I lowered the flute, feeling a sense of satisfaction. One down, five to go. But I wasn't about to leave just yet. I had to make sure these people, my temporary charges, made it through the next rotation unscathed.

  The cabin could only be exited at the bottom of the wheel's rotation, so I settled in to wait with the others, preparing myself for whatever twisted challenge the System would throw at us next.

  In the meantime, as the minutes passed by, I checked the still-incomplete System interface. The shop was available to me, divided into three columns: one for weapons, another for armor sets (which I had already checked when I was level zero), and the last for so-called Relics which wasn't available yet.

  None of the weapons piqued my interest. Of course, they couldn't even compare to my trusted companion, who had been keeping uncharacteristically silent since we arrived in the cabin. Sometimes, for some completely random reason, he just suddenly changed from talkative to a shy introvert. Just your normal bipolar sword.

  The cabin continued its rotation, with occasional stops of varying lengths. These pauses were likely to allow new participants to enter their designated cabins.

  Finally, after ten minutes or so, the cabin shuddered to a halt. A chime sounded, and the central floor of the main hall began to glow with an eerie light.

  "It's going to be a battle," the elf said grimly, "and I have no idea how powerful the opponents will be. Before the System board appears, it calculates the difficulty based on the participants as well as the number of rotations, and there's also some element of randomization."

  As if on cue, the board materialized, flickering with ominous text:

  [Sixth Rotation Challenge Started]

  [Calculating Difficulty...]

  [Four E-Rank Beings Detected]

  [One B-Rank Being Detected]

  [One A-Rank Being Detected]

  [Rotation Bonus Challenge Activated]

  [Error: Anomaly Detected]

  [Did you really think we would give you a simple challenge, Maintenance Guy?]

  [Increasing Difficulty]

  [Preparing Special Challenge for the Anomaly]

  The System's text flickered as new messages appeared:

  [Challenge: Blood-Bound Ravagers Slaying]

  [As a maintenance guy, you are forbidden from delivering the killing blow to any Ravager]

  [Dealing the last hit to a Ravager will automatically fail the quest and cause the cabin to detonate]

  [Your objective: Ensure all five participants complete their own objective and survive]

  [Each of the five participants must kill one Ravager]

  [Each Ravager could only be challenged in its respective room]

  "We're screwed," Adriel muttered as the first monster materialized in a flash of light.

  The cabin, matching its external appearance, was indeed a small mansion with multiple rooms. Through my Mana Sense, I could feel the Ravagers appearing in different parts of it. I identified the one before us—its level 500 made it clear that the System wasn't pulling its punches.

  The Blood-Bound Ravager that appeared before us was a grotesque sight—a hulking mass of raw meat that stood eight feet tall, its torso ending in a neckless shoulder crowned with a massive, tooth-filled maw. Where a head should have been, there was nothing but rippling muscle, and blazing blue eyes were set in its chest like burning sapphires. Its arms, thick as tree trunks and covered in pulsing veins, dragged along the ground. It moved like some nightmarish parody of a gorilla, except larger and infinitely more wrong.

  "Don't worry," I assured them. "I can't deliver the finishing blow, but I can make it easier for you to get your kills."

  Adriel said grimly, "Even if we manage to kill one, they have to die together. If there's more than ten seconds between deaths, they'll completely recover. No limit to how many times. I've seen groups fail for hours because they couldn't coordinate properly. And those were just two Ravagers at level 300..."

  Before he could elaborate further, the Ravager attacked. The orc raised his twin tomahawks to block, but the difference in their stats was overwhelming—this was a monster at the peak of Tier 4, just a tiny step away from Tier 5. All its power was concentrated in raw physical capability, making it an absolute force of destruction in close combat.

  I was already moving. Just as I'd done before with the orc, I used my control over Air Mana to lift the creature, making it flail helplessly. The Ravager tried to adapt, its arms morphing into weapons as another pair of limbs sprouted from its back. The sight reminded me oddly of that animated movie—Lola & Snitch and the alien little monster.

  I quickly identified the creature's weakness: all its Mana went into physical enhancement. It couldn't use Mana for anything that didn't directly involve its biology. No shockwaves, no ranged attacks—just pure physical might. These were actually the easiest opponents for me to handle with Gravity Mana.

  "Thank you for saving my life," Grogar said, lowering his axes.

  I shrugged in response. Interestingly, there had been no orcs in Luminosa, which was unusual for a fantasy world that had elves, demons, and even goblins. Perhaps they'd gone extinct, killed either by demons or, more likely, humans. After all, humans could be quite xenophobic and had a particular taste for genocide.

