After the first reward calculation, Reinhard noticed something.
There were no treasure chests or ability rewards; the shop was empty.
Points could only be used to meet the Administrator.
This didn't matter to Reinhard; he only wanted potions.
Including Enko's points and those from this game, he had 7,000 points.
To reach 50,000…
"Assuming similar future payouts, I need about seven games."
The updated game schedule was every ten days.
Much better.
The first wave of monsters would likely appear soon.
This seemed like a monster training facility, constantly supplying the world with selected monsters.
"Death suddenly accelerated the game schedule. There must be something big coming…"
Reinhard sensed Mei was accelerating monster production, preparing for something.
This was good news for Reinhard.
At least, for now.
"Becoming a monster depends on this game."
...
A few days later.
In a Serpent's Hand gym, Reinhard completed a weight training session.
Since he could absorb energy, he trained intensely daily.
His energy absorption was passive, not active.
Passive meant he couldn't control the energy intake; it was involuntary.
He discovered that intense physical exertion accelerated passive energy absorption.
This energy replenished his body and strengthened his spiritual power.
Reinhard estimated his spiritual power had reached 2nd Step.
His physical strength was also nearing 2nd Step.
As Reinhard sweated, a Serpent's Hand member rushed in. "Lord Seth, something's happened!"
Reinhard stopped, wiping his sweat.
"Speak."
"Please look at this."
The member showed him a phone. The video showed a sandstorm.
A figure appeared, a white frost instantly freezing the sand.
The figure appeared before the camera, then grabbed the cameraman.
The video ended.
Reinhard took a sip of water, wiping his mouth. The figure looked familiar.
"Blue hair."
Like…
White Walker?
"What are you trying to say?"
The Serpent's Hand member said, "Lord Abel was surveying an Atlantis site in Africa when he encountered this person. This is the last footage."
"Lord Abel hopes…"
"Tell him to get lost."
Reinhard tossed the phone and went to a treadmill.
Why didn't Abel come himself?
I'm the leader; why should I listen to him?
The member was surprised. "But Lord Cain also wants you to…"
"Tell him to get lost too. Don't bother me."
Reinhard wanted to strengthen his body and spirit, obtain potions, and become a top-tier monster.
He didn't want to be bothered with other matters.
The member left, but the phone remained.
The video was still playing.
The screen was black. Then, a voice spoke.
"Tell 009. I'll be back soon."
...
After a period of upheaval, a strange relationship formed between Chaos Insurgency, Serpent's Hand, and Kitsune.
Chaos Insurgency created chaos; Kitsune cleaned up their messes; Serpent's Hand profited, expanding their influence.
Chaos Insurgency's headquarters remained unknown.
But 009 left an address for White Walker: Mauritania, Africa.
In Mauritania, soldiers in dark green uniforms gathered, smoking.
Behind them stood a military base, overflowing with weaponry.
Suddenly, a soldier noticed a white frost covering the desert.
A figure appeared, then vanished.
Flying blades appeared in their throats, killing them instantly.
A ghostly figure entered the base, unnoticed.
A man was counting weapons.
A hand struck his head, smashing it onto the table!
He tried to shout, but his colleagues were dead.
What had happened?
"Where's Splitter?"
An icy voice echoed from behind. The man couldn't see his assailant, only feeling a bone-chilling cold!
"I… I don't know…"
Crack.
His body froze, disintegrating into snow.
The base was devoid of life.
A barely functioning camera recorded everything.
The footage was strange.
A blue-haired man appeared and vanished seemingly instantaneously.
Even at fifty times slower, no movement was visible.
The man's movement was entirely absent from the footage!
It was as if someone had edited the video, removing his movements.
The computer saw this first, offering three possibilities.
"Possibility one: Teleportation."
"Possibility two: Data corruption."
"Possibility three: …Impossible."
The third possibility was deemed impossible.
Even 4th Steps couldn't do this!
Then, the camera was lifted.
"I know you're watching."
Crack!
The camera was crushed. The video ended.
...
"Boss, White Walker's back."
In a city, 009 sat on a curb, eating.
