CHAPTER 187 - IT’S A SIN TO STAND OUT

“Incredible!” Han Wu gasped as endless strength surged through his body.

The Diamond Monster Ender title offered four effects. The first three allowed summoning monsters using materials, souls, or a combination of both. The final effect permanently sacrificed a monster to temporarily boost the user’s power.

He had just undergone this process ten times and could already fight a Diamond Mountain Ape barehanded.

What if I strengthen myself again? Han Wu tested it, and his muscles swelled with power. Gripping the Mountain Ape’s fist, he twisted with such force that the monster spun like a pinwheel.

The surreal scene astounded the onlookers. None had ever witnessed power so overwhelming, surpassing even the heavens and the earth.

“Is he still human?” the Diamond adventurer muttered, uncertain how to respond. He had already reached the Title Civilization’s peak, yet Han Wu’s strength made him feel insignificant.

“Boss, run! The Mountain Ape is falling right here!” one adventurer shouted just in time for him to look up. The Mountain Ape was plummeting from the sky, headed straight toward him.

Rather than dodge, he stood his ground and summoned another, the Diamond Jade Mantis. Its raptorial legs gleamed like blades. With a swift strike, it sliced the Mountain Ape in half, causing the body to crash harmlessly beside the adventurer.

“How could I be a Diamond adventurer specialized in summoning monsters if I only had the Mountain Ape?” Despite Han Wu’s shocking display of power, he remained confident. After all, he still had many monsters left to summon.

Han Wu clapped, swapping places with the fallen Mountain Ape. He raised his Genocider greatsword to strike the adventurer, but the Jade Mantis intercepted swiftly with its powerful raptorial legs. Han Wu parried, then punched the Jade Mantis away several hundred meters, leaving the adventurer exposed.

“Battle Snapper!” the adventurer shouted, summoning another monster.

The Battle Snapper raised its mighty shell to block Han Wu’s strike, but the damage incapacitated it. Han Wu kicked it aside. The adventurer summoned more monsters in desperation, but none lasted beyond three rounds against Han Wu’s relentless assault.

Han Wu advanced steadily as he cut down each summoned monster. When he stood directly before the adventurer, the man tried to summon one last monster. “Summon—”

Han Wu glared at him and unleashed Soul Cut, launching scalpels forged from Soul Energy. They pierced the adventurer’s soul and sent waves of unbearable pain through him. He collapsed, unable to summon anything through the agony.

The other adventurers rushed to assist, but he shouted, “Run! At least one of you has to survive!”

Han Wu didn’t give them the chance. With five sharp claps, all four adventurers collapsed, dead. The Diamond adventurer watched their deaths, his body trembling.

“Who are you? Why are you helping the Merchant Alliance? You—” His words cut off as Han Wu swiftly decapitated him. Fear filled his eyes at the moment of death.

“You talk too much,” Han Wu muttered with a sigh. He then rifled through the corpses, collecting everything of value—tokens, materials, and more. Returning to his team, he found all four staring at him as if he were a god.

“I’ve taken their points. Didn’t expect them to have 1,290. This should put us in first place,” he said calmly.

The Four teammates swallowed hard, stunned that the Adventurer Guild’s contestants held so many points and amazed that Han Wu had slaughtered them all alone.

It was chilling to realize Han Wu had single-handedly bested contestants from the Adventurer Guild, Shadow Alliance, and the Imperial Knight. Yet, the contest was far from over. After clearing the battlefield, they set off to search for other tokens.

...

Myriad City descended into chaos as events unfolded rapidly. The Shadow Alliance had lost most of their points, followed by the Imperial Knights, who lost all of theirs. Now, even the strongest Adventurer Guild had been wiped clean of points.

Meanwhile, the Merchant Alliance rocketed into first place, outscoring second place by a staggering 1,300 points. The runner-up had barely reached 880 points.

Today marked the ninth day of the contest, making it almost certain that the Merchant Alliance had secured the top spot. Still, the Merchant Alliance’s higher-ups were far from pleased. They had just gotten news that their warehouse had been broken into, with many precious materials stolen. The Merchant Alliance paid a steep price to confirm the culprit: the Shadow Alliance. It was an unmistakable act of retaliation.

The Imperial Knights had also targeted shops linked to the Merchant Alliance, inflicting significant losses. Fortunately, the Merchant Alliance’s wealth allowed it to absorb the damage from both attacks. That changed today, when news arrived that the Adventurer Guild’s points had been wiped out, while Han Wu’s team gained an equal number of points.

The news hit like a bombshell, leaving the Merchant Alliance’s leader with a numb scalp. He had hoped Han Wu and his team would work hard to earn points for the Merchant Alliance, but now their outstanding performance was backfiring.

He had to admit he’d been too vocal in recent days, so he decided to pay a large sum to the Imperial Knights and the Shadow Alliance as a gesture of apology. However, neither faction even allowed him inside their headquarters. It was clear they would not forgive him.

All he could do was smile bitterly. He was damned if he tried, damned if he didn’t. If he could, he would have begged Han Wu and the others to stop earning points, but contestants were forbidden from outside contact during the contest.

If the situation continued, the Merchant Alliance would lose its business foothold in Myriad City. His face grew pale at the thought of having to visit the Adventurer Guild to apologize. He prayed that Han Wu and his team would not push further. If they did, the other three factions could easily band together and wipe out the Merchant Alliance.

Thankfully, Han Wu’s team spent the last few days quietly hunting monsters without causing further incidents.

Finally, the contest ended. After the tenth day, all contestants were sent out of the training site.