Ranking System

[Constance POV]

Fighting a losing battle was foolish on my part. Even with my powers strengthened by Charles' energy, I couldn't harm my enemy once.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to survive at this rate, I knew I had to do something other than fight.

It didn't take long before I thought of an idea. The hub, which was recently added, would be my only chance. Any artifacts that helped with escaping were disabled in the barrier the man in front of me created. I would like to return, but it would be impossible now.

"Have a good day."

"???"

Before he could attack, I confused him briefly and teleported to the hub. Getting to safety, I felt slightly relaxed.

Hub 4142324. That was the place I teleported into. When I had teleported here, I was expecting a much better place. This place was like a slum in the past. Being out of the open, I could see this place was highly unhygienic.

Before I left, I looked at the signs, which I could strangely read. The rules in the hub were explained; looking at it, there wasn't much to see.

The three rules were plain and simple. Looking at them, I could see why this place was like how it was. The first rule was strange. Any business and transaction was forbidden and would result in an immediate ban.

This was a huge problem. If that were the case, no one here could sell or buy anything. Leaving the slums would be impossible if you couldn't sell or trade.

As for the second rule was something I wouldn't expect. Being outside for more than eight hours would result in an immediate ban. While this was limiting, I doubt it would have much effect.

And for the final rule, the place where she traveled was dangerous. She knew that being in a place like this would result in death. Killing someone here would double the currency you receive once you kill someone. I could see why this place was almost deserted. I barely sensed any lifeforms.

Should I allow myself to get banned? Finding what happens to people that get banned, you would only be teleported to the wild with no sense of real direction.

I couldn't help but sigh when I looked at my current predicament. Where I was at is just as dangerous as my previous location.

Trusting anyone here was not a situation I could afford, and making a scene would only cause more trouble. I would have to find other ways to leave this place or get banned.

Looking at my options, being eight hours out in the open also didn't seem ideal. Trading and doing business would also be impossible, as trusting someone would be impossible in my current situation.

I wish I could return home and have Charles comfort me, but that was impossible. I had to wait a few weeks to ensure I was safe.

Leaving the hub's starting point was going to be complicated. I had already sensed a few presences in front, and avoiding them would be the best solution.

Now that my artifacts were usable, it was time for them to be in use. Most of the artifacts I had in hand were gifts the people gave. Sometimes it was hard for me to accept all these artifacts, but I was grateful to have them in times like these.

Invisibility, presence concealment, and teleportation. I teleported away from the five people heading in my direction, and now all I needed to do was hide outside for eight hours.

Something was wrong. Even when I used these three artifacts, I could sense that the five people approaching me could still track me.

If I couldn't stay in this hub for eight hours, then all I could do was leave. Leaving this slum would take me a while to find a different hub.

Once again, I used my teleportation artifact to reach the maximum distance. I sighed when the artifact on hand disappeared, using all of its power.

The exit of this slum was already within reach, and the people that had tried to follow me should not need to continue this chase.

Preparing a camping kit couldn't be more satisfying in this situation. If I couldn't find a different hub to stay in, I would have to prepare to stay here for weeks.

~

[Third Person POV]

"Our target has left the zone."

One of the men clicked their tongue, seeing that the money they could earn had disappeared. Constance made the right choice in choosing to escape.

These people here were hunters that would try to hunt anyone here in this hub. While any business and transaction were prohibited, earning that money would be handy later in life.

The currency from the hub was a universal thing, no matter what. These currencies could be used anywhere else.

"Forget about this target. We would only be wasting our time going to the wilderness. You should know how dangerous it is."

"But our target was rich! Looking how many artifact was that person holding!"

The wilderness was a dangerous place, probably even more so than these people hunting anyone they could find.

In the unknown, monsters of any rank could appear. The chances for anyone surviving out there would be nearly impossible if you didn't have the proper knowledge.

"That's the problem. You don't know what they have planned in store, we will only be risking ourselves more than we already have to."

Talking rationally, they decided to stop this chase. As hunters, they knew when to stop. This was what they did for a living.

[Constance POV]

The forest was an eerie place to be in when I had no idea what could be in store. I still had my invisibility and presence concealment artifact on to avoid any problems heading my way.

My situation wasn't ideal by any means, but if I wanted to survive, I would have to minimize any risk possible.