Matthew Atkinson
Oxford, United Kingdom
After introducing the monster that looked like a bat, Professor Holland went on to introduce the other monsters. And one by one, he introduced ten types of monsters to everyone.
Every monster was extremely terrifying. Just looking at their appearance was enough to send shivers down one's spine.
Some timid girls' faces turned pale with fright.
"These monsters, though terrifying and powerful, are not Devil Monsters."
"No one knows what the truly Devil Monsters look like, because everyone who has seen them has died. And those who see them from afar do not know their appearance and characteristics in detail."
"Regarding these Devil Monsters, only some rumors have circulated."
"For example, there's a Devil Monster that, as long as you see it, you will lose your sanity and no longer be able to control yourself."
"Fortunately, although these Devil Monsters are terrifying, they only move within fixed areas. As long as you avoid their domain, you can avoid becoming a target of Devil Monsters. Unless you're unlucky enough to encounter a newly born Devil Monster."
"Regarding the domains of the Devil Monsters, I have detailed information here, which I will send to the class group later. You must memorize those areas."
Professor Holland, speaking to this point, seemed to have dried his mouth, so he stopped to take a sip of water.
At this moment, a girl couldn't help but ask, "Professor, isn't this world too dangerous for us? How can we complete the mission and come back safely?"
Hearing this, Professor Holland put down his cup and said, "This world is certainly dangerous for you. Even a seventh-rank expert probably wouldn't dare say they can walk around there unhindered."
"However, there's always a way out, and the Supernatural Realm won't drive you to a dead end."
"Your mission this time is no longer to hunt monsters, but to survive."
"The longer you survive in this world, the higher your mission evaluation will be."
"Additionally, if you encounter irresistible danger or a certain death situation, you can also choose to withdraw and directly leave the tenth layer."
"But, there will be a 10-second countdown before withdrawal, so don't wait until the last moment to withdraw, as your time might not be enough."
As soon as these words came out, the students immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that they could withdraw whenever they wanted would significantly increase their chance of coming back alive.
"After entering the tenth layer, the minimum mission time is 7 days, during which you cannot withdraw. Therefore, the first 7 days will be your most dangerous period."
"You must be careful, careful, and even more careful. When something happens, hide if you can, and never take risks."
"There are many things in this world that freshmen like you can't handle. If you take a risk and encounter one of them, you could lose your life."
"After 7 days, you can choose to withdraw."
"However, if you only stay for 7 days at the tenth layer and then withdraw, your mission evaluation will be the lowest level, and you will only receive the basic reward, which is 10 attribute points."
The students listened very carefully, taking notes on what Professor Holland said.
Professor Holland continued, "To increase your mission evaluation, you need to increase the number of days you stay in the tenth layer. The longer you survive there, the higher your grade will be. And your grade will be determined according to every 7-day cycle."
"For example, if you only stay in the tenth layer for 7 days and then leave, your mission grade will be F-rank, and you will only receive the basic reward."
"If you stay for 14 days, your mission grade will be E-rank. For 21 days, it will be D-rank, and so on."
Then Professor Holland paused and suddenly asked, "After hearing this, you should be thinking that as long as you get food and drink, hide in a safe place, seal off the exit, never come out, you can stay at the tenth layer until the rewards are maxed out, right?"
Many students nodded.
"Don't ever think that way." Professor Holland said sternly, "Under normal circumstances, for the first three cycles, which is within 21 days, you can do that if you wish."
"But after three cycles, don't try to do that anymore. Because those monsters will come looking for you, specifically to hunt you down. And they will instinctively know your location."
"The longer you stay in one place, the more monsters you'll be surrounded by, and the harder it will be to escape."
"It is said that if you stay in the Supernatural Realm world for more than fifty days, Devil Monsters will also come to hunt you."
"Therefore, up until now, no one has ever been able to stay in the tenth-layer world for more than fifty days and return alive. After 49 days, you must leave quickly. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"49 days is already enough to get an S-rank mission evaluation."
"In the past, many geniuses didn't believe this and didn't leave after 49 days. As a result, none of them returned."
When Professor Holland spoke to this point, he suddenly glanced at Matthew, his eyes full of meaning.
The other students also looked towards Matthew.
Everyone knew that Matthew and Natalie, up until now, had consistently achieved SSS-grade, the highest mission results.
It is commonly known as 'Godlike' results.
Even yesterday, at Global Layer, they won the championship.
Would this tenth layer interrupt their 'Godlike' results achievements?
At that moment, a student asked, "Professor, how do we know these geniuses try to stay longer than 49 days? Perhaps something else happened to them early on."
"Although the tenth layer is a solo layer, that doesn't mean you'll all go to different worlds. On the contrary, all supernatural beings in this world will enter the same tenth layer."
"It's called a solo layer because you can't form a team, and you have to do your mission alone. But it's possible to encounter other supernatural beings during this time, especially if you join a large shelter."
This information surprised many students. But apparently, some already knew this and therefore weren't surprised.
Matthew was among those surprised. Until now, he had thought that this Solo Layer would happen by everyone entering their own individual tenth-layer world.
