Theo, standing under the tree, looked at the time as it became zero.
Suddenly, he found another red dot on the map, indicating the start of the tournament and a new target.
[Objective: Head to the destination and meet the other people.]
"!!!" Theo raised his eyebrows and opened the map, finding five blue dots. "Hmm…"
After thinking for a while, Theo moved forward to the destination. The meeting area was in a plain right at the bottom of the hill, making it easier for them to fight.
Theo thought he would fight a battle royale the moment he arrived, but he figured out his grandfather wouldn't be that random.
On the way, he got another surprise when he saw Ignazio running toward the same destination.
As if feeling his presence, Ignazio also turned his head around. Instead of running away, he approached him while waving his hand. "Oi!"
"It's been a while, Theo." Ignazio smiled. "As expected, you are insane for participating in this year's competition, considering you have been here only for three months."
Theo shrugged as if telling him he didn't care much about the competition. Seeing there was no fighting objective currently, he found no reason to push him away.
'Leaving him is a choice, but I should be using Ignazio to introduce the other four.' Theo muttered inwardly.
"What do you know about this competition?" Ignazio asked.
"Nothing," said Theo without hesitation. "That's why I hope you can explain a few things to me later. I don't know what to expect from a competition like this."
"Haha. It's okay. We just need to work hard and the War God Family will assess our ability." Ignazio agreed without hesitation.
Before he could say anything, they had arrived at their destination, finding three people staring at them.
"!!!" Theo and Ignazio were surprised to see these three.
Without hesitation, Ignazio shouted their names. "Hmm? Velio, Felice, and Riccardo!"
"Ignazio, huh." Velio furrowed his eyebrows while Felice only looked at him coldly.
Theo observed these three people. Despite having a bulging stomach, Velio's body didn't seem to have trouble moving because he remembered they had the same distance to gather here.
Since he came earlier than them, his pace should be far faster. Seeing there was no sweat under this hot sun made Theo know he wasn't an ordinary guy.
As for Felice, he already felt the cold air around her, indicating her affinity. He looked at this purple-haired beauty because her gaze reminded him of a certain person.
Last but not least, Riccardo had a muscular body that was barely hidden underneath his clothes. His eyes matched his spiky blonde hair, releasing fighting intent.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Theo's face. Because he was the newbie here, he approached them, asking, "Hello, I'm Theo. I'm new here. If you don't mind, can I ask for your names?"
"Oh, so polite." Velio raised his eyebrows and extended his hand. "I'm Velio. Nice to meet you, Theodore or Theo."
"Y-yes." Theo shook his hand.
"He's Luka's assistant," Ignazio added with a nonchalant expression.
"Luka?" Theo tilted his head in confusion, not knowing who this Luka was.
"Luka is one of the top three beside my sister." Ignazio shrugged.
"Oh?" Theo nodded with a poker face as if it didn't really matter. He then turned to Riccardo and extended his hand, "Hello."
"Haha, Young Man. You're good! To think you cause all this just by participating… I guess many are curious about you." Riccardo laughed and shook Theo's hand.
Theo furrowed his eyebrows when he felt the grip was too tight, as though the other party was trying to test him.
Theo made a weak smile and asked, "Ehm… Can you stop? It's hurting me…"
"Oh?!" Riccardo hurriedly released his hand and said, "Are you sure you can even participate in this competition? You don't seem to be that powerful."
"Riccardo, you're one to talk." Ignazio glared at him and gave another introduction. "This is Riccardo. He's the weirdest guy in the ranking. He fell short of the top three, but he achieved that position with his fighting prowess alone. Well, you can say he's a muscle brain."
"Offense is the best strategy. If strategy still worked against you, it means you didn't hit them hard enough." Riccardo laughed out loud.
Theo didn't care about his policy, so he went to the last person. "Hi."
Felice looked at him for a few seconds then raised her head. After a while, she looked down and said, "Felice."
"Oi, Felice. Aren't you a bit too cold to a new guy?" Velio couldn't help but comment.
"She's Lorenzo's woman," Ignazio added.
"Right. Another top three." Velio nodded in agreement.
"Oh?" Theo listened to their introductions.
"Sor—ry!" Suddenly, a long, high-pitched voice echoed in their ears as a blonde girl arrived at the spot. She tied her long hair into twin tails and wore a white robe and a miniskirt during this hot summer.
She bent her knees while placing her hands on her thighs, supporting her body as she was panting.
"Another one who falls short from the top three…" Ignazio clicked his tongue.
"She's a devil! A witch! A black mage!" Velio supported Ignazio but in a more eccentric way. "She acted innocent while inside, she was nothing like that!"
"What do you mean by that?" She panted a few times, trying to deny them. "I don't even want this position because I don't deserve it… However, every time I participate in the competition, something weird occurs… I don't know what's going on."
"Yeah, yeah. We will see…" Ignazio rolled his eyes, not caring about her statement.
"I am telling the truth." She pouted.
Theo had no knowledge about her, so he just extended his hand. "Hi, I am Theo, a new guy here."
"Right!" She hurriedly shook his hand and said, "I'm Alice."
Suddenly, another objective appeared on the screen, stunning all of them.
Objective: Kick one of your teammates from the group and force them to leave the competition or build a sand or dirt castle together. After that, move to another destination for a battle. There's no time limit and the castle needs to be perfect if you want to participate in the second round.
"!!!" The moment they saw their mission, all of them had the same thought in their mind.
'The first mission already requires us to betray someone?'