Chương 368: Chapter : 368

The crowd in the stadium roared. The noise shook the ground. Thousands of citizens cheered for the 13th Unit. They loved watching the underdog team make a massive comeback. Up in the broadcast booth, Sarah grabbed her microphone.

"This is unprecedented, Bob!" Sarah screamed.

"The 13th Unit has tied the game! They were losing badly just ten minutes ago! Ken Eliot is putting on a masterclass in artifact detection! He is finding these rings with absolute ease!" Bob wiped sweat from his forehead.

"He is an absolute legend, Sarah! The 7th Unit is completely baffled! Prince Julian must be furious right now!" Bob was totally right. On the other side of the arena, the 7th Unit was not having a good time at all. Prince Julian stood in the middle of a hedge maze. His shiny gold breastplate was covered in gray dust. His red silk cape was torn at the bottom. He looked incredibly angry. He glared at the giant digital scoreboard in the sky.

"How are they catching up?!" Julian yelled. He kicked a nearby bush. Green leaves flew into the air.

"They are a bunch of worthless commoners! We mapped this entire arena! We should have all the rings by now!" Scott stood next to the Prince. The wealthy nobleman gripped his magical rapier tightly. His dark gray combat suit was spotless. He looked around the maze. His brown eyes were full of intense jealousy. He wanted to find Ken Eliot. He wanted to win the match to impress Sayma.

"Do not panic, Your Highness," Scott stated firmly.

"They are just getting lucky. Luck always runs out. We just need to secure the next ring." A scout from the 7th Unit ran through the maze. He held a glowing golden ring in his hand. He handed it to Prince Julian.

"I found one, Your Highness!" the scout reported breathlessly.

"It was buried near the ancient ruins." Julian snatched the ring from the scout's hand. He smiled a cruel, arrogant smirk.

"Good. We take the lead again. Let them try to match this." The scoreboard updated immediately. Six to five. The 7th Unit took the lead. Princess Iris saw the scoreboard change. She tightened her grip on her silver rapier. She looked at her team. Her violet eyes were full of calm determination.

"They found another one," Princess Iris said softly.

"Julian is pushing his team hard. We cannot slow down. We need two more rings to win." Ken let out a massive sigh.

"You guys are obsessed with winning. I just want to sit down. My wet shoes are giving me horrible blisters."

"One more ring, Ken," Naomi encouraged him. She bumped his shoulder playfully.

"Find one more, and I will personally buy you a large slice of chocolate cake." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ken's dark eyes instantly lit up. The lazy look vanished for a split second.

"Chocolate cake?" Ken asked. He stood up perfectly straight.

"You should have offered that thirty minutes ago. I would have found all thirteen rings by myself." Ken turned around. He looked at a large, hollow log resting near a patch of tall grass. He knew exactly what was inside it. He pointed a finger at Ira. The water mage stood completely still. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Ira, check inside that log," Ken ordered lazily.

"I bet there is a shiny prize waiting for you." Ira did not question his logic. She walked over to the hollow log. She crouched down. She reached her pale hand inside the dark wood. She pulled out a glowing golden ring.

"Statistically speaking, your success rate is currently defying all known laws of probability," Ira stated in her robotic voice. She handed the ring to Princess Iris. The scoreboard flashed again. Six to six. The crowd went completely insane. The noise was deafening. The citizens stomped their feet on the bleachers. They chanted the name of the 13th Unit.

"It is a tie!" Bob the anchor roared through the speakers.

"Six to six! There is only one ring left on the entire map! The next team to find a ring takes the ultimate lead! This is a nail-biting finish, Sarah!"

"The tension is unbelievable, Bob!" Sarah yelled back.

"The 7th Prince is running out of time! Who will secure the final artifact?!" Down on the grass, the 13th Unit gathered in a tight circle. They held six glowing rings.

"We just need one more," Sayma said. She pushed her glasses up. She checked her notebook quickly.

"We have swept the river. We have swept the maze. We have swept the ruins. The final ring must be hidden in the center plaza."

"Then we go to the center," Naomi declared. She spun her silver daggers.

"Let us finish this." Ken dragged his feet behind them. His wet suit made a squishing sound. Squelch. Squelch. Squelch. He looked incredibly miserable. They reached the center plaza of the artificial garden. A large stone statue of a lion stood in the middle of the pavement. The statue had its mouth wide open in a permanent roar. Ken stopped walking. He looked at the statue. He let out a loud, dramatic groan.

"Okay, this is just insulting," Ken complained to the sky.

"The game designers are totally mocking me." Elma walked next to him. Her blonde curls bounced. She looked at him with curiosity.

"What is wrong now, Ken? Did you get another rock in your shoe?"

"No," Ken whined. He pointed a lazy finger at the stone lion.

"The last ring is inside the lion's mouth. I can feel it in my bones. But I am not sticking my hand in there. That statue is very dusty. Spiders probably live in that mouth." Laxmi laughed loudly.

"You are scared of a fake stone lion? You are such a baby, Ken." Laxmi walked confidently up to the statue. She reached her hand right into the open stone mouth. She felt around for a second. Her hand touched something cold and metal. She pulled her hand out. She held the final, thirteenth glowing golden ring high into the air.

"Got it!" Laxmi cheered wildly. She pumped her fist.

"That makes seven!" The giant digital scoreboard in the sky flashed one final time. The blue number jumped to seven. The red number stayed at six. The 13th Unit officially took the lead. The score was seven to six. The entire stadium erupted into a massive, earth-shaking roar. The citizens cheered endlessly. They celebrated the incredible comeback.

"They did it!" Bob the anchor screamed.

"The 13th Unit secures the thirteenth and final ring! They take the lead! Ken Eliot's flawless detection skills have completely baffled the 7th Unit! This is a massive tactical advantage!" On the other side of the arena, Prince Julian stared at the giant scoreboard. His face turned a bright, explosive shade of crimson. His eyes bulged with pure, unfiltered rage. He gripped his golden sword so tightly his hands shook. His perfect, arrogant plan was completely destroyed. His team had lost the scavenger hunt.

"This is impossible!" Julian screamed at the top of his lungs. He kicked a stone wall violently.

"They are cheating! That lazy commoner is cheating! How did they find all those rings so fast?!"