Chapter 65: Melee
Crack, crack, crack...
Three crisp sounds of breaking number plates came in succession. The Three Brothers of National Football stood up and walked toward the notary office. They, too, had abandoned the match, as their opponent in this round was very strong—the insect race Bunker.
In an instant, eight contestants had forfeited.
"What! Eight contestants forfeited??"
The commentator Hack was utterly incredulous. He hadn't hosted a match at the Void Arena in a long time. According to past situations, after the second round, at least forty or more participants would remain. Yet this time, only twenty-two were left.
This edition of the Void Arena could be considered the most brutal in a century. The reason for this was the massive audience.
Being remembered by more people was undoubtedly a chance to gain fame. After gaining fame, one would attract the attention of major powers, and opportunities would naturally increase. This time, there were a full three million spectators. In the early stages of the competition, contestants fought each other almost to the death to make a name for themselves, leading to a sharp rise in casualties.
Now, in the later stages of the competition, the participants gradually calmed down. Some contestants who weren't top-tier and had injuries began to hesitate, uncertain whether to continue.
After all, this edition included many ruthless individuals: the renowned Wind Prince, the insect race's combat clan Bunker, the Gray Stone clan from Firmament Star, the steel tough guy Croft, the Ear Hunter Resha, and, most absurdly, a Law Destroyer had also joined the competition.
Faced with opponents they seemingly couldn't defeat, some contestants who weren't particularly strong and had injuries wavered.
Crack, crack.
Two more crisp sounds. Two contestants with serious injuries gave up. They both paused, exchanged a smile, and walked toward the notary office.
"Stunning reversal! Only ten contestants remain!!"
Hack screamed hoarsely, leaning back.
Hearing that only ten were left, the audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted into cheers that shook the heavens.
"What's going to happen next?"
Hack was already at the peak of excitement. He aimed his amplification device at the audience.
"Deathmatch melee! Deathmatch melee! Deathmatch melee..."
The audience's shouts were deafening. Su Xiao pinched his number plate between his thumb and middle finger, ready to forfeit. After all, the rewards for the top three were unknown, and he didn't want to stay in the Void Arena too long. For him, the Void was too dangerous right now.
However, upon hearing about the deathmatch melee, a thought flashed through Su Xiao's mind. If his guess was correct, the Void Arena would likely end within an hour. He had already participated for three days. If the subsequent matches weren't long, then joining wouldn't hurt, since the top three had rewards.
Strangely enough, Su Xiao still didn't know what the top three rewards were. The Void Arena seemed very confident in the prizes it offered, and indeed, even without announcing them, a large number of contestants still signed up.
"Please welcome the remaining ten contestants onto the stage."
Hearing Hack's shout, Fatty Pi raised an eyebrow, then seemed to understand something. He had been puzzled earlier about why the Void Arena's seemingly conventional matches could draw such huge popularity.
Now it appeared that the Void Arena's matches were anything but conventional; they were quite innovative.
The early matches of the Void Arena were indeed standard, but when the number of participants equaled or fell below ten, the rules changed.
Ten people took the stage simultaneously for a melee. Rankings were determined by the order of deaths or forfeits. The one who lasted until the end was the victor of the Void Arena.
In the ten-person melee, one could forfeit. If, after a forfeit, six people remained on stage, the forfeiter's final rank would be seventh. Even if someone died later, the forfeiter's rank wouldn't improve.
If one couldn't hold out until the end, it came down to timing the forfeit. Forfeit too early, and the ranking would be relatively low. Forfeit too late, and there would be no "then"—forfeiting late meant death.
The organizers didn't care whether the ten-person melee was fair. They wanted popularity. As for contestants cooperating and making the match unfair, that was just sophistry. The ability to cooperate with others was also part of one's strength.
This was the Void Arena, an arena with almost no rules, not a ring match. Its style was: yellow sand, blood, beauties, honor, and life-or-death combat.
The strong got everything; the weak were carried out horizontally. It was that simple and direct.
Su Xiao stepped into the yellow sand arena. The other nine stood in various corners of the field.
The atmosphere in the arena reached its peak. Hack, sensing the timing was right, quietly contacted the arena's manager. Whatever Hack discussed with the manager made the corner of his mouth curl up.
"According to tradition, before the deathmatch melee begins, the rewards for this edition's top three will be announced."
Hack waved his hand, and three scantily clad women carrying trays walked onto the commentary platform. Each tray was covered with a black cloth. Meanwhile, a large screen behind the audience lit up.
"First, the third-place prize is the Einkern Type III Combat Assistance Device."
Hack pulled the black cloth off one tray, revealing a high-tech arm guard. The screen zoomed in on the "Einkern Type III Combat Assistance Device."
The audience gasped. The third-place reward was no small matter. The Einkern Combat Assistance Device was quite famous in the Void. Even the Type I could fetch a sky-high price, let alone the Type III.
"Hahaha, everyone must be regretting not participating. But there's something you'll regret even more."
Hack pulled off another black cloth. On the second tray lay a "document"—not a file, but an approval letter.
"Approval letter for a High-Vibration Steel mine, located on the Nandis Star. With this approval letter, you can mine freely with no taxes."
Hack swallowed. Even he was tempted, let alone the audience. High-Vibration Steel was a premium metal material, extremely expensive. It was essential for alchemy, high-end mechs, weapon forging, and some high-tech products. It was sold by the zanke weight. A strand of hair weighed about 2.3 zanke. The smaller the unit of measurement for sale, the higher the item's price, showing just how precious High-Vibration Steel was.
"Whoa~"
The audience erupted in uproar. Not only the spectators but even the major powers there to recruit talent were envious. Whoever got that approval letter, even if their strength was mediocre, the major powers would go all out to recruit them and offer a high status.
Being able to offer such rewards showed just how profitable the arena business was. "A small investment yields a thousandfold return" didn't even begin to describe it.
"Now! It's time to announce the first-place prize. This time's reward is..."
Hack fell silent. Even as a commentator, he could barely suppress the greed in his heart.
He pulled the black cloth off the tray, revealing a fist-sized crystal. The crystal was entirely emerald green. The wooden tray it touched had already sprouted shoots. This wasn't a withered tree blooming again; it was dead wood being reborn.
A dense life force spread out. The millions of spectators below were somewhat confused. Most didn't recognize the item at first, but among them, those in the know abruptly stood up, their breathing becoming rapid.