Chapter 386: Chapter 386: 12 Hours Remain, The Berserkers Are Here
The next hours Leon spent in the [Ruined City] were relatively uneventful except for the fact that he killed any monster he encountered, moving through the crumbling streets with practiced efficiency and determination.
And he encountered a decent amount of them scattered throughout the ruined buildings and broken plazas, each one presenting a unique challenge.
From a [Ruined Spider] that skittered through the debris with terrifying speed, to [Dusk Vermin] that swarmed in packs of summons, to a [Ghastly Ghoul] that shrieked with an ear-piercing wail, all of them were impossible difficulty monsters that roamed the place with deadly intent.
Of course, even if he struggled a little against some of them due to their unique abilities and resistances, in the end, he managed to kill them all, his blade and spells proving more than enough to overcome their defenses.
Tick!
[116 participants remain.]
The amount of participants was dangerously getting close to below 100, meaning that there must really not be a lot of people left in Iris’ domain, the competition growing fiercer with each elimination.
And more than anything, the timer was continuing to tick down, reminding everyone that they were running out of time.
[12:00:02... 12:00:01... 12:00:00]
Ding!
[Only 12 hours remain in the "Excursion", a barrier will now form around the domain’s edges and slowly close in, if you stay outside the barrier for too long, you will be hit by something... very strong.]
"Hm," Leon grunted, his eyes narrowing as he read the notification.
Leon had the feeling that something like this would appear eventually, because after all, if the entirety of Iris’ domain was the event area, it meant that at some point people simply never find each other and the event would become stale.
They’d simply stay in their own place once the amount of participants dropped enough, killing any monster they found and hoping that it worked out without ever encountering another player.
And also, there was one more announcement beside this one, something that caught everyone’s attention.
Because right in front of Leon, a panel appeared, and it wasn’t a ranking of all participants like he had expected.
[The player with the highest amount of "Mana Points" currently has 328.]
Leon’s expression darkened at that moment, and he gazed at his own amount with a mixture of frustration.
[Mana Points: 203]
He was quite sure he had enough of them to be in the top 10 at least, given the pace he had been going at, but the fact the difference between him and the angel, which yes, Leon assumed was the top one, was astounding and disheartening.
’I would need around 6 impossible difficulty monsters to catch up, and he’s not gonna stop anytime soon,’ Leon calculated, his mind racing.
Which meant that indeed, Leon, as well as many others that were watching this panel, knew that their only way to secure victory was to defeat whoever was in first place and eliminate them from the event.
But likely nobody except for Leon knew who the first place player actually was, which would instead simply prompt others to become much more violent and aggressive in their hunting.
Tick! Tick! Tick!
[113 participants remain.]
In around a minute, the amount of participants dropped by three more, the eliminations accelerating rapidly.
It had been slowing down as players spread out, but it seems like Iris didn’t like her "fun" to end so soon and had decided to speed things up.
Leon very highly doubted that Emilia or Celeste were still alive at this point, except if they found a place with low players and managed to hide from the stronger competitors.
But right as Leon was about to head forward and continue his hunting, another notification appeared that made him stop in his tracks.
Ding!
[Oh, I forgot, the four berserkers will be unleashed on each of the four main areas of the domain: Ruined City, Treacherous Mountains, Forest of Doom, Darkened Plains.]
[Good luck, they are worth a LOT of Mana Points.]
"Wait what—" Leon started, but before he could finish his sentence, the world around him erupted into chaos.
BOOM!
Before Leon or anyone nearby could comprehend what was happening, a thundering beam of light appeared in the center of the ruined city, piercing through the clouds and striking the ground with devastating force.
But not just here, in the other areas as well, three other beams erupted into the sky, each of them summoning an unbelievably powerful monster into existence.
’Wait, there’s four of them meaning... if I kill one or two, I might be able to come back,’ Leon thought, his mind already planning his route.
Especially if he killed the one in the ruined city as that would mean Orion lost that opportunity to gain even more mana points.
’Goddamn it, Iris,’ Leon grinned devilishly, ’I knew you wouldn’t let it be easy, and I thank you for that.’
