As Arthur strolled casually beyond the walls of his territory, the soft morning sun filtered through the trees, illuminating the vibrant blossoms carpeting the landscape. The Emberveil Bloom Festival had truly begun. Fiery-orange petals fluttered in the wind like sparks from a gentle flame, spreading warmth and energy through the air. These strange flowers created by system, had bloomed all across the world, appearing in plains, forests, riverbanks, and even rooftops.
Every lords had one task: collect as many stones as possible. Simple enough in theory just walk and gather. But in practice? Absolute madness.
Arthur casually Opened the global channel.
[Global Channel]
Thomas: It is taking forever to collect these stones. I don't have enough manpower...
Lina: I tripped into a bush trying to grab one. I now have 12000 kindle petal cores and 3 new scars, in just 1 hours.
Derek: Am I the only one walking one hours and only finding 15,000 kindle petal cores? This is a SCAM. How am I going to collect enough points to exchange them for the special soldiers recruitment building.....
Aaron: Don't panic, guys. I've gathered 83,000 kindle petal cores petals and 1000 hearthstone already. Just focus.
Rachel: Oh wow, look everyone! Aaron's a chosen one. Bow before his mighty 83,000 kindle petal cores!
Aaron]:Stop mocking me, Rachel. I'm doing my best. Watch me how i am going to get a special soldiers recruitment building.
Leo]: I've got 137,000 kindle petal cores petals and 2000 hearthstones in just one hour. Honestly, I'm kind of built different.
Maya: Congratulations, Leo. May your ego continue to bloom like these flowers.
Nathan: Guys, does anyone know if stepping on the petals breaks them? Asking for… myself.
---
Arthur chuckled under his breath. The sheer panic in the chat was like music to his ears. He glanced to his side and casually picked up three more Blazing Hearthstones lying quietly along the path. Their soft glow was gentle and warm, almost pulsing with life.
[You have discovered: Blazing Hearthstone]
[You have discovered: Blazing Hearthstone]
[You have discovered: Blazing Hearthstone]
He didn't need to search. They were practically calling out to him.
He opened his interface:
Kindle Petal Cores Collected: 300,000
Blazing Hearthstones Found: 15,000
Arthur tilted his head, his expression calm.
"Seems like I'm doing alright," he said, entirely unfazed.
The global chat continued to rage.
---
Emily: Wait… has anyone seen the rankings yet? There's someone with over 400,000 petals already.
Jade: yes while the second and third rank one only has 150,000 and 140,000. All of them are bigshot. They must has gotten legandary rank talent, that's why they growed so fast.
John: guys, how many peoples do you think it would take to collect that much stones in just 1 hours.
Mark: maybe 200,000. Like how would I know? I am barely collecting 10,000 stones per hours with the help of my soldiers and subject combining.
Jake: What?! That's impossible! The event started one hours ago!"
Diana: That person's name is Arthur.
Ben: …Arthur? As the guy who is being targeted by many lords, they even build their own clan- anti- Arthur clan.
Diana]: The very same.
Sophie]: Well. We're all doomed. We should also join the clan, if this guy continues to grow at this rate, then we won't be able to rise to the top.
Jake]: I nominate Arthur as our new king. I mean, it's clearly his world and we're just collecting scraps.
Victor: Just saw a deer pick up a blazing hearthstone and run off.
Sara: I've come to accept that Arthur is no longer human. Join our clan guys, otherwise don't beg when Arthur attack your territory in the future.
Thomas: Forget flowers. I'm digging a hole and hiding until this madness ends.
---
Without knowing Arthur is making more enemies, but even if he knows he won't care because he has a glimpse of idea that there is no other lords in this dark forest, he is the only lord whose territory was made here by the system when he transmigrated with all other humans.
Arthur casually plucked another Hearthstone from the ground and stored it in his satchel. The air shimmered faintly as the Emberveil energy surged through the environment, reacting to his presence.
