Chapter 136: Chapter136-At the top of the Table

James POV *** "Huff Puff" My heavy breathing echoed through the cave. Currently... I sat on a rock, gripping a blood-stained sword, trying to catch my breath. That was way too... easy than I thought it would be... The cave was nearly pitch-black, except for a faint beam of sunlight filtering in, just enough to give me a view. The ground was slick with thick, green blood. Scattered around me were the bodies of strange creatures, a mix of lion and eagle. Seven in total, lying in pools of their own green blood. These monsters had three things in common. First, they were all the same species. Second, their blood was a strange green color, not surprising since I'd studied them before. Third, all their heads were cleanly severed from their bodies. The cuts were so clean and precise, anyone who saw them would assume it was the work of a master swordsman. But no, this was all me. Me, the son of Woodrow Wilson. The future ruler of the Wilson lands... The lifeless creatures in front of me were known as Darots. They typically stayed in caves and moved in groups, which is why most gold rankers avoided them or chose not to engage. As the strongest species in the gold rank, they were often feared. However, due to my higher rank, they were hardly a challenge for me. Hardly... So easy... In fact, I'm confident no monster in this entire virtual world could take me downexcept for three hidden ones. Those are the ones I need to watch out for... I hope I come across at least one of them. If I do, it'll be like hitting three birds with one stone. First, I'd win the virtual battle. Second, with everything being streamed live, people are watching me, which will boost my reputation and be useful later. Third, I'd get a challenging fight with the monster, helping me improve my body both mentally and physically. Being a platinum ranker comes with its own advantages. While I was deep in thought, I suddenly heard a faint cry. It wasn't just one sound; several weak roars and cries echoed through the cave. "Cuah! Cuah!" Hmm? So, they've all woken up? I quickly got up and headed further deep into the cave. After walking a few meters, I found where the noise was coming from. It was the baby Darots, who had been sleeping peacefully while I massacred their group. These small ones looked like the adults but were much smallerabout the size of my leg. So tiny. There were Six baby Darots in total, and they were making a racket, likely disturbed by my intrusion. "Cuah! Cuah!" Their innocent eyes and cries seemed to plead for mercy, but... To me, they were just virtual monsters. I had no intention of sparing them. I raised my green-bloodied sword and, without hesitation, swung it horizontally, slicing all of them in half. They were silenced before they could cry out once more... Alright, with that, I should have already crossed 500 points. I doubt anyone will be close to me, except maybe Solos. Even so, he must be at least 100 points behind. Let's check. Plus, I need to check the time too. I started walking out of the cave. The cave was long, so it took me over a minute to emerge. When I finally stepped outside, the sound of the waterfall filled the air, and sunlight warmed my head. I could also hear the occasional birdsong, which I always enjoyed before hunting them out. Anyway, I looked up at the hologram. What I saw was unbelievable. The names and scores displayed left me utterly speechless. I was stunned, flabbergasted, shocked, and surprised all at once. All because of the hologram floating in the sky. How could this even be possible? 1) Michael Frostburne: 650 points 2) James Wilson: 510 points 3) Anna Parkour: 400 points 4) Mira Lapele: 370 points 5) Solos Kamstur: 350 points My name, which had been at the top of the hologram just minutes ago, was now overtaken by someone I never expectedMichael. Instead of panicking about the large gap between us, I focused on figuring out what happened. According to the participant records I checked last night, Michael should be ranked gold. While taking down newly promoted uncommon monsters would be within his capability, handling borderline uncommon monsters effectively would be more challenging for him. This means he must have used his skills to break into the top five. When I entered the cave, it was 10:10, and now it was 10:30, so 20 minutes had passed. The last time I saw the hologram before heading outside, Michael wasn't even in the top five. This means he must have jumped to first place in just 20 minutes. A skill alone wouldn't last long enough for him to defeat that many monsters. Even if he fought a group, he should have been in the top five, not number one. So, he must have done something else. But what could he have done in such a short time? I closed my eyes and began to calculate. As I worked it out, a minute passed. The loud chirping of the birds was bothering me while I was thinking, and I could sense their presence. I quickly pulled out a pistol from my magical storage bag and fired three shots in the direction where I sensed the birds. In an instant, three birds dropped to the ground. With that taken care of, I finally felt at ease and could think clearly. Hold on! After dealing with the birds, a new thought crossed my mind. No way... Could he really be doing that? I checked the hologram and saw that my points, which were at 510, had risen to 540. So, he's exploiting the loophole. I never imagined anyone would find those gaps in the game. While I knew several easy ways to win, I didn't expect anyone to discover them, except maybe Mira or Anna. I thought they'd be the first to use these loopholes, but who would have guessed Michael would find them? Anyway, I didn't need to worry too much. If he can use a loophole, so can I. Let's see who comes out on top. "This should be fun!" I then jumped from the cave entrance, about four feet above the ground, and landed smoothly. I stowed my bloodied sword, pulled out another pistol from the bag, and then began shooting at the harmless birds flying overhead. *** "Get out of there!" I shouted as I drove my right-hand dagger into the small pit I had