The Monster is Coming

Chapter 345 A Swamp World? No, The Road to Heaven
After receiving assurances from StarNet.

The Earth Alliance registration team arrived in Destiny City the following morning.

Three silver-gray aircraft landed in the central square, and as the hatches slid open, 18 staff members in uniform stepped out in a line.

They carried the strangely shaped collection equipment that the Fate Clan considered unusual, and set up a temporary workstation in the center of the square.

"Please cooperate to complete the biometric data collection."

The lead registration representative announced the situation to the members gathered by the Fate Clan through a translator, stating that this was a necessary step to obtain official status.

The members of the Fate Clan scoffed at this.

They didn't care about their identity as members of the Earth Alliance at all, and even thought it was all meaningless.

But this is the client's request, and they can only comply.

As long lines formed outside the temporary work station, the staff responsible for registration used a palm-sized scanner to scan the pupils of the Destiny Clan members one by one.

Each time the scanner scans a member of the Destiny Clan, the iris pattern becomes one of their identification markers.

Simultaneously, genetic sampling was also carried out, with staff taking out slender collection rods to extract genetic samples from members of the Destiny Clan.

But this step proved difficult for the Lunar Eclipse Clan's staff.

Under normal circumstances, a sharp-tipped sampling probe can easily extract a blood sample from the target.

However, the gathering stick could not break through the Destiny Clan's physical defenses.

The members of the Fate Clan could not hide their disdain for this.

Faced with this problem, Minghou immediately asked his clansmen to cooperate with the process and submit their own blood samples.

Although the clansmen were dissatisfied, they dared not disobey the decision made by the chief.

Once this step is completed, a unique identification code is generated on the spot.

The Destiny Clan arrived on Earth at record speed, officially settling in the Earth Alliance within three days, with all members registering as residents of the Earth Alliance.

Although all the members of the Fate Clan who followed Fate Throat cooperated in completing the identity registration process.

They received their StarNet code and chip ID card, representing official residents of the Earth Alliance, on the same day.

But they were still puzzled by the series of actions taken by the Life Throat.

Compared to this desolate little world, they considered themselves to be a more advanced civilization.

Now, they are expected to be humble towards a group of races with a backward life form, and even offer up precious resources upon initial contact, which is difficult for many of their people to accept.

In private conversations, dissenting voices continued to spread:
Why waste resources to come to this meaningless little world?

If there are hidden treasures in this small world, why not explore and search for them instead of choosing to stay put and establish a new territory?

Why did the authorities restrict them, stipulating that they could only move within a designated area and were strictly prohibited from going out?

They also strictly forbade their people from using any abilities in this world.

This almost self-castrating development model stands in stark contrast to the Destiny Clan's past history of civilizational expansion.

Conventionally, when faced with such a low-level little world, one should leave after acquiring the key resources.

Many of the people who follow Lifethroat were born in the monster world and were exposed to the law of survival of the fittest from childhood. Lifethroat's series of actions went against their thoughts.

It even makes them feel that their master is drawing a line in the sand and imprisoning himself.

This even gave rise to an idea among the Destiny Clan who followed them.

The person's fate may have been caused by a backlash from the rules of destiny, leading to a series of inexplicable mental problems.

Otherwise, there is no way to explain his current perplexing behavior, exiling himself and his followers to the "garbage dump," while he grovels before inferior civilizations.

At this moment, Minghou was standing in front of the observation matrix of the Destiny Tower, his mind reflecting the surrounding environment.

Next, he decided to optimize and transform this land.

To make life more comfortable for our people who will settle here in the future.

As for the suspicions of its people, it was naturally aware of them.

But he couldn't explain it.

At least not now.

StarNet's promises are just the beginning; the real test is just beginning.

The draw for player qualifications has not yet begun, and the Fate Clan must maintain absolute restraint during this period.

Any extreme behavior could cause higher-dimensional deities to re-evaluate their value.

He must eliminate all potential risks.

Just then, a deep voice came from behind:
"Master of Fate".

Minghou did not turn his head, but merely tilted his head slightly.

The visitor was "Fatefall," the arbiter of the Fate Clan, and one of the core members who followed him to Earth.

He sensed that Mingyun's mental fluctuations at this moment carried suppressed anger.

