Chapter 164: Tower Rules

The words of Kelsey, the host, dropped like a bombshell, and it finally dawned on all those who had been arrogant earlier that those who died wouldn’t be respawning anywhere, and the silent detonator taking their heads was coming for them as well.

Instantly, the crowd fell into chaos as candidates scattered in different directions, trying to escape the pending doom, but no matter how fast or far they ran, their heads imploded one after the other.

Some who were smart enough to keep their thoughts to themselves were shaking in fright, curled up on the floor, and clutching their eyes with their eyes shut tight to escape the harsh reality.

The cool characters Kaelen had spotted earlier were no better, and mostly had ugly expressions on their faces. But there were still some who either looked unbothered, amused, or even excited at the sharp turn of events.

Meanwhile, above them, the Heralds weren’t excited at the turn of events. Some of them were prestigious figures who had a candidate amongst the crowd.

"Kelsey, you can’t make such expensive jokes when we’re already live." One of them called out. "This wasn’t in the debriefing, and you can get sanctioned for such unruly behavior."

"I never expected much from someone like her anyways. But to think the Albert family would pardon someone with the most unhinged case of war crime to oversee the grand tournament is concerning." Another said.

"You should apologize to the special guests now and tell them you’re joking, because if the game even loses a penny because of your foolishness, even the Albert family wouldn’t be able to protect you from the royal family and the descendants of Goddess Zemira."

Kelsey watched them with an unsettling smile that revealed the neat row of razor-sharp teeth in her mouth. "Oh, look who we have here. It’s the big babies who can’t do anything on their own and still bend over for their ancestors to wipe their ass." She said with a mischievous grin.

Her words immediately triggered the Heralds.

"Watch your filthy mouth, Kelsey. A word from us can have your freedom revoked and your tongue cut off."

"That would only prove her point." One of them suddenly said. "Why do you need the permission of anyone to crush her beneath your feet?"

"You’re right, Morgana. Kelsey, this isn’t like back in the days when we were all recruits. You had potential, and I even envied you back then. But you’ve fallen so far that I doubt there’d be consequences if even any of these candidates were to kill you. Isn’t that why you chose to hide behind a screen?" They asked disdainfully.

Kelsey’s smile didn’t falter for a second. "Huh~? That’s where you’ve got this all wrong. I wasn’t merely kidding around when I said their immortality has been revoked, neither do I answer to the Albert family, because there’s been a last-minute change." Her grin widened as the Heralds all frowned deeply.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"I was told to inform y’all that the Grand Tournament and the Tower of Babel have been permanently taken over by the royal family and the descendants of Goddess Zemira. That is who I now answer to, and I’ve been given as much right as any of you to kill anyone who disobeys my orders. Don’t think any of you are exceptions because you come from one prestigious family. The only thing that matters here is strength, so if you think you can take me on in a fight, then please feel free to insult me again, because I wouldn’t hesitate to rip your head off your neck and ship it to your families." Kelsey said with a dangerous glare that sent chills running down the spines of the Heralds as they looked down at the massacre below.

Their expressions changed as their faces turned ugly.

"What the hell? The royal family has been neutral for millennia. Why would they choose to step in now, and why the hell are they letting you kill the candidates?!" One of them roared.

Kelsey smiled wickedly. "For the past millennia, the big families have rigged the grand tournament by selling confidential information to the privileged candidates and running campaigns for sponsorships in advance. All that ends today, and the royal family will be investigating the Albert family and overseeing the Tower of Babel Grand Tournament from now henceforth."

The Heralds’ eyes widened in shock and disbelief, but Kelsey wasn’t done yet.

"I can see quite a few who came all geared up and fully prepped." She laughed in amusement. "But let’s see how long they survive with the limited information they have on the changed rules, and the fear of death. The royal family doesn’t care if they lose money or enrage any of the special guests or big families, because Goddess Zemira has risen from her beauty sleep for the second time in the universal records. So you’d better play by the rules, because she will be watching. Always." As Kelsey said this, she stole a glance at a Herald with a rather cute avatar who remained motionless and hadn’t spoken a word, not even flinching when the Goddess’s name was mentioned. Her eyes seemingly locked on one of the candidates below.

This made Kelsey frown slightly. Rumors had already spread that she was getting married to another troublemaker who was also a candidate for the tournament. She had no idea if that had something to do with the Goddess choosing now to show herself again.

She shifted her attention back to the candidates who were still now that the bad eggs had been toasted.

