Astre walked through the dense foliage of the jungle. Walking while making sure to keep his Death Sense and Eye for Details active constantly was tiring. Though he was lucky enough that he didn't encounter anyone, it was still good practice. At the one hour mark, he received a notification that the score leaderboard updated.

1. Sparrow - 103 points 2. Harbinger - 20 points 3. Loveless - 14 points 4. Glory - 13 points 5. Apollo - 7 points 6. Draq - 7 points 7. Astre - 6 points 8. Blaze - 3 point 9. ILikePancakes - 2 points 10. Awe - 2 points 11. Blue - 1 point ...

The list only contained people who carried points and stopped at spot 109th. It was hard to tell this way how many people were left in the tournament. He was amazed when he saw the first place. Sparrow was Nightshadows leader, and the point he had suggested he must have killed a member of Stars of Genesis and their party members.

Sparrow was a bit of tough nut to crack as a player. He was always cocky, but at the same time, he more often than not achieved what he wanted. He didn't participate in the last tournament, but Astre was sure that the man would have placed high.

Harbinger was a member of Stars of Genesis. Quite a controversial one since she had abilities that turned dead players' bodies into NPC servants. They could also use their skills to a certain degree. Astre knew she had a small guild back in the day, but he didn't know how many followed her after all this time.

Still, at least over one hundred people died. Maybe more if people who killed someone died when not being in an alliance. Looking at the first place, Astre already knew he would have to sooner or later, somehow, kill a leader. The other option of being the last man standing didn't seem realistic.

Shaking his head, he considered his inventory.

Armor of Shroud Obsidian Wood Bow Sword of Trickster Steel Arrows with Orichalcum Tip x 93 Bent Arrows x4 Camping Supplies x 98 Trap-making Materials Chest Violet Scale Poison Trap Doll - Ashes of Inferno Snake Egg Corrosion Poison Healing Potion x 3 Mind Recovery Potion x 5 Armor Polish x 1 Weapon Fixing Kit x 1

The loot from players seemed only to allow him to take their consumables and in limited numbers too. Scouring around, he managed to recover some arrows. The trashing of the snake bent some. The boss also only dropped and an egg and poison with five doses. The egg he was delighted with since it could hatch into a pet or mount. Both would be considerably useful in the tournament. He didn't have any pet based skills, but he could find a few uses for one.

Wandering through the jungle, he wondered what he would do about the plainest and one of the most essential needs, sleep. He could probably survive without sleep for three days. At the same time, he would be nowhere near his best performance after the second day. He would be forced to sleep somewhere for three or four hours, hoping his camping abilities would keep him safe.

Thinking about it, he should find a place to camp and make more dolls for his substitution ability. He could use it once every twenty minutes, and the range limit was half a mile. He could only be connected to one doll at a time, but he still found the skill very powerful. He unlocked it by making enemies think a booby-trapped figure was him, many times. People in the heat of combat would attack anything that resembled their enemy, especially when they were angry.

If he found a safe place to rest in, he could drink one of the Mind Recovery Potions he had. They worked better when one wasn't constantly using abilities. It lessened the effect of overuse of skills, but drinking too many of them too fast would cause adverse effects. He once did, and the way his view spun and twisted changing colors left him quite traumatized.

He heard something to his right, a silent sound of running water could be heard. Checking it over, he soon found a small brook running through the jungle. Having nothing else to fall on in ways of directions. He decided to follow it downstream. Hoping to find some great place to rest.

Walking down the stream, the leaderboard updated once more as the second hour of the tournament clocked in. Adding fifty more spots to it. Astre also dropped to tenth place. He wondered if people have seen him setting loose the snake on six players. The players themselves must hate him by now, and he doubted anyone would praise him for doing PK-train. Though he only smirked at this since he was committed to doing whatever it took in order to win.

Soon the streamlet connected with a vaster river. Thinking about it, if he gathered enough wood and had an hour or two to waste, he could make a raft to travel with. He left that idea as plan C in case his egg didn't become a mount, and he didn't feel like running and parkouring.

Then he noticed a great place to rest in. Without his ability, he wouldn't have seen it for sure. A small opening in rocks next to the river led to a cavern. The entrance was covered in deep foliage and tree fragments brought by the river. He used his Cover ability on the boulders covering the way into the cave entirely in plants and earth, leaving only a small passage for air to pass through.