Leon believed that he’d dominate this event, but now that he was on the verge of "losing" to Orion, he actually appreciated this kind of twist that gave him a chance to turn things around.
As soon as he got rid of the berserker in the [Ruined City] he would immediately aim for another zone to try and claim another one.
The treacherous mountains were the closest ones to his current location, so he’d go there and try to find that other "berserker", whatever it happened to be.
For now, he wanted to head to the center of the [Ruined City] and see what he had to deal with up close.
That was likely the case for every other player across the four areas too, the strongest being drawn to the most dangerous foes, so Leon knew it would be dangerous.
And yet, the simple idea of receiving a lot of "Mana Points" was enough to entice him to head there, no matter the risks involved.
’Orion’s gonna be there too, perfect opportunity to deal with him as well,’ Leon thought, a plan forming in his mind.
Leon immediately dashed forward at that moment toward the center of the ruined city, his feet pounding against the broken stone.
It only took him a few minutes to reach since he had been fairly close to the central plaza, but once he arrived, Leon used [Abyssal Slash] to seep into the ground, becoming one with the shadows, while Alphox used [Shadow Step] to hide as well, the baby dragon following his lead perfectly.
The two of them then used this opportunity to observe the scene unfolding before them and assess the situation.
"Holy shit," Leon whispered, his eyes widening at the sight.
In the center of the ruined city, a massive minotaur stood there, around eight-meters tall with a hulking frame that seemed to block out the light, with a giant axe in its hands that gleamed with a menacing edge.
Its brown fur leaked aura that crackled around its body like lightning, while its horns seemed very sharp and deadly, capable of impaling even the toughest armor with ease, and its crimson eyes swept over the area with predatory intensity.
Standing before it was a group of level 100 players who seemed to have teamed up to take it down together, their weapons raised and spells ready.
But even their combined strength proved to be no match for the beast.
SMASH!
A single swing of the minotaur’s massive axe was enough to wipe out the entire group, or at least, almost all of them as only two remained alive, stumbling backward in shock.
Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!
[106 participants remain.]
Leon heard the ticking sound repeatedly as he saw the amount of participants drop rapidly, the berserker making quick work of the competition.
The "berserkers" were indeed here to wipe out all of those that weren’t worthy, and even those that were strong stood little chance against them based on what he had just witnessed.
Appraisal!
[Berserker Minotaur (Mana Monster Boss)]
[Level: 100]
[Talent: None]
[Combat Power: 10,000,000]
"First 10 million monster I’m facing," Leon mumbled as saw the giant minotaur, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and excitement, "And it said mana monster boss..."
All of the mana monsters were extremely strong, at least compared to normal monsters, but this one was an actual boss with a title that set it apart.
Its crimson eyes swept over the place searching for anybody, but of course, it wasn’t able to detect Leon or Alphox who remained hidden in the shadows.
The minotaur killed the two players that had survived its first attack with a casual swing of its axe, shattering some of the buildings behind them, then got ready to move around the city in search of more victims.
It had a special skill that could detect heat signatures in a large radius around it, so nothing could escape its detection once it got close enough (except if you hid in shadows it seemed).
But right as it was about to move to wipe out the ruined city’s remaining participants, something intervened.
SLASH!
With terrifying speed, Orion swept at the minotaur and slashed its leg with his holy sword, drawing first blood from the massive beast.
ROOOOAR!
The minotaur roared as a result and looked at its opponent, fury in its crimson eyes as it focused on the angel.
"Do not fret, berserker, I’ll end you quickly," Orion smiled as he got ready to battle, his golden blade gleaming with power.
Meanwhile, Leon was happy that Orion seemingly couldn’t detect him either despite his incredible abilities.
No matter how strong the angel was, there was no way he could see through an SSS-Level darkness talent’s skill when used properly!
But still, Leon knew he’d need to emerge at some point to kill the minotaur, as he couldn’t allow Orion to take all the mana points for himself.
’Just... gotta wait now,’ Leon grinned internally, watching the battle unfold from the shadows.
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