Empire Gladiator Tournament

"Keosius, wait for my good news."

The Silver Dragon dragon soared through the sky, its streamlined body exceptionally graceful, its silvery wings shimmering in the sunlight.

"We finally managed to fool her into a state of utter disarray."

"Now we just need to wait for aid from the good side. I believe that old guy Oszedro still has some conscience."

Watching the Silver Dragon disappear into the distance, Keosius nodded slightly, then looked at the panel that had refreshed with new information.

[The overall strength level of the NPC faction you created, the Embers of the Burned Empire, has reached: 3][Unlock new section: Faction Activities] This was not unexpected for Keosius. A level 3 faction is already considered quite powerful on the Feanso Continent.

It should be noted that the once- Holy Fadlan was only a level 5 faction in the system's assessment.

After a year of development, the empire's politics, economy, and even culture have made great strides.

The Matra Great Farm is now fully operational, supplying food to the entire nation. The Empire's military-industrial complex has also been initially established and is thriving. The parliamentary system is gradually becoming the norm, and the political system is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The progress in productivity, the affluence of people's lives, and the influence of players have also led to the rapid development of social culture, with countless new ideas emerging.

A spirit of self-confidence and martial spirit has spread throughout the country.

In just a few years, the people of the remote and barren Anzeta Great Wasteland have reached a peak in both material and spiritual life.

Although this booming momentum also concealed the sweat of countless workers and the blood and tears of the people in the south, these were all hidden beneath the glamorous exterior of the empire.

"Faction events are here too."

Keosius smiled.

Faction activities allow him to have a place on the player panel, completely integrating the Empire's activities into the player's life.

After version 2.0 is launched, faction events will attract more players, making the Embers of the Burned Empire the "main faction" in the hearts of more players.

It's worth noting that the next version will unlock many Ancient Teleportation Array —also known as "respawn points."

The current Embers of the Burned Empire can still leverage its home-field advantage to bring almost all players under its control.

But the next version might be different: the Elven Kingdom in the High Forest, the Free Trade Federation in Silver Moon Bay, the Three Great Kingdoms of Fadlan in the midst of war, and the Orc clans in the Rosa Desert will all become extremely attractive starting points.

Keosius recalled various points in time from his memory.

"It is now May 2, 1789, the Third Era. There are still two months left before the end of the Northern Lands Feng Yun version and the first server shutdown after the open beta."

"Then let the Embers of the Burned Empire host the first official PvP event on a server-wide scale."

In Keosius's previous life's plan, the first server-wide PvP event was originally scheduled for the "Clash of Kings" version, jointly organized by dozens of top guilds.

But now, this grand event is being moved up.

This was Keosius's plan—to organize a large-scale PvP event before the servers shut down, and to squeeze the last bit of experience and Gold Coin out of the players in the [Northern Lands Feng Yun] version.

At the same time, this also highlights the status of the Embers of the Burned Empire "official faction," attracting more players in the future.

Two years ago, Keosius personally proposed the "Empire Great Arena" project, envisioning this magnificent building in Istaria, all for the sake of this day.

About three months ago, Keosius handed the matter over to Lang Pu to prepare, and now everything is almost ready, just waiting for the official announcement.

Everything is ready, except for the east wind.

Keosius summoned the panel again, exhaling a thin puff of white smoke, his golden vertical pupils flashing.

[Should we release a large-scale faction event to players?] [Yes.] [Please name this faction event.] Keosius for a moment, unable to think of a good name, so he could only give it the perfunctory name "Empire"—just like he had named the Empire Great Arena.

[Named: [The Embers of the Burned Empire First Gladiator Tournament]][Faction Event Announced!] On May 3, 1789, in the Third Era, nearly 400,000 players of "Erezege" simultaneously received notifications about the faction event.

This announcement ignited everyone's enthusiasm.

The players were ecstatic!

Immediately, posts about the "Imperial Gladiator Tournament" became a hot topic on the forum, and soon almost everyone was discussing this upcoming event.

"Holy crap?"

"The rewards are amazing! There are even titles and outfits!"

"Are these government officials going to act like human beings now?"

"I want to participate too!"

"I wanted to live in anonymity and be a laid-back gamer, but now I have no choice but to reveal my identity as a peerless master!"

"That's enough, it's just a toy for the rich and powerful, for us ordinary people to just enjoy watching."

