Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 137 Jia Xiuzheng under the Sun is preparing for the competition

So this is actually a "battle royale".

Jia Xiu didn't expect the final match to be like this; he thought they would stick to the usual stereotypes of elves and do a more light and refreshing competition.

However, the battle royale organized by the elves was not that violent.

All the players in this match have "health bars".

Upon entering the arena, each person will be given a protective spell shield that can withstand a certain amount of spell effects. If the shield is broken, the person is considered eliminated.

Attacks are not allowed on players who have lost their shields.

At the same time, since shields can only be used to block damage, status effects, illusions, blessings, and other spells can still be directly applied to a person.

Therefore, spells that are status effects but cause additional damage cannot be used on people.

Unfortunately, Jia Xiu's most proficient skill, which he had mastered to the point of instantaneous, ultra-long-range, absolutely precise healing spell, was deemed a banned spell.

Negative Ratings.

The agreement was to use all methods, but the result was to use all methods within the scope of the detailed rules.

Taking off your pants to fart!
Jia Xiu felt that if the Ukmak people were to organize a competition with the same theme, they would definitely be unprotected and would be killed without mercy.

After they all die, they can be resurrected using a resurrection spell.

But it's understandable why the elves would make such a demand; after all, it's just a student competition, and fighting to the death would be a bit too aggressive.

The "Battle Royale" format is quite novel here, as it has never been seen before in the history of the five-school competition, so the rules are not very well-defined.

First, the safe zone is not randomly refreshed, but rather formed by concentric circles. Starting from the entire forest area, the area of ​​the prototype safe zone shrinks every six hours until a final winner is determined or the entire forest is covered.

The location of the "spawn point" is also fixed. 100 player positions are marked in the forest. After the game starts, players will be directly teleported to the designated position.

As for which specific location to be teleported to, that is up to the players themselves, and the order of selection is determined by the overall ranking of the first four rounds.

This is one of the advantages that can be gained from the preliminary rankings, as mentioned earlier.

With a two-round lead and a high ranking, Jia Xiu secured first place overall. He could choose his spawn point at will, as there were 150 spawn points available, more than the number of players, giving lower-ranked students some options.

Now, Jia Xiuzheng is studying the forest map.

The spawn points are distributed in a very regular pattern, spreading outwards in a ring shape from the center of the forest, with two locations at the innermost part, which appear to be only a few hundred meters apart.

Logically speaking, choosing the center position would be the most advantageous, as you wouldn't be chased around by the safe zone and could just wait for the final circle.

But clearly, Jia Xiu is not a person who follows the rules.

In Jia Xiu's view, while it is convenient to keep the middle position unchanged, it also makes him an easy target for others, and his hatred level is a bit high.

The selection of a location was public, and Jia Xiu believed that his hatred level was already quite high. If he chose the most central location, he would be targeted by a group of people and it would be difficult for him to escape.

More importantly, it's too far inside, making it difficult to reunite with Mia Ram.

Although the final round is an individual competition, it doesn't mean that teams can't be formed privately.

Jia Xiu had no intention of actually engaging in a one-on-one fight with anyone.

After forming a team, you can ambush people on the road leading to the safe zone, thus "righteously" taking on one enemy at once.

Battle Royale, how can it be a battle royale if it's not dark?

Mia is ranked fifth overall, her performance in the first round dragged her down significantly.

Ram was ranked eleventh. He not only failed in the first round, but also did not perform well in the final round, placing him in the lower middle of the passing contestants.

The question bank is full of difficult questions; you can't solve them by luck alone.

The good news is that this proves Ramu has a good grasp of the knowledge.

Jia Xiu did a rough calculation and chose a location on the third floor, about one kilometer from the center, as it was the most convenient place to meet up. There were also plenty of other spots around, so no one else would take them all.

"I choose this place."

Jia Xiu pointed to a location that wasn't quite in the center of the map.

"Are you sure? Once selected, it cannot be changed."

"determine."

As the top seed in the preliminary round, Jia Xiu's choice has attracted much attention.

The decision not to choose a central location surprised many people.

"Why? Isn't the middle a good choice?"

"Yes, those outside still have to run in."

"Although I don't know why, Jia Xiu must have his reasons for making this choice."

This last sentence was said by Justus.

After several rounds of preliminary rounds, this alchemy and magic prodigy from the Ukmark Empire had gained a certain understanding of Jia Xiu.

Regardless of what he specifically did, start by suspecting the worst.

