Chapter 66 - 60: Battle for the Rankings, Void Realm Rules

Chapter 66: Chapter 60: Battle for the Rankings, Void Realm Rules

Qin Lang introduced the contestants one by one, along with their past achievements.

Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi watched, silently committing the information to memory.

After all, these individuals were all strong contenders for the top ranks in this Secret Realm.

As geniuses, each of them possessed a unique aura; they were the type to stand out in a crowd like a crane among chickens.

Likewise, they also possessed the arrogance befitting a genius.

When some players approached them to form a team, they wouldn’t even deign to give them a second glance.

As time passed, more and more players arrived at the waiting area, until there were roughly a hundred people.

Soon, it was 11:30 in the morning.

There was still half an hour until the Foggy Void Realm officially opened.

Just then, a black van slowly drove up and stopped at the park entrance, about fifty meters from the Fog.

The door opened, and an old man with graying hair, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, slowly stepped out.

His steps were steady, and he exuded an intangible aura that subconsciously calmed those around him.

Even more miraculously, as he slowly walked forward, the Fog seemed to actively retreat, parting for him on its own accord.

"Greetings, everyone. To all the new Lords of Hua Country."

The old man began to speak, his steady voice carrying a certain warmth. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the deputy director of the Jiang City Anomaly Handling Bureau. You can call me Wang Kun, or you can call me Old Wang."

All the players present turned their heads to watch him attentively.

The old man named Wang Kun smiled. "Next, I will explain the rules and important points for the upcoming Foggy Void Realm."

"However, before the official briefing, I would like to leave you with a thought."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and his voice grew deeper. "Every Pioneer is the kindling of civilization, shouldering the responsibility of lighting up the darkness."

"Perhaps you cannot fully grasp its meaning now, but one day in the future, you will experience for yourselves what these words mean."

The players in the crowd had mixed reactions. Some were lost in thought, while others furrowed their brows.

"Alright, let’s begin the explanation of this Secret Realm’s rules."

Elder Wang Kun’s tone shifted slightly as he began to explain in a level voice, "As you all know, the ’Foggy Void Realm’ was formed when Mist Energy encroached upon reality, creating an independent space."

"Everything inside it is completely different from reality, and every Void Realm has its own unique rules."

"For example, there are Maze Void Realms, Deathmatch Void Realms, War Void Realms, and so on."

"And the one before you is an Endless Void Realm."

"What is an ’Endless Void Realm’?"

"As the name implies, monsters will appear continuously and attack you, without end."

Elder Wang Kun’s deep voice continued to resonate in everyone’s ears, commanding their full attention. "After you enter the Void Realm, you will be transported next to a Campfire."

"Unlike in games, there will be nothing there besides the Campfire."

"What you must do is fight off the endless waves of monsters, ensure the Campfire does not go out, and at the same time, protect yourselves."

"Sounds simple, right?"

Everyone nodded.

The mode did indeed sound simple, much like a tower defense game where you just had to defend the Campfire and fend off monster attacks.

But at that moment, Wang Kun’s tone changed. "However, simple does not mean safe."

"On the contrary, this mode is extremely difficult."

"As time goes on, the attacking monsters will grow stronger with each wave, and the radius of the Campfire will gradually shrink."

"This continues until the Campfire is extinguished, and the dense Fog completely engulfs you."

"In the past, to explore this kind of Secret Realm, our Hua Country lost countless Pioneers. Only through immense sacrifice were we able to figure out some of its patterns."

"By combining these discoveries with research from a group of top-tier Lords, we have finally achieved a breakthrough."

Wang Kun paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Do you see the Secret Realm crystals in your hands? This is the fruit of our research."

"They don’t just represent your serial number; they are also your lifeline."

"As long as you crush the crystal, you will be teleported out of the Secret Realm."

Surprise flickered in the eyes of all the players, and they each took out their crystals.

They hadn’t expected this thing to have such a powerful function, basically an escape crystal.

Shen Xing was also stunned. ’I can’t believe Hua Country’s leadership has even managed to develop something like this.’

’It seems the most elite Pioneers have reached an extremely deep level of understanding in their exploration of the Fog.’

