The number of players was double that of the mechanical race, but the latter’s average combat power far surpassed that of the players. Not to mention, the mechanical race was highly united, with their battle support distribution being incredibly efficient.
On the other hand, the players from various races all had different mindsets. While they were fighting, no one dared to claim they were putting in their best effort.
Take Rita, for example. She could never use her ultimate ability, One-Person Party, to control the battlefield and assist all the other players. She would rather let this Divine Game fail than reveal her most powerful trump card so early.
However, she wasn’t slacking off. Thanks to her agile flying ability and several skills from Midnight Exile, she was becoming more and more powerful, her combat strength matching even those of 10th-tier players.
But, unfortunately, after fifteen minutes of fighting, the players had already fallen into a disadvantage.
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Even Maple Syrup’s skill, which was supposed to ignite the players’ fighting spirit, had lost its effect.
Faced with the obvious outcome, the smarter players began weighing their losses and gains:
Rather than continue expending energy, they chose to preserve their strength. Especially those with high-cooldown skills, they decided to save them for when the area became a wasteland zone—that way they could at least protect themselves.
Almost one-fifth of the players began slacking off.
In-game, slacking off during a dungeon can be detected, so of course, in reality, players who had fought their way up from the start could easily tell what was going on.
Rita frowned as she watched. Although she also felt that this special story mission was unlikely to succeed, and this Divine Game would most likely end in failure, wasn’t it better to take out a few more mechanical races?
Even without any rewards, wouldn’t it make their safety easier once the area became a wasteland zone, the fewer mechanical races left?
As Rita dodged a punch from a mechanical race, she casually formed a small Cheers thunderball, which she tossed at the enemy’s face. The ball exploded against its huge face, leaving a crater. Despite the explosion’s impact, the visual effect of the attack made it look almost laughable.
Rita couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
Just then, she heard a light laugh.
Following that, the clear, crisp voice of Maple Syrup rang out, "BS Rita, watch closely! This is Cheers!"
Rita once again saw firsthand the true power of Cheers as it unleashed a massive thunderous storm in the battlefield. Thunderous beer mugs filled the sky above the market. Everywhere players and mechanical races stood, there were 1-2 beer mugs floating, filled with lightning and thunder, and small thunderballs that looked like ice cubes, floating and sinking inside.
The beer mugs flew and clinked, exploding in bursts of thunder, resembling a wild party.
The sound of explosions, gunshots, and other combat noises disappeared in an instant as the battlefield seemed to pause. Every mechanical race and player stopped their movements.
Maple Syrup’s Cheers had evolved. Or perhaps, the version she showed Rita back in High Tower had been incomplete.
Rita felt a floating beer mug brush her hand. She didn’t dodge it and clearly sensed that the mug had no harm. The moment it touched her, her mind flooded with various ways to train Cheers.
Before she could even process all the information, with a light shout from Maple Syrup, all the beer mugs shot into the battlefield, crashing towards B801717’s energy core, each explosion sending out waves of thunder, affecting all nearby targets.
Maple Syrup whipped out a chain of lightning, dragging away players who could have been affected and tossing them aside.
In less than three seconds, B801717 was forced to kneel.
Maple Syrup hovered in the air, silently looking down at B801717.
By the time the last beer mug exploded, B801717 had been reduced to a pile of dark, broken debris.
For a moment, it was as if the scene had frozen. Every player and mechanical race stood in silent awe, watching Maple Syrup.
On the battlefield, where players fought players, Maple Syrup had won—and she had won spectacularly.
Rita could hear the sound of her own heartbeat racing.
—"I’m Getting Serious" activated!
She aimed at the 14th-tier mechanical race that was positioned behind B801717. This mechanical race had been too close to B801717 when it was hit by the Cheers explosions.
Now, it only had 1% energy left!
Due to the sheer audacity of the move, neither the players nor the mechanical races reacted immediately.
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Everyone just quietly watched as the bullet from Rita’s gun struck the 14th-tier mechanical race, D3851130.
D3851130 attempted to dodge, but Rita had activated I’m Getting Serious.
Moreover, this shot was the fourth strike from Midnight Exile, making the attack power 125 times stronger.
The mechanical race’s energy core was instantly destroyed.
All the players quickly turned their attention back to Rita, watching her silently.
Even Maple Syrup turned to look at Rita.
Rita smiled slightly at her and said, "Thank you, mother."
You’ve taken advantage of me so many times, I guess it’s my turn to get back at you. Isn’t it fair?
Maple Syrup smiled and nodded, "Just like me."
Rita froze for a moment, confused. "Wait, how are you insulting me?"
The players who understood Owlspeak fell silent.
Those who didn’t understand it also went quiet, looking at the two owls’ expressions, and they couldn’t help but feel a little disgusted.
After that brief exchange, the situation on the battlefield started to shift. Although the mechanical race still held the advantage, at least the players began to see a glimmer of hope.
The most powerful 15th-tier mechanical race had already been taken down by Maple Syrup, and now she turned her attention to the 14th-tier mechanical races.
The mechanical race responded by sending five 14th-tier fighters to surround Maple Syrup.
While Maple Syrup dealt with that, Rita continued flying around, shooting from a distance, while reviewing the knowledge about Cheers in her mind.
Now that she had mastered Cheers to an extent, she could easily tell what was right and wrong among the new techniques she had gained.
She tried to incorporate a few insights into her own Cheers technique, and when she unleashed it again, it was much more stable, with the outlines of the cups finally forming.
It hadn’t been long, but Maple Syrup had given her all the core essentials for the skill.
Rita couldn’t be sure whether Maple Syrup had acted out of a momentary whim, or if there were some hidden motives behind it, but one thing was certain: she owed Maple Syrup a favor.
Minute 55:
There were still over 300 mechanical races left.
The players were down to just over 1,200.
This was mainly due to mechanical races with weak spots or low energy, automatically shutting down after exhausting their power.
But even though the players now outnumbered the mechanical races four to one, everyone knew one thing: they were going to lose.
The battlefield would transition into a wasteland zone in five minutes.
And their game… was already a failure.
Minute 58:
Half of the remaining players stopped fighting and retreated. It looked almost like a rehearsed routine as they all chose to commit suicide and leave the game, leaving behind a sea of World Graveyards.
The players who were still fighting felt the weight of the moment. Logically, they knew that suicide was the best option, but their pride and dignity made them unwilling to leave in that way.
Just then, a figure with wings shining brightly, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, rushed towards the World Graveyard.
All the players: !!!