novellk Chapter 360 officially begins, with 100 competition zones.
Chapter 360 officially begins, with 100 competition zones.
Only in one corner of the field of vision, a brand-new interface panel, emitting a faint blue glow, floated steadily.
[Region Number] - Preparation Space
In the center of the panel is the decisive region number, huge and eye-catching.
Below the number, the information unfolds sequentially:
【Region Name:】 is followed by the name of the generated map.
【Environment Type:】 Direct label: Death Desert/Extreme Cold Wasteland/Poisonous Swamp/Lava Land/Primitive Forest/Shattered Sea, etc.
[Total number of players loaded into the region:] is followed by a number accurate to the nearest whole number.
[Rules for this phase (please be sure to follow them):]
Core objective: To accumulate as many points as possible within 168 hours (7 days). Sources of points: Killing other players (earn 10% of their current total points, with a minimum of 1 point), capturing/gathering resource points, opening treasure chests, completing events, and killing native creatures.
Advancement Criteria: This stage will end early after 7 days, or when the number of surviving players in this region is ≤100,000. At the end of the stage, the top 100,000 players in terms of points will advance. Players with the same ranking will be ranked according to the time they reached that point.
Safe Zone Mechanism: The initial safe zone (green marked area) covers the entire map. After a 24-hour period of absolute safety, the safe zone boundary will begin to shrink towards random locations within the map. Those outside the safe zone (red area) will suffer true damage from "Void Erosion," which increases with time and wave count.
Death Penalty: If a character dies within the competition area, they will not lose their level, but their current accumulated points will be halved, and they will be immediately teleported back to their bound main city (elimination). Non-bound items in the inventory have a chance to drop.
Team Formation Rules: Teams can be formed temporarily within the competition area, with a maximum of 10 players per team. Teams share a small area of vision and limited communication distance. Points are calculated independently, with the player who lands the final blow receiving the kill point. Teams can be disbanded at any time.
Special Note: The regional environment itself has a continuous impact (natural damage, attribute weakening/buffing, special status effects, etc.). Please use it wisely or avoid it.
On the right side of the panel is a very simple thumbnail map.
Only the most basic terrain outline: a light-colored area representing a plain, a few lines that may be rivers or canyons, a few shadows representing mountains or forests, and a green halo in the center that slowly flashes and occupies about one-tenth of the map area—that represents the central area of the "initial safe zone".
Most of the map is covered by thick fog, while the edges are dark, symbolizing nothingness.
There are no detailed coordinates, no resource point markers, and no monster distribution information. Only the most basic geographical knowledge.
A five-minute countdown silently appeared above the preparation space and began to tick.
These five minutes are the last buffer the system gives players to memorize the map, digest the rules, and adjust their mindset.
Players reacted in various ways:
Some people stared intently at the rudimentary map, their pupils contracting sharply and their lips moving rapidly, desperately trying to memorize every terrain feature and plan possible landing routes.
Some remained relatively calm, repeatedly reading the rules, especially the "24-hour absolute safety period" and the "methods for obtaining points," their eyes gleaming with calculation. These 24 hours might be precious time for development and reconnaissance.
Team players endure the most hardship.
They could see their teammates in other cocoons of light not far away, but they couldn't communicate with them or confirm the regrouping plan after landing. They could only rely on a pre-agreed, extremely rough backup plan.
Li Wei quickly scanned the rules, her gaze lingering briefly on "Environment Type" and "Void Erosion," before focusing on memorizing the direction of the river and mountain shadows on the map.
"The center of the initial safe zone... may not be the best starting point; there are too many people, and conflicts will occur sooner. The periphery may have more undiscovered resources, but we need to be wary of the direction of contraction..." Her brain was racing.
Zhang Meng looked at the words "points halved" in the "death penalty" section, spat (silently), and touched the Blazing Battle Axe in his hand.
"Kill people, get points, simple and straightforward!" What he cared more about was how to quickly find Qian Feng and the others after landing.
Wang Ming and Chen Yurou gazed at each other through the blurry light and shadow. Although they couldn't see each other clearly, they seemed to be able to feel each other's gaze.
Wang Ming used his finger to draw a simple coded arrow in front of him, a gesture they had agreed upon, very slowly, hoping that Chen Yurou would see and understand it.
Those from the shadowy forces silently checked their own condition and the special items (beacons, poisons, etc.) that were allowed to be brought into the competition area, their eyes cold, like assassins about to be thrown into the arena.
【00:00:05】
The last five seconds.
The space began to tremble slightly.
【00:00:00】
The countdown above has reached zero.
The pure white space, like glass that has reached its limit, began to crack with countless tiny black cracks starting from the distant boundary.
The cracks spread rapidly, instantly engulfing the entire field of vision.
The ground collapsed, and the sky shattered.
The protective cocoon of light shattered at the same time, turning into points of light and dissipating.
The intense feeling of weightlessness returned, even more intense than before.
This time, it's no longer an empty float.
The sound returned to my ears—
But it wasn't any familiar sound.
It was the howling and wailing of the gale in the canyon!
It's the bubbling and bursting of lava!
It was the long howl of an unknown creature deep in the dense forest!
It was the hissing sound of swampy miasma surging and corroding the air!
It is the fierce wind that sweeps across the icy shards of ice in the frigid lands for thousands of years!
It's the buzzing sound caused by the distorted vision of the desert heatwave!
It is the echoing, resentful, and death-filled murmur of ancient ruins!
One hundred different ambient sounds, some grand and some eerie, are mixed together, seemingly precisely guiding each corresponding player.
The view was filled with a violent surge of light, darkness, color, and distorted landscape.
"Aaaaaah—!!"
"Land! Find cover!"
"Form a team! Form a team now!"
"Treatment! I need treatment!"
"What kind of monster is that?!"
"Points! My points accumulation has begun!"
A chaotic cacophony of exclamations, roars, commands, and screams erupted in a fraction of a second, instantly filling the minds of every player who had just left the preparation space.
The radiance has completely faded.
My feet touched solid ground.
Scorching hot rocky ground, icy cold snowfields, muddy, sinking swamps, hard and rough Gobi deserts, soft and thick layers of humus...
Billions of players, like dust casually tossed by a cosmic deity, landed on 100 paintings, each with a distinct style yet equally fraught with danger.
Slaughter, struggle, cooperation, betrayal, survival, advancement... The seven-day bloody selection process began simultaneously in one hundred independent subspace fragments the moment the system prompted "Phase One, start timing."