Chapter 135: Chapter135-Virtual reality hunting

Name: Eli Montrose Age: 37 Height: 6 feet Weight: 110 kg Personality: Inquisitive, enjoys toxic substances, holds misogynistic views, and is smart when necessary. Evaluation: Iron-Rank Hunter Probability: There's a 1% chance of reaching Gold-Rank by the age of 50. *** I was stunned. How could this happen? It didn't fit the academy's rules. It wasn't his personality that caught me off guardit was his rank. An Iron-ranked professor... This was the first time I'd seen a professor with such a low rank. According to Michael's memories, the academy had a strict rule that only professors ranked Gold or higherup to Acecould work here. The only exception was if someone had special permission from the principal. As I processed this, my initial shock wore off, and I regained my composure. It was clear that this professor must have a close connection with the principal to be working here despite his low rank. The man stepped forward, his gaze scanning the room with a calm authority. "Good morning, everyone," he began, his voice firm yet welcoming. "I am Professor Eli Montrose, and I'll be overseeing your virtual match today." His eyes lingered on each of us, as if assessing our readiness. "My role is simple," he continued, "I'll be monitoring your progress in the virtual world and ensuring a fair competition. Once you're in the pods, you'll be under my supervision." The room remained silent as we listened. "Now, follow me. The pods are set up in the academy's simulation wing." With a quick gesture, he turned and led us through the hall. The air buzzed with anticipation as we followed him, our footsteps echoing softly in the long corridor ahead. As I walked down the hallway with the others, following the professor, I overheard some murmurs behind me. "Hey, want to team up?" "No chance. I'd rather go solo. For all I know, you might stab me in the back." "Come on, man, we've been friends for ages. How could you think that?" "Sorry, but you know how it is. I'm not risking my shot at that reward." Honestly, he had a point. With the rules Marcus laid out, teaming up seemed like more of a risk than a benefit. There were four rules in total. First, each monster you killed earned you 10 points. Second, eliminating another player would give you 30 points. Third, there were three hidden Easter eggs in the arena, each worth a staggering 1,000 points. If you found even one of those Easter eggs, you'd be almost guaranteed to win, given how valuable they were. The final rule, which didn't surprise anyone, was that there would only be one winner. It was unrealistic to think Marcus would give out multiple skill books, considering how incredibly rare they were. There were only around 100 skill books known to exist in the entire human domain, and my family owned two of them. With such high stakes, going solo seemed like the smartest move. Since I'm alone, I need to stay alert around others. The main people to watch are Solos, Mira, James, and especially Eoin, who is far more powerful than his master. Aside from them, I'm confident I can handle anyone else without using my skills. If I used my dash, I'd easily defeat anyone, even Eoin. Anyway... The lights mounted on the hallway ceiling flickered intensely... At the end of the hall, we reached a large door, which slid open with a push by the Professor, revealing a huge room filled with hundreds of VR capsules. Hmm... The space was enormous, with high ceilings and sleek, metallic walls covered with screens displaying various stats. The capsules had a futuristic lookeach one big enough for someone to lie inside comfortably. They were jet-black with a glass cover that slid closed over the top. Blue and green lights pulsed around the edges, signaling they were ready. Inside, there was soft padding and advanced connectors that linked to the brain for a fully immersive virtual reality experience. I couldn't help but be impressed by the high-tech design. The capsules looked like they were straight out of a science fiction movie. Florence Academy certainly lives up to its reputation for providing top-notch resources when needed. Professor Eli then addressed us, paying particular attention to the male group. "These are the capsules you'll be using. We don't have much time, so listen carefully: get into the pod and keep your eyes closed the entire time. Do you all understand?" He looked at both the female and male groups, and we all nodded in agreement immediately. *** Ten minutes later, everyone, including me, got into our pods. We lowered and, closed the glass covers and closed our eyes. *** A few minutes later, in the dark and echoing silence, I finally heard the robotic voice I had been waiting for: [Welcome to the Virtual World, Michael!] *** "Ugh, what's going on?" So warm... I opened my eyes and realized I was standing in the middle of a vast jungle, with the sun blazing down on me. No wonder I felt so hot. I wiped the sweat from my face and, after a brief pause, chose a random direction to start searching for monsters to hunt. As I walked, something massive flying in the sky caught my eye. Squinting through the sun's harsh rays, I could barely make it out. "Is that... a hologram?" At first, I wasn't sure, but after walking a little further, it became clear. It was a hologram displaying the top five hunters with the most points so far: 1) James Wilson: 100 points 2) Solos Kamstur: 70 points 3) Anna Parkour: 60 points 4) Mira Lapele: 50 points 5) Adrian Kalson: 30 points "Damn, They've already started hunting..." Frustration surged through me. The gap was too bigtaking down one or two monsters wouldn't even get me close. I had to act fast. Clenching my fists, I focused on one goal: *I need that skill book, no matter what.