The moment the Eastern Islescompetitors said it, viewers were furious—and confused.
"If you're going to kill them, then kill them! If it comes to that, we'll just pledge ourselves to Dragon Nation—shut up, you filthy scum!"
"'Death is a luxury'—what does that even mean?!"
"Why do their words feel… familiar? I swear I've heard this somewhere—"
"Wait—someone dug up their background! These two… they're murder maniacs!!"
The internet moved like a blade.
Earlier, because the two nations were "allies," few people bothered checking who these Eastern Islescompetitors really were.
But the moment they showed their true faces, their identities were dragged into the light within minutes.
They were brothers.
One was Nolan Merceri.
The other, Kieran Mercer.
On the surface, they were painfully ordinary—two unremarkable convenience-store workers with no impressive history, no special skills, and faces you'd forget the moment you looked away.
But that was only the mask.
In the shadows…
they were the Eastern Isles' newest and most infamous serial killers.
In just one year, they had butchered over a hundred civilians—most of them weak, isolated, easy to erase.
And whenever the Eastern Isles authorities arrived at the scenes, they could never find a complete body.
The pattern was unmistakable:
They didn't just kill.
They enjoyed torment.
The shock lasted a single dreadful beat.
Then the rage exploded.
"Those things are human?! Not animals?!"
"My blood is boiling! I don't even live there, but I want them skinned alive!"
"What was the Eastern Isles doing—how were monsters like this not caught?!"
"It's over… Shambles Nation is finished…"
"So when they said 'death is a luxury'… they meant it—?!"
Both livestreams were drowned under waves of curses.
But inside the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone, the brothers couldn't see any of it.
And even if they could…
why would they care?
Because what happened next proved one thing very clearly:
Sometimes, death really is a luxury.
Nolan Merceri strolled over to one of the Shambles Nationcompetitors and crouched beside him, smiling in a way that made the skin crawl.
"Die? Sure. I can let you die… but first, answer me one thing."
His voice was soft—almost gentle.
"What is 1000 + 7?"
"…"
"…?"
Viewers froze.
"1000 + 7? That's 1007."
"That's it? That's the question??"
Even the two Shambles Nationcompetitors looked stunned, unable to process the absurdity.
But Nolan Merceri had no patience.
A flash of steel—
a scream tore through the cave.
One finger was gone.
"Too slow," Nolan Merceri said, calm as ever.
The victim convulsed, fighting to stay conscious.
Nolan Merceri didn't even look impressed.
He lifted the severed finger, pressed it to his lips—
and tasted the blood like it was a private indulgence.
His face didn't twist with disgust.
Only satisfaction.
"Ah… the taste of blood," he sighed. "Intoxicating."
"And since I entered the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone… I haven't eaten yet."
A collective chill ran through the viewers.
Then came the part that snapped something in people's minds:
He began to chew.
The chat erupted in horror.
"He's—he's eating human flesh!"
"And he looks like this isn't even his first time…"
Nolan Merceri paused, as if listening to something no one else could hear.
He raised his eyes to the wounded man.
"Hmm?"
The man's mind slammed into survival mode.
"1007!! 1000 + 7 equals 1007!!"
Nolan Merceri smiled.
"Good. Add again."
"…?"
The victim hesitated—just a fraction.
Another flash—
another finger.
A scream, raw and breaking.
"You really don't learn," Nolan Merceri murmured.
"1014!!" the man sobbed.
"Again."
"1021!!"
"Again."
Pain, panic, and blood blurred together.
A wrong number. A moment too slow.
Steel.
Punishment.
Again and again—
until both Shambles Nationcompetitors were barely conscious, their voices shredded into hoarse pleading.
Somewhere in the chat, someone finally understood.
"Why ask math like this…?"
"I get it. It forces them to stay mentally awake—so they can't pass out from pain. So they feel everything."
"That's… that's beyond twisted."
"In the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone, beasts are terrifying."
"But humans… can be worse."
By the end, the two Shambles Nationcompetitors could no longer think clearly.
They could only beg—over and over—voices collapsing into madness.
"Just kill me! Please… just kill me…"
The brothers looked bored.
Then Kieran Mercer turned toward the camera and flashed a wide, ugly grin.
"Hey. You heard that, right?"
"I'm not killing them because I want to."
"I'm killing them because they begged me to."
Nolan Merceri chuckled.
"Yeah. We're such kind people. How could we refuse a wish like that?"
"Fine. Then we'll grant it."
…
The torture ended.
The two Shambles Nationcompetitors didn't die to a Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone creature.
They didn't die to claws or fangs.
They died at the hands of other human competitors—
and they died in agony.
And the instant they died, the Will of Blue Star spoke.
[Congratulations! Eastern Islescompetitors have successfully plundered Shambles Nationcompetitors' points! Points bonus +400!]
[Congratulations! Eastern Islescompetitors have become the lords of a D-rank resource! The resource will manifest 100x within Eastern Isles territory!]
[Congratulations! Eastern Islescompetitors have claimed a D-rank resource! Reward: 1700 points!]
[Double points applied! Points gained: 3400!]
[Points Leaderboard update detected!]
[Rank 1: Dragon Nation — 8100]
[Rank 2: Eastern Isles — 4600]
[Rank 3: Miracle Nation — 3000]
[Rank 4: Northern Bear Nation — 2800]
[Rank 5: Ocean Pouch Nation — 1200]
[…remaining entries omitted…]
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