Chapter 165: Herald Executioner

"You asked if we had any questions. I do." Kaelen’s voice was carried across the silent plain as everyone stared in his direction speechlessly.

Kelsey was intrigued. "I did say that," she mumbled and leaned into the screen like she was sizing him up. "Introduce yourself and ask your question, then."

"My name’s Kaelen Cross." The moment those words left his lips, the crowd broke into soft chatters and murmurs, which quickly died down as Kelsey shot them a look.

"Oh," she exclaimed softly and glanced at the ’purple princess’ Herald, whose attention was also on Kaelen.

"Here goes my question: You said a party’s performance affects the attraction of potential patrons. But in a case where a candidate is strong, but has a weak party who keeps dragging them down, is there anything the candidate can do within his power to change that?

"Also, in a case where a candidate’s party is wiped out, leaving them as the sole survivor, does that doom the candidate as well in both clearing floors and attracting patrons?" He asked sharply.

Everyone was silent for a moment as they stared at him. Not in hate or disdain, but in genuine curiosity. The smart ones knew that was an important detail to be clarified before jumping inside the tower.

"That’s surprisingly an interesting point of view," Kelsey mumbled to his hearing, but smiled knowingly as she stared at him. "Of course, something can be done about it, and as much as I hate to admit it, I like that you asked that. Because that brings us to another rule I forgot to mention." She shifted her gaze from him to the candidates in general.

"On every floor that has the number nine on it, candidates can freely roam the floor to purchase items or interact with other parties’ candidates, as it would be an open-world floor. Parties could also use this floor to recruit promising candidates from other parties into their own by involving their Herald, who would assist in claiming ownership of the recruit. But it wouldn’t be for free. The recruit’s Herald has exclusive rights to make reasonable demands from the recruiting party to exchange for that recruit, based on their potential. It’ll be like a trade. So if your party is strong and wealthy enough, they can recruit all the star candidates into their party, which not only increases the attraction of patrons, but also increases the party’s survival chances of reaching the last floor."

The candidates broke into soft chatters and murmurs once more. From the looks of it, that clarification just made everyone feel at ease and reinforced the importance of strength in the grand tournament.

It also pushed the importance of joining the best party made up of star players, because then even if you were to die along the line, as long as your party made it to the top, you’ll be resurrected.

Kelsey spoke again. "The same goes for a candidate who has lost all their teammates. They can find another party who is willing to recruit them. And that... brings us to a hidden rule I thought it’d be much fun to let a scapegoat do the honors." She said with a wicked grin, making the candidates swallow hard.

"This one has to do... with the Heralds."

A collective gasp escaped the plain as the candidates snapped their heads towards the Heralds, who in turn snapped their heads towards Kelsey in confusion and disbelief.

"A game rule for the Heralds? Have you gone bananas?" One of them sneered, but Kelsey ignored them and kept speaking.

"This rule was created and signed by the Creator and her royal majesty, Goddess Zemira." Kelsey said and paused to soak in the fear that flashed across their faces, before she cleared her throat. "The 21st Grand Tournament is going to be more than a game for candidates alone, and shall involve their respective Heralds, who shall abide by the Tower rules or face the wrath of the consequences. Heralds are thereby forbidden to reveal their real identities to the candidates or use their influence to coerce or lure promising candidates into their party. In addition to that, any Heralds who lose all of their party members shall not only be eliminated from the Tower that instant... but will be killed on the spot by the Herald Executioner—me, as punishment for losing the Grand Tournament."

Her voice boomed across the plain, drawing collective gasps from both the Heralds and Candidates, who instantly broke into loud chatters and murmurs, unable to hold back their shock.

The Heralds were unable to contain their rage, and one stepped forward in burning fury. "How dare you treat us like mere livestock, Kelsey?! This is a spit to the face of Stallion Family, and we shall not condone such disrespect from an outlaw like you. I demand to speak with the royal family representative this instant!"

Kelsey smiled coldly. "You have broken two sacred rules of the Grand Tournament, and are facing one count of revealing your identity to the candidates, one count of revealing your identity to the audience, one count of revealing the identity of another Herald to the candidates, one count of revealing the identity of another Herald to the audience. Taking these charges into consideration, you shall be facing the full brunt of the consequences of your actions, and by the power bestowed onto me by the royal family to pass on judgment, I thereby declare you guilty of all charges and punishable by death according to the Tower rules."

Everyone was too shocked to speak, including the enraged Heralds, who exchanged stunned glances between Kelsey and the Herald facing trial.

The Herald suddenly burst out in a fit of boisterous laughter, their eyes burned red with rage, and they roared at Kelsey. "I SWEAR I’M GONNA KILL YOU, STUPID BITCH—"

"Die."

The Herald’s oversized head imploded, and their body made a sharp descent to the ground with a loud thud.

The chibi avatar didn’t disappear even after a minute, and the realization dawned on everyone.

"Heralds aren’t an exception to the Tower rules. Whoever dies inside here remains dead, and can only be resurrected when their party reaches the 100th floor. Again, in a case where you don’t have a party, it’s game over for you." Kelsey said, and she swept her gaze through the sweating Heralds and trembling Candidates, before stopping on someone in the crowd whose expression made her smile freeze.

It was none other than the man who had asked the question earlier, Kaelen. But...

’I don’t remember saying or doing anything amusing... so why is he smiling like that?’