The clown, hearing laughter, was finally satisfied.
It straightened its pumpkin-round body, raised its two short, thin arms, and adjusted the ruffled wave-shaped collar at its neck. Then, with a thoroughly delighted expression, it spoke:
“Welcome, welcome~! Welcome to the Joyful Brawl Arena — the grand stage of chaotic combat! I am this game’s inspector, and I will now explain the rules——”
The clown raised its right hand and snapped its fingers.
Bang!
Five overhead spotlights beamed down from above, each illuminating one of five thrones set high on the stage!
The thrones were a deep crimson, upholstered in velvet, with gold trim and gemstones of five colors decorating their tops and armrests — extraordinarily regal and magnificent, silently proclaiming the extraordinary status of whoever sat upon them.
The clown’s vivid red sausage-lips split into a wide grin, revealing a row of perfectly even, gleaming white teeth. “These are the Seats of the Battle King! Thirty players in the arena — only five winners can claim one of these seats!
The rules are quite simple: come to this stage, engage in joyful combat however you like, winners earn points, losers lose points! The first players to reach the passing score can take their place on a Battle King’s seat!”
Bang!
It snapped its fingers again!
All around the stage, vertical holographic displays lit up in a ring — each showing a player’s half-body portrait and score. Thirty holographic displays in total, one for every player, all showing zero.
In the audience, one player raised a hand and called out, “What’s the passing score?”
“Thirty points,” the clown replied with a smile. “Maximum score is fifty, passing score is thirty — very fair, wouldn’t you say?”
“How many points do you earn for winning a match?” another player asked from the audience.
“If thirty points gets you that seat, what’s the point of setting a maximum of fifty?”
“Are there specific rules for the brawl? Can items be used?”
“…Is there a time limit?”
“How many wins does it take to reach the passing score?”
More and more questions erupted from the crowd, filling the air with noise.
The clown raised both hands, palms facing down, and pressed them downward: “Quiet——”
Its voice rang out as though amplified through enormous speakers, thunderously deafening!
The entire arena was stunned into silence.
Some players clapped their hands over their ears, writhing in pain, forced to crouch down below their seats!
The clown, seeing this, resumed its normal volume: “Oh dear, oh dear~ Your physical condition seems a bit lacking — only been through the maze once, have you? That’s not good at all; you’ll be at a severe disadvantage in the Grand Brawl…”
No one said a word.
Even those who wanted to speak didn’t dare open their mouths now.
The clown continued: “No need to rush — before the Grand Brawl officially begins, I’ll explain all the rules clearly! Now listen——
One day during a total solar eclipse, I couldn’t see the sun. Do you know why?”
Silence.
Everyone stared in bewilderment at the clown on stage, feeling that nothing it said connected to anything else.
The clown rose on its tiptoes and performed a comical spinning move. “Because it was a total day of eating — I had my head buried in food all day long, so of course I couldn’t see the sun! Hahaha!”
Everyone: “……”
What on earth…
The inspector stood alone on the empty stage, roaring with laughter, while the players all looked on in complete bafflement.
Then, suddenly, laughter erupted from the audience seats: “Hahahahaha! A total solar eclipse!! Hahaha!!”
Shen Mo silently turned to look at Tan Xiao, who was convulsing with laughter beside him.
“I’m dying hahahahaha hic…” Tan Xiao was nearly in tears. “That’s hilarious hahaha! A total solar eclipse… total day of eating hahaha…”
Players from all around turned to stare at Tan Xiao.
Su Man, noticing the familiar face, hurried to change seats and moved over to sit beside Shen Mo and Tan Xiao.
But before she could even say a word to either of them, a beam of light suddenly shone down onto Tan Xiao!
Tan Xiao froze.
The clown on stage pointed at him and said, “This is the spirit of the Joyful Brawl Arena! Just like this — joyful! You there, the openly laughing gentleman: please come up on stage to demonstrate a brawl and help me explain the rules for everyone!”