"The people need an explanation." Mingyun's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, clearly having restrained himself to the extreme:
"We didn't come here to be prisoners."

After a moment of silence, Minghou finally spoke:
"Don't worry, the answer will come soon."

"How long is 'soon'?" Lifefall took a step forward.
"Three days? Three months? Or three years? We need to ask you for permission to leave this wasteland. What's the difference between that and self-imprisonment?"

The light from the observation matrix shone on Minghou's face, making his expression appear obscure.

“Life is about to end. You chose to follow me because you believe in my decisions. The time is not yet right, so why not continue to believe and wait... I can tell you clearly that we are not prisoners, but gamblers.”

Death frowned:

"What do you mean?"

"This trip is the biggest gamble of my life, a bet on a brand new future."

As he spoke, Minghou released his fingers from the matrix and turned to look directly into Mingyun's eyes:

"And this time, we have already won the gamble. Now we just need to wait and we will receive an unparalleled reward."

Mingyun frowned as he looked at Minghou, who had a serious expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he shook his head.

He thought of the recent suspicions of his clansmen, some of whom suggested that the person destined for this fate might have become mentally unstable due to the backlash from the rules of destiny.

However, the Throat is the life master of their Dragon Sparrow lineage, and no matter how much they have their own ideas, they should abide by any decisions made by the life master.

"I understand."

At this moment, Mingyun nodded, his eyes filled with undisguised disappointment, and then turned and left.

Watching Mingyun's departing figure, Minghou couldn't help but shake his head.

He could fully understand the loss of his life, as well as the repression and confusion felt by his fellow clansmen.

If he were to experience similar events to them without their knowledge, he would also have similar emotions.

However, the Earth Alliance's official registration has now been completed.

The truth is about to be revealed, and the people of our tribe will soon understand everything.

……

The next day, dawn

The morning mist that had enveloped the city had not yet dissipated when a blinding blue light suddenly appeared on the horizon.

Standing atop the Tower of Destiny, Minghou waved his hand to dispel the invisible energy barrier that enveloped the City of Destiny, his silver-white robe billowing as the air currents from above swept over him.

He raised his head slightly, and a blue light tore through the clouds in his vision, like a sharp sword falling straight down from the sky.

Zooming in, we see a Lunar Eclipse Clan supply ship.

The ship's hull was long and slender, its surface shimmering with a liquid metal-like luster, and it landed on the open ground of Destiny City a few seconds later.

After the hatch slid open, members of the Lunar Eclipse engineering team stepped out.

They wore close-fitting gray uniforms with a star-studded emblem tattooed on their chests.

The leading envoy looked up at the Tower of Destiny, his gaze meeting that of the Throat of Destiny across the distance, and nodded slightly.

Minghou nodded in agreement, and his figure floated down from the tower, landing in front of the captain of the Lunar Eclipse Clan's engineering team.

Using Earthling etiquette, after shaking hands, the project leader pointed to the robot that was unloading cargo:

"According to the agreement, this is the first batch of equipment."

After he finished speaking, the locks on the surface of a metal box he pointed to came undone one by one.

A completely black gaming pod slowly rose from inside.

The hatch became transparent like liquid, and the interior was a groove that conformed to the body shape of the Destiny Clan. You could see that the inner wall was covered with silver threads for nerve connections, which shimmered with tiny starlight in the morning light.

"The signal tower will be debugged before noon, at which time you will be able to log in to the StarNet network. However, the number of the latest game pods is limited, and we can only allocate 100 to you. You can obtain more through purchase or by continuing to apply for support... The port equipment is sufficient, and I will complete this as soon as possible. I hope you can cooperate with the next upgrade project."

"Thank you." Looking at the game pod, Ming could not hide his excitement.

Even the most exciting gamble of his life couldn't compare to the thrill he felt at this moment.

These devices, made from inferior materials, are a key element in becoming a player.

Minghou stood in front of the game pod, his fingertips gently stroking the surface of the pod, the cold metallic touch making his blood boil.

For the first time since his birth, he felt that his destiny was in his own hands.

Before parting, remove the mask of "the capriciousness of fate".

This seems to indicate that the "impermanence" in his fate has disappeared, and the only future is the road to heaven that slowly unfolds beneath his feet.

