Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

Chapter 280: Conquering 10 Towns to Merge into One! Key of Volcano and Door Of Fire

Sylvia received a new system notification before anyone could speak, the glowing text appearing suddenly in her vision as she stood beside the defeated David Wilson.

[Ding!]

[Compatible Town Detected.]

[Town Merge Function Available.]

[Merge both towns into one?]

[Y/N]

Sylvia blinked in surprise before looking toward Caelus, her expression showing genuine curiosity as she processed the unexpected option that had just appeared.

"Hubby," she called out, "there’s a merge option."

Caelus raised an eyebrow hearing this.

"Merge?" he repeated.

Sylvia nodded quickly.

"It says we can combine both towns into one," she explained., "should I do it?"

Caelus thought for a brief moment before smiling, the possibilities of such a function becoming immediately clear to him as he considered the strategic advantages.

"Go ahead," he replied, his tone confident and certain, "let’s see what happens."

Sylvia pressed Yes without further hesitation.

The earth began trembling violently beneath their feet, every player inside both towns immediately felt the powerful vibration spreading through the ground, the sudden shaking causing widespread panic and confusion.

NPCs stopped what they were doing mid-action.

Merchants stepped outside their stores with worried expressions, players looked around in confusion as items rattled on shelves and tables, the trembling growing stronger with each passing second.

Large cracks spread across the ground rapidly, golden light poured from beneath the streets like molten energy, the brilliant glow illuminating everything as the transformation began.

Empty land between the two settlements began expanding impossibly.

Roads stretched outward on their own as though guided by invisible hands, new buildings slowly rose from underground with smooth deliberate movements, houses emerged first.

Blacksmiths followed shortly after.

Training fields materialized next, market stalls appeared in organized rows, guard towers grew tall and sturdy at strategic points.

The town walls extended dramatically in every direction, the gates became significantly larger and more imposing than before, both town centers slowly moved together like massive puzzle pieces.

They perfectly fused into one unified structure.

Two Town Crystals floated into the air simultaneously, they merged into a single larger crystal that suspended itself above the newly combined Town Hall, the crystal pulsing with brilliant golden energy.

Players watched everything in complete disbelief, their mouths hanging open as the impossible spectacle unfolded before their eyes, some recorded the event frantically on their phones.

"The town," one non-player stammered in shock, "it’s changing!"

"What is happening?" a player shouted over the noise.

[Town Merge Successful.]

[Town Genesis has absorbed another settlement.]

[Town Rank Increased.]

The shaking gradually stopped, the newly expanded Genesis Town now felt several times larger than before, the transformation complete as everything settled into place.

Sylvia looked around excitedly.

"It actually worked," she said with wonder.

Caelus smiled beside her.

The two began walking through the newly expanded town together, observing the changes and improvements that had resulted from the successful merge, players and NPCs alike still processing what had just occurred.

"For the Tier Two Regional Lord Territory," Caelus began thoughtfully, pausing as he organized his thoughts, "we need ten towns under our control."

Sylvia nodded in understanding.

"That’s right," she agreed, her expression becoming more serious as she remembered the requirement, "we completely forgot about that requirement."

Caelus chuckled lightly.

"Not that it really matters," he replied casually, pausing before continuing his explanation, "we could ask another Tier Two player to let us enter, Elite Rank isn’t the problem."

"But owning towns," he continued, his voice becoming more thoughtful as he considered the long-term implications, "will become extremely valuable later."

Sylvia smiled hearing his reasoning.

"Then let’s finish it," she declared.

Caelus grinned in response.

"Only eight more," he agreed.

Caelus first went to one nearest to him.

The Town Lord immediately recognized Caelus the moment they entered his settlement, his eyes widening with instant recognition as fear crossed his face, his hand already moving toward his phone.

"You’re," he stammered nervously, "Caelus Kross?"

He hurriedly opened the livestream on his phone, the screen showing David Wilson’s recent defeat playing for thousands of viewers, the humiliating footage already viral across the server.

"Forget it," the Town Lord said quickly, his voice resigned as he made his decision, "I surrender."

He transferred ownership immediately without argument.

---

The second Town Lord initially refused when they arrived, his expression defiant as he crossed his arms stubbornly, his pride preventing immediate surrender despite knowing who stood before him.

"Nobody takes my—" he began boldly.

Caelus casually crushed a stone pillar beside him using Telekinesis, the thick column crumbling into dust instantly as though it were made of sand, the demonstration of power leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Silence fell over the area.

"Never mind," the Town Lord said quickly, his defiance evaporating completely as survival instinct took over, "take it."

The third Town Lord was actually relieved when they appeared, his shoulders relaxing visibly as he let out a long breath, his expression showing genuine gratitude rather than fear.

"Honestly?" he began with a tired laugh, shaking his head as he spoke, "managing a town is exhausting, you can have it."

