"Now for the global rankings," Moon announced with theatrical excitement, spreading her wings as she floated high above the arena.
"Only those will get rewarded who have achieved unbelievable feats."
The moment those words echoed across the arena, the atmosphere changed.
Players began murmuring among themselves.
Some whispered nervously.
Some looked around cautiously.
Others froze completely under the terrifying pressure of being watched.
Because above them—
Those countless gigantic eyes and smiling mouths were still staring down at them.
The weight of their gaze felt suffocating.
"Now for the third place."
The glowing crystal hovering in the air suddenly moved.
It rotated slowly and then projected four massive screens, each facing a different direction so every player in the arena could see clearly.
The projection looked incredibly advanced—far beyond anything humanity had ever created.
The players felt uneasy.
Many of them wanted to speak.
Some wanted to run away from this place.
But they had no choice.
They could only stand there…
…and be watched.
Moon's voice echoed proudly.
"He is an astonishing young man from China, who single-handedly killed not just one, two, or three…"
She paused dramatically.
"…but ten giant serpents."
Her smile widened.
"And gained the title of [SEA SLAUGHTERER]."
"Lǐ Hǎilóng."
The moment his name was announced, the crystal screens suddenly began broadcasting footage.
Everyone watched.
The arena fell silent.
On the screen, a young man stood alone on a rocky battlefield.
In his hand was a massive greatsword.
Around him—
Huge serpents, each nearly ten feet tall, with thick armored scales and monstrous fangs.
The footage showed him fighting them alone.
One by one.
His sword flashed like lightning.
Steel clashed with scales.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
The serpents lunged and twisted violently, but Hǎilóng moved like a storm.
Within minutes—
One serpent fell.
Then another.
Then another.
Until finally—
All ten giant serpents lay dead around him.
The entire arena stared at the screen with wide eyes.
Many players' jaws dropped in disbelief.
Soon after the footage ended, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky and separated Hǎilóng from the other players.
The Chinese players instantly became overjoyed.
Some shouted proudly.
Some applauded loudly.
Meanwhile, players from other countries reacted differently.
Some refused to believe it.
Others simply nodded in respect.
But deep down, everyone understood one thing.
This man was powerful.
And powerful players like him were extremely valuable.
Many countries had already begun thinking the same thing.
Recruit him.
At any cost.
Moon clapped happily.
"Moving along for the second position."
Her tone suddenly became dramatic again.
"We have a player who is from a small country, but achieved this place, proving that true warriors will always rise…"
She spread her arms.
"Ignoring all hardships and boundaries, he achieved what he desired."
Her smile widened.
"And that player is the teleporter himself…"
"The first player to slay a higher being such as Vimanta, the [PARTED GIANT]."
"And conquered the title…"
"[TITAN SLAYER]."
"He is none other than…"
Moon paused.
"…Shivaay."
The moment she said his name, the crystal projections instantly changed.
Now everyone watched another battle.
A giant monster towered above the battlefield.
Vimanta.
A massive titan-like creature with enormous limbs and terrifying strength.
And standing before it—
Shivaay.
The footage showed the battle in full detail.
No one spoke.
No one doubted it.
They simply watched.
Shivaay's blades flashed repeatedly.
Cutting.
Dodging.
Teleporting.
His attacks slowly carved through the titan's enormous body.
Piece by piece.
Bit by bit.
Finally—
Shivaay leapt into the air.
His flames ignited violently.
And the titan's body was incinerated into ashes in midair.
The entire arena remained silent.
Players didn't question it.
They simply watched.
Moon's voice echoed again.
"Now for the final place."
Her tone changed slightly.
"It goes to a person…"
"…who died."
Immediately the players began murmuring loudly.
"What does that mean?"
"Died?"
"Then how is he ranked?"
They wanted to ask questions.
But deep down—
They all knew something strange was about to be revealed.
Moon continued calmly.
"It goes to someone who died and got revived."
"A person who reawakened the Inner Ruin before anyone else."
"He became the first person to awaken his ruin."
"And the sole inheritor of [QUANTUM]."
Moon raised her arms dramatically.
"He is none other than…"
"The [QUANTUM HERO] Tanvir."
Before the players could even process the announcement—
The crystal projection instantly changed again.
Another battle appeared.
Everyone watched as a single person fought two four-armed monsters.
The creatures were terrifying.
Their bodies were unnatural.
Their movements were ghostlike.
Yet Tanvir fought them alone.
Energy gathered around him.
Atoms seemed to distort around his body.
Then—
In a flash of blinding power—
Both monsters were erased from existence itself.
The arena fell into stunned silence.
Players looked around quickly.
Searching.
Trying to locate those players.
Soon they noticed something.
Two light pillars standing very close to each other.
The fascinating part wasn't just that they came from the same country.
The fascinating part was which country.
Bangladesh.
A small country.
A country no one expected such monsters to come from.
Yet now—
Everyone knew.
And they also understood something else.
In this new world, there were only two choices.
Kill… or be killed.
Adi's face slowly turned pale.
"Monsters…"
He whispered to himself.
"I am surrounded by monsters."
His eyes trembled slightly.
"If they are this capable in the early game…"
"…then what will happen if they move further?"
"They have the potential to become something abnormal."
He swallowed.
"These two can make any country dominate the world."
"They are disasters."
Shivaay looked toward Moon with cold eyes.
"This bitch has done it again."
Tanvir glanced at him.
"Do you have any solution for that?"
Shivaay smirked slightly.
"Yeah."
"I have one."
Moon suddenly spoke again.
"Rankers, please come to the center and receive the reward."
As she finished speaking, something appeared on the ground.
Three red carpets extended forward, leading toward the center of the arena.
Only three.
For the global rankers.
Everyone else had to walk barefoot.
Tanvir's eyes narrowed.
"Discrimination."
"This bitch is using discrimination to provoke the players."
Suddenly Tanvir shouted loudly.
"Heyyy bitch!"
"Look over here!"
Every player turned.
All the eyes in the sky turned.
Even Moon herself turned to look at them.
And then they noticed something strange.
Floating in the air above Tanvir and Shivaay…
…was a large red ball.
A massive sphere.
When the players looked closer—
They realized what it was made of.
It was the red carpet itself.
Tanvir had ripped it apart and compressed it into a giant ball.
Tanvir grinned.
"We have a gift for you."
Shivaay snapped his fingers in the air.
The gesture clearly looked like he was flipping the middle finger at Moon.
The red carpet ball suddenly ignited into flames.
Tanvir grabbed it and hurled it toward Moon.
The burning sphere flew through the air.
It didn't hit her.
A transparent barrier blocked it.
But something else happened.
Something more important.
A small smile slowly appeared on many players' faces.
Even the giant eyes in the sky turned bloody red.
Hǎilóng covered his mouth, trying to hide his laughter.
But he failed.
"They are one of a kind…"
He chuckled.
Then he raised his sword.
"Let's play along."
BOOOOM
A massive explosion echoed across the arena.
Hǎilóng had just cut his own red carpet in half, slicing through both the carpet and the concrete beneath it.
Tanvir laughed loudly.
"Take it, bitch!"
"It's our gift just for you."
He even mimicked Moon's playful tone.
The arena, which had been spotless moments ago, was now covered with burning ashes and floating dust.
Pieces of the red carpet burned slowly in the air.
Moments ago, the arena had been silent with fear.
Now—
It was filled with giggles and laughter.
The fascinating part was that the roles had completely reversed.
The players were no longer silent victims.
They were mocking the host.
As Tanvir and Shivaay walked forward through the burning fragments of carpet and drifting dust, their steps were slow and confident.
Each step felt like a slap across the system's face.
And a clear statement to everyone watching.
They were not enemies.
They were allies.