(Leo's POV)
After thoroughly enjoying the chaos he had caused by gaslighting the entire server into believing something completely untrue, Leo shifted his focus to the pressing task at hand.
The second annual rankers-only event was just four days away, and Leo was determined to attend this edition, especially given how successful the first one had been for him. Last year, he had gained a significant number of levels from the event, and this time, with a 100-level advantage over his competitors, he planned to push his limits even further and take on even riskier bets.
Still, despite his excitement, Leo couldn't shake the uncertainty. Would the event follow the same format as last year, or would there be unexpected twists this time?
Over the past year, he had devised several strategies tailored for the next event, but all his preparation could be rendered useless if the rules or format changed significantly.
"Hmm… I miss playing Terra Nova Online every day," Leo mused.
"Logging in only once every three days is going to be rough." He said, shaking his head as he came to terms with the struggle he would have to face daily in the coming months.
With today's login used, he was now down to just 246 remaining login days, a number which would dwindle fast considering the milestones he needed to achieve.
"Sigh… seven more days until my isolation ends," Leo muttered, frustrated by the fact that he still couldn't leave the confines of his manor.
He had grown sick and tired of the place. Having already reached the realm of a master, he felt more than ready to break free and move forward with his real plans, but the stupid restrictions would not let him do so.
His biggest fear currently was that he might accidentally miss the rankers event, as it could technically happen any day now before the third evaluation began in 7 days time.
"I'll just ask Raya about it after I log-out today" Leo decided, as not willing to take the risk of missing the event, he decided to pay the price of a few MP if necessary, to get the knowledge in advance.
*********
(Meanwhile Cervantez)
While Leo and the other rankers speculated about the details of the upcoming rankers-only event, Cervantez already knew everything.
This second annual event was set to be special, with nearly every ranker expected to walk away with a level boost ranging from 5 to 20 levels.
However, for Cervantez, the event itself wasn't the main focus—it was the participants.
According to his memory, this was the moment when his long-time crush, PinkLotus, finally made her public debut.
In his past life, although 'TheBoss' reigned supreme at the top of the leaderboard and was considered one of the game's untouchable kings, he wasn't the only player to earn that distinction.
PinkLotus had also gained that same elite status, with her crowning moment taking place during the second rankers event— which was coincidentally also her public debut.
Chosen as one of the four guardians in that event, she had initially been underestimated by everyone. But by the end, she earned the title 'Queen of Terra Nova,' not only because she was hailed as the most beautiful player the netizens had ever seen but also because she proved to be one of the most skilled, defeating over 750 rankers single-handedly.
Back then, Cervantez was just an ordinary player who, like many others, fell for PinkLotus and her fiery beauty. But, just like the millions of others who admired her, Cervantez never found an opportunity to speak with her.
In his past life, although he followed PinkLotus closely after her debut, practically stalking her like a fan would follow a celebrity, he never once managed to interact with her.
She remained aloof, and only the other rankers ever had the chance to talk to her, a reality that made Cervantez jealous of their status.
This time, however, things were different. Now a ranker himself, Cervantez had a real shot at being selected as one of the four guardians in this year's event.
Yet, as the event drew closer, his nervousness increased with each passing day, as he had not yet received any system notification that he was being considered for a guardian position.
The second rankers event was a little special and unusual— it was a dungeon-style event where the top 5 combat players in the game were chosen to defend the treasure room, while the remaining 9995 rankers were tasked with taking them down and seizing the treasure.
Cervantez, in particular, knew this event inside and out, which only fueled his excitement.
The dungeon had four main entrances, each one leading to the central boss room where the number one player—'TheBoss'—stood waiting to defend the final treasure.
But reaching that treasure was no easy task.
At each of the four entrances, a guardian was stationed to block the path.
These guardians were not necessarily the highest-level players but were selected based on a combination of combat skills, strategies, and overall performance in battle.
This detail intrigued Cervantez the most, as he always knew that the rankings board didn't tell the full story of a player's abilities, and this event was designed to test far more than just ones raw power.
In his past life, the four guardians chosen included PinkLotus, BigDaddy, Andheri, and SpicyRamen. However, Cervantez had a feeling that the selection pool might be different this year.
With a total of 10,000 rankers invited to participate, the remaining 9995 players were split evenly across the four starting points, with each group randomly teleported to one of the four entrances.
Their journey to the central room was a grueling gauntlet of monster waves, traps, and trials, all designed to test their endurance, teamwork, and survival skills. But with every monster they killed, the rankers gained valuable experience and a single level, making the challenge incredibly rewarding.
However, reaching one of the four guardians was only half the battle.
Defeating a guardian granted the rankers a significant advantage—a gain of 200 levels, distributed among the players who contributed to the takedown.
But Cervantez knew that overcoming a guardian was a challenging feat in itself.
These players chosen as the guardians were the elite of the elite, and during the event, their HP pools were enhanced abnormally, allowing them to take far more damage than usual, making them incredibly difficult to defeat.
And if, by some miracle, the rankers managed to defeat one of the guardians, their next task was even more daunting, as they then had to face the master-level fighter 'TheBoss,' who stood alone in the treasure room.
The challenge here wasn't just about raw strength—it required strategy, teamwork, and a careful blending of each player's strengths to overcome 'TheBoss.' However, this was far easier said than done.
The ultimate reward, though, made the risk worthwhile, as defeating 'TheBoss' not only granted the winning group 1000 levels, shared among the victors, but also gave them access to the treasure room.
The treasure room was filled with valuable artifacts, rare items, and skill scrolls, which when combined with the level boosts, made the second rankers event incredibly enticing.
As per Cervantez's memory, last time around, it was the third group to reach the central room that managed to defeat 'TheBoss' and claim the treasure as after fending off two groups, 'TheBoss' had been weakened, and he eventually fell to the third wave, though he still gave them a fierce fight.
However, although the four guardians and 'TheBoss' were eventually all defeated, they had not walked out of the event empty handed either.
For the guardians and 'TheBoss,' the rewards were different, as for every ranker they killed, they earned two levels, and if they successfully managed to defend the treasure room until the end, the five of them were then entitled to split the entire treasure trove among themselves.
Thinking about all this, Cervantez couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
In his past life, he had only watched from the sidelines, but this time could be different.
This time, he was amongst the chosen few that were definitely going to take part in the event, and even if he were to not be chosen as a guardian, he was sure to be chosen as a challenger.
Cervantez strongly felt that his strength had grown enough to make him worthy of being one of the four guardians, and all he needed now was the confirmation— a system notification inviting him to take this challenge, punching his ticket to be one of the chosen.
But with every day that passed without notification, his anxiety grew.
This event was everything. It was the proving ground where legends were made, and where players like PinkLotus had cemented their place in history.
Cervantez knew that if he could secure a guardian spot, he'd be one step closer to realizing his own destiny. But until that message arrived, all he could do was wait—and prepare.