Wang Kun slowly said, "The principle behind the crystal’s teleportation is that it contains a special type of Energy, completely different from the Energy within the Void Realm."

"Once released, the Void Realm’s rules will perceive it as an invasion signal and expel you."

"This is what we call understanding the rules and then using them to your advantage."

"Thanks to the creation of these crystals, the death rate for Pioneers entering these anomalous zones has dropped dramatically worldwide."

"The same goes for all of you," Wang Kun instructed solemnly. "If you feel you can’t hold on any longer, or if you’re in mortal danger, you must retreat in time."

"Remember, you can always earn more resources, but if you lose your life, you lose everything."

"Alright, that’s all for the rules. Feel free to ask any questions you may have."

A brief silence fell over the area as everyone, lost in thought, processed the information he had just shared.

"I have a question."

A cool, clear voice suddenly cut through the crowd.

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a woman with astonishingly long legs raising her right hand.

It was the "Jaguar" Qin Lang had mentioned earlier: Yu Feifei.

She ignored the assessing gazes from her surroundings and asked in a serious tone, "Mr. Wang, I’d like to ask what the difference is between entering as a team and entering solo in this endless mode."

This was a question that concerned many, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

The old man smiled and explained, "In team mode, the number and star-level of the monsters you face will increase severalfold."

"If you go in solo, the number of monsters will be lower, so the difficulty will naturally be reduced."

"However, it’s important to note that if you form a two-person team, the number of monsters won’t simply be double that of solo mode. It might be three or even four times as many."

"The more people on a team, the higher the difficulty."

Everyone nodded in understanding, now clear on the difference between the two modes.

As for whether to team up or go solo, that would depend on the players’ own strength or their team’s coordination.

Just then, another player asked, "Mr. Wang, I heard that in the Foggy Void Realm, top-ranking contestants will receive additional rewards from the officials."

"How is this ranking determined?"

This was another question on everyone’s mind.

Wang Kun smiled and gave a light wave of his hand.

To the side of the waiting area, a huge black curtain slowly drew back, revealing a massive display screen over a hundred meters in diameter.

From number 1 to 100, there were a full 100 real-time broadcast feeds arranged on it.

What surprised them even more was that figures of the crowd appeared on these screens, just like a third-person live broadcast.

Wang Kun smiled faintly and explained, "This is a new type of monitoring device developed by our Hua Country."

"It uses the crystals in your hands to broadcast the footage from inside the Void Realm onto this large screen."

"There’s usually a slight delay, but it’s not significant."

"We will rank players based on the number of endless waves they clear, the duration they survive, and their overall performance."

After a pause, he added, "Furthermore, you don’t need to worry about exposing your full strength. Feel free to use any trump cards you have."

"Other countries might have situations of mutual suspicion or even assassination of geniuses. But in our Hua Country, geniuses are only protected and supported."

"The more outstanding your performance, the more resources will be directed your way."

"If you want more rewards, if you want to climb to greater heights, then give it your all."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s spirits were visibly lifted.

Some players who had originally planned to hide their strength now quietly changed their minds.

Just then, the dense Fog at the park entrance began to churn and shift violently.

In just a few seconds, it actually formed a large gate made of swirling Fog.

The gate stood wide open, as if extending a silent invitation.

"Alright, the Secret Realm is open. Everyone, head inside."

Wang Kun said solemnly, "On behalf of the Jiang City Anomaly Handling Bureau, I send you new talents off to battle. May you all return safely."

The players’ gazes grew resolute as they walked toward the open gate.

Yu Feifei was the fastest. With a push from her astonishingly long legs, she shot forward more than ten meters in an instant.

Her movements were light and swift, truly like a jaguar.

Within a few leaps, she vanished into the dense Fog.

The other players followed, stepping through the gate one after another, their figures swallowed by the Fog until they disappeared from sight.

"We should go in too," Shen Xing suggested.

"Okay."

Qin Lang nodded. He then pushed his wheelchair, and the three of them moved forward together.

The moment they were completely enveloped by the dense Fog, a strange sensation washed over them.

It was as if they had stepped into another dimension, and a dizzying, world-spinning sensation hit them.

When their vision cleared, they found themselves near a Campfire.