SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling-Chapter 72: Countdown

Three days after the successful core conversion, Luthra sat in his office reviewing reports from the settlement while simultaneously feeling the new hybrid core pulsing inside him.

The conversion had worked, the positive and negative energies were now merged into a single unified whole, but Lilith had warned him that he needed to be careful about how he used it until his body fully adapted.

[Status update: adaptation to hybrid core is progressing at 73%, you should reach full integration within approximately one week, until then, avoid pushing your limits or you risk destabilizing the merge.]

’Understood, so light training only for now.’

[Correct, treat this week as recovery time, your body is still adjusting to fundamentally different energy patterns.]

Misha walked in carrying her usual stack of paperwork. "You look better, less like you’re about to collapse and more like a functional human being."

"Thanks, I think, what’s the situation with the settlement?"

"Growing faster than we can manage honestly, we’re at six hundred people now, more arrive every week, word has spread about what you did at the ice gate and people want to be part of whatever this is."

"And resources?"

"Stretched thin but manageable, the mines are producing well, Borris has the operation running at peak efficiency, we’re generating enough income to support everyone but there’s no buffer, any major disruption and we’ll have problems."

Luthra nodded, studying the numbers she’d laid out. "We need to diversify income, relying solely on the mines is risky, what about the training program idea?"

"Already started, we’ve got fifteen external students paying for basic combat training, it’s bringing in decent money and some of them are actually talented, might be able to recruit a few as permanent security."

"Good, keep expanding that, what else?"

"The Association wants to meet again, Captain Vera sent a message saying there’s been increased Syndicate activity in the region, they want to coordinate intelligence."

"Set it up for next week, after my core fully stabilizes, anything else?"

Misha hesitated. "Kane sent another message, he said the six months he bought you are almost up, the Syndicate leadership is planning something big and he can’t get details because it’s above his clearance level."

Luthra felt a cold certainty settle in his gut. ’So it’s coming, the real test, not a single B-Rank hunter but an actual organized assault.’

"How long do we have?"

"Kane estimates two to three weeks before they move, he said if you’re smart you’ll evacuate now and rebuild somewhere else."

"That’s not happening, we built this place, we’re not abandoning it."

"I figured you’d say that, so I’ve already started defensive preparations, Borris is fortifying the perimeter, Jako is setting up early warning systems, and Khorvash is training a rapid response team."

"What do you need from me?"

"A miracle would be nice, barring that, we need you to hit Level -10 before they arrive, Lilith mentioned that’s a major power spike and we’re going to need every advantage we can get."

Luthra checked his current status.

[Current Level: -8, Progress to -10: 67%, estimated time to level: 4-6 days with intensive training, or 2-3 days if you engage in high-stress combat.]

’Four to six days of training or two to three days of combat, we don’t have time for the slow approach.’

"Lilith, what kind of combat would accelerate my progress?"

[High-risk encounters with strong opponents, the system rewards overcoming challenges that push you to your limits, alternatively, clearing a moderately dangerous gate solo would provide significant experience.]

"There are no nearby gates that fit that description?"

Misha pulled out a map. "Actually, there’s a C-Rank gate that opened four days ago about thirty miles west of here, it’s in neutral territory so no guild has claimed it yet, estimated monster density is moderate."

’A C-Rank gate solo, that’s dangerous but doable with my current abilities, and it would give me the experience boost I need.’

"How stable is it?"

"Association reports say it’s a standard manifestation, earth and wood type environment, estimated to remain open for another two weeks before natural collapse."

"Alright, I’ll clear it tomorrow, that should push me to -10 and give us whatever resources are inside."

"You’re going alone?"

"Khorvash and you are needed here for defensive preparations, Rebecca isn’t ready for C-Rank threats, and taking anyone else would slow me down, solo is faster."

Misha looked concerned but nodded. "Just don’t die, we kind of need you for the whole defending-the-settlement thing."

"I’ll try my best."

That evening, Luthra found Rebecca in the training yard practicing her fire control exercises, she’d progressed significantly in the weeks since the ice gate, her flames were more controlled, more focused.

"Hey, I heard you’re going into a gate alone tomorrow," she said without looking up from her practice.

"Word travels fast."

"Misha told everyone at dinner, she wanted people to know in case something goes wrong, are you sure that’s smart?"

He sat down on a nearby bench. "Smart, probably not, necessary, yes, I need to hit Level -10 before the Syndicate arrives and solo gate clearing is the fastest way."

"I could come with you, I’m better now, I won’t be a liability."

"You’re not a liability, Rebecca, but you’re also not ready for C-Rank monsters yet, give it another month of training and then we’ll talk about harder gates."

She extinguished her flames and sat next to him. "I don’t want you to die because you felt like you had to do everything alone."

"I’m not doing it alone because I want to, I’m doing it alone because it’s tactically optimal, taking you would mean I’d have to protect you instead of focusing on leveling, that increases risk for both of us."

"I hate when you’re logical, it makes it hard to argue."

"That’s the point."

She leaned against his shoulder. "Just promise you’ll come back."

"I promise I’ll do everything I can to come back, that’s all I can honestly say."

"I guess that’ll have to be enough."

The next morning, Luthra stood at the settlement gate with his chain wrapped around his arm and a pack of supplies on his back, Khorvash, Misha, and Rebecca had gathered to see him off.

"C-Rank gate, solo clear, estimated time is twelve to sixteen hours," he said, confirming the plan one more time.

Khorvash crossed her arms. "If you’re not back in twenty-four hours, I’m coming in after you."

