Chapter 137: Chapter137-Chaos in the rankings

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 a little unexpected that it left me wondering with thoughts... 1) Michael Frostburne: 920 points 2) James Wilson: 890 points 3) Solos Kamstur: 720 points 4) Mira Lapele: 680 points 5) Anna Parkour: 670 points How is he catching up so quickly? I was caught off-guard when I checked the leaderboard and saw how fast James had closed the gap between us. It didn't add up at first, but then I glanced at the time. Oh... I sighed in frustration. So that's how he's so close. It was 10:59 a.m., meaning I had spent around 20 minutes dealing with those last enemies, which gave everyone else time to catch up. That was sloppy of me. If I had been quicker, I wouldn't be in this situation. But there's no point dwelling on it. I can't waste any more time. It's time to get back to hunting. I took off running, looking for bushes where worms would be hiding underneath. After five minutes, I still hadn't found any bushes, but I did come across a few monsters along the way. I killed them, giving me a small 10-point lead on the leaderboard. 1) Michael Frostburne: 960 points 2) James Wilson: 950 points 3) Mira Lapele: 880 points 4) Anna Parkour: 860 points 5) Solos Kamstur: 790 points James was only 10 points behind me now, which wasn't a good sign. At the rate he's going, he's probably killing 6 to 10 monsters every five minutes, earning 60 to 100 points. It was 11:05 a.m., and if I did the math, there's a good chance he'll end up somewhere between 1,300 and 1,900 points. Hmm... I need to hurry up. I started running again, but I couldn't stop thinking about Mira and Anna. What exactly happened with them? Actually, the real question waswhat did they find? Just five minutes ago, they were both 150 to 200 points behind me, but now the gap was only 50 or 60 points. I couldn't help but wonder. Did they stumble upon a horde of monsters or something? It was possible. But I had a gut feeling that wasn't the case. Something felt off... Was there something else going on? Did they...??? As I kept thinking, I glanced at the hologram and was hit with a surprises again... 1) Anna Parkour: 1120 points 2) Mira Lapele: 1050 points 3) James Wilson: 970 points 4) Michael Frostburne: 960 points 5) Solos Kamstur: 800 points Both Anna and Mira had jumped ahead of me. Something strange was definitely going on. Damn, they passed me. I wasn't too surprised that James moved ahead, but seeing Anna and Mira overtake me was unexpected. I'd forgotten that, despite their quirks, they're very smart. It was only a matter of time before they discovered a loophole in the game and used it to their advantage. As I was thinking this, the leaderboard updated again. James was now in the lead with 1,150 points. Great, so he found the loophole too... With all three of them using the trick, they'll definitely make the most of it to stay ahead. It's not just about hunting monsters anymore. Soon, others will find the loophole as well, and it'll turn into a race to see who can exploit it the best. The person who makes the best use of the loopholes will likely win this competition. As I ran, I came to an abrupt stop. Why? Because... My search was finally over. In front of me lay a large patch of thick grass and bushes, surrounded by six towering Minerva trees, taller than any I had ever seen before in this virtual world... Without wasting any time, I began digging near the bush, keeping a gap of about 2 to 3 meters. After digging furiously with both of my daggers, I saw a few worms squirming, trying to burrow their body deeper into the ground to escape. This was the easiest part of my day: stabbing them. Sorry, but I'm going all in on you. Since I couldn't take you out in the real world, I'll make sure to finish you here. In reality, these worms were harmless, but they had one annoying trait: just before dying, they'd thrash around violently, sending out vibrations that acted like a signal, alerting every monsters within 3 kilometers. Yeah, "Three fucking whole kilometers." That's why anyone who killed them needed a quick escape plan. Normally, I avoided them. They were low-level creatures worth just 1 Essence point, and the risk of attracting stronger monsters wasn't worth it. Even though they were easy to kill for experience, I stayed away from themuntil now. *** "Alright, done now," I muttered to myself as I stood up, moving quickly toward the next bush. The one I'd just finished with was a complete wreckinside and out. I'd torn through it like I had Superman's strength, digging frantically. Whatever, no point in dwelling on it. I picked up the pace, scanning the area for another bush. Every second mattered, and I couldn't waste any. I kept glancing at the leaderboard to check for updates: 1) Anna Parkour: 1340 points 2) Mira Lapele: 1250 points 3) Michael Frostburne: 1250 points 4) James Wilson: 1240 points 5) Solos Kamstur: 1220 points The rankings were incredibly close, with almost no gap between us. No one had a clear advantage, which meant everyone was pushing themselves, trying to get ahead. It was a real competition now. I was closing in on James and Mira, just a few points behind them. It took me about three minutes to catch upwell, maybe five, since the hologram showed 11:15 a.m., with only 45 minutes left in the virtual game. