Title: The Struggle of Team 80
After finishing her meal, Tillysha stashed the jerky and water flask into her bag, said a quiet ‘goodnight’ to the starless night sky of this strange world, and curled up on her side, hugging her knees as she drifted off into slumber.
Not long after, the young girl shifted slightly. Her legs, wrapped in white silk, rubbed together, emitting a sound akin to the gentle brushing of silk fabric. Her pearl-like, delicate toes twitched.
“A little cold…”
Her soft, delicate hands fumbled around for a bit, eventually reaching her hair, which was as smooth as the finest silk. It provided some warmth as it draped across her skin. With its length that fell below her knees, it served as an adequate “blanket.”
That night was destined to be restless for all. Lying on her blanket, Tillysha kept her guard up, only allowing herself to enter a very light sleep. The slightest noise would awaken her instantly. There was no room for deep rest in such perilous surroundings, especially when you lack teammates to take turns keeping watch.
As she lightly dozed off, a cold voice broke through the silence, shaking Tillysha back to consciousness. She immediately gripped her longbow, readying herself, only to breathe a covert sigh of relief after realizing it was merely an elimination announcement.
As expected, the night was indeed quite the spectacle.
The rookies had been fighting all day, exhausted. With only one person staying awake while the rest just munched on some dry rations before collapsing, they clearly lacked any camping experience. Without their Divine Authorities, starting a fire was almost impossible. They went to sleep without much thought for their basic needs.
Tired both physically and mentally, they were no match for teams who were well-rested. Caught off guard, their only fate was complete obliteration.
“Ranger-class Divine Authority Brin of Team 3 has been eliminated by Ranger-class Divine Authority Regas of Team 17.”
“Heavy Cannon-class Divine Authority Angeli of Team 16 has been taken out by Ranger-class Divine Authority Anne of Team 33.”
“Knight-class Divine Authority Magen of Team 21 fell to Ranger-class Divine Authority Regas of Team 17.”
…
This night, the sly ones were having a feast. The frequency of elimination announcements even exceeded that of daytime. You could imagine the bewilderment of those rookies who woke up to find themselves ejected from the Secret Realm.
The teams that had been hiding during the day now struck hard in the open valleys without cover.
This was precisely why Tillysha chose not to rest in the valley tonight. The designated zone was set; who knew how many teams had crammed into the valley, ready to massacre each other when night fell. Sure, camping there would have given her a prime position, but it also meant being dragged into a chaotic valley-wide brawl.
The noise from the announcements likely woke up many teams, with the resulting chaos including swearing, confusion, scrambling to find pants and utter confusion. The valley was probably a mess.
Using the Divine Analysis Technique, Tillysha briefly scanned her surroundings but found no signs of life. With a large yawn, she burrowed back into her “blanket,” ignoring the continuous announcements as she drifted back into dreamland.
With the first light of dawn, Tillysha awoke, her small fan-like golden lashes fluttering a few times.
She woke early, perhaps due to the discomfort of sleeping in the Secret Realm or maybe awakened by the biological clock of this body.
In the middle of the wilderness, there was no stream for hygiene. Tillysha had no choice but to clean herself with drinking water. The wind in the desert had carried a lot of sand, leaving her with some dust. So, she dampened the cloth and used it to wash her face.
As the sun rose from the horizon, everything returned to stillness. The announcement broadcasts had ceased at some point. Certainly, after the morning and evening of yesterday, half of the teams had already been eliminated, just like a fight to the d*ath till one was left. What remained was the cream of the crop: strong teams above the average.
This night had been peaceful for Tillysha, with no one disturbing her.
After a good night’s sleep, her spiritual strength was fully replenished. She tucked away her somewhat messy, yet still lustrous blonde hair behind her ears, and twisted her slender, pale waist slightly, engaging her body in some light exercises.
Elves were naturally beautiful with excellent hair quality. Sleeping without tying it up created minimal tangles, obviating the need for careful combing. She simply needed to do a few minor adjustments, saving a lot of time.
After nibbling on some dry food and drinking some water, having gathered the necessary supplies, Tillysha headed to the valley.
Elves didn’t eat much, usually drawing more nourishment from nature. Hence, their main staple was usually vegetarian, and eating less posed no significant issues. But in this vegetation-deficient desert, the consumption of resources was rather high.
After entering the valley, Tillysha began to notice some issues. The valley was vast, yet it felt exceptionally crowded internally, with the cliffs pressed tightly together. Some passages could barely accommodate two people walking side by side.
If encountered in such a place, escape was impossible. If one party was determined to pursue, the other would have no chance of escape.
Tillysha looked toward the towering peak hanging in the sky, which was the location of the Crown Gem.
The team led by Aistride was already quite close to the Crown Gem, according to the token, yet they still hadn’t claimed it.
Were they planning to wait until all enemies were cleared before calmly picking up the Gem without obstruction?
Walking around the corner of the valley, her line of vision opened up, causing Tillysha to furrow her brows.
In front of her lay a rather spacious area, disarrayed with remnants of destruction—torn fabrics, extinguished campfires, scorched leather, ashes, and a heap of weapons.
Tillysha deployed the Divine Analysis Technique, confirming there were no survivors in the area before stepping forward.
She observed the ground, littered with inconspicuous black fragments. Familiarity with their texture confirmed them to be pieces of broken tokens.
Last night’s battles within the valley were harsher than Tillysha had anticipated. Even without witnessing them firsthand, the scene was vivid enough to replay scenes of intense combat in her mind.
Presumably, the Male Divine Authorities had eagerly engaged in combat.
Tillysha originally thought that only half the teams would be eliminated last night. However, reality proved her estimation overly conservative. Judging by this mess, nearly three-fourths or even more of the teams had been wiped out last night.
Everyone wanted to enter the valley to stake out their positions, ambushing others. Especially those arrogant Divine Authorities who hadn’t been knocked down by life’s hardships, all believing themselves to be favored by destiny. They ignored strategy and tactics, focusing only on combat.
Alas, they were caught off guard by the underhanded sneak attacks by the sly ones. Teams, unwilling to endure the attacks passively, fought tooth and nail against their attackers, vowing to drag them down together, battling until dawn. Countless teams fell, with only a few left standing.
After a brief observation of the northern valley’s layout, Tillysha realized the valley was made up of countless enclosed fields, created by cliffs next to each other. Inside, except for the entry and exit, there were no third routes—either advance deeper or retreat.
It was unclear if the designated d*ath Zone was chosen intentionally or by accident, but cramming all the teams into a gourd-like valley to fight, how many teams would remain by daybreak? Tillysha couldn’t say.
Her question was soon answered.
“Team 63 has been eliminated.”
“Only ten teams remain within the Secret Realm. The northern valley’s entrance will close soon. Teams that haven’t entered will be considered eliminated.”
