Leo gained several dozen levels from defeating the 77 rankers, but it wasn’t the one sided slaughter that left a lasting impression in his mind— but rather the realization of how much of a part psychological fear played into his victory that did.
The rankers seemed gripped by terror, and Leo wasn’t entirely sure why. Was it his infamous reputation or the aura artifact amplifying his presence? He did not know, however, either way, what shocked him was how few of them even tried to mount a serious offense.
Out of the 77, nearly 60 were more focused on shielding themselves, desperate to survive against his attacks rather than committing to an all-out offense and it was precisely this hesitancy, this passive defense, that made the fight feel far easier than it should have been.
As he reflected, a thought crept into his mind, as he wondered if this was what the Demon King felt like on a daily basis?
The way others crumbled before him, not from physical strength alone, but from the weight of his reputation and the fear he instilled, was something new.
For the first time, Leo realized that the phrase ‘Fake It Till You Make It’ wasn’t just about pretending to be something until you became it. There were layers to it—fear, perception, and control—these emotions had far more power than he had ever considered.
Today, Leo had no doubt in his mind that he hadn’t just fought the rankers opposing him physically, but that he had dominated them mentally, and psychologically too.
Had his opponents seen him as a challenge they could conquer, their approach to this battle would have been completely different, however, his reputation undeniably helped him lessen the difficulty of his victory.
********
(Meanwhile on the South Path)
On the south path, Cervantez fought valiantly against the second wave of challengers, managing to kill 97 of them, before his own HP tanked below the 10% mark.
In his mind, Cervantez already knew that he would be unable to survive against a third wave, however, for his own personal satisfaction, he wanted to somehow clear the second wave, killing the last 3 opponents even with a 10% HP bar.
“Come on boys, focus, we can take him down!” Said one of his opponents who was a swordsman as he took a swing, forcing Cervantez to dodge by bending his body low.
‘I won’t fall here,’ he thought, as with a swift, fluid motion, he got back, parrying the second attack with a quick flick of his wrist.
*SHINGG*
The metallic sound of sword hitting sword rang in the air, however, since Cervantez had superior strength, he was able to overpower his opponent and open his defenses, giving himself the chance to capitalize, as he slashed his opponent across his chest.
-9,000 HP!
[Player Ravenclaw has been eliminated.]
Eliminating the first opponent, Cervantez immediately moved to the second one who came at him with a mace, but Cervantez simply twisted to the side, letting the attack glance off his shoulder as he countered with a lightning-fast thrust to the man’s gut.
His sword flared with magical energy as it pierced through his midsection, disemboweling the man and giving him a brutal death.
-12,000 HP!
[Player Ironclad has been eliminated.]
Eliminating two opponents with two moves, Cervantez panted as he faced the last one.
At this point he could feel his body failing, his stamina and mana reserves hit rock bottom.
This second wave had been hard on him, and without relying on traps or special strategies, defeating the second wave had been a very challenging task for him.
Nonetheless, through sheer willpower alone, he kept moving, his last challenger hesitating as despite Cervantez’s slow and labored movements, he doubted if it was a deliberate trap.
‘I should attack from range’ his opponent thought, as he stepped back, however, Cervantez would not let him do it.
Summoning the last of his strength, Cervantez feinted to the right, then spun to the left, driving his blade through his opponent’s heart, however, not before taking a jab to his own abdomen as well.
-15,000 HP!
[Player Bloodthorn has been eliminated.]
Cervantez collapsed to one knee, his sword digging into the ground for support, as although he defeated the second wave of opponents, his own HP flickered at 3%.
“I did it—�� he mused, a soft smile spreading on his face as he retrieved a bottle of max HP potion from his inventory and drank it.
[ System Notification :- Potions will not take effect during the second ranker event. This potion will have no effect. ]
The system notification denied his HP refill, and Cervantez could only chuckle looking at it.
He had prepared for this event by buying max HP potion bottles however they seemed to be for naught now.
Struggling back to his feet, he looked at the gates of his guardian room open once more, as a swarm of 100 more challengers rushed in.
Clenching his sword, Cervantez put forward his bravest face, as although he knew he was going to fall here, he wanted to at least go out with a big smile on his face.
“Look! He only has 3% of his HP left, the guardian is weak!”
“Quick, we can defeat him quickly if we rush in now!”
“Don’t let his stamina regenerate, it’s time to end this–”
The incoming players sensed that Cervantez was a wounded beast nearing his end and hence they circled him like hungry predators.
One after another they launched their strongest attacks, whittling down the HP of the mighty guardian, until he finally went down after giving a honorable performance.
[ The South Guardian ‘DarkEmperor’ has been defeated ]
A notification rang throughout, as all rankers on the south path rejoiced at his defeat.
——-