He prepared to use his Create: Camp ability. Over gaining levels in the skillset, it unlocked new effects. It was his only ability that changed twice when he gained levels.

Create: Camp (Active)

Create a tent to sleep in and a campfire. Uses one Camping Supplies. Cooldown: 4 hours.

Level 3 Camp Making unlocked effect: The tent and anyone in it will be shielded from most detection abilities. Campfire will not produce smoke, and the shelter will change its form to camouflage itself in the surrounding better. Uses additional Camping Supplies.

Level 4 Camp Making unlocked effect: Due to your proficiency with trap making and crafting them in your camp. You can now create a detection ring around your campsite. Range depends on the area in which it is established. Uses additional Camping Supplies and Detection Based Trap Material.

Astre made his camp with all effects creating a low tent tucked into the corner of the cavern, covered in gray dust and earth. A small campfire that seemed more like glowing melting rocks were also made. Small rock wall formed covering it from the side of the entrance. He decided against using the crystals he got from Loki, settling for his hair-width string.

Additionally, to this, he used his Create: Trap Making Bench ability. It was his reward for reaching level four in Camp Making. Mostly by creating and making traps in his camp using portable crafting stations. A metal bench with a multitude of tools and a small furnace appeared next to the tent. It had mostly everything he needed in crafting pieces for his traps. From saw and hammers to tongs, scissors, and needles. It even had a small loom wheel and cauldron.

It wouldn't allow one to make a sword or piece of armor, a good one at least, but it would let him straighten his arrows and prepare ready traps triggers and parts, and substitution dolls. He knew that most crafting skills got their own version of this sooner or later. He was quite confused when his Trap Making skillset never gave him one and even more so when Camp Making did. He delegated it to the fact that he used his traps in practice a lot more than most did.

He placed the egg near the heat radiating rocks and went to work. Astre had a lot of crafting ahead of him if he wanted to be prepared for the next three days. Drinking one health potion and mana potion, he sat in his tent and got down to work.

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You created Trap Doll - Explosive x 3 You created Trap Doll - Blindness Dust x 2 You created Trap Doll - Corrosive Gas x 1 You created Trap Doll - Blades Tornado x 2 You created Trap Doll - Firedust x 2 You created Trap Doll - Sealdust x 1 You created Trap Doll - Mana Convulsion Dust x 1 You created Projectile Cannon x 21 You created Unstable Rune of Fire x 5 You created Unstable Rune of Ice x 5 You created Unstable Rune of Light x 5 You created Convolution Rune of Mirror Light x 2 You created Corrosive Dust x 4 You created Syringe Arrow x 7 You created Poison to Gas Granade x 3 You created ...

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Considering how long it took, he was quite satisfied as he tiredly wiped his brow. He made everything he believed would be useful for the tournament. In the meantime, the leaderboard updated six times. The top place was still Sparrow, who now gained twenty-two more points. Astre was now in the 31st place.

Within that time, he never detected anyone near his hideout. He was still careful and made sure to always be aware of his surroundings. Though some parts of the crafting process required his full focus. He had checked on the egg, and it seemed it needed two more hours to hatch.

He didn't want to risk leaving it alone. Astre felt like he was losing on points, but there was nothing much he could do. Looking through his box, he didn't have any useful ideas on what to craft too.

Then his alarm ringed, Astre immediately got wary and used his Death Sense and Eye for Details. This was a bit unexpected, and he didn't know if the one who triggered it even knew they did. This was a chance to gain some points, though.

He knew the alarm triggered from a dozen yards away from the exit. He usually would have some traps around his camp, but now he had to prepare them all first. He hoped it was a solo player. Otherwise, the situation could turn bad.

He opened a small hole in the cover, hiding the exit to look outside. Not seeing anyone or anything out of order, Astre decided to wait for a while. There was no need risking getting nuked the second he left the entrance. The only abilities that could discover him would have to be level four, and even then, they would have to be powerful low range ones. Long cooldown ones could do it too, but those were rare, and most people got rid of them and worked for a different ability as they didn't have much utility, being useless in most situations.

