After all, not all Grand Travelers could develop in an all-around way. Without acquiring more points and resources than others, balanced development was tantamount to suicide.
Under the premise of roughly equal resources, knowing a little of everything meant mastering nothing. An extreme path was the most correct choice.
Anyone who played online games could realize this.
Thump.
The weight of the sharp sword pressed on his shoulder, instantly breaking Gilbert's skin. His body sank, forcing him to his knees, unable to stand up.
Facing Sylvia's interrogation, he had only one answer.
"I don't know."
Whether he knew or not, Gilbert's answer was the same. He feared death, but he was also a man of integrity.
He would never easily submit.
"Has backbone."
Sylvia shook her head helplessly. She was about to apply maximum force to Gilbert when a prompt from Transcendent Space sounded in her mind. Her expression instantly brightened.
[Void Wanderer detected]
[Activated Elimination Mission]
"Finally shown up, have you?"
Sylvia turned around, seeing Mei, who had appeared at some unknown point. Mei was dressed in dark, somber traveler's attire, exuding a sense of mystery.
However, upon noticing the Elimination Mission reward, Sylvia's smile instantly vanished, replaced by an expression of incredible fear.
[Elimination Mission: Hyperdimensional Space is an adversarial force to Transcendent Space. Void Wanderers are mortal enemies. You must eliminate all Void Wanderers in front of you.]
[Mission Reward: 1 quintillion Points]
How much?!!
1 quintillion?!
Let alone seeing it, Sylvia had never even heard of this amount of Points within Transcendent Space. Now she saw it, and this was merely the reward for eliminating a single Void Wanderer.
Impossible!
Sylvia's first reaction was disbelief, but after confirming again that the number on the interface was correct, her body couldn't help but tremble.
Undoubtedly, this was absolutely an unbeatable existence. The power corresponding to such an elimination reward far exceeded her imagination and comprehension.
Unfortunately, it was too late to regret.
The sharp sword in her hand fell to the ground. Sylvia's pale face contorted into an ugly smile, unable to conceal her fear, and she decisively begged for mercy.
"I'm sorry, I was presumptuous..."
Gilbert's knees were raw. He watched the scene unfold with immense shock. Sylvia, powerful enough to render him helpless, had lost her fighting spirit and courage in an instant. He couldn't help but wonder, how strong was Mei, really?
Mei said nothing.
Only an invisible force in the void lifted Sylvia into mid-air. The fear in Sylvia's eyes intensified, tears uncontrollably streaming out.
"Please, I beg you, spare my life! I'm willing to follow you, I can join your faction! As long as you spare my life, I'm willing to do anything..."
Snap.
Sylvia's neck slumped limply. Death's fruition was complete, tracing back to the Root and erasing it. Immediately, a notification updated on Mei's interface.
[Elimination Mission · Completed]
[Points Acquired: 50,000]
As fellow Grand Travelers of Space, both had instantly activated elimination missions. Sylvia was merely a Tier 3 Transcender; this reward was truly insignificant for Mei.
Mei was uninterested.
Currently, Space Points seemed to have little use for her. Each of her abilities required vast amounts of Points for enhancement, already far outstripping her growth rate.
She had originally intended to invest some Points in Super Burst. Who knew that plans change? Now that Transfinite Fusion had directly fused Super Burst, Points were even less useful.
This was the most direct experience Gilbert had of Mei's power.
Powerful.
Unfathomably powerful.
Sylvia, who could cleave an entire street with a single sword, was like an ant in Mei's hands. Mei hadn't even made a single move, and Sylvia was killed by an invisible force.
This shock was incomparable.
He asked Mei, "Who was that woman?"
Gilbert was confused. Could it be that even someone as powerful as Mei had enemies?
"Just a passerby of no consequence."
Or perhaps not even a passerby, merely a ripple in tranquil time. When the ripple subsided, not even a trace remained.
Mei spoke concisely.
After this incident, Gilbert deeply realized a truth: in his world of ordinary people, he might be a strong one, but in the world of true powerhouses, he was pitifully weak.
His knee was shattered, and he would need time to recover. After Sylvia's death, her sharp sword remained. Gilbert intended to pick it up, but the sword didn't budge. He had no choice but to give up.
While Gilbert was recovering, the commotion he had caused gradually triggered a chain reaction. The chaos in the Berkeley autonomous territory had only just begun.
Within the same kingdom, adjacent to the Berkeley autonomous territory was the Graham autonomous territory. The Graham family possessed military strength and an economy fully comparable to the Berkeley family's. They had always been mutually wary and coveted each other's lands.
Autonomous territories enjoyed absolute autonomy in both economy and military. Because the kingdom couldn't fully govern them, it permitted their autonomy. As long as taxes were paid on time, even if an autonomous territory turned people's brains into mush, the royal family would only be happy to see it happen.
