had seen up until that moment—charged bri
There were many ways to win.I knew that from the get-go. I could use [Subspace] to shave off parts of the Dragon's body, reducing its health until it completely fell apart.I could use my purification to severely weaken it and blast the monster to kingdom come. An easy solution would also be to use the seventy-one Treasures OF War to impale the beast on all ends. If I added my Mana to them and increased their efficiency, the monster stood no chance.I could keep going on and on as to how I could win, but what was the point?Once in a while, a person needed some excitement in their life—I was no exception."COME!"My declaration prompted the Dragon Of Storms—or rather, what was left of him—to charge at me with frightening speed.>WHOOOOSSHSHHH
The area around the beast was charred, and nothing but black, sooty grounds surrounding it. Impaling it were several weapons; ranging from spears to blades.They all looked very powerful and valuable.There were seventy-one of the weapons that pierced the monster's body… most likely what killed it.My eyes narrowed on the dead beast, and a wry smile appeared on my face. It now made sense why I sensed such powerful energy from beyond the gate back then.This monstrosity was the cause.Laid on the ground, surrounded by destruction and carnage was one of the most powerful races of Demons that existed.—A Dragon!Judging from the battle scene, I had a fair idea of what transpired here… at least what the narrative of this Floor was.A battle occurred, and the several races combined forces. They had a common enemy, and that was the fallen beast at the center of the battle. I had an idea of the difficulty if seven hundred thousand individuals ganged up on the creature.'It's at least a Grade
I realized my childish body was too inefficient.In so many ways, the fact that I was below average in height and build was going to impede my future plans… which was why I decided to solve the problem.Using Lara’s Gift, now my Skill, I could shape-shift into any form I desired. However, it consumed Mana, and it also had a duration despite how much I maxed it out. Since I couldn't maintain it for too long, the ability was useless as a permanent solution.Scouring for a solution in the SHOP, I finally found my answer. It was a Potion known as the Perfect Growth Compound. After reading its description, I understood its function.The potion simply elevated whoever drank it to their ideal, most perfect physical state. As a result, it could take me to the peak I could ever attain physically.I was a little worried that I was going to remain short, but seeing as there was also a Reversal Potion being sold, I decided to take my chances.Who would have thought… it actually worked!I grew to