Chapter 606 - Competition Heats Up

Amber turned to the crowd. "There you have it, folks! Now, due to how the Individual Tournament was restructured, some games that were supposed to occur in sequence will have to be reshuffled. For now, we will first hold the Theory Battle and the Guessing Game."

"Tomorrow, we will hold the Performance Battle and the Gathering Game! Now, can the contestants for the Theory Battle please come onto the stage?"

Immediately, 200 contestants from each country materialized onstage. All of them were scholarly men and women, most of them wearing glasses and possessing weak physiques.

After all, the Theory Battle was geared towards all those who worked in Tradeskills that involved knowledge or wisdom like Scholars, Advisors, Tacticians, Researchers, etc.

For the duration of this event, all the participants would have to answer questions related to their specific specialties, just like a typical exam from the real world.

The time limit was three hours, so sort of like a college exam. Unlike the previous event, this one would not have the usual flashy explosions or spectacular plot twists.

Nevertheless, being able to watch 200 people sweat, shit themselves, and cry, as they suffered to answer exam questions, was basically the best kind of entertainment one could ask for!

Many fellows in the crowd ordered a bucket of popcorn or whatever snacks their cultures had for watching a good show. As for Amber, she simply clapped her hands and created rows of comfortable desks that were separated from each other.

With another wave, the contestants were moved into their assigned desks without having to take a step. Then, a set of papers manifested before them, both the question papers and the answer sheets, as well as stationary.

"You may begin! The timer starts now!" Amber declared as a huge timer appeared above the contestants, counting down the three hours to complete this test.

Immediately, the contestants focused and flipped their question papers. As was usual with the first few seconds of any exam, the aura in the area shifted.

Many had elated expressions as the questions before them were what they had prepared for and could answer, while others showed despair and a bleak aura, as they knew they had been caught unprepared.

There were, of course, those who remained expressionless, leaving the crowd to wonder whether those fellows were in the clear or fucked due to their calmness.

Soon, there was an air of silence of academic seriousness as all 200 began writing furiously on their paper. The crowd was not being shown what any of those contestants had written down, but they could freely select between any of them to see their questions.

Not only die the AI provide them the answers to those questions, but it also gave displayed the marking scheme it would use to grade them. Many were left shocked and horrified, wondering how anyone was supposed to know such intricacies.

In fact, another reason why they were shocked was just how detailed this stuff was. They had thought it would be like older games where one only had to make a symbolic effort and click a few buttons before making whatever you wanted as long as you had the materials.

Clearly, this was not the case here.

The crowd waited silently throughout the three-hour period. In fact, many were going through the contents of the questions and answers, so enraptured by them and the sheer level of creativity that they had long since stopped paying attention to the reaction of their contestants.

They snapped out of the reverie when their screens disappeared before them, raising their heads to see that the timer had reached zero. Many were unhappy at being forcefully wrested from their point of interest, but, as usual, their complaints were ignored by the culprit, Amber.

Instead, she easily spoke over them. "And that brings an end to the Theory Battle! Let's take a look at the results of our top contestants!"

1st – Justin Oakriver: 1:16:12 taken. 98% score. 4374 points. (Central Country)

2nd – Jamie McClain: 1:18:19 taken. 97% score. 4289 points. (England)

3rd – Maximo Tarquinio: 1:19: 24 taken. 95% score. 4113 points. (Italy)

4th – Samit Varma: 1:23:40 taken. 94% score. 4046 points. (India)

5th – Frank Heinker: 1:27:53 taken. 93% score. 4001 points. (Germany)

6th – Dongfang Wang: 1:33:21 taken. 92% score. 3928 points. (China)

7th – Josuke Shintaro: 1:40:45 taken. 91% score. 3800 points. (Japan)

8th – Rand Chukwuma: 1:42:36 taken. 90% score. 3786 points. (South Africa)

9th – Sophia Gustavo: 1:43:58 taken. 88% score. 3719 points. (Mexico)

10th – Jermaine De'laour: 1:44:02 taken. 87% score. 3677 points. (France)

Many clapped for their contestants, as everyone did relatively well. No one failed their test despite their theatrical behaviors.

In fact, hehe, not everyone who grimaced or looked like they were about to cry during an exam was destined to fail. Some were just acting to unsettle the competition and get ahead.

Anyone who went to college was aware of this. You could see a bloke who didn't answer questions well in class and seemed sloppy during exams get above a passing grade and wonder if they cheated.

However, such fellows were often playing the long con, and only those sharp enough to smell bullshit would realize the trick. Some went their entire college life without realizing this truth.

"Lets see how these scores affect the overall rankings!" Amber declared as she brought up the screen once more.

｢First Inter-Player International Competition

Country Rankings Top 15 (Overall):

1. England - 48,113 points (-)

2. Central Country - 43,604 (-)

3. France - 42,075 points (-)

4. Mexico - 38,708 points (-)

5. Canada - 37,659 points (-)

6. Japan - 37,324 points (-)

7. India - 34,365 points (-)

8. China - 30,574 points (-)

9. Ghana - 28,889 points (-)

10. Italy - 27,483 points (-)

11. Brazil - 26,215 points (-)

12. Russia - 23,569 points (-)

13. Germany - 22,613 points (-)

14. Scotland - 19,975 points (-)

15. Spain - 19,382 points (-)｣

From the results, it could be seen that nothing had really changed except the points. Since the results of everyone for this event had been so close, there were no real upsets.

