CHAPTER 140: MORE TROUBLE

Although there were some unexpected events during the process, the development ultimately proceeded as Carlotta had planned.

The Five-Colored Deer was completely captivated by the Sun Flower, and after eating one, it moved towards the location of the next Sun Flower. In this way, it slowly moved away, destined to be drawn outside the territory.

After the Five-Colored Deer had gone far away, Carlotta moved her neck and looked towards the spot where the rock had fallen. She didn’t see anyone there.

"I’ll settle the score with you later," Carlotta asserted to herself.

She turned and headed quickly into the depths of the territory, summoning her intelligence and checking the map to orient herself.

Not long later, Carlotta finds a cave. On the cave wall, she discovered a glowing spot, it was Meteorite stone, a type of extremely precious material that had detached from the rock face.

Carlotta immediately slashed it with Dawn Sword and retrieved it, storing it in her storage card.

Next, she left the cave and ran for a while longer. In a patch of forest, she found several corpses that had died there. These people had been dead for many days, silent and still. Their origins were unknown.

Carlotta searched the bodies and found some alchemy tools, some alchemical powders, and a large number of tokens.

"There are so many!"

Carlotta’s eyes lit up. The number of tokens far exceeded her expectations, there were as many as 200!

She quickly opened the sky rankings and saw that her own rank had leaped up.

6th Place: Moon, 834.

Carlotta was very satisfied with this increase in ranking and immediately turned to leave the area quickly.

...

Zigmund hid in the shadows, pressed against the ground, listening to the sounds in the distance. However, he heard nothing.

Had no battle occurred?

Or had that Resonator monster instantly killed the red-haired girl?

Zigmund was puzzled. He slowly approached the area, arriving at another cliff. He looked down.

The Five-Colored Deer had already gone far away. The Sun Flowers on the ground were gone, and the red-haired girl’s figure was also nowhere to be seen.

Zigmund understood that the Five-Colored Deer had likely been lured away by the Sun Flowers. As for the red-haired girl... since he couldn’t see any corpse, she had probably avoided the Five-Colored Deer.

He didn’t know how she had managed it, but her location should not be far away.

Thinking of this, Zigmund immediately turned around, found another huge rock, lifted it high, and prepared to throw it to attract the Five-Colored Deer back by creating a disturbance.

However, as soon as he lifted the rock and turned around, he saw a silver-haired girl descending from the sky, looking at him with a cold gaze.

"Elf?" Zigmund blurted out instinctively.

The silver-haired girl leaned against the scarlet moon, a pair of elven wings fluttering behind her. Her eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.

Amelia stared at Zigmund. "Is deliberately harming others something that gives you a sense of accomplishment?"

Zigmund snaps back to reality and screams. "So, you have a helper... I can see you really want to kill me, but it’s not easy to make a move, is it?"

He lowered the rock. With someone blocking him, he obviously couldn’t create a disturbance from afar anymore.

However, Amelia also found it difficult to attack Zigmund. She sensed that he was a peak tier Listener, not someone who could be easily defeated. If a fight broke out, it would inevitably cause a significant commotion, attracting the Five-Colored Deer.

Zigmund understood this point as well, which was why he hadn’t thrown the rock again. If Amelia interfered, the commotion would only occur nearby.

But just as the two were in a standoff...

"Whoosh!"

At the high altitude, a dazzling beam of light flashed by and then landed not far from Amelia and Zigmund, causing an immediate explosion.

"Boom!"

In the dead of night, a huge bright light and an explosion appeared, with billowing smoke and dust. The commotion was immense.

Amelia and Zigmund’s expressions changed. They clearly hadn’t expected someone else to be lurking in the shadows, and that they had been ambushed once again.

With such a massive disturbance, there was no way the Five-Colored Deer wouldn’t return.

"Damn it, I hope I find out who it was."

Zigmund cursed and turned to leave.

He could scheme against others, but he wouldn’t allow anyone to scheme against him. He remembered this incident in his heart.

Amelia also turned and left, changing direction and quickly disappearing.

Just after the two left, a five-colored light appeared in the distance and rapidly approached.

