Chapter 61: The Game’s Twisted Nature

‘Damn it, what’s the difference anyway?’

‘Forget it, I’ll enter the game myself. Being dragged in feels too humiliating!’

Wang Tianming fumed inwardly.

‘Should I create a character before entering, like last time, or jump straight in like the very first time?’

“Welcome to the game instance—’Decisive Battle! Heian-kyo.’

Please follow the instructions of your game guide, Nina, to begin your game! Good luck~”

The Destiny System remained silent, offering no reply to Wang Tianming’s thoughts.

This time, it didn’t even bother to introduce the game’s objective; it simply pulled Wang Tianming in before vanishing without a trace.

“Ugh! Ow, ow, ow!”

The familiar sensation of dizziness and disorientation overwhelmed him once more.

Before Wang Tianming could even open his eyes, he felt himself crashing onto a hard floor.

As his senses returned, he noticed four other individuals standing around him.

“Wow! How come there’s a disabled person this time?”

A young man’s voice cut through the air.

Wang Tianming looked up, realizing the voice belonged to one of the four people standing.

“Excuse me, where exactly are we? Why am I here?”

A soft, delicate female voice spoke, so quietly that it might have been missed had they not all been clustered together.

“Who are you all? Are you kidnappers?”

“What’s this? Not only a disabled person but also a newbie (TL Note: ‘Meng xin’ refers to a new player or novice in online games.) making their debut?”

The young man spoke up again.

“Hey, you guys, what about you? Are you new players or veterans?”

“This is my first time here,” the other young man replied, his voice deep and reassuring, instilling a sense of calm.

“Idiots.”

The last person, clearly disinclined to engage with the others, muttered a curse before turning away and retreating to the side, falling silent.

Lying on the ground, Wang Tianming felt a dull ache throughout his body.

From his vantage point, he couldn’t clearly discern the appearances of the others.

He could only infer their genders and approximate ages from their builds, clothing, and voices.

Among the four standing individuals, three were male and one was female.

Of the men, one was quite talkative and an obvious veteran player, the young man.

Another claimed to be a newbie, the other young man.

The last man possessed a haughty demeanor; though he hadn’t introduced himself, he likely was also a veteran player, the arrogant man.

The woman was the one who had meekly posed the initial questions, the newbie woman.

From her words, she, too, seemed to be a newbie.

However, in this game where reality and illusion blurred, one could never truly know if someone was genuinely a novice.

Including Wang Tianming, all five individuals were young, suggesting that games were primarily favored by the younger generation.

“Hey, what’s with your aggressive tone?

This game, ‘Decisive Battle! Heian-kyo,’ is all about teamwork.

Is that really how you speak to your teammates?”

The talkative young man, stung by the arrogant man’s retort, couldn’t help but fire back.

“How about this? Let’s all introduce ourselves first, and see…”

“Welcome to the enchanting world of Shikigami in ‘Decisive Battle! Heian-kyo’! I’m Nina, your player guide~”

Whether intentional or not, Nina’s sugary voice abruptly interrupted the talkative young man.

“‘Decisive Battle! Heian-kyo’ is a Japanese-style MOBA (TL Note: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) mobile game where players can choose various Shikigami (TL Note: Divine spirits or gods in Japanese folklore) and different equipment to engage in battles.”

“Therefore, please begin by selecting the Shikigami you wish to use.

Each player must choose three Shikigami, and all selections must be unique~”

This time, Nina skipped explaining the rules entirely, instead directly instructing players to choose their characters.

“Once all players have made their selections, the game will officially commence~”

“Huh? There are no game rules?” the newbie woman asked timidly.

“Without any rules, how are we supposed to play?”

“What rules are needed for this?

MOBA games are simply about laning and pushing towers.

Victory is secured by destroying the enemy’s crystal,” the talkative young man scoffed, shaking his head.

“Ugh, not only are we stuck with newbies, but they’re complete gaming novices! Honestly, how can we rely on teammates like this?”

“Alright, that’s enough from you.

Since we’re all teammates, let’s try to be a bit more understanding!”

The other young man stepped forward to mediate.

“Let’s brainstorm some strategies and figure out a good team composition, shall we?”

“Hmph, a bunch of idiots!”

The arrogant man, unable to listen any longer, strode forward, hurled an insult, and then declared, “Do you truly believe this game is that simple?”

“What do you mean by that?” the talkative young man retorted indignantly.

“You call us idiots, so what brilliant insights do you have?”

“Tell me, this is a MOBA game, a 5v5 match, correct?” the arrogant man asked, looking at the group with disdain.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

He continued, “So, if there are only five of us here, where are the other five players?”

“The other five… couldn’t they just be AI opponents?” the talkative young man pondered aloud.

“What’s wrong with five of us playing against five characters controlled by the game system?”

“Heh heh, naive! That’s why I say you truly are a bunch of idiots!” the arrogant man sneered.

“Since you’re not a new player but a veteran, don’t you understand the twisted nature of this cursed game?

It has never followed a normal game progression!

Think with your rear end—would it honestly stick to a straightforward MOBA format?”