However, this only served to make the stadium tenser as the number of playable events were rapidly dwindling. Amber enjoyed this feeling of tension and smiled beautifully, excited by it deep down.

"We thank our contestants of the Theory Battle for their hard work. You may now leave the stage." She ordered with a clap, allowing those players to disappear back into the waiting rooms.

"With that out of the way, we are moving onto the Guessing Game! Will the contestants for this event please appear on stage?" Amber called through her usual means.

The 200 contestants for this event spawned onstage with solemn expressions, wearing their country's uniforms as they got ready to make use of their best trait; memory.

The Guessing Game involved contestants from all countries being presented with an item that was shuffled so fast that no method could follow it. They were then supposed to guess under which container it was hidden.

The number of containers was equivalent to the number of contestants, so each person picked one. The one who got it would win the round. This would continue until 2 hours were up. This game focused on memory with a smidgen of luck.

Amber clapped her hands and the stage morphed. The desks disappeared and were replaced with a huge rectangular table that stretched from one end of the arena to the other.

The contestants were also given some seats that were equidistant from each other, arranged horizontally before the table. On the table itself, 200 trays appeared in which there was nothing on them.

Beside them was the cover, which was turned upside down. Seeing that everything was set, Amber arranged the contestants into their seats and called for the event to begin.

Immediately, the table shook as a large wooden box was placed in the 116th tray from the left. It was then covered, much like all 200 trays and then they rose into the air.

Like how bugs zipped around at full speed, the trays moved left and right continuously, moving so fast and fervently that it was almost impossible for one to follow with their eyes.

The contestants and the crowd were of rapt attention, but the crowd could use x-ray to see where the tray went. Many were shocked to see that it actually didn't end up too far away, coming to a rest 9 places to the right.

When the shuffling stopped after 30 seconds, a screen popped up before each contestant. They were to select a tray in which they suspected the box was in.

Interestingly enough, more than one person could select the same tray. If they both got it right, they would each get a point. If they got it wrong though, they naturally got nothing.

Most ended up choosing the 116th tray from the left where the item had started, believing that the AI was trying to pull that classic trick of never having actually moved the thing.

As such, their faces naturally cramped when it was opened up to show nothing within. No one chose the 125th try from the left, so when it opened up to display the box, many faces changed.

Contestants began thinking furiously and calculating the odds of where it would be next using this, and the trays began to shuffle themselves once more.

What was interesting was that it had started from where it ended up, the 125th tray from the left. By the time the second round was done, it had moved to the 54th tray from the left.

This time, many made calculated and random guesses. Once again, no one selected the right tray and when it was shown, the contestants were blown off the earth mentally.

They could only numbly watch the trays close and begin to shuffle once more. This time, when they stopped, the contestants mostly chose randomly.

Interestingly, this time, three people got it right as it appeared in the 198th tray from the left. When it was revealed that their choices were correct, they blinked in confusion for a few seconds before realizing that they had scored this time.

This made them ecstatic while the others were sullen. When the next shuffle happened, many tried to follow it still but found their eyes lacking in terms of tracking.

This event was meant to last 2 hours, and during that period, many contestants had scored through luck or skill while others had not even gotten a single point to their name.

The Guessing Game was too difficult. If it had been those with stats like the members of Umbra, this wouldn't be a problem. However, most of the fellows in this game were brought in from outside because they had good memory and retention.

When the Guessing Game finally came to an end, many of the contestants collapsed in fatigue. They had overclocked their brains and luck to make consecutive guesses, and the tension, the anger, and the joy had worn their mental states down.

Amber ignored the tired contestants and faced the crowd. "Now, to see the results!"

1st – Mind Over Body: 600 attempts, 45% correctness. 4,500 points. (India)

2nd – Macho Babushka: 600 attempts, 44% correctness. 4,400 points. (Russia)

3rd – Lucky Guy: 600 attempts, 44% correctness. 4,400 points. (Italy)

4th – Send Money: 600 attempts, 42% correctness. 4,200 points. (Ghana)

5th – Hon Hon Hon: 600 attempts, 39% correctness. 3,900 points. (France)

6th – Guessing Champ: 600 attempts, 38% correctness. 3,800 points. (Canada)

7th – No Idea: 600 attempts, 36% correctness. 3,600 points. (England)

8th – Just Get Me In the Game: 600 attempts, 35% correctness. 3,500 points. (Central Country)

9th – Whore Lover: 600 attempts, 33% correctness. 3,300 points. (Mexico)

10th – Chibaku Tensei: 600 attempts, 32% correctness. 3,200 points. (Japan)

The results for those near the top were close, but after the 100th contestant, it became abysmal. More than 50 scored nothing as they hadn't gotten a single guess right, but no one could find fault with them.

