Although it’s said that anyone might obtain the final treasure, there’s no doubt that these three had the advantage. As long as they continue to defeat other trial participants and those listed on the ’black list’, and gain the system’s recognition, they can obtain the ultimate treasure!

"Regarding the system, you’ve all seen it, right?"

"To obtain the final treasure, we must meet three requirements. First, defeat all the bloody stone statues in the palace! Second, win the arena matches by defeating each trial participant! Third, defeat all trial participants on the black list!"

Waldo looked intently at the three of them, Wade and Mallin included. Only now did they truly become a team. Earlier, although the three of them acted together, it was more of an informal, trust-based alliance. There was no real binding agreement or genuine trust among them. But now, it was different.

Their team had been officially recognized by the system. This meant that their relationship was guaranteed by the system, ensuring complete trust. From now on, they would act as one. Moreover, as the team leader, Waldo had two additional slots for recruitment.

Naturally, Waldo was the leader, which was expected. Including Wade and Mallin, no one objected. Given Waldo’s strength, it would be strange if he were not the leader. Moreover, even if the system had offered them the leadership, the siblings wouldn’t dare to accept it!

However, although Waldo had two additional slots, he wasn’t in a hurry to recruit others. The reason was simple. The affairs of the rulers’ palace hadn’t been exposed yet, and the system hadn’t made a general announcement. So, Waldo didn’t rush to spread the news. Revealing it too early might not be beneficial for the three of them.

Waldo speculated that the system might only reveal the affairs of the rulers’ palace after they completed the task of "eliminating all bloody stone statues." Of course, if they failed to destroy the bloody stone statues and were killed by them instead, the next batch of trial participants who discovered the palace would have to wait.

But then again, if even Waldo couldn’t eliminate all the bloody stone statues, it’s likely that very few in the entire chessboard world could achieve this. Perhaps, until the end of the chessboard world’s assessment task, the rulers’ palace would remain hidden from the public. This great opportunity could thus be missed by many, which was quite plausible.

However, Waldo was confident in annihilating all the bloody stone statues. He then said to the WadeMallin siblings, "You can see that these three tasks, while not extremely difficult, are certainly not easy!"

"Prepare yourselves mentally, and be ready to give your all, even if it means fighting to the death!"

A resolute look appeared on Wade’s delicate face. She bit her lip firmly and said, "Captain, rest assured, my brother and I have been through countless battles. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it this far. We understand what you’re saying; the difficulty is high, but our team is the most likely to win the final victory!"

With that, a bright light shone in Wade’s beautiful eyes. She smiled slightly, like a pure lotus flower emerging unstained from water:

"As long as we win the final victory and obtain the treasure left by the rulers, not only will we win the second phase of the chessboard world’s assessment, but we could also directly advance our victory in the third phase of the assessment!"

"In other words, a victory this time would greatly increase our chances of winning the ultimate victory."

Mallin nodded in approval, looking at Wade with great satisfaction. Since entering the dark realm and the chessboard world, his sister had been unlike any ordinary woman. She had never caused him any trouble and had always been his capable assistant. In fact, it could be said that without his intelligent sister Wade, Mallin might not have survived to this day.

Mallin gathered his thoughts and said, "Whether we can make it to the end still depends on the captain."

"Without the captain, everything is just empty talk!"

Hearing this, Wade also nodded. The siblings were well aware that the most critical and core element lay with Waldo. Could they, as siblings, defeat all the bloody stone statues? No. Could they defeat the numerous trial participants? It would be difficult. Could they defeat all the beings on the black list? It was practically impossible. Therefore, Waldo was their key to victory. They had to firmly stick to Waldo, the strong support they could rely on.

...

Regarding the WadeMallin siblings’ praises, Waldo could only respond with a wry smile and a shake of his head. However, one thing made Waldo look at them more favorably. Although the siblings showed unprecedented respect towards him, they didn’t resort to bottomless flattery or shameless bootlicking. They had their own principles and dignity. This aspect earned Waldo’s good impression of the siblings.

If they had resorted to shameless flattery and bootlicking just to cling to his coattails, Waldo would have actually looked down upon them. He might have even used some means to exclude these two from the team. However, it seems that won’t be necessary now.

Just then, Waldo suddenly gestured with his hand, his gaze becoming intense. He stood motionless, staring ahead. His hand tightly gripped an axe, with veins popping up on his arm like little snakes, fierce and terrifying. In an instant, his arm bulged significantly.

"Bloody stone statues!"

WadeMallin reacted, their faces changing abruptly. Unbeknownst to them during their conversation, numerous stone statues in the palace had come to life. The rock fell away to reveal bodies clad in fierce armor. The statues, with their strong and muscular bodies, emitted a terrifying and bloody aura.

The nine headless bloody stone statues, like invincible warriors who had fought countless battles and slain numerous enemies, marched towards Waldo and the siblings with heavy, resonant steps.

"These bloody puppets are not weak; their strength is close to 200. Be cautious!" Waldo glanced at the WadeMallin siblings. They were relatively composed, not panicking. Waldo then cautioned, "Watch out for yourselves. Once the fight breaks out, I might not be able to protect you completely!"