—

Some of the participants had gone through this process once before failing to qualify during the previous round of the Gladiator’s Coliseum. So they were familiar with the proceedings.

However, newcomers like Kieran, who had yet to partake in such an event, could only wait with bated breaths.

‘A battle royale can get pretty hectic. Even though the coliseum is immense, I wouldn’t be surprised if few people are left standing after the ten minutes elapse.’

Kieran analyzed his surroundings, especially the coliseum construct itself. I

t may have been hidden well, but Kieran knew the signs of powerful arrays and formations. And there were doubtlessly more than ten applied to the coliseum’s interior and exterior.

A few were designed to maintain damage, but some prevented interference to a certain extent. If powerful enough, breaking apart the formations that protected the coliseum wasn’t impossible.

‘General Zieg wasn’t kidding when he said member intervention wasn’t allowed. It wouldn’t shock me if he personally intervened if someone attempted to do so.’

Kieran soon looked down and brought up his character panel. Instead of searching his stats, he brought up the special menu related to the Gamer Republic’s GamerHub.

After the usual verification process, Kieran accessed his screen and began the broadcasting procedure.

This action naturally delivered an announcement to his steadily growing following. Even if they were in the middle of leveling up, many players stopped what they were doing and addressed the notification.

“Oh snap! Aatrox is going live again! Is this the stream he was talking about? I wonder what he has in store for us.”

“Screw leveling up! I’m heading back to town to secure a good seat and food! Aatrox mentioned his next stream would be grander than his last, and I believe him.”

“Wooohooo! I hope someone wasn’t dumb enough to contest Aatrox again.”

Although the live broadcast was still in progress, the chat grew active with Kieran’s loyal followers. Some voiced their excitement while others made predictions about the stream’s contents.

Because Kieran used the ambiguous “The Awaited Stream,” it was difficult to accurately predict what would take place.

Was Kieran finally going up against the Shadow Cartel and Sunset Triad to thrash them once and for all? Could it be another boss fight like the one he made into a video on his profile?

So many questions—so many possibilities!

Within a few seconds, Kieran’s stream amassed over 100,000 viewers, and the number continued to rise every few seconds.

Kieran’s reach no longer included just players who understood Zenith Online; there were also viewers who stumbled across Kieran after browsing the GamerHub for an entertaining streamer.

Yashua glanced in Kieran’s direction and spoke. “I advise you to be careful during this portion. I’ve heard rumors that many know you’re Scar’s successor. Scar has passed up many people, so they’ll likely want to seek revenge through you.”

Kieran paused his actions and looked at Yashua with a slightly amused expression. “Yeah? If they have to resort to petty machinations, they’re not worthy of the War Deity Council’s name. I’ll simply trample them without looking down. After all, do we pay attention to all the bugs present during our stroll?”

Yashua was taken aback by Kieran’s indifference. These weren’t everyday challengers; most of these people had been cultivated for this very moment. How could he remain so calm despite this fact?

Eventually, Yashua felt Kieran couldn’t grasp the gravity at hand. But, after considering Scar’s position and Kieran’s earlier display of strength, another thought passed through Yashua’s mind.

‘What if he simply looks down upon them because he hides a frightening power?’

This thought drove Yashua to look up at Scar in the stands subconsciously. In Yashua’s eyes, Scar felt like an unconquerable behemoth, standing above with an imperious stance.

With a light exhale, Yashua averted his gaze. “Good luck out there. I look forward to seeing you in the second stage at least.”

Rather than thank Yashua for his good graces, Kieran took another piece of information from Yashua’s comment. “Do you know something about the second stage?”

“Further elimination,” Yashua succinctly replied.

Yashua’s reply didn’t provide much information but was enough for Kieran to infer. ‘Further elimination must mean we’ll battle amongst ourselves in a defined format. That works for me.’

While standing outside the coliseum, Kieran felt the passage of time had slowed to a crawl. Due to his anticipation, the five minutes felt like an eternity.

One minute before the event started, General Zieg took to the podium once more to announce several essential matters about the event.

“As we abide by a free-for-all battle royale structure, everyone will be assigned a rank, ranging from 1 to just over 10,000, which depends upon a few things: the status of your mentor within the War Deity Council, your strength compared to everyone in attendance, and finally, your prospects.”