already made. "Come out!" I kept digging deeper and finally spotted a small creature trying to burrow further down. Without hesitation, I stabbed at its exposed belly. The force of the strike caused a white liquid to splatter onto my face. With that one stab, the creature was instantly killed. But... "Great, now my face is covered in gunk..." Then, I quickly jumped back to the edge of the pit, feeling exhausted. After discovering those golden-colored worms, I had been digging frantically with both daggers, determined to kill the creatures before they could dig away and escape. I wasn't sure how long I'd been hunting, but it was clear that my haul was much bigger than I'd expected. I glanced up at the hologram in the sky. 1) Michael Frostburne: 770 points 2) James Wilson: 680 points 3) Mira Lapele: 600 points 4) Solos Kamstur: 530 points 5) Anna Parkour: 520 points It looks like I need to keep going since the gap between me and James isn't that big. Man, is he monster or something? How is he racking up so many points so quickly? I checked the time on the hologram: 10:40 a.m. So, 30 minutes have passed. In that time, I managed to earn at least 700 more points to get to the top, but staying there will require even more effort. Without delay, I moved toward another bush to hunt for more worms. I had already cleared seven large bushes, so this would be the eighth. As I walked quickly, I began to wonder just how vast this jungle must be since I hadn't encountered anyone yet. An hour and ten minutes had passed, and I hadn't run into a single participant, which was a bit surprising. I had expected to meet at least one by now. While I kept running, I frequently checked the hologram for any updates on the rankings. The only significant change was that the gap between me and James had shrunk from 90 points to just 50 in a matter of minutes. I stayed calm and kept moving until I suddenly sensed something. A group of five people, around my age, was approaching. I stopped and waited for them. When they saw me, one of thema red-haired guy with a handsome face and a muscular buildexclaimed, "Hey, look guys, who we've found!" Another member of the group, who appeared fairly average with black hair and a regular build, added, "Well, well, Mr. Topper, I think it's time you" Before the guy could finish his sentence, his head was suddenly sliced off and fell to the ground. His body followed and disintegrated into thin air within a second, leaving nothing behind. "Sorry, everyone, but I prefer not to talk during fights." I said with my dagger stance... The other members of his group were stunned and couldn't say a word. After a few moments, the red-haired guy shouted, "What are you all doing? Kill him!" It felt like he was talking like those chinese novel's young monsters. As the red-haired leader yelled his command, his group hesitated briefly before charging at me. I didn't even break a sweat. In one swift motion, I drew my left-hand dagger and slashed through the first attacker, slicing down the middle of his chest. His spear was already aimed at me, but I dodged easily and delivered a sharp kick to his groin. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his groin area in pain, unaware of the blood pouring from his wound. He wouldn't survive for long. The remaining two attackers, panicked and sloppy, struggled to get close. One swung a dagger at me, but I quickly blocked and countered, stabbing him in the neck before he could strike again. His hands flew to his throat to stop the bleeding as he fell. I didn't bother to watch him hit the ground. The last one turned to run, but I was faster. I threw my dagger, hitting him square in the back. The blade sank deep, and he dropped face-first, his sword slipping from his grip. With all three down, I turned my focus to the red-haired guy... "Now it's your turn" The moment the words left my mouth, my instincts screamed at me to move. I didn't hesitate. I quickly ducked, and for a brief second, everything seemed to slow down. I caught sight of a massive boulder, easily 30 kilograms, soaring just above my head. Time snapped back to normal as the boulder crashed into the man whose leg I had sliced earlier, killing him on impact. When I turned around, the red-haired guy was right in front of me, way too close, face-to-face. Fuck, I had gotten a little careless, and he managed to catch up. I noticed his sword was aimed directly at my stomachit was probably poisoned. "Ahh, Shit!" I can't save myself without sustaining any injury at all... I muttered a curse. There was no way to fully dodge it. I tried to move aside quickly, but I was too slow. His sword grazed my side, cutting me slightly but not deeply. "What? How did you" he began to shout. But... Before he could finish, I drove my dagger straight stabbing into his face. "Seriously, man? I just told you earlier that I don't like talking during a fight, and here you are..." I said quietly. "Were you even listening to me?" The red-haired guy collapsed, screaming, "Ahhh, my face!!" He was yelling wildly. "Hey, calm down. It's just a game. You didn't really die, asshole," I said, trying to soothe him. But he kept screaming, so I quickly ended hsi life with another dagger strike, putting him out of his misery. "Uhh." That was a solid fight with just a few minor cuts on my stomach. I've got to hand it to this guy's luck for running into me, especially since they were all Peak Iron rank. Yeah, Iron rank... I wasn't too surprised by their rank. Why? So... When Marcus mentioned about the virtual game and its rewards in the party, some Iron rank players decided to give it a shot. But from the moment they joined, it was like they were setting themselves up to lose. A Gold rank hunter is roughly as strong as 30 Iron rankers. So, taking them all down wasn't difficult for me, or for anyone else really. Besides, there was no way they could have won. With those opponents dealt with, I lifted my gaze to the hologram projected in the sky. As I stared at the image, a wave of surprise washed over me. Ehh, what the...? The sight was so unexpected that it left me momentarily speechless. How can he...