While others were sweating through forests and crying into the wind, Arthur was simply taking a peaceful stroll... and collecting enough power to reshape his entire territory.
"First thing's first," he muttered. "I'll secure five recruitment buildings. That's priority one. After that, I'll see how many hero cards I can get."
Even as he walked, more petals drifted toward him as if magnetized. His presence was like gravity to fortune.
Arthur opened the event rankings interface, his eyes narrowing slightly as the list loaded.
[Emberveil Bloom Festival – Global Rankings]
1. Arthur – 450,000 points
2. Arya – 150,000 points
3. Antony – 140,000 points
4. Itoshi Rin – 120,000 points
5. Arora – 100,000 points
...
...
...
Arthur blinked in surprise.
"There are a lot of hidden dragons out there," he muttered.
Though none were even close to threatening his lead, the fact that so many lords had already crossed the 100,000-point threshold within a single hour spoke volumes. These weren't average players—they were monsters in disguise. To grow their manpower and collection speed to this level in just 1 hours… that took serious strength and talent. Arthur knows that they all are legandary rank talent Holders. Just like him.
But one name, in particular, made Arthur freeze for a moment.
Arora.
"She made it to the top five?"
A flicker of disbelief crossed his face. He had spoken to her a few times—pleasant conversations that had left a good impression. In fact, he'd gotten quite close to her. But he had no idea she had grown so powerful behind the scenes.
Arthur stared at the screen a moment longer, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Looks like I wasn't the only one evolving quietly."
Billions of kilometres west.
[POV – Arya]
The moment Arya opened the global event leaderboard, his breath caught in his throat.
[Emberveil Bloom Festival – Global Rankings]
Arthur – 450,000 points
Arya – 150,000 points
Antony – 140,000 points
Itoshi Rin – 120,000 points
Arora – 100,000 points
...
...
...
...
His pupils shrank. His jaw clenched.
"Four hundred and fifty thousand!?"
The numbers blinked back at him, mocking his efforts. Rage boiled inside him like a cauldron left on fire. He slammed his fist into the edge of the stone table, leaving cracks webbing across its surface.
"This bastard again…"
From the day all the humans were forcefully dragged into this new world—this cursed realm of monsters and magic—everyone had been desperate. Starving. Terrified. Struggling to even make a campfire. But Arthur? No… Arthur had been different.
He remembered it like a wound that never closed.
Day one—just one day after transmigration—while everyone else was foraging for berries or gnawing on roots, Arthur had somehow begun trading meat. Meat! The smell of grilled meat had reached distant territories and had spread across the early global chats like wildfire. Arya had been skeptical at first—until the whispers grew louder.
That was when he knew.
Arthur was a threat. A threat that must be removed no matter what.
A freak among the freaks.
And threats had to be eliminated before they became unstoppable.
Arya had moved quickly. He formed alliances. Whispered in chats. Gathered discontented lords, nurtured their fears, and turned them into fire. Thus, the Anti-Arthur Alliance was born—a coalition of early lords bound by envy, fear, and the shared dream of crushing the anomaly before he rose too high.
He even issued a global bounty multiple times.
And yet… nothing.
Silence. As if Arthur had vanished into mist. No scouts. No coordinates. No visual proof. Every possible lead turned out to be a different "Arthur." Some even wondered if the name was just a myth or a trick.
But Arya knew better.
And now… now this ghost was sitting at 450,000 points—three times higher than him. No lord in the top ten was even close.
He paced back and forth inside his throne chamber, breathing heavily. His soldiers watched silently, not daring to speak.
"How!?" he hissed. "How can one man gather so much manpower in just one week? Where is he hiding it!? Underground? In another realm!?"
And how… how is he always ahead of me?
Arya's eyes narrowed to slits, a cold fury replacing the earlier panic.
This wasn't over.
He had the second-highest ranking, a territory of fifty thousand men, a collection of elite troops, and a network of powerful lords under his command.
