General POV

When the first event started, people doubted Theodore Lockheart.

This was well before he defeated Nathan.

They doubted him, because more than an hour into the culling event, Theodore sat dead last in the leaderboard. The consensus was unanimous: the prince was exactly what they'd always suspected. Weak, sheltered, propped up by nothing but his family name.

"Still at the bottom."

"What did you expect? He's Rank 2."

"Rank 2 with the best resources in the kingdom, and this is the result? The royal family must be so embarrassed right now. All that money, all those pills and techniques, wasted on someone without talent. He's probably hiding somewhere, waiting for the event to end."

"I know right. It's rather pathetic. At least other nobles try to maintain appearances. At this rate he'll time out with zero points."

"Bet the king's regretting letting him enter publicly."

"Should've kept him hidden like they usually do with family embarrassments."

The mockery had become background noise, and soon, even that stopped. Theodore Lockheart wasn't worth the energy of active contempt anymore. He was just another piece of evidence that bloodlines meant nothing without personal strength.

Then Nathan happened, and something shifted.

The first few eliminations barely registered. Theodore's rank crept from the bottom and started climbing, and those who noticed assumed he'd finally stumbled across someone already weakened. But then the numbers started cascading. The climb was impossible to ignore, and suddenly everyone was staring at the leaderboard with growing disbelief.

"Wait."

"What?"

"His rank just... moved."

"System error?"

"No, look at the elimination feed—it's all him."

The shock rippled outward as Theodore's rank rose through the thousands. From dead last to midrange in twelve minutes.

"That can't be right. He just jumped fifty ranks in three minutes."

The elimination feed became a monotonous scroll of his name, and the disbelief transformed into something between awe and fear

"This has to be cheating. The math doesn't make sense. Even if every opponent just stood still, how can a Rank 2 individual do that?"

And that's when people started really paying attention, even inside the instance.

Theodore had a lot of bracelets, and people wanted a piece of that cake. So, obviously, they either tried to find Theodore alone, or formed groups.

One such person was Talen, and as he stared at the leaderboard, his stomach churned with a sick mixture of disbelief and rage. Theodore kept climbing, and everything Talen thought he knew about the world was crumbling. The prince, that pathetic excuse for nobility who'd been festering at the bottom of the rankings for who knew how long, was suddenly ascending like he'd been toying with them all along.

"This can't be real," he muttered, but the numbers didn't lie, and each update felt like a slap to his face. He'd spent the last day carefully orchestrating ambushes with his partners, three Rank 3s working in perfect synchronization to overwhelm isolated targets, and they'd felt so clever, so superior. Now watching Theodore's meteoric rise made their careful strategy feel like the scrambling of insects.

"You seeing this? He's climbing faster than anyone has any right to climb," Corin said.

"We need him," Vera said. "Think about what taking down the prince means. We wouldn't just be getting his bracelets, we'd be legends. Every noble house, every merchant guild, every person in the kingdom would know we were the ones who brought down Theodore Lockheart when he thought he was invincible."

The hunger in her voice was infectious, spreading through their group like wildfire. They'd been playing it safe, picking off the weak, dividing their spoils three ways like merchants haggling over aurums. But Theodore represented something more than bracelets, he represented glory, recognition, a chance to matter.

"Southwest quadrant," Corin said, already having mapped everything with his skills. He conjured a map of sorts with one of his skills. "Based on the elimination patterns, he's moving in a spiral, probably trying to maximize efficiency. If we cut through here, we can intercept him before he reaches the mountain pass. He won't expect an ambush from three Rank 3s working together, he'll be looking for solo hunters or pairs at most."

Talen nodded eagerly. "We've got these binding enchantments from that Rank 2 enchanter we took down earlier. If we can immobilize him for even three seconds, that's enough time to overwhelm him."

"He's Rank 2," Vera said. "He won't be a problem for any of us, but three against one, with proper coordination and the element of surprise? We've taken down Rank 4s before, and they actually knew how to fight. The prince has probably been coasting on expensive artifacts and family his whole life. Strip away his advantages and he's just another spoiled noble who's never had to struggle for anything." The contempt in her voice was palpable, and Talen felt it resonating with his own resentment.

They'd clawed their way to Rank 3 through blood and determination, while Theodore had probably been hand-fed resources since birth.

Helena didn't know these three idiots were planning the same thing she was, and she wouldn't have cared if she did. Her focus was entirely on the leaderboard, and more specifically, on that name that kept climbing with insulting ease, and on the fury building in her chest like a volcanic eruption waiting to happen.

Theodore Lockheart. Even thinking the name made her teeth grind. She'd worked for fifteen years to reach Rank 4, fifteen years of missions and battles and near-death experiences, and this privileged little shit was making it look effortless.

The way he'd been sandbagging at the bottom of the rankings only made it worse—it meant he'd been holding back, playing games while people like her were fighting for their lives and futures.

