The first thing Jay noticed upon being teleported was the breathtaking view of the massive Colosseum surrounding him. However, what truly captured his attention was the colossal oval structure at its center, towering 220 meters high and stretching 800 meters in length and 650 meters in width.
Though it bore a striking resemblance to the one he had seen ten days ago, the sight was no less awe-inspiring. The arena floor buzzed with activity, filled with thousands of Alpha Chosen—each participant a victor from their respective Region-wide Tournaments.
A staggering total of 8,923 individuals filled the ground, their murmurs blending into a rising wave of commotion. Speculation ran rampant, with the prevailing question being—would this Tournament be any different from the last?
Meanwhile, all the teams from the same Trial Region as the Earth team made their way to Jay and gathered near him, just as he had instructed them at the end of Day-19.
Standing together, they patiently surveyed the crowd, their sharp eyes scanning for any competitors who stood out. At the same time, they remained on alert for Urzo—a figure none among them had yet encountered but whose presence they were bracing for.
As the air buzzed with anticipation, a sound cut through the noise. From the center of the Colosseum emerged a peculiar figure: a three-foot-tall, pudgy humanoid rabbit wearing an eye-catching yellow tuxedo and round spectacles. It stood atop a levitating metal disc that hovered several meters above the ground, commanding attention with its eccentric presence.
A soft yet high-pitched voice resonated across the arena, clear and commanding despite its tone. "Ahem... Attention, please! I am Wibbit, an Inner Elder of the Myriad Beast Sect and the Tournament Manager assigned to this 7th Trial Continent."
Jay's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Myriad Beast Sect. From what he had learned from Felarial, this was one of the top ten powers of the Virgo SuperCluster, rivaling even the Red Elven Empire in influence.
With his analytical gaze, Jay quickly assessed Wibbit's strength. The Tournament Manager was a Tier-5 Mid-Phase Lifeform, but even if the three feet humanoid rabbit were a Tier-5 High-Phase, Jay was confident that such a confrontation would pose no challenge.
With the skill║Berserk║, which granted a 60% boost to all his stats, Jay could momentarily rival someone who had just ascended to Tier-6. This immense power meant he could effortlessly dominate anyone in the Tournament, including the Tournament Manager.
If he were to face Drogor again, Jay knew he wouldn't even need to rely on his Arcane Element or the Pseudo-Speed Energy. The victory would be decisive.
With the Tournament Manager no longer a threat, Jay could focus entirely on the devastation he had planned for the day. His top priority was dealing with Urzo, no matter the cost.
As the Tournament Manager began explaining the rules and instructions for the Tournament's proceedings, Jay began delving into the minds of everyone present in the Colosseum—excluding the members of his own Trial Region.
As expected, the format mirrored that of the Tournament held on Day-10. There were no surprises or deviations, and every detail remained the same.
Each Trial Zone Team was assigned a number, with Earth's team receiving the designation "823" out of the total 944 teams. The assignment appeared completely random, as there was no special recognition for Earth's standing. Otherwise, they might have been placed among the top few or even as the first team.
Once the allocations were complete, all teams except for the first 100 made their way to the spectator seating area, as instructed by the Tournament Manager.
The Colosseum's massive seating area stands could hold over 200,000 people, ensuring ample space for everyone.
Aside from Pompa's team, which ranked among the first 100 teams, the Earth team and the rest of the teams from their Trial Region sat clustered together, with Jay positioned at the center. Following his earlier warnings, everyone stayed vigilant, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any threats.
Before long, several gray-colored cuboids, measuring 4 x 4 x 8 (length, breadth, height), materialized in front of each Alpha Chosen, neatly arranged across the Colosseum floor.
The devices were instantly recognizable—they were Reality Emulators, identical to those used in the previous Tournament. Their appearance drew little reaction from the participants, all of whom had already encountered them before.
Still, Wibbit took the opportunity to provide a brief explanation, his high-pitched voice cutting through the air. He explained how the Reality Emulators functioned and reminded everyone that defeating virtual monsters within the simulation would earn them points, with stronger monsters yielding greater rewards.
Once his explanation concluded, Wibbit waved his paw theatrically. A massive hologram shimmered into existence above the central podium, displaying a detailed list of point values assigned to monsters of varying strengths.
The projection glowed with vibrant clarity, ensuring that even those seated in the farthest corners of the Colosseum could see it.
Tier-1 Low-Phase Monster = 10 Points
Tier-1 Mid-Phase Monster = 25 Points
Tier-1 High-Phase Monster = 50 Points
Tier-2 Low-Phase Monster = 100 Points
Tier-2 Mid-Phase Monster = 250 Points
Tier-2 High-Phase Monster = 500 Points
Tier-3 Low-Phase Monster = 1000 Points
Tier-3 Mid-Phase Monster = 2500 Points
Tier-3 High-Phase Monster = 5000 Points
Tier-4 Low-Phase Monster = 10000 Points
Tier-4 Mid-Phase Monster = 25000 Points
Tier-4 High-Phase Monster = 50000 Points
Wibbit hadn't even considered the possibility of anyone defeating a Tier-5 monster. Confident in his reasoning, he chose not to include Tier-5 monsters in the point list displayed above the podium.
After all, as he saw it, the Trial Program had only been underway for 20 days—who could possibly achieve such a feat in so short a time?
But little did he know, among the Alpha Chosen gathered for the Tournament, there was someone who would soon redefine his understanding of what was possible.
Meanwhile, Jay sifted through the memories of everyone present, scanning through countless recollections accumulated since the Trial Program's inception. The task was too overwhelming to handle alone, so he relied on MJ to analyze the memories and determine if anyone had interacted with Urzo or was discreetly possessed by him.
Thanks to his exceptionally high Spirit attribute, Jay could process memories at incredible speed. He skimmed through each Alpha Chosen's recollections one by one, granting MJ access to those memories through his connection.
With MJ's phenomenal processing speed, every minute detail in those memories was meticulously analyzed. Profiles were built for each individual, packed with precise information, ensuring no clue went unnoticed.
As time passed, the first round of the Tournament progressed smoothly. Just as Felarial had done during previous Tournament, large screens were displayed throughout the Colosseum, showing the battles of the strongest members from each team as they played out in the Reality Emulators.
Among the participants, Pompa—the quirky Horned Beetle stood out. He tore through the virtual monster simulations with impressive ferocity. Even among the few who made it to face Tier-4 monsters, Pompa distinguished himself, dealing the highest damage to a Tier-4 High-Phase monster before ultimately falling to it.
Pompa's performance might have secured him the title of the strongest competitor in the 1st Batch—consisting of Teams 1 through 100—but fate had other plans.
Yinad, another participant in the same batch, stole the spotlight. Not only did Yinad defeat the Tier-4 High-Phase monster, but he also advanced to the 13th difficulty level, where he faced off against a Tier-5 Low-Phase monster.
Though he was eventually defeated, Yinad managed to hold his ground long enough to leave the crowd—and even the Tournament Manager—in awe. His feat sent shockwaves through the Colosseum, setting a new benchmark for the competition.
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.
Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :