Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 64

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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 64

“Yes, I understand.”

Resolve blazed to life in Krail’s eyes.
This was the creature that had left him helpless before.
But the circumstances were different now.
Last time, it had already swollen to monstrous size after absorbing everything in its path.
Now it was nearly in its original form.
The perfect chance for revenge.
Whoosh—
Krail was about to launch a preemptive strike at my command when something utterly unexpected occurred.
Something I could never have anticipated.

“Who… are… you?”

The thing wearing the form of Gluttony had spoken.
In clear human language, no less.
The very same language the Tower’s denizens used.
It was unmistakable—beyond the Tower System’s Authority that enabled free communication, this was actual speech in a specific tongue.

– It’s talking?
– You never did that before.
– That’s terrifying. Let’s finish it fast.

Krail posed a hesitant question.

“Should I receive your orders? Shall I attempt to negotiate?”

I steadied my wavering resolve and spoke with conviction.
“No. We attack. We cannot afford to drop our guard against this thing.”
There’s no telling when it might swell and become a genuine threat.
Worse, if it starts firing Absorption Needles indiscriminately, without Sermin here, we can only dodge or intercept—
which leaves us vulnerable to a catastrophic deterioration of the situation.
Beyond that, we’re not in a position to waste time chatting with Gluttony.
The Vampires we’ve crippled—
if they recover their legs and swarm down here, we’ll be caught in a two-pronged assault.
We came here counting on speed. We can’t afford to drag this out.

Whistle-whistle—

At my command, Krail unleashed a decisive opening salvo.
The attack landed squarely.
And mercifully, it had effect.
Simultaneously, I called for Ar.
“Ar Gel Lier, Lieutenant.”

“Yes!”

“What’s your current position? Can you provide immediate support to Krail?”
I’d given Ar’s unit strict orders to maintain their distance from Krail.
But unforeseen circumstances may have arisen.
Fortunately, Ar’s response that followed was affirmative.

“Yes, absolutely!”

At the confident roar of Ar Gel Lier’s voice, a smile crept across my lips.
This time, I’d make sure it felt the sting it missed last time.
“The target is Gluttony, currently engaged with Krail. Prepare the Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon.”
Neia said.

“I’ll calculate the coordinates,” Ar replied.

“Good. I’m counting on you.”
I watched Krail’s battle while the Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon charged.
The engagement, which began with Krail’s preemptive strike, was unfolding quite favorably.
‘This is definitely worth the effort…’
The flow of combat was better in several ways than our last engagement in Peronta.
Whether it was the increased power of the beam or simply sharper tactics, his attacks were effective.
Gluttony wasn’t immediately absorbing the beam to bloat itself further.
Nor was it deploying those Absorption Needles to enlarge everything around it.

Crash—crack—

The cave shook and crumbled from the force of the battle.
Light seeped through.
The mangled black aberration, riddled with holes and torn apart, became sharply visible.
The situation was good.
‘But why is its attack pattern different from last time?’
What bothered me most was that it hadn’t used the Absorption Needle even once.
No—I needed to set aside such doubts for now.
If it wasn’t using them, that was only to our advantage.
I should focus on what mattered: the present.
‘At this rate, we might finish it before Ar Gel Lier can send reinforcements.’
Gluttony’s counterattacks weren’t absent, however.
They were patterns I’d never seen before.
It would detach clay from its body and detonate it, sending Krail and the Drone flying backward.
Or it would summon grotesque beasts formed within the clay to attack.
The power was stronger than I’d anticipated.
If Krail hadn’t been upgraded, he might’ve struggled considerably.

– Krail’s gotten that strong?
– Is that really the Krail I know? My heart swells with pride.
– Gluttony’s crumbling crumbling crumbling—

There was nothing more to see at this rate.
Just as I was thinking Krail would finish it with another good push, the moment came.

“Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon ready. Firing,” Neia announced.

Her voice crackled through the comms.
It was a shame Ar’s cannon had charged faster than Krail could finish, but there was no point wasting time now.
“Krail, fall back!”
Moments after Krail pivoted and rushed backward with explosive speed—
A massive beam of light tore through the air.
The thick, brilliant column swept across the entire battlefield where the fierce exchange had been taking place.
“Is it finished?”

– Wait, isn’t that a resurrection spell?
– That’s unnerving… I didn’t expect them to say that.
– It’ll be fine. Nothing survives that. Besides, it was already half-dead.

I agreed with them.
Survive that? Impossible.
There’s no way.
The light faded.
I checked the spot the Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon had swept through moments later.
‘Look at that. This is how it should be.’
Gluttony vanished without a trace.
Rather, it had melted the surrounding ground itself, and now crimson lava flowed across the stone in a manner as chilling as it was grotesque.
“Krail, that’s enough….”
I trailed off and checked the Quest log.

