Chapter 52: Stage 2

Meanwhile, every super influential family heir, already soaked with sweat, "Just don't mess up our competition."

Glancing toward the speaker, everyone nodded their heads, and Rahul was among them while he was praying, "Just don't give me bad luck."

"If I have good luck, I will present 1 kg of laddu."

Every super influential family heir was already praying to their 18th ancestor.

"Okay, everyone, since the first round has ended, the second stage is about to start. This round will be the qualifying round," the speaker said as he glanced at the participants.

"Oh, the second stage is starting!"

"Yeah, I think this one will be more interesting."

"Based on what we've seen so far, I agree."

"Okay, enough chit-chat," the speaker quieted the crowd and looked at the screen. "Stage 2 will be a survival simulation. Everything happening in the simulation will be shown on the big screen."

"All participants, please enter the simulation capsules," he instructed. The participants entered their capsules, and all eyes turned to the screen.

"As you can see, you can track all the participants," the speaker said with a smile. "The rules will also be displayed on the screen."

Here are the rules:

1. The simulation area will shrink at regular intervals.

2. The time ratio between the real world and the simulation world is 1:6.

3. Killing other players, whether directly or indirectly, earns 100 points.

4. Killing monsters of F/E/D/C rank earns 10/20/40/80 points, respectively.

5. Occupying F/E/D/C-rank monster nests for five minutes earns 20/40/80/160 points, respectively. Once a nest has been occupied, it can't be used again.

6. No rules apply within the simulation capsule.

"Wow, these rules seem really interesting," someone commented.

"For C-rank players, these challenges are a breeze."

"As for F-rank players, let's not even comment down."

"Okay, now that we've gone over the rules, let's give the players their instructions." The speaker pulled out a device from his pocket, "The timer starts now."

On the screen:

Swish

In the blink of an eye, Ravi vanished from where he stood and reappeared on a tree branch.

"Let's scout the area," he whispered to himself.

A little while later, he exclaimed, "Found it!" He then dashed to the right.

Soon, he came across three E-rank monsters. With a single slash, he took down all three. "Nice," he said as a notification appeared in front of him.

[You killed three E-rank goblins.]

[You gained 60 points.]

...

"Wow, this is exciting to watch!"

"Yeah, I never thought it would be this much fun."

"Hey, look at Geeta!"

"Man, she's got some luck."

Geeta, who had appeared in the forest, immediately took a fighting stance. She heard a noise and slowly moved toward it. She cast a "water bullet" spell, sending droplets of water shooting through the bushes like bullets.

Ping

A sound rang out, and several small monsters appeared—but they were newborn babies. When she saw them, she felt compassion but then quickly stopped herself. Using a spell, she made a single move and killed one of the monsters. A prompt appeared in front of her.

[You killed three D-rank newborn tigers.]

[You gained 120 points.]

...

"She's got some serious luck," one of the family heads said, and everyone agreed.

"Yeah, her luck is really something."

...

On a tree branch, a player stood alone and grimaced. "I lost in the first stage, but in this survival simulation," glancing toward a newborn griffin cub, he muttered to himself, "luck is on my side, and I'm sure to win."

He laughed and prepared to attack.

But before he could strike, he sensed a deadly gaze on him. He quickly looked up to see an adult griffin with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow his head in one bite. In that instant, he realized he'd been set up.

"It's a trap," he thought, cursing his luck, and without hesitation, he ran.

...

"Wow, that was hilarious!"

"I didn't know monsters could use their own kids as bait."

"No one can deny this simulation is incredibly advanced."

"I think it's designed to help players learn a lot."

"I agree, but watching these simulations is really entertaining."

"I can't wait to see the final match!"

"Everyone's impatient, but it's better to enjoy the moment."

As players' perspectives flashed on the screen, the audience made comments and seemed to enjoy watching the players struggle.

In the simulation, nearly two hours passed. Panting, Ajay said, "Status," and a panel popped up in front of him.

Name: Ajay Shrivastav

Rank: D+

Points: 1820

Hunted: 70 monsters [30 F, 20 E, 15 D, and 5 C]

Nest: 10 F, 8 E, and 5 D grade

"That should be enough to qualify," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "This simulation is a real pain, and we can't even see our rankings."

All the players were frustrated with the organizers, but what could they do? They had to follow the rules.

...

"Time's up!" the speaker said, grinning, as the screen went dark. The players climbed out of their capsules, and the audience started talking excitedly.

"That was an awesome survival challenge!"

"Rakesh had a rough time."

"+1"

"Yeah, his luck was terrible."

"Who do you think has the best shot at the top spot?"

"I think Ajay."

"Geeta."

"Aakash."

"Ramesh."

The players stood in a line, trying to figure out if they had a chance of winning or not. Some already knew they had lost or won, so they were calm.

The speaker glanced at the audience and coughed to get their attention. As the crowd quieted down, he announced, "Now that Stage 2 is over," and paused dramatically before adding, "The results for the qualifying players will be displayed on the screen."

"Hohhhh!"

"I can't wait to see the results."

"I vote for Ajay!"

"I like Ramesh."

"But I announce Rakesh is my favorite player."

"Mine too!"

"I even recorded that awesome moment."

The audience was going wild with excitement and cheers, with some laughing at the players' funny moments. Meanwhile, some players stood nervously, twisting their fingers, while others were relaxed because they already knew whether they had qualified or not.