NABC Chapter 790 - 737: Rankings (Part 2)
Chapter 790 - 737: Rankings (Part 2)
Everyone encounters different things.
Duke listened quietly, sorting out the scattered information in his mind.
The first few levels, at least the first three levels, were all Level 1 demons.
But the types were different, including Shadow Cats, Venomous Pythons, Giant Spiders, Corrosive Slimes, Rock-armored Rhinos, Bipedal Dragons...
The power levels were roughly the same, but the types covered a wide range. There were agile types, strength types, special ability types, and tough-skinned types.
This means that this Illusion Realm isn’t testing if you can defeat a fixed type of monster, but rather if you can handle different types of opponents.
The test is about adaptability, tactical reserves, and calm judgment when facing the unknown.
In the distance, Vera was conversing quietly with some people who had come out.
Her expression remained cold, but her eyes had a hint of thought.
The discussions in the plaza gradually became orderly.
It was no longer chaotic and aimless as at first; some were actively gathering information, some were exchanging intel, and some were analyzing in hushed tones.
The first batch of people who entered became living lessons, informing those who followed of their failures.
This assessment isn’t simple.
On the ranking board, Audric had already reached the fifteenth level.
His name was prominently displayed at the top, followed by a string of golden numbers:
Current Level: 15
Time: 03:47:22
Occasionally, someone would look up at those numbers and exclaim.
"Fifteen levels... in less than four hours..."
"People from the Blood Gold Clan are terrifying."
"Is he planning to rush to the top in one go?"
No one knew.
But everyone knew that Audric was here to make an impression.
Just then, Vera, who had been standing at the front of the West Coast crowd, moved.
She turned around, her gaze sweeping over the twenty-something faces behind her.
Those eyes held expectation, tension, and a bit of unease.
"I’ll go in first."
Vera’s voice was not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
"You can continue gathering information, don’t rush. Once I come out, I’ll tell you what it’s like inside."
After speaking, she didn’t linger, turning towards the Teleportation Gate.
The white magic robe gently fluttered in the wind, her steps unhurried, like her demeanor, cool and composed.
The light screen rippled, and her figure disappeared behind the gate.
A new name appeared on the ranking board.
Rank 52: Vera Moon Shadow (Thorn Holy Tower)
Current Level: 1
Time: 00:00:00
Quickly, Vera’s name began to move.
Current Level: 2
Time: 00:03:12
Three minutes, first level.
Current Level: 3
Time: 00:07:45
Less than eight minutes, second level.
Current Level: 4
Time: 00:13:21
Thirteen minutes, third level.
In just a quarter-hour, Vera’s name had climbed to the fourth level.
...
That evening.
The glow of Sky City had long shifted from the pearly white of afternoon to a deep silver-blue, casting long shadows on the Teleportation Plaza.
The plaza had fewer people than during the day; some had gone in, others had gone to rest, and some were still watching.
But the area around the ranking board was still crowded.
The massive light screen hovered in the plaza sky, its columns of names densely packed, constantly shifting.
At the very top, one name was nailed there like a peg, pressing everyone beneath it.
Rank 1: Audric Blood Gold (Crimson Rose)
Current Level: 30
Time: 10:47:33
The entire plaza went silent for a moment, then erupted with deafening chatter.
"Thirty levels? Did he really reach the top?"
"Ten hours... thirty levels... what kind of monster is this?"
"Blood Gold Clan... Golden Dragon bloodline... Is this the strength of top bloodlines?"
"It’s supposed to get harder later on, but he charged all the way up?"
"Look at his time on the later levels, the twenty-fifth level took forty minutes, the twenty-sixth took thirty-five minutes, the twenty-seventh took half an hour... The further he went, the faster he got?"
"Not faster, but adapted. This monster adapted to the rhythm of the Illusion Realm."
Amid the discussions, the name at the top of the ranking board flickered, with a line of small golden text appearing after it:
Status: Completed
Three characters, like three mountains, weighing on everyone’s heads.
Thirty layers in ten hours.
Average twenty-one minutes per level.
Duke stood in the shadows at the plaza’s edge, looking up at the name without any expression on his face.
He withdrew his gaze, continuing to view the other names on the ranking board.
Rank 2: Andre (Crimson Rose)
Current Level: 23
Time: 09:12:08
The achievement of twenty-three levels would be impressive on any ordinary day.
But at that moment, under Audric’s shadow, that number seemed much dimmer.
Andre’s name hadn’t moved for an hour, evidently stuck on the twenty-third level.
Rank 3: Victor (Seville Empire)
Current Level: 21
Time: 08:47:55
Rank 4: Cecilia (Star Tower)
Current Level: 21
Time: 08:51:33
Rank 5: Vera Moon Shadow (Thorn Holy Tower)
Current Level: 20
Time: 07:58:12
Rank 6: Leon (Silver Hand)
Current Level: 18
Time: 07:33:21
Below that, the entire light screen was crowded with names.
Some were still climbing, others had dimmed.
Those greying names signified they had withdrawn, their scores fixed at a certain number.
The most abundant were the names greyed at the first, second, and third levels.
Their numbers were so small as to be nearly invisible.
But Duke saw them.
In a whole day, over a hundred people entered the challenge, with fewer than forty breaking through to the tenth level pass mark.
Sixty percent couldn’t even reach the pass mark.
This is the selection of the Central Islands.
...
A week later.
The number of people at the Teleportation Plaza was far fewer than on the first day, but there remained a steady stream of spectators around the ranking board.
Some came to check their own rank, others came to see the prominent names up high, while some simply wanted to witness how far this generation of young people could go.
The giant light screen hovered in the plaza sky, with rankings mostly stabilized.
The now-moving numbers became lesser; most had their achievements set in stone.
At the very top, one name remained like a peg, nailed in place.
Rank 1: Audric Blood Gold (Crimson Rose)
Current Level: 30
Time: 10:47:33
Ten hours and forty-seven minutes.
Thirty levels.
For a week, this achievement was gazed at, discussed, and marveled at by countless people, yet no one could shake it.
But what truly shocked people was the name closely following it.
Rank 2: Vera Moon Shadow (Thorn Holy Tower)
Current Level: 29
Time: 09:58:12
Just one more level from thirty.
No one expected Vera, who seemed soft and gentle, to charge up to the twenty-ninth level.
Leon stalled at the twenty-fifth level, which was considered good enough.
Between twenty-five and twenty-nine levels, the rankings were densely packed with over twenty names.
From the Golden Continent, East Coast, Central Islands natives, these who were deemed the top talents of this generation, all clumped between these four levels, none able to leave the others too far behind.
Until dusk on the seventh day.
The sky darkened, Sky City’s glow transitioned from warm gold to silver-blue.
The plaza had fewer people than during the day, but a crowd still gathered before the ranking board, discussing in low tones.
A thin figure emerged from the crowd and headed towards the Teleportation Gate.
No one noticed him.
He wore a dull gray robe, head down, half of his body hidden in shadows, walking slowly, as if strolling.
But as he reached the Teleportation Gate, someone recognized him.
"That’s... someone from the Doomsday Bell?"
"Morris? The one who hadn’t shown up?"
"Is he going in? Now?"
Amid the discussions, Morris didn’t turn back.
He stood before the Teleportation Gate, slightly lifted his head, glancing at the names high on the ranking board: Audric, Vera, Andre, Cecilia...
Then he stepped forward, entering the blue light screen.
The light screen rippled, and his figure vanished behind the gate.