Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: A Desperate Decision

The first thing the livestream audience saw was a gorgeous woman holding a microphone.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Trina Starr, and standing next to me is a member of Blade Syndicate. Let’s hear what he has to say!”

The camera panned to a flashy-looking young man, who struck a pose he probably thought was cool.

“Hey, everyone! I’m DumbAce. I can say with absolute confidence that we deployed 7,439 players into the basin. Aside from the 398 still grinding levels in the Starter Zone, the rest are all here.”

Trina raised an eyebrow at his words. “So, Renegade Alliance only has five players, but you sent in 7,439? Isn’t that a little… embarrassing?”

“Embarrassing? Not at all!” DumbAce puffed out his chest. “We have the numbers, we have the strength, what’s there to be ashamed of? Our leader, Marcus Skeiner, always says, Crushing the weak is our pride, and overwhelming force is our greatest asset!'”

Trina smiled knowingly. “Interesting. But I heard you’ve already lost over 500 players.”

DumbAce scoffed. “So what? Losers die. That’s just how it is.”

“Oh?” Trina’s smirk widened. “But isn’t it true that you were the first one Skyblade took out?”

“Yeah, so what? I suck. Big deal!” DumbAce said without a hint of shame. “Even our guild leader, Marcus Skeiner, is a total noob. He’s died more times grinding in the Starter Zone than anyone else!”

At that exact moment, Marcus Skeiner was watching the livestream. His face darkened as he heard DumbAce’s words.

“Kick that idiot out of the guild!” he roared.

Before DumbAce could say another word, the Blade Syndicate logo vanished from under his character’s name.

DumbAce froze in shock.

Trina smoothly took back the microphone, pushing him out of the frame. Facing the camera, she flashed a professional grin. “Looks like Blade Syndicate just lost one more member. Let’s continue.”

The broadcast team packed up their gear and left, while DumbAce stood there in the wind, completely lost.

As time passed, Ethan’s kill count grew steadily. The numbers weren’t massive, but each one sent ripples of fear through Blade Syndicate. Their casualties kept piling up, while Ethan’s team of five remained completely untouched.

Everyone watching was in awe.

Five players had pushed a seven-thousand-strong guild to the brink. This wasn’t just impressive, it was legendary.

The Blade Syndicate players were terrified. Their nerves were stretched to the breaking point. They had no idea when Ethan and his team would strike next.

They were like ghosts in the water. Every time they emerged, another handful of Syndicate members died before anyone could react. Then, before a counterattack could even land, they were gone.

At one point, in sheer frustration, Marcus Skeiner gave the order: “Chase them into the water!”

That decision alone cost him over a hundred more players.

Most drowned.

Even with Warlocks in the group, Aquatic Breathing wasn’t a widespread skill, most Warlocks never even bothered learning it because it was almost practically useless.

If only a small squad went in after them, they might as well have thrown themselves into a meat grinder.

And then there was the cavern system.

Ethan and his team moved like they knew every twist and turn, vanishing into tunnels before their pursuers could catch up. Players who followed them in got lost, unable to find their way back out.

In the end, most had no choice but to commit suicide and revive back in town.

Marcus Skeiner was on the verge of losing his mind. “How the hell do they know these caves so well?! What kind of bullshit is this?!”

He clenched his fists, staring at the ever-growing list of casualties. If this went on any longer, Ethan and his team would rack up an even higher kill count.

They refused to fight fair. They never stuck around long enough to be overwhelmed.

Just that one mistake, sending players into the water, had already pushed Ethan’s kill count past seven hundred.

If they reached a thousand…

The title of The Thousand Slayer would be carved into Ethereal’s history.

And that would make Ethan a legend.

Meanwhile, Blade Syndicate would become nothing more than a laughingstock.

And if that happened…

Marcus Skeiner knew his guild wouldn’t survive.

No matter how many promises that person made him, none of it would matter if he lost his footing in Ethereal.

If things kept going this way, he might have no choice but to pull out. At least he had done what was asked of him, right?

Marcus Skeiner clenched his jaw, feeling increasingly uncertain.

But what he didn’t know was that at that very moment, Zachary wasn’t even in the game.

He was busy venting his frustration on Ivy.

“Trash. Trash. TRASH! You Blade Syndicate morons are all useless—”

Three seconds later, he climbed off her, completely ignoring the resentment in Ivy’s eyes as he slipped into his VR capsule.

Beneath the surface of a secluded pool, Ethan and his four teammates were taking a short break.

He had been keeping up with the WCC news reports. Over seven thousand players now?

‘Good.’

The real show was about to begin.

“You see this tunnel?” Ethan gestured at an underwater passage at the very edge of the basin. “Follow it straight. Don’t take any turns, no matter what. It leads outside the basin.”

After leading them to the most remote exit point, he sent a message to the team chat.

“What about you?” Skyblade asked.

Ethan smirked. “Just sit back and enjoy the show. You guys get out of here, or you’ll end up dead, too.”

With that, he kicked his seal-like body into motion, slicing through the water toward the surface.

Skyblade exchanged glances with the others before silently following Ethan’s instructions, vanishing into the cavern system.

Now alone, Ethan moved fast. The moment he hit land, he changed to panther from and activated Stealth.

The Blade Syndicate players never even noticed him slipping past their encirclement.

Ducking low, he moved in a straight line toward the heart of the basin.

The highest-level monsters here barely reached level 20, not nearly strong enough to detect him.

In theory, staying underwater would have been faster. But the cave tunnels weren’t straight; the winding paths would slow him down.

So, he stuck to land.

Thirty minutes later, Ethan reached the basin’s center, where the largest lake sprawled out before him.

Without hesitation, he leaped in and shifted forms.

Transform: Seal Form.

He plunged deep, descending for over ten minutes before finally reaching the lakebed.

Pressing close to the bottom, he scanned his surroundings. Eventually, near the center, he spotted what he was looking for—an underwater spring.

A powerful current surged upward from its depths. Gritting his teeth, Ethan fought against the force, diving straight into the source.

The pressure was immense, but after a grueling struggle, he felt his body suddenly lighten.

He had arrived.

A hidden chamber beneath the lake.

And despite being deep underwater…

There was no water inside.

Ethan stepped forward, glancing around. The space was small, but something about it defied logic, water flowed up the walls, running along the stone as if gravity itself had been flipped.

At the top, the streams merged at the very spring he had just come through, then funneled back into the lake above.

It was a bizarre, otherworldly sight.

As he exited the spring, he realized he was suspended in midair, thirty meters above the ground.

Transform: Night Owl Form.

Wingbeat!

A round-bodied bird flapped its stubby wings and slowly drifted to the chamber floor.

The moment his feet touched down, his eyes landed on a Silver-Tiered treasure chest lying right at his feet.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh. ‘If only I were a Rogue…’

This place was rumored to be filled with treasure chests, some of them containing rare artifacts, and at least one holding a Pseudo-Divine Chest.

But right now, all he could do was look.

The entire underground labyrinth was eerily silent.

Shifting into Panther Form, Ethan stalked forward, weaving through the corridors.

Every time he stepped into a new chamber, more treasure chests came into view.

One gold.

Two gold.

One dark gold.

Two dark gold…

He tried to force himself to ignore them, but he couldn’t help counting as he passed.

‘Once gold prices drop, I swear I’m coming back here with a bag full of keys.’

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he came to a stop in front of the Pseudo-Divine Chest.

His breath hitched.