"Hmm, work hard, humans. There are only a few hours left before this round ends. You all still have a chance to climb to the top."
The god taunted the humans, filling them with false hope in order to get more entertainment from them. In reality, the gap between the top ranks and the bottom ranks was too high.
And the threshold to break into the top 3 was too much for anyone to accomplish right now.
But even among the top 3, the gap had started to widen, and it all started when Andrew finally took the top spot.
[Current points: 60,546 (1st)-Server….(1)-Global]
[Current population of the sphere—5/20]
"Looks like these people are playing their part right. If this continues, I can maintain my top spot just fine."
The god was paying special attention to him and the other top rankers from this round. But that attention only made Andrew's killing intent sharper.
Swoosh
The magic he let out cleaved the monsters in front of him and drenched the ground in blood. But not even a second later, they all disappeared in a swirl of lights, leaving only him and the other monsters behind.
Finally, the hours passed, and the game came to an end. And just as Andrew expected, he was the top ranker this time around as well.
"Oh-! So it's a familiar result after all. Mr. Mark Dawson, you have come first once more….and the second and third places are familiar names as well. You all did well to survive."
The god praised, and there was even false warmth in his voice to lure people into believing that it cared.
But Andrew knew better, so he kept himself vigilant as he looked up at the sky.
"Now, I would like to send you all back, but it would be a pity if the results of the round were so predictable, right? Then, I would like to propose a simple game to you all—"
The god snapped his fingers, and Andrew immediately felt his surroundings sucking him in. When he opened his eyes, he was in another forest. He could only tell that it was another forest because the map on the system screen was different.
"Now, this is a special game. I have transported the top rankers from previous rounds into this arena. Your goal is simple—to kill the boss of this world. As soon as the system recognizes that the boss of this area has been slain, you will be allowed to go back home."
"However, just like last time, there is a twist. If you become the last person standing, you will also be allowed to head back home. So the choice is yours in the end. I will be around, watching you all. So good luck."
The god told them all, and then he disappeared.
Andrew immediately looked at his system map to check the situation. There were nine more marks on the map, excluding himself.
"So the top 10 were chosen to compete here? I can see that bastard's strategy clearly."
The god was hoping for the top players to kill each other in this confrontation.
Without specific tracking skills or insider knowledge, there was no way to be able to tell where the hidden boss was or who it was. Those desperate enough to want to go back would take the easy route.
And once one person started to kill others, it would force others to start killing each other as well.
However, even in these desperate times, Andrew could not help but smile broadly, and it was all because of one crucial piece of information his skill had given him—the identity and location of the boss.
[Area Hidden Boss—The God Entity (lvl 13)]
"It seems that fate is not as cruel to me as I expected. This is a welcoming surprise for sure."
The system was fair when it came to its games. Since players were not supposed to be too leveled up after the last round, it had averaged out all their levels to give the boss the most appropriate level.
Even then, the main reason it was so high was because of Andrew's level.
"Well, if the system is giving me an opportunity to kill another god, who am I to hold back?"
Bloodlust pooled inside Andrew, and he let it flow. Now it was time for him to hunt.
He quickly took off in the direction where the boss for this round was. He was going to make sure to drag it out for as long as he could.
After all, that was the least these bastard followers of the system deserved for doing what they did to his homeland.
…
________
…
The boss arena was empty, and the god sitting on the boss's throne yawned.
"Ah, I wonder how long it will take for these humans to kill each other? I am bored already. Ah, should I send them a gift? Some monsters will be fun for them to fight."
The god snapped his fingers, but only a few monsters appeared. He sighed as he looked at this.
"The system is really fair. It made me a boss and also bound my power accordingly…not that it is something I need to fear. It's not like these humans would be able to hurt me anyway."
The god was sure of this. No matter how much power the humans accumulated, they would never be able to fight against him and his people.
"Let's see what these humans are up to—"
He snapped his fingers once more, and a ball of light appeared in his hand before it quickly divided itself into ten different balls.
Each ball reflected a human warrior inside, and the god used it to keep an eye on the participants in this round. Right now, most players were about to meet each other, and then the blood battle would start.
But something about this situation felt…wrong…
"Huh—! Why is one of these balls blank? What happened?...I…"
Before the god could do anything, the room around him started to shake before something slammed into its side, throwing the god off balance.
"Just what the—"
Before the god could steady himself, he was attacked once more. The only thing he saw was a flash of gold before he was forced to defend himself using his powers.