Day Two, Hour Thirty-Six
The continent had transformed over the past day and a half. The initial chaos of two million participants materializing simultaneously had given way to a more calculated rhythm. The smart ones had learned which territories were too dangerous. The weak ones had either died or found places to hide until the elimination ended.
Jade moved through the canopy of a rainforest in the early morning light of day two, his void sense mapping creature signatures within his range. The density had decreased noticeably—the easiest prey had been culled by participants and stronger predators alike. What remained were creatures that knew how to survive.
His watch showed his current status:
POINTS: 29,447
CURRENT RANK: 1,804
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 5,489 POINTS
His eyes caught movement below—a pack of Canopy Stalkers hunting through the lower branches. Twenty creatures, all B-rank, coordinating with pack intelligence that made them dangerous to unprepared prey.
Jade dropped through the canopy and struck before they registered his presence. Shadow tendrils erupted from darkness, wrapping around throats and crushing windpipes. The pack died in seconds.
[EXP +960]
He stored none of the corpses. B-ranks weren't worth the inventory space, and he wasn't interested in bulk collection. Only S-rank materials were valuable enough to justify keeping.
Movement in his peripheral vision made him turn. Another participant, male, probably early twenties, emerging from dense foliage about forty meters away. The man froze when he saw Jade standing over twenty fresh corpses.
For several seconds, neither moved. The participant's hand drifted toward a weapon, then stopped as he reconsidered. His eyes tracked the bodies, calculating threat level.
"Not looking for trouble," the participant said carefully, raising his hands slowly. "Just passing through."
Jade said nothing.
The man backed away into the jungle, disappearing within seconds. Smart choice.
Jade continued his hunt.
.....
Several hundred kilometers to the south, in a mountainous region where rocky peaks jutted above the forest canopy, three figures moved through a narrow canyon with practiced caution.
Revik led, his enhanced senses scanning for threats while Kessa and Marris covered the flanks. They'd lost two team members on day one—one to a creature ambush during the grace period, another to blood loss from wounds sustained fighting a C-rank pack. The three survivors had adapted quickly, learning to avoid unnecessary risks and focus on sustainable point accumulation.
"Contact ahead," Revik said quietly, his voice barely carrying. "Multiple signatures. B-rank, maybe six of them."
Kessa's earth manipulation stirred, ready to create barriers if needed. "Can we avoid them?"
"Probably. But we need the points." Revik checked his watch. They were currently ranked around forty-two thousand, which was safe for now but wouldn't remain so as the week progressed. "We take them carefully. Standard formation."
They moved into position with the coordination of people who'd trained together for years. Revik drew aggro, his enhanced speed letting him dodge attacks while Kessa trapped creatures with earth manipulation. Marris provided ranged support with wind blades that struck from unexpected angles.
The fight lasted ten minutes. Six B-rank Mountain Drakes dead, and the team had taken minimal damage.
"Good progress," Revik said. "We keep this pace, we'll make top ten thousand easily. Let's find somewhere to rest and plan our next move."
They continued deeper into the mountains, searching for defensible positions where they could recover before the next hunt.
...
...
Day Three, Hour Sixty-Eight
Jade rested in a cave system he'd cleared of its previous inhabitant—a B-rank that had tried to defend its territory and died for the effort. The cave provided shelter from aerial predators and a vantage point overlooking a valley where his void sense detected multiple creature signatures.
His watch showed updated numbers:
TIME REMAINING: 100 HOURS
CURRENT PARTICIPANTS: 1,647,823
CURRENT RANK: 1,247
POINTS: 39,991
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 18,447
They'd lost about three hundred fifty thousand participants over three days. A significant number, but the majority were surviving through caution and strategy. The elimination rate would continue, but not at the catastrophic pace of poorly-managed tournaments.
Jade's mana reserves had regenerated during his rest period. Time to hunt again and maintain his comfortable ranking position.
Nexarion, Governor's Mansion
Selene sat in the viewing room surrounded by half-eaten food containers and empty tea cups, her emerald eyes fixed on the holographic displays with manic intensity. She'd been watching the feeds almost continuously for three days, catching maybe four hours of sleep total.
"Selene, you need to rest," Kael said gently, one hand on her shoulder. "The tournament has days left. You can't watch every minute."
"But what if I miss him?!" Selene's voice was strained from lack of sleep. "What if he finally shows up on the feeds and I'm not watching?!"
"The system records everything," Kael reminded her. "You can review any footage you miss. And he's still not in the top thousand—we've checked his participant number repeatedly. He's ranked around one thousand two hundred, which means he's advancing comfortably but staying off the priority feeds."
"That's exactly what worries me!" Selene grabbed another cup of tea, her hands shaking slightly. "What if something happened? What if he's injured and just maintaining minimal points?"
"Or," Gorvoth interjected from his position near the window, "he's being smart and avoiding unnecessary attention. Which is exactly what we'd expect from Jade."
His tone carried complete confidence, no worry in his expression. He'd been checking Jade's ranking periodically but otherwise remained calm, trusting his capabilities completely.
"I want to SEE him," Selene said, her voice breaking slightly. "I just want to see my boy and know he's okay."
The apprentices had mostly returned to their normal routines, checking the feeds periodically but not maintaining constant vigil. They trusted Jade's strength. Only Selene remained glued to the displays, her maternal worry overriding rational thought.
"The highlight reels update every six hours," Kael said. "The system compiles notable eliminations and dramatic fights. We can review those to see if Jade appears."
