Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Lloyd froze for a moment. ’So this is the "little surprise" the Attendant prepared for me?’

Since he had Heart-Pleasing Privileges, it would be a waste not to use them. Lloyd confirmed the option.

This was perfect. When he had watched the tournament earlier, he had been disdainful of the cars’ generic designs. Aside from their color and the numbers on the hood and roof, they all looked like the steam cars you’d see anywhere on the street, completely failing to express any player personality.

He couldn’t help but make a snarky comment internally:

’They don’t even know how to sell skins? Do I have to teach you how to make money?’

Fortunately, he didn’t have to blend in with the crowd.

And so, Lloyd began his "customization" process.

However, this customization could only affect the vehicle’s appearance. It couldn’t increase things like its Attack Power or defense. The car’s actual Attributes were still tied to one’s personal Tier and strength.

Furthermore, the customization couldn’t be too ridiculous. It still had to look like a car, and there were clear size limits. He couldn’t just build a giant robot that only a chuuni high schooler would pilot.

After all, the Attendant was only giving him a "little surprise," not helping him turn on cheats.

"Okay... like this... and then like this..."

"This part here... is it a bit much? It doesn’t quite fit my image as a reserved, restrained, and humble young man, does it?"

"Oh, right! I’ll add this here... Perfect! This will really highlight my persona as a refined young man who loves life."

"Huh? The size limit was exceeded? Dammit, I’ll have to give up some of the less important parts..."

"This should be about right, right? Now for the color scheme..."

"This Crystal Ball... it seems to have some power from the [Wisdom] system? I wonder if it can read the image I’m picturing in my mind? Let’s try... Huh? It actually worked? Fantastic!"

"Done! This is amazing! I never knew my artistic talent was so extraordinary. If I’d known, I would’ve majored in art in college."

...

While Lloyd was busy with his "personalization," the five remaining players were growing impatient, arguing nonstop at the starting line.

First, the three newbies started yelling:

"You two shameless bastards! I’m reporting you! Ganging up to scam newbies out of their points, you’re absolutely shameless!"

"I should’ve realized they were working together! They’re all despicable, shameless scammers!"

"Could you two give me your home addresses? I have some ’local specialty products’ I’d like to send you to try."

The vehicles used by the three of them weren’t the standard steam cars seen in the tournament, but rather ridiculous-looking children’s pedal cars...

As for the two who had drawn Lloyd into the game, they were driving antique, three-wheeled steam cars. These were transitional models from early automotive history that had long since been phased out. They didn’t even have windshields or doors, which made voice communication between parties much more convenient and direct.

Although their cars were a bit weak, dealing with children’s pedal cars would still be a piece of cake. A single bump would probably be enough to finish the job.

And the two of them were clearly experts at trash talk, firing back in perfect sync:

"Heh, it’s your own fault for being weak. You’ve only just reached Enlightenment and you’re already trying to play such a thrilling game. I suppose I’ll be forced to take your points, then."

"Haha, these newbies. They watch the tournament and think they can be just like the racers, but they never stop to consider their own skill level, never read the recruitment board’s info carefully, and didn’t even notice the stipulations for our match."

"At the end of the day, it’s not that we’re malicious, it’s that you’re too stupid. People like you would have their points scammed away by someone else sooner or later anyway, so why not just give them to us?"

The three newbies were incensed by their words. Seeing the points they had painstakingly accumulated since the first floor about to go down the drain, they started spewing all sorts of vulgarities.

"BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

Unfortunately, the two old hands were clearly repeat offenders and remained completely unfazed. They even laughed and yawned as they shot back sarcastically:

"Boo hoo hoo, so pitiful. The points you saved up since the first floor are all gonna be gone. Boo hoo hoo, better go cry to mommy."

"Hahaha, such cute newbies. You don’t even know how to curse properly. Why don’t you just raise your hands and surrender in a bit? Save your moms the worry when you get into a car crash."

The two old hands had the three newbies so angry they were practically hopping mad, but they didn’t dare get out of their cars and couldn’t quit the game. They could only keep cursing as they fumed:

"Dammit, I’ll fucking end you!"

"Go on, run me over if you have the guts! My dad will definitely kill your entire family!"

"Those two bastards... when this starts, we attack together. We’ll take one of them down even if it’s the last thing we do!"

The two old hands paid no mind to such childish threats. They took out their pocket watches, checked the time, and started discussing amongst themselves:

"Say, why isn’t that last guy out yet? You think he sensed something was off?"