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I'd wiped out those worms in no time. Within a minute, I found another bush and started digging around it. It didn't take long before I uncovered three worms, completely exposed and vulnerable. Strangely, they weren't even trying to hide anymore, almost as if they had given up. Without hesitation, I stabbed one right in the middle of its abdomen, killing it instantly. Just as I was about to finish off the other two, something unexpected happened. A hologram suddenly appeared in front of me, startling the heck out of me... Why? Because... It was so close to the worms that I nearly missed it. After a moment, I focused and squinted to read what it said. Something was off. This hologram wasn't from my systemits red background with black text was different from what I was used to. The color scheme was weird and unsettling. As I read the message, my eyes widened, and I frowned. Why? Because the hologram said: **[WARNING! Participant Michael Frostburne, you have reached the maximum points allowed from loopholes. You are now strictly prohibited from using any more loopholes!** **Note: Failure to follow this warning or breaking any further rules will result in immediate suspension by the A.I.]** Fuck the A.I. Why didn't it warn me sooner? If I had known this would happen, I would've killed faster and racked up more points in less time. That would've made things so much easier. But instead of complaining, I took off, sprinting to find more monsters. Within a minute, I ran into a disgusting cockroach-like creatureit didn't even have a head. Looked like it had lost it in a fight, maybe against another player. It wasn't very big, just about three feet tall. I swiftly killed it with a stab to the back and kept going. *Faster, faster* I kept telling myself, pushing harder. Why? Because I had dropped to fifth place. Even Solos had passed me. The leaderboard now read: 1) Anna Parkour: 1460 points 2) James Wilson: 1400 points 3) Mira Lapele: 1350 points 4) Solos Kamstur: 1300 points 5) Michael Frostburne: 1260 points The leaderboard kept changing rapidly, like the wind. I had to speed up if I wanted to surpass everyone. Solos, James, and Mira were all fierce competitors, making it difficult for anyone to stay in one position for long. It was 11:27 a.m., and I was still running, hunting for more monsters. At this rate, I was beginning to worry about losing my fifth place. As I was running, a familiar voice suddenly caught my attention. "Oh no! This is getting hard!" Wait, that voice... wasn't that Lia? I recognized it immediately. But what's going on? Is something wrong with her? I sighed. Normally, I wouldn't have cared if it were someone else, but since it was Lia, I quickly started looking for where the voice was coming from. Within a few minutes, I found her. Oh, I see.. She... In the middle of the forest, there was a wide, open field with not a single tree in sight, as if the trees had been deliberately cleared from this area. The ground was covered in grass, a stark contrast to the dense woods surrounding it. At the center of the field, a young girl was locked in battle with a Gorilla like monster... I quickly examined it and realized it was actually a chimpanzee. Her face, though beautiful, was filled with determination. Despite several injuries scattered across her body, she kept fighting, completely ignoring the pain. With each swing of her sword, she cut deep into the monster's flesh, leaving more wounds with every strike. After taking a few more hits, the monster suddenly flew into a rage. Its eyes turned a bright, terrifying crimson, and a thick, menacing aura of bloodlust surrounded it. Desperate, it attacked the girl wildly, as if this was its last chance to survive. Lia, the young beautiful yellow haired maiden, felt a surge of panic rise in her chest. It was my first time seeing her facing a monster like this, and for a brief moment, her focus wavered... That split-second distraction was all the monster needed. With lightning speed, it landed a powerful punch to her face. The force of the blow sent her tumbling to the ground, disoriented. Just as the monster prepared to strike again, a dark shadow flashed by. In an instant, the sound of flesh being sliced filled the air, stopping the monster in its tracks... **Thud** **Thud** **Thud** The wind, the surroundings, and even time seemed to freeze as the monster's head hit the ground, bouncing three times before coming to a complete stop.