172: Chapter 172 Arena

The second act ended, with Russia, USA, and Sakura Country taking the top three spots for this act.

Just like the total points awarded in the previous act.

The top three in this act also received 10, 8, and 6 total points respectively.

Consequently, the total points ranking for each country is as follows:

The USA, having placed first in the first act with 10 points and second in the second act with 8 points, stands in first place with a total of 18 points, leading by a wide margin.

In second place is Russia, with a total of 10 points.

In third place is Prussia, with a total of 8 points.

There are two countries in fourth place: the Dragon Country and Sakura Country, with a total of 6 points each.

The remaining countries—Ottoman, Britain, France, and Rome—are still sitting at zero, tied for last place.

Just as Chen Aoyun thought this was the complete version of the current points.

While in a state of weightlessness, he suddenly saw a new rule in the void:

【Rule 2: Every Raider who sacrifices themselves in an act will cause a -1 deduction from the total points】!

There were no affix restrictions; it wasn't a rule specific to a certain act, but an overall rule of this Game of National Destiny, just like 【Rule 1】 discovered previously.

【Rule 1: Every Raider who sacrifices themselves in an act will automatically revive in the next act】

"Dead Raiders deduct total points? Damn! This is such a trap!"

It was precisely because he discovered 【Rule 1】 during the first act and knew that death meant automatic revival in the next act that Chen Aoyun was so reckless during the tower climb in the second act, pushing for higher levels without regard for casualties.

Now that 【Rule 2】 had appeared, Chen Aoyun regretted it bitterly. Since they hadn't made it into the top three in the second act anyway, if he had known about 【Rule 2】 earlier, he would have been much more cautious during the tower climb in the second act.

"Sigh. It's too late to say anything now..."

Combining the newly appeared rule, he recalculated the total points in his mind.

Dragon Country lost three people in the first act and three more in the second act. Chen Aoyun smiled bitterly and said,

"Six deaths, six points deducted. The Dragon Country only has 6 total points, so this just wiped it all out? Fine, fine, fine, I've been working for nothing, haven't I."

It wasn't entirely for nothing.

It wasn't just the Dragon Country that lost people. Chen Aoyun carefully recalled the number of Raiders who appeared in spirit form from other countries during the first two acts. The countries ranked ahead of the Dragon Country in total points should also have had points deducted to some extent because of this rule, and those ranked behind the Dragon Country were likely already in negative points.

"I can't remember the exact death toll of the other countries, but regardless, now that this rule has appeared, we cannot easily take risks in future raids."

The feeling of weightlessness finally disappeared completely at this moment, replaced by the feeling of solid ground, and the endless dark void transformed into a different scene.

It was a huge arena, and Fan Ling and the others had also arrived here, right by Chen Aoyun's side.

A mechanical and ethereal voice appeared once again:

【Third Act, commencing...】

"Boss, dying deducts total points!" Fan Ling said hurriedly as soon as he landed.

"I know, I saw that rule too. Let's not talk about things that have already happened. This seems to be an arena, and I have a bad feeling about it... Let's look for rules first!"

The levels of the four members of the Dragon Country were generally low, and what Chen Aoyun disliked most was a mode similar to the tower climbing from the previous act.

There was no plot in the tower climbing mode; it was purely a test of combat power. The current arena gave Chen Aoyun a feeling very similar to the tower climbing, which made him worry.

"Here! There's a rule here!"

Fan Ling quickly found a rule under a row of weapon racks in the arena:

【Act 1 Rule 1: In the arena, earn points based on waves of enemies killed. The number of points affects the quality and quantity of 'Hand Cards'. Enemies in the arena will appear in waves. If all members are killed, points are reset to zero. Before each wave of enemies arrives, a green evacuation zone will appear briefly. Consider the timing of evacuation carefully.】

The four gathered in front of the rule. Chen Aoyun looked at it with a helpless expression and said,

"Another start that tests pure combat power, and this time we have to worry about casualties too. This is not good."

Unpleasant as it was, the four each picked a suitable weapon from the rack and had to bite the bullet and prepare to face it.

Before long, a large number of demons began to gather at the edge of the arena.

They were all small demons that were not even knee-high. Although there were many of them, they were not difficult to deal with.

The four from the Dragon Country quickly cleared out these small demons. Before the next wave of demons appeared, a green-glowing evacuation zone indeed appeared in one corner of the arena.

Fan Ling had little combat power. The first few waves might not be a problem, but if he stayed in the arena for too long, he would inevitably become a burden.

Chen Aoyun suggested that Fan Ling leave first through the green evacuation zone, but when Fan Ling stepped into the green area, he did not disappear.

"It seems there is no option to leave individually in the arena. Sorry, I'm going to hold everyone back again this time."

"Don't say that. You have your strengths. If it weren't for you in the first act, where would I have gotten so many coins to forge?"

While comforting Fan Ling and telling him not to blame himself, Chen Aoyun pondered in his heart,

"As expected, it's better for Raiders to be all-rounders than specialists. In the future, whether it's Zhao Hongxiu or Fan Ling, their second set of skills should ideally be used to cover their own shortcomings..."

Unlocking a second set of skills requires a special scroll. Currently, besides Chen Aoyun, only Zhao Hongxiu has used a scroll to unlock her second set of skills.

However, Zhao Hongxiu's second set of skills still lacked a life-bound heroic spirit. With the current situation unfavorable, Zhao Hongxiu looked at Chen Aoyun. She had an insight into the heroic spirit 【General Huo Qubing】, and if needed, she could make 【General Huo Qubing】 her life-bound heroic spirit right now.

Chen Aoyun respected Zhao Hongxiu's choice, but considering that Zhao Hongxiu's 【Roleplayer】 level was too low, even if she fully activated her second set of abilities now, the increase in combat power wouldn't be significant.

Especially since Chen Aoyun had just concluded that no matter what kind of Raider they were, being 'all-round' was better than being 'specialized'. Zhao Hongxiu was already 【Path of the Soldier】, which overlapped with the abilities 【General Huo Qubing】 could grant. Since Zhao Hongxiu was consulting him, Chen Aoyun silently shook his head at her.

"I hope you can round out your comprehensive abilities. From that perspective, 【General Huo Qubing】 is not the best choice."

Chen Aoyun lowered his voice and said to Zhao Hongxiu. Zhao Hongxiu, upon hearing this, seemed thoughtful and finally nodded gently.

As Zhao Hongxiu nodded, the green light of the evacuation zone slowly faded. This was both the end of the evacuation time and the beginning of the next round of slaughter in the arena.

...

Round after round, when the battle continued into the tenth round, the four members of the Dragon Country were struggling to hold on.

When the demons of the twelfth round were cleared, the three with combat capability, including Chen Aoyun, were already seriously injured, and Fan Ling, who had no combat capability, was on the verge of death.

Ignoring her own injuries, Zhao Hongxiu analyzed rapidly,

"We cannot continue like this. This arena should be just like the tower in the second act; it's only the preparatory stage for this act. Who knows what the situation will be after leaving the arena? If it's still the same as the second act where there's no way to play, then we must at least ensure we don't lose anyone and don't have points deducted from our total."

The green evacuation zone glowed again, but Chen Aoyun did not take Zhao Hongxiu's advice to evacuate immediately...