He ranked second in the preliminaries. Except for the round where he did poorly on the phantom problem, he ranked very high in the other rounds, especially in the last round. Because Jia Xiu did the 10,000-point problem after the deadline, and Jacob pulled it himself, he successfully won first place. All of this earned him the second chance to be selected.

Justus originally intended to choose the middle ground.

but……

He looked in the direction Jia Xiu had left, and he seemed very confident.

It's a scam!

Although I don't know what kind of scam it is, there is definitely a scam!

Could it be that Jia Xiu wants to eliminate the contestants in the very center positions first?

That's probably it!
Justus sneered.

He is more mature than before the start of the competition. He no longer has the stubborn arrogance of the Imperials. He has learned that if he can't beat them, he should join them!

Although I don't know what Jia Xiu is going to do yet, I'll learn first.

So, "I choose this place!"

Justus pointed to a spot one circle further out than the location Jassiu had chosen.

"Hmph, they definitely won't be able to trick me this way!" he thought confidently...

It's a scam!

The third-place player was sweating as he looked at the situation.

Why would this happen? There must be something he should have noticed but didn't.

Otherwise, why would the top two teams choose positions that are increasingly located on the outside?

They are ranked higher than me and are more skilled.

First, believe...

As a result, people gradually chose seats on the outer edges, and no one chose the very center.

Until Jacob.

His poor performance in the Phantom and Quiz rounds caused his overall ranking to drop to outside the top ten.

Not as good as Ram.

He looked at the dozen or so outer spawn points that had already been selected on the map.

They're all too cowardly!
As the Holy Son, even if being in the very center might be a disadvantage, he still has to be in the most central position.

Being surrounded in the very center was incredibly tempting for him.

It was totally impossible to refuse.

Moreover, he and Jia Xiu will fight the most important battle in the most prominent position on this battlefield!
He must defeat all the challengers in the very center and finally beat Jassy to win the championship!

Jacob already had a picture in his mind.

In the very heart of the forest, a gentle breeze rustled the silver-blue leaves, creating a somber atmosphere. He, the Holy Son of the Holy Light Church, having defeated countless other contestants, faced off against Jia Xiu in the ever-shrinking safe zone, engaging in a fateful duel.

He won by a narrow margin, which will be another highlight of his life.

Therefore, Jacob did not hesitate to place his position at the very center of the map.

The next step was to prepare the necessary conditions for his victory over Jia Xiu. Dealing with such a powerful opponent required utmost caution. Therefore, he headed to the points exchange area to find the items he needed. The points exchange area was another advantage derived from his ranking in the first four rounds.

Based on the ranking, points will decrease from high to low. For example, Jia Xiu has 1000 "huge sums" that can be used to exchange for various supplies such as magical items, food and water, shield amplification, and spell scrolls used in the competition.

The first four rounds were so difficult, so besides having priority in choosing a position, there must be some other advantages.

Jia Xiu's team is arguably the trio with the most points here, totaling 2860 points.

Rich as hell.

"One bottle of healing potion is 10 points! Wow, we can exchange for more than two hundred bottles of healing potions. Can we get a discount for exchanging so many?"

Upon seeing the points redemption chart, Mia exclaimed excitedly.

"How afraid of 'death' are you to need to exchange more than two hundred bottles of treatment medicine? Have some self-respect, will you?" Jia Xiu said disdainfully.

“Indeed,” Ram said, “Ram couldn’t drink that many potions.”

"Um, Ram, this is just a nominal healing potion, you don't need to drink it, it's a spell that directly restores the shield."

"That's it."

Compared to recovery items, Jashu prefers items that directly increase the shield's maximum capacity.

200 points plus 30%.

One person, please.

Then there's the method of acquiring information; in this kind of competition, information is often more important than direct ability.

Gaining an informational advantage allows you to outmaneuver others more effectively.

As we all know, a simple lock is not as good as a X-ray vision lock; what's more powerful than X-ray vision locks is brute force locks.

Therefore, Jia Xiu also bought a map and several Arcane Eyes that could last for a long time.

An invisible magical eye that can float across terrain and transmit visual information back.

The downside is that playing it too much can cause dizziness.

These cost 800 points.

Once you've got the defensive and information-gathering items sorted out, it's time to think about increasing your damage output.

"Waaaagh! Ram likes this."

Ram pointed to a huge and powerful-looking dwarven magic rapid-fire gun in the display case.

"If Ram can make this big gun happy, it will become even more powerful."

Dwarves are quite skilled in the use of firearms.

