The voice dissolved into the atmospheric pressure of the realm, leaving behind an eerie and heavy silence.
Around Kate, the air vibrated with primordial energy, rich and dense, carrying the scent of pine, damp soil, and a faint underlying metallic smell. The vastness of the ancient forest before her was staggering. Trees with bark as hard as iron reached hundreds of meters into the sky, their enormous canopy blocking out all but slivers of crimson sunlight.
Kate did not waste a second processing the announcer's words. Her battle instincts, forged through years of ruthlessly climbing through the Martial King Realm, immediately took control.
She glanced behind her. The four admirers who had hovered around her like eager hounds outside the barrier were nowhere to be seen. Good. In a battle royale where killing another participant yielded one hundred percent of their points, dead weight was a liability, while weak allies were merely point bags waiting to be taken.
