V.I.P. Lobby, Terra Arena.
In a luxurious suite in the highest corner of the Terra Arena, 4 humanoid figures reside. A woman with a black clover tattoo on her left cheek sat on a wide couch with her eyes closed, while another one with pointy ears and a red heart mark on her left cheek looked outside of the massive glass window, revealing the arena's central stage.
On the suit's left side lies a bar; two men, one seemingly acting like a bartender and another sitting on one of the bar stools, drinks a glass of a purplish drink. The bartender wears a black spade tattoo, and the other has a crimson diamond, both in their right cheeks.
"How's everything going down there, Vida-chan~?"
"What did you just call me?"
"Vida-chan~, some honorifics I learned from this wonderful country called Japan."
"Japan?"
"Oh, Vida-chan, didn't you even look around Earth for a moment?"
"Ugh, I couldn't even stand a minute on that godforsaken planet."
"Now that's a bit harsh, Vida-chan~."
"Stop calling me that—!"
"Enough."
With a single word from Zio, the bicker between Vida and Gladius immediately came to a halt; however, Gladius didn't miss the chance to stick his tongue out at Vida while the latter started to fume with anger.
"Why you little—!"
"I said enough!"
At the rise of his voice, Zio slammed his glass on the bar table, shaking the suit lightly, causing the charging Vida to stop in her tracks and Gladius to finally stop his antics.
As the mood in the suite turned sour, the close-eyed Willow opened her mouth.
"Everyone's here; begin the first game."
Her icy and cold voice brought everyone in the area back to their senses.
"Gladius, start the announcement; you'll be the commentator and watcher for the first game."
"That's alright with me."
"Vida, you set the stage, and with Gladius, you'll also serve as a watcher."
"But I—"
"No buts!"
"*Sigh* Alright, what will be the first game then?"
At Vida's question, Zio fell silent and started to contemplate, but before he could come up with an idea, Willow opened her eyes and began to speak.
"Card Collection."
"Hey, isn't it too early—"
"Card Collection."
"..."
Seeing as Willow has no plans to compromise and seeing as the other two admins have no qualms with her decision, Gladius kept his mouth shut and agreed to the proposal. Nodding his head, he then teleported out of the suite. After a few seconds, Vida then asked Willow a question.
"May I ask why you chose such a game as the first? Aren't you rushing it a bit too much?"
Though instead of Willow answering, Zio stood up from his seat and walked towards the glass window; beneath the suit in the central arena was a massive amount of people numbering in the hundreds.
"We are in a rush, Hearts."
"This planet is 300,000 years late, and during those years, they evolved and forged a civilization out of nothing, all within hundreds of thousands of years without our help."
"Do you think their 'potential' can match those of other worlds?"
"It will be an insult to take it slow on them. I'm sure at the end of this Selection, the hailed 'World Master' will not be weaker than the others."
"That's high praise coming from the prideful diamond himself. Aren't you overestimating them a bit? It's already the 12th Epoch, after all."
Vida asked rhetorically. Zio, on the other hand, pulled out another glass of the same drink he was drinking minutes ago out of thin air as he looked down on the central stage; chaos spread as Gladius announced the first game to them.
"Let's say that you may be right. How strong do you think the 'World Master' is? Around the 11th or 10th Epoch? Maybe 9th at best?"
"Hmm, I estimate it to be 7th."
"5th."
Suddenly then, Willow spoke without hesitation, stunning the two from the woman's answer.
"5th? Isn't that a bit too much?"
"..."
Vida's question fell on deaf ears as Willow fell silent once again.
"Hey~ it wouldn't be so bad to speak more, you know?"
"..."
"*Sigh* Whatever then~"
Seeing as the other had no intention of speaking any further, Vida teleported herself and prepared the stage for the first game, while Zio remained in his position and observed the unfolding events below.
'5th Epoch, huh? That's too much of an overstatement. 6th might have some possibilities, but 5th? Impossible.'
'The 5th Epoch was the time we were crowned as "World Masters," too, and these humans can reach that level in just the selection? Preposterous.'
____________
Terra Arena, Central Stage.
Xein leaned to the corner of the arena's walls, trying to make himself hidden as he looked around at the hundreds of other candidates.
'There are way too many people here.'
'Some of them are already forming groups, huh?'
A few meters away from Xein, various candidates already started to form their own teams, while others are joining others left and right; there are also those that seem to prefer to be alone. Some looked with confidence, but most of them were fearful.
[Shouldn't you form your own group too, Master Xein?]
'I don't think now's the time for that yet, Q.'
