Min-soo approached Dante, curious to know how many Reward Points he had earned. But when he glanced at the five-digit figure on Dante's hologram, his eyes widened. "Damn!" he blurted out, unable to contain his shock.
His exclamation drew attention from nearby Earth team members, and soon Andrea, Kasim, Henry, Kensei, and Gabriel huddled around Dante, peering at the number on his display. Their reactions mirrored Min-soo's, eyes wide and jaws slack.
"Even Miss Olivia only had around 9,000," Andrea murmured, her voice filled with amazement.
Gabriel's shoulders slumped slightly, and he muttered to himself, "I doubt all our RPs combined would come close to what Dante has now."
The usually reserved Kensei chimed in quietly, "It must be because he defeated Yinad. Honestly, who among us could have pulled that off?"
The group fell silent, each of them recalling the destruction Dante's gigantic meteor arrows had unleashed. They hadn't realized just how far Dante had come until now.
As they exchanged glances, they found themselves looking at Dante with a newfound respect, seeing in him a glimmer of the same power that Jay embodied.
Dante offered a wry smile and shrugged. "That attack isn't something I can pull off anytime. Certain conditions have to line up. For example, in an enclosed space, I can't launch the arrows from high enough to build the force of a free fall. And honestly, those projectiles are pretty easy to dodge for anyone Tier-4 or above if they see them coming. I had to put everything on the line to keep Yinad from escaping."
His words emphasized the difficulty of defeating Yinad, letting the others appreciate just how much risk Dante had taken to protect them all. At the same time, they couldn't help but think more highly of Yinad, who survived such destructive attacks, which had resembled a small-scale nuclear explosion.
Dante blinked, his mind racing as he read the line again: he had replaced Yinad in the Power Rankings. He quickly opened the║Trial World Leaderboard║and found his name in the 6th position, with Yinad pushed down to 7th.
Dumbfounded, Dante frowned and quickly called out, "Great Venerable, how exactly did I enter Top-10 Power Rankings?"
Almost immediately, MJ's appeared, looking as distinguished as ever, adjusting his necktie with practiced elegance. He bowed slightly before responding, "Honorable Dante, please, just call me MJ. You are now considered Master Jay's friend, and having you call me 'Great Venerable' would be as disrespectful as if I were to speak down to my Master."
Dante, surprised by MJ's response, nodded, finding it strangely comforting to be addressed in this way.
MJ no longer treated Dante with his previous playfulness; ever since Jay had opened up to Dante and formed a genuine friendship, MJ had begun to show him the due respect that came with such a bond.
Dante, amused, realized his earlier title for MJ had been out of habit from all the times he'd addressed him that way before.
MJ inclined his head slightly before continuing. "As for your question, Honorable Dante, it is exactly as it appears. If one defeats an individual in the Power Rankings, they can seize that rank and push the defeated one down. Rankings aren't fixed; they're based solely on one's strength."
Pompa, who had been listening intently nearby, suddenly lit up with an idea. A mischievous smile spread across his face as he turned to Dante. "Hey! How about you go easy on me, and I defeat you? Then I'll be the 6th Power Ranker! What do you say?"
The group fell silent, all of them glancing between Pompa and MJ, wondering if it could actually work. MJ simply stared at Pompa, an expression of disdain on his face that spoke volumes.
With a dry scoff, MJ shook his head. "Do you think the System is foolish enough to fall for such petty tricks? Only a serious battle, one with lives at stake, is considered a valid fight for ranking."
Pompa's shoulders slumped, his 'brilliant' plan deflating before it even had a chance. He muttered something about "worth a try," while the others chuckled, shaking their heads.
Dante cleared his throat, turning back to MJ. "After I opened the║Trial World Leaderboard║, I got a notification saying that if I hold this rank or stay within the Top-10 Power Rankers for the next three days, I'll be designated as an Alpha Prime Prospect. What does that mean?"
MJ's face grew serious as he addressed the gathering. "Ah, the Alpha Prime Prospects," he began, his tone carrying a hint of pride.
His words drew the attention of everyone nearby. Akor, Rex, and other Tier-4 individuals subtly moved closer, eager to catch every word, not wanting to miss a single piece of this crucial information.
"The strongest Top-10 Alpha Chosen were selected based on their performance in the Day-10 Tournaments," MJ explained, "and each of them was given the title, Alpha Prime Prospect. That title means they are recognized as qualified to potentially become the Alpha Prime—the absolute ruler of the Trial World and the System's appointed Representative for the entire Milky Way Galaxy."
A profound silence settled over the crowd as the implications sank in. Becoming Alpha Prime was no ordinary honor; it was a role of unparalleled power, authority, and responsibility. Those listening exchanged uneasy glances, digesting the daunting truth of what this Title signified.
For many, simply reaching the Top-10 and holding that position for three consecutive days felt beyond their wildest reach. And even if they somehow attained such a feat, they doubted their ability to challenge the individual who already seemed to stand leagues above everyone else, well on the path to securing the Alpha Prime title.
Many shook their heads, resigning themselves to the belief that the Alpha Prime title was practically predetermined unless a drastic turn of events occurred.
Meanwhile, Jay, the leading Alpha Prime contender, was fully focused on cultivating his Origin Physique. As he advanced, something unexpected happened—something so satisfying it drew a hearty laugh from him.
Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.
ALTER REALITY: Online
The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.
In the discord server, I opened a private channel for those Top 10 candidates, where I posted the respective Advanced Chapter.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
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