SWNOVELXO Chapter 695: Grinders Haven
After going through all the information and finally grasping how everything functioned inside the Battle Realm, Max decided it was time to do what he came here for—complete the ten mandatory battles required to earn the status of a 2-star genius.
According to the instructions, the first step was simple. "It mentioned swiping the air downward with the right hand," Max muttered to himself, recalling the step clearly.
Without hesitation, he lifted his right hand and swiped it downward in a swift motion. Instantly, as if responding to a command, a translucent screen materialized in front of him, hovering in midair.
It was glowing softly, filled with various sections and options—ranked matches, personal stats, available opponents, leaderboards, and even realm history logs.
But Max wasn't interested in all of that right now. His eyes locked onto the one thing he came here for—the section titled Battles. That was it.
As Max tapped on the Battle section, the screen shifted, and a new interface appeared before him, detailing the rules and options for initiating battles.
He carefully read through everything, absorbing the information with a serious expression.
It turned out there were three distinct ways to begin a battle in the Battle Realm. The first method was the most straightforward—Random Matchup.
In this mode, the Battle Realm's advanced system would automatically select an opponent for him, matching someone with similar strength and rank, completely at random from the massive pool of participants across the thousand regions.
The second method was something far more intense, called Grinders Haven. This mode instantly piqued Max's interest. If chosen, his opponents would be experienced fighters, those who had fought and won thousands of battles within the Battle Realm.
These weren't casual experts or lucky geniuses—they were battle-hardened warriors who spent every day fighting here, mastering the rhythm of combat, sharpening their instincts, and rising through the ranks through pure grit and repetition.
Of course, even in this mode, the system ensured that the opponents were relatively close to the user's strength, making the challenge fair but fierce.
Just from reading this, Max could already tell that fighting in Grinders Haven would push him to the edge—and that's exactly the kind of battle he craved.
The last mode listed was known as Rankers Arena, and just from the name alone, Max could sense its exclusivity.
As he read the description, it became clear—this was a place reserved only for the elite, the cream of the crop. Only those who had earned a spot in the top 100 rankings among the 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star geniuses could participate in this arena.
It wasn't open to just anyone. It was a battlefield for those who had already proven themselves countless times and stood at the peak of their respective stars.
Interestingly, Max noticed there was no mention of a ranking list for Heaven Grade geniuses. The reason was simple yet shocking—their numbers were far too low. In the entire Middle Domain, known for its countless regions and masters, the number of Heaven Grade geniuses could barely touch fifty.
And even that number, Max believed, might be a generous estimate. Their existence was so rare and transcendent that it made no sense to even attempt creating a competitive ranking for them.
They were in a league of their own, scattered, unpredictable, and often shrouded in mystery.
Rankers Arena, then, stood as the ultimate stage for the highest level of recognized genius in the Battle Realm—just below the unreachable realm of the Heaven Grade few.
"I'm not in the 1-star rankings, so I can't choose this mode," Max muttered under his breath as his gaze lingered on the inaccessible Rankers Arena option for a moment longer.
With a deep breath, he turned his attention back to the second option and selected Grinders Haven. He didn't hesitate and choose that mode.
Before finalizing, he carefully adjusted the settings, making sure that the system would only select opponents who held the 2-star genius status and were between Level 1 to Level 5 of the Champion Rank. That was the requirement—he had to defeat ten such opponents in a row to be officially recognized as a 2-star genius himself.
With his choices confirmed, a soft hum filled the air, and his body began to glow with a gentle blue light. The energy wrapped around him like a protective veil, and in the next moment, his figure vanished from the hall entirely, teleported to the combat space.
Meanwhile, across the vast arena hall where many people gathered, many of the massive floating screens flickered to life, displaying Max's form in a new battlefield setting. Grinders Haven had begun.
Despite being the second option, it was widely regarded as the hardest mode among the three. Why? Because while Rankers Arena limited its participants to the top 100 of each star staus and an age cap of 50 years, Grinders Haven had no such restriction.
Here, Max could be facing opponents who were not only battle maniacs but also seasoned veterans, some of whom had spent centuries honing their skills in this realm.
There were no limits—his next opponent could be a thousand-year-old experts or a fellow young genius like himself.
That was the brutal reality of Grinders Haven. A place where raw talent alone wouldn't guarantee victory. Only true skill, adaptability, and unshakable will could see one through.
In this vast magical world, lifespan wasn't just a measure of time—it was a symbol of power. Expert Rank warriors could live up to a thousand years, their bodies refined enough to resist aging for centuries.
But this was just the beginning. Those who broke through to the Master Rank could extend their lives up to two thousand years, while Champion Rank masters could push their lifespans to a staggering four thousand years.
And beyond them stood the true elites of the mortal path—Legend Rank experts who could live up to seven thousand years and the even more formidable Mythic Rank experts, whose lifespans could stretch as long as eight thousand years.
But the true peak of mortal world was the Divine Rank. At this level, one could live for a full ten thousand years, standing at the absolute limit of the Mortal Realm. However, there was a catch. If an expert failed to ascend to the Divine Realm within those ten thousand years, they wouldn't die naturally.
Instead, they would be hunted down year after year by the Seven Lightnings of Divine Punishment—an unstoppable calamity that descended from the heavens, growing fiercer with each strike, ensuring no one overstayed their welcome in the mortal world.