When Xein woke up this morning, he saw some of the latest messages the system, Q, left to him after he fell asleep, and the most recent among them was the word "Q(Kyu)." Asking the system about this, he confirmed that it is indeed the system's name, though not without an earful of sarcastic remarks from it.
[Why not? Isn't it better to start out early?]
'I don't know; it's just that my instincts are telling me that now really isn't the time for that.'
[Can an idiot's instincts really be trusted?]
'...You've become more sassy, you know that?'
[It's just your imagination, Master Xein.]
'Is it because I didn't catch your last message last night?.'
[Whatever you mean, Master Xein.]
"*Sigh*"
As Xein sighed, Gladius then suddenly appeared floating on top of them.
"Ah, mic test~ mic test~ can everyone hear me?"
Gladius's voice resonated throughout the arena, catching the attention of every participant; the chaotic chatter immediately quieted down.
"Seeing as how everyone is listening, I believe you've all been briefed on the system and about the World Ruler Selection."
"Well then, without further ado, let us begin the very first game of the World Ruler Selection!"
In the next moment, Gladius flicked his fingers, and in front of every participant a hologram appeared.
[First Game: Card Collection]
[Description: 52 different cards will be scattered all over the battlefield. Obtain these cards and maintain possession over them as a cardholder. All cardholders will be marked. Killing a cardholder or stealing their card will transfer that card towards you.]
[Objective: Have a card in your possession until the end of the game. (The number of cards you can possess has no limit.)]
[Failure Condition: Being killed or having no cards in your possession at the end of the game will result in disqualification (Death).]
'This game...'
"What the hell is this?!"
"What the?! Are you saying only 52 people will survive?!"
"Isn't that too unfair?!"
Screams of protests echoed all across the central stage; while looking closer, many started to tremble in fear; only a few remained silent and still.
'Of course it will turn out like this, and now the admin will make a move.'
Gladius looked at the protest with a smile, and as he started to lift his fingers, seeing this, Xein frowned, closed his eyes, and lowered his head.
*Snap*
Many voices were immediately silenced; the candidates who complained turned into smoke, and underneath where they once stood, a black spade mark remained, and just like that, the participants were cut down by a hundred.
'... Don't piss off the administrators, ever.'
"Does anyone have any more complaints~?"
"..."
The whole stage fell into silence; no one dared to make a sound or even move.
"Good~ Then, let the first game begin!"
*Snap**Snap*
In the first snap of Gladius's fingers, a new platform holding a giant forest emerged from below the central stage, and on the second snap, all candidates in the central stage were teleported to random locations on that same platform.
_____________
On the edge of the forest platform, Xein spawned in an empty grassland surrounded by tall trees, but just as he was about to get up, an excruciating pain came all over his body.
"GRAAAAGHHH!!!"
'Q! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!'
His blood feels like it's boiling, his head feels like it's cracking open, and every single nerve in his body feels pain like never before, not just him but every single candidate that was just teleported into the field.
[Master Xein, until right now, the Terra Arena has ensured that the atmosphere from the air to the gravity in your rooms to the central stage is the same as what you're used to; in other words, it replicated Earth's environment for all candidates.]
'AND NOW?!'
[Now, all candidates will experience and are required to adapt to the Terra Arena's true environment.]
[Please be assured with the system, all candidates will survive and adapt to this environment in time.]
'F*CK! FUCK! FUCK!'
Xein continued to writhe in pain on the ground as his body felt like it was rearranging itself from the inside out; the first game had just begun.
____________
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"
On top of the central stage, Gladius looked at the participants writhing in agony as their bodies began to adapt themselves to the environment.
"Ahhh~ this scene never gets old~"
"Haaa~ And now, as your bodies adapt to the arena's environment, various candidates will begin to awaken their powers."
"I wonder, what new abilities will humanity's potential bring?"
_________________
In the field, Xein looked up as the pain finally subsided. Xein's Status Window popped out in front of him as he remained sprawled out on the ground, heavily panting.
"What the...?"
[Congratulations, Master Xein! Your physical level has increased for adapting to the Terra Arena's environment.]
_________________
"While all participants will naturally have their physical capabilities increased, most of them will have their abilities already awakened."
"But the true talent are those who didn't awaken any; their potential being the highest, they require time and various conditions to be fulfilled in order for their powers to awaken."
"And you, Xein Johannes..."
[Name: Xein Johannes
Title: None
Power: Chains
Physical Level: 17 (+2)
Mental Level: 13
Assessment: An idiot who has adapted to the arena's environment.]
"... isn't one of them, hehehe~"
[Congratulations on awakening the Power "Chain", Master Xein.]