Chapter 618: Stonehaven Takes the World’s First Place
The deafening, heart-pounding world announcement blared three consecutive times, carrying across every corner of Dominion and jolting the minds of countless online players. At the same moment, the system sent Marcus a private notification.
Ding!
[Congratulations to US Region player Stonehaven, currently Level 56, for ranking first on the World Level Leaderboard. Would you like to display your name?]
"Hide my name."
Marcus answered without hesitation. Even so, the moment the announcement echoed through the world and he heard the words "US Region player Stonehaven," his heart still raced with a surge of fiery excitement. He had expected the announcement, but hearing his own achievement broadcast across the entire game was another matter entirely.
Like everyone else, he immediately opened the newly unlocked global leaderboard to see who had managed to reach the highest levels in the world.
—
World Level Leaderboard
1. Level 56 | Name: Hidden | Class: Temple Knight | Guild: None | US Region
2. Level 53 | Name: Lord Crimson | Class: Vampire Knight | Guild: Crimson Keep | UK Region
3. Level 53 | Name: Demon King | Class: Darkblade | Guild: Legion of Shadows | Germany Region
4. Level 53 | Name: RogueTheory | Class: Sword Saint | Guild: None | US Region
5. Level 53 | Name: God’s Left Hand | Class: Pyromancer | Guild: Hand of God | France Region
6. Level 53 | Name: Yamamoto | Class: Shadow Ninja | Guild: Ghost Blades | Japan Region
7. Level 52 | Name: Eastern Eagle | Class: Amazon | Guild: Eastern Eagle | China Region
8. Level 52 | Name: Pharaoh Eternal | Class: Undead Pharaoh | Guild: Mummy Dynasty | Egypt Region
9. Level 52 | Name: Bharata | Class: Brahma Chant Monk | Guild: Peacock Dynasty | India Region
10. Level 52 | Name: Ross | Class: Berserker Bear | Guild: Tsar’s Hall | Russia Region
11. Level 51 | Name: Silent Breath | Class: Druid | Guild: Dark River | Italy Region
12. Level 51 | Name: Tokugawa | Class: Samurai Slayer | Guild: Hundred Slash | Japan Region
13. Level 51 | Name: Hexium | Class: Stormcaller | Guild: Violet Thunder | US Region
14. Level 51 | Name: Prince William | Class: Vortex Swordsman | Guild: Arthur’s Castle | UK Region
15. Level 51 | Name: Kangaroo King | Class: Kangaroo Knight | Guild: Blue Sky | Australia Region
16. Level 51 | Name: KillWolf | Class: Werewolf Warrior | Guild: Wolf Pack | France Region
17. Level 51 | Name: Pope Primus | Class: Lightweaver | Guild: Papal Order | Germany Region
18. Level 51 | Name: Twin-Blade Panther | Class: Panther Assassin | Guild: Dragon’s Might | China Region
19. Level 51 | Name: Gaia | Class: Earth Champion | Guild: Apollo | Greece Region
20. Level 50 | Name: Thorn of Roses | Class: Angel Archer | Guild: Arthur’s Castle | UK Region
—
The World Level Leaderboard displayed a full twenty players. Marcus scanned the list from top to bottom, and the more he looked, the more surprised he became.
’Damn.’ Every single one of these people had some kind of bizarre hidden class.
And aside from himself and RogueTheory, who were both operating without guilds, every other player on the list had a major organization behind them. These weren’t ordinary players who had simply gotten lucky and stumbled their way into the top twenty. They were monsters in their own right, with powerful forces supporting them from behind the scenes.
This was way more insane than he’d expected.
Marcus had always considered his luck exceptional, especially after everything he had obtained since entering Dominion, but now he had to admit that there were plenty of people in the world who were just as extraordinary. If anything, he’d been a little too confident in his own advantage and had underestimated how frightening the competition could become.
Still, when he looked specifically at the US Region, he couldn’t help feeling a little proud.
The region’s performance was excellent. Three American players had made it into the global top twenty, and all three had placed remarkably high. RogueTheory was fourth at Level 53, Hexium was thirteenth at Level 51, and he himself was sitting comfortably at number one.
Three levels ahead of the second-place player.
He was already pulling away from the pack.
And that gap was far more meaningful than it might appear at first glance. Once players passed Level 50, leveling became brutally difficult, with every additional level requiring an enormous amount of experience. Marcus knew this better than anyone. He had spent the past twelve days grinding against Level 60 to Level 70 monsters at God Bamboo Ridge just to climb from Level 54 to Level 56.
If he could maintain that pace, the players behind him would have a very difficult time catching up. Even if he stopped grinding for several days, the experience gap wouldn’t simply disappear overnight. The thought made him feel a little more at ease, although the strange hidden classes on the leaderboard were enough to keep him from becoming complacent.
There was clearly a reason these people had made it this far.
"Stone, nice work. You’re firmly in first."
"Stone, you’re in beast mode! World number one! But you’re only three levels ahead of second place. That gap’s a little too close for comfort."
"Bro, number one! The girls are cooking dinner themselves tonight to celebrate!"
Messages of congratulations immediately flooded the squad channel. Marcus laughed as he read through them and sent a few replies, enjoying the celebration for what it was worth before closing the leaderboard and getting back to work.
He spurred Blackie forward, riding straight through the green bamboo grove ahead. Beyond it, the scenery gradually darkened until the ordinary bamboo gave way to a cluster of black stalks that seemed to absorb the surrounding light, their surfaces shimmering with an eerie, almost metallic sheen in the distance.
As he rode, however, his thoughts returned to the World Level Leaderboard.
His level was far ahead of most players, he had no guild backing him, and he had deliberately hidden his name. Under normal circumstances, that might have kept him relatively anonymous, but the leaderboard had effectively accomplished the opposite. Now, countless players knew that an unidentified Temple Knight from the US Region had somehow reached Level 56 and taken the number one spot in the world.
There was no way people weren’t going to talk about him. And they weren’t merely talking, they were obsessed.
In the Japan Region, for example, a man in his thirties dressed in black ninja armor stared coldly at the subordinate standing before him. The man’s name was Yamamoto, and he was currently ranked sixth on the World Level Leaderboard.
"What the hell is going on?" Yamamoto demanded. "You still haven’t found anything about the US Region’s number one Knight? What exactly has Blaze Phoenix been doing all this time?"
His expression darkened further as his patience finally ran out.
"Tell Blaze Phoenix that if he can’t deliver results, he can get the hell out of the United States."
The subordinate’s expression stiffened, but he understood perfectly well why his master was so furious. The problem was that there was only so much he could do. Blaze Phoenix was not someone Yamamoto could simply order around. Unless the old master gave a direct command, neither the subordinate nor even Yamamoto himself had the authority to force Blaze Phoenix to act.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the US Region, Blaze Phoenix was dealing with the same problem.
He sat with a deep frown on his face, staring at the information he had managed to gather.
He had actually obtained some clues about the mysterious rabbit-masked knight riding a Nightmare Dragon Steed. He knew the man existed, had managed to narrow down some of his movements, and had even caught glimpses of him before. But every time he tried to close in, the knight slipped away.
He couldn’t find him and He couldn’t track him.
And he couldn’t even get close enough to confirm the man’s identity.
For Blaze Phoenix, whose pride was built heavily upon his ability to gather information and track down targets, this was almost humiliating. He had never encountered an opponent who could remain so thoroughly out of reach despite having left behind so many clues.
No matter how many possibilities he considered, none of them led anywhere.
The frustration was starting to give him a headache.
"Master!"
Seeing their master’s growing irritation, the twins standing beside him exchanged a glance before stepping forward. Raven and Skye lowered their heads, their expressions apologetic.
"Forgive us, Master. We failed in our mission. Please punish us."
Blaze Phoenix looked at the two sisters and shook his head helplessly.
He knew they had done everything they could. He had personally watched them pursue every lead they had managed to obtain, and he had no reason to blame either of them. The problem wasn’t their effort. The rabbit-masked knight was simply too cautious, too elusive, and far too good at disappearing before they could seize an opportunity.
The man had practically given them nothing to work with.
"Forget it," Blaze Phoenix said. "This isn’t your fault."
The sisters quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but the frustration on Blaze Phoenix’s face remained.
’That damn rabbit knight.’
Blaze Phoenix and the twins exchanged a look before cursing the mysterious player almost simultaneously.
"That damn rabbit knight!"
At that very moment, Marcus was riding toward the cluster of five black bamboo stalks he had been searching for when, without warning, his nose suddenly itched.
"Ah... ah..."
He barely had time to turn his head before he sneezed three times in rapid succession.
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
Marcus rubbed his nose and frowned. ’Who the hell is talking shit about me?’
He glanced around suspiciously, though there was no one in sight. After a moment, he snorted and tightened his grip on the reins.
’When I find you, you’re dead.’
Then he urged Blackie onward toward the five black bamboo stalks, completely unaware that his name had already become the subject of heated discussion among some of the most powerful players and organizations in Dominion.