A few months passed, and Shadow City had become a bustling hub for trading.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered here for trading purposes.
With its favorable environment, Shadow City expanded multiple times over.
Maximus had even established individual workshops that were available for rent to various trialists.
“Wow, it’s so lively here,” Cereb exclaimed as he returned from a hunt.
“Hey, Cereb, how was the hunt?” Blane, his buddy, inquired.
“I was lucky today and managed to catch a Tier 4 monster,” Cereb boasted, gesturing towards the tied-up corpse in his vehicle.
“So fortunate. Tier 4 monsters are becoming rarer and rarer.”
“Yeah, who would have thought that we were hiding and running from Tier 3 monsters just a few months ago?”
“And now, we don’t even give them a second thought.”
“And as for those Tier 4 monsters that were supposed to hunt us down at the 10-year mark?”
“They’ve become dishes we fight over.”
Cereb sighed, reflecting on his experiences over the past few months.
Originally, they had struggled to survive, but with Shadow City serving as a trading hub, these trialists had become united.
Some among them had achieved technological breakthroughs and were selling their inventions.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t compete with Maximus’s monopoly, as his creations were the most advanced and practical.
“Indeed, this guarantees that we’ll be able to survive until at least the 30-year mark when Tier 5 monsters show up,” Blane remarked.
“You’re right!”
“I wonder if we can make it to the hundred-year mark this time,”
…
Five years later…
Maximus gazed at the petri dish, watching as his cells collided with the biological solution he had created.
Soon, the collision succeeded, and the cells grew stronger and stronger.
But just before reaching their peak, they disintegrated, as if nothing had happened.
“Huh, it’s truly impossible,” Maximus sighed.
In the beginning, since the use of magic and soul power was banned, he had considered enhancing himself biologically.
He had even acquired a wealth of knowledge from his system and mastered it using life points.
Yet, after years of experimenting, there had been no results.
As if this world was also preventing anything that could strengthen the trialists.
“What a waste of time,” Maximus muttered in frustration.
Over these five years, not much had changed in Shadow City, except for the increase in population and technological advancements.
With over a million people now residing here, Shadow City was no longer solely his domain.
After all, Shadow City had been intended as a trading hub to bring all the trialists together.
Once the inhabitants had gained sufficient strength, they naturally expanded the city to have their own territory.
Maximus didn’t bother about this.
Anyway, his businesses remained the most popular.
He was the only one willing to accept corpses, and energy crystals still belonged exclusively to him.
The other trialists could only dream of replicating it.
Even now, they can only create unstable and low-energy imitations of energy crystals.
“Boss, how’s your experiment going?” Andrew entered and inquired.
“Failure. It seems that biological enhancement is also restricted.”
“What a shame,” Andrew sighed in agreement.
“Now, there’s nothing else to be done here. Let’s go out and find Tier 5 and above materials,” Maximus decided.
The only reason he had stayed here for five years was due to the availability of higher-tier materials.
He already upgraded all his technologies to Tier 5 using the Tier 4 materials he obtained through trading.
Now, tier 4 materials are not much of use to him.
“Hey, it really is time to leave here,” Andrew also lamented.
It had been quite comfortable here, with Maximus’s support allowing him to experiment wildly with materials.
However, he understood Maximus’s concern.
As an official student, Maximus faced magnified difficulty in the trials.
At the 10-year mark, a Tier 5 monster would already be hunting him.
By the 30-year mark, there would be a group of Tier 6 monsters on his tail.
And finally, at the 100-year mark, doomsday would arrive.
Tier 6 monsters would mutate to Tier 7 and relentlessly pursue Maximus to the ends of the world.
Maximus needed to acquire as many Tier 6 materials as possible.
“Wanderer, gather all the useful technology and materials and transport them to the RV.”
“We’re leaving…”
[Wanderer: Understood, host.]
…
Soon, various types of robots working in Shadow City stopped their movements as if frozen.
[Retreat: Collection Task Initiated…]
The robots swiftly disabled what was in front of them, collapsing like a stack of building blocks.
Onlookers were shocked by the scene.
“What’s happening here?”
“Is danger approaching?”
Panic spread as people hurriedly checked their scanners one by one to see if there was any danger.
