A bright blue flash blinded Kai's eyes.
When his eyes adjusted, he found himself seated in the same White Hall as from the previous times before heading forward to the actual venue of the Tournament's stages.
In front of him, a gigantic screen was hovering midair.
Kai looked around but found no other decoration or object whatsoever. Then he looked at himself.
Shock appeared on his face with a bang!
No longer was he wearing his clothes, but a military uniform, brown, green, and pale yellow, matching the color of jungle terrain.
It was almost the same uniform he had worn during the 1st Stage, he remembered.
So the 3rd Stage will happen in another jungle? Kai asked himself.
It was then words began appearing on the screen, along with the familiar return of the two voices.
…
[[
Congratulations Candidate Red
You have successfully chosen a Sponsor during the auction
Rewards:
1. Attribute Points +10
]]
…
Wha…?! Kai's eyes almost popped out, making him blurt involuntarily. 10… 10 Attribute Points?!
As there was no mention of these Attribute Points being out of his Set Quota, then they belonged to Quota by default.
Still, this was such a shock that Kai's heartbeat sped up.
Then again, what happened to him, getting sponsored by 18th-floor Contestants, wasn't a normal thing, to begin with.
None knew if the Systems would find it worthy enough to award 10 Attribute Points in one go.
With this, he could bring his Correspondence above 30 and then…
… I can use Sounga's Skills, then, Kai thought, licking his lips, his very existing feeling the thrill of wielding the Sword of Calamity.
Sounga, the sentient Item that housed the spirit of an evil dragon, required Kai's Correspondence and Breath both to be above 30.
With these newly obtained Attribute Points, he would be free to use Sword's absurd Skills as he desired.
Things still hadn't ended here, though.
More words were appearing on the screen, making Kai take a deep breath to return to the optimum state.
What he was looking even more forward to was the promised reward!
…
[[
Candidate Red, you had chosen to divulge your appearance to the Sponsors.
As such, you have been awarded with an extra Reward suited to your Glitch.
The said Reward is now accessible via Inventory.
]]
…
Kai instantly pounced upon his Inventory.
However, to his dismay, he couldn't access it.
Just what's going on?! He thought, puzzled, but more words began appearing, then.
…
[[
The Systems welcome Candidate Red to the 3rd Stage of ?#?!?###? Tournament of Worth.
Please refer to the following points:
1. For the 3rd Stage, all Items and Skills, if any, stand inaccessible to the Candidate
2. The 3rd Stage's venue is called Island X
3. Island X is the home of the Apocalypse Alliance, having four armies
4. The Candidate will be a part of the invading faction, called the False Ones
5. The False Ones have two members — The Candidate and The Samurai
6. The Samurai acts as the Supreme General of the False Ones and lives in a separate Dimension called the Samurai's Hut
7. The Samurai will not take part in the invasion
8. Each soldier of the Apocalypse Alliance is worth a certain number of points
9. The Candidate can use these points to visit the Samurai's Hut, where the Samurai will give the Candidate a Task
10. The successful completion of the given task will let the Candidate clear the 3rd Stage of the Tournament of Worth
11. If the Samurai proclaims the attempt of Candidate a failure, then he must invade the Island X again
12. Items and Skills must be unlocked at the Samurai's Hut using points
13. The Samurai's Hut will also let the Candidate buy Life Halt Capsules. These Capsules will halt the Candidate's aging by a certain amount of time
…
The Candidate is now being given a Smartwatch.
]]
…
Utterly bewildered and anxious, Kai got up from his chair and picked up the Smartwatch, which had appeared near the flashing screen.
The moment he wore it on his left wrist, its screen lit up with a blue glow, and a holographic projection shot out of it.
The Systems' voices resumed, words began appearing on the screen, and the same words materialized in the holograph over the Smartwatch.
…
[[
The Candidate can use the Smartwatch to access all information regarding the 3rd Stage.
It will also let the Candidate distinguish between the different Ranks of the Soldiers, their allotted Points, and the general landscape around him.
Each Army comprises Troopers, Captains, Commanders, Generals, and Supreme General.
