At midnight on the 5th of September, the number of online players for Thriller Paradise easily broke through seven digits, setting a new record since the server was launched.
More than one million players entered the gaming hub before midnight and logged into the game in sleeping mode (the competition could not be played in servers that were not in sleeping mode).
Even though most of them were not participants for S2, and the preliminaries were not broadcasted to the public (at least, before the preliminaries ended, all the videos would be kept secret), they were still willing to join in the fun.
The number of players who qualified for S2 was not small either because the Dream Company announced the competition at the beginning of August, and the deadline for registration was the end of August. This half a month was enough for many players who did not meet the requirement to level up.
Without a doubt, during this period, the game company had earned a lot of money.
The sales of Game Coins climbed steadily; the sales of Double EXP Booster Cards skyrocketed; the monthly visits to the official website multiplied, and the income from the advertising slots increased as well; and in-game, due to the increase in the usage of the Auction House and the increase in transactions, the processing fee that the system collected from the players reached a record high.
In any case, be it popularity or money, they were all pouring in, and no one could stop them.
In other words, the Dream Company used its actions to teach many in the industry a lesson — the quality of the game and the quality of the operator decided everything.
Compared to those second-rate MMORPG companies who used cheap marketing to attract attention, the Dream Company's marketing cost was much lower because they did not need to 'advertise' anything. Even if they wanted to hide it, the media would come to them.
…
5th September, 00: 05 am.
Inside a log-in lobby.
[Lying Drunk, Level 50]
"Sashimi, Level 50
"Meng Jingchan, Level 50
[Understanding Death, Level 50]
"Phantom Dawn, Level 50
"Please select the game mode that your team would like to join.
"You have selected Tournament for the Best S2 — Gathering of the Heroes. Please confirm.
"Confirmed. Please select the spectator for this battle.
"Confirmed. Please set the 'Privacy Protection Option' for your team.
"You have selected 'Normalize Appearance' and 'Inform the enemy team of your team name'. Please confirm.
"Confirmed. Your team has joined the queue. Searching for other teams that are ready.
"Matching complete. Coordinating neural connections. Generating scenario …"
[Downloading, please wait a moment.]
"Heroes gather. Let me ask you, who will reign supreme? Let's see who will be the king. "
Similar to the S1 preliminaries, the S2 preliminaries also had a unique opening.
[Download complete. Welcome to Tournament for the Best S2 – Gathering of the Heroes.]
"A scenario introduction is provided in this mode, and there is a chance of triggering hidden side missions and special worldbuilding.
"Reward for winning the scenario: Three preliminary points."
"The introduction of the scenario is about to play. The match will begin once it's done."
After a series of loading messages, 'Regulation One' was transported into the scenario and started to read the introductory cinematic and plot introduction.
Obviously, since there was a so-called "Team One," there would naturally be "Team Two," and even "Teams Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven …
For a top-notch gaming studio like Order, as long as they had the heart, gathering twenty to thirty teams wouldn't be a problem.
Of course, they wouldn't do that. If they really formed teams based on the number of people they had … then in terms of strength, 'Regulation Ten' might not even be as good as the first team from a second-tier studio. Even if this kind of team joined the competition, they would have no chance of winning. If they lost badly, it would damage the studio's image.
Therefore, this time, Regulation only formed four teams …
Regarding their second, third, and fourth teams, there was no need to talk about them for now. Instead, it was about the lineup of this team … which was the aforementioned five.
The four top players from Drunken Life and Phantom Dawn had all reached level 50, and all of them were in the top twenty on the individual power ranking.
With one look, it was clear that this team was aiming for the first place. Any one of these five people would be the absolute main force in any other team, but in "Order First Order," they had to choose one person to sit on the bench in every match. Just the thought of it was terrifying …
Now, in this crucial first match, the team leader, Understanding Death, chose to watch the match on his own and handed over the command of the team to the vice-team leader, Sashimi.
In terms of strength, these two might not be the strongest in the team, but … the other three in their team, one was not good at strategy and liked to trash talk, one was extremely unreliable, and the last one would turn into a berserk mode once he entered a scenario … Under these circumstances, they had no choice but to take on the responsibility of the team leader and vice-team leader.
But … … let's just say that being the leader of the First Order Team is actually a very simple matter. Most of the time, they only needed to lead the team 'brainlessly', and they would win. With absolute strength advantage, even if the opponent had hundreds of strategies, they wouldn't be able to change the result.
