Was getting swept up in the heat of battle and pushing too recklessly into the depths of the swamp the cause of our trouble?

  By the time my sense of time was paralyzed from being so engrossed in hunting, a black fog rolled in like a tidal wave and swallowed us.

  Visibility was less than a meter.

  It was complete isolation where we couldn't tell the path from the swamp, let alone the way we had just come.

  "Savior! You're still there, right?!"

  He was standing right in front of me, yet his silhouette was blurry.

  Ian, terrified by the fog threatening to devour us, called out to me urgently.

  "Yeah, I'm right next to you. But this fog is way too thick. I can't see a thing."

  Just as I placed a hand on Ian's shoulder to reassure him.

  Succubus, standing nearby, whispered in a low, sunken voice as if possessed by something.

  "Over there...... there's something ahead......"

  Where Succubus's gaze landed was nothing but pitch-black darkness.

  I narrowed my eyes to focus on where she was pointing in that impenetrable veil. Through the wavering fog, a bizarre silhouette slowly began to reveal itself.

  At that moment, Succubus stepped into the darkness she had pointed at, like someone under a spell.

  "Succubus! Where are you going? It's dangerous!"

  Ian's scream-like shout scattered weakly into the dense fog.

  Breaking formation in this atrocious visibility was practically suicide. Falling behind when monsters could pop out from anywhere meant certain death.

  "...Let's stick to her for now!"

  Without delay, I hurried my steps toward Succubus's shadow being sucked into the fog.

  Where we arrived following Succubus lay an elaborately crafted square stone floor.

  A massive black monolith imposingly occupied one side, and atop the pillars rising around it sat fan-shaped rocks placed with precision.

  It looked like a secret altar worshipping an ancient god.

  "I think there's something here......"

  Succubus's intuition was spot on. The moment she stood at the center of the altar, a golden system window flickered in the air.

  [First Discovery: Hidden Altar of the Great Dark Mage]

  'First discovery...'

  The massive monolith began to resonate and vibrate lowly.

  Vrooom—!

  Pitch-black mana particles erupted from the ground-shaking vibration, swirling like a storm before being mercilessly sucked into Succubus's body.

  As soon as the mana vortex stopped, Succubus lost her balance and collapsed.

  Seeing her slump down powerlessly, I immediately stepped forward.

  "Succubus! Are you okay?!"

  My occupational hazard of wanting to check her status window before worrying kicked in, but that wasn't the priority right now.

  The moment I urgently grabbed her shoulder, a blood-red system window violently popped up in the vision of all party members.

  [System: You have been chosen as the 'Heir of the Great Dark Mage'!]

  Target Player: Succubus

  Inherited Trait: [Lord of All Demons]

  [Trait Effects]

  Unlimited Acquisition: Can recognize, acquire, and grow all types of dark magic without separate skill books.

  Acquisition Condition: 'Abyss Points' are required for skill acquisition and enhancement.

  [Point Acquisition Method: Path of Carnage]

  Abyss Points can only be acquired by executing players. (Cannot be acquired through monster hunting)

  Acquired points will vary based on the executed player's level and reputation.

  ———

  Learning dark magic without skill books, using only points.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  This went beyond a simple perk; it was an astronomical merit on the level of destroying the game's ecosystem.

  In a world of skill books ranging from Common to Mythic, a single 'Epic' grade skill book was currently fetching tens of millions of won in cash.

  To be able to acquire such high-tier skills without relying on money or luck, but solely through one's own efforts.

  However, the reality of that 'effort' was brutal.

  [Condition: Acquire points upon killing a player]

  Power that could only be obtained by hunting living players, not monsters. The ordinary formula for growth was broken.

  To reach the end, she now had to become a flower of the abyss blooming on the screams of others.

  "......Savior, what do I do about this?"

  Succubus's voice trembled slightly as she checked her status window.

  She looked at me with a terrified expression at the cruel condition of having to kill players to grow stronger.

  Going far beyond mere stomachache, an excruciating phantom pain washed over my entire body, as if the pit of my stomach were burning and my HP was being drained in real-time.

  I should have acted crazy and thrown myself just one second faster than Succubus.

  The one who should have received that curse or blessing at the center of that altar was me.

  'This makes no sense... To miss such a cheat-like ladder of growth right in front of my nose...'

  My vision flashed yellow, and my mind grew faint.

  In the eyes of a 10-year veteran gold farmer, that ability didn't just look like an ability; it looked like a goose laying golden eggs worth tens, no, hundreds of millions of won.

  Would this be exactly how it feels to check winning lottery numbers, only to see a gust of wind blow the ticket into a blast furnace?

  'Ah...... what if that ability had been mine.'

  Just as I was steeped in countless happy delusions for a brief moment, I snapped back to reality.

  "Ah...... Succubus, you don't need to worry too much. It just means you have one more great option added among countless skills. Since we're going to play a survival mode during the event preliminaries anyway, you'll be able to grow rapidly then."

  Like a patient suffering from a severe internal illness, I forced a smile while desperately hiding my burning stomach. My voice, however, was endlessly calm.

