Chapter 483: Target Found!
Moon continued his search without overexerting himself. He let his pace settle into something sustainable, his senses sweeping the surroundings for the telltale signs of nearby fights or hidden groups.
He also knew something the other competitors hadn’t figured out yet. Klein had said it himself during the introduction. The zone was large now, but it wouldn’t stay that way forever. At some point, the tournament organizers would force everyone into a smaller area, compressing the battlefield and accelerating the eliminations.
When that happened, finding targets wouldn’t be a challenge anymore.
Moon adjusted his grip on his staff and kept moving.
♢♢♢♢
~Bzzt~
Moon felt his watch vibrate against his skin. A notification appeared on the holographic display.
[Next Section Assignment: B6]
He pulled up the map and checked the coordinates. The section was far. Significantly further than his last targets.
"This is going to be a long run."
He stored his staff in his storage ring and broke into a sprint.
The trees blurred past him as he ran. Moon’s enhanced physical conditioning allowed him to maintain a fast pace without burning through his stamina, his strides long and efficient, his breathing controlled.
He cut through forests, leapt across rocky outcrops, and crossed open clearings without slowing.
Five minutes passed.
The terrain opened up into a wide clearing marked by a soft glow on his watch. He had arrived.
His display flashed.
[Section B6 Reached]
[First Arrival]
[+10 Points]
[Total: 580 Points]
"First arrival, huh." Moon murmured, a small smile tugging at his lips.
He looked around the empty clearing. None of his group had arrived yet. The window was open for some time, which meant Evolvers from his group would be pouring in soon, racing for the second and third arrival points.
’Perfect.’
Moon spotted a tall tree at the edge of the clearing, its thick canopy providing both elevation and cover. He kicked off the ground and leapt upward, catching the lowest branch and pulling himself higher in a few smooth motions.
He settled into a comfortable position among the leaves, his back against the trunk, his eyes scanning the paths leading into the clearing.
He had a clear view of every entry point.
Now he just had to wait.
Moon felt a soft displacement of air above him. His eyes snapped upward to find a small camera drone hovering nearby, its lens panning across the clearing and across his perched figure in the tree.
The broadcast was watching.
At that exact moment, across the kingdom, screens flickered to Moon’s face. The crowd that had been hyped up from his Elephantos kill erupted again, voices rising in excited chatter.
"It’s him! Moon’s on screen!"
"Where is he now? What’s he doing?"
"He’s just sitting in a tree. What’s the play?"
Moon ignored the camera. It would record whatever it wanted. His focus stayed locked on the entry points leading into the clearing.
A few minutes passed.
Then movement caught his eye. A figure emerged from the southern path, sprinting at a relatively fast pace.
A young man with pale skin and silver-blue hair, wearing dark pants and a dark blue magical robe, his weapon a slender staff held tightly in his right hand.
Moon activated Eye of Truth.
[Class: Cryomancer]
[Order: Second]
[Skills: Cryomancy II , Ice Storm II , Frost Pillar II ]
’Jackpot.’ Moon thought, a grin spreading across his face.
Ice was an advanced element, only slightly behind his own lightning in raw destructive potential.
Adding it to his arsenal would dramatically expand his versatility. Combined with his True Elemental Physique foundation, he could potentially integrate ice into his existing combinations.
Moon activated his Classless copy skill without hesitation.
[Class: Cryomancer]
[Order: Second]
[Duration: 24 hours.]
The Cryomancer entered the clearing, still unaware of Moon’s presence. His watch flashed as he registered the second arrival.
[+5 Points]
He smiled to himself, clearly pleased with the result.
Moon dropped from the tree.
The Cryomancer’s instincts kicked in instantly. He felt the movement of the air above him, and he leapt backward in a single explosive motion, his staff swinging up to block any close range attack.
Moon landed in a low crouch where the man had been standing a heartbeat earlier, his staff already drawn.
The two locked eyes across the space between them.
The Cryomancer’s hand was already moving, frost gathering at his staff tip.
Moon studied the Cryomancer’s aura carefully as he straightened up from his crouch.
’Peak of third star... similar to me.’
This wasn’t a fight he could end in a single move. The Cryomancer was at his level, possibly with his own trump cards held in reserve. A real engagement would be long, and costly. Moon didn’t have time for that currently.
He sheathed his sword in a smooth motion and offered the man a soft smile.
"Just wanted to say hi. Don’t mind me, I’ll be on my way."
He turned and started walking toward the opposite edge of the clearing.
The Cryomancer, however, had different ideas.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
His hand rose up with the staff. A spinning icicle the size of a spear forming at the tip of his staff crystal, becoming razor sharp in an instant.
Whoosh!
He launched it forward at Moon’s unassuming back without hesitation,
Moon turned mid-stride, his hand already raising. Lightning crackled from his fingertips, a single concentrated bolt that streaked across the clearing and met the icicle head-on.
The two elements collided in the air between them.
Lightning and ice warred briefly. Frost spread along the lightning’s edges, slowing it. But the bolt’s raw energy tore through the icicle in less than a second, shattering it into a spray of frozen fragments that scattered across the ground.
The lightning continued forward without losing momentum, racing toward the Cryomancer.
The Cryomancer raised his staff and conjured a second icicle just in time to intercept. The two elements collided again, this time with the Cryomancer’s full force behind his counter. The lightning dispersed against the second projectile, both attacks dying out in a final shower of sparks and ice.
