CHAPTER 702: 1ST ROUND: WAVE SURVIVAL (END)

--

"He’s got to be cheating!"

"Yeah! There’s no way he could clear those waves that easily!"

"Cheating? Under the focused gaze of the Empyreans? Just say you’re jealous and go."

"That’s right. Don’t project your incompetence onto others. If you’re weak, just say that."

"Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, brothers."

A lot of people doubted the legitimacy of Cedric’s performance, but there were just as many, if not more, people who believed in him and his skills. The possibility of him cheating was practically nonexistent. No self-respecting Immortal would resort to such a thing, no matter how desperate they might seem.

Because first of all, this event was organized by the strongest of this chaos realm. Who could cheat under their noses? Additionally, the preliminary rounds were taking place in the Virtual Universe, created by people who undoubtedly possess the most advanced technology available to humanity. Are people seriously thinking that some random Immortal could hack into their servers to give himself some unfair advantages? How naive!

And last but not least, cheating doesn’t just risk being discovered; it’s practically risking life itself. This event was being watched by every human being in the chaos realm. If someone was discovered to be a cheater, it wouldn’t just be a mere scandal; it would be direct execution.

Who in their right mind would do something so stupid?

Dawnbringer’s performance could be explained as him being really that good at fighting. The real experts could see his excellence at a glance and know that he’s not cheating at all. He’s the real deal. His performance was exaggerated because he’s just that good. That’s all there is to it.

And so, under the varied reactions of the audience, the wave survival continued.

More than a day has passed since it started, and by now, Dawnbringer has already tied forfirst place.

Both of them have reached the 32nd wave. That said, there was a stark difference between their current state.

The other guy looked miserable. He started off strong and confident, decimating waves with a wave of his hand like they were nothing. He practically sprinted ahead of everybody else.

Yet now, he looked wretched. His face was marred by exhaustion. His armor was torn; only fragments of it remained clinging to his body, and they surely don’t offer any real protection anymore. His weapon, a giant sword, was chipped and slightly bent. His body was covered in wounds and gashes; he just kept on bleeding, which made him even weaker. Looking at his state, it’s a miracle that he could even swing his sword at all.

Cedric, on the other hand? Well, aside from his clothes being a little dirty, he’s still going strong and steady.

His back remained ramrod straight. His sword was just as sharp as the first time he drew it and killed his first foe. Not a trace of exhaustion could be seen on his face. The audience even realized that his eyes remained as clear and vivid with their golden hue.

People also discovered that nothing has been able to force him back from his original position at all. He remained standing at the very same spot he spawned in. It didn’t matter how many enemies charged at him or how strong they got. Even as the earth beneath him caved in, he remained standing tall in the same spot as if he were rooted to the very core of this realm.

He’s like an immovable object. Yet he was also flexible at the same time because he was lithe and agile as he wielded his sword with great flexibility in the same spot, killing his enemies just as fast as they charged at him.

**

"How is that even possible, bro? All he’s using are the basics. Don’t tell me that it’s been this powerful all this time and I was the only one missing out."

"No, you’re not."

"Yeah."

"Even our elders feel the same, so yeah, you’re not the only one."

"I think it’s the Sword Laws. More specifically, the Great Law of the Sword."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"The deeper your comprehension of Sword Laws, the more profound and complicated it gets. Yet at the same time, the saying ’all rivers run to the sea’ also rings true. From simplicity to complexity and vice versa. There’s a deeper meaning and reason behind his every move; it’s just that complicated that we, the inferior swordsmen, can’t see or comprehend what’s happening even if he’s performing it right in front of our faces."

"..."

"..."

"What?"

"That’s probably the smartest you’ve ever sounded in the hundreds of years I’ve known you."

"Oh, shut the fuck up."

"For real, though. And it makes so much sense too."

"Well, you guys know what this means for us, right?"

"No, we don’t. Why don’t you tell us instead?"

"Idiot. It means more pressure, obviously."

"That’s right. There is no doubt that our dear Sect Master and Elders are watching this too, and seeing such an excellent swordsman would definitely inspire them. We, the Divine Sword Sect, have always prided ourselves on our outstanding prowess when it comes to swordsmanship."

"Whether this Dawnbringer becomes one of us in the future or not, he will certainly become a model or an idol for us. I have no doubts that our elders will start using him as a template or an object for comparison to trigger us."

"Which means more grueling training, right?"

"Yep."

"Aww, man!"

"God damn it!"

**

Conversations like this are happening across the chaos realm. The focus might be different, but the general idea was the same, and it is that Dawnbringer was truly an excellent swordsman and an inspiring figure.

Cedric doesn’t even know it, but he’s already changing lives just by doing what he needed to do.

At the same time, many people were already scrambling to investigate his identity and, if they could, recruit him as soon as possible. Anybody who’s been in the industry long enough recognizes his value. He wasn’t just some strong contestant or a dark horse; he’s the next big thing!

Whoever catches him will be earning the jackpot. Knowing this, how can they not feel anxious?

The chase and competition for him has become so intense that even Philip was starting to get overwhelmed.

His inbox had been flooded with numerous e-mails suggesting cooperation or direct transfer. It’s too much that he had to silence the alerts, or else they would never stop ringing in his ears and would drive him crazy.

Cedric remained mostly unaware of this, though. His mind was completely immersed in battle. So much so that he’s already taken the first place, leaving his peers behind with a considerable gap that will only grow wider as time passes.

And time did pass. Soon, it’ll be the fifth day since the start of the first round.

As Cedric steadily advanced through rounds, the organizers started feeling excited, anxious, and eventually, numb.

Seeing him charge through the first 25 levels was exciting because they discovered an unknown and mysterious prodigy. As he approached Wave 50, they started feeling anxious because they never thought he’d make it this far. And by the time he reached Wave 75, they’ve grown numb from the repeated surprise.

By now, Cedric was the only one left fighting in there. Everybody else in the entire Immortal League Bracket had been eliminated; he’s the only one left, and he’s still fighting with the same intensity and tenaciousness as before.

However, it wouldn’t be long before it ended. And that’s because he’s now facing the final wave, Wave 100, the very same stage that the organizers thought impossible for any participants to reach.

Cedric was fighting against half-step Universe Master Level monsters.

By all means, he shouldn’t have been able to do this. The gap between minor realms in life evolution in this stage is akin to the distance between heaven and earth. And while having realm-crossing combat capabilities wasn’t rare, it’s not always this exaggerated.

Cedric wasn’t just a prodigy anymore. He’s an anomaly nobody could ever predict. He repeatedly broke every expectation placed on him, going further than anybody could ever ask for.

He shone so much that his supposed peers didn’t even stand a chance against him. They couldn’t even compete. The immense gap between him and them was crushing.

And to make matters worse? It wasn’t until this very wave that Dawnbringer unleashed more of his power.

They could now see the gigantic sword sweeping his enemies with blistering speeds. It amplified the sheer destruction he could inflict, slicing through enemies he wasn’t even supposed to be able to touch at his level.

This meant that the waves before this one weren’t even worthy of Cedric’s seriousness. And that just sent a horrifying message to the rest of his peers.

Everybody should be surprised, but at this point, they all grew numb. Even the talkative Paul and Lisa have gone quiet.

And so, without too much fanfare or fuss, Cedric cleared the Wave Survival with his body completely intact. And from how much he’s sweating, it could almost be mistaken as him returning from an intense workout session.

Cedric’s silence silenced the world so much that even his grumbling stomach was heard.

With a huff, he gently caressed his stomach and murmured:

"I’m hungry."