Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 101

“Hah….”
Mizuki clamped her mouth shut.
Suppressing the cheer that threatened to burst forth.
‘What a windfall.’
The reconnaissance inside the Gate had taken a couple of hours.
In truth, it had gone far smoother than expected—almost tediously so.
Upon entering the Gate, the living quarters she’d spotted first proved unremarkable.
Moving into the Corridor and examining several adjacent rooms, she’d found nothing particularly notable.
A complete dead end.
And it was just as anxiety over needing something worth crediting as an achievement began to gnaw at her that she’d arrived here.
Nothing classified or of technical importance.
Yet sufficient to line a private account.
‘I’m taking everything.’
It made sense—the Warehouse was packed with precious minerals.
Even the Special Materials that had recently become the talk of the industry.
And that wasn’t all.
High-density Mana Stones.
Precious Metals of every variety.
‘What’s this…?’
Most remarkably, Resonance Stones—those that had recently triggered a massive supply shock and skyrocketed in value.
‘Insane. Absolutely insane. I could retire right now with this?’
Regardless of whether the mission succeeded.
Leaving the dangerous field, taking a consulting position at some guild, living off the fat of the land—it was a dream worth entertaining.
A glittering future unfolded in her mind’s eye, intoxicating.
She crammed her inventory full of Resonance Stones until it bulged tight.
Yet she hadn’t managed to fit even half of them.
‘A shame not to take it all.’
Still, enough to make dreams come true.
As she turned to leave the room, lingering with regret—
She stopped, eyes widening in disbelief.
“…!?”
She spun around.
It was no mistake.
A familiar presence stood at the far end of the Corridor, watching her intently.
‘It’s that woman.’
Hair the color of pale sky blue.
A cold countenance.
Someone she’d glimpsed several times through Neia’s broadcast.
‘A rather significant player has shown up.’
Among the general public, the common theory held that Neia’s Tower nickname derived from her own name.
Which meant there was no question that she was among the key figures of this City.
‘But caught? That shouldn’t be possible…?’
In any case, Neia’s appearance was what it was.
Mizuki was genuinely shocked at having been detected.
She was currently maintaining high-level Stealth.
Whether in dungeons or among top-tier Rankers.
She had never once been discovered in this state.
So naturally, it seemed impossible.
Whoosh…
She tested a step sideways just to be sure, and the woman’s gaze shifted slightly to follow.
It seemed certain.
‘Not coincidence—an unmistakable fact.’
Her pride took a small crack.
But the more pressing concern was keeping her mouth shut.
‘I’ll have to deal with this.’
Espionage fundamentals were simple: remain undetected until the mission is complete.
There was nothing to gain from causing unnecessary commotion.
If an emergency arose, the best course of action was to dispose of the matter quietly and hide the body.
Fortunately, seeing her standing alone suggested this encounter was nothing more than chance.
‘I’ll end this in one move.’
After that, I’d stash her in some corner of the Warehouse.
‘I’m sorry, but can you even react to my speed?’
Mizuki prepared for combat with the intention of cutting off her breath in an instant.
Speed was one of the abilities he prided himself on.
Mizuki concentrated mana into the tips of his feet.

[Using Absolute Acceleration]
[Using Speed Liberation]
[Using Flash Sprint]

Then, activating his unique skill and the Special Shoes’ special ability, he charged forward in a single burst.

[Using Meteor Strike]

He drew the Short Sword from his hand and slashed at her throat in one fluid motion.
Or rather, he meant to.
Ting—
‘A Barrier…?’
A Barrier materialized out of nowhere.
And…
Snap.
Their eyes met directly.
Something was coming.
Sensing something ominous, Mizuki hurriedly threw his body backward, and in that same instant—
Crash—
He saw a thick, massive sheet of metal plummet down to where he’d been standing moments before, and felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
The ground where he’d been standing just seconds ago had collapsed entirely.
‘If my judgment had been any slower…’
Neia’s hand reached toward him.
He twisted his body away in a panic once more.
Something passed by, grazing his earlobe.
“A power cable?”
It was electrical wiring that had shot up from the collapsed floor.
And that’s what had just torn through his earlobe.
Conviction settled over him.
Winning was impossible.
It wasn’t because of a Penalty.
Though he hadn’t known it until now—this place.
No Penalty was being applied here.
But even so, that conclusion was inescapable.
In speed, in power—she simply wasn’t someone he could match.
‘I have to escape, no matter what.’
If I can just break free from here without hesitation, there’s a chance.
But I can’t do this half-measures.
So I’ve mobilized equipment bearing skills that boost ability stats.
And artifacts that enhance my attributes as well.
I can say with certainty:
Right now, I could outrun any Ranker alive.
It was absurd to use all this just for an escape, but there it was.
“Dammit!”
He began a sprint as swift as lightning.
Crack—crack—crack—
Crash— Crash—
Enormous sheets of metal came flying.
One hit would be instant death.
But this much he could still evade.
Whoosh, whoosh.
She dodged and vaulted with practiced ease, rolling smoothly across the stone.
Weaving through the chamber with feints and evasions, she touched down on the first floor.
Now it was just a straight sprint to the exit.
A smile was just beginning to bloom on Mizuki’s lips when it died in an instant.
‘This is….’
A tendril mass.
It blocked the entrance ahead of her.
Why not just dodge it?
Mizuki would have liked nothing better.
The problem was….
Sssssss—
The sheer volume of it.
Like a massive wave bearing down.
It undulated as if a single living thing.
It came.
“Meteor Strike!”
A sharp crack—
The tendril mass lacked exceptional durability, fortunately.
It did cut.
But it was endless, and it was supple.
Mizuki thrashed and resisted as it coiled ever tighter around her.
Yet evasion only worked once or twice.
There was no way to keep dodging something that filled the entire first floor.
“Damn my legs….”
When she severed the tendril binding her ankle, it wrapped around her neck and arms instead.
“Gahhh….”
Struggling was useless.
Her freedom drained away as the swamp-like mass consumed her entire body.
And the moment her freedom was completely stolen—
Crack-crack-crack—
That was the last thing Mizuki remembered.
A sharp electric current surged through her, dragging her consciousness into darkness.

