Chapter 196: The Quarterfinals [1]
Incase you are early last Chapter fixed.
...
"Come in."
The door slowly opened.
The same Association staff member from yesterday walked in. Unlike yesterday, however, his expression was noticeably more serious, and behind him stood two Players Association security officers dressed in silver uniforms.
Zich was slightly taken aback.
"This is..."
The staff member offered a polite smile.
"Mr. Zich, please don’t misunderstand."
"Starting today, until this Chosen Tournament concludes, the Association will provide twenty-four-hour protection for all Top Eight contestants. This is a new regulation that was just issued by Headquarters."
"Protection?"
"More accurately, it’s to prevent anyone from affecting the fairness of the tournament."
The staff member smiled bitterly.
"Last night alone, we turned away over a hundred groups of people who wanted to meet you outside the Medical Wing. Among them were even several highly influential figures."
Hearing that number, the corner of Zich’s mouth twitched once again as he realized that there were actually still people waiting.
The staff member continued,
"In addition, the Association has instructed me to inform you that all commercial partnership proposals, academy invitations, guild invitations, and every other application submitted by organizations will be held by the Association. Until the tournament concludes, you won’t need to concern yourself with any of them. You only need to focus on the competition."
Zich finally let out a sigh of relief.
"That’s good."
Seeing the relieved expression on Zich’s face, the staff member could not help but smile.
Most people could hardly wait to meet those influential figures.
But now that the Association had blocked them all for him, he looked as though a tremendous burden had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
"Oh, right."
The staff member suddenly seemed to remember something.
"The Green Group also asked me to pass along a message to you."
"What message?"
"Mr. Jack said that the invitation will never expire. Whenever you’ve made your decision, you can contact him at any time."
Zich nodded gently.
"I understand."
The staff member did not disturb him any further and soon left the room together with the two Enforcers.
Silence once again returned to the hospital room. After a few moments of rest, Zich stood up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up before preparing for the Quarterfinals.
He wanted to get this tournament over with once and for all. He had already spent way too much time on it.
...
Central Arena.
With less than half an hour remaining before the Quarterfinals officially began, the entire venue was already filled to capacity. Even the upper observation galleries, which were normally opened only for the most important finals, had been opened ahead of schedule.
As for those who couldn’t access Ascension Mountain, they could only gather in Central Plaza and the various viewing centers throughout Stoneheart City, waiting for the matches to begin through the gigantic projection screens that stretched across the sky.
The excitement stirred up by Zich’s victory over Nameless yesterday had not diminished after a night’s rest.
Instead, after being relentlessly spread across every major media outlet, forum, and livestreaming platform, it had reached an entirely new height.
Now, almost the entire world was watching these Quarterfinals.
Countless people wanted to witness with their own eyes whether the white-haired player who had personally ended the Nullborn’s undefeated record could continue creating miracles after enduring such a brutal battle.
"Has he arrived yet?"
"Has Zich shown up yet?"
"Relax! The match hasn’t started yet!"
"How can I relax? Someone on the forums said his injuries were too serious and that he might forfeit today’s match!"
"That’s nonsense! The tournament officials already released an announcement. His condition is stable. He’s definitely participating!"
"Holy crap, really?"
"Of course! I even saved a screenshot of the announcement!"
The discussions throughout the audience merged into an endless wave of voices. Everyone continued talking about yesterday’s battle while also speculating about today’s Quarterfinal matchups. Because regardless of whether Zich drew Helen, Jayden, Lucien, or anyone else, it was destined to become the most anticipated match in the entire First Layer.
Just then, the enormous projection screen covering the entire arena suddenly lit up.
Boom!
The previously noisy audience immediately quieted considerably.
Immediately afterward, two figures slowly rose from the floating commentator’s platform above the arena.
One of them was none other than Mithrash, who had shouted himself hoarse yesterday yet had become famous because of that unforgettable match. Standing beside him, as always, was Dragon Count, dressed in dark golden attire with his usual composed expression.
The moment Mithrash appeared, enthusiastic cheers erupted throughout the arena.
"Mithrash!"
"You did an awesome job yesterday!"
"Do it again today!"
Hearing the voices coming from the audience, the smile on Mithrash’s face grew even brighter. He raised the amplification crystal in his hand and shouted with the same passionate voice as before.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the Central Arena!"
"After yesterday’s Round of 16, a battle destined to be remembered in the history of this Chosen Tournament, we have finally arrived at the moment everyone has been waiting for..."
"The Quarterfinals!"
Thunderous cheers exploded throughout the arena.
Mithrash clearly knew exactly how to stir up the atmosphere. Instead of immediately announcing the matchups, he deliberately paused, allowing the emotions of the entire crowd to continue rising. Only after the excitement had nearly reached its peak did he raise his hand once more.
"Yesterday, we witnessed the end of the Nullborn’s undefeated myth! And we also witnessed a young man whom nobody had believed in step by step, using his summons, his judgment, and his unwavering will until he stood before every single one of us!"
"But the Quarterfinals have never been the finish line!"
"Every one of the eight contestants standing here today has already defeated countless geniuses of their generation!"
"Every one of them possesses their own trump cards and their own pride!"
"And beginning today, only four of them will continue advancing toward the championship!"
"So..." Mithrash suddenly spread both arms wide.
"Let’s welcome the new Top Eight contestants of this year’s Chosen Tournament with your loudest cheers!"
As his words fell, the eight contestant tunnels surrounding the arena lit up simultaneously with different colored lights. At the same time, one name after another began appearing across the massive floating projection screen overhead.