A few seconds after all the rankers accepted the invite and gathered in the pre-ga space, Raya appeared before everyone, her beautiful appearance imdiately enrapturing the attention of many.
The murmurs quieted instantly when she descended from the branches of the central tree, as many rankers who had seen her during previous events imdiately recognised her this year as well.
*Thud*
She landed delicately in front of the crowd, her piercing green eyes scanning the rankers as she smiled warmly.
"Welco, rankers," Raya's lodic voice rang out, commanding everyone's attention. "This year marks the fourth and final annual Rankers Event of Terra Nova Online. Each of you has proven yourself worthy by rising through the ranks and overcoming countless challenges to stand here today. Congratulations."
The players erupted in cheers and applause, their excitent uncontainable. Raya raised her hand to silence them, her smile widening slightly.
"As always, this event will push you to your limits. Only the strongest, smartest, and most resourceful among you will prevail. But before we dive into the rules, there is an important announcent to make."
The air grew tense as Raya's gaze swept across the crowd, her voice taking on a slightly teasing tone. "To maintain fairness in this year's Ranker Event, Emperor 'TheBoss' has not been invited. For if he were, let's be honest—none of you would stand a real chance at victory."
The crowd froze for a split second before an explosion of cheers and laughter erupted, the relief among the rankers almost tangible.
"Finally!" soone shouted.
"About ti we actually have a shot!" another added, pumping their fist in the air.
"If he's not here, we can actually aim for the number one spot!"
It seed like Leo's dominance was a well known fact within the ga world now, and none of the other players even hoped to compete against him.
Luke caught a few players visibly relaxing their tense shoulders, their faces lighting up as if they had just won the event outright.
PinkLotus, standing beside him, chuckled softly, amused by the collective joy.
"Well, that's one less unbeatable monster for them to worry about," she whispered, nudging Luke playfully. "You should thank your brother for sitting this one out."
Luke gave a faint smirk but stayed quiet, his thoughts turning to Leo. The truth was, with Leo absent, the field did feel a lot more open. However, that didn't an the event would be a cakewalk.
Raya waited patiently for the commotion to die down before continuing. "Now, with that out of the way, let's move on to the event details. As always, the Rankers Event will consist of two rounds. The preliminary round is a monster-slaughtering challenge where you will compete to score points. Only the top 100 players will advance to the second round—a PvP battle royale to determine the ultimate winner."
The atmosphere shifted instantly, excitent giving way to intense focus. The rankers leaned in, eager to hear the finer details.
"For the preliminary round," Raya explained, "you will be teleported to a vast hunting ground teeming with monsters. Each type of monster carries a different point value based on its difficulty. Your goal is simple: kill as many monsters as you can within the allotted ti and score enough points to secure your spot in the top 100."
She waved her hand, and holographic displays appeared in the air, listing the point values for different monsters.
"Rember," Raya continued, her voice taking on a sharp edge, "you are competing against each other. The hunting grounds are limited, and the monsters won't respawn. If you hesitate or lose focus, soone else will claim the kill—and the points, so rember to keep your wits about you.
Also, there are no points sharing. So even if you injure a monster, if soone else claid the kill, they will receive all the points.
Which is why teaming up is useless."
Luke clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. He glanced at Cervantez, who stood a short distance away, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable.
"Finally," Raya said, her tone lightening as she smiled once more, "let remind you that this event is just about individual glory. The rewards this year are exceptional, ranging from semi divine-grade weapons and armor to unique skill scrolls. So give it your all and show us what you're made of."
With a snap of her fingers, the tree's branches began to glow, and the ground beneath them shimred with magical energy.
"Prepare yourselves," Raya announced. "The preliminary round begins in five seconds. Good luck, rankers."
As the magical energy intensified, Luke's heart raced. He tightened his grip on his daggers, his mind already strategizing.
"Let's do this," he muttered to himself, his determination unwavering as the event was about to begin.
*********
(The event space, Luke's POV)
As the magical energy faded, Luke found himself in the event space: a sprawling wilderness filled with opportunities—and dangers.
The terrain was varied but straightforward, with patches of dense forest, rocky clearings, and scattered streams cutting through the landscape.
Already, rankers were dispersing in all directions, their weapons drawn as they raced to claim the best hunting grounds, and Luke wasted no ti either.
His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, noting the types of monsters that were visible.
Frost wolves road in small packs nearby, their glowing red eyes betraying their aggression, while larger beasts lood farther out.
Each type carried its own risk and reward, with frost wolves being worth a ager 10 points and the larger creatures promising much more.
A system notification flashed in his vision: [Preliminary Round, 'The Hunting Grounds' : Duration - 3 Hours. Top 100 scorers advance.]
Luke adjusted his grip on his sword, his mind already working through strategies.
Frost wolves might not be worth much, but taking out a pack quickly could still give him an early lead.
However, just as he was deciding whether or not to engage the wolves, he saw a charging ga-bull heading in his direction, worth a massive 180 points.
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