Earth's Alpha Prime

Jay's gaze was locked on one particular screen among the hundred hovering high above the Colosseum ground. It displayed the ongoing battle of Ubon, the second-strongest member of the Guastea Team—surpassed only by Urzo.

Ubon's progress was steady at first, cutting through the early difficulty levels with relative ease. He cleared the 10th level without trouble, but the 11th level posed a greater challenge. 

Facing a Tier-4 Mid-Phase monster, he fought tooth and nail, employing every ounce of skill to barely score out a victory. Advancing to the 12th level, Ubon now faced a Tier-4 High-Phase monster, and to all observers, his defeat seemed inevitable.

The spectators murmured their predictions, expecting Ubon's run to end here. However, those assumptions were shattered the moment Ubon engaged the monster. Suddenly, he fought with an intensity and precision that caught everyone off guard. It was as if a completely different fighter had taken the stage.

Many watching believed Ubon had been holding back a trump card, unleashing it now to turn the tide in his favor. But Jay knew better. This wasn't Ubon at all—it was Urzo.

Jay recognized the signs immediately. Ubon's fighting style shifted drastically. His usual spear was discarded in favor of dual scimitars, and his expression transformed into a maniacal grin that radiated bloodlust. 

His speed and movements surpassed what was typical for someone at Tier-4 Low-Phase, and his attacks carried a ferocity that made it clear Urzo was in control.

Jay came to a critical realization: Urzo had the ability to enhance the overall stats of those he possessed. This explained Ubon's sudden leap in performance. However, it also became evident that this ability came with limitations. The fact that Urzo had waited until the final moments to take control suggested that his possession could only last for a limited duration.

Jay's suspicions were confirmed when Ubon stopped after clearing the 12th difficulty level. He didn't even attempt to face the Tier-5 Low-Phase monsters in the 13th level. Instead, he abruptly gave up, his body visibly fatigued as control reverted to him.

When the scores for the 7th Batch were announced, the results were nothing short of shocking. The Guastea Team had amassed a staggering 268,500 points—the highest total achieved by any team so far.

Jay, though prepared for impressive results, was momentarily taken aback by the sheer magnitude of their score.

The Guastea Team's performance effectively meant that each member had defeated at least a Tier-4 Low-Phase monster. However, based on what Jay had observed and gleaned from their memories, the reality painted a different picture. 

Only three members of the team had actually reached Tier-4 Low-Phase; the remaining seven were still at the peak of Tier-3.

Despite this disparity, their results defied logic. Not only had they performed exceptionally, but they had also outshone every other team across the seven batches that had completed their challenges. 

Jay immediately delved deeper, combing through their memories to uncover how they had managed such a feat.

It didn't take long for the truth to reveal itself. Shortly after entering their Reality Emulators, each Guastea Team member received precise commands from Urzo. He instructed them to drag their fights out for as long as possible, reassuring them that he would handle the situations when they exceeded their limits.

Urzo had timed everything with surgical precision. Whenever a team member reached a difficulty level beyond their capabilities, he took control. Possessing them at just the right moment, Urzo fought in their place and ensured their victory.

Jay noted something critical: Urzo could indeed significantly enhance the stats of those he possessed. However, the extent of the stat boost appeared to depend on the host's original strength. 

For those at the peak of Tier-3, Urzo's possession allowed them to defeat Tier-4 Low-Phase monsters. When he possessed the Tier-4 Low-Phase members, they could take down monsters a phase higher and inflict considerable damage on monsters two phases above their own.

His possession of Ubon, who was barely at Tier-4 Mid-Phase, had even enabled the team to clear the 12th difficulty level. Surprisingly, the only member Urzo hadn't possessed during the Round-1 challenge was Zeix. Against all odds, Zeix had single-handedly defeated a Tier-4 Low-Phase monster while still being at Tier-3.

While others might see this as a minor accomplishment, Jay recognized the sheer magnitude of it. The qualitative gap between Tier-3 and Tier-4 Low-Phase was equivalent to a difference of two entire phases. Yet, coming from a Unique Innate user like Zeix, Jay wasn't overly surprised; after all, he himself and Dante had performed far more extraordinary feats.

What truly made Jay pause, however, was Urzo's meticulousness. Despite the scale of his influence, Urzo had concealed his ability to enhance a host's stats through possession. None of the individuals carrying his possession seeds, not even his own team members, were aware of this ability.

This realization unsettled Jay. Urzo's ability to operate from afar rendered his physical presence unnecessary. He could continue to possess his team members remotely, guiding them to score enough points to secure a spot among the Top-10 teams. This meant that Urzo could stay hidden, avoid direct confrontation, and still influence the Tournament's outcome on a massive scale.

For Jay, this revelation shifted the stakes entirely. Urzo's strategic cunning, combined with his possession abilities, made him an even greater threat than Jay had initially anticipated.

As Jay was lost in thought, Dante's voice pulled him back. "Come on, Jay. It's our turn now. Let's set a new top score."

