Translator: AnubisTL
After the rules for the third stage were explained, the players, who had finally regained a bit of color in their faces, instantly turned deathly pale again.
They felt the event's name, "Puppet Paradise," was completely misleading.
Why not just call it "Everyone Must Die Paradise"?
Mid-gate sniping, my ass!
The town is only eleven meters wide! Do we really need to snipe? One laser pillar from that guy and the whole town—people included—would be wiped out in an instant!
Sniping!
Is this what you call sniping?!
Chen Jiang and the others also wore slightly strange expressions.
"What a 'mid-gate sniping' scenario," Scar Dog remarked with a peculiar tone. "Well, Overlord of the World did say the Ten Thousand Races Arena was inherently unfair, and I agree with that. But isn't this a bit too unfair?"
"Are we really supposed to play mid-gate sniping with our opponents in a town only ten meters wide? Isn't that a bit... bullying?"
Chen Jiang raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. This third stage was indeed overwhelmingly advantageous for him. Could it be that the event was being influenced by the conscious will of the Blue Star World Origin?
Could that fish buried beneath the world tree actually understand what they were saying?
Chen Jiang nodded thoughtfully. If that's the case, I'll have to try again when we get back.
Soon, the announcement rang out:
[The first teams to compete are...]
["Gotta Fight!" and "It's Just an Event, Gotta Move a Bit, Normal Stuff"]
[Both teams, please prepare to enter the arena immediately!]
Phew!
A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. Thank goodness we didn't get matched against those guys. As for the "Gotta Fight!" squad, they probably wouldn't have much fight left in them this time.
That's just fate. Sometimes you have to accept it. There's nothing you can do.
Meanwhile, Chen Jiang and his team sat in the waiting room, gazing down at the small town below.
It was truly tiny—about ten meters wide and no more than a hundred meters long.
The town was a maze of narrow alleys, stone walls, and houses, with only a single road running through its center.
This road was lined with various types of cover on both sides.
The rules were simple: the two teams would start behind the north and south gates. When the match began, the game would end when all players on one team were eliminated.
"Hmm," Chen Jiang said casually, nodding. "The rules aren't too complicated. Let's go down."
Soon, Chen Jiang and his team casually strolled into the small town below.
The players in the stands watched their retreating figures, their faces a mixture of fear and relief.
As for the members of the "Gotta Fight!" squad, they trembled slightly as they made their way toward the town under the pitying gazes of the other players.
"Not bad," Scar Dog remarked, his expression satisfied as he surveyed the surroundings. "This town is well-constructed. Look at these walls—pure stone. They could probably withstand armor-piercing bullets and rockets without much trouble."
"This town was clearly designed with care!"
With only thirty seconds remaining before the match began, Chen Jiang simply retrieved his turret and positioned it at the mid-gate.
When the turret slammed down, the town crumbled slightly. But when the barrel crashed into the center, half the town collapsed!
The town was only eleven meters wide in total.
His turret, with a caliber exceeding ten meters, was bound to cause devastation upon impact!
And so, before the match even started, the two players stationed behind the enemy's mid-gate found themselves staring down the barrel of a twenty-meter-long, ten-meter-thick cannon, its muzzle looming directly over them.
They couldn't even see the edges of the barrel!
All they could see was a massive black hole looming before them.
The moment the turret appeared, the players watching from the stands sighed with a mix of fear and resignation. They knew this was coming. What was the point of talking about mid-gate sniping? No one could possibly snipe against that thing.
Fortunately, this group had entered the level first. If things went as expected, the town would be gone soon, allowing them to skip directly to the fourth stage. At this rate, they might not even have to die. A few more skipped stages, and they might actually survive.
But then—
On the other side of the mid-gate, a male member of the "Gotta Fight!" squad, his voice trembling with emotion, roared, "Don't give up, you bastards! Get your heads in the game!"
"We still have a chance!"
