Translator: AnubisTL
[Global Speaker—]
[Human player Chen Jiang: "Is that all you've got?"]
A raspy, mechanical voice echoed across the massive planet, ringing in the ears of every race.
Just two simple words.
Unlike Feng Jiutian, who had delivered a lengthy, convoluted speech like a foot-binding cloth, Chen Jiang's concise message was dripping with contempt.
His scorn was palpable, utterly undisguised.
Ten Thousand Races Arena, a jungle clearing.
Third Tribe.
The ape-man Suville listened in a daze to the global speaker's announcement and watched human player Chen Jiang's ranking on the race kill rankings soar.
He couldn't help but murmur in disbelief, "Nearly ten thousand kills in a single day... He's a true powerhouse. If I get the chance, I'll face him and see who the strongest truly is."
Standing beside him, the Third Tribe Race Chief of the Ape-Man Race sighed helplessly. The competition for the rankings had reached a fever pitch.
The top two spots were held by ruthless individuals who had each slaughtered over six thousand aliens in a single day.
Their tribe had no chance of claiming a top ranking now.
This branch of the ape-man race was a small faction within the third tribe, numbering only about a thousand warriors. While that might sound like a lot, it was still less than one-sixth of the number of kills achieved by the top-ranked player.
They were fortunate to have heeded the sage's advice; otherwise, they would have wasted too much energy vying for a top ranking they had no chance of securing.
Let's give up for today, they thought. We'll see how things look in the coming days.
In a ruined mine, a human player cautiously hid deep within the tunnels. He constantly shifted his position based on the footsteps echoing outside, trying to stay in the enemy's blind spots.
Barefoot, he had wrapped his feet in strips of cloth to move silently and protect his soles from the sharp rocks.
Suddenly, a global speaker announcement blared in his ear:
[Global Speaker]
[Human Player Chen Jiang: "Is that all you've got?"]
"A human player?" the player murmured, startled. He instinctively checked the race kill rankings.
There it was: a human player's name at the top.
[Top Ranking: Human Player Chen Jiang!]
"A human player... can they really be this strong?"
He murmured to himself, his expression one of shock.
But at that moment—
The sound of searching footsteps and hoarse shouts echoed around him once more.
"You take that side. I'll lead the men this way."
"That human whelp must be hiding in this mine."
"Damn it! He can't just vanish into thin air, can he?"
Hearing the voices, the human player's face paled. He abandoned his lingering interest in the race kill rankings and darted down a nearby tunnel.
Outside the Ruined Mine, a group of disheveled human players, their hands and feet bound by chains, squatted on the ground, their gazes fixed on the mine entrance with complex emotions.
Yesterday, one of them had escaped the torturers.
He had fled into that mine.
Everyone had seen it.
But for some inexplicable reason, when their elf enslavers repeatedly whipped and interrogated them about the fugitive's whereabouts, not a single one betrayed him.
Even the frailest woman among them clenched her teeth and remained silent, enduring the lash without uttering a word.
They weren't friends with the escapee, didn't even know him personally, and had rarely spoken to him before.
For some reason, at that moment, everyone sincerely hoped that person would escape.
It would give them a sliver of hope—a sliver that they too might one day have a chance to flee.
So, no one chose to betray him.
Betraying him today would mean that when they tried to escape later, they would face the same betrayal.
Several burly men, squatting on the ground with their hands clasped over their heads, subtly scanned the other human players, their gazes carrying a clear warning.
Though no one betrayed him, the elf race still guessed that the fugitive had fled into the abandoned mine. After searching all night without finding him, their patience began to wear thin.
At that very moment, Chen Jiang's global speaker message echoed in everyone's ears:
["Is that all you've got?"]
The human players squatting on the ground froze, exchanged glances, and saw a sudden fire ignite in each other's eyes.
The human race had its own strong warriors.
In an instant, the burly men couldn't suppress their urge to look up at the dozens of staff-wielding elves surrounding them, their bodies tensing with anticipation.
They were human players, possessing the human race's innate ability, Phoenix Nirvana, which granted them two lives.
Originally, this was a formidable ability, but the elves viewed it very differently.
When elves killed alien races, they earned merit points and an additional point, which could be used for top-up. After all, the elf race's innate ability was that they could only grow stronger through top-up.
In this context, the humans' two lives became, in the elves' eyes, one life worth two points.
Resurrection was limited to either reviving on the spot or returning to their location 24 hours prior.
This meant that if they died, they would simply revive back into the elves' clutches.
The elves kept a close watch on them, preventing suicide to avoid losing a point for nothing.
Yet they hadn't killed them outright.
Through eavesdropping, the humans learned that they were being enslaved, awaiting some noble elf to kill them and earn enough points to purchase the 648 top-up bundle in the elf race's top-up system.
Just as the players were preparing for a desperate last stand, the fleeing player was captured.
Several elves with refined, icy faces bound him and dragged him out of the Ruined Mine.
"It seems I should teach you all the consequences of attempting to escape," an elf said.
The next moment—
A bloodcurdling scream erupted!
The flames of defiance that had just ignited in the eyes of the kneeling human players were instantly extinguished, as if doused with a bucket of cold water.
They lowered their heads, silent and defeated.
"Lord Phoenix Soaring Nine Heavens," a man said, his face pale with fear as he bowed his head. "That human player, Chen Jiang, is utterly reckless."
"When we encounter him again," the man continued, "I've been requesting permission to personally capture Chen Jiang and bring him before you, my lord."
Ever since Chen Jiang had nearly instantly surpassed Lord Feng Jiutian again and broadcasted a highly provocative message on the global speaker, Lord Feng Jiutian had stood here expressionless, without uttering a single word.
(End of the Chapter)
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