Just as the secret realm settled into an uneasy stalemate, a figure appeared in the distance.

The newcomer was visibly delighted.

Before she had even drawn near, her voice echoed across the mountains.

"Guild Leader! Guild Leader! You’re in Secret Realm No. 1 too!"

The reckless participant was Holly.

John’s thoughts were interrupted by her shouting. He looked up and immediately recognized the familiar face flying toward him.

A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"I didn’t expect Holly to be assigned to the same secret realm."

The advancement stage contained only three battle zones, while Valhalla had four members.

It was not impossible for two of them to meet, but encountering Holly so quickly was still an unexpected coincidence.

Holly landed beside him with a bright smile.

"Guild Leader, it’s wonderful to see you."

"My luck is amazing. We were actually assigned to the same place."

John gave a helpless smile.

"Is it truly good luck?"

"That depends on the identities we received."

"If we are each other’s hunting targets, one of us will inevitably be eliminated."

"At that point, this would be terrible luck."

Holly’s smile froze for a fraction of a second.

John did not waste time.

"What number are you?"

Holly trusted him completely and answered without hesitation.

"I’m No. 5."

"I need to protect No. 1 and kill No. 4."

The greatest difficulty in this stage was the uncertainty surrounding everyone’s identity.

If all numbers were public, the participants could immediately begin fighting, and the ten advancement positions would be decided quickly.

For that reason, almost no one would willingly reveal their number.

Holly, however, had announced hers as casually as if she were discussing what to eat for dinner.

John was momentarily stunned.

Holly needed to protect No. 1.

That meant she had been assigned to protect him.

Her hunting target was No. 4, while John’s target was No. 2. Their objectives did not conflict.

John relaxed slightly.

Holly sighed.

"But I have no idea who No. 4 is."

"What should I do?"

John remained calm.

"Do not panic. I will perform a deduction."

His deduction talent was SSS grade.

Activating it required him to consume talents of a corresponding level. The exact cost depended on the scale and difficulty of the deduction.

A tournament spanning the entire universe was protected by immense causal interference. The number of talents required to pierce its rules would be terrifying for anyone else.

John did not care.

He had accumulated so many talents through plundering that he could not possibly use them all.

He activated the deduction.

System notifications sounded one after another.

[You consumed 2,321 talents.]

[Deduction successful.]

[Your hunting target has been identified: Harvian.]

[You consumed 2,311 talents.]

[Deduction successful.]

[The hunting target of Participant No. 5 has been identified: Karen.]

John had not only confirmed his own target, but had also found Holly’s.

He immediately told her the result.

Holly’s eyes lit up.

"Karen?"

"If I know the name, the rest is easy."

"I cultivate the Law of Destiny. Once I have a specific identity, locating the person is simple."

The restrictions of the secret realm prevented vague divination, but searching for a known individual was far easier than identifying an unknown target from nothing.

The two separated.

Holly set out to hunt Karen.

John began searching for Harvian.

He repeated the name quietly.

"Harvian."

In the next instant, his Divine Sense expanded across the secret realm like an invisible ocean.

The world had been constructed by the will of the universe, and even John’s Divine Sense could not cover it completely.

Still, his perception spread across mountains, forests, rivers, ruins, and floating fragments of stars.

John rose into the air and began moving through the sky.

Everywhere his Divine Sense passed, he recorded the aura, appearance, and position of the participants below.

At the same time, elsewhere in Secret Realm No. 1, Harvian followed Lyric closely.

No matter where Lyric went, Harvian remained only a few steps behind.

"Lyric, can you help me find my hunting target?"

Lyric finally stopped.

Annoyance flashed through his eyes.

"Harvian, we are barely acquaintances."

"If you want me to help you, what can you offer?"

Harvian gritted his teeth.

He understood that he would have to pay a painful price.

"How about one hundred transcendent divine treasures?"

Lyric laughed dismissively.

"Only that?"

"I know you obtained the seed of a cosmic spiritual root."

"Give me that treasure, and I will help you."

Harvian frowned.

"You mean the Ethelun Bone Core?"

"That price is far too high."

Lyric remained indifferent.

"Give it to me or do not."

"You have already reached the advancement stage, and the finals still remain."

"The rewards granted by the will of the universe may be ten thousand, ten million, or even hundreds of millions of times more valuable than a single cosmic spiritual root."

"Is this trade truly unreasonable?"

Lyric turned as though preparing to leave.

"Decide quickly."

"If you refuse, I will go."

"Do not assume you can continue following me forever."

Harvian’s thoughts became chaotic.

"He wants my cosmic spiritual root."

"Of all the treasures I possess, why did he choose that one?"

"Still, he is not entirely wrong."

"Compared with the final reward of the Myriad Worlds Tournament, one spiritual root may be insignificant."

"But the risk is enormous."

"What if I die before reaching the finals?"

"Then I will have handed Lyric the treasure for nothing."

A moment later, another thought appeared.

"If I am killed, the spiritual root will be useless to me anyway."

"Fine."

"I will gamble."

Harvian was about to agree when a calm voice sounded behind him.

"Harvian."

"We meet again."

Harvian’s body stiffened.

Cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and a chill ran across his scalp.

His first thought was immediate.

"Has my hunter found me?"

He turned sharply.

A lone figure stood in the distance.

It was John.

Fear surged through Harvian’s heart.

The two had already encountered each other during the elimination stage.

John had occupied Arena No. 1, while Harvian had been the deceptive Arena Master of Arena No. 2.

Harvian had personally witnessed John’s strength.

He knew that John was no weaker than any recognized supreme powerhouse.

John’s name had not appeared anywhere on the revealed early-stage ranking.

There was only one explanation.

John was one of the hidden top four.

Harvian did not know John’s exact position, but he understood that the difference between them was enormous.

Before Harvian could speak, Lyric’s expression changed.

He gave John a long look, then disappeared without hesitation.

John made no attempt to stop him.

The rules permitted him to kill only his designated hunting target.

Otherwise, Lyric would not have been allowed to escape so easily.

Harvian drew a deep breath.

His expression became solemn, and every Divine Ability, treasure, and law within his body entered a state of readiness.

He forced himself to speak calmly.

"John, could there be a mistake?"

"Perhaps I am not the person you are looking for."

John’s gaze remained indifferent.

The deduction had already confirmed everything.

Harvian was the holder of Badge No. 2.

He was John’s prey.