Chapter 142 : 142-The dream came true!

Fuck, What the heck am I wasting time thinking for? I'm falling right now! In a moment of pure shock, I looked down, my heart racing. Ehhh? What? My breath stopped as I saw that the ground had disappeared, replaced by a huge lake. I was falling—heading straight for the water, which looked smooth and calm, almost like glass. The wind screamed in my ears, cold and sharp, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Did he teleport me to another place or something? My mind scrambled to figure out what was going on. I was certain that beneath the cliff I had seen earlier, there had only been dense forests—no lakes, no water, just an endless stretch of trees. And yet, here I am, falling through the air towards the lake that shouldn't even exist... That's seems to be the case... As I kept falling, I tried to see how far I was from the lake. It looked like I was still about 50 feet above the water. Hmm... looks like I'll need to wait a little longer before I hit the lake. Either way, I should prepare myself. I'm falling fast, and the impact is bound to hurt. Still, I'm not too concerned—I know I won't die. It's pretty uncommon for a Gold Ranker to die from falling into water, even from this height. However, if I were to hit the ground instead of the water, that could be fatal, even for someone like me. As I got closer, I could see tiny ripples forming on the lake, becoming sharper the nearer I got. Despite knowing I'd be injured, I wasn't panicked. I've been through this before... By now, this is probably the seventh or eighth time I've experienced a fall like this since arriving in this world. After a few more seconds... **SPLASH!** I hit the water hard, plunging deep beneath the surface. The icy, murky water shocked me, and I kicked vigorously to swim up. After a few more seconds, I finally broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. "Huff... Damn... Puff... that hurts..." For a moment, I thought I might suffocate from holding my breath too long, but thankfully, that didn't happen. I quickly started swimming toward the shore, and within moments, I reached the beach. Once I was out of the water, I tried to use both hands to wring out as much water as I could. But then... "Urghhhouchhhh!" I shouted in pain. Why? When I tried to lift my right hand to squeeze out the water, I realized I couldn't move it at all. Confused, I tried to understand what was wrong with my arm. I forced it up with all my strength, and a loud cracking sound echoed through the air, sending a sharp pain shooting through me. "Fuck, my arm is dislocated!" I quickly figured out when it had happened. It must have occurred when I hit the water; the impact from my fall had dislocated my right arm without me even noticing. But I wouldn't consider this a serious injury. Just a few days ago, I remembered breaking my left leg while hunting monsters in the jungle during a fight with a random Silver Rank monster. I had healed almost instantly after taking a potion. But I was still a little worried since dislocations like this don't usually heal just from potions. They require resetting the joint, something I had never done before. Still, I didn't want to limit myself during the last few minutes of my hunt. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for the pain. Using my left hand, I grabbed my right wrist and positioned my arm as best as I could. "Okay, Michael... ufff... you can do this..." I inhaled deeply, reminding myself that I just needed to endure one more wave of pain. After a few more moments of mental preparation, I mustered my strength and pulled my arm sharply, forcing it back into position. Another loud crack echoed through the air, and a wave of pain shot through me, but as the agony subsided, I could feel that my arm was aligned again. Although it hurts like hell, I knew I had made the right decision... After checking my hand and giving it a few movements to ensure everything was alright, I looked up at the sky to check the hologram. The leaderboard read: 1) James Wilson: 2380 points 2) Jack Smith: 2270 points 3) Sam Smith: 2220 points 4) Anna Parkour: 2210 points 5) Allen Smith: 2100 points I sighed. No changes. I glanced at the time on the hologram—it was 11:55 a.m., with only 5 minutes left before the match ended. Not much time left, and honestly, I doubt I'd run into any more monsters in such a short span. Still, with the event being livestreamed, I figured I might as well keep moving. With that thought in mind, I slowly began walking in the northwest direction of the jungle, just going with the flow. *** "Oh my god, what is that?" After walking for about a minute, I stumbled upon something both familiar and unbelievable. "Is that really what I think it is?" Standing before me was a statue that looked strangely familiar. In the center of an open field stood a massive, ancient statue, towering at least a hundred meters tall. Its sheer size was astounding. The statue depicted a knight in intricately detailed plate armor, with seven shining stars carved into his breastplate. He gripped a giant sword, its tip pointed downward. But the most striking detail? The knight had no head. Damn... This is exactly what I saw in my dream. Without hesitation, I sprinted toward the statue, aware that I didn't have much time left. After another minute of running, I finally stood directly in front of it. It's exactly the same. From a distance, I wasn't completely sure, but now, standing up close, all my doubts vanished. This was undoubtedly the statue from my dream. Hmm... That's unexpected. I thought the dream would be tied to something real, something significant, but this... this isn't what I thought it would be. Oh well, whatever. I should— Before I could finish my thought, a drop of sweat slid down my forehead and landed on my right hand. It snapped me out of my thoughts. Huh? I glanced at the sweat glistening on my skin, then looked up at the sun, blazing hot overhead. It's scorching. The kind of heat that feels like you're inside an oven. The sun was so high in the sky that my shadow had shrunk to just a fraction of its usual size—exactly like in the dream. I scanned my surroundings carefully, making sure I didn't overlook