[Eliminate the Vampire Queen awakened from deep slumber. 0 / 1 OR Bring peace to the Vampire Clan. 0 / 1]

Now that I thought about it… why hadn’t it updated?
Something about this suddenly felt wrong.
I’d seen this pattern before.
‘Surely she didn’t survive…?’
The moment that thought crystallized, it happened.

Burble-burble-burble— glug-glug-glug—

Crimson blood suddenly spiraled through the air, swirling into a specific region before a figure materialized there.
I found myself startled not by the sudden appearance, but by what—or rather, who—appeared.

— Huh? What is that?
— Why is she over there?
— What? Twins?

My head whipped around toward the back of the arena instantly.
The figure that had manifested on screen was a face I recognized.
Selin, receiving my gaze, tilted her head in confusion.
I looked back at the screen.
There stood a vampire wearing Selin’s exact face.
Her crimson eyes fixed on Krail for a moment before she collapsed limply.
Had she lost consciousness…?
I was debating whether to finish her in this opening when—
“Kckcckck…”
An unpleasant laugh drifted from behind me, distant and cold.
The source of that laughter was Selin.
The innocent expression from moments before had vanished entirely, replaced by a smile drunk on madness.
“Ahahahahaha! At last… at last I possess the Queen’s Authority in its entirety…”
Boom-boom-boom— crash-crash-crash—
A sudden, overwhelming barrage of Drone fire descended upon Selin.
The massive explosions that followed.
Nearby Players were caught in the indiscriminate onslaught, sent tumbling and flying across the ground.

『I sensed a threat and took immediate action.』

Shoot first, report later.
A textbook response for an emergency—but.
What I witnessed afterward was Selin, standing utterly unharmed.
Just as the Selin on screen had been, she emerged cleanly from the spot where not a trace remained.
“Hehehe! This really is the best, isn’t it? The best! This sense of omnipotence!”
Selin, intoxicated by the power, glanced toward me.
At the same moment, the air around us grew thick and suffocating.
Watching me stagger visibly, Selin’s lips curled into a smirk.

— Damn, what’s happening? Are we being betrayed?
— Where’d that face-reading bastard go?
— This is actually dangerous, isn’t it?

“My ability to seize the Queen’s Authority belongs entirely to your efforts.”
Selin walked slowly toward me.
I made a resolve.
If there were ever a next time, I swore—no matter what the viewers said—there would be no negotiation with terrorists.

Whoosh—whoosh—

The drones’ barrage continued unabated.
Yet Selin simply batted the fire aside and held her ground.
Or rather, was she even holding at all?
The attacks seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
It was Pluto, tearing through space itself, who finally halted Selin’s serene advance.
Selin’s severed form sprawled across the ground.

* * *

– Ohhh… damn it, I had faith in you!
– So this is Pluto?
– He’s adorable too. Makes you want to torture him. Hehehehe…

As Pluto, having reduced Selin to meat scraps in an instant, turned toward me, I spoke urgently.
“Focus, Pluto! It’s not over yet—”
Squelch—
Before I could finish, a spear wrought of crimson blood flew through the air and pierced Pluto’s back.
“Hmm… so you’re no mere human after all?”
Crack—crack—
A blow that would have meant instant death for any human produced not blood but sparks.
“How curious—infused with Lightning Force instead of blood. I like it. I shall make you my servant as well.”
I watched Pluto stare at Selin, who lounged with utter composure, and asked him quietly.
“Pluto, are you alright?”

『A… affirmative… My output appears to have decreased significantly… I apologize…』

I found Pluto’s manner of speech tedious, so I turned to Neia instead.
“Neia, what’s Pluto’s status?”

『Fortunately, the previous strike missed the core, so damage is limited. However, the power source has sustained partial harm, bringing output down to approximately seventy percent.』

I didn’t reprimand Pluto.
There was no point—scolding wouldn’t change anything.
Pluto’s personality was the type that only lost more confidence when criticized.
“Pluto, I’m counting on you. Can you keep that creature pinned?”
The key was simply enduring until Ar Gel Lier arrived.
There was no monster capable of infinite regeneration.
Everything had a limit, which was why the mission had been structured this way in the first place.

『A… understood…!』

Pluto charged forward to make up for his earlier misstep.
He shredded Selin without ceremony.
But Selin simply regenerated once more.
I watched that pointless exchange drag on, then turned to Neia.
“Neia, how long until Ar Gel Lier arrives?”

『They are en route now. However, we anticipate a minimum of fifteen minutes.』

“Fifteen minutes… that’s longer than I’d hoped.”
Pluto was certainly giving his all, though.
He cut down Selin relentlessly, as if she were his sworn enemy.
Yet each time, she regenerated without any sign of strain—and that was the problem.
As I observed this, Neia suddenly interjected.

『Commander, the situation is deteriorating.』

“Why?”

‘Multiple monsters are converging on your current position. Approximately one thousand… correction. Two thousand… numbers continue rising. We’re now detecting enemy concentrations of incalculable scale converging on this location.’