[Capture complete. System shutting down.]

* * *

The moment the broadcast came back online, viewers flooded in.
And they were all voicing complaints.

– Why’d the stream just cut like that?
– So what were you guys talking about anyway…
– Wait, aren’t you friends with us, Neia? Spill the secret.

But that confusion was short-lived.
They spotted the landscape around her and fell silent.

– Wait, is that a field?
– Are you climbing higher?
– Did something seriously go wrong today? What’s happening?

The viewers were cheering at news of Neia’s extended duty—
But soon enough, those who noticed something odd about the quest window swelled in number.

– Wait??? Floor 34?
– Did you climb while the broadcast was off?
– No wait, is that even the point right now? Outer Tower? What is that?

“It’s something like a Hidden Floor. I think we’ll be climbing like this all the way to floor 50.”
It was, truth be told, a fairly vague answer.
But the viewers’ reaction wasn’t bad at all.

– Now that’s the Neia we know.
– Something’s about to happen again, isn’t it?
– What about the Outer Tower? Is it different?

“I’m still not entirely sure about that.”

– You must’ve cleared floors 31 to 33 though.

“I can’t go into the details, but we received assistance from the Mir Guild for floors 31 through 33.”
That should be fine, right?
It’s not information about the elevator, after all.

– Buy up all Mir Guild stock!
– What the—?! Mir Guild’s insane!
– Is this money duplication season 2?!

Apparently all it took was dropping a little information, and the stock hit its daily limit immediately.
They’d already tasted decent profits from special material deals with powerful guilds, and now—
their expectations seemed to be reflected all at once in the charts.

– Neia! Neia!
– Why’re you watching the stock chart? Just watch Neia’s stream
– Legal insider trading lmao
– So how high’s it gonna go this time?

“How would I know that?”
Anyway, the broadcast was reset and ready.
This was the moment I was about to begin directing the conquest in earnest.
Rustle, rustle.
Swarms of monsters appeared from all directions.
Having stalled for a bit of time, they must’ve caught our scent and made the first move on their end.
“Grrrrr…”
Purple skin, black teeth.
Poison Lancers.
“Hm… but…”
Something about them looked different.
The viewers seemed to share my impression.
There was something generally unsettling about their appearance.
– Hm… now that you mention it?
– Don’t they look a bit different?
– Kinda bigger too?

Still, fortunately, I had experience with something like this before.
The monsters that appeared during the Gate Incident at Nemesis had looked exactly like this.
‘What’s the difficulty level?’
Ziiiiing— whoosh—
Boom boom boom…
Krail, acting on his own judgment, began firing on the Poison Lancers he’d encircled.

Flash—
Boom boom boom…

“Situation concluded.”
At Krail’s words, the explosions ceased.
The Outer Tower’s first combat had been rather nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, the overall assessment was that it went relatively smoothly.
Still, I should ask Krail for his impression, shouldn’t I?
What I see and what the commander perceives might be different, after all.
“Krail, what do you make of it?”
“I’d assess the danger level at around C-rank, sir.”
His judgment aligned perfectly with my own.
The Lava Hounds that appeared during the C-rank Gate Incident were around 40th-floor level monsters.
Considering this place is 30th-floor territory, I suppose the Outer Tower generally spawns monsters one tier above the baseline—is that how it works?
“Well, nothing that poses an immediate threat, then.”

[(Outer Tower) Quest: Monster Elimination – Poison Fencer 35/100]

“Krail, we push through without pause.”
No queue—that was, of course, the Outer Tower’s greatest advantage.
I intended to bulldoze straight through to the 40th floor without hesitation.
The drones rose high and spread out, transforming the entire forest into a sea of flame.
Whoosh—whoosh—
The kill count climbed rapidly.

[(Outer Tower) Quest: Monster Elimination – Poison Fencer 45/100]
[(Outer Tower) Quest: Monster Elimination – Poison Fencer 59/100]
[(Outer Tower) Quest: Monster Elimination – Poison Fencer 81/100]
…

Ping—

[Quest completed.]
[Clear record registered.]
[00:08:23.]

A quest finished in an instant.
And then…

[Evaluating grade······]

The evaluation began immediately, with no transition through an antechamber.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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