The Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament

"Cassius, please wait for my good news." The silver dragon spread her wings and soared into the sky, her streamlined form exceptionally graceful, her silvery wings shimmering beneath the sunlight. "Finally bamboozled her completely." "Next, all I have to do is wait for aid from the Good-aligned factions. I trust that old fellow Oszedro still has a bit of a conscience." Watching the silver dragon recede into the distance, Cassius nodded slightly, then glanced back at the panel that had refreshed with new information. [The comprehensive strength rating of the NPC faction you established, the Cinder Empire, has reached: Tier 3] [Unlocked new section: Faction Events] This came as no surprise to Cassius. A Tier 3 faction was already considered a notable power across the Feanso Continent. After all, even Holy Fadlan at the height of its prosperity was only evaluated by the system as a Tier 5 faction. After a year of development, the empire had made tremendous strides in politics, economics, and even culture. The Matra Grand Farm was in full operation, supplying food for the entire realm. The empire's military-industrial complex had also been established and was booming, while the parliamentary system had gradually become standard practice, further refining the political apparatus. The growth of productive forces, the material affluence of the people, and—not least—the influence of the players had also spurred rapid cultural evolution, giving rise to countless new waves of thought. An ethos of self-confidence and martial prowess spread across the nation. In just a few short years, the people dwelling in this remote, barren expanse of the Great Anzetta Waste had reached a dual peak of material and spiritual prosperity. Though behind this flourishing momentum lay the sweat of countless workers and the blood and tears of the southern populace, all of it was concealed beneath the empire's dazzling veneer. "Faction events have arrived as well." Cassius let out a slight smile. Faction events allowed him to secure a permanent place on the players' interface, integrating imperial activities completely into their gaming lives. Once Version 2.0 launched, faction events would attract even more players to his side, establishing the Cinder Empire as the "main faction" in their minds. After all, the next version would unlock numerous ancient teleportation circles—which functioned as so-called "spawn points." Right now, the Cinder Empire could rely on its home-field advantage to sweep virtually all players into its fold. In the next version, however, that might not hold true. The Elven Kingdom of the High Forest, the Free Trade Federation of Silvermoon Bay, the war-torn Three Kingdoms of Fadlan, and the Orc clans of the Rosa Desert would all become immensely appealing starting zones. Cassius recalled the various timeline milestones from his memories. "Today is May 2, 1789 of the Third Age. There are still two months left before the Northland Winds version ends and the servers shut down for the first time after open beta." "In that case, let the Cinder Empire host the first server-wide official PvP event." In Cassius's past life, the original first server-wide PvP event had appeared during the Clash of Kings version, jointly hosted by dozens of elite guilds. Now, that grand spectacle was being moved forward. This was Cassius's plan—organize a massive PvP event before the server shutdown to squeeze the players of their remaining experience points and gold coins one last time in the Northland Winds version. At the same time, it would highlight the Cinder Empire's standing as the "official faction" and attract even more players in the future. Two years ago, Cassius had personally proposed the plan for the "Imperial Colosseum," commissioning the magnificent, imposing structure in Isdalia precisely for this day. Around three months ago, Cassius had delegated the preparations to Trump. Now, everything was practically ready, awaiting only the release of the official announcement. "Everything is ready; all that's missing is the final spark." Cassius called up the panel once more. He puffed out a faint wisp of white smoke, light gleaming in his golden slit pupils. [Issue large-scale faction event to players?] [Yes.] [Please name this faction event.] Cassius pondered for a moment. Unable to come up with anything particularly stylish, he perfunctorily slapped "Imperial" onto it—just as he had done when naming the Imperial Colosseum. [Named: The First Cinder Empire Gladiatorial Tournament] [Faction event published!] ... On May 3, 1789 of the Third Age, nearly four hundred thousand players across Elezerg received the faction event notification simultaneously. The announcement set everyone's passion ablaze. The player base went wild! Instantly, threads concerning the "Imperial Gladiatorial Tournament" blew up across the forums. Soon, nearly everyone was buzzing about the upcoming grand event. "Holy crap?!" "The rewards are insane! There are titles and cosmetics too!" "Is the dev team actually