Rita quickly moved away from the creature with the large eyes, realizing it belonged to the Tingo Autumn Deer race, specifically from the Sun-chasing Tribe. She didn't want to get too close, and moved cautiously through the gathering of strange beasts. She walked for about 30 ters, occasionally hopping in place to see if she could gather more information.
It felt like a ranch, with the players, including herself, essentially treated as livestock.
She observed a few rabbits—she didn't recognize them, but each seed to carry a unique aura, likely because they were transford by gods or demons. If she spent more ti with them, she would eventually be able to recognize them.
As ti passed, Rita beca more anxious, but the more anxious she got, the less she moved. There were no apparent rules or gaplay yet, and despite the fact that it seed like the perfect ti to use "I Just Want to Improve So Badly", she held back from using her skills recklessly. There was no need to rush.
She periodically checked the battlefield chat for updates, but most of the ti, she was keeping an eye on nearby players and the environnt.
To see farther, she kept herself standing on her feet, with her tail propped behind her on the ground.
She noticed that the space wasn't very big; otherwise, the more alert players wouldn't be so close. No matter how far she tried to move away from nearby players, the distance never exceeded a ter.
There were always those who liked to stay hidden, like Rita, and those who preferred to explore.
Six minutes after Rita entered the strange area, there was a sudden explosion in the distance—three loud bangs, like fireworks cracking open.
The sound startled Rita, and every player around her turned to look. However, by the ti they looked over, it was already too late. They only saw a few sparkling lights scattered in the air.
The unknown fear that followed was quite disturbing.
Rita noticed a rabbit leap onto the shoulder of a beast standing at least three ters tall, trying to see farther. The beast glanced at the event gift pack and didn't try to shake the rabbit off.
This action inspired the other rabbits around.
Two more rabbits appeared from nowhere and jumped up, but they couldn't fit on the left shoulder, so they stood on the right shoulder instead.
Rita moved her gaze away and continued observing.
A few more loud noises rang out, but every ti Rita looked toward them, it was already too late. The events occurred too quickly—there was no ti to react.
This was happening not only to Rita but to every player around her.
None of them were ordinary humans, so their reactions should have been faster.
Rita suspected that there was so kind of delay in the sound. After the players exploded, the sound followed afterward, and no matter how far away the players were, if they didn't see the incident happen with their own eyes, they wouldn't make it in ti to react.
The growing frustration among players was evident. The rabbit on the beast's shoulder jumped off, muttering curses. When its gaze t Rita's calm one, it hesitated for a mont before continuing to curse louder.
The other two rabbits hopped off the beast's back, and one slid down its spine, muttering sothing in a language Rita could understand. It said it was going to find a snake-necked dragon and stand on its head to see more.
As the rabbit's words faded, it joined the other two rabbits.
Despite the differences in size, the three rabbits stood so close together that there was no visible space between them.
At that mont, Rita's heart skipped a beat. She widened her eyes in shock, her pupils narrowing into thin slits.
As she blinked, the three rabbits exploded, turning into three clusters of star-like lights, and the explosion went off with a loud bang just as the lights scattered.
Rita: "WHAT!? A Match-3?!"
She quickly looked around to see if there were other Sandstorm Foxes nearby, and sure enough, she spotted two more—but there were other creatures between them.
To be safe, she squeezed her tail tightly and moved a few steps to the side, wedging herself between two different kinds of beasts. Only then did she feel sowhat secure.
A minute later, no new rabbits appeared at the spot where the three exploded.
Perhaps they were randomly placed in other areas of the ranch, or they had left it altogether.
01:30 — The ga had been going on for half an hour, and many players had already discovered the fact that standing together with three of the sa kind would cause them to explode.
However, no one spoke about it.
As more explosions occurred, fewer players remained in the ranch. The area kept shrinking every five minutes to ensure players didn't spread too far apart.
Rita stayed silent, noticing the few players who had figured out the trick. After a few monts of silent eye contact, they all started moving and grouped together.
By now, Rita and four other players ford a loose circle, each facing a different direction. They appeared to have accidentally gathered, but in reality, as soon as another player of the sa type ca near, they could quickly close the circle or rge into the center.
By 01:50, there were several small circles of players scattered across the field. There was no need for words; each group would quickly form by simply bringing together a few different types of players.
So solitary players didn't manage to join a group, but with most players forming alliances, it wasn't dangerous to stay in a corner by themselves as long as they weren't near any similar types.
Rita had been paying attention to the different kinds of creatures on the field. So far, there were only 12 different kinds of beasts that had changed to match the players' types, excluding the pets accompanying the players.
New players were still arriving, and each new arrival added another layer of uncertainty.
02:00, the Second Round Begins.
Rita's vision blurred for a mont, and when it cleared, she realized the players around her had changed. She was still a Sandstorm Fox, but her new surroundings felt different.
Looking around, she saw that the previously eliminated players had returned.
They were easy to recognize because their expressions were grim—they had no idea what had happened to them after they died.
The second round started. Although Rita wasn't sure if the gaplay would be the sa, the seasoned players quickly regrouped.
Players who had died in the previous round imdiately recognized the pattern and joined the groups without hesitation.
However, all players knew this wouldn't be as simple as it seed.
The first round was difficult because of the unknowns, but now that everyone knew the ga chanics, the gods would definitely introduce new challenges.
Currently, to Rita's left stood a rabbit, and to her right was a griffin. Nearby, there were two little black pigs and a Bido Beast.
The rabbit, about the sa height as Rita, kept glancing at her, turning its head back and forth.
Unable to resist, Rita spoke in English:
"...What's up? Stop staring, I'm scared."
The rabbit responded in English:
"Can't I look?!"
Rita rubbed her ears, feeling a sense of déjà vu. This voice wasn't from the big rabbit or the little rabbit—could it be a different account?
Thinking of the little rabbit's kindness, Rita leaned in closer, trying to test a secret signal:
"Foolish treasure?"
Then she stepped back slightly, making eye contact with the rabbit, signaling, "It's , BS-Rita! Got any inside info? Let's talk!"
The rabbit stared at Rita's face, and the slits in her eyes...
It felt a spark of anger deep inside.
The next second, Rita saw the rabbit's punch enlarge in her vision as it struck her straight in the face.
The rabbit shouted:
"YOU'RE the foolish treasure!"
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