He transferred ownership willingly.

A small fight occurred at the fourth town, the Town Lord refusing to surrender without at least attempting to defend his territory, Sylvia defeated him in only a few exchanges.

He immediately gave up afterward.

Word spread rapidly throughout the remaining towns, every new Town Lord already knew who Caelus was before he arrived, the viral livestream ensuring his reputation preceded him everywhere.

Most surrendered without resistance.

Some transferred ownership the moment Caelus appeared, others didn’t even wait for him to speak before offering their towns voluntarily, the livestream of David’s defeat had gone viral throughout the entire server.

Once all ten towns belonged to Sylvia the Merge option appeared repeatedly in her interface, she accepted every merge without hesitation as the massive transformation began again.

Ten Town Crystals floated into the sky simultaneously.

Each one released massive beams of light that pierced the clouds above, the surrounding land expanded again and again with tremendous force, entire forests shifted positions.

Roads connected automatically between distant districts.

New areas appeared filled with buildings and facilities, hundreds of NPCs suddenly found themselves living inside one enormous settlement, players watched in amazement as Genesis transformed before their eyes.

[Town Genesis has successfully merged ten settlements.]

[Current Population]

[Players: 4,836]

[NPC Residents: 17,942]

[Total Population: 22,778]

Caelus quietly looked at the notification, his expression showing satisfaction as he read through the impressive statistics, the numbers far exceeding his initial expectations.

"Now that’s beginning to look like a real town," he commented.

After finishing everything related to the town merges, Caelus turned toward Sylvia with renewed focus.

"Let’s leave," he suggested, pausing briefly before continuing, "we’ll reveal the Chaos Faction later, for now we will focus on leveling up."

Sylvia nodded immediately in agreement.

"Let’s get stronger," she replied.

They entered the Origin Expanse portal together, their vision blurring momentarily as space transported them to the wilderness area, the familiar sensation of crossing between zones washing over them.

They traveled naturally through the regions.

Misty Woods appeared first with its characteristic fog, Arkham River followed with its rushing waters and dangerous currents, finally they reached Volcano Land.

The area felt much hotter than before.

Rivers of lava flowed through the landscape creating deadly obstacles, smoke constantly rose from distant volcanoes filling the air with ash, the temperature increasing noticeably with every step forward.

The moment Caelus stepped fully into Volcano Land the Key of Volcano inside his inventory began glowing intensely, a deep crimson light leaked through his storage interface, the sudden reaction catching his attention immediately.

"...?" Caelus frowned.

He took it out carefully, the key floated into the air on its own without any input from him, a beam of red light shot toward the largest volcano in the region.

The beam slowly transformed into a guiding arrow.

Both of them stared at the phenomenon in surprise, neither expecting such a dramatic reaction from the key they had obtained earlier, the arrow pointing steadily in one specific direction.

"It’s showing us something." Sylvia observed quietly.

Caelus slowly nodded in agreement.

"Looks like it is our next opportunity."

They made the journey following the arrow’s guidance, crossing rivers of magma by leaping between floating stones, walking along narrow volcanic cliffs where one misstep meant death.

They dodged erupting geysers that shot up without warning.

The arrow never changed direction throughout their travel, remaining steady and consistent as it led them deeper into Volcano Land’s most dangerous areas.

After some time they finally reached the center of the region.

Standing before them was an enormous obsidian door built directly into the side of the volcano, flames continuously flowed across its surface like living creatures, ancient runes covered every inch of the entrance.

Above it were three massive words carved deep into the stone.

Door of Fire.

Heat radiated from it so intensely that even the surrounding air appeared distorted, the temperature near the door far exceeding anything they had experienced elsewhere in Volcano Land.

"This wasn’t here before," Sylvia commented.

Caelus nodded in agreement.

"It most definitely appeared because of the key."

As both of them approached the obsidian entrance a notification appeared in their vision, the system message appearing clearly despite the visual distortion caused by intense heat.

[Ding!]

[Special Location Discovered.]

[Door of Fire]

[Would you like to enter?]

[Y/N]

Caelus looked toward Sylvia questioningly, seeking her agreement before proceeding into unknown territory, knowing whatever lay beyond would likely be dangerous.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Always," she replied.

They both pressed Yes simultaneously, the obsidian door slowly opened with a deep grinding sound, endless white light poured out from the widening gap.

Their vision twisted violently.

Their surroundings distorted as reality seemed to bend around them, space itself seemed to fold and compress in impossible ways, the sensation was unlike any teleportation they had experienced.

It felt as though reality itself was being rewritten.

Everything suddenly became pitch black, neither Caelus nor Sylvia could see each other anymore, the darkness absolute and complete as though they had been transported into pure void.

Just then a deep ancient voice echoed from every direction simultaneously.

"Axiom..."