During the preparation period, no Samsaras from other regions could be seen.
Which meant…
No one knew how many participants had entered this dungeon.
This uncertainty only made the competition fiercer, the risks higher. After all, no one could predict who else might be hunting within the same dungeon.
"Interesting."
Fenric's lips curved into a faint smile.
He wasn't afraid of competition. His accumulated strength was more than enough to crush Samsara players of the same tier. Besides, he knew the plot. If he lost to someone here, then he deserved it.
That said, Fenric was never careless where caution was due.
"Boss, if there's nothing else, we'll be taking our leave," said the leader of the Jadeveil Samsara players respectfully.
Fenric nodded. "Go ahead. Thank you."
Their presence wouldn't have interfered with his plan. Still, to avoid any unnecessary accidents, it was better they leave. They could always wait for the second wave. It wasn't as though an hour was long to wait.
With that, twenty-seven Samsara players departed. A few hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but in the end fell silent and left with the rest.
In the blink of an eye, Fenric was the only one left in the vast preparation chamber.
"Attention, Samsara players. Mission world teleportation will commence in ten minutes."
The system prompt echoed through the empty hall.
Fenric sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, conserving his focus.
Ten minutes slipped by.
"Teleportation countdown: 10… 9… 8… 3… 2… 1!"
The red light engulfed him, and Fenric vanished.
Year: 2023.
A dark, desolate world.
A world swallowed by endless war and pain.
Here, mutants and the humans who stood with them struggled desperately against an invincible enemy.
Ding—!
Main Mission Released!
Quest Name: Mutant Killer
Objective: Survive in this world for thirty days and hunt down at least one mutant.
Time Limit: 30 days.
Failure Condition: Obliteration.
Warning: You are a designated target of the Sentinel robots.
Restriction: You are forbidden from revealing the existence of Samsara Space to dungeon inhabitants.
Note: Mental invasion, memory-reading, and similar psychic abilities are automatically blocked.
Tip: The stronger and more numerous the mutants you hunt, the higher your final evaluation.
The system's voice faded, and Fenric opened his eyes.
A bleak, apocalyptic world unfolded before him.
The sky was hidden beneath a thick haze, sunlight smothered into perpetual gloom. Towering buildings loomed in ruin, walls riddled with gaping holes left by past battles. Streets were littered with rubble, garbage—and human bones.
Not a living soul in sight.
Fenric frowned.
He'd seen the original film. He knew this world had been ravaged by the government's Sentinels, but witnessing the devastation firsthand still left him unsettled.
The government created these machines to destroy mutants… and ended up turning the world into this? Did they truly think this was worth the cost?
Or perhaps the Sentinels had slipped free of human control—like Skynet in the Terminator world?
With questions lingering in his mind, Fenric moved quietly through the empty streets. On either side lay nothing but shattered buildings, husks of what had once been a thriving civilization.
At last, he spotted movement.
A small figure, no taller than a child, darted cautiously through the ruins. She appeared to be scavenging, rifling through wreckage. Sparks of faint electricity flickered from her hands as she tested broken devices, trying to coax them back to life.
Fenric watched as she lit a battered electric lamp and slipped it into her bag.
A mutant, already? My luck seems smooth.
He muttered to himself but didn't act. One low-level mutant wasn't worth his effort—not when his true goal was far greater.
"Vrrrmmm—!"
The sudden roar of engines shattered the silence.
Fenric looked up to see an aircraft soaring overhead.
The girl froze, panic flashing in her eyes, before bolting out from her hiding place.
Foolish. Had she stayed still, the craft might never have detected her. By running, she exposed herself completely.
The aircraft slowed, a hatch opening beneath it.
With a thundering crash, something massive dropped from the skies. The vehicle continued on, vanishing into the distance, leaving the object to unfurl and rise.
A towering machine, three meters tall, its form sleek yet menacing. Slender arms ended in drill-like blades, while twin crimson eyes glowed with mechanical bloodlust.
Fenric recognized it instantly.
A Sentinel.
The girl's face went pale. Terror seized her as she turned and fled, but the machine gave chase with terrifying speed. In only a few strides, it closed the distance.
"Ahhh!"
She stumbled, crashing to the ground with a cry.
The Sentinel loomed above, merciless, raising its blade-like arm.
Cold light gleamed across its surface.
It didn't hesitate. To the Sentinel, age, gender—none of it mattered. Mutants were prey. Genetic carriers were targets. Extermination was the only directive.
The blade plunged down.
Fenric sighed. With a faint wave of his hand, his psychic energy surged.
The girl, who had been frozen in despair, suddenly felt her body yanked backward by an unseen force, narrowly avoiding the killing strike.
Bang!
The Sentinel's blade smashed into the ground, driving halfway through solid concrete and rubble.
Had the strike landed, it would have skewered her through without resistance.