After confirming that he held everyone’s attention, General Zieg continued. “Based on those factors, you will be given a certain number of points. The bottom line is 100, but the highest is 10,000.”

Ding!

〈System: Your rank in the «Gladiator Coliseum» has been recorded.〉

┌───────────────────

«Gladiator Coliseum’s Standing» –

1st: Ronan – 10,000 points

2nd: Bracca – 9,690 points

3rd: Maccavelli – 9,230 points

4th: Knox – 9,045 points

.

7,666th: Aatrox – 420 points

.

.

└───────────────────

Considering 100 points was the least number of points one could start with, Kieran’s beginning position wasn’t too bad. But, compared to the other contestants, it also wasn’t the best. There were nearly 8,000 participants above him!

Perhaps an average person would be discouraged by this standing, but not Kieran. His battle intent blazed as he clenched his fist with eyes full of anticipation.

“Before we begin, let’s go over a few rules. If you kill anyone while inside, you will be disqualified. And, you will not receive the protection of the War Deity Council should the victim’s back seek you out. We will absolve ourselves of all involvement.”

“Second, and this relates to the distribution of points. Not only will you receive the points of those you eliminate, but you will also gain 100 points for every minute you remain standing on the coliseum’s platform during your round.”

Initially, Kieran found this facet of the points to be odd. However, after pondering it for a moment longer, Kieran understood the practicality of this action. It was a way to create competition during the last minutes of each round.

The gradual accumulation of points would turn any participant into a source of decent points.

‘The War Deity Council truly is ruthless in its ways,’ Kieran thought. He could already foresee the violent struggle during the last minutes of each batch, which would lead to mass elimination.

Finally, slightly over 1,000 participants felt a slight thrum in their Lesser War Crest.

“All those who have received a signal, please report inside the coliseum’s stage.”

The gates to the grand coliseum, seemingly made of a beast’s bones, opened for the participants to enter. It only closed after all participants, who received a signal to enter, stood on the platform.

“Let the annual competition of the Gladiator’s Coliseum begin!” General Zieg bellowed.

The stands erupted into fervent cheers as a large timer reading “9:59” appeared above the coliseum.

With the timer’s appearance, almost everyone on the platform tensed before charging at one another. However, some stood motionless, absorbing the scene around them.

The masses ignored those who remained motionless. Not because they were weak, but for the opposite reason. Despite not going to great lengths to reveal it, the aura they exuded was that of a devouring beast.

Meanwhile, Kieran turned on the live broadcasting function so everyone could watch the same impressive sight alongside him. The chat erupted the moment Kieran turned on the broadcasting.

“Oh my god! Where is that?! How did Aatrox get in there?”

“It’s like we’re getting front row seats to a world-class UFL fight without paying for such a costly ticket! Speaking of which, we should all donate to the magnificent Aatrox!”

“Aatrox, show your face! Show your sexy face! We need to confirm the rumors of an aesthetic change!”

After one glance at the stream chat, Kieran grimaced.

Due to the suggestion that someone proposed, a sea of donations flooded his interface. Most were $1, but some were as large as $100.

Eventually, Kieran controlled the camera to show himself. “I promised you guys an extravagant show, so I plan to give you one. As you can see, this is a challenge of sorts. You all will watch as I conquer it.”

Gasp!

After listening to Kieran’s confident claims, a sea of emojis flooded that chat. Some newcomers regarded it as arrogance, but others had blind faith in him.

Although they knew nothing about this event, the grand scenery told them it was a place where only the strong were welcomed.

Kieran noticed the chat’s prevalent question, so he answered it. “I am currently inside the War Deity Council’s headquarters. I’m sure a few of you have caught traces of its existence by now, isn’t that right?”

Rather than reply the Kieran’s question, the chat focused on the change in his appearance.

“Hoh, my god! Look at those arms! I’d give that young man my bank account if he just embraced me. My stupid husband believes I’m no longer womanly.”

“Down horrendous.”

“Down horrendous x2.”

“Lady, I’ll embrace you as long as your face isn’t configured like a soggy sock.”

…

Roughly ten minutes later,

Kieran’s turn came as his Lesser War Chest released a strange feeling.

“Watch and learn, my precious viewers. You’re now watching a master at work.”