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The procedure to clear a demoted planet A race annihilation battle, no less.

A race annihilation was something Seong Jihan encountered before his regression.

At that time, his physical body was swallowed by the rising darkness, and all of humanity disappeared. Seong Jihan alone survived, able to return by the vote of certain beings.

With a vote of 3 to 1, he narrowly received a chance for a retry.

But now its saying players have to enforce it?

Humanity was undoubtedly consumed by darkness. The Blue Blood Demons, the target of this annihilation event, were facing invasion by the Void and Solar factions for some reason.

[Hmm. A race annihilation battle, huh. Its rare for the fate of a demoted race to be put in the hands of a player. Its unusual.]

Artemus too seemed to have noticed the system message. Hundreds of dwarves, with their arms crossed, concurrently tilted their heads in unison.

-A race annihilation battle?

-So if youre demoted, you get annihilated?

-Wow; Isnt the penalty crazy?

-But the annihilation is done by the players?

Viewers of Seong Jihans channel were shocked upon hearing his and Artemuss conversation. There had been various rumors about what happens upon demotion in BattleNets league, but this mission provided a definitive answer today.

But the Blue Blood Demons look like theyre in the Silver League, right? Shouldnt they go to Bronze if theyre demoted? Why are they getting annihilated instead?

Bronze is a league only for beginners. Once youve reached Silver, you cannot fall back to the beginners league.

Hmm those elves didnt look like beginners at all.

Well, thats because they have powerful backers.

As Seong Jihan conversed with the dwarves, they collectively pointed upwards with a finger.

Ill have to choose the Solar faction then. What about you?

You plan to participate in the annihilation battle?

Of course. Its a special mission.

With that, the dwarves all revealed their intentions, laughing.

Plus, if there are any good spoils, I must gather them. Its the end of a race that reached Silver League. Surely there will be something of value.

Artemus seemed to have no qualms about exterminating other races.

-Those dwarves are ruthless;

-Even if theyre from a different race, isnt participating in an annihilation battle a bit much?

-This is like seriously not just a game anymore;

-Hey, why are those guys talking like moral textbooks? Its not a game anymore, so like Artemus, you should gain loot and get stronger.

-Thats right. Wheres the space to worry about another planets well-being when Earth could end up in the same state?

While there was apprehension among viewers towards Artemuss enjoyment of the annihilation, the overriding sentiment was a harsh realism.

And Seong Jihan also settled his heart, looking at Artemuss attitude.

After all, thats what BattleNet has always been about.

A game where competing with other races for ranking and the lower ranks face destruction.

Why worry about the demise of races from other planets when even your own kind fight against each other? Artemuss approach, looking to benefit his own kind, is probably the most sensible attitude.

I

As Seong Jihan pondered which side to choose,

[If you choose the Void faction, an epic quest will appear.]

Another system message popped up.

An epic quest that isnt offered to the Solar faction.

With that, the choice was obvious.

Ill go with the Void.

Got it. Youll probably earn a lot of GP in the Void.

Upon Seong Jihans decision, the dwarves waved as light shone from the sky and whisked them upwards.

Glancing at the ascended Artemus, Seong Jihan chose the Void faction, and then

The land started to drench in purple shade, and darkness surrounded him swiftly.

In this shrouded world, a system message rose.

[By selecting the Void faction, an epic quest appears.]

[Epic Quest]

-Find the origin of the Blue Blood Demons and bring an end to them.

Reward Increase the capacity limit of Void stats by +30

Acquire the title Void Executor

Seong Jihans eyes gleamed as he saw the reward for the epic quest.

This is exactly the reward I need.

Compared even with the ability of the Wandering Martial God, Martial Soul, the performance of the Void stats was not far behind.

However, this ability had a fatal penalty: the closer the stats get to 100, the shorter the lifespan becomes.

Relief from this penalty comes with an increased capacity limit of the Void stats.

With the Summon the throne, Ive only managed to get a +5 limit each month +30 is basically buying half a years time.

The EX-grade skill obtained from the Brahma, Summon the throne.

This skill could give the power to surpass the limits of ones race and also raise the capacity limit of Void stats.

The reward from the epic quest was akin to front-loading six months worth of effects, so it was imperative to Seong Jihan.

And I cant ignore Pythias prophecy either.

He remembered Pythias prediction concerning the Witch of Void.

[Youll fight a terrifying being, attempt to save her, but due to the recoil of overusing the power of void, youll almost get pulled in. The Witch of Void, finally free, sacrifices herself for you.]

While prophecy did not affect Seong Jihan himself, it did work on people around him as told, suggesting the last moments of Seong Jiah.

The prophecy said Seong Jihan nearly got dragged into the void.

Increasing the capacity limit of the Void stats was imperative not just to prevent such an event but as a necessary move.

The problem now is finding the source of the Blue Blood Demons

There had never been an easy epic quest before, but none as daunting as this one.

How could he locate the source of the Blue Blood Demons?

Perhaps by leveraging the fourth Annihilation Technique, Ice Heaven Sword Rain he had recently gained

But to recklessly use the Annihilation Technique, the range is far too vast.