…
After discussing Regulation, it was time to take a look at their opponent for the first match.
After all, there were many teams that signed up for S2 preliminaries. In the preliminaries, the chance of two teams meeting was actually very low.
But … there was no such thing as a coincidence. In the first round of the preliminaries, Team One really did meet a strong team.
This team was also a professional team that belonged to a large gaming studio, and they did not activate the privacy option. Therefore, the name of [Zombie Blade One Team] was displayed in the game menu of the five members of the Regulation Team.
…
"Ha … I thought the preliminaries would be as easy as the practice mode …" When Sashimi saw the name of the enemy team, a complicated smile appeared on his face. "But in the first match, we have already run into a tough nut to crack …"
"Sigh … I thought I could just relax and win …" Lying Drunk sighed. "Looks like … I have to be more serious."
"Burp …" Meng Jingchan took out the bottle and took a swig from it. "Don't let your guard down …" Even though he said that, his expression and actions were very relaxed.
"Humph … What tough nut to crack … What seriousness … What carelessness …" At that moment, Phantom Dawn chuckled coldly. "From how I see it … there is no difference."
"Oh, oh ~ Our trump card has entered battle mode again," Lying Drunk said as he stroked his instant noodle hair in disappointment.
"That has nothing to do with my mental state; I'm just telling the truth," Phantom Dawn said in a low voice. "Whether the opponent is professional or amateur, there is only one thing that we need to do, and that is … to not hold back and use everything we have to crush them." He paused. "Since the goal is to be the champion, then we have to have the resolve to not lose."
"Haha, I really can't compare to you youngsters." Meng Jingchan laughed when he heard that. "You've got me lit." As he spoke, he lit himself a cigarette.
"It's the cigarette in your hand that's lit, isn't it?" Sashimi narrowed his eyes and mocked coldly.
"Main quest has been triggered.
"Killed four members of Zombie Blade Team One."
Just as they were conversing, the system announcement rang. This meant that … the 'safe period' at the beginning of the game had ended.
…
At the same time, at another part of the scenario …
The four members of Zombie Blade One had the same style as the studio.
They wore the same uniform, which was a replica of Star Trek, but the color was alternating between black and green. There was a Zombie Blade badge on their left chest. The design was a finely carved scimitar with the word 'Zombie Blade' written on it. They had the same hairstyle (buzz cut), and even the expression on their faces was similar — pale, expressionless.
As mentioned earlier, before V1.10, Zombie Blade had always been at the fifth place on the guild combat ranking, and of the top twenty players on the player level ranking, they occupied the most spots. Even though the two rankings had been removed due to the merger, their strength was not to be underestimated.
"Oh? We've run into the strongest opponent in the first round? "the member called Doomsday Assault said after hearing the mission description.
"There's nothing to be surprised about; it's just a matter of probability," Final Assault said. "One of the teams has to run into them, right?"
Those with a good memory would remember that these two were the members of Zombie Blade who had run into Brother Jue and Blade Runner in Wasteland Earth. That time, they were unlucky enough to be tricked by Brother Jue. They lost that Killing Game before they even saw the shadow of their enemy.
Perhaps some might be confused as to why these two who did not look that strong would be part of Zombie Blade One. Actually, that was not that strange. Zombie Blade used the cheat of 'medicine', so in essence, after their players reached level fifty, they would all be at the same level.
Unless these players stopped taking medicine for a period of time like Zombie Blade King, or the current Sleepy Dream, no matter what kind of talent they had, they would be overshadowed by the effects of the medicine, and they would turn into a group of cold-blooded warriors.
Since the players' individual factors were almost negligible, it was easy to form a team. Based on the mastery, title, equipment, and skill of the characters, they would try their best to form a team that could cooperate with each other and make use of each other's biggest advantage. In other words, the formation of Zombie Blade One was like solving a math problem. Without the uncertainty of human beings, all that was left was simple calculation.
In reality, the selection of the members for this team was indeed done by the photon computer. The person in charge of the gaming studio merely pulled out the information of all the level 50 characters under Zombie Blade and had the photon computer calculate the most efficient combination.
"I think that's a good thing." Several seconds later, the other member with the ID Not Talking Is King added, "Since we're here for the prize, it's only a matter of time before we run into them." His tone changed slightly. "Perhaps … this encounter is a good opportunity."
Then, the leader of the Zombie Blade first team, First Is Also King, said, "I think so too." He paused for half a second. "As the test for the effect of the new medicine … the five members of Regulation Team One are perfect."
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