anything. Then my gaze shifted to the hologram. I completely overlooked the leaderboard and focused solely on the clock in the hologram... The time blinked in the corner: 11:57 a.m. Only three minutes left. Now that I'm here, I might as well take a look at that eye monster. There's no reason not to. I have to act fast. Every second mattered... Then... I shifted my focus back to the statue, trying to remember where it all began in my dream. What was it again? My thoughts raced. Oh, right. The lower middle part of the sword... the hidden spot. I sprinted toward the gigantic sword held by the knight, searching for the specific spot. Where could it be? It had to be concealed in the dark... A spot where the sun's rays couldn't touch. Come on, where is it? After a few more seconds of searching, I finally found it. There it is. There was an area in the center of the sword that appeared noticeably darker than the surrounding parts... Without thinking twice, I reached out and tapped it firmly. Almost immediately, the ground beneath me gave way. It felt like the earth was being pulled away, opening up a massive hole, and before I could react, I was falling. Here we go again. *** "Ouch!" I shouted in pain as I slammed into the hard ground. A little hard... After what felt like a minute, I finally reached the ground. The impact made me stumble, and I ended up falling over completely. I couldn't believe I had actually landed. I thought I'd run out of time before even reaching the ground, but it only took a minute. Still, one question kept bugging me: if it only took a minute here, why did it take over five minutes to fall in my dream? That thought lingered, but I pushed it aside. It was probably due to the time difference—in the dream, five minutes might have passed for every second, but here, time flowed normally, so the fall was much quicker. That explanation makes sense to me. After shaking off the confusion from the fall, I carefully scanned my surroundings. The stone walls were glowed by bright lamps that cut through the darkness, making everything easier to see. My eyes were drawn to the rows of headless statues lining the walls. They were smaller than the one I'd seen on the surface—about half the size—but otherwise identical. Just like in my dream, each statue was positioned perfectly, as if they were guarding something. And then I saw it. An altar stood about a hundred meters away, standing alone in the distance. I wasn't surprised at all; I had seen this exact layout before, down to the last detail. The dream had prepared me, so I wasn't caught off guard like someone unfamiliar with this place might have been. I knew exactly what was coming. "Alright," I muttered quietly. "Now that I'm here, there's only one thing left to deal with." Without delay, I began walking toward the altar, quickening my pace as I prepared for what was to come. But... Finally... Suddenly, as I made my way toward the altar, I came to an abrupt stop. Why? All because... An enormous entity blocked my path, towering in front of me. It was a floating eyeball, easily reaching at least 25 feet tall. The sheer size was impressive, but what truly took my breath away was its gaze. The enormous single eye stared down at me, filled with an odd mix of amusement and curiosity. Just as I had expected. Its stare was piercing, as if it could see right through me. Still, I didn't flinch. I mean, why should I be scared? I knew this creature was a legendary-ranked monster, yet for some reason, I didn't feel afraid or intimidated at all. In my dream, I had almost wet myself from its overwhelming presence and the sheer terror it caused. But now, standing in front of it, I couldn't feel that same fear. Maybe it was because, even though my heart told me this monster was frightening and dangerous, my mind insisted it was just an illusion designed to make me feel that way. After all, there were no monsters like this in reality. I kept denying the creature's existence, determined to stay calm. Seeing that I wasn't scared, the monster began to circle me slowly and deliberately. But as time passed, nothing changed; I stood my ground while the giant eye moved around me. Honestly, it was starting to get boring. I expected the monster to at least attack, but this? It was just pathetic for a creature of its rank. How could it be so dumb not to strike when I was literally standing still, giving it every chance? "Get lost!" After a few more seconds, I yelled at the monster, waving my hand at it and stepping out of its circular path. But as soon as I moved, a sudden thought struck me. Wait! How much time has passed? Crap, I have no idea—and I just wasted a whole minute standing around like an idiot for no reason! Without wasting another moment, I hurried toward the stone altar, excited to find out what was waiting for me. As I got closer, I examined the stone structure in front of me. It was a medium-sized altar, about 8 meters wide, featuring beautifully carved dragon faces on all sides. However, what really grabbed my attention was something unusual resting at its center. Two small, perfectly round eggs, about the size of balls, were carefully positioned on the altar's surface. 'Hmm? What are those eggs doing in the middle of the altar?' I wondered aloud, stepping closer for a better look. My curiosity intensified as I scanned the eggs from various angles. Wait a minute! It took me a second to realize these could be the same eggs Marcus mentioned when he explained the rules and regulations of our event. "Crap, if that's the case, then these are mine!" Why would I let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass me by? If I can get my hands on these eggs, I am sure I'll win this competition, leaving everyone else behind and bringing the prize home with me... With a sudden surge of excitement, I reached out, eager to grab the eggs. But just as my fingers brushed against their smooth surface, something unexpected happened. Ahh???? In an instant, everything around me turned white. A blinding light surrounded me, erasing any trace of the altar or the strange eggs. My senses spun as if I were being pulled in every direction at once. The brightness filled my vision, making it difficult to think clearly. What in the...