Entrance Ceremony

The other players all appearing next to Astaroth looked at him weirdly, as he clutched his chest. Some even whispered among each other, asking if he was ok.

Astaroth, on his side, was clutching his chest hard, in deep pain.

"Fuck! That bitch landed a clean hit before I teleported away." He grumbled, clutching over his heart.

Astaroth was taking no damage, and his health bar was full. No status ailments were affecting him either.

But the pain from being stabbed in the heart persisted in his body and mind. It took some time before it subsided, and in the meantime, more and more players teleported around him.

When one thousand players appeared on the platform Astaroth was on, a big screen flashed over the platform. Everyone present turned their gazes upwards.

A woman was on the screen, sitting at a long table, as she looked into a camera.