One could reset the ability they got from leveling a skillset up, but it was a lengthy and laborious process to get another ability in its slot. It also didn't guarantee a useful ability, but there were ways to increase the chances. Astre did so for his fourth Archery level, he got an ability that let him release a rainstorm of arrows. He could only use it once a day and burned through his arrow's supply so fast that he always needed to carry two full quivers just for that. He much preferred the Trick Shot that let him control how his projectile would twist in the air and ricochet.

There was always a chance someone here had level 5 detection ability, but the possibility for that was very low. Waiting a few minutes with nothing happening, he decided to check the surrounding area. Walking out of his hideout, he stepped on the wet rocks carefully, making sure to not focus too much on anything stationary. Making sure he would notice every movement. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he carefully climbed onto the boulders of his hideout and crouched in deep foliage.

He waited and remained still. Making sure no movement would betray his location, he also added his Cover ability to hide better. Covering his cloak in green leaves and grass. Focusing on all his senses for over fifteen minutes, he was about to give up. Then he saw a small shimmer in the bushes to his left on the opposite side of the river.

A figure suddenly went from being invisible to slightly transparent, his improved perception let him see a slightly transparent emblem on his shoulder. He was a scout of Order of Sun. He seemed to run into those guys a lot, though with having the most significant number of participants in the tournament, maybe it wasn't weird.

Slightly annoyed, he materialized his bow in his hand and a quiver on his back. Charging his Snipe, he waited and watched for any reaction. Scouts often had abilities that could protect them from ambushes. When he reached the max charge, he remained still. Then, when the man stood up from his position, he released.

The arrow, covered in the transparent aura, flew straight, covering the distance within a few milliseconds. Astre himself would be hard-pressed to react to that. The man on the opposite side reacted, but it was too late. The scout could only look at the projectiles as it pierced his heart, and he fell to the ground helplessly. Astre score increased, and he smiled, but then he saw something shimmer in the bush again. He immediately used Rapid Arrow at the location. Two arrows went wide, but one metal tip dug itself into something invisible. A figure flashed into sight, he saw a surprised girl's face and sun emblem, before she dashed away, leaving yellow afterimages.

Astre cursed under his breath and followed quickly, he hoped to get them before she reported to anyone. He didn't want to move before his egg hatched as that would reset the timer. He should have stayed in his hideout, hoping no one would find him.

He pulled out his sword and ran as fast as he could, using his supporting passive. He saw the track in the ground from the girl's boots, but there was no sight of them for over thirty seconds. He instantly pulled out his bow and used his Dodge Shot to reduce the distance. Afterward, she was still over a hundred yards away, but he could hit a moving target more often than not. His shot he used to dash missed, but that wasn't surprising.

He quickly chained Snipe, Rapid Arrow, and Trick Shot in that order. His first shot hit the target on the shoulder, lowering the targets LP as she healed, two fast arrows imbedded into the girl's back again, wasting more of her LP. The final shot hit the left ankle of the fleeing enemy, causing her to tumble to the ground. Astre didn't slow down and ran shooting at the target, but she disappeared in a yellow flash before the next attack could hit.

He clicked his tongue and chased with the sword in hand again. He didn't know where the rest of the sunnies would be, and each second made this more dangerous. It took another minute to find the girl again, she must have forced LP heal as her leg appeared to be fully cured.

Astre Sniped at the target, hoping to bring them down. The shot only scratched the target should this time before she flashed away, this time though the distance was shorter since he could still see them. The ability could be one where each repeated use without resting had lessened effect.

He shot again, but he only managed to lower her LP once more. Forced to follow again, it took him another half a minute before he managed to Snipe again finally. This time when the shot pierced her, she fell down to the ground.

He should have stopped being stingy and used his mythical poison a long time ago. He scolded himself for his habit of always saving money. He walked over to the girl's body but then noticed something weird. His score didn't increase. The girl raised her hand, and a green pillar of light raised to the sky.

Astre cursed and tried to use his Trap Doll Substitution, but something blocked it. A yellow barrier appeared around the area around him, turning into a yellow dome. It crackled with thunder. He was sure he was still within distance of his hideout, but something must have blocked any teleportation abilities.

