Chapter 292 - 293: Early Collapse

Chapter 292: Chapter 293: Early Collapse

Ten days passed.

The number hung in the air like a blade that had already begun to fall.

In the high void that had once been a dense, universal-sized jungle, Runar sat in perfect stillness.

The Bootstrap Circulation Method had long since become automatic. Passive cultivation ran through every cell with the same effortless regularity as breathing. Energy conversion continued without conscious direction. Matter that once formed the surrounding trees, the soil, and the very air for thousands of miles in every direction had already been drawn in, broken down, and rewritten into pure power.

Never underestimate the power of E=MC2. (Do your own reasearch to understand how poerful this formular is.)

A single grain of sand, if completely converted into energy, holds enough power to run an average household for decades or holds roughly the same explosive force as several dozen tons of TNT — enough to level a city block.

Yet, cultivation had not been his primary focus for the last ten days.

Runar’s attention had been fixed entirely on runes.

His mastery had evolved in massive leaps. He drew continuous insight from every available source. He studied the research notes left behind by the Rune Sovereign, breaking down the complex theories page by page. He used his spiritual sense to scan the vast networks of runes that formed the hidden architecture of the entire Reliquary. He even watched the other survivors from a distance. Vark’s method of expressing Annihilation through carefully constructed runes had been particularly useful. Runar had dissected the conversion pathways from afar and integrated the useful fragments into his own framework.

The Principle of Runes now stood as the highest and most complete principle he had ever comprehended.

With it, things that once sat at the edge of theory became practical. He could stabilize structures through pure runic authority without needing external anchors. He could achieve massive effects with tiny amounts of energy. The range of what he could impose on reality had expanded into territory he had not previously touched.

He could not wait to test his new limits.

Wukong floated a short distance away, his staff resting across his shoulders. Passive cultivation sustained him as well. At their current level, deliberate effort was no longer required for basic advancement. The body simply continued to eat the surrounding matter and convert it.

Then, the systematic voice returned.

It came from everywhere and nowhere, clean, absolute, and faintly amused.

"Attention, remaining participants.

The safety zone will collapse in two hours.

Your mission is as follows: survive for five days and accumulate monster cores.

Galaxy-level monster core — 10 points.

Universal-level monster core — 1,000 points.

Multiversal-level monster core — 1,000,000 points.

Pseudo-Paragon-level monster core — guaranteed candidacy for the full inheritance of the Rune Sovereign.

Points can also be stolen from other participants.

Points may be exchanged for rewards left behind by the Rune Sovereign.

Good luck. And happy hunting."

The words faded.

For a moment, the void held only silence.

Then the reactions began.

---

Vark stood alone on a barren stretch of what had once been high ground. When the announcement ended, his expression did not change. Only a single thought moved behind his dark eyes.

Ten days early. The Will lied by omission. Predictable.

He flexed his fingers. Annihilation runic energy coiled and settled under his skin. Five days of open hunting. Cores for points. Points for whatever the Sovereign had left. He had no interest in sharing or teaming up. The others could live or die as they pleased. He would simply erase whatever stood between him and the highest-value targets. A Pseudo-Paragon core was the only prize worth his time.

---

The mysterious woman hovered in empty space, her posture still perfectly elegant. She had listened with the same calm attention she gave everything else. Only the faintest tightening at the corner of her mouth betrayed her reaction.

Twenty days promised. Ten days delivered. The game was always going to change the rules once the pieces were in position.

She examined her own condition with quiet interest. Her recovery had been highly efficient, but she kept her aura completely hidden. She had no intention of revealing her full strength yet. Five days. Monster cores. An inheritance that required a Pseudo-Paragon core as the surest path. She filed the new parameters away and began considering routes that avoided the most obvious hunting grounds. Let the others fight over the scraps.

---

Soren Vale’s silver eyes narrowed. The scholarly calm he cultivated cracked for a single breath before he forced it back into place.

The safety zone was a measured lie. Ten days of preparation instead of twenty. The Will wants desperation and conflict, not careful cultivation.

He reviewed his own progress with cold honesty. He had advanced to the Early Galaxy Stage, but the gap between himself and the true frontrunners like Runar and Vark remained clear. He would need information, good positioning, and possibly temporary alliances of pure convenience.

Points matter, Soren thought. But the real danger isn’t just the monsters. It’s the other survivors. If someone kills me, they don’t just get my points. They remove a competitor. The Will just turned us into prey for each other.

He began calculating optimal hunting vectors that minimized his exposure to both monsters and the other survivors.

---

Sylphy floated in the void, her silver bloodline markings once again faintly visible along her arms. She was alone.

Ten days. The Will cut the preparation window in half and called it a mission. Typical.