Jay nodded, a faint smile crossing his face as he joined Dante and the rest of his team. Together, they made their way to the Colosseum ground, where the other teams from the 8th Batch were also gathering.

While most of the crowd paid little attention to the Earth Team, a few teams couldn't help but watch with bated breath. These were the ones who had witnessed Jay and his team's stellar performance in the previous Tournament. For them, the anticipation was undeniable—how high would the Earth Team's score climb this time?

Soon, the 8th Batch participants entered their respective Reality Emulators, each preparing to face the challenges ahead. As always, the 100 large screens hovering above the Colosseum displayed the battles of the strongest member from each team.

Unlike in the previous Tournament, where levels determined which participant was showcased, this time it was based purely on Power Index. Unsurprisingly, the Earth Team's representative was none other than Jay. After all, in the entirety of the Trial World, no one had a higher Power Index than him.

Jay stood motionless as the countdown for the first difficulty level ticked to zero. As the timer ended, the simulated monster appeared—only to be split cleanly in half before it could even make a move. Jay hadn't taken a step.

The same thing happened with the next difficulty level, and then the next. With each level, the streak continued. Jay stood in place, unmoving, as monsters were dispatched in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't long before the spectators began to take notice. The breakneck speed at which Jay cleared the difficulty levels drew murmurs of astonishment across the Colosseum. A growing sense of disbelief rippled through the crowd as time passed.

In less than a minute and a half, Jay had cleared 12 difficulty levels. The unskippable five-second cooldown between levels was the only thing slowing him down. Each monster's defeat took less than a second, and all the audience saw was a silver flash before the simulated creature in the respective difficulty level dissipated entirely.

Speculation erupted among the onlookers. Some wondered if there was a glitch in the Reality Emulator Jay was using. Others debated whether this was some new skill or technique.

But Wibbit, the Tournament Manager, knew better. He had absolute trust in the all-powerful System. There was no room for error or malfunction.

What others couldn't discern, Wibbit saw clearly. That silver flash wasn't some trick or anomaly. It was a weapon—a silver blade. While he couldn't discern its exact appearance, he could at least make out that much.

Wibbit's eyes remained glued to the screen displaying Jay's battle, his curiosity now fully transformed into obsession. He watched intently, determined to find the limits of this extraordinary Alpha Chosen.

His patience was rewarded when Jay suddenly stopped using his mysterious weapon. Instead, he delivered a simple punch to the monster simulation of the 13th difficulty level. The result was nothing short of shocking. With just that one strike, the Tier-5 Low-Phase monster was shattered.

Wibbit's mouth hung open, his long front teeth visibly protruding as he stared in disbelief. A Tier-5 Low-Phase monster—a creature that Wibbit himself would struggle to take down so quickly—had been destroyed as if it were nothing more than a training dummy.

Desperately, he tried to reason it away. Perhaps Jay had simply encountered a monster with an unusually weak defense? But that theory crumbled moments later, as Jay repeated the same feat with the Tier-5 Mid-Phase monster in the 14th difficulty level. One punch, and it was over.

And it didn't stop there. Jay advanced to the 15th difficulty level, where he faced a Tier-5 High-Phase monster. This time, it took a series of punches to bring it down, but the fight still ended within ten seconds.

The Colosseum fell silent. Every pair of eyes in the arena was now fixed on Jay's screen. The other battles might as well not have existed.

Wibbit, the Tournament Manager, felt his entire worldview shatter. An Alpha Chosen—not even 20 days into the Trial Program—had displayed a level of power that surpassed even his own. Wibbit couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him. Such overwhelming strength, achieved in such a short span of time, defied logic.

The pieces fell into place in Wibbit's mind. 'He must be the Omega Chosen—the one being that all factions in the Trial World sought above all else. Who else could demonstrate such power?'

Wibbit's shock was quickly replaced by determination. He began to rehearse what he would say to Jay when he exits the Reality Emulator. 

He resolved to present the most lucrative offer the Myriad Beast Sect could muster. If he succeeded in recruiting Jay, the rewards would be immense. The Sect Master would undoubtedly elevate him to the rank of Core Elder, a position of great prestige and power.

But even more tantalizing than personal advancement was the idea of forging a connection with an Omega Chosen, who would almost certainly reach the pinnacle of power, as a godly Tier-10 being.

As Wibbit's mind spun with visions of glory, the screen showed Jay advancing to the 16th difficulty level. This time, he faced a Tier-6 Low-Phase monster. The towering creature loomed on the battlefield, its aura radiating an overwhelming sense of danger.

Jay stood calm and unwavering as the five-second countdown ticked away, he prepared to engage, his unflinching confidence captivating every soul in the Colosseum.

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Author Note: 

Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.

I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.

ALTER REALITY: Online

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The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.

In the discord server, I opened a private channel for those Top 10 candidates, where I posted the respective Advanced Chapter.

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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :

https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ

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