Chapter 294: Colosseum (Part 2) “Would you mind dying for a bit first?”

The goat acting as the host and the monsters in the audience seemed completely unaware of the anomaly, or rather—they simply didn’t care about the discord among players.

Human joys, sorrows, and grudges were nothing more than a casual spectacle for the high and mighty gods.

—Discord is good! It leads to conflict, and that’s interesting!

The goat excitedly opened cages and stone doors one by one, inviting the so-called “human heroes” onto the circular platform.

The rookies stood on his left, while the veterans stood on his right.

Qi Si, as the first rookie to step onto the stage, stood closest to the goat, discreetly observing the entire venue.

Circles of towering audience seats almost obscured the light, now filled with animals that had appeared at some unknown time, packed together like a truck heading to a slaughterhouse.

Below the audience seats were the resting rooms for the Colosseum participants, and there seemed to be something else on the floor below that… Qi Si saw a small iron door, behind which was a half-hidden staircase leading underground.

Four male players and one female player successively entered the arena, their gazes falling first on him and Chang Xu, then sweeping over the crosses and king chess pieces above their heads.

After the Dark Judge Identity Card pronounced judgment, the win-loss mechanism of this instance had already deviated from its original system.

Two main quests, “Audience with the Evil God” and “Kill the Sinner Qi Si,” completing either one would allow them to clear the instance.

The former required surviving a perilous, life-and-death Colosseum game for one person to gain the qualification to meet the Evil God and leave alive.

The latter only required killing Qi Si, and everyone else could live, no longer needing to struggle for survival in this absurd Colosseum.

There was no need to hesitate; the comparison of benefits and risks was too obvious. Any sane person would know what to choose.

Some players knew Chang Xu and, based on past experience, firmly believed that Qi Si, judged by him, was utterly wicked, thus placing themselves among the righteous executors.

Other players didn’t know the two, but the approach of sacrificing one person to save everyone else aligned with public morality, and since the sacrifice wasn’t them, they naturally strongly supported it.

The dead have no right to defend themselves. In their view, in a multi-versus-one game, Qi Si was doomed to die.

Liu Yuhan was the last of the rookies to step onto the circular platform. She also appeared to be a member arranged by the Jiuzhou Guild to participate in the joint operation.

She paused for two seconds in front of Qi Si, her usually calm and downcast eyes now raised, staring intently at Qi Si.

The moment the judgment fell, the Soul Contract became invalid, and the “Evil God Believer” insignia in the upper left corner of her vision grayed out.

As if lightly flying up from a long period of daze and stickiness, she realized she was finally free from Qi Si’s control, albeit temporarily.

The Ban (seal) was only effective within the instance, but that was enough.

The entity that controlled her soul, squeezed her points, and hung over her head like a Sword of Damocles was not as powerful as she had imagined.

As long as she killed him in this instance, she would be free forever… Even if Qi Si killed her in the last half hour after leaving the instance, what then?

Living isn’t all that interesting, is it?

Liu Yuhan withdrew her gaze and stood at the far left of the team. The veterans gradually entered the stage.

Dong Xiwen and Chang Xu were among the veteran team, along with three other men and one woman.

Dong Xiwen gave Qi Si a complicated look after stepping onto the circular platform.

He had also broken free from the control of the Soul Contract and knew that killing Qi Si for everyone else to clear the instance was the best solution, but he wasn’t in a hurry to make a decision.

Firstly, as an “accomplice” who teamed up with Qi Si to enter the instance, and belonging to the Balance Church that believed in a deity who wielded the authority of Contracts, backstabbing Qi Si felt morally wrong.

Secondly, Qi Si’s image as a cunning schemer in “Grand Performance” was deeply ingrained. Although hope was slim, with Qi Si’s intelligence, he wasn’t necessarily doomed. Once Qi Si left the instance alive, he would definitely settle scores… Hmm, it’s better not to take sides for now and see how things unfold.

Qi Si stood quietly from beginning to end, either completely unconcerned or feigning composure.

Just then, the players who had been constantly observing him saw him raise his hand, calmly remove the Team Ring from his little finger, and release it.

The pure white ring clinked as it hit the ground, rolling a few times on the smooth stone platform before coming to a stop.

Someone recognized the origin of the ring and could no longer resist whispering.

“It’s the Jiuzhou Guild’s Team Ring. What’s going on?”