This was a Guessing Game, and no one had the ability to decide whether or not they would pass. This made the upper echelon of various countries unhappy as they knew that these technical games were wildcards.

No matter how sharp you were, you could not predict the outcome. It was also through the games that the gap between those who dominated the combat and Tradeskill sections were being overturned.

Many glared at Amber with raw hatred, but she simply enjoyed their burning glares and continued with her task. "So, let us see how this affects the country rankings!"

｢First Inter-Player International Competition

Country Rankings Top 15 (Overall):

1. England - 51,713 points (-)

2. Central Country - 47,104 points (-)

3. France - 45,975 points (-)

4. Mexico - 42,008 points (-)

5. Canada - 41,459 points (-)

6. Japan - 40,524 points (-)

7. India - 38,865 points (-)

8. Ghana - 33,089 points (+1)

9. China - 33,074 points (-1)

10. Italy - 31,883 points (-)

11. Brazil - 29,015 points (-)

12. Russia - 27,969 points (-)

13. Germany - 25,513 points (-)

14. Scotland - 22,375 points (-)

15. Spain - 21,482 points (-)｣

Apart from Ghana that overtook China, making the oriental folks blow their top at the thought of those barbarians standing over them, nothing changed much in the ranking.

"And ladies and gentlemen, that brings an end to the third day of the First Inter-Player International Competition! You may all return to your lodgings to rest until the next event begins!"

The crowd disappeared noisily as they discussed the exciting things they saw today, especially the Individual Tournament and the fights near the end. Many were cowed by Essence's might, aroused by Loving Aunt's form, and felt their blood boil when they thought of Kiran's transformations.

Many had to log out as about 15 hours had passed in real-time and 60 hours since the tournament began in-game time. It was about time for them to go off for about 4 hours to recuperate, which coincided with the downtime that they had.

As such, once 12 hours passed in-game - which were 3 hours in reality - many were done with whatever they had to do. Since the AI had done the tournament on the weekend, very few were called away from their Virtua Helmets to work or perform some other task, so the numbers didn't reduce much.

In fact, they drastically increased as it was the morning of Sunday and the stores had opened. Many bought new Virtua Helmets after seeing clips uploaded on the net of the competition and how badass it was.

When everyone milled in and took their seats, the stadium was noisy as everyone chatted about different things with friends or with strangers as they mingled.

Eventually, the contestants of the various countries arrived as well in the waiting area, and Amber popped up suddenly above the entire stadium.

Today, she was wearing a suit and skirt with glasses, giving her the look of a serious businesswoman. With her sexy proportions, that outfit nailed the 'hot teacher/boss' archetype 100%.

Many tongues rolled out in desire, but many just looked away. They had been bullied by this witch with her arbitrary rules long enough that they were no longer so easily moved.

Or more like, by not looking, they could prevent themselves from being captured by her charm. This act made Amber's eyes curl as she smiled, but she didn't poke fun at such people.

"Welcome back everyone and greetings to our newcomers. For today, we have the Performance Battle and the Gathering Game! Can the contestants for the Performance Battle please come up on the stage?" Amber requested with a snap of her finger.

Immediately, 200 men and women of various classes appeared on the stage. They all gazed at each other with fire in their eyes, having been pepped up by their country's coaches during the downtime.

Things were getting heated, and it was no longer time to do Mr. Nice guy/gal.

The Performance Battle gathered those whose Tradeskills focused on producing a service, like Masseuse, Privateers, Hoteliers, Tamers, etc. They had 3 hours to render their service to a chosen NPC that would grade their work when done or accomplish the goal that their Tradeskill sought.

Amber clapped her hands once more, and the contestants were warped into mini worlds of their own. They noticed they were put in professional settings relating to their specific Tradeskill and there was a single customer waiting for them to get to it.

As such, they each waited for the timer to appear above their heads showing that the event had begun before unleashing their best work.

Interestingly, the likes of Money Lover, Akainu, and Sanji were part of this battle. Many eyes bulged as they watched Money Lover mass rape hundreds of wallets and treasuries with simple words, Akainu bring a bankrupt company to a hegemonic power in a few moves, and Sanji set up a worldwide intelligence network using harsh but creative means.

The three barely broke a sweat and finished their tasks within less than half an hour. The rest worked for the rest of the three hours, with many doing quite well.

However, compared to the first three, it felt like they were clowns coming to dance. When the Performance Battle came to an end, the crowd had solemn expressions.

They had watched as many of the current contestants had worn arrogant and confident expressions while doing their best job, some even murmuring under their breath what they would do with the bonuses their country would pay them for claiming first place for them.

Seeing this, those in the crowd were worried about what kind of impact they would suffer when the results were released. Some even wanted to plead with Amber to have mercy, but how could a woman like her let this chance go?

She hovered above the group and declared: "What an exemplary performance by you all! The battle was neck and neck, and no one but the AI could even tell who might be first and who will be second!"

The faces of those in the crowd changed as they witnessed this incomprehensibly evil act. They all had one word to describe Amber in their hearts.

Despicable!