MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

'I am surprised that no one has gathered ten keys by now.' Alex thought, lying on the ground with an exhausted look.

It took over an hour for Alex's passive recovery to heal his damaged legs, and even though one gladiator and many beasts came sensing the mana signal, he handled them without much trouble.

It had been seven hours since Alex fought with Tyria, and other than killing three gladiators who didn't have golden keys, all he had done was train to properly execute the double phantom.

The concept of achieving the double phantom stage and creating two mirages simultaneously was simple, but the requirements to achieve it were extremely challenging.

Alex needed to complete the preparations for the phantom walk skill while he was in the state of invisibility and zooming toward his desired location at double his normal agility.

The hardest part was not completing the preparation, but it was executing the skill, just as his invisibility expired because he only had half a second to execute the skill before his preparation got ruined.

Alex couldn't execute the phantom walk skill for at least two seconds after using it once because there would be disrupted light particles stuck to his body, making it impossible to create a mirage and become invisible.

The benefit of using the double phantom other than creating two mirages was the insane boost to agility which was also why Alex's leg bones cracked, and his muscles got destroyed after the first successful execution.

In the last seven hours, Alex had learned to control the speed boost from the double phantom, and now he could also execute the skill once every three tries.

"Important Announcement"

"Gladiator Hurobak Has Completed the Diamond Key"

"Current Location: Lava Lagoon"

'I thought Hurobak would search for me to complete his mission, but it looks like he is more focused on winning the game.' Alex thought, hearing the booming voice.

'It could be that Hurobak was acting out of arrogance against me and not on his faction orders, or I might be correct, and he wasn't just able to locate me.' Alex thought as he stood up.

'Let's go and join the end battle for the diamond key.' Alex thought as he sprinted toward the announced location.

Ale didn't intend to pick a fight with a fellow Thunder knight for his arrogance, and he was also not just aiming to win the death game.

Alex joined the game to fight against opponents with skills who had no fear of death and were aiming to kill him, and he didn't care if they had bad or neutral intentions for him because if they were strong, he would challenge them.

After sprinting for 70 seconds, continuously using the phantom walk skill, Alex reached the Lava Lagoon at the back of the volcano, a giant lake with large patchy surfaces of hardened lava acting as a floor.

The lagoon was a few kilometers in surface with bubbling lava flowing in it, releasing vast amounts of heat, and every few seconds, pillars of lava shot out of it, releasing poisonous gases.

A person stood on the hardened lava floor in the center of the lagoon covered in an armor of lighting with visible injuries coving his unprotected areas.

'He looks like he experienced a very tough battle, and the only person that could give someone at his strength such trouble would be the Vledtor, the half-giant.' Alex thought, looking eye to eye with Hurobak.

"You don't look happy seeing me injured," Hurobak said with a puzzled look.

"I was hoping to battle against you and Vledtor, but it looks likes you have already killed him," Alex replied.

"HAHAHAHAHA"

"You are an idiot or just delusional to even fantasize about battling against me and that mountain Vledtor," Hurobak said, laughing like he heard a joke.

"I am surprised that you even survived this long with your strength, seeing that you have a gold key, but maybe even fate wants me to teach you a lesson," Hurobak said with a broad smile and instantly vanished from his location.

"You were saying something," Alex said, standing in the distance.

"A cheap trick," Hurobak said, seeing what he sliced through was a mirage, and without pause, he sprinted toward Alex swinging his great sword coved in lighting.

"BOOOOMMMM"

"You should know better than any gladiator about my strength as a fellow Thunder Knight," Alex said after dominating the direct clash sending Hurobak stumbling back.

Hurobak didn't say anything and moved forward, swinging his great sword, clashing with Alex's head-on, not using any big skill while showing signs of clear fatigue.

'He is such a bad actor.' Alex thought knowing Hurobak's show of struggle was just an act.

Alex played along with Hurobak's acting and didn't try to force him into using any big moves because he knew what he was aiming to achieve, and while they battled, more and more gladiators gathered at their location.

"Now that enough of you clowns have arrived, it's about time I end this game," Hurobak said, ignoring Alex and looking around at the eleven gladiators.

"I don't know what is taking Kygos and Tyria so long to arrive, but now, even if they arrive, they could do nothing to stop me from winning this death game," Hurobak mumbled in a low voice with a wide grin.

"Hurobak, I know you are a mighty individual at your Rank, and I respect that, but do you believe you stand a chance against my group even in your peak condition, let alone in your injured state." A gladiator donned golden mage Robe said

The Gladiator was a middle-stage fourth Rank warrior, and accompanying him was a group of four individuals on the same strength level.

"False Lightning Avatar" Hurobak didn't react to the threat and said a few words out loud with a broad smile.

"RUMBLEEE"

The small tendrils of lightning around Hurobak become thicker and darker in color, and within moments his body was completely encased in an armor made from purple lightning.

"I will deal with you in some time," Hurobak said, his voice masked with the cracks of thunder as he vanished from his place.

'This is unexpected.' Alex thought, looking at the decapitated gladiator who had threatened Hurobak a few moments ago.

Alex knew some information about the lightning Avatar and had seen it in action once against the devourer beast, but he knew nothing about the false version.

But after seeing the speed at which Hurobak moved, he knew that he was in trouble and he only had one option left to save his life.