Emily was surprised at his message, and a frown appeared on her face.
[Emily Frekk: What do you have in mind?]
Sora was slightly disappointed that she didn't immediately agree to his suggestion and thought, 'Damn it, I don't want to reveal my enmity with Rachel to Emily, or pass as a petty person'
[Ralph Eden: I don't like her attitude to be honest, she always seems to look down on us. I was thinking of kicking her out of the competition early to show her that some actions have consequences.]
Sora's looked nervously at the interface as he waited for a response. He knew Emily was pragmatic, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to such a direct approach.
[Emily Frekk: I'm not a fan of her hypocrisy either, but I'm afraid kicking her would give our enemies room to step over humans in the ranking.]
Sora smiled at her words. 'She's way too nice to traitors,' he thought, shaking his head. He admired her composure but couldn’t agree with her leniency.
[Ralph Eden: What if there’s some enmity between us since the 8th floor, and I can't get past that.]
[Emily Frekk: Then it's a different story. You deal with personal matters; I won’t butt in since I don’t consider her a guild member anymore. She didn't officially leave, but such fights are allowed by the guild rules, since we're in a special event with PvP.]
Resuming the competition, Sora bulldozed through their next three matches with ruthless efficiency. Opponents fell before they even realized what was happening, their chances of winning completely dismantled by Sora’s overwhelming power.
Watching the ranking, he even took the time to push his four teammates to the top, gifting them kills based on their needs.
Entering the fifth battle, Sora watched in surprise as every team seemed to focus on them.
"Rankings are public, so they know who we are by now... It seems they'll try to kill us..." Salim commented, sensing the dangerous gazes on his group.
"You mean they'll die trying." Morgan, who was preparing himself diligently, laughed at his teammates words.
"Look over there. It seems that Rachel's team is also looking in our direction. What do you think they want ?" Emily, who always looked for other human teams before a fight, quickly noticed Clémence, Pedro, Rachel and Asia looking their way. There was even another team with humans, including people Sora had met but did not recognize.
"Remove Pedro's gear if you have any of his gear equipped. We promised to not use their gear against them." Kara said, reminding everyone.
They nodded, quickly changing their boots, and any item they had borrowed. Sora thought 'The boots have no effect on me anymore, anyway'.
'I want an opportunity to destroy her,' Sora thought, frustrated at seeing his enemy everywhere. 'Considering her team's individuals rankings, her team is doing very well, with Clémence in the top 10, but Rachel still needs points to avoid being disqualified.'
Sora, who was charging a massive amount of energy in his hands, prepared himself for a fight, telling his team. "I think everyone's rankings are set in stone by now. I'll wipe the floor with these guys and will be right back."
With his team agreeing with him, there was nothing stopping Sora from quickly ending trial.
As soon as the barriers dropped, a similar scene played again. Sora used his mental power to shatter their resistance and their ability to defend themselves.
Having tested various levels of power and control, he found the perfect balance between Mental Power consumption and efficiency. Even Spirit Race players could not defend against his attacks. No Elemental Golems were present among the 9 opposing teams.
Using the [Elemental Nexus], instead of the [Earth Element], Sora watched the effect of his new technique, [Annihilation Field] as enemies players were dissolved them into nothingness at the contact with his power.
The effects of this technique were quite simple, and [Annihilation Field] could cover an area instantly thanks to the elements it was based on.
Sparing both Human teams, Sora watched as they both approached, clearly lacking fighting spirit.
Clémence, wearing a bitter smile, broke the silence. "Hello, Ralph... That was quite the display of power. I suppose you’re the star of this year’s Ascension. We really underestimated you during the previous trial…" She paused briefly before continuing. "I have a request, if you don’t mind."
Sora who didn't respond, listend as she continued. "Rachel, in our group, is short a few points to qualify," Clémence explained, her voice steady despite the tension in the air. "Would it be possible for you to grant us second place in this battle and allow Rachel to earn a few points through some eliminations?"
"Hello Clémence, It seems your group is also doing well, congratulations on that." Instead of responding to her request, Sora turned his attention to the second group of humans and addressed them, "Do you have a similar request?" he asked, his voice calm.
Stolen story; please report.
The other group, composed of five players from various countries, exchanged glances before one stepped forward. Sora’s eyes immediately recognized the name floating above him.
[No Onion no Tomato] [Dae Stark - Level 155]
This was a name Sora had seen among the best players in the South Korean region. Back when Sora first entered Seoul, Dae Stark had only been level 132. 'He was already stronger than Emily then. And since I've seen him among the top 20 in the rankings of this event, he must be quite strong.'
Scanning the player, Sora quickly realized that Dae relied heavily on raw physical strength, to such an extent that he had developed ingenious ways to compensate for any weaknesses using... even more strength.