  "Even with complete control over it, I'm not sure I could kill it within ten seconds," Adriel admitted. "Even with my strongest Skills. And what about the others? If everyone needs to land a killing blow, that's ridiculous. We have three E-rank humans here!"

  "Four, I'm an E-rank as well!"

  "Yeah, right, sure," the elf just snorted.

  "He thinks you're a liar," my bladeless sword laughed.

  "Well, Adriel, I'd like to watch you try to kill it, at least," I said. "I can't deliver the finishing blow, but I want to see what you can do."

  "Even if I kill it, it will just recover as long as the others are alive. Didn't you hear me?" Adriel asked.

  "It's okay—I just need to see its limits, how much damage it can take. Then I'll make sure every one of you can get your kill."

  "A level 8 user killing a top A-rank monster? That's impossible."

  "I killed so-called A-rank beings when I was level 0," I said, to which the elf only shook his head in disbelief. He was still convinced that I was hiding my true level, and I couldn't blame him.

  "Okay, I'll try my best," Adriel sighed.

  The elf readied his bow—a surprisingly large weapon that seemed to be growing right in his hands, formed from living wood. The arrow he created crackled with his chaotic Shadow Mana, concentrated to its absolute limit.

  When he released the string, the arrow flew like a rocket toward the suspended monster. Through my Mana Sense, I felt the System's magic take hold, causing the arrow to split into two, each carrying as much power as the original, if not more. This was what made the System so ridiculous—its effects defied my understanding of what Mana was capable of.

  The arrows found their mark in the Ravager's eyes, guided like heat-seeking missiles. The monster roared as explosions of Darkness magic tore through its vulnerable spots. But it was still very much alive.

  Adriel fired even more volleys, each empowered further by the System. It took seven perfectly placed shots, targeting the creature's maw and eyes, to finally exhaust all the Mana the creature was using to regenerate and finally kill it. Of course, just as we expected, after ten seconds passed, the monster fully recovered—its wounds healed and its Mana full again. It was even more ridiculous than I expected—healing was one thing, but Mana recovery was another. I used my Gravity Mana to suspend it before it could attack.

  "Just like I said." Adriel shrugged. "It was pointless."

  "Not at all, my elf friend, not at all. Now I understand its physiology and limits. A truly outstanding species."

  "So, you have a plan?"

  "I have good news," I said. "I've checked the other four monsters. None of them are quite this strong—three are only level 400. Grogar can handle the other 500, and our three weaklings will take out the rest."

  "Very funny," Adriel scoffed. "Level 400 is still beyond what an E-rank can handle. Even if you completely restrain the monsters and break all their bones, someone with total stats below 200 couldn't pierce their defenses. It would be like trying to cut steel with butter."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  I smiled. "Well, what if these monsters weren't quite so... healthy? What if they were at their last breath, mere moments from death? One more weak hit in their most vulnerable spot would be enough to kill them, wouldn't it?"

  It would have been more problematic if these beasts weren't so full of vitality. I might have worried about killing them by chance and having the cabin detonate, and I doubted the System was joking about that. The others wouldn't survive the explosion—I wasn't worried about myself, but about my quest and my little goose.

  "Alright, my friend, it's time for some dismemberment," I said, gripping Antipucker.

  "I was forged ready," he replied as I poured Air Mana into the handle, creating a thin blade only four feet long. A shorter blade meant more concentrated cutting power, which we would need for these monsters.

  Under Sarah's cheerful encouragement, I approached the frozen mass of raw power still struggling against my gravity control. I noticed a slight boost from her cheering and gave her a questioning look.

  "Did you try to cast some support ability on me?"

  "Oh yeah! I'm a Cheerleader, after all! That's my Archetype, and my Skills have a similar effect."

  I didn't pay much more attention to her, focusing instead on my grim task. One limb at a time, I systematically dismembered the creature from its three pairs of limbs. I won't say my blade cut through its flesh effortlessly—it required both physical and magical effort—but the job got done. Even as I reduced it to a nearly limbless ball, its severed parts littering the floor, it still attempted to regenerate as it pushed its remaining Mana into healing. In mere seconds, the limbs regrew, showing how truly monstrous its healing capabilities were. Only those wielding the Time Element would have a chance to repeat such a feat, and only at the higher Tiers.

  This was exactly what I wanted. The monster writhed in agony as I repeated the process, dismembering it a dozen times until it had barely any Mana left. More than half a hundred severed limbs lay scattered across the floor, the creature now a gargled mass bleeding out on the ground, tears of blood streaming from its eyes.

