Chapter 190: Sand and Rankings [@Thomasinho Golden Ticket Bonus - ]

Alex activated his skill again.

"[Eye of Flesh]"

Suddenly he saw something at the top of the sky.

It would not have been visible to him under normal perception, but now he felt it clearly.

"There."

"That direction..."

Alex muttered and rushed toward the point.

As he kept moving, he suddenly noticed a bright white light in the sky.

"That light... that was what I sensed?"

The light was already growing dimmer.

The feeling he had locked onto weakened with every second.

Alex immediately adjusted his path and moved toward it.

'I will keep my distance from it, but I at least want to know what that thing is, it could be something good or bad.'

He sped up, senses still open.

***

A sand biome stretched out under a scorching sun that barreled down without mercy.

Thick heat waves shimmered above the ground, distorting the air in constant ripples.

Every few kilometers something moved under the surface, leaving only faint disturbances in the dunes.

Cactus-type plants dotted the landscape at irregular intervals, their spines sharp under the harsh light.

Sand dunes rose and fell in long, wind-shaped ridges.

Broken sand structures, half-buried and eroded, stood like the remains of something that had once tried to resist the desert and failed.

The entire place was pure sand and heat, dry and hostile.

A well-built, strong boy with deep red hair and deep red eyes moved through that sand biome at unnatural speed.

His gaze, which seemed made of blood itself, swept left and right with chilling focus.

He left no footprints behind him.

Every step was precise, controlled, and experienced.

"Tch... there are not enough mana creatures here to gain enough points."

The boy muttered in irritation.

He had been moving and killing for a while, yet he was still only in second place on the live rankings.

2. Marlin Bloodworth : 9000 Points.

"Even the other participants I killed barely had any points on them."

"I need to change my biome as soon as possible, or that Vectorian will create too big of a lead."

Marlin Bloodworth was one of the strongest contenders in this year's Proving across the entire Human Empire.

He had awakened early and had more than enough time to prepare.

Many bets had been placed on his name.

But as always, nearly every Proving produced someone from the Imperial Vectorian family who led for most of the event.

This year looked no different so far.

"Once the biome changes and I get other participants and mana beasts to eliminate, I will be able to take over him, I should hurry."

He carried a blood-red longsword in one hand, gripped at an angle that would let him strike at any moment.

His entire posture stayed ready, as if he could explode into battle without warning.

Suddenly he heard movement to his right, under the sand.

Marlin stopped dead.

He spun toward the sound, intense red eyes locking onto the exact position where the disturbance had come from.

The noise cut off completely.

Everything went silent.

Rumble! Rumble!

'Down!'

Marlin side-stepped at once.

The ground beneath his previous position burst open and a hideous worm-like creature erupted upward.

When it realized it had missed its prey, it screeched and dove straight at him.

SCREEEECH—!

Marlin's cold red eyes stayed locked on the worm as it surged toward him.

Just as the creature opened wide to swallow him, he side-stepped again at high speed and dodged cleanly.

A sudden chill washed over the worm as it missed a second time.

Before it could recover—

CRACK! SQUELCH! PIERCE! BURST!

Marlin's red longsword had already impaled its head cleanly.

Its innards burst through the far side along with a spray of dark red blood across the sand.

THUD!

The creature dropped, twitched once, twice, three times, then went still.

***

Across the empire, people rooting for Marlin Bloodworth erupted into cheers.

"Yess!!!"

"He is going to get the first position soon if he keeps up the pace!!!"

"You can do this, Marlin!!!"

"Keep going!!!"

"We believe in you!!!"

The supporters of Kerin Vectorian, the current first-rank holder, reacted in the opposite way.

"Oi! What do you mean that red-head will get the first position?"

"Yeah! Do you think just anyone can beat a Vectorian?"

"I have bet all my money on Kerin Vectorian! He will be the one to win for sure!!!"

"Yes, Kerin Vectorian is guaranteed to win!"

"You people keep shouting about Bloodworth like the Imperial family is going to just hand over the lead! Dream on!"

"At least our guy is actually killing things instead of sitting on a name!"

"Name or not, the rankings don't lie, Kerin is still ahead, and that is all that matters."

"For now, keep watching, Marlin will close that gap before you know it."

"You want to put more money on that? Because I will take that bet right now!"

The argument between the two groups grew louder and more heated by the second, until the live ranking suddenly updated across every screen.

Silence spread at once.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?!"

"How!?"

"Wait, see that! Isn't that—!"

"No way! It's really—!"

***

Marlin Bloodworth checked his points.

They had increased by four hundred, but there was no happiness on his face.

If anything, his expression turned colder.

2 → 4. Marlin Bloodworth : 9400 Points.

"Who...?"

He had been in second place.

Suddenly two people had overtaken him.

He immediately checked who had surpassed him so quickly.

Zara : 9300 Points.

'Zara.'

He had heard of her.

The mysterious Shadow Guard of the Third Prince, the one who had bonded with him and somehow been connected to his early awakening.

People had tried to dig into her past and found nothing.

Every trace had been cleaned away as if someone powerful had decided she should remain unknown.

Then his eyes moved to the second spot.

2. Kerin Vectorian : 10700 Points.

'Huh?'

Marlin could not believe that even Kerin Vectorian had been left behind by someone.

"Who could—!"

He checked the first place entry at once.

1. Alexander Abyss : 12700 Points.

"..."

"..."

"...So the rumours really were not all false..."

Marlin had heard the stories about the Third Prince.

In fact, he had been one of the few who already knew the boy was stronger than most public reports claimed.

The training-hall spars had placed him roughly at the beginning of the high Awaken stages, around Level 10.

Those estimates were clearly wrong.

Only one conclusion remained.

"...He was hiding his powers."

That was the only explanation that fit.

"But I have to take care of him."

Marlin muttered the words under his breath.

He had not forgotten his family's orders.

Their Matriarch, Valeriana Bloodworth, had commanded a coordinated elimination at any cost if the Third Prince survived the CBI's initial mechanisms.

The rankings updated once more.

4 → 5. Marlin Bloodworth : 9400 Points.

***

[LIVE POINTS RANKINGS]

1. Alexander Abyss : 12700 Points.

2. Kerin Vectorian : 11000 Points.

3. Serin Sol : 10100 Points.

4. Zara : 9700 Points.

5. Marlin Bloodworth : 9400 Points.

6. Felin Winterfang : 9000 Points.

7. Thorin Stonehelm : 8200 Points.

8. Andrew Nightveil : 8010 Points.

9. Seranil Sakura : 7900 Points.

10. Zarina Crimsonvale : 7000 Points.

(Click To Expand Fully)

***

"Tch! I need to move."

Marlin started moving at once.

He needed to get out of this abandoned sand biome.

Time was running out, and he was being left behind!

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End of Chapter 190: Sand and Rankings

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