Chapter 1638: The Center of Attention

This battlefield mission is about to start; please everyone get ready.

10..

9..

The countdown has entered its final moments.

Hearing the icy countdown, all Fifth Stage present grew solemn, gathering in groups of three or five.

The seventeen teams led by Star-Destroying Level beings silently moved in toward the last arriving Awakened Ones, furtively forming an encirclement.

Before anyone realized, even though the mission hadn't been announced, the battle had already begun.

The first five hundred Fifth Stage to arrive acted as hunters; the middle five hundred were recruited and banded together for warmth.

Meanwhile, the last Fifth Stage to arrive were regarded as prey, targeted by everyone!

Standing in the team gathered by the Long-Eared Elves, the Stone Giant felt a surge of relief, still frightened.

Fortunately, his rules worked wonders on this battlefield, and he didn't waste time getting here.

Otherwise, he wouldn't just have been recruited—he'd likely already be on the hit list!

Look at those Fifth Stage targeted from all sides—everyone's face turned ashen, their expressions grim to the extreme.

Many Fifth Stage who grasped this logic panicked, blinking in place to show they were fast, merely arriving late!

However, the declaration was useless.

With the factions already divided, they were like discarded pawns—no one would join forces with them anymore.

Soon, as the countdown approached the final three seconds...

Trialist No. 3399 came crashing down from the sky in a panic.

Seeing the hostile gazes all around, this nearly last-to-arrive Fifth Stage dwarf suddenly went cold, then, as if realizing something, his whole body began to tremble.

Even if he were slow to react, at this moment he realized he had made a fatal mistake!

"I'm not! I'm not slow!"

"I wanted to conserve my strength!"

He didn't bother to maintain his Fifth Stage identity.

The one called the Bloodthirsty Overlord on Sangta Planet, the 'little dwarf,' screamed in terror.

Damn it! This was his first Fifth Stage mission; knowing nothing, he had no idea what the gathering signified!

All 3,400 have arrived!? Only him and another who came last remain!?

Had he known arriving late would draw attention, he would never have conserved his strength!

Seeing the penultimate little dwarf's terrified look, many Fifth Stage snorted in contempt.

But no one paid him any mind; most were waiting for the final arrival.

The later one arrives, the easier they are to kill—such simple logic, every Fifth Stage present could see it.

Just didn't know who the unlucky soul would be.

Meanwhile, among the thousand Fifth Stage present, a few paid no heed to the last person.

"Lord Hei Di, it looks like that last person must be that little worm."

"Did he die on the way?"

Looking at the final slot, a Fifth Stage under Hei Di couldn't help but snicker.

That worm may be pitifully weak, but it's still somewhat interesting.

Though it seemed to have escaped from their grasp, it still died.

Fortunately, after reaching the fortress, they still spent some effort tracking the worm's trail.

Hei Di nodded slightly, also not caring about this.

The gathering is safe; even the weakest Fourth Stage Peak will have a Fifth Stage escort.

Thus, for this trial's 3,400 participants, it's nearly impossible for anyone to fail to arrive.

So it's obvious that the worm likely couldn't make it.

Below the castle, the Insect Jaw Clan youth skilled in space control idly flicked his mouthparts.

"Boring..."

"I thought that worm could escape."

As the one who personally trapped Lin An, he naturally guessed the last person was Lin An.

With a mindset of playing for fun, he still wanted to see Lin An escape, then be hunted down by him.

Although it was quite boring.

All one can say is that perhaps the worm's effort made it hard not to toy with it.

This lofty feeling of deciding others' fates is one of his few pleasures.

Hearing the regretful sigh of the Insect Jaw Fifth Stage, the Green Crystal Clan leader glanced at him helplessly, saying nothing more.

Weakness is itself a sin; he cared more about the upcoming mission.

"Countdown"

"3.."

"2.."

"1...!"

In the gradually killing atmosphere, everyone's gaze seemed to converge outside the fortress.

Patiently waiting for the last person to arrive.

Of course, perhaps no one would come.

In the fortress corner, the isolated dwarf Fifth Stage stood apart from everyone, anxiously staring at the sky.

Come on! Hurry up!

Unlike others who don't much care if the last person can make it, he, who is second-to-last, hopes even more than anyone else that the other person will arrive!

There's no other reason!

If that person dies on the way, he'll be in last place—the very first to be hunted!

Even if the other person shows up, he won't be much better off, but at least he won't be at the bottom!

With one more person sharing the pressure, he has a bit more hope!

However, it seems things are going against his wishes.

As the countdown wound down to zero, everyone's gaze gradually withdrew, and everyone began to watch the others warily.

After realizing he was the last person, the dwarf at the fifth stage also collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

It's over.

That last person died on the way.

He will soon be hunted by the whole crowd!

「Beep, currently tallying the number of trial participants, drawing mission type... 」

The cold system alert began to sound.

Just as the fortress suddenly raised a light curtain, enveloping everyone.

A blood-soaked figure suddenly appeared above the closing light shield.

All that could be seen was Lin An, resembling a blood-and-flesh skull, his flesh and blood burned away, yet at this moment he was stuck at the last second and managed to reach the fortress.

In an instant, everyone was stunned.

Lin An, who appeared last, instantly became everyone's focus.

「That's..

「That worm?!"""