...
Graham autonomous territory.
Lord Graham VII leaned back in his lord's chair, his blond hair disheveled, his eyes gleaming with ambition, like a lion patrolling its territory.
His gaze swept over the retainers in the hall. Being in his prime at forty, Graham VII exuded considerable authority and an oppressive presence.
"Is the information reliable?"
"My Lord, the information is precisely accurate."
A retainer respectfully reconfirmed: "The Berkeley family suffered an assassination. Berkeley V is dead, and almost all other family members have also been attacked. Now, the Berkeley autonomous territory is in utter chaos, and temporarily no one can quell this chaotic situation."
Graham's eyes flickered as he fell into contemplation.
The retainers eagerly offered their opinions.
"My Lord, an opportunity lost is an opportunity gone forever!"
"The Graham autonomous territory is closest to the Berkeley autonomous territory. As long as we strike first, we can surely seize all of the Berkeley family's lands with the fastest speed. Once we lose the initiative, others will..."
Graham VII remained indifferent, raising a hand to cut off his retainers' suggestions. He simply sat quietly in his lord's chair, seemingly waiting for something.
Until a scout burst into the hall.
"My Lord, the information is confirmed to be accurate. The Berkeley family has been brutally purged. Currently, the Berkeley autonomous territory is in extreme chaos, and no one can control the situation."
Hearing this, Graham VII let out a hearty laugh, rose, and walked towards the exit.
"Issue orders! The Graham Knights will lead the vanguard, and the army will depart immediately!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
...
In just two days, the Graham vanguard knight regiment had stormed into the Berkeley autonomous territory, meeting no resistance and advancing as if through empty land.
The main army moved slower, following closely behind. Many towns within the Berkeley autonomous territory faced imminent attack, and before even a battle began, their defenses crumbled. Graham VII conquered the towns along the way with little effort.
On the fifteenth day,
Graham VII, leading 3,000 troops, advanced to the main city of the Berkeley autonomous territory, which was the town where Gilbert resided.
As the lord of an autonomous territory, Graham VII's ability to field 3,000 troops represented a very powerful force. Although there was inevitably some padding in the numbers, with fewer than a third being truly high-quality regular soldiers, it was still a formidable organized army, not to mention the combat strength of the knight regiment, which could not be underestimated.
Facing Graham VII's offensive, the Berkeley autonomous territory could barely muster any forces capable of direct resistance. It seemed none of the Berkeley family had survived.
The surviving knights and high-ranking officials lacked the prestige to rally all factions and forces. Some had even already planned to surrender, preparing to act as inside collaborators.
Fragmented and divided.
The reason it was an "outer city" was because the inner city was inside the city walls, while the outer city was outside the walls. Once an enemy attacked, the outer city slums would be the first to suffer a bloody purge and plunder.
Due to blocked information, Gilbert and his group only realized the dire situation after Graham VII's army was at their gates. What was worse, his injured knee had not yet healed.
Even worse, to care for his injury, his younger sister, Stella, had recently been going out to purchase daily necessities and food, and she had not yet returned.
"Big brother, it's terrible!!"
A subordinate rushed into Gilbert's wooden shack, frantically informing him that Graham VII was leading an army to besiege the city. Gilbert, disregarding his injury, hobbled out the door as quickly as possible.
It's fine.
Gilbert suppressed the unease in his heart, thinking that Graham VII wouldn't launch an attack so quickly. A direct assault on the city gates would incur heavy losses, making it easy for other lords to take advantage.
During this time, he should still have time to find Stella, take her away from the slums, and escape this place that was about to become a battlefield.
Just as he was thinking this,
A heavy sound came from ahead. Gilbert looked up and saw the inner city gate slowly opening. A knight stood on the city wall, raising a white flag.
His pupils instantly constricted violently.
Damn it!!
"Hahahaha!"
Outside the city, Graham VII laughed heartily, waving his hand.
"Enter the city!"
Do not harbor too high expectations for medieval armies. Once a town fell, the commoners at the bottom would face unimaginable tragic treatment.
Especially women.
So, once enemy forces attacked, the commoners would flee en masse. The nobles, in turn, never considered the commoners significant. On the contrary, once the war ended, these commoners would reappear from somewhere, silently returning to their homes to farm or blacksmith as before.
Sometimes, there might even be more people than before the war.
"Enemy forces are attacking!!"
In the muddy streets of the slums, dirt splattered. People were utterly terrified, scattering in all directions in utter chaos. Amidst the frantic crowd, Gilbert's face grew increasingly anxious as he searched for his younger sister.
"Stella!!"
Two subordinates rushed through the crowd, anxiously saying, "Boss, if we don't run now, it'll be too late!"
Gilbert only asked, "Did Stella come home?"
"No!"
His subordinate hastily shook his head.
