Chapter 28: The Rule is There Are No Rules

"What's the identity of that old man? What's his ability?" Liam squeezed over to Sofia's side while Cain began explaining the rules, quickly asking his question.

"He's the headmaster of the Eastern Academy. No one really knows what his exact abilities are; the headmaster knows many things," Sofia replied in a low voice, glancing at Liam who had come closer.

Then, she quickly added, "Pay attention now. This isn't the time for that!"

"Cough, cough, haha." Cain stood at the podium, coughing twice before speaking. "Even though this old man might start with some nonsense, I'd still appreciate it if everyone could quiet down and not whisper."

Hearing this, Sofia shot Liam a sideways glance, clearly indicating that the remark was directed at the two of them.

Liam didn't speak further, merely shrugging. Even in another world, it seemed that leaders' speeches often started with unnecessary formalities.

For instance, Cain was currently saying a bunch of clichés:

"We need to... work hard... grasp firmly... delve deep... maintain... prolong..."

In short, it was the kind of opening speech one might expect at a school ceremony, covering the purpose and direction of the event.

But this tedious monologue didn't last too long, and soon, Cain began explaining the actual rules.

First, there were 126 participants who would enter a man-made secret realm together for a "hunting event" with no rules.

The ranking criteria were so simple that they sounded almost absurd—participants were to retrieve "God Cores" from within the secret realm and earn points based on them. The higher the score, the higher the rank.

He specifically noted that those with more points and higher rankings would receive generous rewards, which would benefit them in their future admission.

However, this assessment was far from as straightforward as it sounded.

Firstly, there were no maps within the secret realm, so participants would have to determine their own directions to find their way back to the entrance, which was the only way out of the secret realm.

Secondly, participants had to keep track of time themselves. If they failed to exit within the time limit, they would be disqualified, even if they had the highest score.

Finally, there were no rules. If you were strong enough, you could steal other participants' God Cores. If you weren't strong enough, you could team up with others.

This last point made the comprehensive assessment truly "comprehensive."

It would test the participants' ability to distribute benefits, organize, build teams, lead, make decisions, and even rely on a bit of luck...

The core academies used this method to immerse the 126 participants in a 36-hour experience, quickly familiarizing them with the societal rules among superhumans.

—You could work together with friends, but those friends might betray you for points.

—You could fight against someone you don't get along with, but you had to be careful of others passing by and taking advantage of the situation.

—Strength in unity; teaming up could be a good strategy, but distributing the final rewards might give you a headache.

—You could be incredibly strong, but you might be targeted by others as a prime target, ending up with nothing despite your efforts.

On the battlefield, there are no police or laws to protect you; you must weigh and judge everything for yourself.

...

This design didn't just test strength—strength didn't even play the most significant role.

Or perhaps it wasn't a design at all; it was just a basic set of rules with everything else left to chance—no rules at all.

But the absence of rules was its essence, because this world had no rules; superhumans were never sheltered.

Everyone present was sharp, and hearing Cain's explanation, they all fell silent, frowning in thought.

Some began to glance around, considering whether to find teammates, while others, exuding arrogance, didn't even look at others, clearly intent on acting alone.

Watching the various expressions on everyone's faces, Cain maintained his gentle smile and nodded slightly.

"Alright, the rules are that simple. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

After a moment of silence, a participant stepped forward and asked:

"Headmaster Mo, what exactly is a 'God Core'?"

"Oh, that? Just think of it as a drop from defeating monsters in the secret realm. That's your God Core," Cain replied.

"And you mentioned that this is a man-made virtual secret realm. Are the monsters real? Can they harm us?"

"Of course they can. Everything in there is completely real," Cain explained.

"But you all are valuable human resources, so we won't let you die in there. If you suffer a fatal injury, you'll be teleported out immediately, but that would place you at the bottom of the rankings."

...

After the questions ended, the scene fell silent for a few seconds. Cain looked around and was about to announce the start of the "hunting event" when another participant jumped out.

Liu Peng raised his hand and asked, "Headmaster, you said we can bring weapons inside. How do you ensure fairness in battles?"

Cain's expression didn't change, but he was internally taken aback. His experience told him that something was off about this question. At the very least, he had never heard such a query in the past.

Sure enough, Li Qi, who was standing on the edge of the judges' table, spoke up:

"I think it's a reasonable concern. After all, there's never been a precedent for an E-level participant standing here before. It's normal to worry about fairness."

"Can you stop already?!" Sofia exclaimed, shocked. She never expected Li Qi to be so stubborn and tactless, dragging this issue out even in such a setting.

"I've explained multiple times why an E-level participant received a special admission spot, and the assessment is about to start. Can't you just see for yourself whether he's qualified!?"

Sofia's words were completely reasonable.

Many of the high-ranking individuals serving as judges might have doubted Liam's qualifications before, but now, no one would bring it up. After all, with the assessment about to start, it would soon be clear whether Liam was up to the task; whether he was E-level or not was irrelevant.

Moreover, by rights, Li Qi, as a non-judge, had no authority to make such statements.

So now, many of the high-ranking officials were looking at Li Qi with varying degrees of displeasure.

But Li Qi didn't care anymore. By jumping out at this moment, she had already prepared to harm herself to damage her opponent.

"Of course, it can't be that simple because I suspect you helped him cheat!"