In the eyes of the Throat of Fate, this inferior metal shell holds an infinite possibility more precious than any rule.

Becoming a player means breaking through the shackles of life and mastering the Laws of Destiny.

Thinking of this, his breathing became rapid involuntarily.

Its long silver hair danced without wind, and it suddenly chuckled softly.

The members of the Fate Clan who witnessed this scene couldn't help but shake their heads.

The fate of the person has begun again.

They actually showed excitement in the face of these inferior metal creations.

The Destiny Clan members watching from a distance exchanged worried glances.

They couldn't understand why their leader would look at the creation of a lesser civilization with such fascination, even to the point of being unable to control his emotions. This made them even more uneasy than the previous "fate backlash incident."

Meanwhile, the arriving engineers had already deployed a swarm of nanomechanical devices, and a silvery-gray tide was flowing through the city.

The entire process, from debugging the signal tower and building the basic network equipment (computers, ports) to laying network cables, is progressing in an orderly manner.

Although members of the Destiny Clan are dissatisfied with outsiders entering their territory and even freely altering it.

But this time they still chose to follow the arrangements of their destiny master and suppress their emotions.

At noon, the last batch of nanomachines retreated like the receding tide among the silvery-white buildings.

The newly built signal tower stands in the center of the city, less than 100 meters away from the Destiny Tower.

Waiting for the Lunar Eclipse Clan engineering team to withdraw.

Standing on a high platform in the city center, Minghou summoned his 30,000 followers.

“I know you have many questions about why we came to this barren world, why we imprison ourselves, and why I am interested in the equipment in this desolate world.”

Upon hearing these words, the crowd became restless.

All the tribespeople raised their heads, eager to know the truth.

"Now, the truth is in your rooms. Each room is equipped with a computer, which is one of the devices that connect to the StarNet network. The answers you are looking for are on it. As for how to use it, I will publish it on the mental network."

"As for the language barrier, I have contacted the StarNet to transmit our race's written and linguistic information. Presumably, it has already installed a real-time text-to-language translation function in its computers. If not, then we will acquire proficiency in Earth's language and writing through mutual competition..."

After the waiting throat finished speaking, he announced the disbandment.

The eager clansmen rushed back to their rooms, only to find a monitor and some equipment made of inferior materials.

"The workmanship of this equipment is so crude." A young soldier who entered the room poked the edge of the monitor with his fingertip in disgust.

A sensor scan revealed that the device didn't even have a proper energy transmission structure.

Similar complaints appeared in various rooms.

When first encountering computers, the Destiny Clan found it difficult to understand.

Why did the owner allow them to search for answers in this device?

Confused, they connected to the mental network to view the usage guide shared by Life Throat.

They then sat down at their computer desks and pressed the round button on the desktop that was flashing slightly.

With a buzzing sound, the screens in different rooms lit up with blue light.

Once the light stabilized, the screen displayed text that they couldn't understand at all.

However, after startup and redirection to the desktop, the font automatically switches to their native script, which they can understand.

Following the steps in the guide, they used the mouse to open the webpage.

The homepage is the official website for Monster World.

Upon seeing the words "Monster World," all the members of the Destiny Clan looked somewhat surprised.

They never expected that the devices in this world would contain information about the monster world.

This also made them realize that perhaps the decision made by the person in question was not as simple as they had imagined.

Continuing their browsing, they, like the spies of that time, opened a "world map".

They discovered that most of the map was shrouded in mist, and the areas where the mist had been dispelled were mostly in the Pale Continent region where their Fate Clan mainly operated.

Many speculations began to emerge in the minds of the Fate Clan.

Their first thought was that the creatures of this small world seemed to have also ventured into the monster world.

The map they drew should be of an area they had previously explored.

It is truly unbelievable that such a weak race could explore such a vast land in the monster world.

After initial contact and understanding, they could see the Earth as a "muddy world".

The term "swamp world" refers to a world that cannot naturally generate spiritual resources.

What these worlds share is that they generally use materials devoid of spirituality, and technological development is entirely limited by the upper limit of material quality.

The creatures living here are like those trapped in a quagmire; no matter how hard they struggle, it's all in vain.

