The next morning came without announcement.
King was already awake when the first notification hit, sitting at the edge of his bed with his interface open and his eyes moving through the preparation notes he'd accumulated over the last two days.
The global chime cut through the quiet of the estate and the ranking update materialized across every player's interface simultaneously.
DING.
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT: RANKING UPDATE]
King opened it.
[POWER RANKING]
1. King – 10,000 pts
2. Hunt_Starbuster – 7,000 pts
3. Pantheon – 6,500 pts
4. Lady_Geladria – 5,900 pts
5. Alita80 – 5,000 pts
6. Cain – 4,900 pts Zoro – 4,500 pts
8. Tagr – 4,300 pts
9. Isaac_Craig – 3,900 pts
10. Liz _Starbuster – 3,900 pts
Power Ranking sat at the top of his usual position. His points had grown from the accumulated activity of the Third Woe's lead-up, and the number one slot remained his by a margin that reflected consistent output rather than a single dramatic event.