acting human for once?" "I'm joining too!" "I wanted to keep a low profile and just play casually, but now I'm forced to reveal my identity as a supreme master!" "Give it a rest. It's just a playground for powerhouse guilds and pro players. Us mortals are just along for the show." "This has to be the final big event of this version, right?" The reason was simple: the tournament rewards were extraordinarily lavish and utterly unprecedented. For example, the player who claimed the championship in the Individual Tournament would not only receive a mountain of gold coins and experience points, but also earn the exclusive "Dragonflame Champion" title and cosmetic set. "Dragonflame Champion" dyed the player's nameplate a striking gold-and-crimson and granted a precious point of Charisma. As for the cosmetic set, it was even more eye-catching—a lavish gilded finish, exquisitely carved claws and fangs, domineering wyvern-head pauldrons, and a pair of gently fluttering fiery wings on the back... The visual effects were cranked to the absolute max! It could only be described as the ultimate fantasy for whale players. In reality, it was merely a piece of gear Cassius had casually crafted using his profound control over the fire element, barely scraping into the Rare quality tier. He could forge seven or eight pieces like that in a single day; he had offered only one purely to ensure its scarcity. As for the spirit robes and armor prepared for the semifinalists and quarterfinalists, they were merely byproducts of his elemental experiments, items originally destined for the scrap heap. Their stats weren't particularly overpowered, but their aesthetics were undoubtedly top-tier. Some players even leaked info claiming they were mid-level imperial officials who had participated in organizing the tournament. Indeed, this tournament wasn't just being run by imperial authorities; various player guilds and esports clubs were involved as well, and they even put out a joint declaration: "The First Cinder Empire Gladiatorial Tournament has officially begun! This is a grand festival for players! This is the grandest stage in all of Elezerg!" "Blades, fists, magic, beasts—unleash your dazzling arsenal and fight with all your might to bring an ultimate visual and auditory feast to this spectacle!" "Faction leader Cinder Emperor Cassius will personally grace the knockout stage! He will witness your deeds and bestow immense rewards and supreme glory upon the ultimate champions!" Once posted, the player base erupted once more. Over the past two years, Cassius had rarely shown himself, spending most of his time secluded within the royal palace. To the players, compared to ordinary NPCs, the Emperor felt more like a "lore piece," an omnipotent figure out of legends. Many Dragon Oath Paladins had even adopted "Blessings of Cassius" as a catchphrase—especially since several top players had tested and confirmed that chanting it genuinely increased the success rate of oath spells. Whenever Cassius appeared, veteran players knew it was time to watch a cutscene. The red dragon was like a cheat code exclusive to the Cinder Empire faction; every time he took the field, he ruthlessly obliterated the enemy. Receiving personal recognition from the Emperor was akin to "a myth stepping into reality." How could they not be thrilled? Members of specialized guilds like the "Dragon Lovers' Association" and "His Majesty Cassius Fan Club" were even more ecstatic—for reasons that went without saying. They were thirsting after His Majesty's body! The tournament structure was relatively simple and straightforward. With time running short and the server shutdown imminent, they didn't bother with playoffs or round-robin leagues. The competition was divided into three categories: Individual, Team, and Guild. The Individual Tournament was a 1v1 duel between two players within a designated arena, with defeat declared when one party surrendered or was slain. The Team Tournament was a classic four-player squad battle, ending when one side surrendered or suffered a team wipe. The Guild Tournament fielded the largest numbers, capped at fifty players per guild, clashing on a designated battlefield, similarly concluding with surrender or total annihilation. Because of the tight schedule, there were only two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage. In the group stage, registered players or teams were placed into groups to face one another, earning 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The top scorers from each group advanced to the knockouts. The knockout stage was brutal slaughter. From the top one hundred down to the grand finals, winners moved on to the next round while losers were unceremoniously eliminated—until the ultimate victor emerged. This was the final major event before the Northland Winds version concluded, and virtually every player hungered for the champion's throne. Naturally, pro players and guide-writing masters had their own fan bases backing them, leading to an explosion of tier-list debates and power-ranking threads across the forums. The most intensely debated topic was a hot thread titled: *Who Will Be the Individual Champion?