Before the tragedy~

A Few Hours Ago...

Phase 1 - Part 2

"Now the part 2 of phase 1 shall also begin. Before that, each team will place their ore on the mats spread throughout the hall; this is a must for participation. The mats display the current rankings based on ore quality and weight, visible from all directions. The ranking board also shows each member's contribution and current status.

Teams can attack or steal ore from others after placing their ore on the mat. You can attack or steal multiple times and will be given a token for successful loot from the victim’s token pool. If blocked successfully three times by the same person, you are disqualified. Weapons are allowed. If a team member is fatally injured or killed, the entire team is disqualified. This can be viewed on the ranking board. Teams are eliminated if their ore weight drops below 15 kg. The competition continues until half of the teams are eliminated.

The member that passes phase 1 can quickly proceed to phase 2 to support their team members. Now in 10 seconds," Qwert announced and started phase 1.

"Momo, don’t think I would let you have it easy," Gigi said, taking his shirt off and leaving only his pants.

"But why are you taking your shirt off?" Balloon asked.

"Like you would understand this," Gigi replied, lifting his stone.

"Start!" Qwert shouted, and phase 1 began.

People were dashing and running, quickly grabbing the closest positions and going for the assault as swiftly as they could. Some fools attacked from afar, leaving their ore exposed, which soon got looted by the swarming crowd eager to earn tokens. Others maintained a safe distance and secured far positions first, which could later prove advantageous. Momo picked up the stone on his shoulder and ran forward as if it weighed nothing, securing a position not far from Dylan.

"Oh, so it really wasn't 30 kg. I thought so, why did it feel different from 30 kg before?" Momo pondered as he checked his ranking and the ore's condition. He soon noticed a shadow on the ground behind him. Taking out his sphere with three uniquely interconnected blades at 120 degrees, he turned around, blocking a large blade connected to a spear pole and parried it, sending the attacker floating in the air. He kicked the attacker in the stomach, using the pole for support, sending her flying, but she safely landed while back-rolling and quickly fell back to her ore, which she had left alone.

"You better stay on guard. That was a good ambush," Balloon said to Momo, who was busy kicking someone.

"You are right, it was a heavy blow," Momo replied while looking at the girl from afar.

"But why are you here? Isn't that Dylan's team ore?" Momo asked.

"Oh, about that, we teamed up. I will defend both ores when he is on offense, and he defends both of ours when I go on offense. Look at him; he is really elegant with the RazorFlare Axe," Balloon replied, pointing towards Dylan, who seemed to have gone berserk, breaking weapons and bones and climbing the ranking table. He dashed and jumped while swinging his axe, releasing blades that reloaded after each release. Many of these blades hit others' ores, while others were blocked. He then fell back for a reload as Balloon sprinted on the field.

"Is it allowed to form a coalition?" Momo asked Dylan, who was trying to catch his breath while on guard, blocking some full metal arrows.

"It's not like the proctor announced that we can't. It's not just us; most people have already formed alliances from the very beginning, and some are even making alliances now, like that first ranker with a large mace who formed an alliance with lower rankers to maintain his position," Dylan replied.

"But I don't think they will last long without betrayal. Look, it has already started among those," Momo said as he observed others.

"That damn giant... cough... cough... looks like some ribs are broken," said the girl as she reached her mat, acting normal while hiding the pain.

A few hundred meters away from them, it looked like Gigi was defending his ore from numerous people ganging up on him.

"Let me float with you," Gigi muttered, grabbing a chain lying on the ground and wrapping it around his whole naked body. As one of the attackers ambushed from behind with a large thick sword, Gigi blocked it with the chain, swinging the other end of the chain at the attacker's face, kicking and punching to protect his ore.

"Why is he so strong in defense for a naked man?" Balloon asked while looking at the man in pants.

"Oh, you don't know? He used to be the vice-captain when the boss started the crew ten years back, but he quit the next day for no reason and gave the position to me," Momo replied. "In terms of total strength, including agility, speed, weapon handling, etc., he is far ahead of me," Momo finished.

"I get that, but why is his sense of fashion so weird?" Balloon asked.

"I also don't know," Momo replied while punching someone in the face.

Current rankings of the top 5 teams with their tokens at this moment:

Team 485: 640

Team 767: 637.4

Team 24: 634

Team 5781: 628.9

Team 10006 (Dylan): 620

"Where is the boss? I don't see her presence on the field or the ranking board," Balloon shouted while his hands were full defending.

"Focus on yourself; she is the boss for a reason," Dylan replied while fighting a man with a long thin sword, which swung at quite a speed from different angles and curves. Dylan dodged, saying, "What a bad pair for me. Balloon, you take the lead," signaling Balloon as they switched positions.

The sound of weapons clashing and people getting cut was normal, and the teams on the leaderboard were rapidly changing positions, with some disqualifying and getting removed from the rankings. Vibrations could be felt everywhere on the field.

Suddenly, the vibration intensified from the center part. "Weak!" a loud voice echoed throughout the hall. It was Vel, landing while kicking someone in the stomach with such force that it destroyed a nearby crate. The person seemed unconscious, blood flowing from his mouth. In an instant, Vel disappeared, causing havoc all over the field.

"She really is reckless," Balloon said with a slightly relaxed face. "But I don't see her protecting any ore. How come?" he wondered but had no time to ponder as a small person with muscles appeared before him, carrying a heavy spiky hammer.

"I hate men with blonde hair," he said with a serious face, kicking a rock lying on the ground to block Balloon's view. As Balloon moved to the side, the hammer was already at his face, which he dodged by lying on the ground. He performed a donkey roll and fell back, taking out his pickaxe and staring at the small man cautiously. Picking up a sword from the ground, Balloon walked towards the small man.

"I also hate guys with white hair, old ass," he replied and engaged in close-range combat.

The small man, using his body and centrifugal force, threw the hammer with great strength. Balloon quickly parried it with the pointed side of the pickaxe and swung the curved sword at the man's chest. The small man ducked and, using the hammer's weight, rotated the handle, hitting Balloon's nose. Reacting to the blow, Balloon closed his eyes and started to fall backward.

"You fell for that," the small man said, jumping towards him.

"You fell for that too," Balloon replied, opening one eye and sliding his leg back to stop himself from falling. In the next flash, the fight was over.

[^13] the reward of D30 event is generally kept secret until the last round.