Hearing the inspector announce the start of the game, Tan Xiao began making his way down from the stage without a care in the world.

But before he’d taken two steps, the clown said softly from behind him, “Sir — leaving now would cost you points…”

“Huh?” Tan Xiao turned around, looking baffled. “But I’m not ready to brawl yet — don’t you at least let me warm up first or something?”

The clown wore its cheerful smile. “That’s not how it works~ The only way to leave the stage is to lose. If you leave now, it counts as a voluntary forfeit and you’ll lose 1 point.”

“So you mean… I have to fight someone first before I can go, right?” Tan Xiao asked, not quite following.

The clown stopped engaging with him altogether and turned to face the audience, its gaze bright and eager. “Are there any ladies or gentlemen who would like to come up for a 1-on-1 brawl with this gentleman?”

“Are we really actually fighting…” Tan Xiao muttered to himself.

Sure, fighting was his specialty — but this was so sudden, he hadn’t even gotten into the right headspace yet. And there wasn’t a single brick within reach around here…

……

Down in the audience seats, Su Man turned anxiously to Shen Mo: “Is Tan Xiao any good in a fight?”

Shen Mo’s brow furrowed slightly as he replied, “Depends on the opponent.”

If it was someone like those players who had crouched beneath their chairs from the sound shock just now, Tan Xiao could definitely handle them. After all, someone who’d been through the maze twice had a noticeably different physical baseline than someone who’d only been through once.

But if the opponent was a professional — a boxer, a fighter, someone career-trained — Shen Mo wasn’t sure Tan Xiao could manage.

The clown on stage was still chattering through the rules:

“The Joyful Brawl has no time limit, no method restrictions, no limit on the number of rounds — as long as you knock your opponent down and they don’t get up for 10 seconds, you win and earn 1 point. So simple — doesn’t anyone want to try?

No one? What’s holding you back? Worried that you’ll earn points and then not be able to leave?

Ah, well~ That’s in the interest of fairness! Winners must stay on the brawl stage and accept challenges from the next player, until they’re defeated… And even then, defeat only costs a tiny bit of points — that’s still pretty worth it, don’t you think?

________________________________________

Oh? That gentleman asks if items can be used? Of course! However, all offensive-type items are banned! After all, this is a brawl arena — what we’re testing is everyone’s personal abilities…

Hmm? You ask what counts as an offensive item? No need to worry about that — any offensive-type item will automatically become ineffective once you’re on stage!

Now then — you’ve asked all these questions, so surely it’s time to get up on stage?

…Why is there still no one?

If 60 minutes pass with no brawl occurring in the arena, a mandatory draw will be triggered. And that won’t be pleasant for you~

Because you’ll have no way to predict what kind of opponent you’ll be drawn against.”

The clown’s final remark finally had an effect.

Quite a few people in the audience began to stir.

Among them, one figure stood out in particular — a powerfully built, hulking man. When he stood, he towered over two meters tall, his face a mass of brutal angles, his body covered in scars and tattoos, radiating an aura of raw ferocity! What was more, his right hand was not a hand at all, but a metal hook! He looked utterly terrifying.

At the sight of him, the others around him promptly sat back down, exchanging uneasy glances as they stared at the hulk.

No one wanted to be matched against someone like that.

Only Shen Mo rose from his seat and headed toward the stage.

Su Man’s heart lurched. She followed behind him and asked, uncertain, “You’re going too?!”

Shen Mo looked toward the hulk’s side of the arena, his voice calm. “Tan Xiao is no match for him.”

In the entire vast audience, only two people were walking toward the stage. The other side quickly noticed the competition.

The hulk turned to look toward Shen Mo, and the corner of his mouth curled into a strange, cold smirk — as if mocking Shen Mo for overestimating himself.

Shen Mo’s expression didn’t change. He quickened his pace, and just as he was about to reach the stage, he launched himself upward — leaping cleanly onto the stage in a single bound!

A full second later, the hulk arrived at the stage as well!

With a thunderous crash! That enormous frame planted itself before the clown like a giant!