"What does it matter? As long as he agreed to the terms and paid the points, he can’t back out of the game. The prep time is half an hour at most. He’ll be out soon."

"He’s not preparing some kind of power, is he? After all, this half-hour preparation period is designed for the special powers of certain systems, allowing players to brew and ready them before the race starts."

"Nothing to worry about. Did you forget I can check other people’s win counts? The kid’s win count is ’0’. Besides, from his words and actions, he seems really green. Doesn’t look like a Tier Four... Even if he really is Tier Four, the two of us are Tier Three. If we team up, we can take him down easily."

"You’re right. In this game mode, the car is what’s key, not systems and abilities."

And so, the five players on the starting line continued to trade insults while they waited. A few minutes later, they heard a voice from behind them.

"My apologies. It took me a little long to prepare, as I wanted to show everyone my work of art."

The two old hands exchanged a smirk, each starting to speak as they turned around.

"No problem, we’re very patient... HOLY SHIT! What is that?"

"Heh, it’s useless no matter how long you prepare... HUH???!!!"

The two of them were utterly dumbfounded.

The three newbies also glanced back and began to tremble in fear.

Rolling toward them was a heavy armored car, its entire body encased in thick armor plates and riding on a full five pairs of tires.

The front was fitted with a sharp armored plow, the sides had jagged skirts, and the rear sported a pair of horizontal spoilers curved like sharp blades, glinting with a chilling light.

But those were just the details...

The truly frightening part was the giant, two-meter-tall metal man sitting on the roof.

It wore a strange V-shaped antenna on its head, its eye was a single crimson cyclops, and its mouth was a grim-looking grille. It looked fierce and menacing, radiating an intimidating aura without even trying.

This metal man was only a torso, but it had a pair of massive arms. In one hand, it held a chained flail that looked like it was used for demolition; in the other, it wielded a giant, spiral Lance that looked like an oil drill.

The car’s appearance was already so flashy and unique, but Lloyd still felt it wasn’t enough, so he had also spray-painted personalized designs on both sides of the chassis.

On the left side of the car was a youthful, beautiful girl with white hair and red eyes, neat bangs, and a thick red coat, kicking up a pair of delectable-looking feet.

On the right side was a young, beautiful girl with blue hair and purple eyes and a well-behaved short haircut. She was holding a paintbrush and palette, also kicking up a pair of mouth-watering feet.

The two old hands had been messing around in this game mode since the day it was released. Besides scamming newbies, they had also watched every single tournament. They had seen their fair share of players with cars that were different from the rest—

—a privilege said to be enjoyed by "Hall of Fame" level players.

But their personalizations were merely subtle differences in the car models, plus a different color scheme and paint job. Even the boldest among them had only gone so far as to paint a hot, seductive, naked woman on their engine hood and claim it was the Veto Saint.

But this vehicle before them, which looked like an... Iron Man in a wheelchair, was something they had never even imagined. They couldn’t help but discuss it in low voices:

"Is... is this some kind of avant-garde art?"

"No... I’m guessing this is art beyond human comprehension?"

The three newbies were also having their minds blown, each muttering:

"Is... is that really a car? Have I already descended into madness and started hallucinating?"

"Maybe... we should just surrender?"

"The beautiful girl on the right is so cute. I really want to lick her little feet..."

While they were struggling to comprehend Lloyd’s artistic masterpiece, Lloyd had already driven his car and parked in the outermost lane, number six.

Just as the Attendant had said, the car was effortless to drive, responding as if it were an extension of his own body.

Next, Lloyd looked at the dumbfounded expressions on everyone else’s faces and nodded in satisfaction.

’They’re stunned by my art, aren’t they?’

But then, he noticed the differences in the vehicles the others were using.

He didn’t even need to think or ask; he understood the situation instantly.

"Heh, just as I expected. There was something fishy about not having a Tier restriction from the start. So this is how you scam newbies?"

Lloyd said this loud enough for the two guys who had pulled him into the game to hear.

The pair on the other side did indeed hear him and immediately retorted:

"Hmph! So what if it is? You might be a ’Hall of Fame’ player, but you’re still a newcomer to this game mode. We’re not afraid of you!"

"What’s the use of making your car look all weird? It doesn’t affect its actual combat power."

Although their tone sounded tough, they couldn’t hide the lack of confidence in their words.

Lloyd gave a disdainful laugh and added:

"There’s nothing I hate more than bastards like you who bully newbies. Perhaps you don’t know what happened to the last person who liked to do this kind of thing."