Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 62

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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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Episode 62

I opened my Inventory first.
‘Just as I thought—it’s not there.’
An item that should definitely be in my Inventory is missing.
Which means only one thing.
This object I’m holding right now—
it must have been the thing originally stored in my Inventory.
“It just popped out on its own?”
I was caught off guard by the absurdity of it all.
Flash—
Suddenly the mark flared with brilliant light, and a pillar of radiance stretched out toward somewhere distant.
As if pointing the way.
As I watched it for a moment, Baek Jin-seong spoke up.
“What is this light?”
“How should I know?”
Even explaining what little I do understand would be complicated.
The Humanoids reacted much the same as Baek Jin-seong did.
Only Sermin, who had handed this to me in the first place, seemed to grasp the seriousness of it—her expression turned grave.
‘What do I do with this?’
Thinking rationally, I wanted nothing more than to abandon any attempt at clearing this floor.
This thing is connected to Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins—no doubt about it.
It might even be tied to Eclipse.
But this is pulling me toward somewhere.
Beyond what might be waiting at the end of this beam of light, an unsettling feeling clung to me that I couldn’t shake.
“Is it… dangerous?”
A careful question from Baek Jin-seong, whose instincts were sharp.
I told him what was really troubling me.
“Probably.”
“Then… shouldn’t we just give up?”
Baek Jin-seong shifted his stance.
The viewers reacted as if they’d seen this before.

– Ugh… cowardly Jin-seong strikes again.
– Yeah, there’s that familiar taste.
– But honestly, if Jin-seong thinks it’s risky enough to bail, we probably should.

One viewer’s advice suggesting I abandon the Quest.
I wanted to agree with them, but…
Looking back at my recent history, that wasn’t an option.
With Belpherus on the 15th Floor.
And that incident in Peronta.
Both times I’d suppressed things early on, and both times I’d reaped considerable benefits because of it.

“…Are you going to give up?”
“No—leaving this as is bothers me. I can’t shake the feeling.”
Baek Jin-seong nodded, recalling those past incidents as well.
If this turned out to be like those situations,
then retreating now could lead to massive regrets down the road.
“Well then… let’s just clear it! You can handle it, hyung. You’re unbeatable, hahahaha.”
The viewers chimed in as well.

– ㅇㅈ
– If we can’t trust Neia’s track record, what can we trust?
– Fact is, she doesn’t look like she’s ever going to fail.

“Are you… going to clear it?”
Baek Jin-seong swallowed hard and asked again.
My answer to the question was deliberate postponement.
“Let’s decide later. I’d prefer to search first, then make a call based on what we find.”
If maintaining SSS-Rank status and conserving time and energy had dictated a tactical retreat before,
now I was proposing a compromise—expend energy and time on the search, but defer the final decision.
If something looks wrong when we ignore it, we intervene. Otherwise, we leave.
And even if worst comes to worst and we end up in a fight,
perhaps—just as with the Hidden Floor—fortune might smile on us at the eleventh hour.
In any case, there’s no harm in deciding after we’ve searched.
“An excellent plan, sir!”
“Right?”
I began the search in earnest.
“Krail.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll need your help again. Form a squad and follow that beam of light. If things look dangerous, don’t be stubborn—fall back immediately.”
“Understood, sir.”
Next, I gave orders to Ar and Sermin.
“You two maintain a measured distance behind Krail as a smaller unit. In case you need to link up, keep the spacing in mind.”
“Understood.”
“Yep!”
Finally, I addressed Pluto.
“Pluto, stay hidden. No need to acknowledge this. Just listen,
“….”
Pluto, cloaked in the shadows and waiting near me.
I relayed his role—my personal guard.
“Cover my position in case of emergency. That’s all.”
As I finished my orders, Neia spoke.

‘Do you have no orders for me?’

“Stay by my side and assist like you did before. If time allows, support the others’ operations.”

‘Yes.’

– Minor translation: Neia, you’ll be at my side forever.
– He’s a romantic lol zzzzzz
– But why go through all the trouble of searching piece by piece? Can’t he just carpet bomb the whole place with Seizure Runner?

It was, admittedly, a natural thought.
Poking around everywhere raised the possibility of some Vampire Queen or King emerging.
Being eliminated in the carpet bombing would be the best-case scenario.
But that overlooked one critical detail.
‘Doing that would waste far too much energy.’
It was exactly the sort of solution viewers unaware of that fact would suggest.
In any case, I ignored those comments and monitored the operation.
Krail formed his squad faster than expected and departed.
The follow-up unit containing Sermin and Ar moved out behind him.
The remaining half of the forces were assigned to guard the Gate and secure the perimeter around me.
I was watching Krail’s movement on the screen without much emotion when it happened.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
What in the world was that sound?

* * *

I turned toward the source of the scream.
What I saw was unmistakable.
One Player was savagely tearing into another Player, presumably an ally.
Eyes glowing crimson. Skin deathly pale.
Mouth smeared with blood. Teeth sharp as fangs.
The bite marks along the neck were telltale signs that made the situation abundantly clear.

– A vampire!
– Where did it bite you?
– But I had my doubts, so this means there really is a monster called a Vampire?

