Meryl grabbed Elena's hand to get her attention and said nervously, "My master says we need to prepare for what's coming."
"And what's coming?" Elena asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. He didn't tell me."
— [Be ready. Everything up until now was just child's play.]
Alvin quickly tapped his fingers on the keyboard, typing a message before the timer ran out: "Child's play? Are you calling the massacres that happened child's play?"
mr. Pie was typing his message when a loud, irritating siren blared from the screen. It lasted for several minutes, forcing Alvin and all the hunters to cover their ears. The sound gradually faded until it disappeared. The hunters looked at each other, searching for someone to explain what was happening.
{Greetings to all hunters, of all ages and ranks, from the three empires that govern the lands of this world: The Royce Empire, the Myles Empire, and the Elio Empire.}
The voice echoed through every corner — a mature female voice, clearly artificial intelligence. Elena gripped Meryl's hand tightly and took a deep breath, waiting for what would be said, her heart pounding fast.
— [I'm so excited!]
A new message from mr. Pie, but this time it was in the public planetary chat. Elena glanced at the number in the chat corner, and her eyes widened in shock… Over 10,000 planets were watching now!
She lifted her head toward the sky and saw dozens of those floating spheres above. Just as Meryl had described them—each one was a large eye embedded in the center of a sphere, with wings barely able to keep it hovering steadily.
{From this moment on, everything will change.
In each of the three empires, there are thirteen cities.
We have placed a crystal in every city, and each crystal contains a unique element.
Your mission, hunters, is to find these crystals… and seize them.}
"What does that mean?" Elena whispered to Meryl, her breath quickening with fear and anxiety.
"I don't know."
{The crystals will appear gradually. There will be a rest period between each appearance.
There's no need to worry—we'll provide precise information every time a new crystal is about to emerge.
You are free to choose your approach: whether to search for the crystal, or to ignore it and level up by fighting monsters.
But remember—if the crystal isn't found and its contents claimed within the given time, all hunters in the city will be eliminated. Then we move on to the next level, and the search for the next crystal begins.}
Meryl felt as if her heart might explode. Even Alvin, who seemed calm on the outside, had a heart pounding like a drum, anxiety spreading steadily through his chest.
They were basically saying: You don't have to play our game… but if you don't, we'll kill you.
{Each empire will fight its battles alone. And once the thirteenth crystal is obtained, the strongest hunters from the three empires will gather to compete for the title: The Strongest Hunter in the World.
What lies within the 39 crystals? No one knows!
It could be a rare item, an ally to aid you in your journey, or perhaps... a monster that will spill your blood with its own hand.
It's all up to luck!
The city containing the first crystal will be announced one week from now. Until then… try to stay alive.}
— [I hope you don't die too quickly. I'm getting bored.]
A message from The Pink Widow in the public chat.
— [Can't wait to see you all kill each other!]
A message from The Sad Clown in the public chat.
— [They look like ants. And that just makes me want to crush them under my foot.]
A message from Gates of Hell in the public chat.
Elena couldn't keep up with the messages—there were too many. Every time she tried to read one, it disappeared into the flood of hundreds of others. The giant digital screen vanished from the sky, and darkness took the light's place once more.
She turned to look at Alvin behind her. He was gripping his sword tightly, ready to cut down any hunter who approached, guarding both her and Meryl's backs at the same time.
There were more than five steps between them. She grabbed his arm, meeting his green eyes with her gaze. Taking a deep breath, she pulled him closer until only a single step remained between them.
Even though he was now so close, she didn't let go. Instead, she held his hand while shifting her eyes to Meryl beside her, who appeared to be quickly typing something in the air—or so Elena thought, judging by the rapid movement of her fingers.
"Meryl?" she whispered hesitantly.
"Give me one more minute."
Elena nodded and let her continue. Her eyes wandered around the area, observing the hunters. Some were resting on the ground with wary eyes, alert for any sudden attack. Others had formed small groups and were talking among themselves. A few were walking away from the area entirely.
