Child of Destiny

……

When Ryoto respawned on their platform, he was still in the middle of trying to recover from the shock that he had gotten from the previous match.

He was still trying to comprehend the entire process, which only lasted for almost an instant. He did not even have the chance to use his Elemental Possession, which made him quite bitter.

During this time, he saw Arthur and Aoki at the back of the mysterious opponent, contemplating the entire process of the match.

After a while, Arthur was unable to suppress his curiosity and asked. “Senior, is that ability the same as yours?”

It took Aoki a while to finish his thoughts before answering. “No, it’s different.”

He paused for a moment, looking at Ryoto’s opponent, before continuing. “That ability of mine is created because of multiple factors, mainly the ocular skills that I have, such as the ‘Eye of Chronos’ that lets me perceive the surroundings with a much clearer sense and faster than anything else.”

“Along with the ‘Eye of Haste’, which can enhance my speed through activation, I can produce similar results as this one.”

“However, that guy is different,” he said while adding. “He is just too fast. So fast that even our minds had been tricked that he was moving in slow motion while we, who had seen him, thought that we were unable to move our bodies.”

“In truth, he was just moving so fast that our movements had become so slow in comparison. He was so fast that our perception of time seemed to have come to a sudden halt.”

He then started shaking his head repeatedly while also clicking his tongue at the same time. “That guy is more dangerous than we had expected.”

“However, such an ability should have quite a lot of drawbacks as well. Who knows if he is also under the effects of his Elemental Spirit Possession,” he added while recalling the special fluctuation of mana coming from the earlier events.

“Extremely fast, huh?” mumbled Arthur while also thinking about someone who was capable of achieving such a feat with ease.

Heck! That guy could do something much better and even reach a more absurd level.

While the others were still trying to recover from the previous battle, the next round was already starting.

This time, the side of the Black Market had taken the initiative to send their representative.

Everyone else was taken aback by their actions, especially when they saw that the person that they had sent did not emit that much of an aura.

Compared to the rest of the experts present on the trail grounds, this guy had the least presence. He was nothing but a mere background character compared to everyone else.

Even Chaotic Luck had a much better air when compared to him.

The person who happened to be on the battlefield when this person was sent out was Berserk Dragon from the side of the Dragon Pavilion.

When compared to his current opponent, Berserk Dragon had an extremely strong and violent presence, which was clearly reflected in his nature.

He was the type who would always use his fist first before talking about reason, and a person who would not show his opponent any mercy.

When he saw his opponent, he could not help but snort in contempt. With such a weak presence, Berserk Dragon was not taking his opponent seriously.

If the other party were an expert in stealth, who would naturally have a small and unnoticeable presence, then Berserk Dragon might acknowledge this person.

As an old-time rival of the Hydra Guild, who were known for its top-notch and extremely powerful assassins and thieves, Berserk Dragon naturally knew how to differentiate an ordinary person from a true assassin.

In his eyes, this opponent was nothing more than a third-rate player who happened to be lucky enough to get his hands on an inheritance to become a Transcendent Being.

He was not alone in these thoughts since everyone else was thinking the same. They all felt that this person was nothing but an additional person to complete the numbers for the side of the Black Market.

Naturally, they would not dare to underestimate this person too much. After all, everyone was aware of the miraculous abilities and absurdities that a Transcendent Being possessed.

However, everyone here was a Transcendent Being, so they should have their respective strengths and abilities that could be used on different occasions.

The previous ‘battle’ was just an exception, where one of the sides was absurdly powerful. It was an issue of skill rather than the abilities of their respective Transcendent Race.

Berserk Dragon refused to believe that he would end up like Ryoto, who just been one-shotted by his opponent earlier.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

He had even initiated his Elemental Possession right after stepping on the ground, learning his lessons from the previous round.

…

In the meantime, the one who was representing the side of Black Market this time was Lawrence.

He was feeling a bit troubled since this was his first time fighting directly against a top-tier expert of the game.

He might have faced quite a few experts of the game during his time with his previous team, but most of those people were just in the middle of the pack and did not have that much of a reputation within the game.

On the other hand, everyone who was present in this trial seemed to be top-notch experts who were standing right at the apex of the virtual world.

As for the less skilled ones, they were only a notch lower at the very least.

The earlier rounds had also caught him off guard. He was unable to believe that there was someone capable of killing such an expert in an instant, especially when that opponent was supposed to be on a similar caliber as the strongest experts that he knew personally.

Lawrence was unable to help himself from being anxious due to this battle.

He then recalled what his branch manager had said before sending him to the battlefield. “Remember, you don’t have to do well. Winning or losing is unimportant since your only role here is to observe, record, and study the ruins. Everything else is irrelevant, so just focus on your job.”

Lawrence did not know how their side had managed to bypass some of the rules of the ruins, giving him the impression that they were already aware of these trials before everyone else.

“There is also that instance where we have bypassed the rules about the number of representatives,” he mumbled, recalling what Gunner had done earlier before they went into this trial.

“I am not sure about it, but it seems like I am exempt from most of the rules of this dungeon. I can even represent our side, giving us an extra representative for this trial.”

“Is it because of the legacy that they have given me, which also turns me into a Transcendent Being? Or is it because of something else?”

“I wonder if the other teams notice this as well,” he mumbled while turning to the other platforms, and before preparing for the battle.

…

As Lawrence thought, the leaders of both sides immediately noticed that something was wrong with the current situation.

“That’s odd. This should be their fourth representative, am I right? Yet Gunner has yet to step onto the battlefield,” said Aoki, realizing this a bit too late.

Riko, Ryoto, and Arthur, who were focusing on the battle, only realized this fact right after he mentioned it.

“Wait! That’s right!” exclaimed Riko, only realizing it now.

“That’s odd. There are only four people on their side up until now. How come that we have not noticed that there is a new ‘member’ on their side?” mumbled Arthur while turning his attention toward the said party.

…

On the other hand, the person who was leading the side of Dragon Pavilion had a similar thought to these two.

“What kind of trick have these guys used to bypass the system rules? It seems like we are a bit behind when it comes to understanding of this ruins,” he mumbled before turning to Tyrant Dragon. “Tyrant, prepare to report this discovery to the higher-ups as soon as we get out of this place.”

“When I said the ‘higher-ups’, I mean everyone, including those from the real world. This is something that they need to prepare for once they go explore the true ruins there,” he added, emphasizing his point.

…

Meanwhile, Boa, who had taken over the lead role in this operation for the Hydra Guild, squinted after realizing something.

“So, it is them,” he mumbled after coming up with a conclusion.

He then turned to Viper and instructed. “Once you contact the headquarters, tell them that it is those people from the Black Market who have gotten their hands on ‘that thing’.”

“We have to take what is rightfully ours. We have been looking for clues about those stolen goods, but who would think that it would come right at us?”

……