The rainforest stretched endlessly in every direction, a dense green maze of ancient trees whose trunks measured hundreds of meters in diameter and whose canopy created a ceiling so thick that the jungle floor existed in perpetual twilight. Bioluminescent fungi grew on every surface, creating an eerie underglow that turned the darkness into something alien and beautiful and dangerous.
Jade moved through the upper canopy, shadow-traveling from branch to branch as he searched for his next hunting ground. His void sense mapped everything within a kilometer radius, detecting hundreds of mana signatures moving through the layers of foliage.
He spotted his next target through a gap in the leaves. A massive clearing far below where something had torn down several trees, creating an open space on the jungle floor. And in that clearing, a feeding frenzy was underway. Dozens of creatures fighting over a corpse, their roars and screeches echoing up through the canopy.
Jade dropped from his perch and descended through layers of foliage, shadow catching him as he fell two hundred meters to the jungle floor. He emerged at the edge of the clearing and assessed quickly.
Twenty-three creatures total. Seventeen B-ranks and six A-ranks, all focused on feeding. Blood soaked the ground. The larger A-ranks dominated the center while the B-ranks circled the periphery.
Jade stepped into the clearing.
Every head turned toward him simultaneously. For a heartbeat, there was perfect silence as predator instincts assessed this new arrival. Then the B-ranks scattered, and the A-ranks roared challenges.
Shadow erupted from beneath all six A-ranks simultaneously, tendrils wrapping around throats and limbs. The creatures struggled briefly before going still.
[EXP +576]
The B-ranks that hadn't fled fast enough died to ice spears that materialized and launched with practiced precision.
[EXP +816]
Movement above caught his attention. Three massive shapes dove through the canopy, their wings spanning fifteen meters each. A-rank aerial hunters with talons extended and screeches echoing.
Jade raised one hand. The temperature dropped dramatically, and ice formed in a spreading wave that caught all three mid-dive. Their wings froze solid and they crashed into the jungle floor with bone-shattering impacts.
[EXP +288]
More creatures approached through the jungle, drawn by the sounds of combat. Jade let them come. Shadow for close combat. Ice for distance. The techniques flowed smoothly from one to the next.
The jungle floor became littered with corpses.
Seven minutes. Forty-two creatures dead.
[EXP +2,016]
[LEVEL UP!]
Jade shadow-traveled away from the clearing, moving deeper into the jungle. About three kilometers northeast, he found a massive tree with roots that created cave-like spaces beneath. One of the caves showed signs of recent habitation—claw marks, old bloodstains. He entered cautiously.
A B-rank predator lunged from the shadows. Jade caught it with shadow tendrils and crushed it before the creature completed its strike.
He settled into the now-empty cave, his void sense spreading outward to monitor the surrounding area.
This had become his routine for hours. He'd hunt when his rank dropped and rest when his rank was too high on the leaderboard.
Kael had told him the implications of fame during the tournament. And Jade for one didn't want attention unless necessary, he wanted to win the tournament, not gain popularity and he would do it at his own pace.
The jungle continued its violence around him. Distant roars. Crashes of creatures fighting. All background noise he tuned out as his mana slowly recovered.
---
Two hours into his nap, Jade's void sense detected movement approaching his position. Participants.
Three of them, moving through the jungle about two hundred meters from his cave. Their mana signatures were cautious and controlled.
Jade observed through his void sense without moving. The participants passed his area entirely, heading deeper into the jungle, completely unaware of his presence.
When they were gone, he emerged from his cave and shadow-traveled in the opposite direction. His watch showed his ranking had dropped during his rest period.
CURRENT RANK: 1,982
POINTS: 2,821
Time to hunt again.
His void sense detected another concentration of creatures several kilometers south. He moved in that direction, traveling through the canopy until he found them.
A collapsed dungeon entrance with residual mana leaking from the breach. Creatures fought each other for proximity to the energy source. Twenty-seven total, mix of B and C-ranks.
Jade eliminated them systematically. Shadow tendrils for the ones clustered together. Ice spears for the ones trying to flee. Two minutes, and the area was clear.
He continued moving, following his void sense toward denser creature populations. The pattern repeated. Find targets, eliminate them, nap, move to next location.
Hours blurred together in steady hunting.
.....
Day Two, Hour Thirty-Six
The jungle had changed overnight. The weakest creatures had been culled, either by participants or by stronger predators taking advantage of the chaos. What remained were survivors—the smart ones, the strong ones, the ones adapted to hunt efficiently.
Jade encountered evidence of other participants throughout the morning. Corpses left behind from fights. Broken trees where someone had used powerful techniques. Scorch marks on stone where fire manipulation had been employed.
