Chapter Twenty-One: Unreasonable

The entire isolated island was dotted with nearly a hundred insect nests, yet the assessment target was only half of that. The outer edges of the island were mostly small insect nests, with medium and large ones appearing only as one ventured deeper inside. Due to the sudden emergence of the dark curtain storm, almost no players dared to linger on the periphery. As a result, Ember brushed past many players on his way to the school and even saw several cleared, empty insect nests. It was worth noting that the Devouring Shadow Insects on the island had a third form—ants.

“Ants might specialize in strength. Their attributes probably aren’t as extreme as those of mantises and spiders. Players who aren’t particularly strong in attack or defense might prefer facing this kind of opponent,” Ember thought to himself.

He then located a Devouring Shadow Insect nest that had been discovered but never breached. Around and inside the nest hovered many giant mantises, and scattered on the ground were several mantis corpses. It was clear that some players had attempted a challenge but ultimately had to retreat, providing Ember an excellent opportunity to earn kill points. After ensuring no other players were nearby, he challenged a group of mantises alone, quickly reducing them until only the mantis queen remained.

“Come on!” Ember assumed a defensive stance again, fixating his gaze on the agile mantis queen. With no outsiders to disturb him, he could focus entirely on countering her enhanced slashes. The valuable experience he had accumulated earlier helped him maintain a calm battle mindset.

Swish!

The mantis queen’s eyes gleamed fiercely as she launched herself from the wall, moving as swiftly as an arrow released from a bow. She wildly swung her sickle-shaped blade, slicing the air as she aimed at Ember.

Having faced the queen’s attacks multiple times, Ember remained completely composed. Seeing the powerful slash coming, he calmly countered with a backhanded strike. His active soft-bodied biochemical arm suddenly extended, swinging in a half-circle through the air and precisely smashing the mantis’s sickle blade. The seven additional points of strength attached to his attack made it difficult for the queen to resist, and her light body was carried off to the side.

Perfect opportunity!

Fully focused, Ember immediately shifted into combat mode against the mantis queen. Sensing the right moment, he mentally triggered his overpowering state and fiercely charged toward the queen’s falling position.

[Notification: You have activated the “Solar Emblem” equipment effect “Solar Radiance.” For the next three seconds, you will gain an overpowering state; your attacks cannot be interrupted, and your damage and defense are increased by 50%.]

A pale flame enveloped Ember, instantly boosting his momentum. The mantis queen, sensing danger, was powerless to leap away, and was struck by the suddenly accelerated Ember, who sent her flying swiftly toward the rear wall.

[Notification: You have used “Charge” against the boss-level enemy “Larval Devouring Shadow Queen,” dealing 35 points of direct damage.] (30*1.5-10)

[Notification: Judgment in progress… Judgment success! The target's strength level is 4, not exceeding your strength level +1. “Collision” effect activated; during the collision, the target will receive secondary damage regardless of what it hits.]

[Notification: Boss-level enemy “Larval Devouring Shadow Queen” takes an additional 40 points of collision damage.]

The damage boost from the overpowering state allowed Ember to directly deplete half the mantis queen’s health. The collision greatly weakened her charging momentum, which ironically enabled Ember to quickly close the distance. Before she could recover from the stun, he unleashed two consecutive headshot strikes, effortlessly finishing her off.

[Notification: You dealt 49 points of damage, killing the boss-level enemy “Larval Devouring Shadow Queen.” You have earned a large number of contribution points.] (14*2.5*1.5-10/2.5)

[Notification: You have successfully destroyed a small insect nest and earned one kill point.]

“Got it!” Ember felt exhilarated by such an easy kill. He recalled how, back then, he was a rookie utterly powerless against Miao Miao’s attacks. Gradually, he had learned defensive techniques to avoid being battered too badly. Now, he was transitioning into a defensive-counterattack role. Just this decisive charge and precise timing made the sweat and effort of continuous training worthwhile.

After a brief moment of reflection, Ember returned to a calm mindset. Although he found no mantis queen drops in the nest, he did obtain a flame emblem that increased both his health and sanity, raising his health to 120 points and sanity to 80.

“Let’s move quickly! The two of us working together should be able to take this nest,” an excited voice called from outside the nest, soon turning into a surprised shout. “What’s going on? Someone’s here? Quick, get inside and check!”

Thud thud thud thud!

Hasty footsteps approached rapidly, and Ember saw two players burst nervously into the nest.

“Ember!?”

“Number one on the leaderboard!?”

Thanks to his outstanding combat record, Ember’s name was now remembered by all internal testers—no longer an ordinary passerby. The two players never expected Ember to have soloed the Devouring Shadow Insect nest ahead of them. The one who had been driven back by the mantises now deeply realized the glaring gap in their strength when seeing the mantis queen’s corpse.