A huge roar echoed from the depths of the territory. The Five-Colored Deer, unable to ignore the unfinished Sun Flowers, rushed back immediately.

It moved slightly, leaping onto the cliff. It saw Amelia and Zigmund leaving.

Then, it chose to chase Amelia, transforming into a five-colored beam of light and rapidly closing in.

However, after only a few steps, the Five-Colored Deer stopped, having lost track of its target. It felt as if Amelia had suddenly disappeared from its sight.

It didn’t understand what had happened, but it remembered that someone had gone in the other direction. It immediately turned and pursued Zigmund’s departing path.

Landing on the ground, Amelia, who had remained motionless, let out a long breath.

She had been watching from the shadows when the Five-Colored Deer had approached Carlotta. She had discovered that when Carlotta simply stood still, the Five-Colored Deer didn’t do anything to her.

At that moment, she understood that perhaps standing still was a way to avoid danger. So, when the Five-Colored Deer pursued her, she decisively tried it, and it actually made the Five-Colored Deer leave.

...

Carlotta hurried out.

She heard the commotion outside and knew that someone was trying to harm her. Her expression immediately turned grim.

Then, she saw figures hiding in a forest, moving away.

"You want to run after trying to harm me? It’s not that easy."

Carlotta immediately gave chase. With the enhancement of the Speed card, her speed was astonishing. She instantly entered the forest and, not long after, caught up to two people.

They were a man and a woman. The man wore a trench coat, and the woman had purple hair. They seemed to sense Carlotta’s pursuit and turned to look at her.

"Since you like to scheme against people, why are you running so fast? Did I say you could run?"

As Carlotta spoke, she kicked and broke a nearby tree, throwing it directly towards the two targets.

The man and woman immediately scattered, causing the tree to miss.

"You’re asking for death. You’re just an early tier Listener."

The purple-haired woman was Chloe, the person who had been ranked 18th on the sky rankings earlier.

Magic surged between her fingers, and she quickly wrote a word in the air, Light Wave!

Immediately, this word transformed into a brilliant white light wave and shot towards Carlotta.

"Word Magic?" Carlotta recognized it instantly.

...

Word magic wasn’t common, but it wasn’t overly rare either. Carlotta had heard of it.

This magic could manifest effects by writing words in the void. Whatever was written would become reality.

Write the word "bread," and it will turn into bread.

Write "flame," and it will become flame.

Write "steel," and it will become steel.

It was a rather powerful magic, but also very difficult to master. The more outlandish the creation, the higher the demand on magical power. Thus, practitioners of word magic couldn’t just write anything.

Chloe wrote "light wave," and the light was extremely dazzling, immediately engulfing Carlotta.

"Smith, let’s go."

Chloe said to the man in the trench coat.

The man in the trench coat, Will Smith, was the one who had previously ranked 16th on the Sky Ranking.

Their meeting was merely a coincidence. They had intended to part ways after meeting, but then they discovered Zigmund’s existence, which sparked some other ideas.

They both knew Zigmund’s ranking was higher. He was previously ranked 11th, a strong contender for the top 10, and possessed many tokens.

Thus, the two of them hit it off, deciding to make Zigmund their target.

As the competition progressed to the later stages, maintaining one’s rank on the Sky Ranking couldn’t rely solely on hunting monsters. It was even questionable if they could maintain their current positions that way.

Attacking others and snatching their tokens was inevitable!

If they could steal Zigmund’s tokens and score points, their rankings would both significantly improve, making it easy to enter the top 10.

However, they hadn’t expected that while following Zigmund to find an opportunity, they would end up in the territory of the Five-Colored Deer.

Previously, it was Chloe who used word magic to attack Amelia and Zigmund from afar, attracting the Five-Colored Deer to create trouble for Zigmund.

Carlotta sought out the two of them... of course, because she had made a mistake, thinking these two were the ones who had set her up before.

But it was all the same. They were rivals, enemies, and the outcome was the same.

As Chloe and Will were about to leave, Will suddenly seemed to sense something and spun around suddenly.

In his hand, a broadsword suddenly appeared, and he slashed heavily behind him.

