Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Heroes Compete, A Global Contest!
With the announcement of the first round of matchups by the system, the entire Dragon Nation let out a collective sigh of relief.
As everyone knew, the strength of nations in the current world was largely determined by the number and power of their professionals from otherworld.
The most direct way to measure this was through the annual rankings of professional tournaments.
Alpine Nation, ranked 23rd on the Global Glory Rankings, was no match for the Dragon Nation, ranked 4th in the world.
Without a doubt, this round of the competition was a guaranteed win for the Dragon Nation — they could win against Alpine Nation with their eyes closed.
Although defeating higher-ranked nations carried more prestige and satisfaction, winning the match itself was the ultimate priority.
———
Upon seeing their opponents were the world's 4th strongest nation, the Alpine Nation contestants were already demoralized before the match even began.
Looking at their team, there wasn't a single legendary professional among the Alpine Nation. Their lineup of epic professionals was interspersed with a noticeable number of rare-class professionals… a pitiful sight for a nation's strongest team.
As the countdown to the match began, Alpine Nation's strongest contestant, the Level 485, 8th-tier Epic Phantom Assassin Lidoburn William, sighed and said, "Guys… just do your best. Winning would be a miracle."
DING!
The match began.
Both sides selected thirty members from their rosters.
The system randomly assigned the map [Dream Castle], and contestants were teleported into the map to hunt the monsters, Dream Beasts, scattered throughout.
These Dream Beasts were all Level 500 Lord-class monsters.
The Alpine Nation contestants, mostly between Levels 480 and 490, struggled to take them down.
In contrast, the Dragon Nation team, led by the max-level, 9th-tier Legendary professional Sacrificial Angel, Seraph, made quick work of the monsters. Every other member of their team was a Level 490 Epic professional, slicing through the Dream Beasts like cutting vegetables.
The results were as expected — a decisive victory for the Dragon Nation.
The competition moved swiftly into the second round.
Both sides selected thirty participants again, and the system assigned the map [War Sanctuary], where they engaged in a series of duels.
Moonmark eliminated all thirty Alpine Nation contestants on his own without stepping off the battlefield. The rest of the Dragon Nation's team didn't even get a chance to take action, securing an effortless victory.
In the final round, forty contestants from each side faced off in [Tropical Rainforest] for a full-scale PK match.
The Ice Emperor rampaged through the field, annihilating the Alpine Nation team.
The outcome was no surprise.
[Ding! The match is over. Congratulations to [Dragon Nation] for defeating [Alpine Nation] with a total score of 3985 to 1328]
With the match concluded, the Dragon Nation live stream was filled with comments from excited viewers:
["I'm not looking down on their Nation, but honestly, a random first-tier guild from Dragon Nation could put together a ten-man team stronger than their national squad…"]
["This result was pretty much expected~"]
["I'm so proud to be born in a powerful nation like Dragon Nation. I love my Nation!"]
["This match was so thrilling, I got so hyped that I grabbed my little brother, who was sitting on the couch playing Honor of Kings, and gave him a good beating."]
["Moonmark is amazing! Truly the god of micro-control. Absolutely unbeatable."]
["The Ice Emperor was incredible too! His rampage in the rainforest was simply too cool!"]
["My Angel God is still the best, though!"]
The first round was over, but it was just the beginning.
The finals consisted of five rounds in total.
Each round's opponents were randomly assigned by the system.
Thus, it was highly unlikely that Dragon Nation would face Alpine Nation again in the second round.
Still, winning the first round was cause for nationwide celebration.
———
[Tianjing, Dragon Nation]
In the Eighth World, Zhang Yue closed the live stream and continued hunting ghosts, working on his world quest.
The next morning at 10 a.m., the second round began.
This time, Dragon Nation's opponent was the 7th-ranked Spice Nation.
Although their opponent was stronger, Dragon Nation still won with ease.
After all, throughout history, only three nations — the Lighthouse Nation, The Bear Nation, and Cold Nation — had ever defeated Dragon Nation in professional tournaments.
These three nations each had a Mythical-class professional at the helm.
However, even against these powerhouses, Dragon Nation occasionally emerged victorious, though losses outnumbered wins.
Dragon Nation's disadvantage wasn't in combat strength but in the innate power gap between classes.
Mythical-class professionals were simply too strong, far beyond the capabilities of even Legendary-class professionals.
With one round of matches per day, the third day saw Dragon Nation face Boot Nation, securing another victory.
On the fourth day, they defeated Green Nation.
Four consecutive wins elevated the mood of the entire nation to a peak of euphoria.
Meanwhile, other nations experienced mixed results.
Global rankings and scores began to shift subtly.
The news channels were filled with reports of tense, exciting matches.
"Breaking news: Black Eagle Nation defeated Green Nation today, climbing to 13th place in the global rankings."
"Latest update: Eastern Cherry Nation has won four consecutive matches and remains firmly in 5th place, trailing Dragon Nation by only 0.52% in total score."
"Statistics show that Dragon Nation currently holds 96.15% of the top-ranked score. If tomorrow's final round yields a 0.2% to 0.3% increase, they may surpass Cold Nation to claim 3rd place globally."
———
As night fell, the cities glimmered with lights.
In a bustling barbecue joint in Tianjing, members of the Heavens Hall gathered over drinks and skewers.
"Our Dragon Nation is undeniably strong. Even without a Mythical-class professional, we're closing the gap with the top three nations, and we might even surpass Cold Nation soon."
Ouyang Ling'er, chewing on a chicken sausage, said, "I hope our gods Moonmark and Ice Emperor can keep it up tomorrow and lead us into the top three."
Wu Haotian shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Even if they falter, we still have Leader, to carry us."
"When the old professionals are done, it'll be time for the newcomers to shine. Just wait for Leader to dominate the world."
At this, Liyue glanced at Luo Chen, who sat silently, neither eating nor speaking. She said, "Isn't someone from our group also competing in the newcomer finals?"
Everyone turned to look at Luo Chen.
"Zhang the God-Cheater's brilliance completely overshadowed little junior Luo Chen."
"Luo Chen, you can do it! I believe in you!"
Luo Chen looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "Senior, when will you forgive me?"
Zhang Yue, eating a skewer, casually replied, "Depends on how well you perform in the competition."
Luo Chen felt dejected, thinking, 'When will I be able to return to Hidden Dragon Mountain to see Master?'
———
The next morning at 10 a.m.
The fifth round began.
This time, Dragon Nation faced a true powerhouse — Cold Nation, the world's 3rd strongest nation, led by the 9th-tier, Level 500 Mythical-class professional Frost Mage King, Kwon Ji-hyun...
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