Chương 2

"Many of you may be wondering what has happened to your surroundings. It's almost as if time itself has stopped, right? Worry not! Any trial assets have been frozen for the time being while we have this broadcast. It wouldn't do to have our announcement directly impact the results of the experiment. However, on that same note, we have also frozen all experience gained during this announcement, so taking advantage of the situation will net you minimal advantages.

Best to hold off on that murder spree until after I finish up!" The male voice had a cheery gait to it. It tickled a memory at the back of Oliver's mind. It was like a camp counselor trying to rally everyone's emotions and hype them all up for an activity. Oliver almost smiled at the near forgotten idea of summer camp. Then he recalled exactly what the speaker was saying and all gaiety vanished. Oliver looked back down at the motionless Barry at the bottom of the grave.

Blood still seeped out of the massive gash in his chest. He'd probably die from blood loss in the next minute. At least a level 8 wasn't likely to give Oliver any significant experience gain to push him much closer to his next level.

"Now. Before I continue on to explain your final phase, please heed my words here. Do. Not. Move. We will be repositioning each of your biomes based on your current location. If you move, then you risk getting squashed. And wouldn't that be a silly way to go after all your hard work?" At his words, Oliver felt the ground under his feet begin to shift. He slammed the blade of his shovel into the soft earth and steadied himself. What biomes was this man talking about?

The experiment mentioned clearly had something to do with the leveling system. That hadn't been there until after he woke up in this horrible place. And five years sounded about right for how long he'd survived here.

"Again! I wish to congratulate you on making it so far! You're all wonderfully competent at survival! As I speak, your biomes will be merged together. Only a fraction of your home for these last five years will remain after the merger. So I sure hope you're at your base right now and not on any nighttime escapades! Otherwise, who knows if it will still be there in ten minutes?" Oliver thankfully didn't have a set base. One single location was too risky.

He'd almost died in his first few weeks here after trying to stay in one of the towns. They'd had a zombie sewer outbreak and he'd been caught asleep in a ramshackle shack he'd constructed in an alleyway. He'd been lucky to crawl through a nearby building's window and escape through the building's attic to the rooftops. He still shuddered to think what would have happened if that window had been locked. No, instead of a base, Oliver relied on his skill, Summon Sanctuary.

It was a tight fit, but he managed to store everything worthwhile in his sanctuary.

"Once all 100 biomes are merged, you will be set free to explore one another's homes," the speaker overhead announced.

"But be careful, not everyone appreciates trespassers! And many of the biomes are quite dangerous!" Oliver struggled to imagine somewhere less forgiving than his home these last few years. Maybe… like an actual pit of lava? That was basically the only scenario he could think of where he might prefer his current situation.

"Now, onto the real meat of your new objective! Somewhere hidden among the 100 biomes there is a 101st biome. Discovering that secret biome is the key to your escape. However! Only five of you will qualify for freedom. After that, the experiment will come to a close and the remaining test subjects will be terminated." Oliver's eyes widened. Five of them? And he said that there were 100 biomes. Did that imply that 95 percent of them would die down here? That was ridiculous.

His grip on his shovel tightened as he glared out at the changing world that blurred around him. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. This last half a decade had been hell. Every day was a battle with survival that required every ounce of effort in him to continue to live. He'd finally clawed his way up to a position where, if not comfortably, he could at least live his life at a tolerable level of danger.

And that could all be over in an instant because someone else stumbled on the exit and walked out? He took a deep, steadying breath and tried to store away his frustration and fury. He needed to listen closely.

"Now you might first think that there are 100 participants in this experiment. That is not the case! Several of you share the same biome structure! The true number of test subjects will remain a mystery!" Oliver swung his shovel and smashed it into the nearest headstone. It obliterated into shards of stone with his advanced strength behind the blow. He then kicked a chunk of rubble and sent it flying out into the blurring world. It wouldn't be five percent of them getting out of this.

It could be less than one percent for all he knew. Everything he'd worked for these last five years and it was all tossed into the air.

"There is a second route to freedom. Though it does not come lightly. Any subject who reaches the level 100 will ascend as well. Hypothetically speaking, that means all of you could earn your freedom assuming no one finds the 101st biome! Isn't that fantastic?" Five years to reach level 40. Granted, it had been a grind without a combat focused class, but levels also slowed down the more he racked up. It would be at least another five before he got even close to 100. And that was being incredibly generous.

He'd need to find stronger and stronger opponents to get even passable experience. It was likely to take decades at the rate he'd been at.

"Many of you might still be despairing. Thinking, 'it takes too long to level, I'll never make it in time.' Well shelve those worries as well, because I have one final little gift for you all! Every test subject you kill will grant an immediate level up!"

"You fucker," Oliver muttered up to the dark sky.

"Well, the merger is just about complete. That's all we have time for today! I hope to see you all soon! Good luck!" With the voice's final word, the ground steadied itself. Surprisingly, not much appeared to have changed. The drizzle of rain had halted and the dark sky was now overcast with the imprint of a crescent moon shining through. The mountains had drawn in closer to Oliver's position and the trees nearby were scrambled. The cemetery itself seemed the same as before the announcement.

Oliver suspected that his local area must be less prone to alteration.

"Uhhhhh," a man wheezed from down in the grave. Oliver looked down at Barry Johnson. Then he resumed shoveling dirt, filling the exposed hole. The man grunted and tried to protest his burial, but he had lost too much blood during the announcement to even yell. A minute later, he went silent and a kill notification popped up. Oliver sorted through his thoughts as he worked with his shovel. This was the first time any real person had spoken to him in years.

Those in town and the sentient enemies he encountered could speak, but it was always a bit jilted and off kilter. They weren't quite right and they'd talk in circles. It was clear now they'd been set up as some sort of training ground. An experiment. So what was he to do? The most obvious answer was to level as quickly as possible. Preferably without killing other humans so that meant he needed to kill high level enemies. Oliver looked up from his work.

On a craggy dark mountaintop, silhouetted by the yellow moon's glow, jutted up a dangerous castle. Of course, out of all the landmarks that could have been altered in the merger, that castle remained. It was home to the most dangerous creature Oliver had ever used Appraisal on. A level 90 Vampire Lord. Killing that might boost him up substantially. But it would also be absolute suicide to attempt. It was the highest level he'd seen, but it wasn't the only opponent in that castle either.

There were plenty of vampires in the 60 range swarming the property. Not to mention hundreds of lower leveled vampire spawn down near his current level. And he'd only ever managed to kill four vampire spawn. Ever. He scooped up a final clump of dirt and tossed it on the gravemound.

"I need a plan," he muttered.

"First, let's go spend my savings in town. Get new gear that fits my new class. A pistol. Maybe a new shovel."