"Fair enough."

"And try not to do anything stupidly heroic, just clear the gate efficiently and get out."

"That’s the plan."

He set off toward the west, the journey to the gate location took about four hours of steady jogging, his enhanced physique making the distance trivial.

The gate was exactly where the Association report said it would be, a vertical tear in reality in the middle of a clearing, the energy emanating from it was thick and green, matching the earth and wood typing.

[C-Rank gate detected, estimated threat level: moderate to high, recommended party size: 4-6 hunters, you are attempting solo clear, risk assessment: significant but manageable given your current abilities.]

’Any specific dangers I should watch for?’

[Wood-type environments typically feature plant-based monsters with regeneration abilities, poison attacks, and entanglement tactics, earth-type adds durability and defensive capabilities, expect tough enemies that are hard to kill quickly.]

’So a war of attrition, perfect for testing my hybrid core’s stamina efficiency.’

He stepped through the gate.

The transition was jarring, one moment he was in a rocky clearing, the next he was standing in a massive forest where the trees were made of stone and the leaves were crystallized minerals.

The air smelled like wet earth and ozone, the light filtering through the canopy was tinted green, giving everything an alien quality.

[Environmental scan complete, gate interior is approximately five square kilometers, estimated monster population: 200-300 entities, boss entity location: center of territory.]

’Two to three hundred monsters, I need to clear efficiently, moving from outside to inside, eliminating threats systematically.’

The first monsters appeared within minutes, they looked like wolves made from twisted vines and roots, their eyes glowing with green light.

[Thornwood Stalkers, C-Rank monsters, pack hunters with regeneration and poison attacks, weakness: fire and sustained damage to core structure.]

’No fire abilities, so sustained damage it is.’

Three stalkers charged at him from different angles, their movement unnaturally fast for creatures made of plant matter.

Luthra’s chain lashed out, catching the first stalker mid-leap and slamming it into the ground, the impact shattered its outer structure but the vines immediately began knitting back together.

’Regeneration is annoying.’

He channeled his hybrid mana into the chain, the black energy threaded with corrupted white light wrapped around the fallen stalker, and instead of regenerating, the plant matter began to rot, the corruption spreading through its structure until it collapsed into dead mulch.

[Corruption effective, plant-based regeneration cannot overcome void-enhanced decay.]

The other two stalkers attacked simultaneously, one going for his throat while the other aimed for his legs, he sidestepped the high attack and caught the low one with his foot, pinning it to the ground while his chain dealt with the aerial threat.

The fight lasted less than thirty seconds, all three stalkers reduced to rotting vegetation.

[Experience gained, progress to Level -10: 68%]

’Only one percent from three C-Rank monsters, this is going to take a while.’

He moved deeper into the forest, encountering groups of stalkers, stone golems, and massive carnivorous plants that tried to swallow him whole, each fight pushed his abilities, forced him to use his hybrid mana more efficiently, taught him new applications of corruption.

Hours passed in a blur of combat, his chain became an extension of his will, every strike precisely placed, every use of corruption calculated for maximum efficiency.

[Progress to Level -10: 89%]

’Almost there, just need one more significant fight.’

As if summoned by his thought, the forest opened into a massive clearing, at its center stood the gate boss.

It was a treant, a massive humanoid creature made from ancient stone and wood, easily forty feet tall with arms like battering rams and a core of pulsing green energy visible in its chest. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

[Forest Sovereign, B-Rank gate boss, extreme durability and regeneration, territorial control abilities, recommended strategy: target core directly, avoid prolonged engagement.]

The treant noticed him and roared, the sound shaking the ground, smaller monsters began emerging from the surrounding forest, responding to their master’s call.

’Great, a boss fight with adds, my favorite.’

Luthra assessed the situation tactically, the adds needed to be cleared first or they’d overwhelm him, then he could focus on the boss.

He activated his Corruption Field, expanding it to its maximum range, the adds that entered the zone immediately began to wither, their regeneration turning against them as the corrupted energy spread through their systems.

The treant swung one massive arm at him, Luthra rolled under it and used his chain to climb up the boss’s leg, running up its body while dodging retaliatory strikes.

When he reached the chest cavity where the core pulsed, he drove his fist directly into it, channeling every bit of hybrid mana he had into the impact.

The corruption spread instantly, the green energy of the core fighting against the black void, but the positive energy couldn’t resist the corrupted nature of Luthra’s power.

The treant let out one final roar and collapsed, its massive body crumbling into inert stone and dead wood.

[Gate boss eliminated, experience gained, Level threshold reached.]

[Congratulations, you have achieved Level -10.]

[New ability unlocked: Absorption Mimicry - you can now temporarily steal and utilize opponents’ mana enhancement techniques through direct contact, duration and effectiveness scale with power difference.]

[Stat increases applied, hybrid core efficiency improved, corruption range extended to twenty feet, void resonance power increased.]

Luthra felt the change immediately, his body felt lighter, stronger, his mana flowed more smoothly, and there was a new awareness of how other people’s energy worked.

’Level -10, right on schedule, now to collect the gate core and get back.’

He found the gate’s crystallized core in the remains of the treant, a fist-sized gem worth a significant amount of money, enough to fund the settlement for months.

The journey back through the now-empty gate was quick, with the boss dead the environment was already starting to destabilize, in a few hours the gate would collapse naturally.

He stepped back into the normal world, the sun was setting, making it about sixteen hours since he’d entered.

’Right on estimate, now back to the settlement to prepare for war.’