Chapter 142: The Mount Leaderboard

“Impressive, right? That’s how you train it.”

Marcus’s gaze lingered on Lily’s flawless figure, the heat in his chest stirring again before he could rein it in. He stepped closer, lowering his voice as he spoke, his tone carrying an unmistakable intimacy.

“Yeah… it’s amazing,” Lily murmured, still lost in the marvel of the Human Rock technique. Her eyes shone as she looked at him. “Marcus, you’re amazing. I can’t believe something like that actually exists…”

She was so caught up in it all that she missed the hungry look in his eyes, the way he was watching her. When she finally turned back to him, he was already moving. His lips met hers, and in one smooth motion he had her on her back, pinned gently beneath him.

“Heh…” Marcus let out a quiet, hungry laugh. “Babe, why wait to train something this good? There’s no better time than now.”

Lily gasped softly as the mattress dipped beneath her. The embers between them flared back to life, and before long, they were swept into another heated exchange, familiar yet no less intense. Thankfully, the short rest earlier had given her just enough strength to keep up with his renewed vigor.

“God, Marcus… you’re so strong,” she whispered, her own desire rising to meet his.

She moved with him instinctively, surrendering herself to the rhythm they shared. In his arms, she felt warm and open, like a flower stretching toward sunlight, her trust absolute. For him, she was willing to give everything, pushing herself not out of obligation, but out of genuine affection and longing.

Again and again, Lily matched his pace, her senses blurring beneath the steady waves of pleasure. Only when Marcus finally reached his limit, his warmth enveloping her, did her body finally relax, drifting into a pleasant, heavy exhaustion. She clung to him for a moment longer, her heartbeat slowly calming, before slipping into a deep, peaceful sleep in his embrace.

—

The following afternoon, a delivery team from Dragonfly Corp arrived to install the VR pods. The process was efficient, professional, and once calibration was complete, all that remained was to wait for the system-wide update scheduled for 6:00 PM. Marcus found himself unusually eager, curious to see what changes the upgraded version of Dominion would bring.

With some rare free time on his hands, he decided to take care of dinner himself. Mrs. Julia, their housekeeper, wouldn’t be back for a few more days, and once she returned, his chances to step into the kitchen would be few and far between.

When the clock finally struck six, the update finished right on schedule. Marcus, Lily, and Amber each headed toward their respective pods. Lily and Amber already had plans; Amber was confident she could wrap up her so-called insane quest within two hours. After collecting her rewards, they would both regroup with Marcus at Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

The moment Marcus reentered the game, he felt the difference.

He stretched his arms and legs, pausing as the sensation registered. It was almost indistinguishable from reality. The air carried a gentle breeze, warm sunlight brushed against his skin, and the faint scent of flowers drifted past. Everything felt richer, sharper, more alive. This was no longer just a game interface. It felt like stepping into another world entirely.

The immersion had to be at least ninety-five percent.

Dragonfly Corp’s technology was nothing short of terrifying.

Still, no matter how impressive the experience became, Marcus never lost sight of what truly mattered. Whether in reality or inside Dominion, strength was the only currency that counted. His goal hadn’t changed. He needed to grind, level up, and reach Level 30 as quickly as possible.

According to the new patch notes, the distinction between mount storage and pet storage had been removed. Players were now given four universal pet slots. For Marcus, it was perfect. His Darkfire Phoenix, Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, Violet Thunderwing Steed, and Nightmare Dragon Steed filled all four slots cleanly.

Ding!

“Congratulations, Player Stonehaven. Your Mount, the Nightmare Dragon Steed, has qualified for the Mount Leaderboard. Would you like to display your name?”

The notification appeared the moment he finished arranging his companions. A brand-new leaderboard had gone live, and with a Super Divine mount in his possession, first place was all but guaranteed. Fame, once again, was knocking at his door.

“Hide it,” Marcus said without hesitation.

He had no interest in standing under a spotlight. The admiration of other players was fleeting, but jealousy was persistent, and far more dangerous. Owning something like the Nightmare Dragon Steed would only paint a target on his back, especially from reckless players eager to test their luck with ambushes or underhanded tactics.

Hiding his name wasn’t foolproof. Anyone who actually saw him riding the steed would know exactly who owned it. Still, anonymity offered a layer of protection, a buffer against unwanted attention.

Fame, he’d learned, was a burden. Once you had it, you couldn’t just shake it off. Revealing his identity would only invite endless challenges, harassment, and scrutiny. Being tracked constantly would slow his progress to a crawl.

That didn’t mean he intended to remain hidden forever.

When he finally chose to step into the open, it would be with strength so overwhelming that no one would dare question him. He wanted others to understand his power, to feel it, to fear it. When enemies thought of him, retreat should be their first instinct.

Only then would he be free to move as he pleased.

Ding!

“Congratulations, Player Stonehaven. Your Mythic Mount, the Violet Thunderwing Steed, has qualified for the Mount Leaderboard. Would you like to display your name?”

“Hide it.”

The same reasoning applied. Besides, the Thunderwing Steed was meant for Amber. There was no reason to let the world know it had come from him.

With that settled, Marcus opened the leaderboards to assess how things had changed during his absence.