While Seong Jihan pondered possible approaches,

Whoa! Look who it is if not the leader himself!

Ssssh!

Amidst the purple-hued world, a black skull revealed itself, its face protruding from the darkness.

* * *

Already participating in a race annihilation battle You really are extraordinary, Leader.

Clack! Clack!

The black skull clicked its teeth, making a fuss.

Seong Jihan frowned at the skull circling around him.

The Constellation of the Dead Star, Karlein.

He didnt expect the being, who was also his supporting constellation, to participate here.

Youre also participating Is this your avatar?

No avatar Id say! This time, as a constellation, Ive been dispatched as one of the invasion commanders for the Void faction.

Really? Then you would have some information on the Blue Blood Demons?

At Seong Jihans words, the black skull nodded.

Of course, I do!

Ziiiiing!

Karleins eyes emitted a purple glow, projecting a vast screen.

It showed creatures with blue skin, four arms, and two heads.

The Blue Blood Demons Theyre not very powerful. At best a mid-to-low tier? No wonder they were demoted from Silver.

Is that enough to get demoted?

There are some who hang in there, but most are demoted. You need to be at least mid-tier to hold onto Silver League. Unless theres an irregular player like you.

-Humanity is the lowest grade; how will we survive? lol

-But why is that skull being so chummy with Seong Jihan?

-Why did it call him Leader?

-There were times when his BattleTube stream suddenly went off Did they meet during that?

Viewers unfamiliar with Karlein wondered why the skull was acting buddy-buddy with Seong Jihan.

But they were more focused on the words it spoke.

After being assigned to the special invasion map, race annihilation battle, sophisticated information about the fate of BattleNets worlds flowed forth.

So, when demoted, other players launch an invasion to annihilate the race?

Nah~ Originally, they just summon the Apostles of the End and eventually incinerate them in the Void. Oh, by the way, leader Is BattleTube on?

Yeah.

Clank! Clank!

Then, the black skull clicked its teeth and gave a chilling smile.

Ladies and gentlemen of humanity~ If you cant maintain your ranking, Ill execute you on the spot~ Ah! But if our dear leader joins my rank, maybe Ill make an exception?

Stop the nonsense.

Woof woof!

Seeing Karlein transform from a human skull to a dogs head and start barking, Seong Jihan was momentarily speechless.

-Wow

-Its really insane, isnt it? Haha!

-Why is it madness everywhere today?

-Fr, one demands global unification and suggests spreading seeds, and the others asking to become a leader of something haha

-And were supposed to be annihilated by such beings if we didnt maintain our ranking

The viewers, who responded energetically to the dog-headed being, saw it then.

Ssssh!

It shifted back to its original skull form and spoke as if nothing odd had occurred.

Anyway, back to the main topic! Theres a specific reason why players participate in this annihilation battle.

What is it?

The Blue Blood Demons have a special ability to possess others.

Flash! Flash!

A shimmer of red light flashed in the eye sockets of the skull.

Like so, the Blue Blood Demons flash their blue eyes at times. If you see that, theres a chance of possession. But its completely random. It might not work even on the lowest-tier species, while even Dragonkin can fall victim to it.

Possession

The higher-ups in BattleNet want more data on this possession ability. Thats why players were allowed to participate in this annihilation.

So players are meant to get possessed?

Right! Theres no need for players to be involved in wiping out a mid-to-low-tier race.

Seong Jihan nodded.

Things seemed a little different from the annihilation hed known in his previous life, so there was some hidden reasoning behind it.

Im a bit anxious about the possibility of being possessed too But you. Will you still participate?

Of course.

Alright. Then, as the commander, Ill assign you an easy route! Theres a civilian residential area among the attack routes. Those folks arent players and havent awakened their possession abilities, so you can easily sweep through there!

Karlein, exercising his commander privileges, offered Seong Jihan an easy route, but Seong Jihan immediately declined.

No. Give me the place with the strongest resistance.

Why? Because theyre civilians?

Sigh!

Karleins laughter turned bitter at Seong Jihans refusal.

Head, if thats the case, its disappointing To survive in BattleNet, one must become utterly ruthless. If you harbor such tender-hearted sentiments, youll be used by someone eventually.

Are you not the one who wants to exploit me the most?

Hehe. Yeah. Im just telling you because I dont want someone else to take you away.

At Karleins words, Seong Jihan let out a chuckle.

If I was going to be swayed by that, I wouldnt have participated in the race annihilation battle to begin with.

Then why?

To find the origin of the Blue Blood Demons.

The origin

Clink! Clink!

As the word origin hung in the air, Karleins eyes blazed with intensity.

The origin of the Blue Blood Demons What an interesting thing to say. The origin and the Blue Blood Demons unique possession might be related.

So, will you send me to the place with the strongest resistance?

Well, Okay.

Zing!

Purple light erupted from the skulls eyes.

Eventually, a massive portal was formed.

If you think youre going to get possessed, call me anytime. Ill drop everything and rush over!

That wont happen.

Immediately dismissing Karleins offer, Seong Jihan stepped into the portal.

And then,

Intruder!

Capture him!

As soon as he entered the world beyond the portal, hundreds of blue eyes stared at him, flashing with light.

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