Arrogant bastard.

How many people was he eliminating per minute? How many bracelets had he already accumulated? The math made her head spin and her anger burn hotter. She'd been methodical in her own hunting, taking down targets efficiently but carefully, never overextending. She had forty-three bracelets now, a respectable count for her, but Theodore was probably approaching triple digits if his climb rate was any indication. The unfairness of it all made her want to scream.

Helena moved.

Jin felt emotions pulse through his telepathic link with his brother, and immediately checked the leaderboard. Theodore's rank was rising faster than a stone falling through water, and Jin felt a familiar tingle of opportunity mixed with danger.

"You seeing this?" he sent through their mental connection, not needing to specify what 'this' was.

"Already tracking him," Kar responded, and Jin could feel his twin's mind working through the same calculations. They'd been operating in different sections of the testing grounds, maximizing their coverage, but this changed everything. "Given your location and mine, and those getting eliminated, we need to head to the southwest quadrant. He's moving fast. Based on his rate of climb, he's probably sitting on enough bracelets to set us both up."

Jin felt his pulse quicken, not with fear but with the particular excitement that came before a high-stakes job. They'd taken contracts on nobles before, knew how to navigate the political fallout, but this was different. This was the prince himself, in a controlled environment where elimination was not only legal but expected.

"He's just a Rank 2," Jin noted, "but one who is at least competent if what we're looking at is of any indication."

"A Rank 2 nonetheless."

They'd faced worse odds for worse pay, and this wasn't even a real death match.

Jin was already moving, his path converging with his brother's. They'd operated as independent contractors for eight years, and their synchronization was perfect without needing words.

"Standard Formation Seven?" he suggested, already knowing Kar would agree. It was their go-to for handling single targets—one provides distraction and pressure while the other positions for the killing blow.

Kar didn't know that Helena and the Trio were also converging on the same target, but he wouldn't have changed his approach if he did. Competition was part of the business, and if other hunters showed up, he and Jin would simply adapt. They always did

"The prince probably hasn't faced coordinated attacks from experienced killers," Kar mused as he ran.

"His whole strategy is wrong," Jin added. "He's being too… I don't know, this is weird. Is he stupid? It's making him predictable. He's making it real easy to track him."

Vera crouched low, Talen and Corin in position on the opposite sides, creating a perfect triangulation point. Anyone passing through would be caught in their crossfire, and with the binding enchantments ready, even a Rank 4 wouldn't be able to escape before they could overwhelm him.

He's close, she thought. The waiting was always the hardest part, when doubt could creep in and make you second-guess everything. What if Theodore was stronger than they anticipated? What if his family had given him defensive artifacts they couldn't breach? What if—no, she cut off that line of thinking. They'd committed to this, and hesitation would only get them killed.

Or worse, eliminated without even trying.

"I've got movement," Corin signed.

Talen felt his muscles tense. This was it. He remembered their plan. Remember, binding enchantments first, then full offensive. Don't give him time to activate any defensive treasures. Vera, you hit him with paralysis poison the second he's bound. Corin disrupts his moves. I'll go for direct pressure. Even a Rank 4 can't handle three simultaneous attacks.

Helena watched the trio setting up their ambush from her concealed position further up the ravine, and felt a mixture of contempt and opportunity.

Amateurs, thinking their little coordination would be enough to take down someone like Theodore.

Even if he was Rank 2, clearly he had artifacts or relics or something helping him. He had gotten this high in the leaderboard after all.

Regardless, their presence actually worked in her favor. They'd serve as the perfect distraction, wearing Theodore down and forcing him to reveal his cards before she struck. Let them think they were the hunters. She'd be the one to claim the real prize.

That's right. Flush out the prey for me. Show me what tricks the prince has hidden up his sleeves. Then when you're all exhausted from the fight, I'll step in and claim victory over all of you.

The emotional high of anticipation was intoxicating, the knowledge that she was about to prove herself superior not just to Theodore but to these three overconfident Rank 3s as well. They probably thought they were being so clever with their little ambush, but she'd spotted them from half a mile away.

Theodore would too if he had any real combat awareness, which would tell her immediately whether he was actually dangerous or just another greenhouse flower pretending to be a warrior.

Jin and Kar hadn't noticed Helena or the trio yet, but they were approaching from the opposite direction, and Jin was starting to feel that familiar prickle that meant the battlefield was more crowded than expected.

"We've got company," he sent to his brother. "Multiple presences converging on the same point. Looks like we're not the only ones who want a piece of him."

"Good," Kar responded, and Jin could feel his twin's savage satisfaction. "More chaos means more opportunities. Let them engage first, test his defenses. We'll adapt based on what we observe. If the others wear him down, easier for us. If he demolishes them, we'll know to abort and find easier prey."

"Perfect. Remember, the goal is bracelets, not honor. If someone else does the heavy lifting, we're happy to reap the rewards," Jin said.