Bai Ye's eyes lit up. "Death Football? I like the word 'death.' How many people on the field will be directly disqualified? Believe me, if we don't bash their brains out, it's a peaceful and friendly game."
Jin Sha was speechless. "It's not death like you're thinking. You can't kill people."
Bai Ye asked, "Then what kind of death is it?"
"Stop thinking about those two words," Jin Sha said helplessly. "Can you just listen to the rules first?"
Bai Ye replied, "Go ahead."
Jin Sha inquired, "Do you know the general rules of football?"
Bai Ye answered, "I have a rough idea."
Jin Sha explained, "It's largely the same as general football rules, but you can use various abilities or weapons to kick the ball, and the ball itself will change as a result."
Bai Ye asked curiously, "What kind of changes?"
Jin Sha elaborated, "For example, if you use your flying sword to strike the football for a shot, you can strengthen the speed at which it flies out, or the power of the shot. And I remember you have an ability to release fire, right? So, if you wrap the football with your fire ability, it will turn into a fireball."
Bai Ye then asked, "And the death part?"
Jin Sha was exasperated. You're really hung up on those two words, aren't you?
Jin Sha continued, "You can kick the ball at people. That is to say, you can use the football for attacks. However, one thing to remember is that the basic rules are still football rules. You absolutely cannot use your hands. Even holding a sword and kicking the ball is fine, but your arm cannot directly touch it. Also, you can use the football for attacks, but you can't just go up and fight directly. If you do, you'll get a yellow card, or possibly even a direct red card."
"Don't worry, isn't it just fighting with the football?" Bai Ye gave an 'okay' gesture and said, "I understand."
Jin Sha was about to have a breakdown. "It's not fighting with the football, it's just using the football for attacks. In the end, you still have to score goals. Points are only awarded when the ball enters the goal."
"I know basic knowledge like that, of course," Bai Ye said. "So, if we kick the opponents down until only a few are left, does that count as insufficient numbers and automatic elimination?"
Jin Sha: "..."
Jin Sha was beginning to regret it. Bai Ye wasn't here to play football at all.
Bai Ye continued, "What about teammates?"
Jin Sha replied, "It's just you and me, two people."
Bai Ye was stunned. "Football requires eleven players."
Jin Sha nodded. "Yes, normally it requires eleven people. But we have summoned beasts. Using summoned beasts to compete can replace one spot."
Bai Ye asked, "Then why did you find me? You can handle it yourself. It shouldn't be difficult for you to gather ten summoned beasts, right?"
Jin Sha thought to herself that of course she could gather them, but she was worried about encountering powerful opponents she couldn't defeat.
But now...
Jin Sha wasn't afraid of Bai Ye defeating the opponents. She was afraid that Bai Ye would get himself disqualified within the first minute due to a foul.
Good heavens, she invites a mercenary, only for him to get a red card at the start?
She starts with a buff: one person down!
Bai Ye then asked, "What about the rewards?"
Jin Sha replied, "They're distributed based on the number of people. You can see the reward details by submitting your ticket."
Bai Ye's eyes brightened. "Then we can collect eleven rewards!"
Jin Sha rolled her eyes. "Dream on. Although summoned beasts can replace players, the rewards are calculated based on the number of chosen ones. We only get two rewards."
Bai Ye said, "Then it would be better to find eleven people."
Jin Sha explained, "It's not that easy to find eleven chosen ones. Secondly, even if you could find them, the level of coordination and tacit understanding between them would be an issue. Thirdly, when assembling a team temporarily, there might be traitors."
Bai Ye asked curiously, "Traitors?"
Jin Sha explained, "Actually, many people in the summoned beast area know about the Death Football ticket quest. The quest content is related to a forbidden zone called the Football World Festival within the area. So, although the number of people who got tickets isn't huge, some people have acquired them. Initially, everyone formed temporary teams honestly. Then, the goalkeeper of one team was bribed by the opposing team, and... "
Bai Ye was also speechless. How to throw a game? Bribe the goalkeeper!
You're a forward, so what if you don't score? But if you bribe the goalkeeper, he'll dive the opposite way of the ball...
Jin Sha continued, "Then, because this ticket quest is in the summoned beast area, someone suddenly boldly speculated whether summoned beasts could be used in the competition, and it turned out to be true when they tried it."
Bai Ye frowned. "If that's the case, won't those who get the Steel Slime have an advantage? If that's true, then this item might not have as much potential as you think."
Jin Sha replied, "Not necessarily. I got the ticket quite early. There was an idiot who had no idea what the ticket was for. After completing the forbidden zone quest, he casually sold it, thinking the ticket was just a small accessory to other rewards. I traded a green-quality summoned beast, Pidgey, for it. I've been closely watching the Death Football matches. So far, I've seen 12 matches. The 12 winning teams had a total of 51 chosen ones. Not all of them necessarily chose the Steel Slime, because there are five reward options. If we calculate with a one-fifth probability, it's only about ten people who chose the Steel Slime..."
Jin Sha paused, then added, "And, compared to the other rewards, the Steel Slime is also quite unremarkable."
"Interesting," Bai Ye said. "Let me see the rewards."
As Bai Ye spoke, he handed the ticket to a staff member behind the counter.
"Congratulations on obtaining the qualification to participate in Death Football."
"You may choose your competition time within the specified period."
"Upon winning Death Football, you may receive a reward (choose one of five): Steel Slime, Star Power, Gemstone Body, Floating Beast, Demonic Breaking Red Rose (Fragmented)."
Bai Ye instantly gasped.
Jin Sha, observing Bai Ye's rapid change in expression, asked, "What's wrong?"
Bai Ye declared, "That Steel Slime is definitely not bad."
Jin Sha inquired, "How so?"
Bai Ye explained, "I don't know what Gemstone Body and Floating Beast are, but Star Power is a growth-type ability. It starts at white quality but can grow to gold quality. Demonic Breaking Red Rose is a dual-wield weapon. The 'fragmented' state likely means you only get one, making it unusable. However, if you collect both, it's a red-quality weapon!"
Jin Sha was also surprised. "That's intense?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Considering these two rewards, the other three can't possibly be bad. How did you know about the Steel Slime's effects?"