Read Novel Full Chapter 848: Monster Invasion
Chapter 848: Chapter 848: Monster Invasion
Right before her eyes, Ivy grasped the contract with both hands and tore it into pieces.
The crisp sound of ripping paper filled the hovercar’s quiet interior, and the fragments fluttered down between them.
Rayami stared at Ivy in disbelief, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
Before she could even react, Ivy raised her head, and the innocent expression she had worn moments earlier disappeared completely.
Her gaze had turned cold, and her voice carried a sharpness that sent an unmistakable chill through the air.
“Do you truly think I don’t know the laws?”
Indeed, although the royal family possessed the authority to make demands, citizens still had the right to refuse them. The law did not permit royalty to force people into accepting every demand simply because of their status.
After delivering those words, Ivy opened the hovercar door, stepped outside, and walked away without sparing Rayami another glance.
Inside the vehicle, Rayami clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms. Her beautiful face twisted with anger as she glared at Ivy’s retreating figure.
“That bitch! How dare she go against me? It looks like I need to teach her a lesson, or an insignificant clown like her will continue to think she can climb over my head!”
Her voice was filled with venom, and the humiliation of being openly defied lingered in her chest like a burning coal.
‘Just wait and see. I will make you regret humiliating me today.’
Meanwhile, Ivy soon arrived at Catherine’s mansion, where she fed Catherine the food she had prepared.
As Catherine slowly enjoyed her meal, Ivy sat nearby, lost in her own thoughts.
The encounter with Rayami had left her somewhat irritated, although she was already considering how to deal with the princess if she decided to cause trouble.
When Eugenia noticed Ivy’s distracted expression, she couldn’t help walking over and sitting beside her.
The more Eugenia looked at her cousin, the more convinced she became that acknowledging Ivy as a member of their family had been the right decision.
Ivy was exceptionally beautiful, and her silver hair suited her so well that Eugenia found herself admiring it almost unconsciously.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Eugenia leaned closer and asked, “Ivy, what is your natural hair color?”
She had noticed long ago that Ivy’s silver hair looked more like a wig or a carefully applied disguise than her actual hair color.
Although the disguise was convincing, Eugenia had a feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.
Ivy paused, preparing to answer her question, but before she could utter a word, Valer’s voice suddenly echoed through the mansion.
“Shit! Shit! Shit! Oh, no, I messed up!”
The sheer desperation in his voice startled Ivy, and her expression immediately changed.
She rose from her seat and hurried toward the source of the commotion, asking anxiously, “What happened? Is something wrong?”
From behind her, Eugenia called out in an unconcerned voice, “Don’t pay attention to him. He is just as dramatic as always!”
However, Ivy couldn’t completely dismiss Valer’s cries. Although Eugenia seemed accustomed to his behavior, the panic in his voice had sounded genuine enough to make Ivy worry.
When she finally reached the room, she found Valer standing on a raised platform that resembled a small stage.
He was wearing a pair of futuristic goggles, and a sword was firmly gripped in his hand. In front of him, a large television-like screen displayed the same scene he was seeing through his goggles.
It was immediately obvious that he was playing a virtual reality game.
Ivy stopped near the entrance, looking around the room with unconcealed curiosity.
The technology of Planet Astra never ceased to amaze her, and this particular device was another reminder of just how far superior beings had advanced.
‘Their technology is truly incredible.’
She had already noticed that robots were used in various places, performing tasks that would normally require considerable human effort.
Some locations were equipped with technology so advanced that they barely resembled ordinary buildings anymore.
However, one of the most astonishing developments she had heard about was the research into supercells.
According to the information she had gathered, superior beings were working on a revolutionary technology that could store a person’s memories within specialized cells and eventually transplant those cells into another person’s body.
If the experiment succeeded, it might unlock the secret of immortality.
Researchers could preserve their accumulated knowledge and continue their work even after their original bodies deteriorated.
As long as the supercells could be successfully transplanted into a new body, a scientist might potentially live for a thousand years or even longer, allowing research that would otherwise take several lifetimes to be completed by the same individual.
The possibilities were almost unimaginable.
‘If they truly succeed in developing this technology, the entire civilization could change beyond recognition.’
Just as Ivy was absorbed in these thoughts, Valer let out another frustrated groan.
“Now I genuinely don’t know what I’m supposed to do!”
Ivy turned toward him and frowned slightly.
“What happened? Can you at least explain the situation to me?”
Valer finally noticed her standing nearby. He immediately turned toward Ivy, his expression a mixture of frustration and desperation.
“All right, let me explain. The game you are looking at is called Monster Invasion. It is a virtual reality game that allows players to become fully immersed in a world overrun by monsters. Once you enter the game, you find yourself surrounded by terrifying creatures, and the entire world becomes a battlefield where survival depends on your abilities and the decisions you make.”
Ivy couldn’t help shuddering slightly as she glanced at the screen. Even though she knew it was only a game, the sight of countless monsters roaming through a devastated world was unsettling.
‘Being trapped in a world like that would be a nightmare.’
Valer continued explaining, apparently unaware of the thoughts passing through her mind.
“Initially, it was nothing more than an ordinary game, but about fifty years ago, it mysteriously became extremely popular. It eventually became so important that schools and universities began incorporating it into their education systems. Students were required to play it regularly and achieve specific rankings every month.”
He paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“Each month, we are assigned a target ranking that we must reach to qualify for our credits and avoid being crushed by the higher-ranked players. The game is divided into districts, with each town having its own designated district to make ranking easier to manage. High-level players are generally placed in separate districts, allowing players of different levels to compete under a more organized system.”
Ivy nodded subconsciously, signaling that she understood the basic arrangement.
Valer noticed her reaction and continued speaking with renewed urgency.
“Every year, our university assigns us the task of improving our rankings in Monster Invasion. The number of credits we receive depends on how well we perform. For the past two years, I consistently managed to climb into the top three positions, but this year, something went terribly wrong. I was pushed down from the top ten to the top fifteen, and now my ranking is slipping even further.”
His expression darkened as he recalled how quickly his position had deteriorated.
Ivy frowned thoughtfully.
“Why did that happen so suddenly? Did they introduce some major changes to Monster Invasion this year?”
Valer immediately nodded.
“Yes, and that is precisely where the problem lies. Monster Invasion provides every player with a basic set of supplies at the beginning. If you use those resources wisely, you can gradually build your own safe zone, strengthen its defenses, and upgrade it over time. Eventually, you can develop your territory to the point where even the monsters become easy to deal with.”
He gestured toward the screen, where the virtual battlefield continued unfolding.
“The ultimate objective of the game is to eliminate every monster in the world. However, despite the countless players who have participated over the years, nobody has managed to accomplish that feat yet.”
Ivy’s frown deepened as she tried to understand how these rules explained Valer’s sudden decline in ranking.
“That sounds interesting, but what does it have to do with the changes they introduced this year?”
Valer frowned and turned toward her, looking increasingly impatient.
“Would you please let me finish explaining before asking another question?”
Before Ivy could respond, Eugenia finally arrived at the room and witnessed her brother’s attitude.
Without hesitation, she walked straight toward him and slapped him on the forehead.
“Can you stop being so rude for once?” she scolded him before turning toward Ivy with a serious expression.
“Let me explain it properly, because this idiot seems incapable of getting to the point.”