"Bang!"

In the dark dense forest, sparks flew. Carlotta and Will retreated.

Chloe turned around, surprised. "You’re unharmed? A mere early tier Listener, to be able to block an attack?"

Will added, "Don’t be careless. This person isn’t simple. I feel like I’m facing a peak tier listener."

The simple collision just now made his hands go numb. He felt Carlotta was not simple at all; this was definitely not the strength an early tier Listener should display.

Chloe still didn’t take it seriously. "Let’s finish this quickly, or the Five-Colored Deer might be attracted."

While speaking, she kept writing in front of her, "Rock Fall."

As soon as the line of text was formed, it quickly transformed into a giant rock, hurtling towards Carlotta.

"Word magic is amazing, but thinking about it, it’s not that great," Carlotta whispered.

She used "Elven Butterfly Dance," easily dodging the attack. The giant rocks landed with a rumble, all missing their target.

Carlotta was like a colorful butterfly, rapidly closing in. The Dawn Sword in her hand glowed. Falling leaves that approached the Dawn Sword were torn apart on the spot. Endless sharpness pointed straight ahead.

Will met her, his broadsword also a peculiar artifact. He swung it heavily, like a door panel, possessing a unique lethality.

The two clashed, the sound of metal striking metal erupting. Waves of energy rolled out, shattering the surrounding trees.

Their movements were both fast and fierce. In a short time, they had exchanged dozens of blows, the sound shaking the surroundings, extremely violent.

Neither side gained an advantage, but Will was greatly alarmed. No matter how he sensed it, he felt Carlotta was an early tier Listener. Why could an early tier Listener fight him to this extent?

Chloe’s expression finally turned serious. She felt Carlotta was a bit off. Could she be using some peculiar item to conceal her true rank?

Just as she was about to help Will, she suddenly felt a tremor in her heart and immediately looked up towards the outside of the dense forest.

In the distance, a five-colored light was approaching, attracted by the commotion of the battle.

"Not good, the Five-Colored Deer is coming."

Chloe immediately retreated.

Will no longer cared about Carlotta. He quickly sheathed his sword and retreated, not wanting to face the Five-Colored Deer.

Carlotta also noticed the arrival of the Five-Colored Deer. Her eyes couldn’t help but show a hint of amusement.

These people seemed unaware that by standing still, they could be ignored by the Five-Colored Deer.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Carlotta charged forward.

She continuously swung her sword, fiercely attacking Will. At the same time, she occasionally kicked rocks and trees towards Chloe, making it difficult for Chloe to escape.

This scene made Will’s face change. He shouted, "Stop! Didn’t you see the Five-Colored Deer is coming? That’s a Resonator Monster. Don’t drag me down with you if you want to die!"

Chloe also shouted, "The Five-Colored Deer is approaching. Don’t you realize it?"

Seeing their anxious expressions, Carlotta smiled.

"I know, but I hate it when people scheme against me. Since you wanted to set me up, how can I let you go? I’ll take you both down with me."

She deliberately said frightening words, making Will and Chloe’s faces look very grim.

The five-colored light was rapidly approaching. The silhouette of the Five-Colored Deer became clear. As it drew nearer, even the air became much heavier.

"When did we ever scheme against you?"

Chloe couldn’t help but say, "I just wanted to attack Zigmund. I hadn’t even seen you before that."

"Zigmund? You mean Zigmund Stone, ranked 12th?"

Carlotta’s heart stirred.

"He’s ranked 11th... that’s not important. He’s who we’re looking for. What does it have to do with you?"

Chloe said angrily.

Carlotta snorted. Was she supposed to believe whatever these two said? Besides, when they discovered she was only an early tier Listener, didn’t they think she was courting death and wanted to kill her casually?

So there was nothing more to say. Carlotta continued her fierce assault, holding the two back and preventing them from leaving. This made their faces contort in anger, and they cursed Carlotta fiercely.

"Boom!"

The Five-Colored Deer arrived, its entire body glowing with five-colored radiance, extremely dazzling. It was like a mythical beast. The five-colored luster submerged the dense forest.