Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 841: Kill Stealing

—

“Hold on, Brothers!”

“Stay strong!”

“Don’t hold back!”

“It’s do or die out here! Move! Kill!”

“Kill these abominations!”

Had Cedric not been given a heads-up that this was a scenario, he would’ve thought that all of this was real. That’s how incredibly realistic this trial was.

The people here didn’t just look like they were woven from a mirage of lights and illusions. He could feel them, their presence, passion, fear, courage, and determination. Every micro-change in their expression looked natural: the strain they felt as they exerted their powers, the pain they felt, and the unwillingness they felt when they died—everything felt real.

Because of this and the hectic situation around him, Cedric was being compelled to believe all of this was real. The compulsion was both subtle and deliberate. It’s like this trial wanted him to lose himself in this scenario—make him believe that he’s actually one of them and that this fight was truly for everyone’s survival.

But Cedric didn’t allow himself to dwell on this too much. His mind was too rational, too calculating, and too cautious to fall for this trick.

Despite weaving amongst these fake people and monsters, he regarded them at arm’s length. He studied, compiled information, and struck venomously when the opportunity presented itself.

He’s got no shame stealing kills at the last moment, and nobody seems to care. Of course, the people around him noticed his actions, but they didn’t get mad. Instead, they just nodded to him and moved on to the next target.

Only an hour passed since the scenario started, and Cedric already killed 5 Abyssals through kill stealing. This should earn him two and a half days’ worth of time rewards.

There could’ve been more if he wasn’t so cautious.

Cedric never dared to go too close to the Abyssals. He struck from a distance, and most of the time, only when the enemy was about to draw their last breath.

To him, the Abyssals were unknown, and he certainly didn’t like them. As long as he still doesn’t understand every single thing about them, he will stay cautious in his approach.

Because of this, he lost some opportunities to land more killing blows.

Cedric drifted across the battlefield like a specter and a spectator. He was participating in his own way but never committing to a direct confrontation. He stuck and drifted across teams, observing, learning, and executing whenever the chance presented itself.

’Had I not learned about Law Essences, it would’ve been impossible for me to kill any Abyssals. They’re too strange and difficult to kill without appropriate strength,’ Cedric mused to himself.

It is indeed so.

The Abyssals were certainly unique creatures that are very hard to kill. Even as he struck them with the majority of his strength, at least 80% of the strength of his attack was devoured by the bodies, with only the remaining 20% of it being able to spill over and damage them for real.

Fighting them on his own would’ve been suicidal. He’d tire out faster than he could slaughter one.

The only solution, really, was to comprehend more Law Essence. Hell, if he knew at least one Origin Law, he wouldn’t have resorted to shameless kill steals like these.

Alas, Cedric wasn’t at that level just yet.

Though, as he continued to drift across the battlefield, something bothered him deep down.

’This scenario was based on a true story, just adjusted to become a trial.’

’Which implies that the Abyssals are real. And this assault actually happened before.’

’The Lost Void, the Limitless Continent, the Origin Heaven Continent, and its inheritance that could allow one to easily comprehend and gain the recognition of Origin Laws…which happens to be the only real fatal weapon against the Abyssals—creatures that existed outside of, well, everything…’

’One coincidence, even from something as simple as the naming sense, was fine. But two? Three? ”

’I don’t think so…’

Cedric could almost fill in the blanks…

The existence of the Abyssals should be old, perhaps even older than the formation of the Five Known Chaos Realms—which would explain why there were no records of them out there, and this includes the existence of the Limitless Continent and the living beings that used to live here.

Perhaps, it is they who made the Five Known Chaos Realms…

The Limitless Continent should’ve been a higher plane of existence. One where concept laws are abundant and origin laws are close. And maybe it’s because of this prosperity that attracted the attention of the Abyssals, which resulted in this war.

A devastating war like this, against unknown creatures like the Abyssals, should’ve claimed many lives. It might’ve been a pyrrhic victory for the side of the living beings.

Those who remained must’ve wizened up. Maybe they realized that the fight wasn’t over yet, that they haven’t seen the last of the Abyssals just yet. If that’s the case, then creating the Origin Heaven Continent and making it an inheritance open for every fated individual would make sense.

’Well, all of this is just speculation on my part…’

’It doesn’t explain the existence of ’The Other Side’. So far? I can only speculate that it serves as a pseudo-afterlife for the people who fell here. Beyond that, nothing…’

Yes, this was as far as his speculation went, based on what he knew so far. He would continue gathering information as he goes, and just like what he’s doing with the Abyssals, he will understand what really happened, if it’s possible, of course.

**

And so, Cedric continued the trial…

His priority was staying alive. And when he could, kill-steal Abyssals here and there.

Time passed by quickly, and soon, the trial will be over. At least he hoped so. He didn’t receive any confirmation if the trial actually ended once seven days were up or if he even had a choice to continue.

’I’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.’

Of course, Cedric didn’t waste time. He had been gathering as much information as he could. He’d been testing out things from a distance, compiling everything he could to learn everything that an Abyssal could do.

Because of his discoveries, kill-stealing became even easier for him. He now figured out how to exert just enough strength to end the life of a dying Abyssal. Not too much, not too little.

And so, his ’kill count’ increased through this…less tactful tactic.

60 kills—that’s his record. All of them through kill steals. This netted him 30 days of comprehension time rewards outside of the ten days he already had.

’This should be plenty enough to make large strides, right? ’He mused to himself.

He’s unsure, mainly because he hadn’t experienced what it’s like to sit before the Origin Heaven Tablets just yet. This was one of the things he’d find out soon, he supposed.

And so, the countdown ticked, and soon, the trial ended. And the end certainly had been explosive.

Instead of being ejected from the scenario, serenely or abruptly, he was instead ’killed’ by a massive explosion that rocked the entirety of the Limitless Continent. It’s an event that could’ve easily claimed the lives of Primal Origin Lifeforms too, so what chance did he have?

He awoke with a strangled gasp, and his immediate concern was whether that counted as a failure or not.

“It’s not,” Angelo answered even without Cedric asking. “It doesn’t count as failure. It’s just…flashy, like that. Don’t look at me like that; I wasn’t the one who designed this trial.”

Cerric sighed. Well, at the very least, it wasn’t a failure. If it was, then he would’ve been heartbroken, especially since that would just be unfair. Fortunately, it wasn’t.

Aside from sweating a bit, Cedric managed to still look fresh. It’s like he was never really physically there at the scenario at all. The only thing that said otherwise was the streaks of dirt and mud on his clothes that weren’t there before, ones he had gotten rid of with a simple sigh.

“40 days total…” Angelo whistled, clearly impressed. “You’re awesome. I wish I was as formidable as you when I started.”

“Is it a lot?” Cedric asked him.

“Yes, especially for a newcomer like you,” Angelo admitted. “The majority fail their first attempt, earning them their first and final strike. Only a few succeed, and most of the time, their earnings won’t surpass 10 days.”

“A piece of advice…” Angelo intentionally lowered his voice, “…use all of it, yes, all of it, at once. Choose the concept law you have that’s the closest to completion, and do your best to gain the recognition of Origin Laws as soon as you can.”

He didn’t say more after that. And honestly, Cedric was tempted.

Angelo had been a great help to him. He held back information intentionally, not because he couldn’t be bothered, but only because he was following orders.

Aside from that, Angelo had been easy to talk to. Cedric could almost call him a friend…almost.

And since Angelo hasn’t led him astray so far, he decided to nod and believe him again.