PAID

The day after receiving Chris's permission to participate in the Betarion Empire-hosted "Great Martial Arts Tournament."

I logged into Astria Online with Chris and immediately checked the arena rankings.

“Hmm…”

“What’s the problem?” Chris asked.

“The most reliable way to secure a spot in the tournament finals is by getting into the top 16 of this season’s arena rankings, right?” I replied.

“That’s correct.”

“How should I do that? It feels like it’s too late.”

I anxiously stomped my feet.

The problem stemmed from my habit of forfeiting matches as soon as they began to quickly complete daily arena quests.

Currently, my arena ranking was "Bronze."

In terms of standings, I was far down the list, practically scraping the bottom.

Of course, there was still time before the tournament finals. With a win-streak bonus, my rating points could climb rapidly. There were about two weeks left until the finals. If I played in the arena 24 hours a day every day, I might even break into the top 100 rankings. However…

“When you look at the arena rankings, the ratings jump significantly starting from the top 20. That’s where things get intense.”@@novelbin@@

“Yes, there’s a huge difference below that. It’s almost as if there’s a clear divide between players with finals-level skill and those without.”