They held their breaths as the single drop of blood fell into Akhil's mouth. The entire settlement was swallowed by a deep silence, every orc looking at Akhil with unblinking, anxious eyes.
After waiting for several minutes, nothing happened. The orcs shifted, absorbed in worried thoughts.
While they were worried about what to do, Akhil groggily opened his eyes, finding himself suspended in a pitch-black space.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice echoing eerily through the empty void.
Just then, a mechanical chime echoed in his ears, followed by the articulate, young female voice of a system administrator.
"Player Nexus, welcome to the Games Waiting Lobby."
Nexus's brows knitted at the system's words. This definitely wasn't a dream; he could even see a scenario window shimmering in front of him, displaying the current crisis the orcs were placed in.
{Time left: 21:30}
{Penalty: Death}