The point distribution for each soldier is:
1. Trooper — 100 Points
2. Captain — 1000 Points
3. Commander — 10000 Points
4. General — 100000 Points
5. Supreme General — 1000000 Points
…
The Candidate will be sent to Island X with a Rank of Trooper, i.e. when considering the Total Number of Attribute Points alone, assigned and unassigned, he will be as strong as a Trooper.
The Candidate will be able to Rank up on the Samurai's recommendation.
The number of Points needed by the Candidate to visit the Samurai's Hut will increase with his Rank. All such information will be available in the Smartwatch.
The Candidate is warned that the Apocalypse Alliance will actively seek to eradicate him. All attempts at arriving at a truce with them will be futile.
Do you have any questions?
]]
…
Kai had gone incredibly silent.
No matter how he looked, things just didn't seem normal to him.
Kai went back and sat down before closing his eyes. He relaxed, putting his arms on the chair.
Soon, his fingers began tapping the unknown material in rhythmic sound, his mind racing to calculate hundreds of scenarios.
Nothing.
He could see nothing out of place in all this.
Then why were his Instincts screaming bloody murder?! Why was his… Observation Haki going haywire?!!
Still, there were indeed a few questions Kai needed to ask.
"Can I gain more Attribute Points within the 3rd Stage?"
…
[[No.]]
…
Kai frowned.
Troopers seemed to be the benchmark on Island X.
With Attribute Points alone, Kai's strength would be equivalent to a Trooper only.
Not to mention, from the points assigned to upper Ranked soldiers, it was clear that there was a decisive, and monstrous, power gap between them.
Considering all this, if Kai didn't gain any more Attribute Points, then how was he supposed to survive?
Survive…
Kai licked his lips.
Abilities, it is, then, he nodded to himself. No wonder the Systems locked my Items and Skills. They are crucial to survive on the Island, it seems. At least in the long term…
"So," Kai drawled, thinking deeper than ever, "I just need to complete the Samurai's task to clear the 3rd Stage and win the Tournament.
"It is independent of the Apocalypse Alliance, how many soldiers I kill, and what I do on Island X. Is that correct?"
…
[[That is correct.]]
…
Kai's frown deepened.
Isn't it… he thought, his fingers dribbling. Isn't it just too simple?
Kai just couldn't put his finger on the feeling he was having. So he asked again. "And how many Points will I need to visit the Samurai's Hut?"
Beep!
The Smartwatch beeped and answered along with the voices.
…
[[At the Trooper Rank, the Candidate will need 100,000 Points.]]
…
This?!
In this case, Kai thought, calculating, I will just need to kill 1000 Troopers to visit the Samurai's task. So, it's even possible to clear the 3rd Stage in one go. Then —
— what's the fucking need to add Life Halt Capsules?!!
"Who are these soldiers?" Kai asked, mentioning the elephant in the room. "Are they based upon Random Worlds?"
…
[[
This information is still inaccessible.
Please note that the Island X will reflect the Candidate's experiences and potential.
]]
…
This again, tch! Kai complained inwardly and tsked. What does it mean by my potential? It's all so abstruse.
Kai had one more question.
The most important one.
"What about my Glitch?" he asked, his breathing fluctuating. "Will it be restricted as well?"
Both the Voices and the screen, and even the Smartwatch, seemed to pause before answering.
…
[[
Glitches can't be restricted.
If there are no further questions, the Candidate should prepare himself for the Teleportation.
]]
…
Kai sighed.
Well, he would get all the answers upon reaching Island X, anyway.
No point in ruminating over questions that couldn't be answered now.
Before teleporting, though, Kai added all of his 10 Unassigned Points to his Correspondence, bringing it to 30.
Novice Collector will add 3 more points to it, meeting Sounga's Requirement.
When Kai was done, he stood up and nodded to himself.
…
[[
Teleporting Candidate Red to the venue of the 3rd Stage — Island X.
Warning: The Candidate must not forget that the Theme of the Tournament of Worth is Survival.
Good Luck.
]]
…
Kai felt disgusted.
"I hate your Good Lucks," he spat, feeling the stirring of Selene inside his heart.
…
[[…]]
…
A bright flash engulfed Kai in the next moment, the blues becoming bluer.
And then he vanished, leaving the empty White Hall alone with its grander emptiness, knowing not what kind of fate awaited him on this — Island X.
***************
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