Inside the space.
The three of them looked completely numb, swaying along with the music, waving their glow sticks nonstop.
They were even humming along.
They didn't want to.
They really didn't.
But somehow, they just couldn't stop.
Fortunately, the song wasn't very long—just a little over four minutes.
When the final note fell, the invisible control finally lifted.
Only then did the three regain their senses.
"That was terrifying. That song is poisonous."
"Yeah. I couldn't control myself at all."
"Do you think that was some kind of rule-based control skill?"
Luocha frowned.
"It felt like one of those abilities where once the rule is triggered, you're forced to follow it."
"Could be."
"Probably."
The other two nodded in agreement.
Earlier, they had been cheering only because of the punishment.
But this time?
They had been completely taken over.
For a moment, Luocha even wondered—
Should I learn this skill and sing it in front of Yaoshi someday, then have everyone else call in Lan for damage?
Who knows, maybe it'd work.
Whoosh!
Light flashed.
The scene shifted.
The three were transported out of the concert hall.
As soon as she appeared, Bronya saw valerius sitting nearby.
And suddenly, it hit her.
This was livestreamed.
Which meant…
Her frantic cheering and waving earlier had been broadcast to everyone!
Her face stiffened.
She quickly opened the chat to see what people were saying.
[Seele: Whew… finally over.]
[Natasha: Thank goodness it was short…]
[Gepard: Thank goodness, thank goodness.]
[Herta: Was that a punishment for them, or for me?]
[valerius: You're the ones who asked me to play the sound. Don't blame me.]
[Ningguang: Never being curious again. Ever.]
Seeing this, Bronya finally understood.
It wasn't just them.
Even the viewers had been affected.
In that case…
This punishment wasn't so bad after all.
At least they weren't the only ones embarrassed.
"Alright, the game is over," valerius said. "You can return to the real world now."
His voice marked the official end of this round.
"Ah… what a pity. We didn't win."
Luocha sighed regretfully and chose to return.
The others followed.
Only Bronya lingered, feeling a little down.
She had hoped to win this time.
She wanted to get a chance to draw something that might revive her mother.
But she hadn't been good enough.
She had been completely played by valerius.
"What's wrong? Not happy?" valerius asked.
"No."
Bronya shook her head.
She wasn't unhappy.
Games had wins and losses.
She just wasn't satisfied with her own performance.
valerius reached out and gently rubbed her head.
"Don't think too much. I'm not going anywhere. You'll have plenty of chances."
"Mm."
Bronya nodded.
Then her face suddenly turned red.
She looked at him hesitantly.
"When you say you're not leaving… does that mean… you won't leave Belobog?"
"Uh…"
That question caught valerius off guard.
Truthfully, he didn't plan to stay in Belobog forever.
The main story here was already over.
There wasn't much excitement left.
But looking at Bronya's hopeful eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"I see."
Bronya's gaze dimmed.
Then she smiled as if it didn't matter.
"I'm going back first. Come find me when you're free."
"Uh… okay."
Her figure faded away.
valerius stood there, feeling oddly uneasy.
Did I just miss something important?
Somehow, he felt like if he had said he'd stay…
Something special might have happened.
"…Forget it."
As a straightforward guy, he couldn't figure it out anyway.
So he opened the system.
"System, let's check my points."
[Host, you currently have 24 points remaining.]
"Let's do a draw. One ten-point draw."
He didn't urgently need rewards anymore.
But he still liked the thrill of opening blind boxes.
What if something interesting came out?
Thunk!
A package dropped down.
He opened it.
A golden card floated up.
"Huh? What's this?"
The card shimmered, but the character on it looked strangely familiar.
"Wait—no way! That's Anby!"
He finally recognized her.
The image was Anby.
"System, what is this?"
Why was she on a card?
Did this mean he'd get her abilities?
But that didn't feel right.
It cost ten points.
Anby alone didn't seem worth that much.
[Host, you have obtained: Zenless Zone Zero Player Invitation. Would you like to invite ZZZ players to join?]
"An invitation?"
Now that was interesting.
If Zenless Zone Zero players joined, the balance would definitely change.
"Why does this feel like Wei, Shu, and Wu all over again?"
He suddenly thought of the Three Kingdoms.
If ZZZ joined, wouldn't it be like forming another faction?
Originally, Genshin had the numbers.
If ZZZ joined, they could balance things out.
But then again…
Honkai's side had terrifying quality.
Jing Yuan.
Herta.
All command-level monsters.
If ZZZ joined too, wouldn't Genshin get crushed?
[Host, all players' powers will be sealed in games.]
The system reminded him.
"Still… they have the Genius Society."
valerius was unconvinced.
Those were geniuses.
Their brains were scary.
[Games vary. They do not rely solely on intelligence. Moreover, Genius Society members are not talented in every field.]
"…That's true."
Thinking carefully, he realized it made sense.
They might be brilliant in research.
But not necessarily in everything.
For example—
If Ruan Mei competed with Xiangling in research, Xiangling would lose.
But if they competed in bargaining at the market?
Xiangling would crush her.
By eight streets.
The more he thought, the more reasonable it felt.
"Alright. Invite them."
[Ding! All players, please note. New players are joining.]
[Player Ling has joined the arena.]
[Player Wise has joined the arena.]
[Player Nicole has joined the arena.]
[Player Billy has joined the arena.]
[Player Anby has joined the arena.]
[Player …]
A long series of announcements rang out.
Everyone was stunned.
New players?
That was possible too?!
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