Hearing 020, 009 pulled out a napkin, wiping his mouth.
"Evolved?"
"Looks like it. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare go where you said."
009 crumpled the napkin and tossed it.
The location was a test. If White Walker had evolved, 020 could confirm it.
"What do you think?"
"His ability is strange. I think you should be warned: You have many enemies."
009 grabbed a drumstick and left.
"Too many enemies?"
"Haha, I love seeing them try and fail to kill me. If no one tries, I'm bored."
"Understand?"
009 ate, passing a group of vegans and animal rights activists protesting.
"Humans and animals are equal. We have no right to take animal lives, or eat them!"
"No buying, no killing! If we don't eat meat, animals won't be harmed!"
"Countless animals are illegally hunted every year, ending up on plates. Is this right? Isn't this a cruel joke?"
They had been protesting for hours, even while 009 ate.
Annoying.
009 covered his ears. One protester approached.
She pointed at his drumstick. "Sir, please put down the drumstick. You're not just eating a drumstick; you're consuming a life!"
"A life ends because of your desire. Won't your conscience hurt?"
Huh?
009 stared. The woman was pretty but sickeningly sanctimonious.
Moral coercion?
"Because of you, I'll eat another chicken. Remember, it died because of you."
009 pointed at the woman, smirking. "And tomorrow, and the next day, I'll eat an animal."
"They'll die because of you."
The woman's eyes widened. "Wh…What…?"
A man pulled her away. "Ignore him. They're just trying to provoke us. They only care about themselves, not animal lives."
009 felt nauseous. "No, no, you misunderstand. I don't oppose your views."
"Humans and animals are the same. Yes, they are. To me, they are."
"Killing a human or an animal is the same. Eating a human or an animal is the same."
"Because of you, I've changed my mind. I won't eat the chicken; I'll eat you."
The man frowned.
"Idiot, ignore him."
009 licked his lips, pulling out a pistol and shooting the man.
Bang!
The bullet hit. The crowd erupted in screams!
The onlookers scattered. The woman sat on the ground.
009 continued firing, blood spurting from the corpse.
009 smirked.
"Haha, I've never tasted vegan meat before. If you only eat grass, do you taste like goat or cow?"
The woman watched in horror as 009 cut off a piece of flesh and ate it.
"Let's try some."
"Mmm… like other humans; nothing special."
009 licked the blood from his lips.
"Perhaps it's not the taste but the fear of death; that's the best seasoning."
Police arrived.
009 tossed the knife. "The immoral will die; the moral will be killed by me."
The Clown threw a blade. "I disagree."
The Centaur appeared behind the police, wielding a hammer.
"Hmph."
009 ignored them, looking at two old men in the corner.
Swordsmith stretched, pulling a sword from the ground.
"Dragon, go."
...
Chaos Insurgency was an extremist organization.
Their ideology was chaotic, focused on destruction and recreation. Besides its original members, Chaos Insurgency consisted of three main factions.
Defectors from Kitsune.
Clones created by the Master of Flesh.
And various foreign armed groups.
This mix included warlords, mercenaries, and terrorists, all led by 009, launching large-scale attacks.
They were primarily active in Africa, causing immense suffering. Regular armies were struggling against these militants.
This wasn't surprising; 009 had distributed his creations.
Some were incredibly powerful, leading to 009 being seen as a god.
Recently, the situation changed.
Kitsune began attacking Chaos Insurgency in Africa. And White Walker appeared.
Within two days, White Walker had wiped out thirteen Chaos Insurgency armies.
He hunted 009 worldwide, but 009 remained unfazed.
Did he think he could get away with nothing?
He'd created over seven hundred creations, even if he only kept eighty. Each was powerful.
Even if White Walker was 4th Step…
No, he couldn't be.
A 4th Step couldn't manifest in this world.
"Time to prepare for White Walker."
009 returned to his armory, picking up a spear.
"This will do. My second absolute weapon. He deserves that much."
"Penetration · Lance of Longinus."
...
Africa.
A snow-covered desert. It was intensely cold, with a howling wind.