However, Jia Xiu's focus wasn't on the gun, but rather...

"Ram, why did you say Waaaagh! Aren't you a half-ogre?"

"Can't a half-ogres do Waaaagh? Ram thought that being happy meant you could do Waaaagh."

"It's okay, as long as you're happy."

Jaxiu now seriously suspects that Ram's bloodline actually contains something else.

"Is there anything special about this gun?" he asked the staff member.

This is the most expensive item among all the items that can be redeemed with points, and it's located in a rather special place.

"It has a unique, peculiar odor that only short people have."

The elf staff member answered immediately.

"I'm asking about functionality, not what prejudice you have against the maker of this gun."

"It can hold up to 8 bullets, has an average rate of fire of 14 rounds per minute, an effective range of 200 meters, and can destroy the shield used in the competition with two shots. It is the highest level of technology that those short and ugly people have so far, but it's just so-so."

After listening to the elf's emotionally charged introduction, Jia Xiu was certain that the gun's stats couldn't be lower than they claimed.

Rate of fire: 14 rounds per minute.

It sounds a bit tragic, but it is indeed the highest level of craftsmanship currently available.

In this era, anyone who can fire four shots per minute with the common firearms is considered a highly skilled marksman.

Compared to that, a rate of fire of 14 rounds per minute is much more impressive.

"Will we have to exchange bullets for points again?"

"No need. With a stable supply of magic power, it will be fully charged in about 10 seconds."

"Alright, we'll take this gun. Ram, take it."

"I'm sorry, this gun is a valuable competition item and can only be used during the official start of the competition."

"Oh, so the dwarves' guns are very valuable to you."

At this moment, the elf in front of me visibly turned reddish-brown.

Jia Xiu could clearly see that the other party's rationality was being torn between the idol image of the elves and the disgust for the dwarves.

After a difficult internal struggle, the elf demonstrated excellent professionalism, saying, "I'm sorry, that's how the rules are."

Jia Xiu nodded. He didn't really intend to take the gun; he just wanted to tease the elf.

Ever since I learned the truth about elves, it's hard not to tease them when I see them.

All the main items have been replaced, and there are still a few hundred loose points left.

Adhering to the principle of making the best use of resources, Jia Xiu pondered what would be the most cost-effective way to exchange his remaining points.

At that moment, he remembered something and immediately went to the Q&A desk arranged by Silvermoon Academy.

Because it's a completely new competition format, the organizers have set up a Q&A team to answer any questions the participants have about the detailed rules.

"Hello, I'd like to ask, outside the safe zone, what are the reasons for a contestant's elimination?" Jia Xiu asked.

"Okay, when exposed outside the safe zone, you will be affected by the poison fog, continuously losing your shield until it is completely destroyed, at which point you will be eliminated."

Just as Jia Xiu thought, outside the safe zone, one wouldn't be instantly eliminated, and there was still room to survive.

However, he immediately thought of a new problem: "Can the poison mist work on the shield? It shouldn't."

"Um... that's how the rules are set up."

"I know it's set up this way, but I want to know why and how it's implemented."

"Please wait a moment... Team Leader!"

Jia Xiu successfully stumped the person.

A short while later, the head of the Q&A group arrived. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Jia Xiu, why are you asking this? It doesn't seem to have much to do with the final round of the competition."

This teacher had long heard of Jia Xiu's "reputation," and using unconventional methods to compete was simply his normal approach.

Has he found another loophole?

As a member of the event design team, he was also hoping to win some prize money.

“A thirst for knowledge,” Jia Xiu said with a kind smile, “and the contestants should have the right to know. What if there are potential dangers? Poisonous fog, oh, will it have any other effects?”

The team leader now feels that there is a risk in the competition process they designed.

However, he still replied: "The poisonous fog outside the safe zone is just an illusion to alert players and spectators. It has no harmful effect itself. When a player is outside the safe zone, the shield will activate a self-damaging spell process. In principle, it will hit 'itself' at a uniform speed and will not affect the player."

"Okay, thank you for your answer."

Self-damage spells...

Jia Xiu stood up; he already had a fairly complete plan to win the championship.

"Wait," the team leader suddenly called out to Jia Xiu, "Um, what are you doing?"

He now has a strong premonition that their ideal competition format is likely doomed, but what's worse is that he doesn't know how it will fail.

"I'm going to exchange for a few spell scrolls. Please believe me, I will definitely abide by the competition rules."

I want to believe it too.

The team leader really wanted to answer like this...

(End of this chapter)