It is simply impossible to break through the current global barriers.

After all, even the most basic space-based materials don't exist yet. The limit of development is simply to fly within the limits of what the materials can withstand, or to explore the extraterrestrial world.

It's still far from reaching the level of interdimensional travel. The difference with Earth is that, due to the emergence of the descending forces, the development of this world has broken through its previously unattainable limits.

But it is still essentially a quagmire world.

In a monster world, Earth's civilization wouldn't even be considered the lowest level.

The physical strength of ordinary creatures in the monster world has already reached the limit of Earth's materials science. Even a newborn cub contains enough energy to bring a disaster to the swamp world.

The standards by which monsters measure strength have long surpassed the capabilities of Earth's civilization.

The battles there, above the lowest levels, aren't about comparing nuclear bomb yields; they're about directly rewriting the laws of physics.

Therefore, the official discovery that Earth civilization had explored the monster world aroused their immense curiosity, as they felt it was almost impossible.

But when they close the map and view the encyclopedia information...

Seeing the records related to different factions and species in the encyclopedia list, I was immediately dumbfounded.

The preceding content can be understood as good luck, since even the weakest descending forces can avoid disaster with the help of "luck".

But the information in the monster encyclopedia and the evil spirit encyclopedia proves one thing.

Earth's civilization has come into contact with many races in the monster world, and even with a powerful branch of the Black Tide Legion.

This is simply outrageous.

With the power of Earth's civilization, there can only be one outcome if it comes into contact with the Kuroshio.

That means it will become nutrients; there is absolutely no other possibility.

Other races include the Zerg, the Reverse Tide Legion, the Mist Clan, the Ancient God Clan, the Bliss Clan... Many of them are local overlords in the Pale Continent region.

The Reverse Tide Legion is currently the strongest force in the Pale Continent.

Based on their understanding of the Reverse Tide Legion, when they encounter Earth civilizations that are not native to them, they will most likely just take action and slaughter them.

They won't give you any chance to survive.

The Tide Reversal Legion's friendliness is only directed towards its own forces and the ethnic groups within the Tide Reversal Legion.

They are ruthless towards outsiders, and killing is their means of negotiation and contact.

Upon seeing this, the members of the Fate Clan who had followed Fate's Throat all realized that something was wrong.

The detailed information in some of the illustrations even surpasses the information possessed by the Fate Clan.

Even if a civilization in a swampy world were a hundred times more powerful, it would be impossible for it to achieve this.

To explore the monster world and gather such a vast amount of information, one would need to reach at least a "Great Realm-level civilization".

The term "Great Realm-level Civilization" is a level used by the Destiny Clan to assess the strength of a target civilization.

The Destiny Clan of that time was a Great Realm-level civilization.

The more they looked, the more astonished they became, and they suddenly became interested in the hidden truth of this world.

This feeling completely shattered when they opened the Soul Repository and the player forum.

Even their worldview was overturned at this moment.

Through discussions among the players, combined with the information they had seen earlier, they pieced together a truth in their minds.

This truth also resolves the previous question: Why did Earth civilization once have the capability to explore the monster world?

The answer lies hidden in the player forums.

Many members of the Fate Clan stared at the screen, their breathing gradually slowing down.

Many members of the Fate Clan had actually come up with a relatively reasonable answer to the question they had just heard.

I believe that Earth's civilization may have had a glorious era.

Although this world is small, it once possessed vast resource-rich lands and a world structure with accompanying rules.

Like many groups that travel to the monster world, they refined the earth and carried the world's original land to the monster world in order to gain great power.

Ultimately, they were defeated in battles against other races.

Fortunately, the tribe has not been wiped out.

However, the original land of the world they took with them has already merged into the monster world and cannot be brought back.

Knowing they could no longer survive in the monster world, the surviving members of their tribe chose to escape across space back to their abandoned homeland.

This reasonably explains why, despite Earth's harsh environment, there are maps depicting the world of monsters.

Perhaps this is a fragmented world that has lost its original land and is missing its core architecture.

But the truth is completely different from what we guessed.

Only then did they realize that Earth's creatures had another identity in the monster world: the player race.

Compared to Earth's civilization, the player race is like a completely different, peak civilization.