  "Hahaha! Don't worry, Succubus!"

  Ian burst into his trademark hearty laughter, turning the atmosphere around.

  "I'll beat them half to death and lay them out nicely at your feet. You just need to tap them for the last hit and collect the points!"

  Jude, beside him, also silently nodded in agreement, seemingly judging that strategy to be efficient.

  At the response of her reliable comrades, Succubus's expression brightened a little.

  At that moment, the altar wavered as if it were a midsummer mirage and vanished, melting back into the fog.

  'Was it a one-time gimmick? Did it get completely deleted from the map because the first discoverer claimed the reward......'

  While I was staring into empty space, unable to let go of my bitter lingering attachments, the dense black fog viciously surrounding us also slowly began to clear up like a lie.

  "Alright, alright! Shall we slowly get back to hunting!!"

  Ian lightly rolled his shoulders and adjusted his grip on Matus's Greatsword.

  "Let's do that. Let's go."

  Just as I was about to draw my bowstring taut at a dead man wandering ahead...

  Thud—! Succubus struck the ground heavily with her foot.

  "Shadow Spike......"

  A low murmur. Simultaneously, spine-chilling sounds of rupture burst out consecutively.

  Smack! Crunch! Shhhk—!

  The gruesome sound of bone and flesh being pierced.

  From the shadows beneath the feet of the five dead ahead, massive, pitch-black spikes shot up all at once.

  The black thorns mercilessly skewered their abdomens, lifting them cleanly into the air.

  "Uh......"

  A short groan escaped me involuntarily.

  Those massive spikes that impaled the dead like skewers in a single breath.

  The moment I confirmed that overwhelming destructive power with my own two eyes, my stomach, which I had barely calmed down, began to sting with a sharp burn once again.

  "Wow, holy shit! Succubus, what was that just now?!!"

  Ian couldn't close his gaping mouth, shooting a gaze sparkling with admiration at Succubus.

  Even the usually stoic Jude was looking at her with his mouth slightly agape in an expression of awe.

  Perhaps embarrassed by the gazes pouring onto her all at once, Succubus blushed and waved her hands slightly in denial.

  However, her gesture left a strange lingering impression, as if saying she still had more to show.

  And that premonition was not wrong.

  Thanks to the newly awakened Succubus's overwhelming fire support, our party was able to continue hunting comfortably and smoothly on a level incomparable to before.

  The time of storm-like leveling flew by.

  Having achieved dazzling growth and completed all our preparations, the system message we had been waiting for finally popped up before us.

  [System: Do you wish to move to the Event-exclusive map?]

  I touched the [Accept] button without having to think.

  At that moment, a bluish pillar of light surged around my body, and a sensation of my feet floating enveloped my entire being.

  A brief blackout. Then, an intense light washed over my vision once again.

  As the cluster of light cleared, what unfolded before my eyes was the interior of an unfathomably massive castle wall, with fluttering petals and vibrantly colored balloon decorations decorating the sky.

  "WAAAAAAH—!!"

  An incredible roar of cheers striking the eardrums.

  Tens of thousands of players packing the plaza without a single gap were cheering in unison, all looking at one spot.

  From the massive hologram screen floating in the air, a mechanical and overbearing voice echoed through the plaza.

  [Greetings, players of Liberty. Thank you for your passionate interest.]

  [Before the main event begins, we will explain the rules of the Survival Siege.]

  Ding—!

  Along with the voice, a semi-transparent rules window popped up before my eyes.

  [ Survival Siege Rule Guide ]

  1. Victory Condition: A 'Lord NPC' exists in the deepest part of each castle. The faction that eliminates the opposing faction's Lord first wins and advances to the next round.

  2. Time Limit: This match will proceed for a maximum of 3 days. If a winner is not decided within the time limit, both teams will be eliminated together.

  3. Strategic Elements: All terrain features, including siege weapons and traps placed throughout the battlefield, can be utilized freely.

  4. Death Penalty: Upon dying during the war, a 1-hour respawn cooldown is applied. Upon dying a total of 5 times, you are permanently eliminated from the match.

  5. Nighttime Special Event: When night falls, powerful monsters will swarm each castle to assassinate the Lord. Players must defend the Lord from the monsters as well as the enemy faction's attacks.

  Reading down the rules, my brow furrowed.

  The penalties were no joke. Dying once meant you couldn't respawn for an hour, and dying 5 times meant you had to pack your bags entirely.

  'No, with this many people, who the hell is supposed to command them......?'

  Whether in reality or in a game, large-scale wars always exist.

  But that's only a viable story when there's a solid chain of command responsible for leading.

  A situation like now, where players were just dumped into this massive castle without any rhyme or reason. Setting up a chain of command right now was next to impossible.

  In the first place, there was no way prideful gamers would obediently listen to the words of a total stranger.

  The final words of the announcement echoed in the air.

  [Then, we wish the players the best of luck.]

  Ding―!

  Simultaneously with that chilling final farewell, red numbers appeared in the center of the massive screen.

  [Time Remaining until Match Start - 01:59:59]