Chapter 487: New Rules
Author’s Notes: Unfortunately, we did not manage to attain top 5 ranking last month in golden ticket. I blame a large part of that to my slow updates and other factors caused by me. The event still available, Top 5 ranking = 5 Chapters bonus.
Current Ranking: Top 11. Let’s try get back our rankings for some more updates. (Also planning to do 3 chaps a day every now and then.) (Doesn’t affect Chapter price or usual length)
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Score: 580 Points
Rank: 2nd
Despite doing nothing point-related since his encounter with the Cryomancer, Moon had held onto the top 3 ranking positions.
Most of the other competitors were earning points slowly, in small increments, and the gap between the top of the leaderboard and the middle was wide enough that his static position hadn’t been threatened yet.
But the first place had changed.
[1st Place: 730 Points]
’The first place is... Selene.’
Moon was almost certain of it. The point gain pattern matched what he expected from her. After leaving the starting site, she had likely run through her assigned sections aggressively, picked off a few weaker opponents, and gained points steadily.
Two hundred and thirty points beyond what they had earned from the Elephantos meant she had been busy.
’She really is a candidate worth watching.’ Moon thought, a small smile tugging at his lips.
The third place was the more pressing concern.
[3rd Place: 510 Points]
Whoever this was, they had been earning points fast. Punching through the rankings at an alarming rate. Considering that they had gained this many points without killing or participating in the death of the Elephantos meant they were a serious competitor.
Moon’s lead over them was seventy points, which felt a little comfortable on the surface but wasn’t.
If he stayed idle for too long, third would catch up.
Moon’s eyes lingered on the leaderboard for another moment. Then he closed the display.
His rest period would need to be short.
Moon rested for about half an hour, letting his mana refill and his muscles recover. When he felt ready, he rose to his feet.
’It’s time.’
He destroyed the rocks he had placed at the cave entrance, scattering them with a powerful sweep of his foot, and stepped back out into the zone. The sun had moved considerably since he had entered the cave, forming shadows through the trees.
Getting more skills was no longer his priority. He had already copied a high-quality class earlier, and the twenty-four-hour cooldown on his Classless ability meant he couldn’t copy another one yet. Now it was time to focus on the leaderboard before he lost his ranking.
’Back on track.’
He set off through the terrain, moving at a maintainable pace, his senses sweeping for signs of activity. He didn’t have to search for long before one announced itself.
~BOOM~
A loud explosion echoed from the south. The ground beneath Moon’s feet trembled faintly from the residual shockwave.
He stopped in his tracks. A small smile formed on his face.
Based on the volume and intensity, the source wasn’t far. A few hundred meters at most. He turned south and broke into a run.
The terrain opened up into a clearing injured by recent combat.
Trees were splintered, some burning, the ground was scorched, and burn marks spread outward from a central point. In the middle of the destruction, a young man with red hair stood over a kneeling figure whose body was riddled with burn scars.
"Hand your points over."
"Y-Yes!" The kneeling figure stammered, already raising his watch with trembling hands.
The red-haired young man’s head turned at Moon’s arrival, his expression abandoning the previous coldness and turning into something closer to surprise.
"Moon?"
"Kael." Moon stepped into the clearing. "Long time no see."
Kael studied him for a moment, then nodded calmly. He turned his attention back to the kneeling figure and gave instructions, providing his candidate number and confirming the point transfer through his watch. Once the points moved over, Kael forced the man to press the surrender button.
The watch chimed softly.
[You have been eliminated. Please head to the nearest exit.]
A holographic arrow projected from the device, pointing in the direction the eliminated competitor needed to walk to leave the zone.
The man rose unsteadily from his injuries and limped away in the indicated direction, not daring to look back at Kael.
Kael turned his full attention to Moon.
"I texted you a while back. Asked if you were participating. You didn’t respond. I figured you weren’t coming."
"Yeah." Moon shrugged. "Wanted to surprise you. But here I am."
"I see." Kael’s expression softened slightly. "Well. Want to fight?"
Moon shook his head, a soft smile on his face. "That’s not smart for the Glassy Group’s sake, is it? It’s better we both make it to the later stages, alongside that other Glassy candidate your father mentioned to me."
Kael nodded slowly. "I know. Just thought I’d offer in case you wanted a little spar."
He turned to leave, his hand brushing through his red hair.
"Well, I’ll be on my way. I’m still not in the top ten ranking, I need to catch up, and I’m sure you are."
Moon’s brows rose. "How did you know?"
Kael paused, glancing over his shoulder.
"Just a hunch."
Kael walked off into the trees without elaborating further.
Moon watched him go, the small smile still on his lips. Kael had always been sharper than people gave him credit for.
’As expected of Tom’s son.’
Moon watched Kael disappear into the trees, his estimation of the young man rising another notch.
Kael’s "hunch" was sharper than most people’s analysis. He had read the situation in seconds, drawn a conclusion that turned out to be correct, and walked away before the conversation could pull anything else out of him.
Like father, like son.
Moon shook his head with a small smile and continued on his way.
Although he hadn’t gained any points from the encounter, he wasn’t disheartened. Meeting an old friend in the middle of a tournament had its own value. It reminded him that the competition wasn’t just an obstacle to overcome. It was a stage where the people in his life were testing themselves alongside him.
Time passed. Moon moved through the zone calmly, picking off isolated competitors when opportunities arose. None of them were strong enough to provide many points, but they all carried points regardless. He gained at a steady rate, twenty to thirty points an hour, his ranking holding firm in the top three.
Then his watch buzzed sharply.