"Even if that man's barrel is ridiculously huge, defying all laws of physics, we still have a chance!"
"Every barrel has a risk of exploding!"
"The moment the match starts, we'll immediately throw every grenade, rocket, and firearm we have into that turret—as deep as possible!"
"This will detonate the crimson light pillar inside the barrel, allowing us to pull off a successful counterattack!"
"Get your heads in the game, damn it! We're going to survive this!"
As the man's impassioned shouts and rallying cries echoed, his teammates exchanged glances before drawing their own firearms from their chests. Taking deep breaths, they aimed with grim determination at the pitch-black cannon barrel looming before them, ready to unleash a devastating strike the moment the match began.
Just then—
["The match has officially begun!"]
The competition had started!
The instant the announcement rang out, the man roared again, "Now! Fire!"
Immediately, rockets streaked toward the cannon barrel, leaving long trails of fire in their wake.
A split second later—
["Boom!!!"]
Before the rockets could detonate, a crimson light pillar erupted from the barrel, melting the rockets, the stone walls, and the wooden gate in its path, engulfing the entire opposing squad.
The crimson light pillar persisted for twenty seconds.
When it finally subsided, the town had been utterly transformed.
What had once been a town 10 meters wide and 100 meters long was now a mere 10 meters wide and 20 meters long.
The remaining 80 meters of the town had vanished completely, instantly vaporized as if it had never existed.
As Chen Jiang retracted his turret...
The portion of the town crushed beneath the turret had long been reduced to rubble, not a single intact stone remaining.
It was safe to say this event stage was about to be scrapped again.
In the stands, the audience stared blankly at the utterly devastated town below.
If they had witnessed this scene before, they might have been shocked, astonished, and incredulous.
But not anymore.
They had seen this exact spectacle just minutes ago.
There was nothing remarkable about it.
If anything stood out, it was how effortlessly the man wielded the crimson light pillar, as if there were no limitations whatsoever!
How could such a terrifying power have no restrictions?
That defied reason!
As expected...
[Congratulations to the 'Event? Just a Bit of Action, Normal' squad for their victory!]
After a moment, a notification slowly echoed through the arena.
[Due to unforeseen circumstances, the third stage is no longer playable.]
[All players who have not cleared the third stage will advance directly to the fourth stage!]
But that wasn't all.
[Due to unforeseen circumstances, the fourth stage is no longer playable.]
[All players who have not cleared the fourth stage will advance directly to the fifth stage!]
[...]
The notification chime rang repeatedly until—
[Detected: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the eighth stage cannot proceed normally.]
[All players who have not cleared the eighth stage will be deemed to have completed it!]
[Congratulations to the "It's Just an Event, Some Action Is Normal" squad and the . squad for successfully completing the event!]
[The event rewards were originally intended for a single squad. Due to unforeseen circumstances, surviving players are now required to vote on how the rewards should be distributed.]
"Huh?"
As the announcement faded, everyone's eyes lit up. They had initially thought merely surviving the event would be enough, but now there was an unexpected bonus!
They could actually claim rewards?!
This was too good to be true!
Scar Dog, however, voiced his dissatisfaction, saying, "Brother Jiang, I think this event was rigged against us. Who would have thought they'd lay out the remaining stages horizontally in the white mist?"
"How were we supposed to know the white mist contained the lower-level stages?"
Just then, the notification chime rang again.
"There are two reward distribution methods. Players, please vote. The method with the most votes will become the reward distribution method."
"Method 1: Meat Grinder Distribution. All players will enter a white space. The last surviving squad will receive all the rewards."
"Method 2: Popular Choice. All players can vote. The squad with the most votes will receive all the rewards."
"Warm reminder: The Popular Choice method requires unanimous agreement. If there is any disagreement, the system will automatically switch to the Meat Grinder Distribution method."
"..."
The announcement fell silent.
The player-spectators, who had moments ago been wondering if they would receive any rewards, now stood motionless and expressionless, not uttering a single word.
