Chapter 10

Chapter 010: The Ranking List Revealed

In another area of the Trial Ground.

A dazzling sword light poured out like a bolt of silk, cleaving a lion-like beast in front into two halves.

The wielder was a blonde woman, tall and imposing, exuding an air of heroism like a Valkyrie stepping out of myth.

Her name was Elizabeth, from Britain.

The long sword in her hand was the treasure she had obtained from yesterday's Supply Box—the legendary Sword in the Stone of King Arthur.

Though it differed slightly from the image in ancient tales, resembling more a design from a certain game, its immense power was undeniable.

Elizabeth gladly accepted it.

After acquiring the divine sword, she began clearing the surrounding beasts, using the wooden cabin as her base.

Since the rules clearly stated that hunting beasts would earn points for her faction, she was determined to contribute to Britain's chances of victory.

This was already the thirty-seventh beast she had slain, and the faction contribution points she had earned had long surpassed four digits.

Now, concerned about the refresh of the Supply Box and needing to rest and eat—even though the Sword in the Stone could protect and empower her, basic physiological needs still had to be met—Elizabeth casually cut off a hind leg of the beast as lunch and turned back toward the wooden cabin.

On the way, a prompt sounded at the right moment.

"The Ranking List?" She paused slightly. "Britain... can it rank among the top?"

Considering the limitations of population size, she didn't harbor unrealistic fantasies about being first.

In the early stages of the survival ground, the disadvantage of a smaller population would be magnified.

But she firmly believed that victory would ultimately belong to Britain.

Elizabeth tightened her grip on the divine sword, her heroic face etched with determination: "I will bring final victory to Britain."

This was both a declaration and a vow.

As if sensing her resolve, the Sword in the Stone trembled slightly, radiating a warm, gentle glow.

...

At almost the same time, many Trial Participants scattered across the Trial Ground felt similar thoughts surging within them, only with their own factions as the protagonists:

"No matter where, America will always be the strongest! You know, no one understands rankings better than me."

"France's wisdom and revolutionary spirit are destined to lead the way—first place is ours!"

"With India's massive population, isn't the top spot on this Trial Ground tailor-made for us?!"

"It's time for the world to witness the edge of the German war machine again, starting with this Ranking List!"

"With our strong national spirit and innovative power, the top spot naturally and certainly belongs to the Republic of Korea!"

"In a Trial Ground that tests unity and endurance, the quality of the Yamato people is destined to lead."

"Australia has always lived on a continent isolated from the world—what's this survival challenge? First place is only natural."

"Surviving in crisis is our national talent—Israel will ultimately be the best!"

"The Ranking List? Our warrior nation's name will be carved at the very top!"

...

Though these thoughts varied, their core was strikingly consistent.

Each was filled with confidence in their own faction—or perhaps, one should say, a blind confidence.

However, due to the lack of communication channels, most of these thoughts could only remain in the realm of their own imaginations.

These distracting thoughts flashed by in an instant.

At the very first moment, all Trial Participants simultaneously opened their Status Panels, their eyes burning with focus on the details under [Affiliated Faction].

The Faction Ranking was officially presented:

[First Place: Huaxia, Faction Points: 1,376,526,753]

[Second Place: India, Faction Points: 439,365,268]

[Third Place: America, Faction Points: 361,765,773]

[Fourth Place: Indonesia, Faction Points: 203,435,533]

[Fifth Place: Pakistan, Faction Points: 191,345,623]

... (subsequent rankings omitted)

As soon as the ranking was released, many Trial Participants broke down:

"India has the largest population, how can our points be so low?"

"Wait, why are there factions like East India and Sikh in the subsequent rankings? Those spineless idiots—this is betrayal!"

"Not even in the top ten? This is a disgrace to the Yamato nation! Those dragging us down should commit seppuku to atone!"

"South Korea is ranked... 36th? Aish!"

