AT exactly 1 PM, the top four teams were transported out of their headquarters. But unlike the first two rounds, they didn''t appear in Lunaris Vale. Instead, they found themselves on a floatingndmass. Around them was a pink sky and clusters of blue clouds. The most eye-catching feature, however, was the floating railway that spiraled around them, twisting through the sky in a mesmerizing disy.
Team Yunyue immediately recognized the ce—it was the Thousand World Fantasia Dungeon. They had suspected the semi-final round might resemble this dungeon, but they hadn''t anticipated being transported directly into it.
Luo Yan quickly noticed that Eclipse, and the two dragons were not with them when they were teleported. Su Yuqi''s guess from the previous day had been correct—pets were clearly not allowed in this round. Eclipse would definitely not like being excluded like this.
He scanned his surroundings and immediately noticed something unusual about the other three teams. Not all of their main members were present. Take Team Celestials, for example: out of the usual five, only Li Xu Min, Song Liuli, and the ever-annoying Uriel remained. The other two faces were unfamiliar to him. The same was true for Team Sanguis. Of the five members they faced during the preliminaries, only Alucard and Lilith remained, while the others were unfamiliar to Luo Yan. Team Fenghuang''s lineup was no different; the only ones he recognized were the captain and vice-captain, while the rest were yers he had never seen before.
Luo Yan wasn''t too surprised. The other teams had likely considered the semi-final''s ''RPG'' theme and opted for members skilled in acting and strategy, rather than just purebat. Unfortunately, his team didn''t have that luxury. But that was fine. Their real advantagey elsewhere—Team Yunyue had already cleared this dungeon before. That experience gave them an edge, one that could prove more valuable.
Soon, a train came to a halt in front of them. But unlike the train Luo Yan remembered, this one only had two carriages. A familiar ck rabbit then stepped off. It appeared that the rabbit conductor would serve as their emcee for today, taking the ce of Lena and L.
"Wee, brave warriors, to the Thousand World Terminal!" the rabbit announced with a cheerful grin. "I am the Conductor of the Fantasia Train, and I will be your guide for today''s match."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Two teams will board the train together and be transported to a random world. Once there, you mustplete the tasks assigned to you. These will include both team tasks and individual ones, each worth points. You have a total of three hours to finish, but remember, time flows differently inside the Thousand World Fantasia. One hour here equals a full day there, giving you three days toplete the tasks. While many tasks will be given, keep in mind that only one is the main task. Once that task ispleted, the match will end.
"Whichever teampletes the main task first will be dered the winner. However, if no one solves it, the victory will go to the team with the highest points. Keep in mind that once you arrive in the random world, you''ll be assigned a specific role to y. If you break character and are discovered by the world''s inhabitants or even a member of the opposing team, you will be instantly eliminated, and any points you''ve earned will be forfeited."
The Conductor nced around. "Any questions?" When no one spoke up, he nodded and continued, "Very well. Team Celestials and Team Sanguis, step forward and board the train. Please board separate carriages."
The two teams stepped forward, each team boarding separate carriages. Once everyone was inside, the doors slid shut, and the train smoothly began its journey along the tracks. Momentster, another train with two carriages glided to a stop in front of them.
"Team Fenghuang, team Yunyue, it''s your turn," the Conductor called the two remaining teams.
The members of the two remaining teams stepped forward. Team Fenghuang headed toward the first carriage, leaving team Yunyue with no option but to take their ce in front of the second one.
As both teams began to board, the captain of Team Fenghuang, Ning Feng—better known as Huo Feng in the game—cast a nce in their direction. No, his gaze was fixed on one person in particr: Su Yuqi.
Ning Feng had long, red hair that fell smoothly down his back, with golden strands woven through, catching the light as he moved. His eyes were a deep orange-red, sharp and clear, like they held a quiet fire within them. Despite his striking appearance, his face was calm and gentle, with a soft, rxed expression that contrasted with his intense features.
He gave a small smile and said, "Good luck," before turning and boarding the first carriage.
Although it seemed like he was wishing good luck to all of Team Yunyue, they knew his words were really meant for Su Yuqi. This irritated Luo Jin, who felt the urge to say something sharp in return. However, since they had to quickly get on the train, he could only shoot a re at the first carriage, as if his intense stare alone could get under Ning Feng''s skin.
He quickly felt foolish for his reaction. How immature of him. He needed to focus on the match and make sure they won.
Once everyone was inside, the doors closed, and the train smoothly set off.
[Attention, passengers. This is your conductor speaking. We will now begin our journey. Please, sit down and enjoy the train ride.]
After they all sat down, the voice of the Conductor echoed inside the train.
Just like the first time they boarded the train, it suddenly surged forward, rapidly elerating. The pink sky outside quickly blurred into white, giving the impression that they were traveling at the speed of light.
[Attention! Attention! We''ve arrived at our destination!]
A sudden burst of bright light flooded the train car. Anticipating this, they quickly shut their eyes.
Before they had a chance to open their eyes, the Conductor''s voice echoed through the train car once more.
[Wee to the Orient Express!]