[Name: Wood Sprite · River (Royal)]
[Race: Plant]
[Level: Tier 6 (0/500)]
[Strength: 360]
[Constitution: 360]
[Agility: 400]
[Spirit: 425]
[Skills: Nature's Dominion (Intermediate), Aura of Affinity, Thorny Vines]
[Description: A royal among plants, capable of commanding other plant-based units and proficient in natural magic.]
River's ascension to Tier 6 brought a dramatic surge in her attributes, surpassing even the Earthrend Sovereign they had encountered before. With her newfound strength, she could now effortlessly defeat the Earthrend Sovereign if they were to cross paths again. Such was the immense gap that levels created, especially as one progressed further. The disparity between tiers grew exponentially, rendering sheer numbers ineffective, unlike in the lower tiers.
The moment River reached Tier 6, a voice echoed in Alex's mind.
[Congratulations! Your regional ranking has improved. Current Rank: 1st Place]
"First place!?" Alex snapped out of his thoughts, startled. He quickly opened the [Regional Rankings] to confirm and saw his name proudly sitting at the top.
1st Place: Alex [Tier 5: Plant-type]
2nd Place: Ethan Carter [Tier 5: Demon-type]
3rd Place: Lily Bennett [Tier 5: Angel-type]
4th Place: Dongfang [Tier 5: Humanoid-type]
5th Place: Ryan Mitchell [Tier 5: Elemental-type]
To his surprise, River's advancement to Tier 6 had propelled his overall combat power past Ethan Carter's, securing him the top spot on the rankings. It seemed his earlier suspicions were correct—Ethan must have had a Tier 6 unit of his own.
As Alex scrutinized the rankings, other lords began to notice the shift as well.
"Hey, look! Alex just took first place!"
"What? He's number one now?"
"No way! He actually surpassed Ethan Carter!"
"Ethan's unbeaten streak has been broken!"
"What did he even do to jump to first place so suddenly?"
"Alex is a legend! He just trampled over both the Angel and Demon factions. So satisfying!"
"The undisputed king of the Plant faction!"
Within minutes, the news of Alex's rise to the top sent shockwaves through the [Regional Chat]. Lords were in awe, unable to believe that someone had finally dethroned Ethan Carter, especially with a faction as unconventional as Plants. Alex was the first to claim the top spot outside of Ethan's dominance, and the sheer astonishment among the lords was palpable.
At the edge of the region, near a molten lava flow within an underground cavern, a handsome young man stood in a blood-red hall, gazing at the rankings.
"A Tier 6 unit… It seems I'll have to meet this person," the young man murmured, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. Beside him loomed a massive demon, unmistakably a Tier 6 unit—a Dual-Winged Dark Demon. The presence of such a creature revealed the young man's identity: Ethan Carter, the Demon faction lord who had long held the top spot.
Ethan had always been dismissive of others, confident in his supremacy. But now, his pride had been challenged by a Plant-type lord of all things. While Demons might not match Plants in vitality, their destructive power was unmatched, even surpassing that of Angels. Yet, despite this, Alex had managed to surpass him. This Plant-type lord was clearly no ordinary opponent.
After a moment of contemplation, Ethan closed the rankings and opened a private message interface, sending a message to an ID labeled "Lily Bennett."
"Lily, what do you think of this Alex? Should we invite him to join our plan?"
A reply came swiftly.
"Do as you please, as long as it doesn't interfere with the plan. And don't call me Lily. We're not that close."
"Alright, I'll reach out to him then," Ethan replied, unfazed by her cold tone. He then opened Alex's profile on the rankings and sent him a message.
On the other side of the region, Alex soon received the message. When he saw the sender's name, he was taken aback.
"Ethan Carter? Why is he messaging me?" Alex wondered, puzzled. He had never interacted with Ethan before. Was this some kind of angry response to being dethroned? Perhaps a threat or a taunt?
Curious, he opened the message and was immediately stunned by its contents.
"The path to the Primordial Continent has been sealed. Are you interested in joining forces to break through the blockade and escape this place?"
The simple sentence sent a chill down Alex's spine. Ethan knew about the regional blockade too? Did that mean others were aware of this secret as well? Shocked, Alex quickly replied.
"You know about the regional blockade?"
On the other end, Ethan was equally surprised by Alex's response. But then, a smile crept across his face. The man who had surpassed him was indeed no ordinary figure—he even knew about such a closely guarded secret. This simplified things.
"Since you're already aware, I'll skip the explanations. Right now, it's just me and Lily Bennett. Would you be interested in joining us to cross the Gray Mist? We could use the extra support."
"Lily Bennett is in on this too? I'm willing, but do you know how to get through the Gray Mist?" Alex asked.
"You mean the Migration Orb, right?"
"You have one?"
"Not me, but Lily does. She obtained the blueprint for a Magic Tower, and we're currently gathering resources to craft it. You know about the Migration Orb too?" Ethan was visibly surprised.
Alex chuckled. "Not only do I know about it, I already have one. But since you're crafting them, could you make an extra one for me? I'd like to bring a friend along."
"Who?"
"Ryan Mitchell."
"Fine, but you'll have to provide the materials yourself. I'll send you the list shortly."
"Deal."
With that, the conversation ended. Neither of them felt the need to say more.
Ethan was thoroughly astonished. He had assumed Alex only knew about the blockade, not the means to escape it. This gave him the upper hand in negotiations. But Alex not only knew about the Migration Orb, he already possessed one. This was completely unexpected.
When Ethan relayed this information to Lily, she was equally shocked. However, she agreed without hesitation to craft an additional Migration Orb. After all, more allies meant greater strength, especially when those allies were both in the top five of the rankings.
Now, all that remained was to gather the necessary resources and set their escape plan into motion.