Gilbert forced himself to calm down, but his hands clenched tighter and tighter. His eyes frantically searched through the fleeing crowd. Just as his composure and rationality were on the verge of collapsing,
"Brother!!"
A voice, like a voice from heaven, descended.
Stella, holding a food basket, struggled through the panicked crowd, her face filled with terror as she rushed to Gilbert's side.
"Go!"
Without hesitation, Gilbert, with Stella and his two subordinates, decisively fled towards the wilderness. As long as they hid in the wild, they wouldn't fear being caught in the war.
That's why the nobles had the illusion that the commoners would simply emerge from the wilderness under the leadership of their elders.
Stella, experiencing war for the first time, her small face pale, couldn't help but tremble.
"Brother, that person... the gods will protect us, right?"
"..."
Mei's figure flashed through Gilbert's mind. He knew that Mei would likely not care about such trivial matters. He believed he understood Mei's character somewhat.
Granting him power was already the greatest boon.
But to prevent his sister from being even more terrified,
Gilbert nodded.
"Yes, the gods will protect us."
RUMBLE!
In an instant, Gilbert and his group hadn't run far when Graham VII's army, on horseback, stormed through the city gates. Anyone who blocked their path was mercilessly killed on the spot, even if they were just terrified, fleeing commoners.
The main force advanced rapidly to control the Berkeley family's high-ranking officials and forces in the inner city, leaving only a portion of the troops to guard the city gates and plunder valuables.
A group of commoners desperately fled towards the wilderness. Gilbert's physique was stronger than ordinary people's. Even with a limp, his pace was still not as slow as an ordinary person's.
He turned to look.
"It's okay, the army isn't chasing us."
However, sometimes human plans fall short of fate's. Logically, under normal circumstances, they absolutely should have escaped. No army would divert its attention to chase commoners during a siege.
Unfortunately,
An abnormal situation occurred.
Graham VII did not rashly enter the inner city. Instead, he let his army enter first to slaughter and conquer. After ensuring safety, he ascended the city wall, looking out over the outer and inner city.
As he looked out, his gaze fell upon Gilbert. His eyes lit up. He unslung his longbow, drew it, and notched an arrow. With a TWANG, the arrow pierced the air.
SWISH!
Perhaps Gilbert could have dodged an ordinary arrow, but this arrow crackled with lightning-like sparks, moving with lightning speed.
Furthermore, Gilbert's mobility was greatly reduced. The arrow had already pierced his thigh, a fresh crimson shaft sticking into the ground, quivering slightly.
Intense pain surged through him.
Gilbert stumbled and fell to the ground, turning to meet Graham VII's gaze on the city wall. He knew things were about to get bad.
"Brother!"
Stella cried out in alarm.
"You two go first. And you two, take good care of Stella. Someone's coming for me. You can't escape with me. Don't waste time talking; it will only cost lives."
His two subordinates made a swift decision, wasting no words. They grabbed Stella and ran. Stella could only suppress her tears, quietly sobbing as they left.
Before long,
A group of soldiers rushed over. Gilbert, enduring the pain, staggered to his feet, drawing the dagger from his waist. A cruel glint appeared in his eyes.
RUMBLE!
The sky darkened, thunder rolled.
Blood dripped from the dagger onto the muddy ground. Gilbert, riddled with wounds, was tottering. Even so, he had eliminated over a dozen soldiers.
The remaining soldiers exchanged glances, not daring to advance.
At this moment,
Graham VII stepped forward. He wasn't surprised by Gilbert's combat prowess. Instead, he smiled. "Indeed, you too have received a boon from the gods, have you?"
A boon from the gods?
Was he referring to that person?
Gilbert remained silent. His severe injuries showed signs of him collapsing at any moment. He was like a wounded lion, ready to stake everything in a desperate struggle.
Fierce and unafraid of death.
As long as Stella could escape, his death would not be meaningless.
"Your eyes are quite good."
Facing Gilbert's fierce gaze, Graham VII was particularly appreciative. He extended a hand to him. "As someone also favored by the gods, dying here would be quite a waste. How about serving me?"
"..."
Gilbert's eyes showed no flicker of hesitation, only his chest heaved continuously. Seeing this, Graham VII's attitude became a little tougher.
"Were the people who escaped with you just now your friends? Or your family?"
Gilbert's expression froze.
Graham VII smiled broadly.
"It seems it was family."
Gilbert could no longer contain himself. He gritted his teeth, his eyes surging with ferocity. "If you dare touch them, I swear I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Graham VII laughed heartily. "I like this brutality in you. Rest assured, as long as you serve me, I guarantee their safety."
No sooner had the words left his mouth,
A flurry of hoofbeats came from afar. Several mounted knights galloped towards them, carrying three people on their horses' backs. Gilbert's peripheral vision swept over them, and he instantly froze.
