Elsewhere, far away from Caius
A young man with dark brown hair and gray eyes moved forward.He was massive, his well-defined muscles and height—nearing seven feet—making him look like a human tank.He was the one ranked first: Garon Blackfall, one of the main characters in the game.
Garon moved through the stone labyrinth, boredom clearly visible on his face.
Then, after turning left, he found what he was looking for.Five people moving together—two girls and three boys.One of the groups that had begun to form after the first hour.
Their gazes met.
The five grew tense, while Garon remained the same.
Then, without any warning, his lips curled and a demonic smile appeared on his face.Essence stirred within his savage body.
At the same time, one of the five—apparently their leader—shouted:"Everyone, get ready! Emma, fall back and support us from the rear... the two of us will take his right side!"Then he pointed at the other two. "You’ll take his left side!"
But before any of them could move, Garon’s legs tensed, and in the next instant he shot toward them at an impossible speed.The ground shattered behind him, fragments of rock flying everywhere.
In the next moment, he appeared in front of the group leader and swung his massive fist straight at him."You talk too much, little lamb."
The leader reacted just in time, raising a shield he held in his left hand.Garon’s fist collided with the iron shield.
But contrary to his expectations, the punch did not stop—it continued.
The shield bent and warped like paper, while the boy felt his bones shatter.His body was sent flying backward at terrifying speed, crashing into a large rock.
Dust rose and debris scattered everywhere from the impact, as every bone in the young man’s body was crushed and he was eliminated.
The remaining four stood frozen in shock, before fear appeared on their faces.
But Garon gave them no time.He turned toward the nearest one and threw another punch.The other could do nothing but try to defend, but it was already over—his body shattered under the overwhelming power, and he was eliminated.
Then, from the corner of his eye, Garon saw sharp shards of ice flying toward him.It seemed that the girl, Emma, was the one who had launched them.
He didn’t try to dodge or defend.He simply stood there as his skin—and the armor he wore—hardened, becoming like steel.The ice shards struck him and turned to dust without leaving a single scratch.
At this sight, Emma trembled and took a step back, unsure of what to do.Meanwhile, the other two exchanged a glance, then, without hesitation, turned and ran away from Garon...They were trying to escape, leaving the girl behind as bait.
Garon smiled at the scene."What a bunch of cowards."
He dashed after them, passing by the small girl.The distance between him and the fleeing pair closed in an instant.
The fleeing girl turned her head and found him right behind her, a demonic smile on his face."Please... no," she begged.
But Garon’s foot had already lashed out, delivering a kick to her side that made her scream and crash into the other boy.Both were sent flying until they smashed into a massive rock and were eliminated.
He continued on his way, ignoring the terrified girl as if she were an insect not worth even a moment of his time.
"Weak and pitiful."
...
Elsewhere
A beautiful girl with dark blue hair and icy blue eyes ran through the stone labyrinth.She was Leona Starlin, ranked eighth.
Her expression was calm, like someone who knew exactly what would happen next... and she truly did.Leona possessed an ability that allowed her to see the future one second before it happened—more precisely, to see the event with the highest probability of occurring.
As she advanced through the rocky maze, she suddenly stopped.
"You can come out. I know you’re there."
Silence filled the area, and moments later three figures emerged from behind the rocks.
They were three young men.
One of them smiled."Impressive. You discovered our simple ambush... but as you can see, that doesn’t change much for you."He said this while gesturing to the other two, who formed a semicircle around her.
When he saw that she remained silent, he continued,"How about you join us?"His eyes scanned her from head to toe, his smile deepening."We really could use a beautiful girl like you on the team."
But the only response he received was Leona’s look of disdain.
Seeing this, he sighed."As you wish."He then signaled the others to attack—and moved as well.
Even when she was surrounded by three people from different directions, Leona remained unfazed.All she did was slightly adjust her stance and tighten her grip on the sword in her hand.
Every one of their next movements was visible to her.
Essence surged through her slender body.
The first to reach her was the man on her right, who thrust his spear toward her.But she had seen it coming from miles away.
She raised her sword high and took a step back.In that instant, the spear passed through the spot where she had been standing,and at the same time, she brought her sword down in a vertical slash.
Her blade struck the spear, pinning it into the ground,shock etched across the face of its wielder as he lost his balance.
But she didn’t stop there.
Redirecting the momentum of her strike, she spun on her heel and delivered a backward kick to the spear wielder’s face,sending him flying several steps back.
At that moment, the second man was already in front of her, throwing a punch.She leaned her body slightly, and the fist missed her by a hair’s breadth.
She raised her sword and slashed toward his ribs.Her blade struck him, but he retreated before the wound could deepen and become fatal.
He clutched his wound, groaning in pain.Leona wanted to finish him, but unfortunately, there was a third.
The third arrived above her, cursing his companions."You pathetic pieces of trash."He slashed toward her, but Leona saw it coming like all the previous attacks and blocked it with her sword.
At the same time, the spear wielder had recovered behind her and thrust his spear at her again.This time, she had no way out.
She was blocking the man in front of her while being attacked from behind.
So she revealed something new... a second ability.
Her second ability activated, and in the next instant darkness engulfed the spear wielder’s vision.Not because the area had grown dark—but because Leona had sealed his sense of sight.
She leaned slightly and allowed the blind man’s thrust to continue forward... toward his friend.
The spear pierced his ally’s abdomen, blood spilling onto the ground as his agonized screams rang out."Damn it! Are you blind?!"
Leona followed through, swinging her sword toward his neck.This time, he couldn’t block it. His shield activated, and then he vanished.
Without hesitation, she turned toward the man whose sight had been sealed.He was still stunned, unaware of what had happened."Why... can’t I see?"
Her sword moved straight toward his heart, and the second was eliminated.
Finally, she looked at the third, who was still clutching his wound in shock.She walked toward him, disdain clear on her face.
As she stood over him to finish it, she heard him mutter,"Maybe I shouldn’t have followed that idiot."
The third was eliminated, and her watch chimed, announcing the addition of new points.
She exhaled."That was a little exhausting."
She glanced at her watch.
Remaining time: [8:20:23]
Points: 321
Top Ten Rankings:
1.Elliot Sivrax [523]
2.Garon Blackfall [513]
3.Ellen Asterval [425]
4.Izel Ashvil [420]
5.Kyle Astro [394]
6.Caius Astroweild [370]
7.Leona Starlin [321]
8.Ivan Rexel [310]
9.Naira... [280]
10.Valia... [245]
She raised her head and looked ahead.
"I need to leave this area before I get eliminated."
With those words, she began to move.