* Without wasting another moment, I sprinted off in search of monsters. After a minute, I came to a sudden stop, my eyes locked on a large, rustling bush nearby. Something was inside. The bush in front of me was around 8 feet long. In the jungle, it wasn't unusual to come across plants like this. They tend to thrive in dangerous areas, thanks to harmless worm-like creatures living underneath, supplying them with nutrients. But that wasn't my main concern right now. The bush had been shaking wildly just moments ago, but now it was still. What could be inside? I started to approach but stopped when something emerged. It was smaller than the bush, but still larger than me. A bear. A regular-looking bear stepped out of the bush and quickly noticed me. I activated my appraisal skill and saw it was an early Common Rank monsterone rank lower than me. While I was busy appraising the bear, it let out a fierce roar and then charged straight at me. The distance between us was only about 20 meters, and it was closing in fast. The bear was about 7 feet tall, with sharp claws on its limbs and thick skin tough enough to easily resist low-level blunt attacks. As it rushed towards me, the gap between us shrank quickly. There was no way this bear could defeat me. Just now way... When it was just 3 meters away, a clicking sound echoed in the air, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down. "THUD!" That was the sound of the bear hitting the ground. I didn't even stop to look back, already moving on to find my next target. Behind me, the massive bear collapsed with a loud crash, its head cleanly sliced off in a single strike. Uff... That was fast... And, then with that I practically started running at a unknown to find monsters... I dont care if any peak gold rank monster comes out of his hive. I just want to kill. Oh, by the way, in the party Marcus also informed that there will be three monsters above platinum rank in the jungle, each one will be protecting one easter egg. This made easier for the hunters to roam and, kill as many as you want. So, this game is all about who kills fast and, get points. For the time being, I shifted my focus to search for monsters. *** "Die already!" A sharp slashing sound echoed, and another monster hit the ground with a heavy thud. Damn... this is getting tougher. After running for a few minutes, I finally found a group of mid-rank uncommon monsters. They were easy enough to defeat, but time was still slipping away. The ground around me was stained with blood from the monsters I'd killed. My daggers were drenched in red, but despite the carnage, I couldn't relax. I glanced up at the sky and saw the 12-foot hologram hovering above. 1) James Wilson: 300 points 2) Solos Kamstur: 200 points 3) Anna Parkour: 150 points 4) Mira Lapele: 120 points 5) Adrian Kalson: 90 points *Damn...* I've only managed to kill five monsters, which means I have just 50 points. That's... really bad. The gap between me and James is enormous. A 250-point lead is nearly impossible to overcome by just hunting monsters. I need to think smarter, not just work harder. But what's the best strategy? *Come on, Michael, think...* Time was rushing by quickly, like a river flowing downstream. The clock in the top left corner of the hologram read 10 a.m. The match would end around 12 p.m., leaving me with about two hours. I needed a planand I needed one fast. After a moment of thought, I suddenly recalled something important that I had overlooked earlier. "Wait! Isn't that a loophole?" Yes, I definitely need to try that... According to the rules, every creature here is classified as a monster... As the realization hit me, a grin spread across my face. Interesting... very interesting... Without hesitation, I started searching for what I needed. It didn't take long before I found what I was looking for. Here they are... I said as I spotted a massive bush. The same type which I saw a few minutes ago... I thanked the bush in advance, then leaped onto itmore like pounced on it. I started digging into the ground with my daggers as fast as I could, excitement growing with every movement. Where are you? Come on out... After a few minutes of intense digging, I finally uncovered the hidden treasures buried beneath the surface. Yes... The treasures were gold-colored worms wriggling energetically in the dirt.