Inside the tower, all the players were eagerly awaiting the appearance of Val. She had been unusually late, causing a heightened sense of anticipation among the waiting players.
"We've been here for an hour and she still hasn't shown up. What happened to her?"
"Maybe she got in trouble. It wouldn't be weird if every angel had a superior."
"What if she's dead…"
"As if she would die! She's way too strong!"
As speculation circulated among the players regarding Val's tardiness, Yuji knew the answer.
She was being threatened by Angel #1, who consistently held the top spot in the contract power ranking. It marked the first instance where she found herself in second place, and to add insult to injury, it was Val, an angel who had just formed their very first contract, surpassing her.
After another ten minutes, Val finally appeared before the assembled players.
"This event is called Safe Zone," she declared, seamlessly acting as if her tardiness hadn't occurred.
"It's simple. You will enter the forest in front of you and search for the safe zone. Inside the forest, there will be powerful monsters that you can fight or avoid. You have five hours to find the safe zone, or else you die. Also, I'm adding an extra bonus since no hardly anyone died during the previous event. For every player you kill, you will get two stat points."
Upon hearing the bonus, everyone cast wary glances at the other players, as if they were potential prey. Even those who had formed teams were secretly eyeing each other, contemplating the possibility of turning on their allies.
The most exuberant reaction came from Atsuko, her entire body visibly shaking with excitement. Yuji observed her thrilled demeanor before approaching her.
Spotting Yuji approaching her from the corner of her eye, Atsuko waved at him with a cheerful greeting.
"By the way, I was thinking about your name since I never got it. Then I remembered I never told you my name. That day I told you who my father was, I assumed you would have known my name, but I'm starting to think you don't," she said, looking Yuji in the eyes, awaiting his reply.
"I know your name, and my name is r100, which you already know," Yuji replied. His response led to Atsuko feeling noticeably disappointed.
"Like I said, I don't care about your identity. I just want something easier to call you, other than r100, which I assume you don't want anyone to hear," she said. Despite agreeing with her sentiment, Yuji remained silent regarding his name, evading her question altogether.
"I noticed your reaction when she said you'll get two stat points per kill, and adding the random stat points you get just for killing a player, you're able to become very strong this event," Yuji observed, curious about her response.
"Yeah, I can't wait! I want to kill every player I run into!" Atsuko declared with a devilish smile.
"I want you to kill exactly a hundred players, nothing more, nothing less," Yuji instructed, causing Atsuko to raise her brow in surprise.
"What's the reason it has to be a hundred?" Atsuko inquired, expressing her curiosity.
"Just do what I say, and you won't regret it," Yuji stated before leaving her side.
The reason he wanted her to kill exactly one hundred players was to activate a quest.
This quest would spawn the Demon Queen, albeit only a small portion of its soul.
Yuji would have initiated the quest himself, but the one who starts the quest can't kill the Demon Queen for some reason. Yuji needed the rewards that would drop upon the Demon Queen's death.
| Event |
| Safe Zone |
| Find the safe zone in the forest! |
| Time Limit | | 5:00:00 |
As the event commenced, half of the players ventured into the forest, while the remaining half stayed at the spawn, engaging in combat. The bonus of being able to kill players for stat points in the area was something many participants sought.
Yuji didn't linger and headed toward the forest, notably no one dared to attack him.
While in the forest, he navigated to a specific area where a massive blue portal stood. After a few minutes, hundreds of wolves emerged from it.
| Steel Fang Wolf |
The monsters, stronger and faster than most players, posed a significant threat. Any average player encountering one was likely to meet their demise unless a miracle intervened.
The Steel Fang Wolves identified Yuji as the sole prey in the vicinity and howled in unison before launching a simultaneous attack with all hundred of them.
With the wolves attacking from various directions, some even leaping through the air, they all opened their mouths, exposing sharp steel teeth capable of tearing limbs like tofu.
Yuji unsheathed the sword from the legendary set he possessed.
With a long white blade adorned with golden outlines, Yuji leaped into the wolves in front of him, cleanly slicing through them to create a path. Once out, he immediately plunged back into the herd, effortlessly dispatching the wolves.
Somewhere else in the forest, Ichirou smiled as he killed a group of five players. The last remaining player stared at him with a mixture of fear and disbelief, as if beholding the devil himself.
"I-I'm sorry! P-Please spare me!" the man pleaded, crawling away from Ichirou.
Ichirou laughed manically, and a sword materialized in his hands.
The sword had a polished silver blade with a subtle, ethereal glow reminiscent of moonlight. Its hilt is adorned with intricate moon-shaped engravings, and the pommel resembles a crescent moon. The handguard, is crafted to emulate the lunar phases, creating a celestial and graceful look.
As Ichirou swung the sword, a mesmerizing burst of energy in the form of a small crescent moon emanated from the blade, slicing the players body and left an crescent trail in its wake.
"Hahahaha! With this power, I will kill the both of you!" Ichirou laughed maniacally, envisioning both Yuji and Atsuko's faces in his twisted thoughts.