According to what’s known, Vampires aren’t monsters you’d encounter during tower climbing.
I can’t say what exists on floors higher than where we’ve currently climbed.
But they haven’t been discovered within the layers humanity has conquered.
So the viewers seemed skeptical at first.
But with an Infected already appearing, the mood had shifted to acceptance.

– But what do we do about that?
– We have to dispose of it, what else?
– No choice really. If we keep letting more Infected spread, it’ll be a nightmare.

I completely agreed.
We needed to suppress the situation early before it spiraled out of control.
I was just about to manipulate one of the concealed Hunter Drones and point my index finger at the Infected’s head when—
“Wait, please…!”
The man whose neck had been bitten by the Infected moments ago stepped forward to block me.
“Don’t kill them, I beg you….”
Did this man even understand his own situation?
Did he not realize he was scheduled for disposal too?
Or perhaps this was his final gambit—a desperate play for his own salvation.
“….”
There was something that always frustrated me about zombie apocalypse films, anime, and dramas.
Why did they carelessly leave the first Infected alone, allowing the damage to spread?
Even though they weren’t ignorant about the nature of zombies, they treated someone who bit people and showed clear aggression with such… humanity.
For the greater good, it should be as simple as pulling the trigger without hesitation.
“Please… please, I’m begging you.”
Just as I was steeling myself against the wave of weakness threatening to overtake me and preparing to finish this—
Neia opened her mouth.

『Commander, I recommend postponing the disposal of the Infected.』

“Why?”

『I have found a way to resolve this situation without claiming any lives.』

“What?”
I could hardly believe my ears.
“Do you have something like a vaccine?”

『That is not the case. However, we recently captured an individual in the forest to the right—highly likely to be the Vampire that caused the infections.』

“So if that creature infected them, it would have the ability to control them too, is that what you’re saying?”

『Correct.』

“Where is that creature now?”

『Currently being brought here.』

As I looked toward the Right Forest, a figure emerged from within.
Long black hair cascading to the waist. Crimson eyes.
A form that exuded danger, with a beauty that could steal one’s very soul.
Watching her approach, I turned to Neia.
“Neia.”
『Yes.』
“Why is this creature’s head held so rigidly?”
Before my words had even finished, a Hunter Drone’s beam pierced through her leg.
The Vampire crumples to her knees.
She shoots me a glare.
“Do you have any idea who I am…!”
“Do I need to know, Vampire?”
My cold reply makes her bare her teeth.
Not that it moved me much either way.
The fact that she could speak at all was unexpected—but that’s where it ended.
In truth, I found it convenient.
I’d been on the verge of treating the Infected, so communication made things easier.
The viewers, though—they seemed to disagree.

– Damn, but what a face though?
– Just looking at her like that is enough to make you lose your mind.
– Shooting a woman? Ugh, garbage~

Completely smitten, the lot of them.
Thank heavens none of these fools were here in person.
I ignored the chat and spoke.
“Answer me if you want to live. Can you reverse what’s been done to the Infected?”
“You think I’d tell you that?”
I gestured toward the opposite side of the Vampire’s thigh.
Whoosh—
The Vampire’s face contorted in pain.
“Don’t mistake me. Truth is, I don’t really need your answer. I could just mark them both as dead and move on. Their infection isn’t my responsibility anyway.”
I drove the point home—this was her last chance.
“Next time, it’s your head. I trust you’ll choose your words wisely.”
The Vampire’s mouth worked silently before opening.
“I can reverse it.”
“Then do it. Restore them, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive. You have my word.”
“Why should I believe that?”
For the Quest, there was only one that needed to die: the Vampire Queen.
There was no reason to concern myself with small fry like the one before me.
Explaining that might have helped the negotiation.
“Do you really think you have a choice?”
Sometimes a threat was the best bargaining chip of all.
The Vampire’s face turned miserable.
“Then keep your promise.”
She hesitated, gauging me, then rose unsteadily and walked toward the Players on her own.
A Vampire, and yet the wounds the Hunter Drone had inflicted moments ago seemed already healed.
Once she reached the Players, she simply pressed her lips to theirs.
The chat erupted the moment they saw it.

– Hey, heal me too!
– Execute her! Execute her! Neia, why aren’t you shooting!
– Time to dust off those old Player dreams again?
– The 25th Floor’s about to spawn a generation of vengeful spirits….

Under the Vampire’s kiss, the first Infected’s pallid skin regained its natural lustre.
The veins that had stood out everywhere faded, and the fierce light in their eyes gradually softened.
Next came the second Infected.
Once I confirmed the first Infected’s mind had fully returned, I spoke.
“Get out of here. If you linger around, I’ll shoot. Remember that.”
I turned to head back to where the assault units were stationed, but the Vampire called out.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Help me. I’ll do anything you want.”
Neia’s indifferent gaze cut like a blade.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m refusing anyway.”

『Yes, I understand.』

As the mood turned as if to refuse, the Vampire spoke urgently, forcing the words out.
“I am the Vampire Queen! This is no lie. I can grant anything you ask for.”
“What?”
She misunderstood my startled question, and replied.
“So now you understand how magnificent this body is? But why are you looking at me like that?”
The Vampire’s question was answered instead by the viewers’ voice chat.

– Uh… what’s rocket shipping?

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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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