But he never saw the participants themselves. The continent was vast, and nearly two million people scattered across terrain that could swallow civilizations meant encounters were rare unless someone actively sought them out.
He found another S-rank creature during the afternoon. A Verdant Serpent coiled around an ancient tree, basking in filtered sunlight. The fight took eight minutes—the serpent was strong and territorial, but Jade's techniques carved through its defenses methodically. When it finally died, he stored the corpse in his inventory.
Nineteen S-rank bodies collected now. The materials alone represented wealth most people would never see in their lifetimes. But that was concern for after the tournament.
For now, points were all that mattered.
....
.....
Hour Forty-Two - Several Hundred Kilometers South
Revik crouched behind a boulder, his enhanced senses scanning the valley below. Beside him, Kessa and Marris waited silently, their breathing controlled and their attention focused.
"Six C-rank Mountain Drakes," Revik said quietly. "Standard pack formation. We can take them if we're careful."
Revik nodded. They'd lost a team member on day one, but the three survivors had adapted quickly. No unnecessary risks. No heroic charges. Just steady, sustainable point accumulation.
"Standard formation," Revik said. "I draw aggro, Kessa traps, Marris provides ranged support. Clean and efficient."
They moved into position with practiced coordination. The fight lasted three minutes. Six corpses littered the valley floor, and the team had taken minimal damage.
"Let's find somewhere to rest," Revik said, checking the surrounding area. "We maintain this pace, we'll make top ten thousand easily."
They continued deeper into the mountains, searching for defensible positions.
--------------------------
Hour Forty-Eight - Nexarion, Governor's Mansion
Selene had barely moved from her position in the viewing room. Empty tea cups surrounded her chair, and her emerald eyes were red from lack of sleep.
"Selene, you need to rest," Kael said gently, his hand on her shoulder. "The tournament has days remaining."
"But what if I miss him?!" Her voice cracked with exhaustion. "What if he shows up on the feeds and I'm not watching?!"
"He's not in the top thousand," Kael reminded her patiently. "We've checked his participant number. He's ranked around two thousand. The feeds don't prioritize anyone outside the top thousand."
"That just worries me more! What if something happened?!"
"The highlight compilations update every six hours," Kael said. "We can review those."
"I've watched every single one!" Selene protested. "Nothing!"
"Which means he's not doing anything flashy," Gorvoth said from his corner.
Selene made a frustrated sound but settled back into her chair, eyes returning to the displays.
-------------------------------------------------------
The arena had settled into a rhythm over the past two days. While some dedicated fans maintained near-constant vigil, most spectators came and went in shifts. The viewing areas operated continuously, but crowds rotated as people left to eat, sleep, handle obligations.
Commentary booths ran in shifts as well. Lead commentators worked eight-hour blocks before handing off to fresh analysts.
"Darius Kane continues to dominate!" the current commentator announced. "Currently ranked number one with sixty-seven thousand points! That aggressive hunting style is paying massive dividends!"
The feed showed Darius demolishing an A-rank creature with brutal efficiency.
"Cassia Mordren holds rank three with fifty-two thousand points! Her team's coordination remains exemplary!"
The rankings updated across displays:
1. PARTICIPANT 847 - 67,334 POINTS
2. PARTICIPANT 94,732 - 58,556 POINTS
3. PARTICIPANT 1,234 - 52,847 POINTS
4. PARTICIPANT 12,094 - 48,223 POINTS
5. PARTICIPANT 7,621 - 46,449 POINTS
In the gambling sections, odds updated continuously. Professional gamblers and casual fans placed wagers on everything from final rankings to survival odds.
"Top ten thousand threshold currently at twelve thousand three hundred points," the commentator continued. "Anyone below that needs to accelerate their hunting pace!"
The feeds cycled through various top performers, showing dramatic kills and close calls. The tournament had settled into sustainable operations—not everyone watching every moment, but the infrastructure supporting continuous coverage for those who wanted it.
---
Day Three, Hour Sixty
Jade stood over the corpse of another S-rank creature—this time a Skyreaver Drake he'd caught on the ground during feeding. The massive body went into his inventory.
Twenty-one S-rank corpses now.
His watch showed updated numbers.
TIME REMAINING: 108 HOURS
CURRENT PARTICIPANTS: 1,647,823
CURRENT RANK: 1,847
POINTS: 28,991
They'd lost about three hundred fifty thousand participants over three days. Significant, but not catastrophic. The majority were surviving through caution and strategy.
Jade shadow-traveled toward his next hunting ground, already searching for the next concentration of worthwhile targets.
The elimination round continued.
.....