Then the barrier shrunk, Astre quickly pulled out a vial of anti-magic dust and anti-thunder dust and threw them at the target, but it didn't work. He used his Instant Trap and tried to force his way through with overloaded fire rune, but it also failed as the barrier remained just as strong. Astre cursed again, as he guessed that multiple mages must have used Channel Magic or Chorus Cast on one person to make such a strong barrier.

He used everything he could think of. Ice, light, fire, and wind arrays formed and caused an explosion on the other side of the dome. It shoved six of his LP despite standing on the opposite side. The dome still stood. Astre despaired. Nothing he had left was strong enough to destroy it quickly enough without killing him too. Then when the barrier shrunk to being a few feet wide, it turned into rampant energy, and thousands of thunderbolts hit Astre all-over his body. Everything went dark.

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Astre stared lifelessly at the timer in front of him in darkness. He was in a state of unconsciousness. And all he could do was wait. It also meant he wasn't dead, but he had no idea why someone would leave him alive. Maybe they wanted to shame him before finishing him off publicly.

What winning a tournament, what saving anyone. He failed within the first hours of the competition. Just because he was careless. Why did he do that? He should have known. He got overconfident, thinking he was too good to lose so soon into the tournament.

Now he could only gaze at the timer as it went down second by second. Honestly, he hoped someone would kill him in real life too. Maybe selling his organs was an option. He could do that probably. He was disappointed in himself.

He didn't even wipe the tears as he lamented. Was he too desperate? Was he too rash? Was he simply not good enough and too stupid to realize it? Did the grandiose of his previous achievements hit him in the head? What would he tell his sister? Could he even meet her now?

Maybe he should have sold his account when it was hot news. That could have earned him some money. It would be worth next to nothing after what just happened. Trapper trapped in a trap. What a joke.

He wanted to scream, but he had no energy to do so. There was no hope anymore. His debuff would end, and he would die. He wanted to scream in defiance, but it was pointless. He failed, like an idiot.

He stared at the window in the blackness, with utmost hatred for himself.

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Thirty minutes later, he saw the light again, and a lifeless stare greeted a setting sun. Looking around, he saw himself on some chair in the middle of a large camp. Trees nearby were cut down and turned into watchtowers and walls. In front of him was a giant golden tent. Two dozens of warriors in shiny armor surrendered him.

The golden sheets covering the entrance rose up. Alongside sounds of trumpets and violin resounded in the air triumphantly. A man in a gaudy golden armor with similarly colored eyes and hair arrived at the scene from the tent. Everything around him screamed money and wanting to be the center of the world. Astre barely paid any attention though, as he tried to use his abilities, nothing worked. He found the culprit in a blue magic circle under his legs.

One of the guards hit him on the head and spoke, "Earth to the loser! The mighty Apollo is in front of you!"

"Now, now," declared Apollo with a resolute smile. "Our guest is simply in shock from being in the audience of someone as great as me."

Astre didn't raise his sight. He didn't care.

"Look here, so quick to give up!" announced the man laughing heartily. "I wanted to shame you a bit, but with all the crying you did, it would be like kicking a puppy. I think of such things as distasteful," added the man walking over to Astre.

"Don't blame yourself too hard. You lost to me after all. There was no helping it. After we found out you were in the area from the mess you left. I really wanted to talk to you, so I prepared that trap. Quite strong, isn't it? Though my mage complained, you nearly destroyed it alongside with yourself. Honestly, I like that about you!" Apollo related with a hearty laugh.

The gaudy man brought the defeated adventurer's face up by his chin delicately. "I have an offer for you," stated the man, his smile as bright as the sun. "Join my army; let's win this together."

For the first time since Astre opened his eyes, life appeared in them, "Why?"

"I believe you to be a great player, worth of serving under me. With your tactics and my might, nothing could stop us. I'm also one officer short, thanks to those fantastic strategies of yours," noted Apollo. "So what do you say? Will you stand up once more and reach your true worth by my side? Of course, there will be a reward for you if you do well."

Astre now held his head up and looked at the face of the man. With a neutral and confused face, he answered, "I... Always worked alone, but if you would have me. Let me help you."

The grin Astre hid deeply in the back of his head, scared even him a bit.