Ice statues, armed with rifles, stood in stunned poses.
At one end of the ice field, a throne of ice stood.
White Walker… no, he was no longer White Walker.
Mei had given him a new name after his upgrade.
He was Frost King.
After conquering several Chaos Insurgency outposts, Frost King waited for 009.
He wore black clothes and had black hair. His blue hair had been dyed.
His frequent power use had caused his hair to grow, the blue dye fading to black.
Would Frost King wait for 009? Definitely.
This wasn't a one-sided feud; it was a duel.
009 wanted him dead, so he'd come.
Whoosh!
A platinum spear hurtled towards Frost King!
The spear spun, carrying a faint holy glow.
Frost King raised a finger, stopping the spear.
The spear stopped, then fell to the ground.
"Should I praise your luck or lament your fate?"
009 landed on the ice field.
He clapped, and the spear returned to his hand.
That was just a test.
Frost King's evolved abilities were unknown.
Regardless, unless he was immortal, the Lance of Longinus would kill him.
Why? Because it possessed an absolute ability.
Absolute Penetration.
Anything struck by this weapon would be pierced, regardless of its nature!
Even a god would be pierced!
Frost King, no matter how he evolved, couldn't become immortal like 009.
His evolutionary path was fixed; future potions wouldn't grant immortality.
Speaking of evolutionary paths… what was his?
Simply put, the evolutionary path is determined by the abilities and form exhibited after first consuming the potion.
The Fish-Man, for example, or The Hollow. Their initial forms determined their future evolution.
Fish-Men are inherently marine-based; The Hollow's abilities are light-based; Raven could shapeshift, so shapeshifting remained her core ability.
Similarly, Frost King's initial ability was cryokinesis.
His evolution would follow this path.
Past examples indicate that 4th Step beings undergo a qualitative change.
Their bodies and abilities reach 4th Step level, becoming superhuman.
But sub-4th Step evolution is often inconsistent.
Some gain physical enhancements, others gain abilities, and some remain weak.
This is a common sub-4th Step issue.
009 had stated that Frost King couldn't be a 4th Step being.
A 4th Step being couldn't manifest here; it would be in the Reason World.
Not being 4th Step meant his body wouldn't evolve.
Logically, Frost King, a cryokinetic, wouldn't have physical enhancements unless he reached 4th Step.
Therefore, even with defenses, the Lance of Longinus would pierce him.
There was nothing to be done; absolute abilities were illogical.
The only regret was that the Lance of Longinus lacked the Absolute Hit and Absolute Indestructibility of Black Arrow.
If the Lance of Longinus had Absolute Hit, it would be a judgemental pen—one strike, one kill!
Indestructibility was crucial.
The Lance of Longinus wasn't indestructible.
It was strong, but its durability was untested.
Unless it was Absolutely Indestructible, it could be destroyed.
This worried 009.
After the test, 009 was unsure about Frost King's abilities.
Frost King stopped the spear with a finger, unharmed. This was impossible.
Only visually; his finger hadn't touched the spear.
009 moved the spear closer.
"What? Playing aloof after evolving? Don't you want to chat?"
"Shall we discuss the old man and the girl?"
"I remember…"
009 prepared to defend, but Frost King remained calm, showing no anger.
009 licked his lips. He knew Frost King would react to "I remember."
But Frost King remained impassive.
"I was wrong."
"You've grown, White Walker."
"Or perhaps you don't care about their deaths."
"That's right. If you cared, you wouldn't have waited to seek revenge."
"You care about yourself. Saying you'd avenge them was just a cover for your escape. Staying to fight was more logical, wasn't it?"
Frost King remained expressionless, his eyes deeply shadowed.
Incredibly, he was almost asleep.
His eyelids were drooping.
He was tired.
What was that guy saying…?
009, abandoning verbal probing, charged with the Lance of Longinus!
The spear lunged. Frost King appeared behind 009!
009 spun, firing his pistols!
Frost King reappeared on his throne!
Teleportation?
009 realized things were more complicated.
Before he could react, the Lance of Longinus pierced him!