Arthur may be leading now, but Arya had no intention of staying second for long.
He turned to his commander, his eyes burning with determination and barely suppressed fury. His elite commander, a burly man clad in dark iron armor, stood at attention but dared not meet his eyes.
"Double the efforts on collecting the stones." Arya's voice was low, but it carried a weight that made the air itself seem heavier. "Mobilize every soldier, every worker, even the damn stable boys if you have to."
The commander hesitated. "But, my lord, the men haven't rested in—"
BAM!
Arya slammed his palm against the armrest of his throne, the sound snapping like thunder.
"I said double the efforts. No rest. No excuses. No delays. Anyone who dares speak back, punish them immediately. Strip their skin. Chain them if you must. I don't care if they cry or bleed—if they're breathing, they can collect!"
A heavy silence fell over the chamber. No one moved.
Arya's lips curled into a grim sneer. "I don't care if they drop dead in the flower fields. Arthur will not stay above me. This is a war now. A war of pride, power, and survival."
He leaned forward, voice sharp and venomous. "Tell the entire territory. If we don't take first place by the end of the event, heads will roll."
The commander bowed quickly and turned, barking urgent orders as he left the hall. Outside, horns began to blare as troops were forced back into formation. Civilians too were rallied, hands shaking as they were given sacks and sent into the blooming lands with trembling feet.
All of them, unknowingly, caught in one man's obsession.
Back in his throne, Arya stared at Arthur's name again. His eyes narrowed.
"Enjoy it while it lasts… you arrogant ghost."
---
POV – Arora
Arora stood atop the central watchtower, her sharp eyes scanning the glowing rankings that floated in the sky above her territory.
[Event ranking]
1. Arthur – 450,000 points
2. Arya – 150,000 points
3. Antony – 140,000 points
4. Itoshi Rin – 120,000 points
5. Arora – 100,000 points
Her lips parted slightly, a rare expression of surprise gracing her face.
"…This guy dares to hide his strength from me?" she mumbled, squinting at the number beside Arthur's name. "*Hmph. I thought we were friends… you never even hinted you were this far ahead.*"
She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed—but the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips gave her away. She was genuinely happy for him.
Still, Arora was not the type to fall behind quietly.
Without wasting a second, she descended the tower with graceful steps. Her soldiers were already collecting the stones from the flowers. Almost her entire territory was made up of trained soldiers—men and women who had followed her from the moment of transmigration, shaped under her leadership and nurtured with her fairness.
"Attention," Arora commanded, her voice ringing clear and calm.
In an instant, the soldiers stoped their work, straightened their backs and saluted as one, their armor clinking in sync.
"I know you've already been working hard," she said, meeting their eyes with quiet pride, "but we need to push even further. The event is heating up, and I won't accept falling behind—especially not to a certain someone who decided to hide his power from me all this time."
There was a slight stir among the ranks. A few knowing smiles. Her elite guards exchanged glances, already guessing who she meant.
"I want you to double the hearthstone collection teams," she continued. "Reorganize the squads into day and night shifts, and optimize our routes through the blooming fields. Focus only on the high-yield areas. If you perform well, I will personally oversee your advancement and accommodations."
But there were no shouts of joy or greed. No one even asked about rewards.
They simply nodded and answered as one:
"Yes, My Lady. We shall follow your command."
No hesitation. No complaints.
Not a single voice raised in question.
They didn't need rewards to obey her—they followed her because they believed in her. Her kindness, her strength, her fairness. She trained beside them, bled beside them, stood up for the weak and punished corruption without mercy.
Arora's expression softened slightly as she looked at them—her soldiers, her people.
Even the handful of civilians who helped with logistics and scouting stood proudly among the army, not because they had to—but because they wanted to stand under her banner.
"Dismissed," she said quietly.
As the soldiers moved with disciplined coordination, her personal guard, Captain Elaine, stepped beside her.
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