“It must be internal strife. I heard the Jiuzhou Guild has been having a lot of internal conflict lately.”

“Never mind that, clearing the instance is important. In this situation, if he dies, it can’t be blamed on us…”

Dong Xiwen stared at Qi Si, somewhat grasping his meaning.

After falling out with Chang Xu, who was sent by the Jiuzhou Guild, the ring symbolizing cooperation was useless, so it was better to sever ties now.

But what then? Isolated, alone, and the target of all—how would he break free from this situation?

The goat faced the audience and said with great emotion: “A hundred years ago, the divine lord descended upon our kingdom, bestowing upon us courage and wisdom, allowing us to achieve supreme power, establish a divine kingdom on earth, and possess authority second only to Him.

“We have always considered ourselves His believers, devoutly performing Rituals for Him and offering sacrifices. Only the purest death and despair can satisfy Him, reopening the temple doors and granting us blessings.

“We hope that this time, the blood and fear we offer will make Him favor us again!”

In the clear, almost void-like sky above, the white temple revealed a phantom, appearing and disappearing with the flickering light.

It was as if a supreme deity truly resided within, looking down upon the game meticulously prepared by believers in the divine kingdom below.

The goat looked around at the players beside him and said in a stiff tone: “And I wish that some of you may receive His favor and join our divine kingdom.”

The players had no intention of joining the divine kingdom; they just wanted to quickly enter the free-for-all and kill Qi Si.

As for Qi Si… after hearing the goat’s lines, he felt that the background of this instance was not that simple.

If it was just about extracting death and despair, directly capturing and torturing people would be much faster than setting up a Colosseum game… Moreover, according to the description, the Evil God hadn’t descended for a long time, and whether He was still alive was unknown. How could the animals and human heroes be sure that winning the game would grant them an audience with Him?

Or was it that choosing heroes among humans to join the divine kingdom was precisely the instruction of the Evil God who once cast humanity into the abyss?

The goat raised its hoof and made a gesture. Each player’s name appeared before them, along with three icons.

A red circle, a black diamond, and a golden triangle.

The goat introduced: “The red is game coins, the black is points, and the gold is food. Each of you initially has three game coins and no food. Of course, for every person who dies, each of you will be rewarded with one portion of food.

“As for points, all new friends each have one thousand points. As for old friends, they have two thousand one hundred, one thousand eight hundred, one thousand five hundred, one thousand two hundred, nine hundred, and six hundred points respectively, based on their ranking in the previous game.”

As his voice fell, corresponding numbers appeared next to the icons in front of the players, visible to everyone.

The goat continued: “You will know the purpose of game coins tomorrow. Before the game officially begins, you only need to do one thing—team up in pairs.

“Soon, starting with the new friends, you will stand in the center of the circular platform in numerical order, while the others will spend points to participate in the bidding, one hundred points per increment.

“Whoever offers the highest points will successfully acquire a teammate and end today’s game early.

“Friends with insufficient points can also borrow from others. As long as the other party agrees, you can borrow the corresponding points.”

Numbers one to seven appeared next to the new players’ names. Qi Si’s number was three.

He would be the third to go on stage.

The goat lowered its voice and said ominously: “Friends who fail to team up, congratulations, you will face a painful death as the first sacrifice to the divine lord.”

There were six veterans in total. Based on the previous audience discussion, it could be inferred that they belonged to six different teams, all of whom had lost teammates in the last Colosseum game.

However, there were seven rookies, meaning one person would inevitably be eliminated and killed after the game ended.

Considering the newly added main quest, many players already had a candidate in mind for elimination.

A young man named Lin Ye said in a voice audible to everyone: “When Qi Si goes on stage, let’s all refrain from bidding and just eliminate him to end this instance.

“Sacrificing one Slaughter-path player to let all of us clear the instance—this is a huge profit!”

He only had nine hundred points, which was lower than the one thousand points generally held by new players. If he participated in a proper bid, he might not fare well.

Even if he successfully teamed up, his remaining points wouldn’t be much, and following the normal game process, he would likely be at a disadvantage in the following days.

“I have no objections.” The female player named Nian Fu smiled lightly, looking at Qi Si, “Sorry, little brother, but I’ll have to ask you to die for a bit first. Anyway, the Final Dungeon is about to open, and when Boss Fu Jue clears it, he will definitely choose to revive everyone.”