Her jaw tightened. She had pushed her recovery hard, burning her own bloodline potential to gain power quickly. Five days of open hunting meant every other remaining participant was now both potential competition and a potential threat. She had no intention of dying for someone else’s points. Her focus shifted immediately to mobility, detection range, and exit strategies. She needed to hunt Universal-level monsters to get good rewards, but she had to avoid the Multiversal ones at all costs.

---

Lyra Solenne’s expression remained composed, but her eyes hardened.

The timeline was always flexible. We were given the illusion of safety so we would invest fully in recovery. Now the investment is being collected.

She assessed her condition with the same precision she applied to everything. Her progress had been steady and deliberately paced to avoid drawing attention. She would not chase the highest-value cores unless the opportunity was completely overwhelming. Survival first. Points second. Inheritance third. She began mapping the void for residual spatial structures that might still offer cover or advantage once the monsters arrived.

---

Darius Korr sat alone in the shadows of a massive, half-eaten root.

When the announcement ended, he let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh that contained no humor. He looked down at his hands. They were still stained with dried blood. Finn’s blood.

"Ten days. The bastard gave us ten days and called it twenty," Darius muttered to himself. "I knew it felt too clean."

He closed his eyes and checked his internal circulation. The energy he had stolen from Finn had forced him to the mid-to-high Planetary level And with continous cultivation he had reached Pseudo Galaxy Level. But the foundation was flawed. It felt greasy and heavy in his veins.

Finn was weak, and his energy is tainted, Darius thought, his face grim. If I fight a Universal-level monster, this impurity might cause my circulation to stutter at the worst possible moment. I’m not ready for the high-end monsters.

He needed to hunt weaker Galaxy-level monsters to slowly flush the impurity out, or he needed to find another weak survivor to kill and replace the dirty energy with something fresher. Five days of open season. Galaxy cores for scraps. Universal for real points. Multiversal for the jackpot. And something called Pseudo-Paragon that basically handed you the inheritance.

"We’re not ready for the high end," Darius whispered. "No one here is. Except maybe Runar and Vark."

He stood up, gripping his weapon. Preparation for him meant staying mobile, avoiding the strongest signatures, and taking whatever lower-value cores he could safely claim. Anything higher would be pure opportunism.

---

Back in the high void, Wukong broke the silence first.

"They’re dropping the zone in two hours. Ten days early. The Will really is an asshole."

Runar opened his eyes. The golden-white light within them was steady and restrained.

Wukong rolled his shoulders and glanced around at the endless empty space. "We should get higher. Clear visibility in every direction. No surprises when the monsters start pouring in."

Runar’s voice was calm. "Wouldn’t that just give away our location to everyone else?"

Wukong grinned, the expression sharp and completely unrepentant. "With you? What do we have to worry about? Let them come."

Runar sighed once, quiet and resigned. The confidence was absolute and, unfortunately, not misplaced.

Well, it is true anyway, Runar thought. I really do have a monstrous talent in cultivation. I am already at Peak Galaxy Level in just ten days. My physical body can handle the output, and my rune comprehension means I can punch far above my weight class.

He looked down.

Where the massive tree and the surrounding jungle had once stood, there was nothing. For thousands of miles in every direction, the space was clean void. No soil. No vegetation. No residual matter large enough to register. They had extracted everything — bark, root, leaf, air, stone, and the faint traces of life that had clung to them — and converted it into pure energy for cultivation.

The platform they had started on no longer existed. The jungle no longer existed. They had literally eaten the map. Only empty space remained, vast and silent, waiting for the monsters that would soon fill it.

Wukong followed his gaze and let out a low whistle. "We really did clean the place out. There isn’t even a leaf left to hide behind."

"Efficiency," Runar replied simply.

Wukong laughed. The sound carried easily through the void. "Come on then. Let’s make ourselves obvious."

They rose together.

The boom of their departure cracked across the empty expanse like a declaration. Two figures shot upward in a controlled surge of power, light trailing behind them for only a moment before the void swallowed the glow. They stopped at a height that gave clear sightlines in every direction — high enough to see approaching threats, low enough to descend instantly if needed.

Below them, the other survivors made their own preparations in scattered locations across the void. Some rose as well. Some sought residual cover that no longer existed. Some simply waited, techniques held ready, counting the remaining minutes.

Two hours.

The safety zone would fall.

The monsters would come.

And the true hunting would begin.

Deep within the Reliquary, the Ancient Will watched from its hidden core. Its viewing threads spread wide across the empty void, its satisfaction cold and complete.

The pieces were in position.

The board had been cleared of its temporary protections.

The game could now proceed exactly as intended.