The Tournament Manager floated above the crowd, his casual demeanor contrasting sharply with the weight of his words as he began to explain the structure of the Tournament.
"Let me start by stating that the Tournament will comprise three rounds, each designed to evaluate different aspects of your strength. However, all of these rounds are team-based, meaning Alpha Chosen from each trial zone will compete as a team."
His voice carried effortlessly across the vast colosseum, keeping thousands of Alpha Chosen hanging on his every word.
"In total, there should be 1,000 teams since 1,000 Trial Zones are participating in this Regional Tournament. However, 24 Trial Zones have no surviving Alpha Chosen, which leaves us with only 976 teams right now."
He paused briefly, his green eyes scanning the crowd. The silence was absolute—no one dared to speak out of turn as the Tier-4 Suppression that still lingered subtly in the air.
"Out of these 976 teams, only 10 will emerge as winners by the end of the Tournament and will qualify for the Trial Continental Tournament, scheduled to begin on Day-20. Additionally, there will be substantial rewards based on your final evaluations. However, keep in mind—there will be no room for complaints or bargaining if the results don't align with your expectations. All evaluations are conducted directly by the System, leaving no room for error or bias."
The Alpha Chosen listened intently, each of them understanding the importance of what was at stake.
"As for the first round," the Tournament Manager continued, "it will be a Mass Elimination Round. Only the 100 Trial Zone teams with the highest evaluation scores will qualify for the Second Round. Those who fall short will be eliminated from the Tournament."
"Now, open your Status Windows," he said. "At the bottom, you'll find a new section labeled Trial Regional Tournament. Within it, you'll see the number assigned to your team and individual numbers for each of you."
The crowd remained eerily quiet, hanging on his every word. Even the most arrogant and bold among the Alpha Chosen were subdued by the unspoken authority the Tournament Manager exuded. His Tier-4 Suppression wasn't oppressive, but its presence was a constant reminder of the immense gap in power between him and everyone present.
By the end of his briefing, the Alpha Chosen followed his instructions, summoning their Status Windows. Just as he said, a new section had appeared at the bottom, displaying their team number and individual numbers.
Jay, standing among Earth's Alpha Chosen, opened his Status Window as well.
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﴾ Trial Regional Tournament ﴿
﴾Round-1﴿
Allotted team number for Earth's Trial Zone Team in Round-1: '777'
⧼Indiviaual Allocation according to Levels⧽
Olivia ⧼Lv.40⧽ - 01
Min soo ⧼Lv.38⧽- 02
Andrea ⧼Lv.37⧽ - 03
Sergei ⧼Lv.35⧽ - 04
Brandon ⧼Lv.35⧽ - 05
Kensei ⧼Lv.31⧽ - 06
Henry ⧼Lv.30⧽ - 07
Kasim ⧼Lv.29⧽ - 08
Gabriel ⧼Lv.27⧽ - 09
Jay ⧼Lv.25⧽ - 10
Dante ⧼Lv.25⧽ - 11
Round-1 Results: Not yet available
﴾Exchange Market﴿
This Feature will be revealed after Round-1 Concludes.
﴾Rest House﴿
This Feature will be revealed after Round-1 Concludes.
﴾Round-2﴿
Further details about this will be revealed after the First Intermission.
﴾Round-3﴿
Further details about this will be revealed after the Second Intermission.
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In addition to Team Allocation, each individual within every team was assigned a number based on their rank within their respective Trial Zone teams based on their Level.
For Jay, the numbers ⧼777, 10/11⧽ hovered above him, signifying he was ranked 10th out of the 11 Alpha Chosen in Earth's Trial Zone Team, numbered 777. Similar floating indicators were visible above the heads of every Alpha Chosen in the colosseum.
While the details of the Second and Third Rounds remained unavailable, some features, such as the Exchange Market and Rest House, were shown as locked. However, Jay, with the assistance of his Soul A.I., had already learned about these functionalities long before the tournament began.
Soon, the 3rd Prince's voice boomed through the colosseum once more, silencing the murmurs. "Alright, now that everyone has found their respective Trial Zone Team numbers, we will begin the First Round of the Tournament. Everyone except the first 100 teams, please leave the ground and move to the colosseum's seating area."
Earth's Alpha Chosen, whose team wasn't among the top 100, complied, heading to the seating area. Designed to hold up to 100,000 spectators, the vast arena had more than enough room for the less-than-10,000 Alpha Chosen participating in the tournament.
