Chapter 189: White Light [@Bliatis and @Thomasinho Golden Ticket Bonus - ]

Alex was surging through the ruined ancient city at quick speed.

His skill [Eye of Flesh] stayed constantly active the entire time as he searched for more mana beasts to kill.

"I guess I need to move on to a different biome, this one is quite small and there is nothing left for me here from which I can gain more points."

While Alex did have a large pool of mana in his Mana Heart, that did not mean he would keep spending it until the levels became alarmingly low.

The new skill still lacked proficiency, so it drained mana far faster than he liked.

He deactivated Eye of Flesh and switched to [Mana Absorption] to recover while moving.

Absorbing ambient mana in motion was extremely difficult, but he was slowly learning the balance.

"And it seems I am almost at the edge of a newer biome, how lucky, let's keep moving."

Alex muttered the words and rushed forward.

He had really tried to find any remaining participants so he could gain points more efficiently, but the earlier fight with the spider had created enough noise and destruction to drive everyone else out of the area.

Staying here any longer would only waste time.

"I hope this new biome will have other participants, I really want to gain more points."

The newer biome finally came into view.

It was a completely different and sudden change in environment.

Most of the surface was covered with still, dark water that reflected the overcast sky in broken patches.

Small stepping platforms of weathered stone rose just above the waterline at irregular intervals, just large enough for a single person to land and push off again.

The gaps between them varied, some short enough for a normal jump, others forcing a full mana-enhanced leap.

After longer stretches of open water a larger piece of solid land would appear, offering brief stable ground before the pattern of small platforms resumed.

Rare thin structures jutted upward from the depths every few hundred meters, solitary and lonely, like the broken spines of some long-dead giant.

They offered only a small real cover and almost no usable surface.

The air was heavy and humid, clinging to skin and clothing with a damp weight that made every breath feel thicker than in the dry ruins he had just left.

Even the ambient mana here carried a different texture, slower and denser than the currents of the ancient city.

Alex stopped using Eye of Flesh completely and continued drawing ambient mana through Mana Absorption as best he could while in motion.

He jumped and planted his foot on the first small platform, then immediately launched to the next.

Step! Step! Step!

He zipped deeper into the water biome, platform to platform, keeping his balance with practiced ease.

As he moved he thought, 'I should use the skill for a moment to get a particular direction so I am not moving completely blindly.'

Alex activated the skill again.

"[Eye of Flesh]"

The world opened up around him.

Different currents of mana became visible in the humid air and the dark water below.

His five senses sharpened at the same time, pulling in more detail than ordinary perception could handle.

He suddenly sensed a clear mana disturbance to his left.

"There."

"In that direction..."

He immediately deactivated the skill to conserve mana and surged toward the signal.

Step! Step! Step!

While he was still moving he heard a sudden disturbance in the water.

SPLASH!

Someone or something had broken the water surface.

Alex turned toward the sound.

Near one of the rare thin jutting structures a boy had just landed and was still pushing himself upright.

Dirty white hair hung damp around a face marked by grey eyes.

The boy's clothing and weapon style marked him as a Sakura participant, though almost certainly from a branch family rather than the main line.

His movements and the quality of mana control Alex could already read were nowhere near the level of the top contenders.

'Maybe a Sakura branch family member.'

'His control does not seem anywhere near my level.'

The boy had barely gotten his feet under him when he saw the black-haired, black-eyed figure rushing toward him at blinding speed.

"Wait! Isn't that—"

He remembered what he had been told about the Third Prince's involvement.

"—The Third Prince Of Winterf—!"

The boy immediately drew a grey katana-like weapon and tried to activate a skill before Alex could close the gap.

"[Air—"

He had barely started the chant when the clash arrived.

CLANG!!!!

'No way! How is he so fast?!'

The thought slammed through the boy's mind in pure shock.

WHOOSH!

His entire body lifted off the platform and went hurling backward toward another stretch of small stones.

'—And this strength?! They never mentioned anything like that about him—!'

He could not understand it.

The rumors had placed the Third Prince somewhere in the mid Awaken ranks, or at best just entering the high stages.

The sheer physical dominance of the impact said otherwise.

Panic settled in hard.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

BAAM!!!

He crashed across multiple platforms before finally skidding to a stop on a larger piece of land.

His weapon clattered away across the wet stone.

Footsteps approached at once.

Step! Step!

'He is coming!'

A determined look locked onto the boy's face.

'I have to inform them even if I get eliminated—!'

As Alex closed the remaining distance he saw the boy ignore the fallen weapon entirely and dig into a pocket instead.

A small device with a white gem at its center appeared in the boy's hand.

'Not going for his weapon? What is he thinking? And what is that thing?' Alex did not like any of the possibilities that came to mind.

Just as the boy finished drawing the device and was about to press it—

SHIIING!

A gleaming dark black curved blade appeared a hair's breadth from the boy's right iris, ready to pierce.

"NO—"

WHOOOSH!

Gone.

THUD!

Alex landed on the empty platform the boy had occupied a moment earlier.

The figure had vanished completely the instant the blade was about to puncture his eye, leaving only the faint residual scent of displaced air and the soft lap of water against stone.

"Sigh... That boy almost triggered whatever that was."

Alex did not linger.

He needed to keep moving.

He activated the skill once more.

"[Eye of Flesh]"

Suddenly he sensed something high above, something that would have been invisible to ordinary sight.

A faint but distinct disturbance hung in the upper air.

"That direction..."

Alex muttered and rushed toward the point he had locked onto, leaping from platform to platform across the dark water.

As he kept moving he suddenly noticed a bright white light forming in the sky above the distant water, and—!

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End of Chapter 189: White Light

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