Moments ago, Waldo was like a war deity, invincible and slaying enemies left and right, greatly boosting their morale. They felt more confident and emotionally stirred than ever. Unexpectedly, at that moment, Waldo suddenly showed signs of distress. His body shook, and his aura declined at an alarming rate, deeply alarming both of them.

WadeMallin scrutinized Waldo with suspicion. And just when Waldo seemed to be recovering, more questions arose. What caused his sudden decline in strength, and where did this resurgence of power come from? These queries lingered in their minds, making Waldo seem more mysterious and unfathomable than they had imagined, as if he carried unknown secrets.

Their gaze towards Waldo had changed, now filled with awe and admiration, emotions richer than before. People knew Waldo as the ’Child of the System’, blessed with incredible luck, the daily beneficiary of fortune that enabled his rapid, almost unbelievable rise, dominating the top of three leaderboards.

Oh, no! Make that four leaderboards. Waldo is now also the number one wanted criminal on the black list! Undoubtedly, Waldo had unknowingly become the first legend of the chessboard world.

However, while the trial participants knew Waldo as a powerful and notorious criminal, a legendary participant, they were unaware that Waldo was also a man with his own story and hardships.

After learning this, the WadeMallin siblings felt, for some reason, that Waldo possessed an infinite charm that was utterly convincing. That’s why they were so concerned about his current condition.

Waldo’s fluctuating aura was a clear sign of trouble. Earlier, they had seen Waldo taking something from a small porcelain bottle, but they dared not connect the two incidents. After all, compared to Waldo, their understanding was much more limited. They couldn’t fathom anything that could cause such a drastic change in Waldo’s aura.

...

Waldo shook his head lightly. "I’m alright now, you don’t need to worry." Hearing this, Mallin exhaled a sigh of relief. "Captain, you really scared us just now. One moment you were overwhelmingly strong, and the next, you seemed on the verge of collapse. I thought the bloody puppets had injured your internal organs or even your core, causing your aura to collapse like a crumbling building." Mallin patted her shapely chest, a trace of lingering fear on her innocent face.

Waldo took a deep breath, trying to stabilize the surging power within him. "To kill these bloody puppets as soon as possible, I took a pill that has severe side effects but can boost my strength several times in a short period. That’s why I could kill these puppets instantly." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"But the side effects are indeed severe. Just now, I almost couldn’t stand, feeling completely drained." At this moment, Waldo still felt a sense of lingering fear. Seeing the surprise on Wade Mallin’s faces, he knew they were puzzled. He then explained, "However, I did have a countermeasure for the side effects."

"When I felt the side effects coming on, I took another pill that could quickly restore my energy, and my condition soon improved," Waldo explained. "Without that subsequent pill, I wouldn’t dare to push myself like this."

Hearing this, the WadeMallin siblings nodded in understanding. This made sense! If Waldo only had a pill that excessively drained his energy, it would be too risky. Such a potent pill would inevitably have significant side effects. For a considerable time afterward, it would leave him almost powerless. Without prompt recovery or trustworthy protection, he could easily become vulnerable. Fortunately, Waldo was well-prepared.

However, what intrigued WadeMallin more was the mention of the pills by Waldo. Pills? Weren’t such things only found in legends? How come they existed in the chessboard world too? And it seemed Waldo had quite a few of them, even of various kinds. This left the siblings full of doubts, but they dared not ask explicitly. This could involve secrets not meant to be shared. As members of Waldo’s team, there were things they were not entitled to inquire about, especially now when their relationship was somewhat delicate. They needed to maintain a certain decorum.

"Something’s wrong, there’s movement!" Suddenly, WadeMallin’s expression changed, sensing something. Both turned to look at Waldo, only to find him already with a grave expression, intently focusing in a certain direction. Following his gaze, Mallin and Wade sharply turned towards the deeper parts of the palace. A formidable aura was emanating from within, sending chills down their spines.

It seemed as if, in an instant, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood had materialized. Layer upon layer of ghostly shadows, accompanied by countless mournful and wailing sounds, echoed throughout the palace.

Thump! Thump! Thump! ...

Suddenly, the ground started to tremble. It was as if a massive, immensely heavy beast was stepping forward. Each step caused a slight tremor in the ground, as though it were stepping directly on one’s heart. At the same time, an overpoweringly strong aura emanated from the depths of the palace. As time passed, the footsteps grew louder and the vibrations more pronounced, indicating that a mysterious creature was approaching them.

"Damn it, what is this thing?" "Why are there so many strange things in the rulers’ palace?" "First, it was the bloody puppets, and now, something else unknown is appearing!" "This is the rulers’ palace, why is this happening?"

A look of shock appeared in the WadeMallin siblings’ eyes. They felt an unprecedented immense pressure from the mysterious presence deep within the palace. Under this overpowering oppression, they felt terrified. Even a sense of endless fear sprouted and grew rapidly in their hearts, dampening their will to fight and giving rise to a desire to flee or simply surrender.

...

Just then, a cold voice exploded like a refreshing spring in the heat of summer, bringing a moment of clarity. "Heh, I said it wouldn’t be that simple," the voice said. "To obtain the mysterious treasure left by the supreme rulers, one must complete three tasks, and each task is definitely not going to be easy. Now it seems, this is indeed the case!"