The players locked in a melee with the enemy NPCs.
Had also noticed the terrifying rumbling in the distance.
And each began offering their own guesses.
"Could it be an earthquake? The tremors are so strong!"
"Have you ever seen an earthquake whose amplitude changed that much?"
"It can't be an earthquake. With tremors that strong, if it were an earthquake, there would definitely be geological changes here."
"Members of the Scout Squad reported an intense chakra reaction near the source of those tremors."
"Gasp! ...Could those terrifying tremors have been caused by ninjas fighting?"
"That's possible. Think about the direction the Village Chief headed earlier..."
"Holy crap! Could the Village Chief already be fighting Kusagakure's 'peerless expert'?"
"As members of Hidden Jun Village, we have to go help. That's our duty."
"Pfft! I won't even bother exposing your little scheme. If it were me... I'd be the first to rush over and provide support!"
"Oh, please! Do you have any idea what level of ninjas must be fighting to cause such terrifying disturbances?"
"We're just watching the show. The stronger the fighters, the better the show, right?"
"Besides, this is a game. Don't take it so seriously. We won't lose anything if we die, so why not go watch?"
"..."
Everyone talked over one another, openly declaring that they wanted to leave the fight and go see what was happening.
A clash between high-level ninjas also meant rich battle merit rewards, slipping away just like that.
For the players, that felt worse than being killed.
But the viewers, who could not experience the game and could only watch livestreams to "scratch the itch," had it even worse.
They had all been looking forward to grand spectacles once the battle began.
Yet despite all the fighting so far, nothing particularly