Infernum was a hellish place.
Some parts of the land were cracked, with lakes of lava scattered around.
The rest had rivers of lava flowing from tall volcanoes, growing more common the deeper you went.
The heat shimmered through the air, while the ashen clouds swallowed the distant skies.
Acidic stench filled the air, making breathing rough for normal humans.
Thankfully, humans appeared on the borderlands.
They were spared from Infernum's brutal zones, but it didn't mean they had a great time either way.
Humans were everywhere around Nate.
There were elders, adults, teenagers, and even some kids.
Everyone had no clue at the moment, treating it like a game because that's how the system introduced itself.
But once Infernum became aggressive, it resulted in one disaster after another.
'Supremacy Games? They call it a game, but games have rules. This is just a war wrapped in a fancy UI.' Nate sneered.
He held a deep grudge. Nobody ever revealed the loser's fate.
That alone made Nate despise the court and their nasty tactics.
Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
He needed levels and, most importantly, time.
Because his tactics would depend on it.
"How much time is left, system?" Nate asked, his voice sharp.
[59 Days, 22 Hours, 20 Minutes]
It answered, pleasing him.
It was a rare quality that he couldn't deny, but it was limited to a set of programmed responses.
No real intelligence to speak of.
"Good," he said, smiling coldly.
Although the system was rigged and favored Infernum more than humans, Nate knew various ways suitable for the lower levels.
'The base experience is fifty, but there are bonuses I could use.'
Through the level gaps, one could easily boost the experience up to a thousand.
Yet, it wasn't easy.
"The monsters aren't as passive as those humans I killed earlier," Nate muttered.
He felt like humans were pushed to act based on a certain set of oppressive, restrictive rules.
'It's fine for me, but not for others.' He thought that, considering others couldn't do the same.
He had his apostle status, automatically unlocking his hidden advancement path.
But others? They must grind their bones and work hard.
"Achievements remain the best path, as always."
It gave Earth a decent power boost by unlocking the hidden paths early on, even if it was only a few strong humans.
'Let's find a decent party to invest in.' Nate nodded, settling on a decent plan.
He stared at one of the groups nearby, picking them up because they had a healer and an alchemist.
Parties allowed up to seven members, and the group consisted of four.
Nate skipped toward them, his summons following closely behind.
"Hello there, Fortunate ones," Nate waved, announcing his presence. "How's it going?"
They freaked out, cutting their rest short.
Taking their defensive stances, their leader stepped forward.
"Identify yourself," he shouted.
It was a warrior carrying an axe. He stood with a tall, muscular, and broad physique.
His nose was small, his eyes were blue and sharp. His short, golden hair was scattered.
Like the rest of his party, his clothes flaunted the struggles he had against the monsters.
Nate retrieved his Identity card before speaking up. "I'm Nate, a summoner."
"These are Squeeky and Hobo, my precious summons." He smiled faintly, pointing at the two.
The leader responded, keeping his guard. "I'm Arthur Henry. What do you want from us?"
"You want attributes? Levels? Items? I've got a clean method." Nate enticed them by asking.
Arthur frowned. He didn't trust Nate, a stranger to him.
But if the experience was as good as Nate claimed, then he believed he could have found a solution.
"Why risk our lives? We could kill you and them instead." He spoke, making his intentions clear.
Nate smiled then nodded; he had expected such behavior.
"Are you sure you could kill a level 15 summon? Besides, you are already risking your life here."
"This is a hellhole, not Disneyland. So what did you expect?"
Nate's words were true, striking their nerves.
"Zero risks, and all I need is your cooperation. But let me join your party. Otherwise, the experience won't be shared among us." Nate tried to assure them.
Unfortunately, they didn't eat it. Their doubts were dead obvious.
"Hobo, show our new friends what you're capable of," Nate said, knowing the best course of action.
"Grahk!" The Hobo Goblin saluted, sending five fireballs flying to the side.
Nate smirked.
"Is that enough? Can you fight it?" He asked casually.
All of them slumped, knowing they couldn't fight it.
"Allow us a few moments," Arthur said, pulling his friends away.
It was a good step forward.
They considered the variables, how Nate could turn against them, and what to be wary of.
The summons was the main danger they saw, but Nate himself was pretty much harmless to them.
Thus, they prepared a few backup plans just in case things went south.
Soon, Arthur returned with the invitation.
[Would you like to join Arthur's party? Yes/No]
Nate accepted, shocking everyone of them.
By joining the party, he exposed some of his information to them.
They knew he was a level two Vicious Summoner, and their archer questioned it right away. "What's up with your class?"
The guy's name was Oliver, a year younger than him.
His hair was black, his eyes were brown. He was short and physically weaker than everyone.
"I can't answer that, and I don't wish to lie," Nate responded, shaking his head.
He continued, "Anyway, let's go," changing the subject right away.
Oliver snickered, rubbing his hair. "You haven't explained anything yet."
"Supremacy Games has many achievements; we will manage some now," Nate answered.
Arthur sneered, "And how do you know that?" feeling suspicious.
It would have been believable if there had been such a game before the rifts appeared.
But there was not.
It was just a name given by the tunnel system.
"I admit that you are bright, Oliver. I will answer your questions later, trust me." Nate answered.
He smirked, "Let's find a decent monster to abuse for now."
'Weird,' Oliver frowned deeply. Nate was a teenager like all of them, but he sounded like an old man.
The rest nodded silently, curious about where Nate would lead them.
They eventually found a good target, a level seven monster.
"Don't attack it unless I say, or you risk ruining it," Nate commanded, using a heavier tone.
The current achievement required dealing a ton of damage to a single living monster.
So if it died, they would start all over again.
"Hobo and Squeeky will pin it down to the ground, we will attack it in turn, only once each. Then the healer will heal it back to full health. Understandable?"
"Wait… I'm healing the thing we're trying to kill?" The healer frowned.
Her name was Alice Clayton. A young girl with long silver hair, holding a tall staff. A student like him, though her school uniform was unfamiliar.
"I got it. I think," Arthur said, trying to sound confident.
"What if it bites me before my turn?!" Oliver shouted playfully.
"Who's Squeeky again?" the alchemist asked, frowning deeply.
Nate smiled faintly, knowing Oliver was only joking.
But the alchemist and the healer were completely lost, despite the explanation.
"Ivy, you don't need to worry," Nate assured the alchemist. "Just feed Alice your mana potions, please."
He continued, "Just know it works," shrugging his shoulders at Alice.