"Is this the last major event of this version?"

The reason is simple: the rewards for this competition are exceptionally generous, and unprecedented.

For example, players who win the individual championship will not only receive generous rewards of Gold Coin and experience, but also a special title and outfit called "Dragon Flame Champion".

The "Dragon Flame Champion" title turns a player's nickname gold-red and also increases their charisma by a small amount.

That outfit was even more eye-catching, with its luxurious gold-plated shell, exquisite claw and tooth carvings, imposing Wyvern shoulder armor, and even two slowly flapping flame wings on its back – the special effects were off the charts!

It can only be said that it perfectly fulfills the fantasies of all the wealthy players.

In fact, this was just a piece of equipment that Keosius casually crafted using his powerful control over the fire element, barely reaching the rare quality level.

Keosius could create seven or eight pieces of equipment like this in a day, but only one is released to ensure its scarcity.

The spirit robes and armor prepared for the top four and top eight contestants were byproducts of Keosius's elemental experiments, originally intended to be thrown away as garbage.

The equipment's effects aren't particularly strong, but its appearance is definitely top-notch.

Some sources have also revealed that they are mid-level officials in the empire and were involved in the preparation of the competition.

Indeed, this competition was not only organized by the Empire's official team, but also involved various player guilds and clubs, who even issued a joint statement.

"The Embers of the Burned Empire First Gladiator Tournament has officially begun! This is a grand event for players! This is the biggest stage in ' Erezege '!"

"Swords, fists, magic, beasts—you can use dazzling techniques to engage in exhilarating battles, bringing the ultimate visual and auditory experience to this grand event!"

"The Faction Leader, [Embers of the Burned Emperor - Keosius], will personally attend the elimination rounds. He will witness your performance and bestow upon the ultimate victor rich rewards and supreme glory!"

The announcement caused another uproar among players.

In the past two years, Keosius has rarely appeared in public and has spent most of his time in the palace.

In the minds of players, compared to ordinary NPCs, the emperor is more like a "background character," becoming an omnipotent figure in the legend.

Many Dragon Oath Paladin players use "Keosius bless you" as a catchphrase—because several experienced players have confirmed that it does indeed increase the success rate of Holy Oath Spell.

Every time Keosius appears, veteran players know that the Cutscene are about to begin. The Red Dragon is like a cheat code unique to the Embers of the Burned Empire faction, ruthlessly destroying enemies every time it appears.

To gain the emperor's personal favor is akin to "a mythical figure coming to life."

How could anyone not be excited?

Members of special guilds such as "Dragon Control Club" and "His Your Majesty Keosius Support Club" were even more excited, and the reasons are self-evident.

I'm craving His Majesty's body!

The format of the [Imperial Gladiator Tournament] is relatively simple and easy to understand. Due to the tight schedule and the imminent closure of the server, they did not hold playoffs or points-based competitions.

There are three types of competitive events: individual competitions, team competitions, and guild competitions.

Individual matches are one-on-one duels between two players in a designated area; a player who surrenders or is killed loses.

Team battles are classic four-person squads that fight together, and a team's surrender or being wiped out is considered a loss.

Guild battles have the largest number of participants, with each guild limited to fifty people. They compete in a designated battlefield, and defeat is defined as either one side surrendering or being wiped out.

Due to the tight schedule, the competition consists of only two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage.

In the group stage, registered players or teams are divided into different groups to compete against each other. A victory earns 3 points, a draw earns 1 point, and a loss earns 0 points. The top-ranked individuals or teams will be selected for the knockout stage.

The knockout stage is a brutal battle, from the top 100 to the final showdown. The winners will advance to the next round, while the losers will be eliminated – until the final winner is chosen.

This was also the last major event before the end of the "Northern Lands Feng Yun" version, and almost all players were eager to win the championship.

Of course, some professional gamers and strategy experts also received support from their respective fans, and thus various battle posts began to appear on the forum.

The most hotly debated post is undoubtedly "Who will be the individual champion?", which already has thousands of replies and continues to grow, with a diverse range of commenters.

"S Da will definitely be the champion!"

"That's enough of the dog fans. This is a professional league. He's just a casual player. He has no resources and his skills are just so-so. What kind of trouble can he cause?"

"I still favor the Overlord; the Kingship Guild has too much wealth."

