"This is the contract for the competition, Mr. Alex Stone. Please take a look, and if everything is in order, sign here."
Alex didn't immediately reply. Instead, he quietly took the contract from the other person's hand and began to read.
About the Ice and Fire: Battle Royale Game Participation Agreement:
Party A will provide Party B with a means to travel through time and a body to use in the world of Ice and Fire.
Party B voluntarily agrees to participate in this competition within the world of Ice and Fire and accepts all corresponding legal responsibilities.
Rule Details
Bonus Details
The game's organizers were a higher-dimensional organization that arrived in Alex's world over a decade ago. They brought with them extraordinary powers, unlike anything Alex or his world had ever seen.
Fortunately, their goal wasn't conquest, but… entertainment.
What's even more remarkable is their adherence to local laws. For instance, the game Alex was about to join required a signed contract beforehand.
It took Alex nearly half an hour to read the relatively short agreement, word for word.
The agreement's content could be summarized into these four key points:
Competition Introduction: This competition takes place in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, with a total of one hundred players participating.
Victory Rules: Victory can be declared when all players outside an alliance are eliminated, or when an alliance's total points exceed 10,000, provided all alliance members unanimously agree. If alliance members can't reach an agreement, the alliance automatically dissolves.
(Players can form alliances of up to four people through the auxiliary system after entering the game.)
Upon final victory, all surviving players will be teleported back to their original worlds one hour after the game begins.
Bonus Rules:
One sole winner: Gains ten billion dollars.
Two winners: Share one billion dollars equally.
Three winners: Share ten million dollars equally.
Four winners: Share one million dollars equally.
Risk Reminder: Death in the game results in real-life death.
"So, Mr. Stone," the receptionist from the organizing body asked as Alex put down the document, "do you have any questions?"
"Of course," Alex nodded. "As far as I know, you've held similar competitions multiple times before, and the prize money was decent. But this time, the prize money has increased unprecedentedly. I'd like to know why."
"I wonder if you've noticed the name of our competition?" the receptionist replied.
"Ice and Fire Escape Game?" Alex raised his eyebrows. "To be honest, I don't quite understand the name. I've watched all your previous games, and without exception, they were all Lord Battle-type games."
"That's because the type of competition this time is different from the previous ones," the receptionist explained. "Our previous competitions usually focused on players' struggles for hegemony after they became lords, so we provided greater development support to help players quickly get through the early stages.
In the later stages of those games, the probability of player death would plummet. This was because when a player realized they had lost their chance of winning, they only needed to forfeit the next game, find a small village to hide in, and wait until other players met the victory conditions to return to their original world as a survivor."
"But this time it's different?" Alex prompted.
"Yes, this time, we've designed the competition to be intense throughout its entire duration. This means that from the moment they land, players will be plunged into fierce competition, even killing each other.
Furthermore, we will only provide players with extremely limited development resources this time. Players will have to take huge risks to compete for them. In fact, I can tell you that a large number of players may not only fail to acquire any resources from the auxiliary system throughout the entire process, but also become exhausted due to certain mechanisms."
"Therefore, the risks players face in this competition are greater than ever before. It wouldn't even be a surprise if only a single digit number of players survive."
"Can you tell me more specific information?" Alex interrupted the receptionist. "For example, the mechanism you mentioned that will exhaust players?"
"Of course not," the receptionist shook his head, maintaining an unchanging, practiced smile. "Players will need to discover any specific game mechanisms after entering the game."
"Alright," the receptionist said, handing a pen to Alex. "I've informed you of the risks in advance. Before the final list is confirmed, you can choose to withdraw from the competition or sign."
"You know I have no choice," Alex said with a wry smile, shaking his head. He took the pen and signed his name on the agreement.
He was gravely ill and couldn't afford the enormous medical expenses, leaving him with less than three months to live. No matter how risky the game was, it was his only option. Frankly, even if he died in the game, as long as he could survive for three months in a different world, it would still be a profit.
So when he received the organizer's invitation to participate, he immediately agreed and took part in several pre-selection assessments. The assessment was divided into answer tests, situational tests, and competition tests, and he was admitted based on his total score.
Although Alex didn't participate in the competition test due to his physical condition, he still stood out from nearly 10,000 applicants with his high scores in the first two sections, securing a spot in the main competition.
"Okay, Mr. Stone, your participation has been finally confirmed." The receptionist was operating on a tablet. "Please rest. After our working group has processed the participation status of all players, I will take you to the operations room."
Alex didn't reply; he simply closed his eyes and waited for the result.
After a while, the receptionist spoke again: "Mr. Stone, a total of 27 players who had qualified for the main competition have withdrawn. These players have been replaced by applicants who ranked lower."
"So few? Less than a third withdrew?" Alex was a little surprised.
"Haha, Mr. Stone, you must understand that not all contestants come from peaceful countries like yours. For residents living in war-torn areas, a bonus of hundreds of millions makes a 90% death rate seem insignificant."
Alex offered a sarcastic smile.
"Additionally, I have some not-so-good news to tell you. The two allies you made arrangements with have already withdrawn from the competition. Therefore, in the early stages of this competition, you might find yourself fighting alone."
Alex's heart sank.
He had actually had a premonition about his agreed allies withdrawing. After all, his two allies were from a similar background, and their living conditions weren't bad. It was completely understandable that they were unwilling to risk their lives.
But hearing the news still left him feeling uncomfortable, as it meant the difficulty of his game had just increased significantly.
"Mr. Stone, if you're ready, please come with me."
"Good."