Min-soo used his teleportation ability to secure front-row seats for the Earth team. Once everyone was seated, another group of Alpha Chosen hurried over and claimed the spots beside them.
The new arrivals were pale blue-skinned, tall humanoids. Most of Earth's Alpha Chosen curiously observed the newcomers, puzzled by their sudden interest.
Their confusion deepened when one of the blue-skinned beings stepped forward, knelt before them, and joyously declared, "I have finally found you, my Liege."
The Earth team members were taken aback by this new revelation as they followed the newcomer's gaze, which was fixed on Jay. With a casual wave of his hand, Jay said, "Akor, there's no need to kneel every time you see me. Rise."
Akor stood and took his place beside Jay, beaming with reverence. Dante, sitting comfortably next to Jay, greeted him casually. "Akor, it's been less than 24 hours since we last saw each other, and you're already making it sound like an eternity."
Akor laughed sheepishly and returned the greeting. "Nice seeing you again, Sir Dante."
He turned to the rest of Earth's Alpha Chosen, his excitement palpable. "It's an honor to meet the great Earth's Alpha Chosen. This is a moment I will treasure forever."
Henry, unable to hold back his reaction, muttered, "Why do I feel like I just walked into a medieval drama?"
Dante chuckled and quickly filled in the group, explaining how Jay had met Akor during their exploration of other Trial Zones and why Akor had been allowed to follow him. He added details about Akor's strength and loyalty to Jay.
The Earth team was stunned when Dante revealed Akor's abilities, particularly his mastery. Despite being at Tier-2, Akor had reached Stage-4 Mastery, something that defied their expectations.
Now that Akor had reached Tier-3 Low-Phase, his combat power was formidable, capable of rivaling a Tier-3 High-Phase monster.
Above his head floated ⧼620, 1/9⧽, indicating he was the strongest among the nine Alpha Chosen from his Trial Zone, surpassing even Aton, the Sea Lord of the Atlans—a feat considered unimaginable by most of his race members.
Meanwhile, the remaining Atlans who had claimed the seats beside Earth's Alpha Chosen regarded them with awe.
They had already experienced Jay's overwhelming strength firsthand. Seeing him ranked 10th among Earth's team left them utterly baffled. To them, it meant that nine others were even stronger than Jay, elevating Earth's Trial Zone Team to a near-mythical status in their minds.
Jay, noticing their misconceptions, chose not to correct them. He let them believe what they wanted and only Akor knew the truth that Jay was the strongest among Earth's Alpha Chosen by far.
While this unfolded, the Alpha Chosen from Trial Zones 1 to 100 spread out across the Colosseum ground according to the 3rd Prince's instructions. Once they were properly arranged, the 3rd Prince opened a system interface and initiated a command.
A moment later, large grey cuboids materialized in front of each Alpha Chosen on the ground. Each cuboid measured 3 meters in length, 3 meters in breadth, and 6 meters in height, their dull surface reflecting the faint light in the colosseum.
The sudden appearance of these objects drew everyone's attention, both from the spectators and the Alpha Chosen on the ground.
To address their curiosity, the 3rd Prince began to explain. "These are called 'Reality Emulators,' provided by the System to Tournament Managers for a limited time. Upon entering them, you will find yourselves in an independent space where virtuality and reality merge. Everything within will appear virtual, except for yourself. While this might sound confusing now, it will all become clear once you step inside."
He continued, "For the First Round, you will each face monsters one-on-one. Every monster you kill inside the Reality Emulator will earn points for your team, based on the Tier and Phase of the monster. Note that all points will contribute to your team's total evaluation."
With a flick of his hand, the 3rd Prince summoned a massive hologram above the podium ground. The translucent display outlined the scores to be awarded based on the strength of the monsters they defeated.
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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
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The crowd scrutinized the list, some murmuring quietly as they processed the point distribution.
Once the details were clear, the 3rd Prince raised his voice again. "With everything settled, I hereby announce the start of Round-1. Participants, enter your allotted Reality Emulators."
Following his command, hundreds of Alpha Chosen on the podium ground simultaneously stepped into their respective cuboids. One by one, the grey structures emitted a faint glow as the Alpha Chosen disappeared inside, leaving the spectators eagerly awaiting the action to come.
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1 is now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!
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Volume 2 Revamped Chapter Release Schedule
📅 Daily Releases – A revamped chapter will be released every day until Chapter 130. (Jan 1st to 30th)
These revamped chapters won't interfere with the usual chapter updates.
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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