Return Of The Strongest Player

Ten minutes passed, and a blue, translucent window appeared before the eyes of each and every player.

[The Trial of the Second Floor has begun.]

With that announcement, both Team A and B rushed towards each other, focusing on emerging victorious from their eventual clash. Both teams were quite even, so the battle would be quite narrowly won.

"All of you, focus on gathering flags," barked Arthur, sending his teammates towards the forest hurriedly. "I can survive on my own. I do not need someone protecting me, as that would only draw more attention."

Although the players were hesitant, since Arthur was the core of their team, they couldn't protest, either. They were simply forced to follow the crimson-eyed man's orders without the opportunity to raise questions.

A few were indignant, but even they didn't dare voice their thoughts.

In only a few moments, the group had dispersed across the forest, preparing to hunt for flags while protecting their own. Without the need to protect the King, their responsibilities were much less.

This resulted in a more relaxed hunt, which would inevitably increase the efficiency of the team.

Arthur, after everyone had left, slowly headed towards the middle of the world, taking things slowly. He was aware that revealing his existence near the initiation of the battle was utterly stupid.

He may be powerful, but there was no use flaunting his power and being assaulted by a group of enemies at once. Even he couldn't resist the assault of several players, as they were still considered "players."

Not a single "player" could be underestimated.

'Also, I have to be careful of Eleanor's retaliation,' thought the crimson-eyed man, wary of many things simultaneously. The daughter of King Bahamut was not an ordinary woman, and would naturally enact revenge if she received an opportunity.

Doing so during an intense battle would result in the waning of Arthur's concentration, and would inevitably spell his doom.

'I can't allow that. Although I had to be a little rough to prevent a battle from breaking out between us, she will obviously retaliate the first chance she gets. I simply have to resist for as long as I can.'

He also had one more aspect to worry about.

[1. Indra: 97 points]

[2. Zeus: 96 points]

[3. Athena: 96 points].

[4…]

'I wish I could get 99, which is a perfect score… Alas, Eleanor just had to be in my batch, didn't she?' Arthur spat on the soil beneath his feet, forming an expression of disgust as he thought about the woman.

She was truly a pain in the ass.

Arthur felt like he was babysitting her, even though she had a blood feud with him. It was simply not viable in the long term. He would either have to establish pleasant relations or kill her to avoid future troubles.

Neither of those options was possible.

After a few minutes of walking, Arthur felt movement in a nearby tree. His expression loosened, and excitement flooded into his body. Unsheahing Skofnung and awakening it, he used [Mana Sense] to sense the disturbance in mana.

'There is none.'

So was his opponent utilizing something other than mana? Or was he hiding his presence without the use of it?

'Such a skilled opponent,' thought the crimson-eyed man, allowing a smile to blossom on his face. His body suddenly turned into a blur, causing the man hiding in the tree to display an expression of astonishment.

'What…' the man in the tree muttered internally, realizing that Team A's KIng's presence had vanished completely. Was there truly someone on the Second Floor capable of sensing him and escaping his senses simultaneously?

If so, he was totally outmatched.

'I can't deal with this,' he thought, preparing to make a run for it. He couldn't engage in battle, since if an assassin was forced to step onto the battlefield, he had already lost. Assassins never fought actual battles.

A shroud of darkness coated his body, and while masking his presence, he prepared to escape the situation.

Alas, he was too late.

"Where exactly are you planning to go?" a voice entered the assassin's ears, causing his body to shudder in reaction. Shivers shot down his spine, while a dreadful sense of fear arose in his chest.

He suffocated, struggling to breathe while sensing a malevolent presence creep up behind his shoulder.

Despite being able to witness the appearance of the entity, the assassin was aware that his life had come to an end. The devil's incarnate that stood behind him was not merciful. No one was merciful.

Especially if the assassin was planning to take their life.

'Aw, don't give up so easily,' thought the crimson-eyed man, pouting as he pursed his lips in regret. The assassin's shoulders drooped, as if he had already given up, and was awaiting his eventual demise.

Arthur let out a sigh, piercing his opponent's heart before stealing his flag. Including his own flag, Arthur had now amassed a total of 2 points/flags. The number would gradually rise, causing the number of foes to decrease.

The Second Floor was equivalent to a massacre, which seemed to be what the omnipotent figure wished to establish.

Within the Second Floor, the maximum number of players that could survive was 50, while the minimum was 2.

In the case of maximum survivors, it was equivalent to one of the teams being exterminated immediately with either the death of their King or all other players, without a single casualty on the other side. This outcome was incredibly rare unless the match itself was fixed beforehand.

In the case of minimum survivors, one of the teams would have their King and another player alive, while the other team would be completely annihilated due to either the death of their King or all other players.

Arthur was hoping for a situation where either only he survived, or he and Eleanor survived.

This would grant him…

'If we take into account that I won't receive the point from the one person who is exterminated due to the death of his entire team, I'm counting around 98 points. 99 is the perfect score, I believe.'

[A/N: Here's a FP Code, if anyone wants it. (ABDHYGSQSG8EH9JJA)]