Online Game: I Have A 100% Drop Rate

After eating food at a nearby restaurant and spending the rest of the day moving around the [Imperial Kingdom] to pass the time and explore the various districts, every player suddenly heard a sharp sound.

Ding!

[The "Excursion" shall begin, please head toward the "Imperial Castle".]

"Here it is," Violet took a deep breath, her eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement for what was to come, "Perfect timing, I was starting to get bored."

"I don’t feel confident knowing someone like Violet and Leon will participate," Celeste mumbled under her breath, nervousness in her voice as she looked at the two powerful fighters beside her.

"We don’t know if it’ll be competition though~" Violet grinned.

"Pretty much every event is a competition at its core," Leon shrugged, his expression thoughtful, "Gotta expect it, especially to aim for the best rewards they offer to the top performers."

Leon knew that such a massive event where tens of thousands of players would participate would have insane rewards waiting at the end for those who proved themselves worthy and rose above the rest.

His goal was for one of them to acquire the top prize, as well as some of the other rewards that would be distributed throughout the event to various participants.

Emilia and Celeste couldn’t win the top spot, he wasn’t underestimating them, but it was simply impossible given the competition they would face from far more experienced players.

Players like Violet and some other powerful ones were at level 100 or close to it, with years of experience and battle knowledge that gave them a significant edge.

But they could aim for some of the other rewards while they were at it, perhaps even placing in the top ten if they performed well and got a bit of luck.

Much like Violet, Leon felt like this would be his last time in the [Imperial Kingdom] before moving on to bigger things in other domains.

He had initially planned to stay longer to level up and grind for more items, but after hearing of that stronghold and its potential, he was genuinely interested in checking it out for himself.

Or at least, he would stay until he, Celeste and Emilia were ready to travel there together, which wouldn’t be long given their current pace and the progress they had made.

All of them had grown tremendously after all, each becoming far more powerful than when they had first arrived in this domain and started their journey.

The quartet marched toward the massive castle in the middle of the kingdom, where Iris lived and ruled from with an iron fist, the structure looming over them.

The gazes of the many guards were still as piercing as before, because even though its been a few days since the incident, they’d never forget the faces of those that killed their own comrades in the inn.

Leon even wondered if many of these guards weren’t some of the "corrupted" ones under the [God of War]’s orders and spreading misinformation about him to turn others against him and isolate him.

As said before though, Leon didn’t care at all about them, they were fodder in his eyes and not worth his attention or concern.

Alphox by himself could probably take them all at once in a fight if it came down to it, and that was with only one skill and barely any levels under his belt, which spoke volumes about his potential.

The group eventually reached the massive garden of the imperial castle, a sprawling expanse of greenery and marble that stretched out before them like a paradise.

They were greeted at the gate by hundreds of guards, who seemed reluctant to let them in based on their expressions, their hands hovering near their weapons.

"H-Hold on, are you sure you are capable of—"

"Move," Violet said coldly, her voice carrying an authority that brooked no argument and made the guards flinch.

The moment she uttered that single word, all the guards moved aside, opening the gate and allowing them in without any further resistance or questioning.

The imperial garden was massive, able to hold in all of the players who had come for this event at once without feeling crowded or cramped.

The grass was brilliant and well-maintained, with fountains and flowers surrounding the place in elaborate patterns, as well as several statues of humanoid lizards that dotted the landscape like silent sentinels.

"Do you think this kingdom also has a story of its own," Violet asked as she stopped in front of one of the statues, representing a king wearing an imposing armor with a crown on his head.

Leon looked at the statue, his eyes tracing its features and the details of its craftsmanship, then with a neutral expression, he spoke, "I don’t know, [Eternal Ascension] is..."

"...A game?" Violet completed with a melancholic smile, "Seems like it, but at the same time, its also real, makes me wonder how its possible to blend the two so seamlessly."

"I wasn’t going to say a game," Leon expression darkened, "A game wouldn’t destroy so many worlds and kill so many people."

"Yeah... You’re right," Violet admitted, her gaze dropping to the ground as she considered his words."

"But the [Heavenly One] is too strong, so we can’t really do anything but keep moving forward," Leon sighed, "And hopefully, once this all ends..."

Leon didn’t complete his sentence, but Violet believed she understood what he meant.

As for Emilia and Celeste, they were mostly busy looking around at the garden and marveling at the architecture, their attention captured by the beauty of the place and its intricate details.

More and more players kept joining the imperial garden as time went on, filling the space with their chatter and anticipation for the event.

And after around an hour since Leon and the three girls arrived, something significant happened that changed the atmosphere entirely.

CLACK!

The gates of the massive garden closed shut with a heavy thud, stopping some players who had arrived late and were still trying to enter through the narrow opening.

Some tried to cross the gate anyway, but the guards stopped them, and those that managed to get past the guards still hit a wall of aura protecting the place, preventing any entry.

"Its no use," a majestic feminine voice boomed through the garden, echoing off the walls, "You were given more than enough time to come, and you missed your chance."

Fwoosh!

In a massive flash of light, Iris appeared, still being carried by Zarek, and floating in the air above the assembled crowd with regal poise.

She released a shockwave of aura that rippled outward, making several people fall down or shield their faces from the immense pressure.

Leon didn’t even budge, having faced such a thing before, he actually got used to it after the first few times and could withstand it easily without any effort.

"It seems there are far too many people here for our [Excursion]," Iris smiled, her eyes scanning the crowd with a knowing look, "Meaning... we need to separate the worthy from the weak before we begin."

Fwoosh!

She formed a massive line between one side of the garden to the other, a glowing barrier that stretched across the entire space, then ordered everybody to stand on the other side.

Every player followed through, knowing the power of the imperial queen, and also expecting an amazing reward that would make the effort worthwhile, so no one dared to disobey.

Then, without any warning, Iris made her move and activated her spell.

Aura Barrier!

Iris lifted her staff high, and a massive wall of aura appeared where the line had been, shimmering with power and crackling with energy.

"Only those who manage to pass my wall will be able to participate, as for the others... become stronger and try again next time."

At the words, many immediately sensed that this task would be far harder than it seemed on the surface, their confidence wavering.

In fact, an insect-race player approached the wall and tried to pass through it with its full speed, confident in its abilities and speed.

But alas, he was completely stopped by the wall of transparent aura, unable to get even a single of his finger in past the barrier no matter how hard he pushed.

"This will be an extremely difficult [Excursion], so anyone with combat power below what is needed to defeat level 100 beasts may as well give up now."

The insect-raced player kept trying for a few seconds under everyone’s watchful gazes, but it was quite obvious he wouldn’t be able to pass no matter how hard he pushed against the barrier.

As soon as this happened, a flash of light erupted around him, and he was teleported out of the garden, disappearing from sight.

"I give you all 30 minutes to pass, that should be more than enough, and if the wall judges you truly stand no chance, you will be immediately disqualified."

"Damn," Leon mumbled, "First time I’ve had an event with pre-qualifications like this before it even starts."

As Iris said, this meant it would be very difficult, much more than anything until now.