…
Meanwhile, back at the platform...
"It looks like that guy is the real deal. Luck can only carry one so far, however, his performance cannot be dismissed as just being simple luck by this point. Though this is where the true challenge begins in the selection. Even if one has obtained something, it's useless if they don't have the strength to safeguard it. Though aren't you worried your students may get involved, old man Zushuatri?" Kayn commented as he observed Izroth's current situation on the magic screen before him.
A gentle smile appeared on Zushuatri's face as he said, "I leave it entirely up to them to decide what action they wish to take."
"Oh? What if your students shamelessly team up on someone?" Kayn asked with a grin on his face.
"Hahaha, third young master, surely you jest. Those with high talent often boast an equally high sense of pride. Each is confident in their own strength and it is on this pride that they act." Zushuatri replied.
"I see, pride is it?" Kayn said as he stood to his feet. His arms were still folded as he had his gaze set on a certain part of the magic screen that showed one of Zushuatri's students, Sage.
He then continued, "Old man Zushuatri, I want to go take a look. Are you against it?" Kayn looked Zushuatri directly in his eyes as he spoke.
Zushuatri was silent for a few moments before he ultimately released a sigh and shook his head as he replied, "Your impatience is showing, third young master. But I must say that I'm surprised you were able to wait this long. Very well, you may enter and cross the regions and Limit Zones as you please. I'm sure you do not require me to remind you of your previous promise?"
"Don't worry, I'm only going to rattle them up a bit. Also, there's a few that I want to personally have a chat with and exchange a few pointers." Kayn said. Although those words left his mouth, his current facial expression contradicted him and it looked as though he were up to something else entirely.
Exchange a few pointers? Zushuatri knew that even among the members of the first team, there were not many who would dare claim that they could "exchange a few pointers" with Kayn. Therefore, how could anyone in the second selection even dream of doing so?
"Then, I'll be sending news of your arrival. I'm sure I don't have to show you the way there." Zushuatri stated with a gentle smile on his face.
"Yeah, I'll be going now. After all, we can't allow them to become complacent with their current strength, right?" Kayn said with a smirk on his face. He then jumped up off the platform and shot high into the sky. All of a sudden, what appeared to be a small meteor could be seen descending down upon the Sky Palace. However, that "small meteor" was none other than Kayn!
…
Woosh!
"Stop right there!" One of the participants yelled out as they chased after Izroth.
At the moment, Izroth was running at incredible speeds throughout the Limit Zone. There were at least fifteen participants chasing after him and closing in on his position fast.
'The chances of me being the only person from the top ten in this region is low, yet they are specifically targeting me. Is it because they see me as an easy target?'
"Heh, all he can do it run away! What a disgrace for someone who holds a top ten position!" One of the participants chasing after Izroth mocked. However, Izroth was unaffected by their obvious taunts and jeers.
He was that he was not running away because he was afraid, but rather, he was doing so to round up as many participants as possible! After all, with cooldowns being one of Izroth's biggest current weaknesses, he had to find a way to use his skills in the most efficient way possible.
After running for nearly 10 minutes, Izroth finally stopped. The moment he did so, he immediately became surrounded by 20 to 25 participants. Everyone appeared to be furious at being led around for so long by Izroth and they all looked as if they wanted to strangle him.
'It's a good thing that I learned another movement skill, otherwise, it would have been impossible to do this so efficiently. Well, I still had to use Enhanced Instantaneous Movement a couple of times to throw them off and prevent them from catching up. But, this much should do it.'
Skill Name: Light Feather Footwork
Skill Creator: Izroth
Skill Level: MAXED
Skill Rank: A
Passive: +10% Movement Speed
Passive: As long as the user of this skill is in motion, their steps will become lighter, slowly increasing their movement speed by 5% every second(MAX: 125%). If the user halts their motion, the movement speed provided by this passive is decreased by 10% every second until it reaches 0%.
Active: Immediately increases the user's movement speed by 250% for 2 seconds. This skill does not stack with its passive. The passive of this skill is temporarily disabled during the 2 seconds the active of this skill is used.
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Description: Light footsteps to invoke rapid movements!
Izroth had been debating on what kind of movement skill he should learn and he finally decided during the time of his fourth relocation. Light Feather Footwork did not increase his agility, but his movement speed. This made it the perfect skill to pair up with his Flickering Steps or Shadow Movement. It also performed well as a stand-alone skill and had a variety of uses in different combat scenarios.
