Chapter 271: Abnormal Change on the Ranking List

Chapter 271: Chapter 271: Abnormal Change on the Ranking List

Lance stared at the Snow Lady clutching his arm for dear life.

A bad feeling stirred in Lance’s gut. Her possessiveness was getting a little out of hand.

"Nieve, you can’t do this."

Lance lowered his voice, a hint of sternness in his tone.

But Nieve, like a stubborn child ignoring a scolding, didn’t budge. Instead, she turned and looked at Lance earnestly.

"Nieve’s spot is on the left."

The Snow Lady’s voice was flat and matter-of-fact. She raised her free hand and pointed to Lance’s other side.

"Bazzer can stand on the right."

Bazzer had been there during the last explosion, so Nieve recognized him.

Lance breathed a sigh of relief at Nieve’s reasoning.

’She’s just being stubborn.’

"Sorry about that, Bazzer. Nieve’s been a bit emotionally unstable lately."

Lance explained apologetically to the Minstrel who had been pushed aside.

But Lance had no idea.

If Bazzer had actually done as Nieve said and moved to Lance’s right, the Snow Lady would have, without a moment’s hesitation, walked over and shoved him away again in the exact same manner.

Lance had clearly been fooled by Nieve’s usually dorky and innocent demeanor, which was why he so easily believed her excuse.

As the two of them were caught up in this little awkward moment, the bell tolling midnight finally rang out over the Public Safety Zone.

The moment the tolling faded, the Obsidian Stele standing in the center of the Central Square began to change.

A ball of fire erupted from the very bottom of the stele.

Like a carving knife, the flame shot upward, etching its way across the Obsidian surface.

Line after line of faintly glowing names broke free from their confinement, appearing clearly before everyone’s eyes.

"Gods! Look at number 45! It’s Oleg! I can’t believe he’s participating in the Summer Crown this year!"

"Number 32 is the assassin from the Falcon Squad! I knew he’d make the list this time!"

As the names were revealed one by one, gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

In the range from 50th to 30th place, most of the names belonged to well-known veteran Adventurers from around Gray Rock Town.

There were even a few top-tier experts mixed in who didn’t normally operate in Rusted Stone Echo but had come from out of town specifically to compete.

The flame continued to dance its way up from the bottom, the rankings steadily climbing.

Soon, the flame lit up the 28th spot, and a familiar name popped into view.

[28th Place: Frost Knight · Nieve]

Seeing this name, a considerable stir immediately swept through the square.

As an official member of the Silver Hand Guild and a rare Snow Lady of a Sub-human Species, Nieve’s name was already well-known in the Underground City.

Many people knew that Frost Knight, a Rare Profession, was certainly powerful in team combat.

But under the rules of the ranking—which was based purely on solo performance without any teammate assistance—it was extremely difficult for a defensive Profession lacking burst damage to accumulate enough Crown Value to break into the top 50.

Who would have thought that she would not only make the list but also rank so high, sitting comfortably at 28th place?

Among the Golden Lion Cross Team, several Knights in ornate armor couldn’t help but frown.

After this rank was revealed, they discovered to their dismay that several of their own core members, in whom they had placed high hopes, had been thoroughly beaten in individual points by this Snow Lady.

As the flame continued its ascent, the rankings entered the top 20.

From this point on, the names appearing on the stele were almost completely dominated by renowned prodigies.

The flame licked its way to the 11th position.

[11th Place: Pale Guard · Lance (Skull Icon)]

The moment this name fully materialized, the previously bustling Central Square fell into a brief silence.

First, the name was completely unfamiliar to the vast majority of people present; they racked their brains but could find no information about this person.

Second, they had never heard of the Profession "Pale Guard." It sounded...

So Ordinary.

Finally, and most shocking of all, was the skull icon appended to his name!

In all the years the Summer Crown had been held, never before had such a special symbol appeared on the individual leaderboard.

