The sun was starting to set on the day of the competition, and every player in the village was gathering in the Training Field. Thirty 5-foot wide circles had been marked off in the center of the field with large stones, with a much larger circle encompassing all of them. The majority were fairly isolated, but some were bunched up into groups of three to five. They had even placed a few logs around the area to change up the flat terrain, giving each one its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

Outside the ring, the remaining players were milling about as they looked for a good place to sit or stand. Most were sat on logs that had been brought in by the Builders, but an ambitious few had hastily made seats that put them higher into the air, hoping to get a better view of the festivities.

Ten players stood out amongst the rest, sitting atop a series of logs that stood straight into the air surrounding the arena. These were the defacto referees and were responsible for keeping track of everyone’s HP to announce when someone was eliminated. The idea was that since things could become rather hectic in such a large battle this would ensure that eliminated players wouldn’t be attacked while in such a vulnerable state.

While the referees calmly awaited the start of the competition, those below were chatting excitedly. Food and drinks were passed around, some laughs were shared over the absurdity of the situation, and bets were made over who would give the best performance.

Zed was obviously one of the favorites to win. Even though people had stopped viewing him as a dangerous psycho, they still acknowledged him as one of the most dangerous fighters in the village. It was impossible to think he wouldn’t do incredibly well in such a competition, the only question on everyone’s mind was whether a mob of players would be enough to push him around, or if he would actually manage to defend his position from beginning to end.

Other hot topics among the betting players were Alexx for his absurd Strength and combat skills making him as difficult to take down as Zed. Yang and the other Tank players because of their high Endurance and Skills like [SHIELD BASH] let them control enemy positions while holding their own.

Bates, Loran, and the other more agile fighters were also expected to eliminate a decent number of players, but since their defenses depended primarily on evasion most people didn’t expect them to hold onto any circles for very long. However, since a large number of the competing players fell into this category, most people expected a handful of them to win simply by eliminating so many opponents that there was no one left to fight over points.

How many players would get eliminated? How many would be able to hold their positions?

As the sun crept ever closer toward the mountains, the questions filling their minds and ears caused the excitement of the onlookers to grow ever higher.

~~~~~

Within the arena were 50 players, each one eying the others as they waited for the competition to start. There was a slight tension in the air, nothing compared to what these players felt before the Iron Ant raid but enough to make most attempts at conversation awkward and uncomfortable. Some just stood about, trying to act calm, while others walked around, deciding which point they wanted to try and claim.

Some players managed to remain relaxed. Off to one side, Bates could be seen speaking quietly with a few other members of his hunting squad. Alexx was standing right at the edge of the arena, trying to get the attention of someone handing out food. Zed walked about, his smile slowly growing as he eyed up the competition.

“FIVE MINUTES!” one of the referees shouted.

“How would he even know that?” Yang asked.

Loran shrugged. “They’re probably just saying whatever they want to get everyone ready.” He glanced down at the large number ‘3’ painted on his shirt. “I think it took longer than they expected to hand out their numbers.”

Each of them had a number painted on their shirts, like primitive sports jerseys, so that when someone was eliminated one of the referees could shout it out instead of assuming everyone knew everyone’s names.

“I guess that means I should go find a spot then.”

“Didn’t you say you were going to try for that one?” Loran asked, pointing to one of the more isolated points in the arena.

“Yeah, but then you said you were going to go for it and I’d be lying if I said I thought I could keep it at that point.”

“Oh?” Loran smiled with a joking smugness. “Afraid to fight me?”

“Without my best gear? Absolutely. I’m here to win not have a tough fight.”

“Doesn’t that ax have comparable damage anyway?”

Yang looked down at the Iron Ax and Carapace Shield she had been given by the Workshop. “I mean, these things are damn fine pieces of equipment, but I still wish I had my War Pick.”

Loran nodded. “I get it.”

“And if we’re being honest, I wouldn’t want to fight you while surrounded by this many random assholes. I know how much you like hanging back and hitting when the enemy is distracted.”

Loran’s brow furrowed. “You say that, but when was the last time I actually fought like that? Honestly, when was the last time we actually fought together?”

“...Fuuuck it has been a while hasn’t it? Our whole party hasn’t really worked together ever since we found those damn ants.”

“Yeah…honestly I kind of miss those normal hunting trips.”

“Unfortunately these raids are-

“TWO MINUTES!”

“I think that’s your que,” Loran said.

“Yeah, I’ll get going.” Yang began to walk toward the edge of the arena in search of another easily defensible point. “Good luck!”

“Thanks….” as Yang left Loran opened his inventory and looked through the handful of iron weapons that he… borrowed from the Workshop. “...but I don’t think I’m going to need it.

~~~~~

"Get ready!" A player shouted, eyes firmly locked on where the light of the setting sun was about to touch the peak of the western mountains.

The audience went silent as the competing players readied themselves, drawing weapons and prepping spells as they deemed fit.

Yang, unable to use her War Ax, brandished a newly crafted shield and club, both made from thick branches held together with iron bands.

Alexx let out a deep breath as he took up a fighting pose.

Bates pulled out a pair of Iron Ant Soldier Blades.

Zed smiled menacingly as he twirled his spear.

Loran closed his eyes and began channeling mana.

"....Begin!"

The silence in the field was shattered by an explosion of voices, the competitors letting out their battle cries and the audience cheering in excitement.

Then the field was rocked by a series of Fire Bomb spells in the center of the ring, sending over a dozen players reeling and silencing everyone present.

At the center of the destruction, completely undisturbed, was Loran, claiming one of the center-most points in the ring. All around him were over a dozen weapons and shields, each one held up by a spell as they floated through the air.

For a few seconds, everyone just stood there gaping at him. What was he doing? Drawing attention to himself like this was suicide. Questions filled everyone's minds as he simply stood there, shoulders hunching slightly under the attention he was receiving.

Loran's gaze scanned over the people staring at him, eventually finding and locking eyes with Yang, who was just as astonished as everyone else by the situation.

Loran gave her a shaky grin, and she laughed loudly, breaking the stillness and causing the fighting to start again.

Claiming a spot right away like this was almost asking to be targeted, but that was fine. Loran hadn't joined this competition for the sake of winning, he did it to gain experience with his new combat style. He needed to see if [EXTREME PERCEPTION] was powerful enough to let him fight head-on instead of his original, evasive methods.

And he would get exactly that, as his flashy display caused over a dozen players to focus exclusively on him.