* It already had thousands of replies and was still climbing fast, featuring a wild mix of commentators. "Big S is definitely taking the championship!" "Dog-fans, that's enough out of you. This is a pro-level tournament. He's a solo player with no backing and mediocre skills—what kind of waves could he possibly make?" "I'm putting my money on Bazhe. The Wangquan Guild's resources run way too deep." "Talking about resources, who can compare to the Machine Cult? Who knows how high up the tech tree they've climbed? Word is the big shots in there have already built power armor. They might just drop a walking tin can into the arena and scare you to death!" "Does Charlotte not count? A prepared wizard has pretty insane PvP power, doesn't he?" "Yeah, but his luck is pure trash." "My waifu Xiaye Qiuyu is number one under the heavens!" "This is a gladiatorial tournament, not a beauty pageant. Simps, tone it down." "Everyone, hear me out: I believe Langlibaitiao has the highest raw combat power and is the most likely to win the championship." "Log onto your main account, Lang-beast." "Disgusting. Lang-beast is using his alt minions to post again." "???" "Moral character aside, just based on being one of the Starter Trio, that freak Yuzhong Chengchi has a shot at winning too, right?" "What about Mantou? Nobody's mentioning Mantou?" "Get good, practice more." "Prisoner Mantou should stick to uploading videos. He's not cut out for this kind of event." "Brother Zhankuang is truly invincible! Chop down everything, rah!" "Don't care about the tournament, I just want to stroke His Majesty Cassius's tail, hehehe... qwq His Majesty Cassius..." "What kind of unidentified organism is above me?" "Do you even need to ask? It's those degenerates who post lewd dragon pics." "..." "In the original timeline, the champion of the first PvP event was the guild master of Wangquan, wasn't it? I wonder what will change this time..." Browsing the buzzing forums, Cassius deliberately ignored a few unhinged comments as he pondered. ... "Sing-dog, I'm not going to lose! The title of Dragonflame Champion is mine!" *Smack!* Inside the tavern, Mantou slammed his palm onto the table, issuing a ferocious declaration. The people around immediately gave him looks reserved for lunatics, making Mantou reflexively pull his neck in. *Awooo—* Tied to a post outside the tavern, Noodles seemed to sense his master's agitation and let out a howl. "Oh." Without even looking up, Singo merely leafed through the papers in his hands, offering a perfunctory reply. Seeing that the other guy didn't even react to his declaration of war, Mantou felt as if he had punched a bag of cotton, utterly deflated. The boundless heroic ambition in his chest leaked out like air from a punctured balloon. He walked over and asked, "What are you looking at?" Continuing to flip through the sheets, Singo answered offhandedly, "Scouting opponents in advance to be fully prepared. Though I'm only looking over the relatively strong players." Mantou leaned in curiously and saw familiar names written across the papers: Charlotte, Bazhe, Gangtie Kuangchao, Dawei Tianlong, Yuzhong Chengchi... Behind each name were detailed breakdowns of their class abilities, gear stats, weakness analyses, and more. It had clearly taken immense effort to compile. "Holy shit, that's thorough. Did you just put this together?" "Of course not. I started gathering intel on various players two months ago. Didn't you get the insider memo? Ah, right—you're not a mid-level official, so you don't have clearance." "..." Mantou fell completely silent. After a moment, he asked with a trace of anticipation, "Wait, what about me?" "Did you collect intel on me too? Quick, show me! Sigh... To think that as teammates who see each other day in and day out, you'd secretly gather intelligence on me. Really, you're so..." Only then did Singo look up. He shot him a strange glance and said flatly, "Like I said, I only collect valuable intel." "Er..." Mantou gave an awkward chuckle and turned around. "Brother Zhankuang, you're joining too, right?" Tiansheng Zhankuang rubbed his polished, glossy bald head and chuckled. "Of course! Events like this are my bread and butter. Who knows, maybe I'll end up hacking Singo to pieces in the finals." "I won't be holding back, either. If you cross paths with me, I'll cleave you in two." Mantou glanced at the blood-spattered greataxe in the man's hands, then looked back at the grin on his face, swallowing nervously. Uttering the most vicious threats with the most honest, genial smile—perhaps that was Brother Zhankuang's unique charm. "Sister Qiuyu is still the gentlest..." Mantou looked over at Xiaye Qiuyu. A gentle smile graced Xiaye Qiuyu's delicate face. Immediately afterward, however, accompanied by the tearing sound of air, violent tongues of flame flared uncontrollably from her beautiful golden eyes. "..." Another bout of silence fell. Mantou felt that his tournament path was about to become exceedingly rough.