Standing in the distance, Lance’s expression was as black as the bottom of a pot.

’All I did was casually... appropriate a few little bombs. Did it have to be so petty and highlight it in front of thousands of people?’

Lance cursed the will of the Underground City in his mind.

After a brief silence, the square erupted in an uproar even more intense than before.

Meanwhile, in the Silver Hand’s camp, Julius’s eyes went wide with shock.

He had already found it incredible that Nieve could fight her way into 28th place all by herself, even thinking it bordered on illogical.

Just as he was racking his brain over it, Lance’s name appeared in this high-ranking position.

’It all makes sense now!’

’So Nieve saw how strong he was from the start.’

’Then she used... certain methods to get this powerful man wrapped around her little finger.’

’She turned him into a tool to climb the leaderboard, and that’s how she secured such a commanding rank.’

’This is a disaster, and it’s all my fault.’

Julius shut his eyes in anguish. ’If it weren’t for that decision I made, how could Nieve have... corrupted herself to this degree?’

The next second, he opened his eyes and began scanning the crowded square.

Soon, his eyes locked onto Nieve’s figure on a gentle slope at the edge of the crowd.

At that moment, the Snow Lady was clinging to Lance’s arm like a small, possessive animal guarding its food.

And Lance, faced with her persistence, had a look of utter helplessness.

Seeing this, Julius took a deep breath.

He had to admit that, in this moment, his selfish instincts as her guardian had triumphed over his so-called morals.

’I must do everything in my power to ensure Nieve achieves her dream of successfully joining the Crimson Crown Knight Order in the Royal Capital.’

’Only then can I make up for what I owe her.’

Julius turned and gave a hushed order to the Deputy Captain behind him.

"Inform the logistics department that from now on, whenever Nieve requests Stamina Potions from the warehouse, regardless of Level, her supply is to be unlimited."

"Also, I need you to personally contact our channels in the Black Market."

He paused, as if steeling himself to make a difficult decision.

"Get me a few vials of the highest-purity ’Gold-Backed Earth Dragon Adrenaline Extract.’"

The Deputy Captain gasped when he heard the name.

"Captain, that’s..."

The Deputy Captain had just started to voice his objection, but Julius cut him off with a grave nod.

"Don’t ask questions. Just do it. And remember, no one else can find out about this."

The Deputy Captain quickly hid the horror in his eyes and gave a discreet nod.

’Nieve, your big brother is really taking on a lot for your future,’ Julius sighed to himself.

Then, he offered a silent prayer.

’I’m so sorry, Mr. Lance. For the sake of Nieve’s future, you must... take good care of your body.’

’I will be the one behind the scenes, providing you both with the most solid logistical support possible.’

...

The clamor in the square continued.

With the 11th place finisher fully revealed, everyone craned their necks in anticipation, waiting for the names of the top ten powerhouses to be announced.

But one minute passed, then two, and the spot for 10th place remained a blurry, empty space. No name appeared.

And at that very moment,

WHOOOOM—

A deep, muffled horn blast echoed, seeming to come directly from the depths of the second zone.

Immediately after, everyone present felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble violently.

"Look at the leaderboard! It’s changing!"

Someone shouted in terror.

Everyone immediately snapped their gazes back to the Obsidian Stele.

The names of the top ten had finally appeared in the raging fire.

However, the way they appeared was completely beyond anyone’s expectations.

The top 10 names weren’t fixed in their original positions.

Instead, driven by some invisible force, they moved down, step by step, until they were all crammed forcefully into the narrow band of light for 11th place.

The top ten spots on the leaderboard were completely wiped clean.

This bizarre change wasn’t over yet.

Next, among the top 50 on the leaderboard, the names of the experts from the other three Underground Cities who were competing cross-zone began to disappear from the stele one by one, as if they were being erased.

As the names vanished, the tremors in the earth grew more and more violent.

The temporary wooden stalls set up nearby began to collapse from the intense shaking.