Chapter 38 - Elite!

He glanced at the names below his, his mind racing with questions. How was this even possible? Even for himself, if the Prison Break event hadn't occurred, he doubted he could have reached ten thousand points. The math was simple—1 point equaled 1 tier 1 Chaos Being, meaning this Kim Jin-Ho must have killed over 25,000 tier 1 Chaos Beings or 2,500 tier 2s. Either way, the sheer number was staggering.

Sam frowned, trying to piece it together. "How is that guy racking up points so quickly? Unless he's the protagonist of this world or caught in some unique situation like me," he mused. "But still, to kill that many monsters in just five hours after the stage started, he must possess incredible power or something beyond the norm."

His eyes moved to the third name on the list: Asteroid Destroyer. It clearly wasn't a human name, and Sam couldn't help but chuckle at its absurdity. "A pet? he speculated. The score was also impressive, further deepening the mystery.

Scrolling further, he noticed a clear pattern. Beyond the top two and a handful of others, the majority of the top 100 participants were from his tutorial town. It made sense. The chaos monsters hadn't initially flooded other areas; they'd been forced to fight this war of survival against the tide of Chaos Beings.

"They didn't have a choice," Sam muttered, his gaze hardening. "But at least this hellish situation is giving them a chance to grow stronger."

Closing the leaderboard, Sam steeled himself for the fight ahead. There was no time for distractions—every second counted in this endless battle.

Boom!!

Sam landed hard on the scorched ground, the remnants of his latest Atomic Fissure still rippling through the air. The battlefield was a wasteland of molten craters and broken terrain, littered with the disintegrating remains of Chaos Beings. Eight hours had passed since the dark pit collapsed, and the relentless tide of monsters finally began to show signs of thinning.

The numbers had dwindled to less than 500,000, but Sam noticed a troubling shift in their behavior. Chaos Beings, once mindlessly swarming in every direction, were now converging on a single target—the fortress. Their focus had shifted from him to Michael's group, clearly aware that he was too difficult to kill.

"They're learning," Sam muttered, his expression grim. "Or at least, their hive mind is."

Without hesitation, he continued his assault. Proton Spheres launched from his palms, streaking through the air and exploding into the back ranks of the Chaos army.

BOOOM! BOOOOOM!

Each blast sent dozens of Chaos Beings flying, but their advance toward the fortress remained relentless. Sam clenched his fists, frustration building. It was clear they were now treating him as more of a distraction than a threat, redirecting their main forces to overwhelm Michael's group.

"You're not ignoring me that easily," Sam growled, leaping high into the air. From above, he could see the entire battlefield—the fortress under siege, Chaos Beings swarming its walls like an unstoppable tide.

Sam unleashed another Atomic Fissure, targeting the dense cluster near the rear of the Chaos army.

BOOOOOM!

The ground shattered, sending waves of destructive energy tearing through their ranks. Still, the monsters pressed forward, their hive mind seemingly calculating that the losses were worth the opportunity to overwhelm the fortress.

Michael's group was holding their own, their Tier 2 strength keeping the fortress intact, but Sam could see the strain. Injuries were mounting, and exhaustion was beginning to show.

"They're using my group to bait me," Sam realized, his eyes narrowing.

With a burst of Flash Step, he closed the gap to the Chaos army's rear, slamming into the ground with another Atomic Fissure. The explosion rippled outward, carving through hundreds of Chaos Beings, but it was a temporary reprieve.

"They won't stop until either we're all dead or they're annihilated," Sam thought, gritting his teeth.

Determined to buy Michael and the others more time, Sam continued his relentless attacks on the Chaos army's rear flank.

As Sam punched through the dense swarm of Chaos Beings, explosions erupted with each strike, scattering bodies in all directions. Despite his relentless effort, the closer he got to the center of the Chaos army, the more resistance he faced.

His sharp eyes narrowed as he spotted something unusual amidst the chaos—a group of 1,000 tier 2 Chaos Soldiers, all clad in dark crimson armor, forming a protective perimeter. In their midst, Chaos Mage Soldiers surrounded a glowing magic circle, chanting in unison. The air vibrated with their ominous ritual, and an unsettling energy began to radiate from the circle.

Sam's instincts screamed at him. "This is bad!"

Realizing the urgency, he surged forward, breaking through the swarm of monsters with calculated strikes. His fists caused localized explosions, tearing apart any Chaos Beings that dared block his path. But the swarm thickened, Chaos Beings seemingly sacrificing themselves in droves to slow him down.

"I can't afford to use massive attacks here," Sam muttered, frustration mounting. He glanced toward the fortress in the distance. If he unleashed something as destructive as Atomic Fissure or Proton Sphere, the collateral damage would endanger his allies.

"Damn it," Sam growled, weaving through the swarm and forcing his way forward. He mentally vowed, "I need to develop better close-range abilities. This can't happen again."

Finally, he was within striking distance, but the ritual reached its climax. The mages' chanting stopped, and an eerie silence blanketed the battlefield.

All at once, every Chaos Being on the battlefield froze.

Sam halted, his gaze sweeping the now-motionless army. Then, one by one, the monsters collapsed, their bodies disintegrating into ash. The fortress defenders froze in shock, staring at the sudden turn of events. Some even began to cheer, assuming victory was theirs.

Sam's gut told him otherwise. "It's not over."

Flash Step.