“Nothing?” Reassured by the lack of apparent danger, they began to calm down.
“But why are these robots packing up?”
Seeing the robots dismantle the place, not even leaving a screw they were puzzled.
Even in the various farms, all the seedlings and soil were compacted.
In the river, a group of robots was sucking up water as if there was no tomorrow.
[Hello, citizens of Shadow City.]
Suddenly, a screen that hadn’t yet been dismantled lit up.
[You must be wondering why the robots are beginning to pack up.]
[Do not panic. I simply wish to leave this place.]
[There is no danger or any imminent threat.]
[It’s just that I no longer see value in this place.]
[After all, we are not here for a vacation, but for survival.]
[Sitting here is akin to waiting for death.]
[Thus, I would also like to take this opportunity to recruit people who would like to join us.]
[For those who wish to join, you can apply via Wanderer.]
[That’s it. Goodbye.]
The screen turned off, signaling the end of Maximus’s message.
During these five years, no other trialists had joined his team besides Andrew.
Perhaps because they can just trade they didn’t bother joining him.
Now Maximus took this time, to see if anyone is willing to join.
Regarding coercion, Maximus had learned from his experience with Andrew that such tactics wouldn’t work.
“They’re leaving?!”
“What about the source of energy crystals?!”
“Who will manage Shadow City then?!”
“Hey, I was still saving money to buy those Tier 4 robotic armors!”
Various reactions rippled through the crowd.
Some were saddened by the realization that they wouldn’t be able to purchase Maximus’s advanced, affordable, and practical technology.
Others breathed a sigh of relief, as they now saw an opportunity to fulfill their ambition of controlling Shadow City.
Some hesitated, contemplating whether to join Maximus or not.
After all, this peaceful place had been single-handedly built by Maximus.
Cereb looked at the announcement and began to ponder.
“Should I join?”
The past five years had been so comfortable that he sometimes forgot this was even a trial.
“What do you think, Blane?”
Over these five years, they had become the best of friends.
“I think we should join,” Blane replied.
He was a seasoned repeater of the Golden Gate trial.
For the first time, he found the trial surprisingly easy.
Unlike his previous trials, where it was either a constant struggle for survival or a desperate flight from danger.
The most significant danger of the Golden Gate Trial was the constant pressure.
Always running, always fleeing from death, it left no time for thinking or creating.
Yet, in Shadow City, they had the freedom to create whatever they wanted at their leisure.
“Do you think so?” Cereb Ask.
Joining Maximus seemed to have no downsides.
Aside from listening to him, they could still maintain their personal freedoms.
They had also heard about Andrew, Maximus’s only current member.
He lived his life freely, doing whatever he pleased, which made him a bit envious.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go. We might be late,”𝑂𝑽𝐋xt.𝒸𝗈𝐦
Cereb and Blane joined the queue to sign up.
Yes, queue.
In a city with over a million people, there were many who also wished to join.
After all, with Maximus gone, no one knew what would become of Shadow City.
They might have to return to their former vagrant lives.
…
Inside the RV’s core, which had now transformed into a Tier 5 mechanical beast, Maximus sat lazily, observing the bustling activity of Shadow City.
“How many people have registered, Wanderer?”
[Wanderer: There are already 1,248 people officially registered, and over 3,000 more are in the process.]
“Oh? That many?” Maximus smiled contentedly.
“Are you sure you want to accept them all, boss?” Andrew asked from the side.
“Hmm, there are already too few. If possible, I’d like all of them to join.”
“But isn’t that risky? Although oaths are binding, they aren’t foolproof,” Andrew expressed his concern.
“Heh, it’s alright. At this stage, no one can kill me except those Tier 6 monsters,” Maximus replied with a mysterious smile.
…
On the other side of the world, Silas was enjoying a sunbath, a stark contrast to his previous state.
“Huh, this is comfortable,” Silas smiled, basking in the warmth of the sun.
After countless days without sleep and enough time to eat.
He had finally managed to create a Tier 4 weapon that could effectively fend off the Tier 4 monsters that had been hunting him.
With those threats no longer hanging over him, he finally had the time to develop and even relax.
“Cheers to you, Maximus. I hope you’re still alive.”