132: Enjoy Survival Game

———!!

The survival game begins as the buzzer sounds, with 20 amateur squads participating.

That said, to ensure no immediate encounters in the first few seconds, the initial positions are spread out, so it remains quiet for a while...

"Ha ha ha!"

"Truly amateur, aren't they?"

"Yes, precisely because they're amateurs."

"You couldn't pull that off even if you were a pro, so it's no surprise they can't."

"Actually, once they get that far, it's not really amateurs anymore—more like hobbyists, don't you think? Honestly, isn't that just a kind of cosplay, really?"

That wasn't quite right.

There was a squad deliberately blasting out deafening noise, using training flamethrowers—weapons that emit damage判定 in the shape of flames—recklessly burning everything around them while conducting reconnaissance.

The squad had all统一 their hairstyles into mohawks and wore spiked shoulder pads, showing no concern whatsoever for concealment or gaining tactical advantage in combat.

It was almost as if they were just doing whatever they felt like doing.

"Um, rulebook, rulebook..."

"Are you just now checking?"

"No, I was just wondering if that move was actually safe."

"It's safe. The weapons are properly designated training equipment, and the rules don't specify clothing regulations much."

"That's right. As Lady Vee said, their actions are perfectly within the rules. There's no issue from a manners standpoint either. From what I've seen in the notes, there are even chest squads composed of four individuals armed with close-combat blades."

"Whoa, really... Now that I look closer, there are even squads with skull-faced helmets."

"There are even squads made up of characters from anime I recognize."

And it seems there are several such squads.

Hmm, this level of looseness is only possible because it's an amateur game and they've explicitly declared that such things are allowed.

Incidentally, upon checking the rulebook, there really were no clothing regulations.

There were various rules and etiquette described to make the survival game function as a proper game—such as teams consisting of four people, using practice weapons and shields, and exiting the battlefield shortly after being killed and when nearby combat subsided—but there were no clothing regulations whatsoever.

After all, flashy outfits rarely offer an advantage, and since clothing is treated as part of the body, such attire ends up with larger hit detection areas, making it a disadvantage.

Moreover, since there's a game coming up next that's meant for serious players even in the amateur category... well, I guess there really aren't any issues anywhere after all.

"«««———!?»»»

".... They're actually pretty good, aren't they?"

".... Maybe they're just posing like that because even if they go all out with a gimmick, it's still fine?"

"That's probably it. They're thinking they can't taint the original joke with clumsy moves like that."

"This is just my personal take, but maybe those in cosplay are actually professionals too."

In any case, the cosplay crowd was surprisingly strong.

Sure, if you're getting blasted from all directions or caught in a surprise ambush, your shield will inevitably break and you'll take a fatal hit. But in direct combat, they surprisingly hold their ground—or even turn the tables and counterattack effectively on occasion.

Their basic tactics are… surprisingly skillful.

"But I guess it's only natural—there's no machine intelligence or slime here."

"Of course. Most machine intelligences in the Nelianipotts system find their purpose in supporting roles."

"Same goes for the slime. It's only natural they're not here. They'd be too powerful for this kind of stage."

"None of the players with overpowered body-enhancement mods, psychic abilities, or cybernetics with extreme modifications are here. It's unavoidable, really—otherwise, the game's fairness would be ruined."

My comment drew a reaction from Memokshi and the others.

The humans on stage aren't the only ones—other races like goblins, orcs, and werebeasts are also present.

But, as we've said, there are no humans—whether ordinary, slime, or humanoid—who have been enhanced beyond the ordinary limits of humanity.

Of course, the same goes for cosmic monsters.

But that's unavoidable.

"If slimes were around, they could squeeze through even the tiniest gap and cause all sorts of trouble—clinging to walls and ceilings is only natural, after all."

"If it's mechanical intelligence akin to a memo, it can analyze surrounding information with precision unmatched by any other species, and even perform sniping. Hacking cameras would be effortless. In real combat, that might be acceptable, but in drills, it makes the game unbalanced."

"Same goes for humans excessively enhanced beyond normal limits. You can't even overwhelm them by sheer numbers—this breaks the game entirely."

"Yeah, you're right. If I really wanted to, I could probably take down eighty amateur players with just this doll of mine."

Sports aren't meant to be played on a perfectly level field to begin with, but even so, there are limits. The people we've been discussing are clearly beyond those limits.

When outliers like that enter the game, the competition ceases to be meaningful.

In that case, excluding those who fall outside the norms is an unavoidable measure for the sake of the majority's healthy enjoyment.

Still, apparently there's also a category that allows such outliers, a free-for-all section of sorts.

"Come to think of it, everyone in this room is someone who'd be deemed outside the norm—(cosmic monster)."

"That's right. We're already past the point of no return, aren't we? (slime)."

"I don't plan on joining the memo group, so that shouldn't be a problem, right? (artificial intelligence)."

"That's right. So let's enjoy watching the battle (overpowered mod user)."

Ah, the Hyahhah Squad and Chest Squad collided... and were all blown up at once by a practice grenade thrown by a naked upper-body ogre far away, ending the game.

Hmm, a perfect pose with double biceps.

That's impressively well-developed, even beyond their racial traits.

Nice physique!