Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

"The Great Will... what is that? Could it be a Saint?"

"The Miss Xie Beileida unit has reached the designated position. Searching for the enemy. No contact yet..."

"If it’s up against this kind of formless enemy, will the Miss Xie Beileida unit’s Spiritual Contamination even be useful?"

"Huh? The control room door... the group leader locked it?"

Amidst the scholars’ noisy chatter, the group leader quietly walked over to them. She bowed slightly, then said in a clear voice:

"Everyone, it has been a pleasure to know and work with all of you. Though the final outcome is regrettable, I stubbornly maintain that our ideas were correct, our efforts were meaningful, and our achievements could have carved out a brand new future for humanity..."

"It’s just that... humanity is, in the end, far too insignificant..."

With that, she adjusted the monocle on her face and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, trying to make herself look more presentable.

But the scholars present were baffled, unable to understand what she was trying to say.

Just then, the image on the monitoring Projection changed. Five Miss Xie Beileida units invaded the room together, discovered the invisible enemy, and lunged toward It.

The next second, everyone present heard a declaration tinged with a hint of displeasure:

"■■■■■■■■■■"

It was a language they could not yet comprehend, as if from some ancient, mysterious, and sublime existence.

And in that instant, they finally understood. They had been wondering why the enemy was invisible, why even the monitoring Orbit had failed to function correctly.

It wasn’t because the enemy had no physical form.

It was because It could not be looked upon.

It could not be touched. It could not be understood.

And likewise, It could not be blasphemed.

And so, the next second, the five Miss Xie Beileida units on the monitoring Projection—a powerful combat force capable of holding their own against Tier Seven or even Eighth Tier beings—vanished into thin air, as if they had never existed.

All the scholars present closed their eyes in tacit understanding, awaiting the coming end.

There was no crying, no wailing, not even any pain.

There was no despair, no regret, only a slight sense of pity.

Pity that they could not look up and gaze upon It.

Pity that they could not bow down in worship.

And just like that, in a state of calm and silence, their forms, like those of the five Miss Xie Beileida units, quietly dissipated without a trace.

* * *

「Several hours later」

With the sound of grinding gears, the main door to the control room was opened from the outside.

A few glow sticks were then tossed inside, their faint green light barely managing to push back the darkness.

Inside, everything was calm. All the instruments and gauges were silent and still, as if they were broken.

Not a single person could be seen, as if no one had ever been there at all.

"I thought we’d find bodies everywhere, but it’s completely silent. Is that supposed to be good news?"

"No, this just proves the situation is even worse than we expected. They all vanished without even having time to send a warning. Did they provoke some kind of terrifying existence?"

"So... should we go in and check?"

"Let’s... not? I’m not ready to die yet. Even standing at the door, I can feel the stench of Spiritual Contamination, but it seems to be contained by some kind of power, not leaking out."

Outside the door were five people dressed as investigators. Each had a unique and highly individualistic style. The most eye-catching of them wore a flamboyant, bright red suit.

The only thing they had in common was a badge pinned to their chests, shaped like a multicolored ball. It looked gaudy, like a prop a clown might use for juggling.

But the fluctuations of power emanating from them were all at least Tier Six in strength, and they carried the lingering traces of Spiritual Energy from various different systems.

They were the backup the scholars had been waiting for.

But unable to freely use their inspiration, they couldn’t see much by the dim light of the glow sticks alone. One of the investigators volunteered:

"Let me take a look."

"Be extremely careful."

The investigator nodded, leaned against a nearby wall, and closed his eyes. He then extended two fingers and tapped them lightly on his eyelids.

Then, activating his power, he moved his two fingers just inside the control room doorway, as if he had temporarily plucked out his own eyes to peek inside.

But after just one second, he let out a muffled grunt and snatched his fingers back. His entire body began to convulse and tremble, his face turning ashen-pale as a corpse’s, as if he had touched something utterly terrifying.

Two of the other investigators quickly dragged him away from the door, while another declared in a loud voice:

"In the name of Veto!"

Another one quickly poured a vial of pale blue potion into his mouth.

「About two minutes later...」

"COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!"

