Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Sunlight bathed the vast field of SoFi Stadium, streaming in through the stadium's colossal glass roof and highlighting its green grass and details.

Klaus was still a little paralyzed by the energy of the crowd, which seemed like a wave enveloping him. He had never seen anything like it, perhaps at the Tournament of the Three Human Nations in Rise Online, but now it was different, perhaps because everyone present knew who he was, knew about his past. It was a new feeling of freedom.

He could hear the united voices of the crowd, shouting out competitors' names, singing support songs and exuding intense passion.

In the center of the field, Klaus was surrounded by nine other competitors, each with their own determination, but he also felt that the others were looking at him more than usual.

At the top of the field, instead of the silhouettes of the monsters that would be the hunts, there was now again the leaderboard of the final, where everyone was on 0 points.

[Leaderboard:

Andrew (NY) - 0

Emma (WA) - 0

Ethan Williams (GA) - 0

Klaus Park (NY) - 0

Lara (NY) - 0

Leonard Hodge (PA) - 0 𝙛𝒓𝙚𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒃𝙣𝒐𝒆𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝙢

Maria Gonzales (CO) - 0

Olivia Thompson (CT) - 0

Ryan Carter (SD) - 0

Sofia (TX) - 0

With each point counted, the order will change and whoever remains first will be the grand champion. The podium will be made up of the top three].

Presenter Peter, a man with a voice that could fill any room, began to speak the names of the competitors one by one, in the same order as the table, and with each name it seemed that a different part of the stadium roared, because different states were being represented in this grand final, although New York was the only one with more than one representative.

When Klaus heard his own name announced, the stadium literally shook and the wave of voices sounded like the crash of thunder, but it was as if everything was happening in a dream state, drowned out by the sounds of thoughts running through his mind. As he imagined, not all the people seemed to be angry with him.

In this way, the contestants took up their assigned positions, and Klaus felt the gaze of someone around him, but remained focused.

The truth was that it wasn't just one gaze he was looking at, but almost everyone in the stadium, because his concentrated expression was focused on the stadium's main screens. In addition, Emma was looking at him, making sure he was okay, Andrew and Lara too, as well as all the other competitors who had longed to face Klaus Park since the moment he gave one of the most beautiful performances they had ever seen on a shooting circuit.

Ard, his younger brother, who was among the spectators in the audience, watched with admiration and anticipation, his eyes shining with the unshakeable belief that Klaus could win, as well as Michael and Chun Park.

And all these looks brought a confident smile to Klaus' lips. He was determined to do his best, not only for himself, but also for Ard, for Rhyzer and for everyone who believed in him.

The sound of the whistle announced the start of the competition, and Klaus dived into action. He ran so fast into the forest, even with his large body, that it was more like an explosion. First, he took a second to focus on each opponent around him, because they were all running in different directions from the forest.

Emma was a few meters away from him. So was Ethan, his biggest rival in the first round. So was Sofia, a girl from the second phase who was very close.

Then his eyes caught every detail of the forest. Tall trees with vibrant leaves, the earthy scent of damp earth and the soft melody of birds mixed with the sound of cheering created a perfect setting.

Soon, Klaus also noticed something that made him frown. Between the glimpses of the trees, he spotted a black figure, moving quickly through the forest. This figure didn't seem to be a competitor, because it was short and very fast, even faster than him.

'It's a creature, that is, dots. I need to go after it. He thought, taking an arrow from his quiver and placing it in the bow.

The figure was fast, but it was only walking forward, which meant that if Klaus ran diagonally, he could catch up, and so he did. The trees passed him quickly, the uneven ground requiring him to maintain his agility. When he felt he was getting closer, he slowed down slightly so as not to reveal his presence.

Looking closely at the black figure ahead, Klaus' heart was pounding, a mixture of excitement and focus, and as he got closer, he could make out more details of the figure. The creature was actually a large boar, its dark coat glistening in the sunlight that penetrated the leaves of the trees. Its tusks were sharp and menacing, and its eyes gave off an aura of savage fury.

Klaus swallowed, realizing how real that creature made only of holograms seemed.

He watched the animal for a moment, studying its movements, its heavy breathing and the tense muscles in its body. Then Klaus raised the bow calmly, pulling the string until he felt the right tension. He aimed carefully, choosing the exact spot where he could hit the boar to inflict maximum damage and suddenly, something appeared over the boar, something Klaus was somewhat familiar with, but certainly hadn't expected to see: a life bar.

The life bar on the boar was large, very large, evidence that this was not going to be an easy task, and marked 500 Life Points, meaning that if Klaus considered that the maximum damage an arrow like the ones he had could deal was 100, he would need to spend 5 of his 15 arrows to be able to defeat this creature, which was risky, because a boar didn't seem like the kind of creature that would provide many points.