Amidst a chorus of questions, finally, the system’s voice rang out.

[The three-hour period has elapsed, team formation is now closed. A total of seventeen participants failed to join a team and will be eliminated by the system.]

[There are a total of eleven thousand one hundred and fifty teams. Next, the system will randomly teleport trialist teams to the combat arena inside the rulers’ palace. Please be prepared!]

...

Accompanied by screams, those trialists who failed to form teams in time were directly eliminated by the system.

Their bodies rapidly became transparent and vanished from the chessboard world.

At the same time, exclamations of surprise were heard from other trialists.

They were shocked to find themselves enveloped in a powerful force and then teleported away.

When the feeling of weightlessness subsided and their feet finally touched the ground, they were amazed to find themselves in a magnificent palace.

This palace was extraordinarily vast.

Fog surrounded the area, limiting their visibility.

"Hey? Isn’t that you? Aren’t you from our White Dragon team?"

"Yeah, right. Could it be that our team was selected to come here?"

"Looks like it. Not sure if we should consider ourselves lucky."

The trialists expressed their surprise.

They realized that all the trialists teleported here were from the same team.

Like most teams, the White Dragon team was also formed temporarily.

There were five members.

Previously, they did not know each other and had never met in person.

However, they had seen each other’s photos and videos, so they could recognize each other at first glance.

Amidst their surprise and realizing they were the first team teleported to the rulers’ palace, they couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Mainly because of Waldo’s formidable reputation.

Moreover, they were unclear about the specifics of the situation here, being completely in the dark.

Directly facing Waldo seemed very risky.

"Don’t panic, I’m here," said the captain of the White Dragon team, appearing calm and composed.

This somewhat calmed the somewhat panicked members of the White Dragon team. Since their captain wasn’t afraid and had confidence, they didn’t need to worry too much. After all, the outcome of this matchup ultimately depended on the captain.

The role they could play, to be honest, was very small. But what they absolutely didn’t expect was that at this moment, their captain was more panicked than anyone else.

"Damn it, why is this happening? Why is our White Dragon team the first to go? And why are we the only team? How are we supposed to fight?" The captain of the White Dragon team cursed inwardly. This is really screwed up! What can our barely-formed team do? Defeat Waldo? What a pipe dream!

He was still very self-aware. Unless in the later stages, when Waldo gets worn out by other teams, they might stand a slight chance. Or, if they could unite multiple teams to jointly target Waldo from the start. Otherwise, there’s no way they could match Waldo. And now, with just their team? How could they fight? Even if they fought with their lives, they couldn’t win.

...

Phew! 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A gust of wind blew by. The smoke inside the palace gradually dissipated, and the visibility slowly cleared up. The scene inside the palace slowly appeared before the eyes of the White Dragon team members.

"My God, this palace is huge! The dome is at least dozens of meters high, and the area is vast! Worthy of being the former palace of rulers, even if abandoned, it’s still magnificent, giving off a feeling of being historically ancient yet incredibly solemn."

"So grand!"

"Are we... now in the martial arts competition arena?"

"Wow, I didn’t realize it just now, but now that we have a clear view, it turns out we’ve been on top of the competition arena all along!"

"Where are Waldo and his team?"

The five members of the White Dragon team looked around in disbelief. Then, their eyes widened.

Because, in the distance ahead, five figures were approaching them. Without a doubt, these were their opponents, the number one seed team. The Dawn team! Instantly, the members of the White Dragon team felt as if they were facing a great enemy. It couldn’t be helped, Waldo’s reputation was too formidable. They had to be extra cautious.

"Waldo!"

"Is it really him? Are we going to be his opponents?"

"Our captain is going to be blessed with the power of justice, doubling his strength. I refuse to believe we can’t beat him!"

"Wait, did you guys notice? The two people next to Waldo look familiar."

The members of the White Dragon team, who were whispering among themselves, narrowed their eyes. They suddenly felt that the people approaching them looked familiar. Waldo, of course, was recognizable as the top of the four leaderboards. The other two also seemed familiar. Did they resemble some figures from the black list?

They weren’t sure.

"The one on the left, is that Kong Ming? Known for always lurking on the black list, but with considerable strength!"

"The cute girl on the right, oh my God! Isn’t she the legendary merciless demon, Little Rabbit?"

"It seems... it really is her!"

"The legend is true! The demon Little Rabbit and Waldo are in cahoots; they’ve been colluding all along!"

"The Dawn team has three terrifying figures from the black list! Yikes! Terrifying indeed!"

"We’re doomed, totally doomed!"

Upon realizing the true identities of those approaching, each member of the White Dragon team, from the players to the captain, had their faces drastically change. In an instant, they turned as pale as paper. It wasn’t that they were cowardly. It was simply too frightening! A single entity from the black list was not something they could easily provoke. And now...

Three major entities from the black list, and moreover, they are among the top-ranked. How could they possibly fight this?

...

"Can we surrender?" The captain of the White Dragon team asked in a hoarse voice, addressing Waldo and his team. Waldo smiled faintly and slowly shook his head.

"No." Then, he changed his tone. "Bring out your true capabilities. Don’t disappoint me too much. Fight with all your might, there might still be a slim chance. And as for surrendering? Do you think you can escape unscathed by surrendering? Impossible!"

This match only had one possible outcome: life or death. As soon as Waldo finished speaking, he didn’t hesitate at all. His body swayed like a tiger ready to pounce, stepping on the ground with a speed unreachable by others, carrying a majestic and overpowering aura, and in an instant lunged at the White Dragon team.

To be honest, in front of Waldo, the White Dragon team was like a flock of sheep with no defensive capabilities. It would be easy to deal with them.

"Damn it!"

"Waldo, don’t be too arrogant!"

"Don’t underestimate us!"

The five members of the White Dragon team were furious. In their shock, they each took out weapons from their system space. In an instant, energy surged. All five emitted a terrifying aura, their momentum instantly reaching its peak, ready for a decisive battle to the death.

"Waldo, back off! Don’t push us too far!" The captain of the White Dragon team shouted angrily. His aura instantly heightened. Then, he grunted softly. From above the palace dome, a mysterious and profound force, permeated with an unfathomable aura, directly entered his body.