The game's voice chuckled as it spoke, after which Xie Antong stepped through the doorway and vanished from the cityscape venue. Only Lu Ce remained in the arena, sitting with his head bowed.
[Move already, it's time to enter.]
Lu Ce: ......
He neither spoke nor showed any intention of moving.
Game: %#.
[Hmph!]
It let out an angry laugh that seemed to say "just wait till we're inside the game," then the glowing door abruptly shifted beneath Lu Ce, causing him to fall straight through.
......
"Ugh..."
Most conspicuously, the wall displayed a number:
- 3.
While the floor bore another character:
- "Martial."
"Three, and Martial?" Xie Antong was momentarily stunned. She knew this must relate to the game, but no further information was available yet.
[Hahaha! Greetings everyone! I'm this game's referee—you may call me Brother Jue.]
[Now, I presume you've all seen the characters in your rooms. For those idiots who might miss them, I've made them extra large.]
[How's that?]
After exchanging a few words with Lu Ce upon his awakening, the game successfully redirected all hostility—what was once directed at Blank had now fully transferred to Lu Ce.
Not that Lu Ce noticed. The moment he entered the game, he'd already fallen back asleep. Having dragged the game in, his task was complete. Time for a nap.
zZZ.
[The numbers in your rooms denote your room codes. The accompanying characters are either "Civil" or "Martial."]
["Civil" means disputes in this room will be settled through intellectual challenges, while "Martial" indicates physical combat!]
[As for specific rules—*heh*—I'd like to call this Life-and-Death Arena 2.0! Another form of hide-and-seek~.]
The game's voice glitched momentarily, as if marveling at its own ingenious design in self-satisfaction.
[Shortly, players will be randomly selected for continuous commentary. Say whatever you wish—though crucially, you must disclose your room number and its accompanying character.]
[*Heh*, naturally, you're all free to lie and mislead other players. That's entirely up to you.]
......
[Wait—who are you!? What nonsense are you spouting!?]
Mid-explanation, the game's voice suddenly erupted furiously, as if confronting someone unseen. The players were utterly baffled.
[What? Who's speaking! Rules aren't finished—the game hasn't started!]
[Bullshit! Who the hell are you! Asking for death! This is cheating!]
Two voices abruptly began arguing. By now, players roughly understood—this seemed to be two entities.
Though both sounded like the game, apparently someone else was interfering.
[Those aren't the rules! What do you mean "nonsense"? You must state your room number and its character—between the two, one must be true while the other is false! Both can't be lies!]
[Of course, both can be true, or you can reveal one while withholding the other.....]
Another game voice instantly interjected.
[You're full of shit! Who told you that!? Fabricating rules is cheating!]
[YOU'RE full of shit! Who ARE you!?]
[%……%@&!]
Two identical game voices were now openly cursing each other.
"Hey, hey, can you hear me?"
A new voice emerged—clearly Perfect Life's.
"Oh, so mics are open now. Interesting."
[It's not game time yet—shut up!]
[Yeah!...Damn it, why are you stealing my lines!? That's MY line!]
"*Heh*, probably Sin causing trouble again." Another participant joined—likely Chiyo Eine.
[You shut up too!]
"Why are you yelling? Don't you know the rules? Just go deal with Sin directly." Chiyo Eine fired back.
"Actually, it's not me..." A languid voice drawled—presumably "Sin."
"BAHAHAHAHA!" The Creator burst into uproarious laughter.
Seizing the moment, Perfect Life interjected:
"I suggest everyone tells the truth. Personally, I guarantee I won't proactively target anyone ranked below me during gameplay."
"Should we coordinate? Now's a good chance to discuss. Any plans, Miss Blank?" Jiu Tian remembered to align with Dragon Group's orders regarding Blank.
"No idea. I just want to know why the game's schizophrenic—is this part of the game too?" Xie Antong's voice came through.
"Since everyone's talking, I'll chime in too." Players Seven through Nine hastily added.
Chaos now reigned supreme.
[Quiet! Listen to the rules—dammit, I forgot some rule specifications.]
[You lot ignoring rules are digging your graves!]
[Who the hell are YOU!? Shut your mouth!]
[Once we begin, every three minutes one random player can speak before we rotate.]
[During this, any player may enter another's room to challenge them via Civil or Martial means per that room's designation. Winners gain one point; losers lose one.]
[Each player gets three such attempts. Once used up, that's it.]
Immediately, another game voice countered:
[Who said three!? It's FIVE! Stop distorting rules!]
[Are you fucking done yet!?]
[Listen up—there's also an exit mechanism.]
[If you enter someone's room but wish to leave without competing, that still consumes one attempt.]
[Wait! I didn't say that last part! No...how did you guess right? That IS the rule!]
[You're still interfering!?]
Amidst this tangled mess, most players remained utterly confused, with rules still unclear.
But the genuine game voice seemed thoroughly exasperated, unleashing a furious roar.
[ENOUGH! You've pissed me off!]
[Whoever you are—you're DEAD today! Game start!]
Thus, amidst utter disarray, the game's rules concluded. Then, silence enveloped all rooms.