The daring investigator from before erupted in a fit of violent coughing. Gasping for air, he shot up from the ground like a reanimated corpse, his bloodshot eyes wide as he rasped:

"Booze... booze..."

Two of them immediately pulled out flasks and handed them to him.

Only after downing an entire flask of strong liquor did some color return to his face. He quickly pointed at the control room door and said, haltingly:

"Quick... close the door. Inside there’s... don’t use your hands..."

The remaining investigators quickly used their abilities to shut the door from a distance, then sealed it with the power of the Veto system, as if plastering a warding talisman over it.

After that was handled, the daring investigator finally seemed to recover. He let out a long sigh and said in a low voice:

"There. That should be fine for now. The rest... we’ll just have to let time wear it away."

"Buddy, are you okay? What did you see in there?"

Someone beside him quickly asked.

"The apocalypse."

The daring investigator answered in a low voice.

"Huh?"

"Desolation. Dead silence. A gray sky, a crimson moon, a Spiral Tower. The image flashed before my eyes... incomprehensible, unseeable, untouchable... I don’t know how to describe it. I just subconsciously thought of the word ’apocalypse’."

The daring investigator spoke in a low voice, then rubbed his eyes hard. He felt something sticky on his fingertips.

When he pulled his hand away, he saw it was covered in bloody tears.

A searing pain shot through his eyes, as if they had been gouged out, forcing him to shut them again. Then, in a tone tinged with relief, he said:

"I can’t believe it. I’m actually alive... and I haven’t gone insane? No Spiritual Contamination?"

Someone beside him immediately replied:

"No, the fact that you’re even saying that means you’ve probably already lost it... but it might not be too serious. I’ll give you a psych evaluation when we get out of here."

The daring investigator nodded helplessly, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

The remaining four continued to secure the scene, beginning to set up an Orbit and resuming their discussion:

"So what do we do about 0-266?"

"What can we do? Admit the project was a failure, admit she’s completely out of control... no, maybe ’awakened’ is the better word?"

"So... who takes responsibility? And how do we explain this to the higher-ups?"

"The fact that you’re asking that question means you still don’t realize what 0-266 is, or why its designation starts with a ’0’."

"I... I think I understand. It seems we really don’t need to report or explain this to anyone."

"It’s a shame about this project team. They were brilliant scholars, all with the noble conviction to sacrifice themselves for humanity’s future. And in the end, they just vanished so meaninglessly, for nothing..."

"Yeah. What did they do wrong?"

The atmosphere immediately grew heavy. Everyone fell silent and continued with their work, until one of them chuckled and spoke up again:

"There’s no need to get sentimental. Their sacrifice might not have been for nothing. At least our City of Joy can continue to survive and prosper."

"Even if it’s only for a short while?"

"Even if it’s only for a short while. What can we do? We humans are just that insignificant.

Besides, the Miss Xie Beileida and Madame Haima projects can be considered successes, right? And they can be put to use in the great expansion effort soon enough."

"Let’s hurry up and finish. For now, we can only put up a temporary blockade. We’ll have to get others to come and seal this place off completely later. This area will probably be off-limits for a very long time."

The one investigator who wasn’t working, the one resting with his eyes closed, spoke up. Then, as if remembering something, he added:

"Oh, right. When we leave, remember to bow as you back away. To show proper respect."

The other investigators swallowed hard, their expressions turning exceptionally grim.

Once they finished their temporary work, they helped the injured man to his feet. Together, maintaining a humble and reverent posture, they held their breath and slowly backed away.

Only when they were far away from the control room did they dare to straighten up and resume their discussion:

"Did something incredible descend upon this place?"

"I’m not sure. I didn’t see it. It must have come and then left, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be talking to me like this... But the good news is, whatever it was, it’s not our responsibility to deal with it anymore.

In any case... whatever it was, it’s something we can’t understand and can’t touch."

"What about 0-266? Will she still be on our side? I’ve heard about some of this project team’s methods, especially from that group leader known for her cold-hearted ruthlessness..."

"That’s not our concern. Since you chose to come to our City of Joy, you have to learn our way of life—don’t overthink, Don’t Ask Too Much, enjoy the present, and live for the moment. So, let’s go get a drink."