Chapter Seventeen: The Five Continents of the World, The Dawn of Catastrophe

The Executioner-in-Chief took a bold stride and leapt down from the second-floor corridor, his commanding presence unmistakable. “Anders! Explain this matter to me!” he demanded sternly as he approached the silver-haired steward. Hearing the Executioner-in-Chief’s question, Chen Ling finally learned the steward’s name was Anders.

“Yes, Your Excellency!” Anders responded. He proceeded to recount the events in vivid detail, leaving nothing out, his narrative full of life and energy.

“So? According to your account, the other saints insulted these three, and then this saint killed the one who insulted him first?” The Executioner-in-Chief questioned skeptically after hearing Anders’ story. Of course, Chen Ling understood he was merely feigning ignorance; the Executioner-in-Chief likely knew more about the situation than Anders himself. He was simply trying to prove he wasn’t present at the scene. Yet, Anders knew precisely who the target was—the deceased—which proved he was far from ordinary.

“No, Your Excellency! He tried to kill me! He just missed, that’s all!” The player who had been accidentally wounded by Chen Ling spoke up, his expression a mix of anger and fear, hastily correcting Anders’ words.

“Is that so?” The Executioner-in-Chief’s acting was impeccable; if Chen Ling hadn’t known his intentions, he might have been fooled.

“Yes, yes, it’s true! Just ask them!” The wounded man pointed to his teammates.

Looking at the players beside him, the Executioner-in-Chief asked with a hint of ridicule, “Can these saints bear witness?”

“Of course!” they answered in unison.

With his teammates backing him, the wounded player grew more confident. He glared at Chen Ling, a malicious smile spreading across his face, and made a throat-slitting gesture with his right hand, clearly believing victory was his.

“And what are the strengths of these saints?” The Executioner-in-Chief’s tone was even more mocking.

“Level One, Human Rank.”

“I am as well.”

“I’m Level Two, Human Rank.” The player who spoke this seemed slightly arrogant, knowing his rank was higher.

“I’m Level Two, too.”

“Level One, Human Rank.” The wounded player and his four teammates openly declared their levels. Seeing Chen Ling remain calm, they smirked, thinking that even if Chen Ling was at a high level, he could only be Human Rank Two—while they had two Level Twos among them, clearly superior. Or so they believed.

“Ohhhh…” The Executioner-in-Chief drew out the sound, then turned to Chen Ling. “What about this saint?”

“Your Excellency, there’s no need for formalities. My name is Chen Ling, these two are Zhang Long and Xing Ye. As for my strength—surely you know it already?” Chen Ling answered obliquely, leaving a meaningful question hanging in the air.

Upon hearing Chen Ling’s reply, a look of appreciation slowly spread across the Executioner-in-Chief’s face.

His smile irritated the wounded player, who could no longer contain his anger. “You coward! Too embarrassed to say your level, huh? Playing dumb?”

“You’re just a Human Rank One, why are you so aggressive?! My boss is already—” Zhang Long started, only to be cut off by Xing Ye, who signaled him to keep quiet. Seeing his leader’s cold silence, Zhang Long could only sulk and remain silent.

Chen Ling stopped his teammate. The Executioner-in-Chief understood that this was Chen Ling giving him an opportunity—a win-win situation.

“That’s enough! What’s the fuss? If Chen Ling were weak, could he have hurt you?” The Executioner-in-Chief thundered, asserting his authority once more.

“He ambushed me, that’s why—” The wounded player tried to defend himself, but was interrupted.

“You’re nothing but a Human Rank One! He’s the only Human Rank Three among you saints! If he wanted to kill you, he wouldn’t have missed!” The Executioner-in-Chief revealed Chen Ling’s rank to all, establishing his prestige among the thousand-plus players. Words spoken by the strong carry far more weight than those uttered by the weak—much like experts and laymen on Earth.

Strength is the ultimate truth!

Human Rank Three—this level granted absolute authority among these novice players. Many looked at Chen Ling with envy and jealousy; female players either admired him or ignored his aura altogether, each reacting differently.

In contrast, the wounded player’s behavior was… remarkable.

The wounded player, abandoning all dignity, rushed to Chen Ling, knelt before him, and hugged his leg, sobbing pathetically. “Brother Chen… please forgive me! I was wrong! Please, spare me!”

Damn! That’s bold—if there were an Oscar, it would be yours!

Even the Executioner-in-Chief was at a loss, unable to intervene, so he simply watched and shook his head.