  "It's not my fault you have so much vitality," I told the ruined creature. The floor had become a lake of blood—I stayed floating above it to keep my boots clean, but the others weren't so lucky.

  One of the human men turned away, while the other threw up for the second time already. Sarah, strangely, watched me with admiration and curiosity in her eyes. I definitely needed to stay away from her in the future. Adriel and Grogar maintained their composure, though I could tell even they were disturbed by the thoroughness of my work. Like they should.

  "As you can see," I told Adriel, "it's lost a lot of blood and limbs. Its Mana is completely spent, and it's just a hair's breadth from death. To help you cross that line even easier, I also rearranged its inner organs so that even a small wound can break the delicate balance of its life." Perhaps going so far wasn't necessary in Adriel's case—he had proven capable of killing such creatures even at full strength. I had to admire the elf's capabilities; he was quite powerful for his level and tier.

  "Though I'll probably need to check on each one of them one last time before we start the killing part. Even with their abilities limited, they could still pose a danger to the weakest of our group if they recover even a tiny amount of power."

  "I'll do my part," Adriel agreed. "This plan... I think it can work. Maybe."

  "Do you mind if I see those daggers at your waist?" I asked as I pointed at the beautiful runic weapons. "I think we should give them to our two guys."

  I looked at the men—one still recovering from being sick, the other unable to look our way. If something as insignificant as torturing a monster could shake their spirits this much... Part of me wondered if the quest would have been easier if I'd killed these two. They probably still had Revival Points; otherwise, they would have told others, and Adriel would have mentioned them, not only the orc. Most likely, the challenge's difficulty would have increased instead. If they died, we'd likely face only three monsters, but they'd probably all be Tier 5. That would make things much harder for me, even with my power.

  "My daggers aren't just weapons," Adriel said carefully. "They're a gift from my wife."

  "They'll return them to you," I laughed. "Or what, you think they have the guts to steal from you? Or you don't want dirty humans putting their sweaty palms on your precious treasures?"

  "You're right, that was silly of me," Adriel admitted. "I just thought you might have better weapons for them."

  "I have just one weapon, and it's enough," I said. "As for the System shop, I can't buy anything useful—I'm in too much debt. You could say I'm dirt poor."

  "I'll earn money for you, handsome maintenance guy!" Sarah interjected.

  "I actually come from a wealthy family," she continued. "I already have a nice car and my own house on Earth."

  Somehow, I doubted that any of her belongings still existed on Earth, not after that Aether shockwave.

  "I doubt that he meant it this way," the orc said. "And I think I'm starting to realize why you preferred him to me..."

  "Don't worry, you'll find a nice orc girl who will love you for who you are," Sarah patted Grogar's shoulder consolingly.

  "That girl sure knows her way with words. And men," my sword commented. "But she's too easy for my taste—she lacks loyalty."

  "Whether you like it or not, I'm going to lend you to her," I told the sword.

  "So I'm not the only disloyal one? I thought we were brothers for life," the sword's voice dripped with fake remorse.

  "Be glad; you'll have your fun with a woman after so many

  years."

  "Beggars can't be choosers, huh?" the sword said with a sigh.

  And so I proceeded to repeat the process with the remaining meatball creatures, creating more pools of blood filled with dozens of severed limbs. It wasn't pretty, but it was nothing I wasn't used to. They were just monsters, even if their blood smelled surprisingly similar to humans'. I felt no more disgust than a butcher doing his job.

  Only Sarah and Grogar followed me to watch the entire process. The orc felt some responsibility since I was saving his life and wanted to witness everything, no matter how unpleasant. As for Sarah, I had the unsettling feeling she found the process quite sexy, which confirmed that this woman wasn't just unusual—she was crazy. I wasn't one of those who thought they could fix a bad girl. I tried to avoid this type at any cost. At least she practiced her support Skills, so she was helpful.

  After dealing with the last Ravager, I checked on each one again and administered any necessary additional wounds. This would ensure that even the three E-rank participants could deliver killing blows. The two men took their borrowed elven daggers and split up to their respective rooms.

  Now I stood in the last room with Sarah. This part was actually the most problematic—if I used my own Mana on Antipucker, the System might count it as me delivering the final blow. I couldn't risk it. I had to make sure Sarah was capable of using the sword herself.

  "Listen, Sarah, I entrust you with one of my closest companions," I said solemnly. "Someone who has served me for years. The greatest sword of all..."