Any one of the many abilities he possesses is a rule that other forces would dream of.

However, with such rules, there are over a hundred players, and the number continues to grow.

Every player who enters the game as a newbie will receive a bonus of one rule-based ability.

Secondly, the Star Pulse system also amazed the well-informed members of the Destiny Clan.

To integrate different rules into a single system.

They had only seen similar abilities from top-tier powers.

In just over two years, the player race has grown to the point where it can fight in multiple regions of the monster world.

Two years may seem like a long time, but in the eyes of the members of the Destiny Clan, it is but a fleeting moment.

The most outrageous thing is that every player is immortal and can be resurrected at full health after a short wait, even if they are swallowed by the black tide.

The life structure will not be damaged in the slightest.

No wonder the "world map" on the official website shows such strange routes, with each dispelled fog region not connected to the others.

Because players have an infinite margin for error.

For other lives, death means the end.

But for players, it's just a restart after a short wait.

They can explore the monster world in the most unrestrained way, and experience different regional environments.

In fact, that's exactly what the Fate Clan did.

A unique growth system that requires strategic maneuvering allows them to choose to explore different regions in batches.

However, risks always exist.

The vast majority of members of the Fate Clan die while exploring.

Unlike players, who don't need any preparation and can set off anytime they have an idea.

While browsing the forum information, members of the Destiny Clan also discovered that many players' seemingly reasonable experiences were actually painstakingly accumulated through countless deaths.

Players, however, treat it as a daily routine, believing that they will naturally understand it after dying a lot.

The more they watched, the more shocked they became. The members of the Destiny Clan sat frozen in front of the screen, their silvery-white pupils trembling violently.

The answers presented on the forum were so compelling that they found them hard to believe.

Behind the seemingly weak Earth civilization lies a ferocious beast of natural disaster.

After gaining a deeper understanding, they gradually grasped the master's plan and deduced why the master had come here.

They all knew that the person in question had suffered a backlash from the "rules of fate".

The reason is that the rules of fate, after successfully winning the game, did not obtain the final chips, which led to a logical error in this game.

However, they had never learned the specifics of the situation.

At this point, they found the answer to the specific incident on the player forum.

The creatures that caused the player, who possessed the strength of a demigod, to suffer a setback were none other than the beings of the swamp world in their eyes, who could not even be affected by the rules of fate.

The moment they received the answer, the members of the Destiny Clan immediately understood the hidden thoughts behind the Destiny Master's series of perplexing actions.

He wants to become a player.

According to information provided on the forum, all living beings on Earth are unaware that the virtual game they are experiencing is essentially the real world.

Therefore, there is a "mastermind" behind the players.

Their actual strength has already exceeded the limits they imagined.

They tried to sketch the outline of this being in their minds:
The ability to grant living beings immortality at will signifies that its control over the rules of life has reached the level of creation.

The ability to merge the power of rules from different systems in batches signifies that the understanding of matter has also reached a creation-level perspective...

With multiple pieces of information combined, the Fate Clan, like Fate Throat, came up with a potential answer in their minds.

The monster world is full of "legends of the strong".

But only one truly stands at the pinnacle: Emperor Zhaoshen.

Legend has it that He is the creator of the monster world and a god in the eyes of countless native gods of the monster world.

Its power can be glimpsed from the strength displayed by the native forces of the monster world.

The god behind the Reverse Tide Legion, which caused them to be sealed underground, was one of the former followers of the Emperor God.

The primordial monsters near the battlefield between the Reverse Tide and the Soul Returners, ancient mushrooms with life structures reaching the divine realm, were also part of Emperor Zhao before his self-destruction.

There are countless other primordial monsters like the giant mushroom in the monster world.

It can be said that every drop of Emperor Zhaoshen's blood can be used to create a primary-level rule power.

Perhaps it is a primordial monster currently active somewhere in the monster world.

This explains why the person in question dared not speak the truth.

If they accidentally violated any taboos, they would all be wiped out by the higher-dimensional gods with a wave of their hands.

The protagonist chose to conceal the truth, both to gain access to the players and to protect them.

Everything makes sense now.

The Lord's humble attitude towards the creatures of this world, the Lord's uncontrollable joy upon seeing equipment made of inferior materials, and the Lord's guidance of them through divine revelation...