Meryl gently tugged on Elena's shirt, prompting Elena to look at her in surprise and ask, "What is it?"
Meryl leaned in close to Elena's ear and whispered just loud enough for both her and Alvin to hear: "My master says what's coming is very bad. We have to be careful!"
The two girls fell silent for a moment, staring at each other. Then Alvin grabbed Meryl's hand and pulled both her and Elena toward the tunnel. The girls quickly understood—they needed to return to the room they had been in earlier.
This time, they weren't the only ones going back into the tunnel. Hundreds of hunters descended underground—it seemed everyone had decided to stay there until the location of the crystal was announced.
"Didn't your master tell you anything about the first crystal or where it might be?" Elena asked as they walked through the wide tunnel.
"No. Master said the planets themselves don't know the location of the crystals," Meryl replied with a worried tone. Master Elyor had warned her several times, telling her never to be alone.
But… how could she not be alone? Sure, Elena was clinging to her now, but that didn't mean things wouldn't change in the future. Surviving this journey would require a strong team, and she was far too weak—barely managing to stay alive every time she ended up in a fight.
Elena suddenly stopped, causing her back to bump into Alvin's chest as he halted behind her. The tunnel was empty, but the hunters could feel their presence… the presence of monsters!
The corridors… were full of them!
Elena's chest tightened, her breath quickening. She clung to Meryl's hand, who was just as frightened by the situation they'd found themselves in. The problem wasn't the monsters themselves—no… it was their number. Elena could feel hundreds of them.
There were other hunters here, sure, but that didn't mean they were safe!
Suddenly, as she saw some of the monsters peek their heads from behind the walls, Elena realized something. There were hundreds… no, thousands of hunters. If she didn't become stronger soon, she wouldn't die at the hands of monsters—she'd die at the hands of a hunter.
{You have received 3 requests from planets wishing to be embodied by you.}
A notification appeared at the center of the screen.
Three planets… There's a chance Elena might get a wealthy master like planet Alvin, or perhaps a generous and kind one like planet Meryl… or maybe just a completely useless planet!
Elena closed the notification tab and focused on the monsters that had begun to cautiously emerge from the corridors—each one… appearing to belong to the same species!
A two-meter-tall creature, slender-bodied and covered in shiny green and blue scales that reflected light like countless eyes watching from every direction. Its head was large and oval-shaped, with black eyes that glowed green in the dark, and a scissor-shaped mouth. It had four transparent wings with dark blue veins, and six thin legs ending in sticky claws.
On the transparent digital screen available to all hunters, the same general information about the creature appeared:
{ General Information about the Enemy:
Name: Vantor
Classification: Interdimensional Being
Threat Level: D
Strengths: Sound
Weaknesses: Not yet revealed }
To obtain a full analysis of the enemy (including potential weaknesses), you can purchase the "Comprehensive Vantor File" for 100 coins.
[◄ Purchase Now]
"They are creatures that feed on meat during the first stage of their life, then switch to feeding on plants," Meril said, her voice slightly trembling.
"And what does that mean?" Elena asked, trying her best to keep her composure.
As for Alvin, he was busy searching for something in the store on the orders of his master—'mr. Pie'. And it seemed he wasn't the only one doing so. All the hunters gathered there were doing the same thing.
{Out of stock.}
The red text appeared beneath the product. Alvin cursed under his breath in frustration. Both Meril and Elena glanced at him in confusion for a moment, then looked around at the many hunters who were putting something in their ears...
Sound is the creature's strength…
Elena cursed as well when she realized what was going on. They had bought earplugs to protect themselves from the sound.
Meril looked up at the ceiling with an expression close to tears, while Alvin and Elena turned to look behind them—only to realize they were now surrounded from both sides… or so they thought, until Meril grabbed their shoulders and pointed upward.
They were surrounded from every direction…