Is this supposed to be a choice?
Do we even have a choice?
If they chose Method 1, the Meat Grinder Distribution, the outcome was obvious. They would all end up as dumpling filling—there was no other possibility!
As for Method 2, the Popular Choice distribution, who else could they vote for besides that one squad?
If the final reward wasn't given to a particular squad, that squad would undoubtedly object. Disagreement would lead to division, and division would revert them to the Meat Grinder Distribution model.
How convenient.
This system, which appeared to offer choice but actually provided none, was remarkably friendly to those suffering from decision paralysis.
In the end, naturally, everyone except Chen Jiang's squad chose the popular choice reward distribution model. Chen Jiang's squad opted for the Meat Grinder Distribution.
"Don't worry," Scar Dog said, shaking his head. "After they finish voting, if we disagree, we'll still trigger the Meat Grinder Distribution."
The voting began swiftly.
[Ding! Squad 'Moonlight on My Skin' votes for squad 'An Event's Just an Event, Some Action's Normal' to receive all rewards from this event.]
[Ding! Squad 'Aba Aba' votes for squad 'An Event's Just an Event, Some Action's Normal' to receive all rewards from this event.]
[Ding! Squad 'Seriously? Team Names at This Point?' votes for squad 'An Event's Just an Event, Some Action's Normal' to receive all rewards from this event.]
.
Unanimously approved.
Every surviving squad had cast their votes for Chen Jiang's group.
Without exception.
It was remarkably uniform, a testament to their commendable teamwork.
"Huh?" Scar Dog glanced around, slightly surprised. "Not bad, these guys are pretty sensible. Their awareness is impressive."
A notification soon chimed again.
[Ding! This event has successfully concluded.]
The next moment—
A white circle materialized beneath their feet, followed by a sudden flash of white light. When they regained their bearings, they found themselves at the base of the World Tree.
"Phew, finally back," Scar Dog said, surveying the surroundings with satisfaction. "I must say, the air around the World Tree is much fresher."
Meanwhile, Chen Jiang was examining the event rewards displayed before him.
[Ding! Congratulations, Player Chen Jiang, for your outstanding performance in this event. You may choose one of the following three-star items:]
[Item 1: Innate Ability Enhancement Token.]
"An Innate Ability Enhancement Token?"
Chen Jiang paused, a flicker of shock in his eyes. He had used one of these tokens before, and it had granted him a secondary enhancement to his MAX-level "Unrestrained Modification" innate ability!
He wondered if this token was the same one he had used before.
Slightly excited, Chen Jiang hurriedly checked the item panel for the Innate Ability Enhancement Token.
[Item Name]: Innate Ability Enhancement Token
[Item Star]: Three-star item.
[Item Details]: An extremely rare item. In the Ten Thousand Races Arena, there are only 1,024 such tokens in total.
[Item Effect]: When used, it enhances the player's personal innate ability.
[Item Restriction]: Can only be used once. Players without a personal innate ability can use it to enhance their racial innate ability.
[Item Description: "I've always believed that innate ability is more important than effort, so I've dedicated myself to researching how to enhance it." - From a scientist obsessed with this belief.]
This extremely rare item exists in only 1,024 units.
And this was only the second one he had ever encountered.
Logically, this event stage shouldn't have been particularly difficult, yet the rewards were unexpectedly generous, which honestly surprised him.
However, he quickly realized the reason.
Firstly, the event was inherently designed to offer high rewards. Secondly, it wasn't that the event was easy; rather, they had made it easy.
If they had followed the normal process of brutal combat, the fighting would have been relentless and chaotic.
But somewhere along the way, this event had taken a bizarre turn.
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MCC3KM] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c278. [+2]
🌐Read for FREE Upto Ch212 on the Site. Visit P@treon for details.
🔥Translated [1.5k+] Chapters and [3.04M+] Words.