'Fascinating', Sora thought. 'It seems these five years haven’t been wasted on him either. I wonder if I can learn something from someone so monstrous.' What he didn’t realize, however, was that to the rest of the group, he was the true monster.
Dae Stark, having overheard Clémence's request and Sora's question, frowned deeply. "Only the worthy should climb," he said, his voice firm. "All the aliens have been eliminated, and it’s only right that we fight to decide the final winner." His gaze shifted to Sora as he added, "Well, considering your power, there’s no doubt who the final winner will be."
Turning his sharp gaze to Clémence, he continued, his tone now biting. "Damn it, why are you asking him? You should be asking us. What do you take us for?"
Clémence, undeterred, countered, "How many points do you guys have?"
"All of us are in the top 100," Dae Stark answered, his tone proud and his eyes narrowing slightly.
Sora, quietly observing the interaction, opened his friend list and sent a request.
[Dae Stark has accepted your friend request.]
[Ralph Eden: Would you consider doing me a favor and refuse their request?]
Dae’s eyes flicked toward Sora briefly but showed no immediate reaction. Before he could reply, Clémence pressed on, her voice firm yet tinged with hope. "It means all five of you are qualified, right? Why not do us a favor and help a friend in need? We only need 15 or 20 points to ensure Rachel’s qualification. You would lose nothing."
[Dae Stark: This will be costly though, since my reputation will take a hit from this.]
[Ralph Eden: I'll make it up to you.]
[Dae Stark: You better.]
To everyone’s surprise, after a brief pause, Dae Stark refused Clémence’s request. The tension between the two parties escalated, and Sora watched silently as the situation devolved into a fight.
The clash was brutal, with both sides fighting to the death. When the dust settled, only Rachel and Clémence remained standing. The duo was exhausted, Clémence having poured everything into ensuring Rachel’s survival, even at the cost of her other allies’ lives.
Clémence, her body splattered with her opponents’ blood as her wounds began healing rapidly, took a shaky step forward. Her voice was shaking as she asked. "Can you please help us? We really only need a few points..."
Emily, now standing alongside the rest of Sora's team as they observed the scene unfold, didn’t hold back. Her eyes narrowed as she addressed Clémence. "If she wants points, why are you the one asking?"
Sora, enjoying the situation, held himself from smiling and observed Rachel with curiosity. He wondered if she would swallow her pride and beg her former guildmates.
Rachel stepped forward, standing beside Clémence, her voice sounding forced. “Hello, guys. Hello, Guild Leader… It’s been a while. Would you please consider doing me a favor this time? I swear I’ll pay it back with interest.”
Surprisingly, Morgan was the first to respond, his tone dismissive. “Not interested.”
Sora and Kara exchanged surprised glances. They knew Morgan as someone who always prioritized the bigger picture, placing humans above everything else. His reply was out of character, leaving them puzzled.
Clémence looked equally taken aback. “Morgan, why are you saying that? You clearly have nothing to lose here!”
Morgan’s expression was complicated to decypher, but his reply was sharp. “I have my reasons. Forget it.”
Emily, standing nearby, shook her head. “Not interested either. And don’t bother asking me why—you already know the answer.” Her tone was colder than usual, lacking the usual energy she exuded, leaving no room for negotiation.
Panic began to creep onto Rachel’s face as she glanced desperately at the remaining players, her voice trembling. “Please, the three of us are French players. Let’s help each other.”
Kara shook her head and said. "Not interested."
Salim, wanting to align with the group, echoed the sentiment. “Not interested either.”
Clémence, who had been watching in disbelief as her pleas were met with cold rejection, finally snapped. “What is wrong with you guys? I’ve seen the rankings after every battle! You always gave human teams enough of a chance to rack up points, enough to keep their heads above water! Why would you push a fellow human down when you have the chance to save her?”
Her voice rose with every word, filled with frustration and disbelief at the ruthlessness of the group before her.
'I don’t like upsetting Clémence over this, but I can always try to make amends later,' he thought, unease creeping in. The idea of hurting others on his path to revenge left a bitter taste, but he pushed it aside.
Rachel, her eyes reddening, clenched her fists tightly and forced a strained smile. “It’s alright, Clémence. I don’t mind. I didn’t work hard enough to deserve qualification. I’ve gained enough from this tower, so it’s not a big loss.”
Sora, filled with nothing but disdain for her, barely kept himself from laughing at her sadness. His voice was indifferent, as he said. “I’m not interested in giving Rachel any points.”
Condensing power in the palm of his hand, Sora who started condensing power at the tip of his hands to obliterate both players. Just as the energy began to build, he was taken aback when both Clémence and Rachel raised their hands and said in unison, “We surrender.”
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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