Chapter : 599

"We are at the top!" Laxmi cheered loudly. Her voice echoed across the room. "We actually did it! Look at our name!"

The 13th Unit sat right at the peak of the leaderboard. They were not alone at the top. They were tied perfectly with six other factions. The 1st Prince was there. The 2nd Princess was there. The 5th Prince was there. But Princess Iris was right beside them.

Zinia crossed her strong arms over her chest. The earth mage smiled a broad, proud smile. "We climbed very fast. We started at the absolute bottom. Everyone laughed at us. Nobody is laughing now. We are a premier faction."

Naomi walked over to the table. She wore her simple gray shirt and dark pants. Her red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She looked at the glowing numbers. She smiled a very warm, confident smile. She felt a massive surge of pride for her team.

Ken Eliot sat in a wooden chair in the corner of the room.

He wore his navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in wild, messy spikes. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He slid down in his chair. His chin almost touched his chest.

He held a large white cardboard box on his lap. The box was filled with powdered sugar donuts. He reached into the box. He pulled out a fat, round donut. He took a huge bite. White powder puffed into the air.

"This is a massive disaster," Ken complained lazily. He chewed his food. White sugar coated his lips. "This is the absolute worst news I have heard all week."

Laxmi turned around. She glared at him playfully. "How is this bad news, Ken? We are winning! We are famous!"

"Winning is terrible," Ken mumbled. He took another bite of his donut. He swallowed slowly. "You guys do not understand how competitive ranking works. I play a lot of online video games. I know exactly how this goes."

He waved his half-eaten donut at the glowing wall.

"We just reached the Diamond tier," Ken explained casually. He slouched deeper into his chair. "The Diamond tier is full of sweaty players. The people at the top of the leaderboard try way too hard. They do not play for fun. They memorize every single strategy. They optimize their entire builds. They play twenty hours a day."

Sayma opened her notebook. She wrote down a quick note. "Ken is using a gaming analogy. But his underlying logic is incredibly sound. The higher ranks are vastly more dangerous."

"Exactly," Ken nodded enthusiastically. He pointed a finger at Sayma. "In the lower ranks, you can just mess around. You can use silly weapons. You can take breaks. Nobody cares. But now we are in the top lobby. The other players are going to target us. We pulled way too much aggro. We need to derank immediately. We should lose a few matches on purpose. We can go back to the Bronze tier. The Bronze tier is very relaxing."

This text was taken from NovelPhoenix. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Naomi chuckled softly. She walked over to his chair. She did not scold him for his untucked shirt. She did not yell at him for complaining.

She stood right next to him. She reached out and gently wiped the white powdered sugar off his cheek. Her touch was very soft. Her green eyes sparkled with genuine affection.

"You cannot derank in real life, Ken," Naomi teased gently. "We have to stay at the top. We worked very hard for these points. Try not to make such a huge mess with your snacks."

"The mess is part of the experience," Ken grinned a goofy, lazy grin. He looked up at her. "But thank you. You are a fantastic napkin."

Princess Iris turned away from the glowing projection. Her violet eyes looked very serious. She walked to the center of the room. She sheathed her silver rapier. She looked at her entire team.

"Ken makes a very valid point," Princess Iris announced smoothly. Her voice commanded absolute attention. "We pulled a massive amount of aggro. Our sudden success places a gigantic target directly on our backs."

The playful mood in the strategy room faded slightly. The elite girls focused on their leader.

"In the beginning, the senior Royal candidates ignored us entirely," Princess Iris explained. She folded her hands in front of her. "They thought we were a complete joke. They thought a unit of rejects and commoners would eliminate themselves. We flew completely under their radar."

Zinia cracked her knuckles. "But now we share their exact score."

"Yes," Princess Iris nodded. "We are tied with the most powerful factions in the Belmontia Empire. The 1st Prince and the 2nd Princess will not ignore us anymore. We are a direct threat to their campaigns. They will aim their absolute best forces right at our front door."

Ira stood perfectly still near the bookshelf. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She stared blankly at the wall.

"Statistically speaking," Ira stated in her flat, robotic voice. "Factions that experience a sudden, rapid rise in rankings face a ninety-four percent increase in hostile encounters. The established powers will attempt to crush the anomaly. Our daily combat risk has multiplied exponentially."

Luna lay flat on a long wooden bench. The lightning user rubbed her sleepy eyes. A soft knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She let out a massive, dramatic yawn.

"That sounds incredibly tiring," Luna mumbled lazily. She closed her eyes again. "If people are going to attack us more often, I need to adjust my sleep schedule. I will need at least three extra naps a day. Please do not wake me up for minor assassins."

Risa sat on the rug. The sweet pink-haired healer hugged her stuffed teddy bear. She looked very nervous. She looked at the blue projection on the wall. "I do not like scary princes. Will they try to hurt our garden? I just planted new seeds."

"We will protect the garden, Risa," Zinia promised with a tough smile. "I will build stronger stone walls around the estate. Nobody will step on your flowers."

Ken reached into his box. He pulled out another powdered donut. He popped the entire donut into his mouth. He chewed it happily.

"We just need to use a stealth item," Ken suggested with his mouth full. He swallowed and took a sip of water from a glass on the floor. "We can buy a potion of invisibility. Or a cloaking device. We just hide inside the estate until the other six factions destroy each other. It is the ultimate survival strategy. Let the sweaty players fight. We win by doing absolutely nothing."

Laxmi crossed her arms. She rolled her golden eyes. "We cannot hide forever, farm boy. The Emperor wants us to fight. If we hide, we look like cowards. I am not a coward. I want to punch the 1st Prince right in his shiny face."