Though the main reason Izroth chose this skill was due to its combination of speed built up and quick bursts of speed. A bonus was the short cooldown time of the skill at its max rank which was only 15 seconds. This meant that every 15 seconds, Izroth would be able to activate a short burst of speed that could throw his opponents off. Of course, it could not compare to Flickering Steps speed-wise, but it had its own area of strengths.
As Izroth scanned around the gathered participants, he saw that there was nowhere for him to escape. In total, there were around 20 to 25 participants present and every last one of them were no pushovers considering that they made it this far into the selection.
'Who would have thought this troublesome thing would be awaiting me at the second to last relocation?'
Just as that thought passed through Izroth's mind, he received an alert from the system. At the same time, the participants that were surrounding him also looked as if they had been alerted of something. From the expressions on their faces, it seemed to be something terrifying in nature.
〈System Alert: A special guest participant has arrived! The leader of the first team, Kayn, will be joining the selection!〉
〈System Alert: A special full-time marker has been set on Kayn and will always show their current location.〉
〈System Alert: Combat restrictions for Kayn has been set in place. Landing one blow on Kayn grants 1 million points.〉
As if coinciding with the appearance of the alerts, a burning meteorite could be seen descending rapidly from the sky. It could be seen across all four regions and it looked as if it were headed directly for the Sky Palace itself! However, there were a few participants who knew what was falling from the sky was not a meteor, but a person!
'Leader of the first team and 1 million points?'
With 1 million points, you were guaranteed to place first within the selection. It did not matter how many points the individual in first place possessed, it was definitely nowhere near close to 1 million! Not only that, but apparently combat restrictions were also set in place for him.
One blow! By just landing one blow against him it was possible to instantly jump to the 1st place position, however, none of the participants around Izroth appeared to be excited about it. In fact, they appeared to be in a state of despair at the simple thought.
'As the leader of the first team, this Kayn is definitely not some small character within the Mortal Realm. Interesting...'
Izroth was curious about the individual who was strong enough to become the leader of the first team. After all, the second team selection already had people like Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain participating within it. This meant that they were likely not strong enough to take part in the first team selection. If that was the case, just how monstrous were those who placed in the top ten of a selection that not even someone like Roudin could participate in?
"What does Master Zushuatri expect us to do? He not only sends his students but even that monster as well?"
"It's impossible for us, even if it's a single blow."
"Yeah, what else do you expect from a genius who has the pure blood of a true dragon?"
True dragon?! When one of the participants said those two words, Izroth became even more increased in Kayn. Now, he felt that he had to somehow meet that person before this selection was over. If they really did possess the pure blood of a true dragon, then it was possible that he would know the location of the Path of Dragons if it was related to actual dragons.
Clearing the Path of Dragons was one of the quest objectives Izroth needed to complete for the second part of the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. He also read about how true dragons rarely roamed the Mortal Realm, therefore, it was a rare opportunity to see what the true dragons of RML were like in person.
"Whatever, I may not be able to get the big fish, but I can easily claim this little fish before me." One of the participants said as he locked his gaze onto Izroth with a smirk on his face.
That's right! They had someone with enough points to be in the top ten right here in front of them. Even if they could not match up to Zushuatri's students or Kayn, they were confident that they could handle this one individual.
"You all seem to be misunderstanding something." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. The others were surprised as it was the first time he had spoken to them.
He then continued, "If you believe me to be the prey and yourselves the hunter... Then I can only disappoint you."
"What kind of nonsense of you talking? Hurry up and hand over your points and life to me!" One of the participants said as they took the initiative and was the first to launch an attack against Izroth. It was the individual who was the first to find Izroth within the Limit Zone, Eoxin.
Eoxin brandished the saber in his hands as a chilling and condensed energy formed around his weapon.
"Glacial Saber: Tilted Glacier Rise!" Eoxin roared as he swung his saber out towards Izroth and released a cold saber intent in his direction. It traveled at a low point and at an angle as it slowly rose from the ground which made it difficult to track or avoid!
However, Izroth had not been simply idle and thinking to himself this entire time. He used Behemoth's Quake a few seconds ago while everyone was distracted by the meteorite in the sky and the alert they received. Since the damage was negligible, everyone simply ignored it as if it were not a big deal. But, they would soon regret their choice.
'It should be even more devastating in a place like this.'
The stacks on Izroth's Sword of The Storm was able to reach its maximum amount in just 2 to 3 seconds. It was then that the clouds in the sky began to darken overhead and the surrounding winds picked up in speed. A wild and untamed hurricane-like storm could be seen within Izroth's eyes as they emitted a faint white hue.