Usurping the Universe

''The team leader exclusively selects who may participate in each battle. The participants of the first fight will be left to chance, ensuring complete impartiality. Farewell.''

Following the conclusion of his speech, the lavender entity bursts into purple wisps. Every departure of his was unique, a glimpse into the limitless possibilities that Alex may soon begin to explore. Alex and the others regained control of themselves, and to Alex, her group members were the worst possible combination ever.

The urge to groan out loud overwhelmed her. Thankfully, someone else spoke before she could let her frustration show.

"Can someone explain why everyone is silent?" Damien, the boy who was ranked third in the previous stage, started a conversation. Alex quickly snapped out of her annoyance and addressed her group members.

"Hello everyone, my name is Alex. It would be great if we could work together on this. After introductions, why don't we discuss based on what we know? I have a proposal that I hope everyone can benefit from."

Her tone was somewhat warm, but her facial expression was still neutral. Alex acted as though she did not know them, but she did.

The top ten of the second stage were dumped into the same group, a sure recipe for disaster. What she needed was pushovers, not big egos. However, this only meant she would have to change her approach a bit.

"A warning, don't even try to control me, I'll kill you. I do what I want. It's Imani."

"Elijah."

"Isaiah."

"I'm Maria, and I'm 17 years old. It's nice to meet you all! Let's get along well."

"Uh... Charles."

"Luka Jansen. Can we be faster about all this?"

"Dahlia Ansfrid, 19 years old."

"I'm Damien, glad to be working with you all."

Alex turned to Avery, the only person who had not spoken. A numb expression was plastered across her flawlessly sculpted face.

Noticing Alex's stare, everyone else also looked at her. However, Avery appeared unmindful of their gazes, closing her eyes and leaning against the rocky, damp cave wall.

'Okay then.' 

Alex understood Avery would not comply and decided to focus on the others. She did not know Avery's mentality or whatever she had been through, so she did not get angry or judge her. She did not care. As long as it was of no adverse effect to her, she could not be bothered.

" Avery Ming, that's her name. Now, as I said previously, I'm Alex. I'm glad to be working with the top ten of the second stage. Now, let me lay down everything I know. I suggest we get comfortable." Avery shot Alex a dark glare, but Alex did not acknowledge it.

The sparse illumination trickling through the cave's cavities was barely enough to navigate.

Alex called her current location a cave, but there was no exit in sight. Only two opposing rocky walls. Stalagmites and stalactites 

littered the winding path from end to end. To one end there was a puddle of murky fluid, liquid leaking from the top and green mush on the cavern's walls. The natural scent of nature wafted through the air, a mix of elements bringing a refreshing fragrance.

They eventually found a relatively dry area to sit on, with no stalagmites or stalactites, nearer to the other end of the cave. Alex had to entice Imani and Dahlia for their co-operation by telling them she had bought the 'After the stages' information pack. With every stage, the price of everything in the shop doubled. Alex did not find out until the third stage, as she rarely visited the shop. This made acquiring necessities difficult, not to mention costly information.

As for Avery, Alex left her to her own devices. Although she disliked antagonizing people wantonly, Avery's attitude could evoke similar responses from her current teammates. That is why Alex decided to say her name, by ignoring her unwillingness and presenting the information herself, Alex drew the attention away from Avery's disregard. This was also why she mentioned the top ten, to refocus their attention before an unwanted seed could embed itself within them.

Some of them sat down while Marie and Alex stood. Marie insisted she was fine standing, likely due to the cave's distasteful environment.

''We have eight more minutes, let's hurry this up,'' Luka ordered with an irritated expression on his face.

"So?" Imani interjected, displeased at the thought of worrying about his enemies' prowess.

"If you want me to understand, then let me finish. Interruptions can only waste more time. The others are in the top 100. They are the ones more likely to have checked the names of those above them, namely, us. We also need a complete victory if we want to gain anything. If they are allowed to see the names of those above them when picking who to fight, then we'll likely be avoided. Now, did any of you notice how we weren't told how the fourth stage will end? Well, I know how."

Alex paused looking from face to face. Although their expressions varied, it was obvious they were all eager to hear what she had to say. No one interrupted this time.

"Once there are only eighty challengers left, this stage will end. From the initial 1000, that's pitifully low, but the faster we are the better for us. Coupled with the various methods for opponents to evade death, this stage will take a while. However, if no one chooses to fight us we stand to lose many spirit shards and others are allowed to gain plenty. You may be thinking we are almost at the fifth stage, so why bother? However, that is what they want us to think. I mentioned that I bought the 'After the stages' information pack. Let me tell you a few things."

"After the fifth stage, we will all be ranked according to the number of spirit shards we gathered-spent shards included. That ranking will determine the reward we receive. Of course, this isn't all the information I received, the rest can be discussed afterwards."

"Then how do we curb this boycott? Plainly, We can't. We will have to wait for a chance to fight. Once we acquire a chance, we will need to speed run this entire stage."

"Let me be direct. We need to be fast, and I am both the fastest and the strongest here. My proposal is simple- you hold them down- I attack."