But another thought immediately arose: if I’m no match one-on-one, what about numbers?

“If you want to fight, I don’t mind!” Ember’s tone was confident because he truly had the strength. Having fought the mantis queen unscathed and with his charge skill already cooled down, though his solar emblem’s overpowering state was temporarily unavailable, he still had another flame emblem with the same effect. Moreover, with 120 health points, he felt no need to activate overpowering state. Even if someone could endure the secondary damage from the charge, it certainly wouldn’t be these two.

Sensing the deadly intent beneath his words, the two players exchanged a glance, their courage waning.

“Sorry to bother you. We’ll leave; you go ahead,” they said before retreating from the nest, wisely avoiding calamity.

Ember disliked causing trouble but wasn’t afraid of it either. If necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to unleash carnage. After confirming no more treasures remained in the nest, he headed straight for the medium-sized town where the school was located. Unfortunately, the nest containing a flame emblem had already been cleared. Looking at the dead spiders scattered on the ground, Ember suddenly realized that the early advantage of being first on the leaderboard might involve some overlooked detail.

“Both the nests before and after are spider-type. Could it be a coincidence? Might the flame emblem hidden here also increase health and sanity?” Ember shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it; the answer didn’t matter much. He located the direction to the school on the map and immediately set out, soon encountering several players challenging the medium nest there. One of them was someone Ember knew and had a history with—Rain Tomorrow.

“Finally ran into you…” came Rain Tomorrow’s inward sigh. If possible, he would have preferred not to meet Ember on the Killing Island, but it was too late. Fortunately, their group leader was acquainted with him, giving Rain Tomorrow some confidence.

“Ember?”

“Why is he here? Boss Qianjun, what do we do?”

“Qianjun, I have something to say…”

“Hm… that’s the situation? Got it. Leave it to me. Gotta look out for our own brothers,” Qianjun Sweep Army said, patting Rain Tomorrow’s shoulder before turning to Ember with a solemn tone. “Friend, this nest is already taken by us. Please leave.”

Qianjun Sweep Army was the leader of a large guild, radiating authority without raising his voice. He didn’t care if Ember was number one on the leaderboard; protecting his brothers was the priority. If things escalated, he wasn’t worried—three of them together should be able to take down Ember.

“No negotiation?” Ember found it amusing, glancing at Rain Tomorrow, who looked guilty but still forced himself to meet his gaze.

“No negotiation!” Qianjun lifted his chin, his stance unwavering. His attitude caused the third person to temporarily abandon the nest challenge and confront Ember.

“This is unreasonable! It’s still an internal test, and you’re already playing territorial games! Fine, since you’ve claimed the nest, can I at least watch?”

“Kid, do you think being second on the leaderboard qualifies you to negotiate with me? Get lost, don’t embarrass yourself! Look at what you are!”

“May I ask, what qualifications do you need to negotiate with me?”

“Hah! At least you’d have to be—Watch out!”

Just as Qianjun was about to remind Ember he was still a small player, he was suddenly shocked because Ember unreasonably struck first.

Charge!

Shoulder dipping, Ember strode forward. After three meters, his impact speed surged to the maximum. By the time Qianjun realized Ember was even more unreasonable than himself, it was too late—the dodge was impossible, and he was slammed into the air.

[Notification: You have received 15 points of direct damage from the Foundation trainee “Ember’s” skill “Charge.” Your strength level must reach 8 to avoid secondary collision damage.] (30-15)

[Notification: Judgment in progress… Judgment failed! Your strength level is 5, unable to resist “Collision” effect!]

[Notification: You have taken 19 points of collision damage!]

Qianjun crashed violently to the ground, feeling lucky. If not for having raised his armor defense to 15 through solo challenges, he might not have withstood the charge’s damage. The system notifications also made him understand why Ember dared to attack so boldly—strength level 8 was enviable even to him. Ember’s ruthless offense ignited his fury.

Not killing me now will be your biggest mistake!

Qianjun’s expression darkened. As he tried to get up quickly, Rain Tomorrow’s anxious shout rang in his ear.

“Qianjun, watch out!”

Huh?

Qianjun’s heart jolted as he looked up sharply. He saw Ember leaping high like a god descending, his active soft-bodied biochemical arm swinging down with overwhelming force, leaving no chance for survival!

Impossible!

He still has a mobility skill…

Unable to withstand Ember’s relentless pressure, Qianjun collapsed under a single strike.

[Notification: You have taken 27 points of damage, your health has dropped to zero, and you have lost qualification for the Killing Island assessment.]

[Notification: Fatal damage inflicted by Foundation trainee “Ember.”]