Chapter 385 - 284: A Lively Wilderness Dungeon

Chapter 385: Chapter 284: A Lively Wilderness Dungeon

Such conditions could only exist in a special Great Creation like the Endless Tower. In the outside world, given the high status of a Tier Four Powerhouse, who would engage you in a life-or-death battle?

Before long, Prince Norns had gathered seven or eight people, nearly half of his retinue for this trip. Among them was Isaac’s second brother, Remington, who had been resurrected in the form of a Mechanical Body.

Although Prince Norns’s mission was much easier than Isaac’s, he still understood that knowing one’s enemy was half the battle. Just because he was from the Real World, Prince Norns didn’t look down on the Endless Tower’s local factions.

Therefore, after landing, dealing with the Sect grunts who had swarmed them, and gathering his subordinates, they found a hidden Earth Cave to hide in. They didn’t act rashly, opting to gather intelligence first.

The Empire’s intelligence was, after all, from the last time the Endless Tower had opened—a full thousand years ago!

This span of time was considered quite long, even in the Extraordinary World teeming with long-lived species.

And as they suspected, in that millennium, humanity had completely withdrawn from the stage of the Wilderness Dungeon. They had been entirely domesticated by the Dungeon and the Sects—especially the Sects.

If not for the fact that the existence of humans made the Sects’ expansion much easier, humanity might have completely disappeared from the Wilderness Dungeon by now!

However, on this point, Prince Norns’s attitude was consistent with Isaac’s: let nature take its course.

They had no intention of sticking their necks out for the humans here. There was no benefit in it, nor any point.

While Prince Norns couldn’t see, as Isaac could, that humanity no longer had the chance to walk the Path of the Extraordinary, there was one thing he saw very clearly: the humans here were weak!

So weak that there wasn’t a single Transcendent among them!

This wasn’t the Real World; that Great Wizard’s Goblin Slayer ritual had no effect here. Without power, they had no value.

Besides, even if they did help, what then?

He couldn’t possibly stay in the Wilderness Dungeon. Afterward, this place would once again fall under the dominion of the Dungeon and the Sects. The cruelest thing in the world is to give someone hope, only to snuff it out with your own hands.

For the humans here, that would be the most painful fate of all.

Therefore, after getting a clear picture of the situation, Prince Norns prepared to act directly: annihilate the Sects while gathering his own people!

’As long as we’re just wiping out Sects and not dealing with Isaac, this many people will be enough.’

Yes, Prince Norns no longer planned to deal with Isaac. Though their conflict now seemed fundamentally irreconcilable...

...on the other hand, there was nothing he could do about Isaac.

’Go kill Isaac?’

’It’s hard to say who would be killing whom...’

’That guy only just advanced to Tier Four, but you absolutely can’t judge that madman by common standards!’

’He might even have the combat power of a Strong Tier Four for all I know!’

’After all, that’s how Legendary Mages are. Once they reach a new tier, they’re guaranteed to have a powerful Magic of that tier...’

’It’s completely broken.’

’No, to be precise, all Casters are like this. Legendary Mages have Miracle Magic, and Arcanists have their corresponding Great Arcane Arts. After all, the prerequisite for an Arcanist to advance to Tier Four is to independently research or learn a Tier Four Great Arcane Art...’

’As for Witches...’

’They just play with bloodlines. They’ve been like that from the very beginning...’

So, Prince Norns had given up on dealing with Isaac. Call him a coward, say he was nurturing a threat he couldn’t control—whatever. He simply wasn’t going to face that madman. He’d take it one day at a time.

’Besides, as long as I successfully advance to Tier Five, the Empire might not refuse to protect me when I get out!’

’The most important thing right now is to stay alive, and then get stronger!’

’That’s the only way to have a glimmer of hope for survival!’

So...

"Our first target is this Golden Radiance Order?" Prince Norns frowned, his expression turning grim as he looked at the magical map his subordinate Caster had created.

"Yes." The silver-robed Caster across from Prince Norns nodded seriously. "We have a general grasp of the situation," he said. "The Golden Radiance Order may have the strongest overall power, but their forces are relatively scattered. This is because they worship King Elden, an ancient and belligerent Evil God. According to their doctrine, they will not fight in unison unless they receive a direct oracle from King Elden himself."

After speaking, the silver-robed Caster adjusted the monocle on the bridge of his nose.

Of course, there was something else he didn’t mention. The Golden Radiance Order, which worshipped King Elden, was the target of his Trial for this trip. As long as his participation in their annihilation reached sixty percent or more, he would complete his Trial mission. Then, provided he left the Endless Tower alive, he could immediately advance to Tier Four and obtain a highly compatible Tier Four Great Arcane Art.

Prince Norns glanced at the silver-robed Caster. He was naturally aware of the man’s little scheme. However, what the silver-robed Caster said wasn’t wrong. The Golden Radiance Order might not be the most suitable target, but relatively speaking, it was a pretty good one.

As long as they didn’t work against him, Prince Norns didn’t mind indulging their little schemes. After all, it would make them more motivated. Besides, if all these people advanced to Tier Four under his leadership, it would be a great boon for the Norns Clan!

So, Prince Norns didn’t hesitate for long. After a brief moment of thought, he began to lay out his strategy.

...

While Isaac and Prince Norns were each making their own moves, the other Tier Four Powerhouses who had entered this world were not idle either. Although they had arrived a little later than Isaac’s group, they too had begun to take action.

It was worth mentioning that since the Endless Tower forcibly pulled in anyone at Tier Four and above, not all participants had completing a Trial as their primary objective, unlike Isaac and Prince Norns. The goal for the vast majority of them was simple: survive!

A small number of Casters, however, set their sights on the humans here. They were very interested in the fact that humanity had completely lost its Path of the Extraordinary and wanted to study that special factor. They joined forces with some of the more benevolent powerhouses and human supremacists, beginning to protect the local humans and subjecting them to a series of Extraordinary training regimens...

And so, the Wilderness Dungeon, which had been peaceful for many years, became lively once more. Across the boundless Wilderness, cities were built and destroyed, then destroyed and rebuilt.

「And so, in the blink of an eye, two and a half years passed...」

*WHOOSH*

A gentle breeze blew across a riverbank, where several light-blue, Non-Rank Slimes were leisurely squirming about. Suddenly, their bodies began to tremble as if they had sensed some powerful monster. With a shriek, they all melted away, merging into the ground and the river to make a swift escape.

The very instant the Slimes disappeared, faint ripples of Space suddenly appeared like waves on water. Isaac’s figure slowly emerged from within, a faint smile playing on his lips.

’It took a while, but after three years, my experiment is finally complete!’

’I’ve filled in the missing parts of the virtual Becoming a God ceremony. Of course, that doesn’t mean they will be completely under my control. That’s impossible. The desire for freedom is a wish etched into the souls of most Extraordinary life forms.’

’But at least it prevents them from having their dispositions drastically altered by that immense power.’

’However, this stability is only temporary. Whether or not drastic changes will occur still depends on their individual circumstances. After all, with a sharp weapon in hand, murderous thoughts arise.’

’I was a coward before I got strong. If I’m still a coward after I get strong, then didn’t I get strong for nothing?’

’So, what I added was just a safety measure, not an absolute restraint.’