'The Competition' ④

The third rule of the 'competition', which is this 'competition' involving about two hundred people under supervision from Area A, is naturally different from the previous ones due to the large number of participants.

Previously, the 'individual competition' format was varied and limited to one-on-one gameplay.

The subsequent 'team match' mode became much more fixed, and the number of players was increased tenfold, changing from one-on-one to a maximum of ten-on-ten.

As for the 'team competition' that has now started, it has increased nearly tenfold in terms of the number of participants in the 'team competition', becoming more than one hundred people from the 'Snake Group' including those poached from the 'Beast Team', against the more than ninety people from the 'Beast Group'.

At the same time, the rules and gameplay have changed again, becoming a large-scale team game where the winner is determined by a single round.

The game consists of a competition that encompasses four aspects: moral character, intellectual ability, physical fitness, and athletic ability. Two participating "teams" composed of more than two hundred people compete against each other to determine the final three winners.

"Hey hey! All the contestants have now been divided into factions and factions, forming two teams with roughly equal numbers of players."

"Shoulder to shoulder! A great commotion! It seems all the competitors are ready to begin the competition!"

"Alright, without further ado, let's announce the rules for the first round!"

The 'host' first gave an opening speech to attract the attention of the group of people being disciplined, and then began to announce the rules of the game.

First of all! The game in this competition is 'Labyrinth Treasure Race'!

"Members from both sides must pair up and enter the maze through different entrances around the maze. Entrances that have already been entered will be sealed off."

"The maze is divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower. Each group of members must navigate through different entrances and overcome various obstacles to reach the central treasure location on a certain level. They must then retrieve the treasure from the center of the maze and exit through a different route than the one from which they entered."

"Upon departure, points will be tallied based on the quantity and type of treasures carried by the group. The most valuable central treasure, of which there is only one per floor, is placed in a glowing treasure chest at the very center of the central treasure area on each floor."

"Each Central Treasure is worth 100 points. Below that, each Sunlight Treasure is worth 30 points, totaling ten! Each Moonlight Treasure is worth 10 points, totaling twenty-five! Each Starlight Treasure is worth 1 point, totaling fifty!"

"Friendly reminder: each team that reaches the central treasure location can take away more than one treasure! And the exit route you choose after taking the treasure will very likely be the same entry route chosen by someone else!"

The 'host' seemed to have good lung capacity, as she rattled off the long list of rules in one breath before letting out two exaggerated, heavy breaths. Those unpleasant 'panting' sounds amplified through the microphone, reaching the ears of every chosen participant... it was pure torture, a form of auditory pollution.

After her 'moaning,' the 'host' seemed completely oblivious to the 'destructive' and 'polluting' power of her 'moaning,' and went on to introduce the precautions for this 'competition.'

"Secondly! Taking lives is prohibited in this competition! Causing lifelong harm to others is prohibited! Excessive use of 'Quirk' is prohibited! Using 'Quirk' to carry dungeon treasures is prohibited! Altering the dungeon scenery is prohibited! Passing challenges through illegal means is prohibited!"

"Finally! I wish all the participants a pleasant competition! No matter how you play, I'll be happy watching you all~ hehehe..."

Finally, accompanied by the 'host's' piercing laughter, the final chapter of this 'large-scale team competition' between 'snakes' and 'beasts' in Area A officially began.

After exchanging words, Uraraka Shige and the big, seemingly simple-minded man surnamed Gu Yu formed a group and randomly chose an entrance to enter the maze.

After entering the maze, two guards behind them set up a yellow warning tape to block off the entrance.

Among all the participants, there were none who attempted to slip through the guards' surveillance and follow the entrance routes chosen by other groups... or perhaps there were, but they were not directly discovered by the guards.

In conclusion, Uraraka Shige and Gu Yu's group successfully entered the maze.

Contrary to what Uraraka Shige expected, the maze was not dark at all. Instead, after a short uphill climb, it became extremely bright, almost too bright. This was because the surrounding walls were entirely made of mirror-like objects!

Of course, Uraraka Shige didn't know... at least not at this moment, that the underground area of the entire maze was indeed as dark as he had imagined and remembered, to the point that it was even difficult to see the facial features of his teammates in the same group.

The situation they were facing, where the light was so bright it was almost blinding, forcing them to squint to see the path ahead, was only possible on the highest level. The best and most normal view was actually at the very center of the entire maze, the level where all the maze entrances were located.

However, the central level of the maze, while offering a perfectly normal view, contains many hidden traps compared to the upper and lower levels. While these traps may not cause physical harm, their psychological impact is questionable... Moreover, these traps are excellent at stalling for time, making them quite annoying.

After traveling for about two or three minutes in this extremely dazzling place, Uraraka Shige and the others suddenly arrived at an environment where the light had returned to normal.

This space was deliberately created to prevent the disciplined individuals from developing snow blindness, and it is also located on the top floor as a testing ground.

In underground areas, there are also spaces like this to ensure that contestants do not experience eye problems or issues from prolonged exposure to dim lighting.

As for the middle layer, there are naturally 'safe houses' without any mechanisms or traps, used as test areas... This also ensures that they don't become too annoyed or irritable from the repeated appearance of test areas.

After staying there for a while and feeling their eyes relax, Uraraka Shige and the other person finally began to carefully examine their surroundings. Soon, they discovered their first challenge—a stone slab with inscriptions embedded in the mechanical door that was blocking their way.

The question carved on the stone slab was one that Uraraka Shige found somewhat familiar.

What kind of person walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?

Compared to the famous Riddle of the Sphinx, it's simply a matter of changing the animal to a human and removing the final "the most legs are the most useless".