"I've watched every highlight compilation!" Selene protested. "Nothing! He's not showing up anywhere!"
"It just means he's not doing anything flashy enough to warrant highlight inclusion," Gorvoth.
Selene made a sound of frustrated distress but settled back into her chair, eyes returning to the displays that cycled through various top-ranked participants.
...
Back at the arena Observation Deck, Kronathis Prime
The arena had adapted to the week-long elimination format. While some dedicated fans maintained near-constant vigil, most spectators came and went in shifts. The viewing areas operated continuously, but the crowds rotated as people left to eat, sleep, handle other obligations.
Commentary booths ran in shifts as well. Lead commentators like Theron worked eight-hour blocks, then handed off to other analysts who provided fresh perspectives. The feeds prioritized the top thousand participants, but viewers could search for specific numbers if they wanted to follow someone ranked lower.
"And we're seeing interesting developments in the northern coastal regions!" the current commentator announced. "Participant 847 continues to dominate with one hundred forty-seven thousand points! Darius Kane is maintaining that aggressive hunting style that's served him so well!"
The feed showed Darius demolishing an A-rank creature with his bare hands, his golden armor splattered with blood and his grin manic with combat high.
"Cassia Mordren remains in top five with one hundred twelve thousand points! Her team's military precision continues to produce consistent results!"
The rankings updated across displays:
1. PARTICIPANT 847 - 147,334 POINTS
2. PARTICIPANT 94,732 - 128,556 POINTS
3. PARTICIPANT 1,234 - 112,847 POINTS
4. PARTICIPANT 12,094 - 108,223 POINTS
5. PARTICIPANT 7,621 - 101,449 POINTS
"Top ten thousand threshold currently sits at thirty-eight thousand four hundred twelve points," the commentator continued. "Which means anyone below that needs to increase their hunting pace significantly!"
In the gambling sections, odds were being updated continuously based on current performance data. Betting remained active around the clock, with professional gamblers and casual fans alike placing wagers on everything from final rankings to which participants would survive the week.
---
Day Five, Hour One Hundred Twenty
Jade eliminated an S-rank Skyreaver that had been roosting on a cliff face, his ice techniques punching through the creature's defenses before it could take flight. The massive corpse tumbled off the cliff and crashed into the forest below.
[EXP +192]
He shadow-traveled down and stored the corpse in his inventory. That made his sixteenth S-rank body collected over the past five days. The materials alone were worth a fortune—scales that could be forged into armor, cores that could power artifacts, organs that alchemists would pay premium prices for.
His watch updated:
POINTS: 62,847
CURRENT RANK: 1,444
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 42,112 POINTS
Day Six, Hour One Hundred Fifty
TIME REMAINING: 18 HOURS
CURRENT PARTICIPANTS: 1,089,334
CURRENT RANK: 1,247
POINTS: 88,223
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 61,334
The final push had begun. Participants across the continent were hunting with increased intensity, knowing that falling below the top ten thousand meant elimination. The point thresholds were climbing by hundreds every hour as fighters eliminated everything they could find.
Jade had expanded his hunting territory significantly as creature populations thinned. He'd moved from his starting rainforest area to coastal regions where water-dwelling creatures provided fresh targets. The transition required minimal adjustment—his techniques worked equally well against amphibious predators and aerial monsters.
By Day Seven, Hour One Hundred Sixty-Six
TIME REMAINING: 2 HOURS
CURRENT PARTICIPANTS: 953,847
CURRENT RANK: 1,342
POINTS: 97,556
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 78,991
The final two hours were chaos. Nearly a million participants still competed, and everyone below the top ten thousand was hunting with frantic desperation. Jade could sense the change through his void sense—participants converging on remaining creature concentrations, fights breaking out over territory and targets.
He avoided the chaos zones, instead searching for isolated pockets of creatures that others had missed. His void sense gave him an advantage—he could detect targets from kilometers away and reach them through shadow-travel before anyone else arrived.
The last two hours became a methodical grind. Hunt, kill, store S-rank corpses, move to next target. By the final countdown, he'd accumulated another three S-rank bodies.
---
Hour One Hundred Sixty-Eight
Jade stood on a cliff overlooking the inland sea as his watch displayed the final countdown.
TIME REMAINING: 00:01:00
CURRENT RANK: 1,404
POINTS: 109,847
TOP 10K THRESHOLD: 82,447
He'd maintained his comfortable invisibility throughout the week, staying firmly outside the top thousand that drew priority feed coverage.
And he had levelled up a total of 10 times during the week. His level now at 160.
The watch counted down the final minute.
00:00:47
00:00:30
00:00:15
Across the continent, nearly a million participants watched their own countdowns, knowing their fates would be determined in seconds. Some were safe. Some were on the edge. Some knew they'd failed and were just waiting for confirmation.
00:00:05
00:00:04
00:00:03
00:00:02
00:00:01
ELIMINATION ROUND COMPLETE
The holographic display on Jade's watch shifted, showing new information:
FINAL RANK: 1,404
FINAL POINTS: 109,847
STATUS: ADVANCED TO ROUND TWO
Then the world shifted, and Jade found himself standing in a massive staging area with thousands of other participants materializing around him. The teleportation arrays had activated simultaneously, pulling everyone who'd advanced from the continent and depositing them in the tournament's central facility.
The Round Two brackets would be announced within hours.
The real tournament was about to begin.
...