Splash!
The spear fell, but 009 noticed nothing!
Even impaled, he felt nothing!
Frost King remained on his throne, completely still!
What ability had he evolved?
Poof~
009, stationed in the rear, lifted his body, slowly withdrawing the Lance of Longinus from his head; traces of white brain matter still clung to it.
"This reminds me of the tofu brain I ate this morning."
009 stood up straight. As the saying goes, nothing teaches you more profoundly than being beaten yourself.
Having been killed several times by enemy psionics, he'd naturally begun to grasp certain methods.
Of course, this only applied to 009, who possessed an immortal body.
"Let me think… your ability was originally to control water molecules to freeze, rendering living organisms completely immobile."
"Speaking of instantaneous movement, it's completely unrelated to your previous abilities."
"Therefore, I guess it's not related to time?"
009 stared intently at the Frost King, calculating, searching his eyes for the answer.
Unfortunately, the Frost King's expression remained the same—indifferent to everything, as if he would fall asleep the next second.
Could he be wrong?
A flicker of doubt crossed 009's mind. Just as he prepared to speak again, he suddenly appeared in the sky!
Yes, without warning, he'd gone from the ground to the heavens!
The Frost King remained seated below, unmoved.
But the bizarre thing was, each time 009 fell, he reappeared higher up; the further he fell, the higher he rose!
Feeling himself nearing the ozone layer, 009 realized something was wrong. He shifted the spear in his hand, instantly piercing the space before him!
The Lance of Longinus's absolute penetration was a concept of attack that could even pierce space itself.
He carved a rift in the space before him, tearing open a gateway resembling a wormhole.
The hole continued to expand. Just as 009's front foot was about to step through, he was instantly flung elsewhere a second later!
In an instant, 009 suddenly realized something. He frantically touched his chest, then his face contorted in a grimace!
"I understand… I understand!"
"I didn't feel any pain, so I didn't consider it before. So that's how it is."
009 ripped open his shirt, revealing his massive torso.
On his chest was a large, blackened handprint!
From the shape of the handprint, it was clearly a human hand.
"You went to all the trouble of throwing me into the sky and then back to my original position. Aren't you tired?"
Hearing 009's words, the Frost King suddenly yawned.
"Return."
Huh?
Who was he talking to?
Before 009 could react, his figure plummeted from the sky!
009 rolled, his feet hitting the ground; he stabilized…
Crack!
009's femur snapped instantly from the impact of the fall.
Two shards of bone protruded from the torn flesh. Seeing the two bone fragments, 009 didn't bother to realign them, instead using the Lance of Longinus to sever his legs.
Poof!
Two new legs sprouted, while the old ones transformed into a pair of double-headed swords.
The Frost King simply watched him perform this circus act, which greatly displeased 009.
"What, you don't care about me now that you've evolved? You want mana? Fine, sit there! Don't get up!"
With that, 009 threw the Lance of Longinus!
But his target wasn't the Frost King, but the space in front of him!
When the Lance of Longinus pierced the space before the Frost King, it created a point in the spatial fabric!
But this point wasn't a wormhole like before!
It was a dimensionless singularity, or perhaps a black hole!
It released endless gravitational pull, instantly warping the spatial matter, seemingly intending to collapse all of space-time into it!
The question arises: why could 009 use the Lance of Longinus to create a black hole?
Because he used the concept of absolute penetration to transcend dimensions!
009's action was undoubtedly insane.
He was like punching a hole in a pond, a hole that would slowly drain all the water.
And that "water" was all of the world's matter.
Whether plants, trees, life, or land, everything would collapse into this singularity, which would grow larger and larger, until it consumed the entire planet.
If Zero were here, he would certainly point at 009's nose and inquire after his ancestors for eight generations.
He freaking created a black hole!
He'd put Earth on a countdown to destruction!!
And 009 always cared about killing, not burying. He just caused trouble; he didn't care how it ended, since he couldn't die.
The Lance of Longinus was no different; it pierced and didn't bother patching things up.
The Lance of Longinus could pierce dimensions, but it couldn't seal dimensional rifts.
