Alex was teleported into a closed space, with a clear view of the island below, with a ten-minute timer running in the corner of their eyes, reminding him of the time he had to get comfortable with his new team before they were sent to their chosen city.

Lady Rosalba was the first to arrive, her light emerald hair framing her beauty as she greeted him with a warm smile, and Alex returned the gesture in kind, knowing that among the four teammates, she was the only one he could trust not to stab him in the back.

The next one to arrive was Gregnor of the Celestial Vanguard Guild, a mountain of a man standing at 6.7ft, a monk by nature in real life and even in the ancient world.

Gregnor was a fat monk with a round, jovial face framed by a shaven head adorned in golden robes that hung loosely over his ample frame, with his eyes twinkling with warmth and wisdom as he greeted Alex and Lady Rosalba.

Halagax of the Unyielding Legion Guild was next to appear, an assassin adorned in full-body dark armor, with only his smoky gray eyes visible.

Nereus, The leader of the Hydra Guild, was the last to arrive, a man of well-built physique, standing a bit over six feet, with wavy shoulder-length hair and piercing light brown eyes.

Nereus was an SSS legacy holder and had the Beast Master class, and he was most definitely the second strongest in the team because of his ability to make contracts with creatures up to two Ranks higher than himself.

So, while looking cautious, he didn't carry a shred of fear, and after greeting everyone, he shifted his eyes back to Alex as he waited for the things to develop.

The Frozen Flower Guild and Hydra Guild harbored deep animosity toward each other, and their representatives didn't hold back from showing disdain for each other.

Meanwhile, tensions simmered between the Monk and Assassin, their exchange of dirty glares reflecting the contrasting principles of righteousness and nefarious dealings.While the Celestial Vanguard Guild upheld virtuous ideals, the Unyielding Legion Guild had tarnished its reputation with involvement in illicit activities, casting a shadow over its image.

Alex also didn't like his team very much, particularly due to the unpredictable nature of Nereus and Halagax, who would surely prioritize their own agendas or even work to bring Alex or Lady Rosalba down.

Gregnor was also not the type who would blindly take orders, but Alex knew that he needed his team to have a solid chance at keeping his First Rank position in the event.

Zero was quick to tell how helping NPCs bring the city down will reward a massive sum of individual points, but he didn't say that saving the city will give tens of time that amount to each team.

The team that made the most effort to save the city would earn from ten to fifty million, depending on the difficulty, and while Alex's team had an 8 million point lead, it could vanish if they performed poorly.

It didn't mean Alex needed his team to win, but he just needed fewer people undermining his efforts to protect the city and not work to bring it down.

There were also his team members, as, besides Andrei, everyone else had a fair chance to earn a good sum of points, and if luck was on their side, then they could even successfully defend their cities.

"I think it best that we set our differences aside and work together to earn the best result possible," Alex stated and, after a short silence, continued.lights

"Our team strength is in the top ten for sure, so I am certain that the city we will be defending would be one of the most challenging, and while it is tempting to take the easy route, I believe that it is not the best option,"

"I believe if bringing down the city will give a reward, so will saving it," Alex said, and before he could continue, Nereus interrupted him.

"You do remember that there will be three other teams in the city, and as you said, because of our strength, we will be defending a truly hard city, and I don't think anyone wants to defend a city in hopes of a mysterious reward and not go for the easy route."

"But, If the other teams are also on a mission to protect the city and not on a mission to destroy it, then good, I have no problem playing the part of the hero for NPCs that are created just for seven days," Nereus said, making his intention clear, and in turn receiving a bloodlust laced cold look from the Monk.

"It's clear that Zero is pitting the teams against each other for entertainment purposes."

"Given the setup of the second stage, I wouldn't be surprised if the majority, if not all, of the cities are destroyed by its conclusion." Halagax shared his thoughts, siding with Nereus.

"You two are correct, and this is what makes me believe that a team that could defend their cities successfully will gain the best of rewards,"

"I will do my best to ensure our city survives, and it would be great if we could all operate together toward that goal, but if you or anyone tried to become a hindrance, then I wouldn't consciousness making them one of the viewers," Alex said, leaving no ambiguity about their collective objective.

Lady Rosalba was quick to show her support, and so did the Monk. As there was nothing left to say, Alex took a deep breath and decided to get teleported to the city, realizing he would be welcomed by the wave of creatures and humming of pulsing mana cannons, drowned under the roars of city defenders.

'Fu****g Bad Luck,' Alex could only curse his luck as he saw his surroundings.

Alex was teleported into a dark alley, and observing forward, he was welcomed with the sight of a floating island and sky cloaked in darkness.

Alex was in the city of Skypolis, a city made of seven floating small islands that were connected by bridges. It was one of the smaller cities on the scale and population base, yet it was probably one of the top three hardest cities to defend.

The city was ruled by Seraphian who, even though strong, were really low in numbers, and they treated every other race like lowlifes, so dealing with them was anything but not infuriating.

Seraphians were really prideful, so acquiring quests from them was really hard, and as they were the ruling power, it meant very few good-paying quests, and while they were strong, they saw it beneath them to battle shoulder-to-shoulder with others.

So the battle was going to be fought by adventurers and slaves of the Seraphians clan, and while the technology was decent, it was nothing great, and it was the reason that this city was destroyed in Alex's memory.

After realizing his situation, the thought of searching for the quest to bring down the city crossed his mind, but he quickly buried it and began thinking about how he could rescue the city that was headed for destruction.