"I’M NOW GOING TO EXPLAIN THE REST OF THE RULES SO YOUR DESIGNATED HERALDS DON’T HAVE TO;"

"THE TOWER OF BABEL HOLDS ONE HUNDRED FLOORS, AND AT THE HUNDREDTH FLOOR IS THE GRAND REWARD FOR CLEARING THE TOWER, AND AMONGST THOSE REWARDS WILL BE THE BLESSING OF OUR CREATOR, GODDESS ZEMIRA, WHO SHALL MEET IN PERSON AND IN SPIRIT AND WILL BE GIVEN THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A WISH SHE’LL GRANT WITH NO RESTRAINTS."

Both the Heralds and the Candidates were as surprised to hear that, but not a single sound was heard from the crowd in fear of death.

"YOU SHALL ALL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE HERALDS ALL AROUND YOU, AND WILL BE TRANSPORTED ALONG WITH YOUR TEAMMATES ASSIGNED TO THE SAME HERALD IN YOUR LOBBY. UPGRADING YOUR LOBBY WILL GREATLY AFFECT THE STRENGTH OF YOUR PARTY, AS THAT WOULD BE WHERE YOU’LL BE SPENDING MOST OF YOUR TIME OUTSIDE COMBAT.

"EVERY CANDIDATE SHALL BE GIVEN A 3-DAY GRACE PERIOD AFTER CLEARING A FLOOR TO REST, BEFORE THEY’RE MANDATED TO CLEAR THE NEXT FLOOR BEFORE THE GRACE PERIOD IS OVER. FAILURE TO DO SO WOULD RESULT IN CERTAIN DEATHS CARRIED OUT BY YOUR RESPECTIVE HERALDS. THIS RULE APPLIES TO INDIVIDUALS ONLY, AND NOT TO THE ENTIRE PARTY. SO IF YOU HAVE A TEAMMATE DRAGGING YOU DOWN, FEEL FREE TO CLEAR THE FLOOR WITH WHAT YOU HAVE AND YOUR HERALD SHALL TAKE CARE OF THEM ONCE THEIR GRACE PERIOD IS OVER.

"IN ADDITION TO THAT, EVERY FLOOR WITH THE NUMBER NINE SHALL BE A FREE FLOOR WHERE ALL PARTIES CAN HANG OUT. THERE WILL BE SHOPS SELLING ALL KINDS OF USELESS ITEMS AND MATERIALS, AND THE ONLY ACCEPTED CURRENCY WILL BE EVOLUTION POINTS. AND EVERY TENTH FLOOR SHALL BE A BOSS ROOM. ANY PARTY OR INDIVIDUAL THAT SURVIVES SHALL BE GIVEN A 7-DAY GRACE PERIOD TO RETURN TO THEIR WORLDS. CANDIDATES WHO DON’T RETURN AFTER THE GRACE PERIOD IS OVER SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE DROPPED OUT OF THE TOURNAMENT. THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT FOR THAT. BUT IF YOU WISH TO KEEP ASCENDING THE TOWER, YOU’RE EXPECTED TO RETURN BEFORE THE GRACE PERIOD IS OVER OR YOU’LL BE AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATED.

"YOUR PARTY’S PERFORMANCE ON EVERY FLOOR SHALL BE LIVE TO A UNIVERSAL AUDIENCE, AND SHALL AFFECT THE SPONSORSHIPS OF INTERESTED PATRONS. I THINK THAT’S ALL FOR NOW, AND IF I FORGOT TO MENTION ANYTHING, YOUR HERALD SHALL INFORM YOU LATER, OR YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE." She smiled in amusement.

"SO, ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR? FEEL FREE TO SPEAK UP NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE."

The candidates were mostly silent as they exchanged nervous glances amongst themselves. Kelsey’s devilish grin wasn’t helping the matter, as it was almost like she was waiting for a scapegoat to round up her kill count.

But just when it seemed no one had a question, someone raised their hand from the crowd, and the candidates around him took a step back, isolating him in a space in the middle.

"OH, SOMEONE’S BRAVE ENOUGH TO ASK A QUESTION. THAT’S NO FUN AT ALL. I’M SURE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR TO EVERYONE, SO WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE RAISING YOUR HAND FOR? DON’T TELL ME YOU GOTTA TAKE A PISS AT A TIME LIKE THIS." She went on and on in a scary tone that made his fellow candidates feel bad on his behalf.

Some even wanted to yell at him to drop his hand and apologize immediately, when the young man spoke just as Kelsey finished her piece.

"Can I talk now?" Kaelen asked calmly with a blank expression that made everyone pause for a moment.

Kelsey looked surprised and intrigued, while the Herald dressed in a purple princess outfit who had been silent and motionless like an AFK player reacted for the first time.