009 wanted to use that collapsing singularity to devour the Frost King, and theoretically, he could.
The point pierced by the Lance of Longinus began frantically absorbing everything around it, growing larger and larger!
The Frost King's body was stretched into countless threads at this moment, slowly drifting towards the ever-expanding singularity!
"How about it? Can you still sit comfortably now?"
As soon as 009 finished speaking, the singularity before him stopped expanding.
For some unknown reason, it suddenly ceased devouring matter and began to seal itself!
What the...?
Before 009's shocked eyes, the Frost King stopped the singularity, although he seemed to do nothing, merely raising a hand!
"Encircling…"
"Or should you go instead?"
The Frost King didn't know who he was talking to; besides him and 009, there was no one else.
Just then, countless ice sculptures frozen on the ice plain shattered!
Hundreds of blue-skinned, gray-haired monsters burst from the ice. They wore the standardized uniform of the Chaos Insurgency and carried firearms; clearly, these were 009's former subordinates.
"Ah, that familiar feeling of betrayal."
009 reached up and pulled an earpiece from his ear. "Computer, send my big baby over here."
"You mean that seashell?"
"That's the small baby."
"I think I know what you mean."
The transformed Chaos Insurgency soldiers tossed aside their weapons and charged towards 009!
Seeing this, 009 spread his arms wide. "Come, this is my favorite part—the explosion part!"
A squadron of unmanned nuclear bomber drones rapidly arrived over the ice plain, releasing a nuclear warhead.
Seeing the streak of light in the sky, the Frost King remained motionless, his eyes closed.
Suddenly, the nuclear warhead froze in mid-air.
Yes, it simply hung there.
009, arms outstretched, slowly lowered them. He kicked a gray-haired monster charging at him, saying:
"Computer, check the warhead's timer. Is it stopped?"
The computer's voice came through at that moment. "No, the warhead's timer is operating normally; it hasn't stopped."
Then it wasn't time stop?
009 looked up, seeing a vaguely enormous handprint emerging on the nuclear warhead.
In that instant, he felt a sudden, chilling fear.
How could he describe this feeling? It was as if something was standing right in front of him, but he couldn't see it!
...
Number 016: Frost King.
Final Evolution Experiment Data Summary: Abilities perfectly match expectations; a certain degree of aberration occurred.
Abilities exhibited [DATA EXPUNGED] erratic and unstable reactions between the Mist World and the Reason World.
After 24 hours of experimentation, this instability began to gradually stabilize.
However, the [DATA EXPUNGED] overlapping with the Frost King created a unique state of being. For further stabilization of this state, Reason recommends against sleep.
Otherwise, undesirable events may occur.
...
The Frost King thoroughly baffled 009. He'd never experienced such a bewildering battle; what was his opponent's ability?
Unknown. Unclear. Not a single clue.
Earlier, 009 had guessed the Frost King's ability was time stop, a guess that could be considered wildly imaginative.
After all, for a 3rd Step being, possessing the ability to manipulate time was simply unthinkable!
Let alone a 3rd Step; this level of conceptual ability wasn't even guaranteed for a 4th Step!
Except for Lord Aurora, who else in the world could manipulate time?
But the Frost King's various actions undeniably hinted to 009 that he could pause time!
Was that really the case?
If time was stopped, why was the timer on the nuclear warhead still running after they were dropped from the sky?
And what about that handprint?
"Am I going crazy, or is the world going crazy?"
"Or are we all crazy?"
009 clutched his head; his brain and body trembled!
Then, he suddenly laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I know! It must be that world! That world really exists! Your ability must be related to that world!"
"Lord Aurora really achieved his wish."
"Dreamland… Dreamland really exists! The unseen world… the world we can't see…"
"Did you see it? Tell me! White Walker, did you see that world? Did you?!"
009's face was crazed; he was like a madman raving.
Because his voice was so loud, the Frost King, who had been closing his eyes, opened them.
The world seemed to be overlaid with shadows…
Come to think of it, why am I here?
Why the Frost King had become like this wasn't actually a big mystery; he simply hadn't slept in a while.
