Chapter 234: Triple S Rating

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Triple S Rating

’They aren’t going to start talking about me again, are they?’

Seraphina Sinclair felt a headache coming on just from watching. But the drama she expected never materialized. Instead, someone suddenly piped up, "Is the fucking system deliberately trying to stop us from getting our rewards?! The previous rewards were all given out automatically. Not only do we have to claim this ranking reward ourselves, but it’s also hidden this well?!!"

The implications of that statement were huge, and the Zone channel erupted once more.

"You got the reward?!!"

That question was immediately spammed to the top of the chat, but more similar exclamations quickly followed.

"Wait! Does this mean you found the reward?"

"Where, where? Show us the way!"

"Holy shit, I got it too! I can’t believe this. The system never wanted to give it out, did it? If I hadn’t been staring blankly at the rankings and accidentally clicked it because it was taking so long, who would’ve guessed you had to claim the reward this way!"

"Hey, don’t keep us in suspense! If you’re not willing to share it publicly, just name your price. I’m getting that reward no matter what."

"Master! I’m begging you! Please tell me how you got it! I’m on my knees for you right here in the Zone channel!"

The turn of events left Seraphina Sinclair dumbfounded.

"Now that the Zones have merged, you really do see all kinds."

In the time it took for her to make that sarcastic comment, a dozen more messages flooded the Zone channel.

"That’s not right, is it?! Aren’t the ones who need this all masters on the rankings? And a master like you is just kneeling for someone like that?"

"Well, they might be a ’master,’ but so many Zones have merged. Every Zone has a top 100 on its leaderboard, so that adds up to several thousand masters, haha."

"Putting it that way makes it sound hilarious, hahaha. No wonder there are all kinds of people."

"It’s not just the masters who are anxious; I would be too. How can you not be, knowing the reward is right there but you can’t get your hands on it?"

"All of you who aren’t on the rankings, cut the crap! Now, for the few of you who found out how to claim the reward, spit it out! We’ll pay in supplies or Black Fog Coins, just stop stringing us along!"

Seraphina Sinclair watched the chaotic scene in the channel unfold, from begging to bidding wars, and then to a simmering anger. She shook her head.

She had no interest in participating in this farcical information-peddling. Besides, the reward wasn’t going anywhere. She had plenty of patience to wait for them to argue themselves into a resolution.

Seraphina was about to close the channel—out of sight, out of mind—when a message, calmly worded with a clear transactional tone, caught her eye.

The sender’s ID was Artemis.

[Artemis]: I need the method to claim the reward. Price negotiable. Private message me.

"Whoa, Master Celeste, you’re here! You’re the number one ranker in our Zone 886!"

"Master Celeste, can you please stay cool and aloof?! Can you please go back to being silent?!"

"Master Celeste, you’re breaking character!"

Although the messages were noisy, Seraphina Sinclair was able to glean some information.

’This person has some clout. Maybe she can change things.’

The subsequent developments went just as Seraphina Sinclair had expected.

After realizing this was the number one ranker from Zone 886, the few people in the Zone channel who had claimed to have found the method immediately became enthusiastic.

Their earlier intentions to hold out for the highest bidder vanished completely in the face of a true master.

The chance to curry favor or exchange it for some tangible benefits was far more worthwhile than bickering angrily with a crowd in a public channel.

Artemis was clearly well-versed in this, saying no more in the Zone channel and quickly choosing one person to private message and complete the transaction.

A moment later, while the Zone channel was still full of bickering, a concise message from Artemis appeared.

[Artemis]: Open the rankings and double-click your own rank to claim the reward.

It was a message without a single wasted word, yet it landed like a boulder in a calm lake, creating massive waves.

The channel fell silent for a moment before being completely drowned in a flood of messages.

"Wait, Master Celeste just said it out loud like that?"

"*Sob* I’m so moved... Master Celeste is still so kind! Even though it doesn’t concern me."

"Master Celeste has always been like this! She shares everything she discovers in the Zone channel. She’s an incredibly good person!"

These few people must have been from Zone 886. They were followed by several envious and jealous comments from other Zones.

"So jealous. Why does the top ranker in our Zone only care about quietly getting rich?"

"You guys from Zone 886 are so blessed! Make sure you latch onto that powerhouse!"

"She shares everything? What kind of wonderful life is this that I’ve never experienced?!"

"@Blacktiger Ford, *ahem, ahem ahem*, Master, you wouldn’t have the heart to see us lose so miserably, would you?"

With that message setting a precedent, survivors from other Zones began to @ their own masters. What should have been a harmonious scene now had a faint undercurrent of moral blackmail.

Seraphina Sinclair’s private message channel suddenly started flashing. She opened it to see several messages from unfamiliar IDs, each with a different tone:

"Master, look, the number one from Zone 886 shared it, so shouldn’t you too..."

"Master Blacktiger, please show us the way! Our whole Zone is counting on you!"

"Hey, Blacktiger Ford, it’s not right to hog all the good stuff, is it? Now that the Zones have merged, we need to show some unity. We’re from the same Zone, after all!"

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed. She closed her private messages without a second thought. She didn’t share Artemis’s penchant for sharing, and she certainly had no intention of being emotionally blackmailed by this mob mentality.

In the Zone channel, the other Zone masters who had been @-ed had varied reactions.

[Rex Shaw]: Cut the crap! I’m already pissed that all I got was a stupid hammer! @ me again and I’ll give each of you a taste of it!

[Flickering Candlelight]: Claimed. Do not disturb.

[Drifting to Sleep]: Heh. Don’t even think about getting a freebie.

The last one’s reply was even more direct: just a single question mark.

The cold, and in some cases hostile, responses from the masters were like buckets of cold water, instantly extinguishing the enthusiasm for blindly following the trend and attempting to use moral blackmail.

The voices trying to stir up trouble in the channel immediately died down.

"*Ahem*, let’s disperse, let’s disperse. The masters don’t seem to be in a good mood..."

"We shouldn’t have expected anything from others in the first place. Relying on yourself is the most practical."

"Exactly. With all this time, we’d be better off going to shake some fluorescent lights!"

The topic shifted quickly, and the channel returned to showing off rewards and idle chatter.

Seraphina Sinclair looked away from the chat, her curiosity piqued by the discussion in the Zone channel.

Driven by this curiosity, she opened the rankings and tried the method Artemis had shared. Sure enough, a new page popped up in front of her.

Besides the button to claim the reward, there was also a detailed data Evaluation.

[Survivor Name: Blacktiger Ford]

[Zone Rank: 1]

[Overall Rating: Triple S]

[Survivability: Triple S (Evaluation: Your mobile cabin is as cozy as a home, and your stockpile of supplies would put a hamster to shame)]