  "If you think I'm so great, stop calling me this. I have a name, Great Archblade Omnislayer—" the hilt complained, but I ignored its tirade.

  Sarah laughed. "You get along so well! Thank you for trusting me with such an important object... or person," she said as she took the hilt in her hand.

  "Okay, friend," I muttered to the sword, "I'm pretty sure she'll be completely unable to use you properly like I do, so it's up to you to draw her energy."

  "I would really prefer someone else—a more cute and innocent woman. Maybe someone younger—"

  "Hey! I'm young enough!" Sarah objected.

  You see, my dear weapon had a thing for women, but of course, he didn't have any way to interact with them other than, like a vampire, consuming their Mana. Back on Luminosa, when I first met him, he was considered a cursed weapon that could only be used by beautiful, innocent maidens. But I managed to make him obedient, whether he liked it or not. The start of our relationship wasn't very nice, at least not for him.

  "Well, at least she's beautiful," the hilt sighed as he activated the process.

  Sarah let out a soft moan as the hilt started to gently but persistently drain her Mana. It was quite an interesting sensation, based on my experience. The woman who created this sword had unique tastes. Antipucker never told me the full story, but I had a growing suspicion about his original purpose. He was created as a dual-purpose tool: a weapon and... well, something else. Perhaps his peculiar personality was a result of this. But I didn't want to confirm this theory because it would feel just awkward if my greatest weapon was essentially a magical vibrator.

  Sarah couldn't help but squirm as the Mana extraction continued, her moans getting more indecent. I turned away from her and focused my attention on the blade growing from the hilt.

  "Whoa, this is such strange Mana. I've never tried it before," Antipucker said, and indeed, like Elemental Mana, it seemed the Mana of the System was quite different. If I had to guess, it all depended on what type of Archetypes and other abilities the user had.

  "You've got to be kidding me," I muttered as a pink blade materialized alongside cheerleader pom-poms that covered the dragon-shaped pommel.

  I started to laugh. "Wow, you sure look super nice, my friend. An appearance fully fitting the Grand Archsword Omnislayer!"

  "Thanks... what? What the heck is this?!"

  Despite having only eyes at the pommel, my sword could perceive the world with his Mana sense, even if it was obviously not as powerful as mine and worked in a slightly different way. So he could totally see how he looked right now...

  "It's already stopped," Sarah moaned with disappointment. "More... I want more..."

  "No," the sword and I replied at the same time.

  "That Mana sure was tasty, but I don't want to eat it again," the sword complained. "I am the grand slayer of demons. I don't like looking like this."

  "Okay, Sarah. Next, you'll need to kill that meatball on my command."

  "It seems to be in so much pain," she said as her eyes locked on the bloody creature. She definitely hadn't looked concerned about the monsters when I was dismembering them and didn't even mind standing in the puddle of blood here. Now, her boots were completely stained with it. It seemed she finally became a bit more normal.

  "It looks pitiful, so I'll make sure it dies fast," she replied. "Just give your command, and I'll make sure to fulfill your order, sir!"

  I showed her the best spot to stab the monster in the eye, then sent my voice throughout the entire cabin with Air Mana. "Prepare for stabbing, my friends! We'll start in 10 seconds."

  After a short pause, I started to count: "Five... four... three... two... one... GO!"

  I used my Mana sense to ensure everything went smoothly. Even if it didn't, the worst that could happen was that the Ravagers would revive. No, wait—now that I thought about it, if they did revive, they would probably slaughter everyone. Sarah would be the only survivor if I stayed with her. It might be unfair to the orc, who was the only one really risking permanent death, but my priority was still my formal charge. Each revival point mattered for my little geese.

  Thankfully, I had weakened the monsters enough that there wasn't a single problem. Usually, their eyes were protected by their internal Mana, but that was the entire point of exhausting them. If I hadn't, the two human guys and probably even Sarah wouldn't have been able to pierce their eyes. It also helped that the meatballs didn't have eyelids; though in that case, I would have just cut them off. I watched as Sarah pierced the eye with her pink blade as the pom-poms fluttered.

  She has some potential as an assassin, I noted to myself. She was the second one to complete her mission and kill her monster. The first one, of course, was the elf. I'd expected the orc to be faster, but it seemed he wanted to make sure his finishing strike was perfect, taking his time to focus. The two human men were quite careful, still anxious about proving themselves after their earlier mistake. They hesitated until I encouraged them with my voice carried to them by my Air Mana, and with steady nerves, they struck hard, finally causing enough brain damage to finish off their targets.

  The challenge was finally completed.