Perhaps a few days…
"A month?"
"Could it be… that time?"
"No, that's not right."
The Frost King's words were muddled. Since Mei had sent him here, only a week had passed.
At least, that's what the time indicated.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he hadn't slept in those seven days, that his mind was clouded.
But the reason he hadn't slept was that he couldn't sleep.
If he slept, something extremely terrible would happen.
Yes, this wasn't sensationalism or mystery-mongering.
This was what Mei had told him.
What exactly had happened? Honestly, the Frost King couldn't remember.
He vaguely recalled receiving an injection of some kind of drug; after that, he didn't know what happened.
He only knew that when he woke up, a week had passed.
And the first words he heard after waking up were Mei's.
He had to stay awake for a month, otherwise, certain consequences would follow; he would bear the responsibility himself.
However, in his current state, even if he stayed awake for half a year, he wouldn't die.
But while he wouldn't die, his mental state was another matter.
Like the Frost King now, his mind was sluggish; besides the word "encirclement," his head was almost empty.
Ah, no, he did remember one thing.
Kill 009.
As for why he wanted to kill 009, it was because he deserved to die.
Lost in thought, the Frost King slowly reached out towards the world before him.
An invisible ripple spread, instantly enveloping the entire ice plain; all sound fell silent in that moment.
Everything froze.
The Frost King stood up from his seat and approached 009 step by step.
Now, whether it was 009 or anything else, they were all encased in a layer of frost.
But they didn't see that frost, nor did they feel that they had fallen into a state of immobility.
The Frost King walked step by step to 009's side; the frost covering the world dissipated at that moment.
Seeing the Frost King suddenly appear before him, 009 grabbed his spear and swept it back, "Is it that world? Is it Dreamland? Is your ability connected to that place?!"
"Answer me!"
The moment the Lance of Longinus was about to strike the Frost King, the invisible ripple spread again, the frost once more enveloping everything.
009 remained frozen in place, spear raised.
The Frost King pushed aside the Lance of Longinus, then grabbed 009's head and delivered a knee strike!
The frost dissipated; time resumed its flow.
009's head was instantly struck by the Frost King's knee; half his skull exploded!
Poof poof!
Blood sprayed. The Frost King immediately grabbed his arm, pulling him back for another devastating blow to his chest!
Bang!
009's chest was severely injured, but the half of his head he'd lost regenerated.
After his head healed, he immediately called for the computer.
But before he could finish, the frost enveloped everything again; everything froze once more.
The Frost King seized the Lance of Longinus, about to swing it, when suddenly his vision darkened.
The Frost King's pupils constricted, his eyelids nearly failing to open.
The Frost King's consciousness suddenly cleared. He shook his head, propping himself up on the Lance of Longinus, kneeling on one knee.
He'd reached his limit…
He really needed to sleep.
"No… I'll kill him next time."
The Frost King tossed the Lance of Longinus to the ground, then staggered away.
The frost dissipated; frozen time resumed its flow.
But the Frost King's figure had vanished from before 009.
The monsters surrounding 009 looked at each other, then one by one, they fell to the ground and fell asleep.
009's confusion deepened at this sight.
"Gone?"
"Why?"
"What exactly is that world? What is Dreamland? And what is your ability?"
Long ago, Zero had told a story. The story was simple: the supreme god led the gods to attack the forgotten world.
And in this forgotten world, there was a Dream World.
Everything began with Zero's promise in a dream.
Somehow, a rumor began to spread secretly.
It said that Dreamland was a world where wishes came true; no matter the wish, Dreamland could fulfill it.
Few knew of this rumor; 009 was one of them.
He suspected the White Walker's abilities might be connected to Dreamland, and he'd been searching for this so-called Dreamland.
He had a wish. He wanted to return to the past, drink the twelve potions himself, and kill the major monster leaders in their infancy!
But 009 had searched for a long time, tried countless methods, explored various trains of thought, and still hadn't found a single clue related to Dreamland.
Until this moment, 009 suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Could the way to Dreamland be… through dreams?"