The current ranking was now:
---
1. Olympus Guild – 230 PTS
2. Adventurer Guild – 200 PTS
3. Martial Palace – 188 PTS
4. Holy Church – 178 PTS
---
"Ladies and gentlemen, it’s just the first day, but this event has already been filled with thrilling ups and downs!" the commentator back at the viewing centers in the Valerian Kingdom announced, a bashful expression on her face.
The entire kingdom exploded into roars of cheer. This was by far one of the most exciting Inter-Guild Display Events they had witnessed.
And the best part? It was only the first day. The event would continue until the monsters around the kingdom were all successfully cleared.
Like every event, the majority of the populace had placed bets on who would come out on top. Most placed their wagers on Olympus, Martial Palace, or the Holy Church.
In the eyes of the public, those three were the top guilds.
However, now that the rankings had shifted unpredictably, all those who bet on the usual favorites began to grow anxious.
Only a small group had placed their bets on the Adventurer Guild—and most of those were players or fans of Sir Broken.
Those players were filled with boundless excitement, their hearts thundering in their chests as they watched the rankings.
"If they lead, we’ll be f*cking rich!"
"For a second there, I thought I made the wrong choice. Good thing I trusted my instincts."
Back on the battlefield, Gabriel kept spinning, slowly thinning the swarm of crocs.
"Just how much stamina does he have?" one of his teammates muttered.
"He needs to stop. Even if it’s someone like him, I fear if he continues for too long, he might burn himself out," Bunny whispered, concern in her voice.
Right at that moment, she noticed a ripple in the middle of the lake water.
However, it was very brief—so brief that she began to doubt herself.
She narrowed her eyes. "What’s that?"
"Did you notice the water boiling just now?" she asked her teammates.
"I didn’t."
"Me neither."
The frown on her face deepened. She turned her focus back to the livestream comments. The responses were just as negative.
"Maybe I was overthinking." Shaking her head, she returned to the one-sided slaughter unfolding before her.
After spinning for a good twenty minutes, Gabriel finally stopped. His eyes spun as he staggered slightly, stabilizing himself.
He refused to fall and show weakness. Towering over the battlefield, his gaze swept around and noticed that all the crocs had died.
More were coming from the lake, but it was no longer overwhelming—his team could now handle them easily.
[Ding! You have reached Level 50!]
[Ding! You are now eligible for your first Class Advancement]
[Ding! All EXP will now be stored until Class Advancement is completed]
A smirk appeared on Gabriel’s face. Just within a month, he had reached Level 50—something that took him months to achieve in his past life.
Standing in the midst of the bloody battlefield, Gabriel wore a smirk on his face. His crimson hair fluttered in the wind, electric blue eyes gleaming with chilling coldness, and his bloodied greatsword rested casually against his shoulder—a sight so striking that viewers couldn’t help but screenshot it.
It was a picture they would immortalize in their hearts.
However, Gabriel didn’t bask in his achievement for long.
---
Suddenly, a giant wave of water rose up from the lake—it was over twenty meters tall.
"Huh."
"What’s that?!"
The eyes of everyone—even those watching—snapped toward that direction, their expressions widening in disbelief.
Gabriel calmly looked up from his system screen toward the rising wave.
"I knew I wasn’t wrong!" Bunny exclaimed.
From the wave, a creature began to slowly emerge.
It was a giant serpent-centipede hybrid with sapphire-blue scales. Its eyes burned like molten red lava.
It was powerful. Dominating. Regal. At the same time, it gave off an oppressive, suffocating aura.
However, what was perhaps the most intimidating thing about this monster was...
"Level 95... It’s almost as strong as the Ant Queen," Gabriel muttered in a daze.
He remembered his fight with the Ant Queen. He remembered being forced to use his trump card—[Blood Rush]—just to win.
And now... a monster of that level had shown up again.
Gabriel’s heart began to thunder with a mix of trepidation and excitement.
---
[Forum]
Willow: Tell me, tell me, my eyes are deceiving me? WHAT. IS. THAT.
SkeleGoat69: THAT’S A BOSS. A REAL BOSS. LEVEL 95 HOLY SHIIII—
CritSlasher: faints in digital keyboard language.
AriaBlessed: BRO LOOK AT THAT AURA—IT’S GIVING... FINAL BOSS VIBES?!?!
SirBrokenFanClub: OUR KING IS GONNA FIGHT THAT THING?! PLS LET HIM COOK!
---
Back in the kingdom’s viewing center, the room went completely silent for the first time that day.
Even the commentator paused mid-sentence.
"...Ladies and gentlemen, if my system display isn’t broken... a Level 95 King-Rank Monster has just spawned!"
The crowd erupted.
People jumped to their feet, some screaming in excitement, others biting their nails.
"This is insane! This has to be one of the strongest bosses to appear so far in the Inter-Guild Display Event!"
---
Right at that moment, all players received a worldwide notification.
[Ding! Warning: The Lake Serpent King – LV.95 has emerged.
Guild Ranking Bonus: +80 PTS upon successful defeat]
Due to his unique status, Gabriel saw the announcement projected in the sky as well—but he remained calm.
Meanwhile, the enormous serpent-centipede hybrid crawled its way to the shoreline, steam rising from its body. Each movement sent tremors through the ground.
Gabriel casually rotated his neck, then stabbed Crimson Judgement into the cracked earth beside him.
The lake shook again as the boss raised its head fully into view. Its molten eyes locked onto Gabriel.
The two monsters of war simply stared at each other—one man, one beast.
Then, Gabriel grinned and gestured with his hand.
"Come."
***
Thanks to all those who support Extraction Talent with their valuable Golden tickets, Gifts and power stones, I really appreciate! It keeps me motivated!