When the truth was revealed, all members of the Fate Clan were in an uproar.

More than 30,000 hearts pounded violently in the silvery-white chest cavity, blood surging under the influence of emotions, stirring up an emotional storm.

They finally understood that the world their destiny had brought them to was not some barren swamp, but clearly a bridge to eternity.

Within those shells forged from inferior materials they despise lies an opportunity more precious than any rule.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is, hahaha." At this moment, Mingyun, who was sitting in front of the computer, clenched the clan emblem on his chest tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He recalled the master's profound words, "bet on the future," and now he understood their weight.

This is a high-stakes gamble, and the stakes are their future.

The prize is a chance to transcend life and death and stand at the pinnacle of the monster world.

The seemingly insane behavior of the person in question was not a sign of submission to the beings of Earth, but rather a sign of respect to the supreme being hidden behind the scenes.

Restricting their movement is also to avoid unforeseen mistakes.

They were terrified at the thought of the existence of higher-dimensional gods, but they were also filled with an overwhelming sense of ecstasy.

If they can become players, they will become part of the player legion under the command of the higher-dimensional gods.

The plan is now halfway to success.

They have obtained official resident ID cards from the Earth Alliance, which also means they have the right to apply for player status.

Eternity is within reach.

What the Lord of Fate bestowed upon them was an opportunity that could not be found anywhere else in the Clan of Fate.

At that moment, every member of the tribe felt something burning in their chest.

The pent-up frustrations I'd been holding in all these days transformed into a raging fire that ignited my emotions.

Just as the members of the Destiny Clan were excitedly trying to learn more about the benefits of becoming a player through the player forum,

Three long, drawn-out chimes came from the direction of the Destiny Tower.

The spiritual network of all clansmen simultaneously received the summons from the Lord.

Realizing that their master had a major announcement to make, the members of the Destiny Clan sitting in front of the computer decisively suppressed their surging curiosity and quickly left the room.

From the city's skies, the silvery-white silhouettes converged on the central square like a tide.

At this moment, Minghou stood with his hands behind his back on the high platform, his silver-white robe fluttering in the wind. Behind him were a hundred black-shelled game pods, neatly arranged, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"Gentlemen," his voice was calm and unhurried, yet it caused all thirty thousand tribesmen to hold their breath.

“What you just saw through the computer is exactly the same as what I saw when I first arrived.”

“I don’t know what the unknown taboos are, so I’ve chosen to let you follow in my footsteps and uncover the truth for yourselves.”

As he spoke, his gaze swept across every face in the room.

He could clearly see the flames dancing in the silver eyes of his people… Shock, ecstasy, fear—how similar they were to his own back then.

“I understand how you feel right now. When I first came into this world, I was just like you, staring at a glowing screen, going from doubt to trembling... until I learned the truth and chose to gamble with my future.”

“Now that we have obtained official status as members of the Earth Alliance, we have the authority to acquire player qualifications, but…” Life Throat’s tone shifted:
"According to StarNet's explanation, there will be a self-checking process before the game qualification draw. Only individuals equipped with game pods will be eligible. This is obviously a setting by higher-dimensional gods to avoid wasting qualifications. Therefore, only those who own game pods have the possibility of obtaining qualifications."

He paused and continued:

"The first batch of gaming pod allocations is only these 100 behind me."

Upon hearing these words, the square fell into a deathly silence.

More than 30,000 gazes darted back and forth between the game pod and the Fate Master. Some members of the Fate Clan unconsciously took a half step forward, then abruptly stopped.

Their silvery-white pupils reflected the simple metal casings.

What they scorned in the morning as inferior creations have now become the key to eternity.

"So I decided to allocate these 99 gaming pods through an internal lottery."

"Master, didn't you just say there were a hundred units?" A young-looking member of the clan couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Minghou frowned slightly and glared at the impetuous junior:
"I'll take one, and you can draw lots to allocate the remaining 99."

Upon hearing the allocation plan from the throat, the atmosphere in the square suddenly became subtle.

The way he looked at his fellow clansmen was a mixture of friendliness and competition.

After all, this is the qualification for the Path to Heaven!
　Here are 8200 words~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)