At the same time as Leo and the other rankers participated in the ranker-only special event, common players worked tirelessly to avoid a poor evaluation in the upcoming second evaluation test, which was now less than three days away.
Every single player in the game pushed themselves to level up during this crucial period, with the most intense efforts coming from those in Sector E.
The players in sector E grinded levels as if their lives depended on it as having already missed the chance to ascend from Sector E during the first evaluation, they were determined not to miss the opportunity again.
Although most players stuck in Sector E worked extremely hard throughout the past year to secure a spot in the top 10% eligible for promotion, the reality of the situation was that competition, especially in sector E was intense with every other inhabitant also working almost as hard as them, if not even harder.
Nobody wanted to be stuck in the hell-hole that Sector E was and hence the average Sector E player not only worked extremely hard to become a top player within Terra Nova but also diligently completed their tasks in real life, as nobody wanted to risk their promotion chances anymore.
This was despite there being high crime in the Sector and mob-like gangs controlling all aspects of local life such as the laundry queue, and lunch privileges. However, the hardships only strengthened the resolve of the commoners to somehow escape that place.
Unfortunately, the theme of the second evaluation was not 'Levels' but rather 'Skills' which meant that this last push by the players to gain levels throughout the game was probably for nothing as the evaluation criteria did not take levels into account in the first place.
**********
( Meanwhile Elena and Jacob )
The second batch of four Arc Ships had finally landed on Earth and the entire area around the Arc Ships had turned into a live battlefield.
A few of Earth's old military regime, those who had been promised a seat on the second batch of refugees tried to cordon off the area, however, the amount of Earthlings without a confirmed ticket who were desperate to enter the ship were just too many, converting the entire air-strip around the Arc Ships into an active war-zone.
Thankfully, Elena and Jacob had both been escorted to their luxurious apartment in sector B, 3 days prior to lift off, with them given the chance to board the Arc Ship before the pandemonium took over the air field outside.
About 250 million inhabitants were supposed to board each Arc Ship, however the ship operators gave clear instructions to the Field Marshalls securing the area that if the perimeter broke and illegal migrants began boarding the ship en-masse, then the Arc Ships would take off, without bothering to complete boarding, earlier than expected.
And take-off they did, as while the perimeter in Washington DC was held strong by the soldiers, the same could not be said for the Arc Ship in Paris, which took off a mere 4 hours after landing, with less than 20 million inhabitants total after the security around that ship was breached.
Of the four Arc Ships meant to carry a billion citizens total out of Earth, one left early without even boarding till 10% of maximum capacity, effectively stranding 230 million people to their deaths, who would have been able to board otherwise.
However, the example from Paris only made the field Marshals protecting the other three ships that much more serious about their jobs, as they realized that under no circumstance could they let any illegal citizen board the ship who did not deserve a spot on it.
Thankfully, Leo and Luke had the foresight to buy protection for Elena and Jacob which ensured that they were boarded safely, because without it, the two would have found it impossible to get through the thick mass of citizens clouding all the entry points to the arc ship hangar bay.
*********
( Meanwhile Eren )
Having been given a chance to prove his worth by the Demon King, Eren joined the raid group that was poised to attack the Empire's forces through the great forest, in the Empire's Eastern District.
He was given 5 Demon Captains to work with, and was challenged to capture 5 Empire villages in the next 45 days.
It was undoubtedly a difficult mission, with the demon captains snorting in disgust whenever they saw him, as they did not seem to respect him as their leader.
In the demon society where strength reigned supreme, they had never entertained the idea of having a dedicated war-strategist in their war- council, as they were used to following a very simple chain of command and a very simple fighting style.
Techniques like ambush, luring the opponent into traps and strategic positioning were concepts that were foreign to them, however, for Eren they were not.
Eren knew exactly what he was doing and if the demon's co-operated with him just a few times, he was sure that they would soon understand the benefits of his way of fighting and would naturally start respecting him more.
The only problem was getting them to obey the first few times, as let alone letting him speak, the demon captains under him refused to even look at him without snorting or internally cursing him, which frustrated Erin to no end.
'This has to stop…. I have to win them over in some way,' Eren thought, as he began devising a plan that would help him win the support of the demon captains under him, even if it was temporary.
He knew his limitations as a warrior and knew he could not challenge them to a fist-fight, however, if it was a game where brains mattered more than brawn then he felt confident of winning it.
"The demon's are too prideful…. They won't go back on their words if I beat them in a contest.
I just need to secure their support once.
They will naturally fall in line later on" Eren muttered to himself, as he decided on a method to win their support.