“Get off! Why would I kill you?” Chen Ling had never intended to kill him, but was astonished by his shamelessness.

“Thank you, Brother Chen! Thank you so much… You’re truly a good person!” Before Chen Ling could finish, the player sprang up, wiped away his tears, and grinned slyly. Even Chen Ling wondered if he should let him go.

“All right, all right, since the matter is settled, someone, take the corpse away for proper burial!” The Executioner-in-Chief ignored the cause of the player’s death, simply ordering his burial. Seeing the leader’s indifference and Chen Ling’s high rank, the other players tacitly accepted it. Some wanted to play justice, but their teammates restrained them.

Soldiers came swiftly and carried off the dead player’s body for burial. Only the female players and the deceased’s teammates looked saddened; everyone else remained cheerful or indifferent. Chen Ling paid no mind to the angry, hateful stares of the female players. His philosophy: “If someone’s a fool, let them be; I have neither the means nor the desire to cure them.”

“Boss, you had this all planned, huh? Hehe! Not only are you unharmed, you’ve earned the leader’s favor—soon enough, wealth, power, and beauties await!”

“Enough, Long, stop with the lewd jokes!” Zhang Long’s lascivious grin and words forced Chen Ling to cut him off. But there was some truth to Long’s words—beauties…! Ahem, but I have Lan’er! Blessings, blessings…

“A happy ending for all! Now, saints, there are important matters to discuss. First, you must understand this world.” The Executioner-in-Chief picked up a map and smiled. Immediately, a term flashed in Chen Ling’s mind: “Novice Instructor!”

As expected, the Executioner-in-Chief began to explain the world’s lore.

According to him, this game world was divided into five continents, akin to the five continents of Earth: the Continent of Steel, the Desert Continent, the Plains Continent, the Forest Continent, and the Divine Continent. Their current location was the Continent of Steel. Both the Steel and Forest Continents were designated as gathering places for novice players, as decreed by a divine oracle. It made sense; technology flourished in Steel, and the rugged terrain of the Forest provided ideal defenses against beasts… (Note: the five continents have no time difference.)

The Continent of Steel—true to its name, abundant in metals, where rare metals do not exist, and with this resource, technology far outpaces the other continents. The Desert Continent—nine-tenths sand, with scattered oases. Fortunately, thanks to Steel’s aid, a monumental water pipeline called “Terilla” draws water from the rich Forest Continent, fostering better relations among Steel, Desert, and Forest. The Plains Continent—no forests, only endless grasslands and overgrown wastelands. Wolves reign supreme, dominating all but humans. The Forest Continent—seventy percent covered in forest, twenty-five percent in freshwater lakes, five percent grasslands and shrubs. It’s known as: everyone’s dreamland.

Finally, the Divine Continent—the domain of the gods, the ultimate destination for all players.

It all seemed idyllic, with no war between continents, but disasters were another matter… The Great Cataclysm!

On September 9, 999, the five continents celebrated the traditional “Divine Festival”—and disaster struck. Suddenly, across every continent, humans turned rabid, attacking one another. Those bitten rose again to continue the carnage. A contagious virus! That was every scientist’s first reaction after seeing the biting videos. The world descended into chaos; governments tried to contain the infected, but no one knew how to identify them, making prevention impossible. Rumors spread, panic grew, until the only solution was isolation.

On September 10, 999, it wasn’t only those bitten who returned—so did the dead from their graves.

On September 11, 999, animals everywhere became bloodthirsty and violent. Experts urged citizens to send their pets to zoos for quarantine.

On September 12, 999, the animals mutated, growing stronger—and most terrifyingly, they developed a taste for human flesh. These were called “Aberrant Beasts.”

On September 13, 999, epic earthquakes rocked the world, not destroying the zombies, but unleashing evil subterranean creatures—“Earth Fiends.”

On September 14, 999, cracks appeared in the sky, releasing flying monsters—“Sky Demons,” who slaughtered anything: humans, earth fiends, zombies—all prey.

On September 15, 999, all technology collapsed. The five continents could no longer communicate.

On September 16, 999, the Divine Realm descended. The gods had not forgotten humanity!

The Divine Realm revealed how to kill monsters and cultivate the body. Henceforth, Human Rank, Warrior Rank, Martial Master Rank, and so forth became the world’s mainstream, and the gods foretold that, in ten years, saints would arrive to help.

For ten years, they endured… The gods kept their promise. Ten years later, the players descended!

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