"Who can compare to the Church of the Machine God in terms of resources? Who knows how far they've climbed in their tech tree? I heard that the big shots there have even made power armor. They might just throw out a can of food and scare you to death!"

"Isn't Charlotte worthy? A well-prepared mage is quite strong in PvP."

"But he's too unlucky."

"My wife, Xia Ye Qiuyu, is the best in the world!"

"This is Gladiator Tournament, not a contest of looks. Fans of good looks, put away your enthusiasm."

"Everyone, I have something to say. I believe that the Lang Li Bai Tiao with the strongest physical strength is the one most likely to win the championship."

"The Lang Chu is taking a dump."

"Disgusting, that Lang Chu is using his subordinates' accounts to post again."

"???"

"Putting aside their personalities, even with the power of the Yu San Jia, Yu Zhong Cheng Chi has a chance to win the championship."

"Where's the Steamed Bun? Didn't anyone mention the Steamed Bun?"

"If you're bad at it, just practice more."

"Lao Man should go back to updating his videos; he's not suited for this kind of activity."

"War Maniac Bro is invincible! He'll cut down every single mouth!"

"I'm not interested in the match, I just want to pet His Your Majesty Keosius's tail, hehehe. qwq His Your Majesty Keosius."

"What unidentified creature is upstairs?"

"Is there any need to say it? Those perverts who like to post erotic pictures."

"."

"In the original history, the champion of the first PvP event should have been the guild leader of the Kingship Guild. I wonder what changes will occur now?"

Browsing through a lively forum, Keosius deliberately ignored a few unusual comments, thinking to himself.

"Xin Gou, I will not lose! The title of Dragon Flame Champion is mine!"

"Smack!"

Inside the tavern, Steamed Bun slammed his hand on the table, issuing a fierce declaration.

The people around him immediately looked at him as if he were crazy, making Steamed Bun involuntarily shrink his neck.

"Aww—"

The Noodles tied to the Zhu Zi outside the tavern seemed to sense their owner's unusual behavior and let out a howl.

"Oh."

Singo didn't even look up, just flipped through the papers in his hand, and gave a perfunctory reply.

Seeing that the other party did not respond to his declaration of war, Steamed Bun felt as if he had punched a cotton ball, and was extremely frustrated.

All the pride and arrogance in Steamed Bun's heart leaked out like air from a punctured balloon.

He stepped forward and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Singo continued flipping through the pages and casually remarked, "Study your opponents in advance and make thorough preparations, but just focus on the stronger players."

Steamed Bun looked over curiously and saw familiar names written on the papers: Charlotte, Overlord, Steel Frenzy, Dawei Tianlong, Yu Zhong Cheng Chi. After each name, there were detailed descriptions of their various professional abilities, equipment attributes, weaknesses, and so on. It was clear that a lot of effort had been spent compiling these information.

"Holy crap, this is so detailed, did you make this fresh?"

"Of course not. I started collecting information on all the players two months ago. Didn't you receive any inside information? Oh, by the way, you're not a mid-level officer, so you don't have the authority."

"."

The Steamed Bun fell silent.

After a moment, he asked with some anticipation, "By the way, what about me?"

"Did you collect my information too? Let me see it! Ugh. I never expected that as a teammate, someone I spend every day with, you would steal my intelligence. Really."

Singo then looked up, glanced at him with some surprise, and said calmly, "I've already said, I only collect valuable information."

"Well"

Steamed Bun gave an awkward smile and turned around, "War Maniac Bro, you should participate too, right?"

The Born Battle Maniac stroked his bald head, which was now covered in patina, and chuckled, "Of course, this kind of activity is my specialty. Maybe I'll be the one to kill Single in the end?"

"I won't hold back. If you run into me, I'll chop you in half."

Steamed Bun glanced at the blood-stained giant axe in the other person's hand, then at the smile on the other person's face, and couldn't help but swallow.

Ming was saying the most vicious things, yet he had the most honest smile on his face. Perhaps this was the unique charm of War Maniac Bro.

"Sister Qiu Yu is so gentle—"

The Steamed Bun looked again at the Xia Ye Qiuyu.

A gentle smile appeared on Xia Ye Qiuyu's delicate face.

But then, accompanied by a tearing sound, raging flames erupted from those beautiful golden eyes, unstoppable.

"."

Another silence followed.

Steamed Bun felt that his path in the competition might be about to become more difficult.

——Requesting monthly votes——