But apparently that wasn't the case, and if all the freshmen in the world were going to enter the same tenth layer, it meant Matthew would be in the same world as Natalie.
'Is there a way I can find Natalie there?' he wondered, and then his hand went to the half-medallion-shaped pendant around his neck.
'Could this supernatural item possibly work in the tenth layer as well?' he thought.
…
"In the tenth layer, besides monsters and survival, you should also pay attention to native survivors of the tenth layer. One could even say that survivors are the most unpredictable part of the tenth layer."
"If you encounter survivors in the tenth layer, you must be careful and cautious."
"That kind of apocalyptic environment severely tests human nature. Most survivors who manage to stay alive, aside from those with exceptional luck, are ruthless individuals."
"For profit and survival, betraying teammates to secure a path to security is something standard for those people."
"Therefore, when dealing with survivors, you must be extra vigilant."
"Oh, and by the way, don't ever think that survivors are all ordinary people and that you can manipulate them at will with your strength and supernatural abilities."
"In reality, since the apocalypse began, humans in the tenth-layer world have successively given birth to ability users."
"So-called ability users are very similar to us supernaturals. They possess special and powerful supernatural abilities."
"Moreover, the growth rate of ability users is faster than ours. Although the apocalypse in the tenth layer has only been present for two or three years, some ability users became so powerful that others called them gods."
"According to official statistics, there are several well-known ability users whose comprehensive strength has probably reached the seventh rank."
"For example, a strong individual named Thunder God can transform into lightning and is extremely powerful. It is said that this Thunder God even successfully killed a Devil Monster."
"So, I remind you again, if you encounter survivors, you must be careful and cautious."
"Survivors who dare to wander outside at tenth are basically those with capabilities, in other words, ability users. While not all of them are as powerful as a seventh-rank expert, many ability users can pose a deadly threat to you."
When Professor Holland paused at this point, a student immediately asked, "Professor, since survivors are so dangerous, is there a way for us to know whether they are good or bad before entering the tenth layer? The tenth layer has existed for so many years, so there should be some information about this, right?"
Professor Holland heard this and smiled, saying, "There's no way to distinguish those survivors, because humans themselves are very contradictory creatures. Especially in an apocalyptic environment, those survivors prioritize their own interests above anything else. When your interests align, they can call you a friend. But they can instantly turn against you if your interests clash or if they think you're no longer useful."
"However, over these many years, the officials have indeed collected some information. This information includes the personalities and preferences of those powerful ability users in the tenth layer, as well as the stances of some shelters."
"For example, the ability user that people refer to as Thunder God comes from a military background, and his sense of justice is quite strong. His shelter is also one of the few factions in the tenth layer that leans towards good. Therefore, the Thunder God Shelter is very large, accommodating the most survivors."
"They have almost built an underground city, possessing several large granaries, and the number of survivors taking refuge there even approaches a million."
"That shelter is almost the only place in the tenth layer with normal order."
"If you enter the tenth layer and can appear near the 'Thunder God Shelter,' then I strongly recommend that you join the Thunder God Shelter. At the very least, it can allow you to get through the first twenty-one days safely."
Hearing this, a student immediately raised a hand and asked, "Professor, why only twenty-one days? With Thunder God's protection, shouldn't we be able to stay at the tenth layer longer?"
"You're thinking naively." Professor Holland said, "From the twenty-second day onwards, your identity as an outsider will be exposed, and monsters will hunt you down."
"At that time, no shelter will be willing to continue to accommodate you. Even the good-aligned Thunder God Shelter will drive you away."
The student asked, puzzled, "How will they know we are outsiders? Will there be any changes for us starting from day 22?"
"Yes." Professor Holland replied, "From the twenty-second day onwards, your eye pupils will slowly turn red. The longer you stay in the tenth layer, the redder your pupils will become."
"This phenomenon is very similar to the symptoms after being infected with a zombie virus. So, no matter which shelter you hide in, it's best to leave voluntarily after staying for twenty-one days."
"Otherwise, you might encounter rather harsh treatment. Some ability users in certain shelters might even treat you as infected people who are about to turn into zombies and hunt you down."
Hearing this, many students frowned. They probably didn't expect the Supernatural Realm to have such a trick.
But upon reflection, this was quite normal. The Supernatural Realm, where the primary mission was survival, wouldn't so easily tolerate supernaturals hiding in a shelter without doing anything.
"Can't we just explain ourselves?" a student muttered softly.
Hearing this, many people rolled their eyes at him.
Professor Holland also frowned and said, "Don't have such childish thoughts. Do you think, in that kind of environment, who would believe your explanation? And even if they believed you, would they jeopardize their own shelter to protect a stranger like you?"
This was the most dangerous of the compulsory layers; it wasn't a place where they could cope by explaining their situation to others.
And Matthew knew that if these students didn't adjust their attitudes accordingly, they would either lose their lives or be forced to withdraw from the tenth layer prematurely.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.200: No Distance Can Separate Us
Ch.201: R.O.B.I.N.
Ch.202: First Product