The knights spurred their horses forward.
"My Lord, your subordinate failed his duty and could not bring them back safely."
Gilbert stood numb, staring at the three lifeless bodies on the horses. An arrow pierced Stella's chest, blood slowly dripping from it.
In that instant,
Something seemed to shatter.
Gilbert's consciousness plunged into endless despair. He had done everything he could, yet still couldn't protect his remaining sister. Schaller was dead, and Stella was dead too.
Following despair was rage.
Extreme rage.
An intense fury surged from his heart, burning away Gilbert's reason. At this moment, he only wanted to kill everyone, to bury them with Stella.
"GRAHAM!!!"
SWISH!
A primal, irrational roar, like that of a wild beast, was abruptly cut short. Blood stained the sword. Graham VII, without mercy, slashed his sword across Gilbert's chest.
Gilbert fell to the ground, helpless, his consciousness slowly fading into darkness. His blurred vision saw Graham shaking his head with a sigh of regret.
"What a pity."
Man proposes, God disposes.
To miss out on such a favored one by the gods was truly a shame.
Gilbert's consciousness was dispersing. He tried to get up, but the loss of blood also drained his last bit of strength. Stella's blood, dripping from the arrow, landed on his fingers.
That last trace of warmth completely plunged Gilbert into the abyss of despair. At this moment, pride, personality, will, and dignity meant nothing.
Gilbert's thoughts churned violently.
This world had gods, didn't it? Otherwise, who was the person who granted him power, who granted Graham VII power? Why, despite possessing power, could he still not protect his family?
Was it because he had never offered faith or loyalty to the gods?
If so,
Gilbert would willingly, at this moment, offer everything he possessed, to the gods, to that person. Let everything be taken, his dignity, his soul.
To demand from the gods only when death loomed and he sought something: if such an act was too arrogant, then Gilbert was willing to atone for this arrogance and sin with eternal time.
At least,
He craved the gods, pleaded with the gods, to save Stella's life. If the gods had truly ever cared for him, then please, bestow that care and favor upon Stella.
"Please..."
"Save Stella..."
Gilbert murmured silently.
The gods had never pitied mortals, yet Gilbert's craving will reached its peak at this moment. His subjective power surged wildly within him.
Graham VII raised the sharp sword in his hand, bringing it down towards Gilbert's head.
CLANG!
The sharp sword embedded itself in the mud, striking a piece of rubble. Graham VII's expression flickered. Right before his eyes, Gilbert vanished without a trace.
Stella's body also vanished with him.
...
The fresh scent of grass mixed with the smell of blood awakened Gilbert. He opened his eyes, seeing himself lying in an unfamiliar wilderness, with Stella's body beside him.
"CHIRP!"
A small bird landed, kissed the grass twice, then flew off. Gilbert's gaze followed the bird, then fell upon Mei.
The gruesome wound on his chest made Gilbert's face tremble slightly with pain. He paid it no mind, his gaze returning to Stella.
"You saved me?"
"You saved yourself."
Perhaps Gilbert's consciousness was already hazy then; he completely couldn't remember what he had done. On the brink of death, his subjective power had increased significantly.
Now, having reached the peak of Tier 1, his stealth and concealment abilities had become increasingly powerful, which was why he could vanish into thin air right before everyone's eyes.
It was fortunate that Graham VII's perceptive abilities weren't very strong. Otherwise, Gilbert would have truly perished there, and Mei wouldn't have intervened to help.
"..."
On this day, Gilbert had lost almost everything, the last reason to live. His eyes were dim, and he spoke no word, like a soulless corpse.
In silence,
He dragged his aching body to bury Stella. When Stella's pale face came into view, Gilbert, who had always been strong and indifferent before his younger siblings, couldn't help but let tears stream down his face.
Gilbert used shattered stones to build Stella's grave. With each stone he placed, his heart was deeply moved, and a glimmer of light gradually shone in his desolate eyes.
Pain.
Rage.
Hatred.
From now on, the sole motivation driving him to live was revenge. He wanted to return this pain and despair tenfold, a hundredfold, to Graham VII.
An eye for an eye.
Blood for blood.
"Blood debt for blood, Stella. Brother will make Graham pay the ultimate price."
At this moment,
Mei looked up at the sky. Since descending upon this world, she had only granted Gilbert power. Graham VII's power clearly originated from someone else.
Some who called themselves gods.
The tide of history was about to surge forward. Whether gods or kings, all things rotten would inevitably face the violently approaching tempest.
The defeated.
Were about to be submerged in the rolling waves of the river of time.
...
In a certain dimension,
"Hm?"
A Transcender, emanating astonishing energy fluctuations, opened his eyes. A look of perplexed surprise flashed within them: "Why can't I trace the source of that kid's power?"