Golem lost the ability to battle amid the storm of meteors!
The middle-aged hiker froze. Losing a match wasn't so terrible; the real problem was losing face.
The hiker recalled Golem, detached a star from his star-covered glove, and handed it to Hu Bin. "You did well. Keep it up!"
He adopted the tone of a seasoned veteran to hide his embarrassment over losing the match!
Hu Bin saw through him but said nothing. He gladly accepted the little star and smiled at the hiker. "Thank you, sir!"
Afterward, the hiker left to look for his next target.
Hu Bin also continued searching around the mountains for his next victim.
Meanwhile, a man riding a Flygon returned to the arena and raised his glove high. All ten stars on his glove were filled in, making him the first contestant to reach the top 32.
After checking his glove, the referee announced, "Contestant Gu Chen has collected ten stars and successfully advanced to the top 32!"
The news also reached the contestants who were battling or searching for opponents.
A sense of urgency gripped every contestant, and they continued hunting for opponents, eager to secure a spot as quickly as possible.
This was where knowing the map proved important. Some contestants had gotten lost and couldn't tell where they were. Even from the air, they had no idea where to go and were completely bewildered.
Hu Bin was different. He had already familiarized himself thoroughly with the nearby routes.
After defeating the hiker, Hu Bin had six little stars. He only needed four more to reach the top 32.
Hu Bin maintained that he wasn't in any hurry. He would win anyway, so whether it happened sooner or sooner made no difference.
Now Hu Bin was acting like a tourist, wandering