—

Top Ten Experts Leaderboard (Ranked by Level and Experience):

1. Level 29, Male, Name Hidden, Royal Knight

2. Level 27, Male, RogueTheory, Blade Master

3. Level 27, Male, InfernoRider001, Warrior

4. Level 27, Male, Hexium, Storm Sorcerer

5. Level 27, Male, SoulSync, Sorcerer

6. Level 26, Male, SoulfireBlade, Knight

7. Level 26, Male, ThreeleafAxe69, Knight

8. Level 26, Male, SunShot, Archer

9. Level 25, Male, Slayer#Apex, Warrior

10. Level 25, Male, Name Hidden, Warlock

The rankings were mostly unchanged, but a few developments caught his eye. RogueTheory had advanced to Blade Master, and Hexium had revealed himself as a Storm Sorcerer. Hidden classes were beginning to surface.

More surprising was the appearance of a Warlock in the top ten, pushing out the only female player who had previously held a spot.

The level gaps looked small on paper, but Marcus knew better. Even a single level represented an enormous amount of effort. For RogueTheory to close the two-level gap between them would take at least three full days of nonstop grinding, assuming Marcus didn’t level up at all during that time.

—

Reputation Leaderboard:

1. 4,520, Name Hidden, Royal Knight

2. 3,130, Name Hidden, Archer

3. 2,550, Hexium, Storm Sorcerer

4. 2,400, InfernoRider001, Warrior

5. 2,350, ThreeleafAxe69, Knight

6. 2,300, SoulfireBlade, Knight

7. 2,280, SixWingedBoss, Warrior

8. 2,250, SunShot, Archer

9. 2,100, RogueTheory, Blade Master

10. 1,900, Slayer#Apex, Warrior

This leaderboard was even more stagnant. The most striking detail was still his own reputation score, which stood absurdly higher than the rest.

—

Pet Leaderboard:

1. Level 9, Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, Owner: Name Hidden

2. Level 8, Darkfire Phoenix, Owner: Name Hidden

3. Level 8, Twin-Winged Tiger, Owner: Name Hidden

4. Level 8, Ferocious Gold Wolf, Owner: Name Hidden

5. Level 8, Three-Winged Dark Gold Bat King, Owner: Name Hidden

6. Level 8, Cyclops, Owner: Hexium

7. Level 8, Three-Tailed Poison Wasp, Owner: HeavenBreaker

8. Level 6, Bat King, Owner: CriticalFail

9. Level 6, Black Panther King, Owner: IcyWeather

10. Level 6, Iron-Clad Armadillo, Owner: ArchNemesis

There had been some movement, but it was obvious that high-tier pets were still extremely rare. Marcus felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. The top three all belonged to him.

—

Wealth Leaderboard:

1. Hexium, 153.92 Million Gold

2. HandsomeDevil, 125.11 Million Gold

3. InfernoRider001, 114.10 Million Gold

4. SoulfireBlade, 89.00 Million Gold

5. Demonic Dragon, 87.32 Million Gold

6. ThreeleafAxe69, 73.78 Million Gold

7. Slayer#Apex, 72.81 Million Gold

8. CryptoWarlord, 65.01 Million Gold

9. Blaze Phoenix, 64.82 Million Gold

10. GoldDiggerIRL, 62.42 Million Gold

Marcus let out a quiet sigh. He had completely fallen off the list after cashing out his gold, and seeing it laid out like this stung more than he expected. Demonic Dragon, who had spent over eighty million gold to buy Marcus’s Guild Creation Token, had already climbed back to fifth place. The man truly lived up to his reputation.

—

Guild Leaderboard:

1. Black Dragon Guild, Leader: Demonic Dragon

By purchasing the first Guild Creation Token at an outrageous price, Demonic Dragon had secured a massive advantage. The Black Dragon Guild was the first of its kind in Dominion, and the attention alone had been worth the cost. Over two hundred thousand players had already applied to join.

That kind of foundation was nearly impossible to shake.

—

Mount Leaderboard (Ranked by Tier and Acquisition Time):

1. Divine, Nightmare Dragon Steed, Owner: Name Hidden

2. Mythic, Violet Thunderwing Steed, Owner: Name Hidden

3. Level 8, Three-Tailed Flying Fox, Owner: Blaze Phoenix

4. Level 7, Lightning Steed, Owner: RogueTheory

5. Level 7, Red Hare Steed, Owner: ThreeleafAxe69

6. Level 4, Flame Charger, Owner: HandsomeDevil

7. Level 4, Flame Charger, Owner: CryptoWarlord

8. Level 4, Flame Charger, Owner: Hexium

9. Level 4, Flame Charger, Owner: SunShot

10. Level 4, Flame Charger, Owner: SoulfireBlade

The mount leaderboard was already causing an uproar. A Divine mount sitting at the top was enough to drive the entire player base into a frenzy.

Marcus couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. If he hadn’t cashed out his gold, he would currently hold the top spot on all five major leaderboards. He had already received the Dragon’s Crest quest for ranking first on four. What kind of reward would the system have given him for sweeping all five?

It was a missed opportunity, plain and simple. Even if he converted all of his remaining real-world funds into gold, it wouldn’t be enough to reclaim the wealth leaderboard. For now, all he could do was earn more in the future and try again.

Of course, being number one on all six leaderboards would be even more impressive, but Marcus had no interest in founding a guild or becoming a Guild Master. That particular list would likely remain out of reach.

Still, the thought lingered.

If there really was a reward for topping all six… what could it possibly be?

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