The words “six hundred points” floated above her chest. She also belonged to the group with less than one thousand points, so her stance against Qi Si was reasonable.

Although the other players remained silent, they all implicitly agreed.

Barring any surprises, this would be their easiest instance clear. By collectively eliminating Qi Si, they could leave this instance.

Dong Xiwen watched the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, falling into a dilemma.

Should he bid and team up with Qi Si later?

Bidding would mean offending other players, likely leading to him being targeted to death; not bidding, he feared that Qi Si might briefly regain his authority in the last half hour of his life and take him down… Was this a natural conflict, where nothing good ever happened when they were together?

The goat announced loudly: “Now, please, the first player to the center of the stage!”

The one who stepped onto the stage was a young man wearing glasses, named Chu Xun, who looked like a researcher in science and engineering.

The animals in the audience howled excitedly, with incessant “moos” and “woofs,” their specific meaning indiscernible.

Qi Si’s vision blurred for a second, and the surrounding scene suddenly transformed into a market filled with the stench of feces and urine.

A small open space was surrounded by curious crowds, and a small dog with shiny fur was placed in the middle. Its owner shouted in a sharp voice: “The latest breed of fighting dog, whoever bids the highest, it’s theirs!”

The scene vanished abruptly, replaced by a person in the middle, surrounded by animals like a crowd, watching excitedly.

The players were also anxiously and eagerly awaiting the game’s progression, and no one found anything amiss with the “auction.”

Qi Si chuckled lightly and said, “I bid one thousand points.”

Others merely thought he was unwilling to be sacrificed and was still struggling in vain.

A player named Glenn sneered: “It’s useless. Most of our points are higher than yours, and only two people have fewer points than you, and we are willing to lend them points.”

After speaking, he announced “one thousand one hundred,” his points dropped to “seven hundred,” and the team-up was successful.

Liu Yuhan was the second to go on stage.

Qi Si said, “One thousand.”

Chang Xu glanced at him indifferently and said, “One thousand one hundred.”

No one else raised the bid. The players waited indifferently for Qi Si to go on stage, then they would all refuse to bid, ending this uncomfortable instance.

After three bids, the points displayed on Chang Xu’s chest became four hundred. Liu Yuhan walked to his side, her head bowed.

The goat grinned, revealing a strange smile: “Now, please, number three to the stage!”

Qi Si walked leisurely to the center of the circular platform, his red clothes embedded in the pure white stone platform like a meticulously planned bloodstain; the black cross mark floated eerily and solemnly above his head.

The venue fell into dead silence, no one bidding for a moment.

The animals in the audience sat up straight, stretching their necks and looking from afar with a noisy commotion.

The goat asked: “Is no one willing to bid? He is the only player among you who entered by wisdom, you know.

“Countdown, ten, nine, eight…”

The players exchanged cold smiles.

Who would bid?

They had finally encountered an easy instance where clearing it only required one death, and that person was a Slaughter-path player who deserved to die… Moreover, who would be willing to go against the group’s decision and offend Chang Xu, the number one on the rookie rank and a rising star of the Jiuzhou Guild?

Qi Si slightly raised his face, looking at the temple suspended high above his head.

The golden vines suspending the structure extended in all directions, like chains used for restraint and punishment.

It undulated in the air as if breathing, yet it seemed lifeless, with no visible deity within.

“Seven, six, five…”

Dong Xiwen clenched his fists.

Should he bid or not?

He wasn’t sure if Qi Si, after dying in the instance, could activate his Soul Contract skill in the last half hour back in reality.

If not, everyone would be happy, and he would be free from that cunning schemer with a belly full of bad ideas.

But that was authority close to that of a deity, capable of piercing the boundaries between game and reality. What if it could?

Everything was unknown. Should he take the gamble?

“Four, three…”

The atmosphere grew tense. Even the animals watching the game on both sides stopped their clamor, holding their breath and waiting for the final outcome.

Qi Si lowered his gaze, looking at the female player named Nian Fu, who had earlier said, “Would you mind dying for a bit first?”

Nian Fu turned her head to meet his gaze, a smile still on her lips.

Qi Si understood the meaning and smiled back.

“Two…”

The countdown was about to reach zero. The players breathed a sigh of relief, some of their bodies slumping.

Some animals sighed, others marveled, certain of the death of the human in the red suit in the arena.

“One.” The last number fell.

Nian Fu suddenly raised her hand and said clearly, “I bid one hundred.”