Terra Nova Online: Rise of The Strongest Player

Chapter 797: Luke Shines

Luke wasn’t expecting to face a giant bull as his first opponent, but he couldn’t afford to be picky—not in this event.

The mega-bull was a towering behemoth with obsidian horns and crimson eyes, barreling across the field towards him with terrifying speed. Its massive hooves thundered against the ground, sending tremors through the air as it plowed forward, its sheer presence making the surrounding rankers freeze momentarily in fear.

Before Luke could face it, one unfortunate ranker stood directly in its path, his blade raised in a futile attempt to intercept the beast.

“Hold it!” the man shouted, bracing himself, but his effort was in vain.

The bull didn’t even slow. With a flick of its massive horns, it sent the man flying like a rag doll, his body crashing through the underbrush with a sickening thud. Gasps and murmurs erupted from the other players nearby, some of whom were backing away in fear, clearly deciding that the bull wasn’t worth the risk.

Luke clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on his sword and shield as the beast’s blood-red gaze locked onto him next.

“Alright, big guy,” Luke muttered under his breath. “Let’s dance.”

As the bull closed the distance, Luke raised his shield and activated [Guardian Shield]. A shimmering golden aura enveloped him, fortifying his defenses and bracing him for the impending collision. The beast slammed into him with a deafening crash, the impact rattling Luke’s bones and sending a shockwave through the ground.

But unlike the unfortunate ranker before him, Luke stood firm, his boots digging into the dirt to absorb the force. The bull was pushing against him, its massive frame straining to overpower him, but the golden aura of [Guardian Shield] held strong.

“Damn, you’re strong,” Luke grunted, his muscles straining as he held his ground. The sheer feat of stopping the bull earned him a few impressed glances from nearby rankers who had witnessed its destructive power firsthand. However, those impressed gazes soon turned into opportunistic hunger, as several rankers began closing in on his location, contemplating stealing Luke’s kill.

“No point coming here—I’m ending this fight now!” Luke declared, noticing through his peripheral vision how a few rankers were zeroing in on him.

Activating the skill [Blazing Cyclone], Luke enveloped his sword in flames as he spun in a fiery whirlwind, slashing at the bull’s legs and torso. The beast bellowed in pain, its movements becoming more erratic as the flames seared its hide.

“Still standing? Let’s fix that,” Luke growled, leaping back to create some distance. As the bull lowered its head for another charge, he channeled all his energy into [Heaven’s Strike]. His sword began glowing with a brilliant white light, crackling with raw power.

Timing his move perfectly, Luke sidestepped the charging beast and brought his sword down with a devastating overhead strike. The radiant blade sliced clean through the bull’s neck, its massive body collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash.

[System Notification: You have defeated a Mega-Bull (Level 500). Points Earned: 180.]

Luke exhaled, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. “One down,” he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“No scraps for the scavengers,” he added, meeting the disappointed eyes of the rankers around him who had hoped to capitalize on his fight.

No sooner had he caught his breath than the ground was trembling again. Emerging from the nearby trees were more high-ranking beasts—dire bears, venomous wyverns, and shadow panthers—all converging on his location.

“Oh? It seems like this event is designed to keep the pressure on, forcing competitors to stay on their toes,” Luke muttered, finding nothing suspicious in the moment.

He didn’t yet realize that all these high-level monsters were only converging on his location, leaving the other rankers undisturbed.

“Bring it on,” he said instead, charging forward to meet the incoming threats head-on.

What followed was a whirlwind of combat, where Luke moved like a seasoned warrior, his shield deflecting lethal blows while his sword cut down beast after beast.

The system notifications piled up in rapid succession, his score climbing steadily as he dispatched one monster after another.

By the time the first hour had passed, Luke was standing amidst a field of fallen creatures, his point total increasing nicely.

**********

(Meanwhile on the global forums)

This year, just like every other year, the common players logged into the livestream of the Rankers Event, eager to watch the best players in the game compete for the ultimate rewards.

The global forums were ablaze with activity, as countless threads and posts flooded in, dissecting every detail of the event.

And this year, with ‘TheBoss’ out of the competition, the spotlight finally shifted to others, giving them the recognition they had long deserved.

[Thread: SkyLion’s Unstoppable Opening!]

> GamerBlitz99: Did you guys see that opening fight? SkyLion tanked a mega-bull’s charge like it was nothing. NOTHING! He’s already sitting at the top of the leaderboard!

NoobHunter69: Honestly, that guy’s defense is insane. I’ve never seen anyone use [Guardian Shield] so efficiently.

SwordFanatic: Don’t forget his offense! That [Heaven’s Strike] was so clean! He made it look easy.

CasualRogue: SkyLion’s always been impressive, but with TheBoss out of the way, this might actually be his year.

TumbleFan42: OUR KING IS RISING!!! SKY PRIDE!!!

—

[Thread: Finally, no TheBoss!]

> StealthMage24: Can we all take a moment to celebrate the fact that TheBoss isn’t here this year?

ChaosSlayer: For real, the guy’s too OP. Every year, it’s just him destroying everyone else.

PuddyLover: True, but you can’t deny he’s entertaining. Kinda miss seeing him wreak havoc.

ArcheryPro88: Nah, I’d rather see someone else win for a change. TheBoss always felt like he was playing on another level entirely.

ShadowAssassin22: Rumor has it he wasn’t banned but voluntarily didn’t participate. That’s even scarier.

NoobHunter69: If he’s sitting out, he probably thinks this event isn’t worth his time. That’s how OP he is.

—

[Thread: DarkEmperor’s Comeback?]

> VoidHunter: DarkEmperor is back, and he’s already slaying it. Did you see how he took down that wyvern? Effortless.

MagicFury: Yeah, but he’s always great in prelims. The real question is, can he survive the PvP round? He’s been struggling there the last few events.

ShadowAssassin22: If he keeps playing this smart, he’ll be one of the finalists for sure.

FlameMage: DarkEmperor vs. SkyLion is the match I want to see. Who else agrees?

—

[Thread: PinkLotus is the Queen we need!]

> MageEnthusiast: I know we’re talking about SkyLion and DarkEmperor, but can we talk about PinkLotus? She’s out there taking names!

LotusFanatic: She’s always so graceful, even in battle. Watching her fight those shadow panthers was like watching art in motion.

TankWarrior77: I just don’t get why she hangs out with SkyLion. She could team up with anyone.

LotusFanatic: SkyLion and PinkLotus are the power duo we didn’t know we needed.

StealthMage24: Power duo? Please, don’t slander my queen. She’s mine!

—

The discussions raged on, opinions flying back and forth as netizens debated strategies, speculated on alliances, and placed bets on who would rise to the top.

For the first time in years, the absence of TheBoss made the competition feel open—like anyone could emerge victorious. Yet, amidst all the chatter, one thing was clear: the players who had stepped into the spotlight weren’t holding back.

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