"Russia is in 8th place—just one spot up from its national population ranking. Not bad, not terrible. Keep fighting, Ura!"

"At 17th... Stay calm, keep moving forward, Britain."

"The only country with more points than its total population? Shout it out loud: Get ready to win big, America!"

"Huaxia is only first because they have a huge population. Wait for the elimination wave to hit—their points will definitely drop into the negatives."

"This rule is way too favorable for populous countries. The Trial Ground needs to increase the difficulty!"

Since they couldn't communicate with each other, most of their breakdowns could only turn into solitary, impotent rage.

The Trial Participants of the Huaxia Faction, of course, were different.

After confirming that Huaxia was firmly at the top, excitement instantly erupted across every corner of the Fate Net:

"Huaxia first! Huaxia will win!"

"Who else?"

"Is that all? Is that all? Is that all? In just one day, the other countries have fallen this hard?!"

"India cracks me up—splintered into pieces, haha!"

"Brothers, the second place doesn't even have a fraction of our points. Can we declare victory early?"

"No! Absolutely not! This is only the first day; the road is still long."

"Exactly. If we still have this big of a lead by the ninety-ninth day, then we can declare victory without rushing."

"Everyone, let's analyze calmly. This point advantage isn't as big as it looks. Don't forget—eliminating someone deducts 10 points, which means you need to survive 10 days just to break even."

"Right, saying it like that, we really shouldn't get too excited."

"Stay vigilant. I carefully studied the faction points of each country and suddenly noticed that America's points actually exceed their total population. That's a bit absurd..."

"America truly is the only superpower—definitely a formidable opponent. We can't let our guard down."

"Wait! While Uncle Dong is glad that you reminded everyone to stay vigilant, I don't like your mindless praise of America."

"Mindless? Who's mindlessly praising? Aren't these solid data?"

"You can be a hothead, but don't be a mindless one, thanks."

"Besides, the Huaxia Faction's points are tens of millions less than its counted population—that's real data too."

"/Smile, what era is this? Still just looking at surface-level data?"

"If you used your brain even a little, you wouldn't be so cluelessly impressed!"

"First, think back—wasn't the first hint you heard upon arriving at the Trial Ground, 'Based on your inner inclination, you are assigned to the Huaxia Faction'?"

"This clearly says factions are assigned by 'inner inclination,' not nationality."

"Considering there are plenty of 'Spiritual Americans' on Earth, the US faction's points exceeding its population seems impressive, but it's really nothing special."

"Second, there's a statistic on the Fate Net Forum that puts the youngest Trial Participant at 8 years old. By that logic, the number of children, disabled elderly, and patients in our country who are deemed eliminated is about 100 million."

"But the Huaxia Faction's points are only a few tens of millions less than the total population—that's the real overperformance."

"Get it? Uncle Dong calling you a mindless booster—what's wrong with that?"

"...Uncle Dong is right, I didn't think it through. /Apology"

"Young man, watch and learn. /Fist bump"

"Dong-ge is awesome! /Thumbs up"

"Actually, Dong-ge undersold it—you'd also have to subtract those 'Runaway People.'"

"Looking at it that way, our first-day points are surprisingly high!"

"It's not that surprising. The reason is either that there are many overseas compatriots who lean toward Huaxia, or that the brothers' hunting results are impressive."

"Probably a bit of both."

"Impressive hunting results... Damn, you guys are secretly feasting and not telling us, huh?"

"So that's why the 'Runaway People' really ran away—no wonder we can't hear them barking."

"Now that the rankings are out, those Runaway People must be losing their minds!"

"Definitely. They're probably sour about us relying on numbers, cursing that our points will drop into the negatives later, or even hoping the Trial Ground ramps up the difficulty immediately."

"Just imagining them crying and throwing a tantrum makes me laugh."

"I'm laughing too. Too bad the factions' Fate Nets aren't connected, or I'd love to climb over and rub it in their faces."

"Fate Net? They might not even have it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"