As the beams of light faded, the Players' forms gradually stabilized. Whether they had been in the Glazed High Tower or somewhere else before, they were now all standing steadily on the Jungle Chess board.
Chang Xu propped himself up with Life Severer. He was covered in blood, his face deathly pale. His black hoodie had long since been shredded by the ratmen's sharp teeth, exposing the gruesome wounds beneath.
Blood dripped onto the marble floor in a steady trickle, soon pooling into a puddle.
The Players had already learned everything that had happened in the underground courtyard from the images projected on the stone slab. As they looked at Chang Xu, their gazes all carried a little more sympathy and reverence.
They had clearly seen how Chang Xu had been frantically besieged by those ratmen who fanatically worshipped Qi Si.
There had been several moments when, even from Nian Fu's perspective, Chang Xu himself could not be seen—only writhing snake bodies and rat heads.
From Chang Xu's own perspective, meanwhile, everything had been stained with blood, filled with chunks of flesh and severed limbs.
No one had expected that, under such circumstances, Chang Xu could endure for half an hour and return to the Beast Arena alive.
"Today's Beast Arena game has concluded successfully. I trust that everyone has adapted to the pace of our game and formed clear plans for what lies ahead."
The Goat dutifully played the host, spouting hollow pleasantries. "Some teams turned the tide and achieved respectable rankings; some stabilized their advantage and accumulated even more resources on top of what they already had; while others lay low, waiting for the chance to rise later.
"Who, exactly, will claim the crown of victory? How very exciting!"
The Players could clearly sense that the Goat was