In an instant, he closed the gap to the magic circle, slamming his fists into the glowing formation. Boom! The ground beneath the circle shattered, but the magic persisted, glowing even brighter.

Sam focused his mental power, observing the energy flow. His senses locked onto the core of the circle—it was pulling energy from the Chaos Beings' remains, consolidating it into a single point.

Suddenly, a sharp crack split the air.

CRASH!

A red rift tore through the sky above the magic circle, its jagged edges pulsing with chaotic energy. It was identical to the rift Sam had seen in the goblin dungeon but far larger and more volatile. Before he could react, a surge of blue energy materialized out of nowhere, surrounding the rift and sealing it in a burst of blinding light.

For a moment, Sam thought it was over. Then, he saw it.

a monster slipped away from the rift before blue energy completely sealed off the rift it was a single figure—a Chaos Being in human form, its presence exuding a suffocating aura.

Sam's eyes narrowed as he activated The Heavenly Eye.

[Chaos Soldier: Level 369][Elite][Chaotic Evil][Antiexist][Hive mind]

Sam tensed, his fists clenching. This was unlike anything he had faced before.

It was a tier 4 being! Sam's eyes narrowed as he assessed the monstrosity before him. Tier 1 encompassed levels 10-50, Tier 2 ranged from 50-100, Tier 3 from 100-200, and Tier 4 from 200-400. This creature, at level 369, was nearly Tier 5—a frightening prospect.

The monster was a grotesque humanoid deformity. It had three mouths grotesquely placed on its face and additional eyes on its ears, both scanning and leering. Its left arm was shaped like a spear, sharp and menacing, while the other hand clutched a bone cup emanating a sinister aura.

Sam didn't wait.

BOOM!

He launched himself forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet. His fist was aimed straight for the monster's core, but the creature moved with unnerving agility, sidestepping his attack effortlessly. Its spear-like arm thrust forward, piercing through Sam's chest.

"Ahhhhhh!" Sam screamed as a searing pain shot through his body. It wasn't just physical—the creature's attack carried an energy that burrowed into his core, attempting to wreak havoc from within. But before it could spread, Sam's Grandmist surged, purging the foreign energy at the cost of 20% of his reserve.

Clenching his teeth, Sam retaliated.

BOOOMMM!

He unleashed an Atomic Fissure at close range. The nuclear-like explosion engulfed the monster, sending it hurtling through the air. Sam didn't relent. He chased after it with a Proton Sphere in hand.

"VMMM… BOOOOM!"

The sphere struck true, slamming the monster into the ground with devastating force. Dust and debris rose into the air as the ground trembled under the impact.

But when Sam landed and saw the creature through the clearing smoke, his heart sank.

The monster wasn't dead.

It rose, its injuries minor despite the ferocity of his attacks. Its vitality was immense—far beyond anything he had faced before.

With a guttural roar, the chaos being lunged at Sam.

Its speed rivaled his Flash Step, and before he could fully react, its bone cup smashed into his side, sending him flying 500 meters away. The impact left a deep crater where Sam landed.

The monster leaped, closing the distance in an instant, its spear-arm aimed for his heart. Sam barely rolled away, avoiding a fatal blow, but the creature adjusted and struck again, piercing him once more.

Sam grimaced, feeling the spear dig deeper, but his resolve hardened he hit atomic fissure at the monster to separate himself from the monster and heal his wound immediately!.

"I can't outrun this thing," he muttered. "Fine, let's see whose energy lasts longer!"

Sam's strategy shifted. Instead of dodging, he braced himself for a war of attrition. His Grandmist, with its superior quality, regeneration, and sheer quantity, compared to any form of energy he knew. Each injury was met with immediate regeneration, his cosmic essence knitting his wounds closed even as they formed.

The creature snarled, sensing its prey wasn't weakening.

Sam growled, his fists glowing with the devastating light of Atomic Fissure.

He dashed forward with the full power of Flash Step, his movements creating shockwaves that rippled across the battlefield. But Sam knew now—the monster was faster and stronger. It had already proven that hitting it wouldn't be easy.

Just as he expected, the creature dodged his glowing fist, its movements fluid and unnervingly precise. Its bone cup swung toward his head with terrifying speed, aiming to smash him once more.

But this time, Sam was ready.

The cup connected with his head in a deafening CRACK!, but instead of being thrown back, Sam gritted his teeth and held his ground. His hand shot up, gripping the creature's bone cup with an iron-clad grip, his Grandmist reinforcing his muscles and bones to absorb the brunt of the blow.

The monster snarled, trying to pull its weaponized arm free, but Sam didn't let go.

"Die!!" Sam roared.

Using the creature's momentum against it, he twisted his body and yanked hard on the cup, forcing the monster off balance. With his other fist, still glowing with the destructive energy of Atomic Fissure, he delivered a counterpunch aimed directly at its deformed chest.

BOOOOMMM!!!

The explosion blasted the monster backward, its grotesque body smoking and twitching. Yet, it remained standing, snarling with eerie defiance. Sam didn't let up. He rushed forward again, his fists raining down detonations as he tore into the creature's flesh, each blow creating shockwaves that rippled through the battlefield.

The battlefield lit up again as the clash resumed, Sam's relentless assaults hammering the creature while its brutal counterattacks kept him on edge. Both combatants fought with unmatched ferocity, the ground around them disintegrating under the sheer magnitude of their battle.