“Monsters? They’re swarming here?”
I turned to check on Selin.
Our eyes met just as she curled her lip in a sneer.
It had to be her doing.
“What’s our win probability? What are the projections if we engage?”

‘With our current forces, win probability in direct combat is below thirty-five percent. Retreat is recommended.’

Even though I’d deployed considerable forces elsewhere, substantial numbers remained here.
And still, only thirty-five percent.
Devastatingly low.
How many were coming?

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—

Before Neia could finish speaking, I saw them with my own eyes.
Monsters poured from the forest and beyond the horizon alike.
Blood Ogres, Red King Snakes—Vampire Clan creatures without exception, surging in droves.
By sheer numbers alone, they exceeded the C-rank Gate incident from weeks before.
The thirty-five percent win probability finally made sense.

– U-use the Seisrunner.
– One Seisrunner barrage and they won’t stand a chance!

The viewers spoke as though they’d revealed the answer key.
But truth was, using the Seisrunner wasn’t feasible here.
The Seisrunner couldn’t manage precision targeting, and its durability was fragile.
We might manage to sweep away part of the monster horde with the first shot.
The real problem came after.
Before I could even load a second round, Selin would destroy it through sheer spite—that much was certain.
Selin caught me staring blankly and laughed.
“Are you thinking of talking with me? I rather like you, you see. I’ll make sure to treat you especially well, so rest assured….”
Selin’s words were cut short as Pluto’s relentless assault struck her down once more.
‘I have to trust Pluto for now.’
He was keeping her marked and occupied.
I decided to ignore Selin for the moment and search for a breakthrough.
“Neia, what are our chances of holding this position, fighting alongside the Players, until Ar Gel Lier’s forces arrive?”

‘Less than thirty percent as well, I’m afraid.’

Not just the win probability—holding ground was even worse.
Had the monster count climbed higher in the meantime?
“We do it anyway. We fight the Players.”
“Heh heh… you mean these creatures, yes?”
At Selin’s words, I finally looked at the Players again.
Now that I examined them closely, something seemed off.
Their eyes glowed red, all of them.
Skin pallid.
When had that happened?
As if reading my thoughts, Selin spoke.
“You were so utterly defenseless.”
Selin used the Players as shields against Pluto’s assault.
Pluto hesitated for a moment before blocking their counterattack, then slid backward under their pressure.
Selin praised two of the Players whose faces I recognized.
Then I finally understood what had happened.
I couldn’t fathom how she’d evaded my surveillance to infect every single Player, but now I grasped the answer.

– You don’t mean the infection never lifted, do you?
– Their minds cleared, their color returned—didn’t all that happen?
– Wait, hold on. So while you were being watched, they infected every Player?

Aside from Baek Jin-seong, who stayed glued to my side, everyone else qualified as the enemy.
“Ah, I’m getting bored playing with this stubborn little pest now. Shall I just watch you squirm?”
The monster had drawn considerably closer.
Nearly five hundred meters.
The situation was hopeless.
Which is why I found myself naturally considering an exit.
But I couldn’t bring myself to act on it immediately.
Because if I gave up and left now, every infected Player would die where they stood.
And more than that…
“Neia, if I abandon the Quest and leave, what happens to Ar and the rest who can’t regroup?”

『…….』

Neia didn’t answer, but paradoxically, there was no more precise response than her silence.
My suspicion had been right on target.
So even that final trump card—retreat—wasn’t an option I could easily play.
Thud-thud-thud—
The monster was nearly upon us now.
There was no time left to deliberate.
“Close the Gate, Pluto—open a path! We’re breaking out of here!”
I used my drones to cut down the monsters as Baek Jin-seong and I ran.
We had to avoid being surrounded at all costs.

– How many of these things are there?
– This is really bad…
– The chat’s gone quiet. Never seen it like this before.

There were monsters. So many monsters.
Far too many.
With their numbers seeming endless, breaking through the encirclement was nearly impossible.
Making matters worse was Selin’s presence gnawing at my mind.
She was playing innocent, but the moment an opening appeared, she’d strike.
Whoosh—crack.
The densely packed monsters were torn to shreds by the drone barrage.
But the indiscriminate firepower was overheating them, and their output steadily decayed.
Once our speed dropped, we’d be surrounded for certain.
Should I execute my final option—retreat—while I still could?

– I told you to shoot from the start.
– Why are we even keeping them alive?

As if he hadn’t just been calling me kind the other day.
In any case, I was about to decide on a retreat to Nemesis, salvaging Pluto and at least some of the drones.
“Baek Jin-seong, kill your broadcast. Close the Gate….”
Wheeee—
Something familiar appeared at the far edge of the sky.
The moment I saw it streaking toward me at tremendous speed, I glimpsed salvation through the darkness.
Flash—
It detonated above my head, where monsters swarmed thick, and created a field of pure electricity.

—————
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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