Jakeri’s voice remained steady, unaffected by the contestants’ visibly changing expressions.

  “The rules of the competition are simple: send your divine followers into this Divine Realm, which serves as the battleground.”

  “Kill or capture members of the Monoculi race.”

  “Ordinary Monoculi do not count toward your score.”

  “Each Extraordinary-level Monoculi is worth 0.05 points.”

  “Each Elite-level Monoculi is worth 0.5 points.”

  “Each Hero-level Monoculi—including combat units possessing hero-level combat power—is worth 1,000,000 points.”

  “Whomever eliminates the Lord-level combat unit wins the championship outright.”

  He paused briefly at that point, looking around to see if anyone had questions—but no one spoke.

  So he continued, now elaborating on the Divine Realm itself.

  “Within this Divine Realm, the Monoculi focus their extraordinary development on enhancing spiritual power.”

  “Their combat strength manifests externally through the development of Divine-Tech.”

  That statement made things worse.

  Many contestants’ faces darkened further.

  They were all demi-gods educated in systematic curricula, well-versed in the implications of Divine-Tech development paths.

  Everyone knew what this path meant: high combat efficiency, rapid formation of military strength, balanced offense and defense, formidable late-stage power—and, of course, enormous resource consumption.

  Or, as William would summarize it in just two lines:

  “Expensive as hell—and hits like a truck.”

  Just then, a voice interrupted Jakeri’s ongoing explanation.

  “Chief Referee, I have a question.”

  The speaker was a contestant wearing elaborate priest-like robes, his brows furrowed with concern.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Jakeri turned toward him and gestured with his hand.

  “Go ahead.”

  “I’d like to know—to what level has the Monoculi’s Divine-Tech developed?”

  A faint smile appeared on Jakeri’s face, clearly satisfied with the question.

  “This Divine Realm has been used for competitions before—it has undergone several purges. Its technological development has already been interrupted.”

  “Their combat strength hasn’t reached levels you all can’t handle.”

  “Furthermore, since they no longer have a living deity, they lack divine characteristics, divine imprints, and other god-based enhancements. Without external resources, their tech is stagnating.”

  “Rest assured—their Divine-Tech remains within manageable bounds.”

  The explanation brought a wave of relief across the entire group of contestants.

  Had the Monoculi’s tech reached the point of starships flooding the sky, no one would be sticking around for the competition. Everyone would’ve turned around and gone home on the spot.

  Seeing that the questioning contestant was now satisfied, Jakeri continued:

  “Teleportation beacons have already been established throughout the battlefield. Soon, you’ll each receive a teleportation platform to send your followers into the Divine Realm.”

  “After the match, divine power will be awarded based on final rankings.”

  “1st place – 300 million divine power.”

  “2nd place – 200 million divine power.”

  “3rd place – 100 million divine power.”

  “4th to 10th – 50 million divine power.”

  “11th to 100th – 10 million divine power.”

  “Additionally, any resources you seize within the Divine Realm will belong to you alone—including followers, weapons, equipment, and technological data…”

  At that moment, another contestant extended his divine sense and raised a new question:

  “Chief Referee, if someone captures the Divine Core of this realm, can they claim everything in it? Including the crystalline shell?”

  Jakeri responded with a faint smile and a casual wave of his hand.

  “This realm is a designated battleground, maintained at great effort and expense. It’s considered public property.”

  “So even if you capture the Divine Core, you cannot absorb or dismantle the entire realm—the crystalline shell included.”

  “However, if you do manage to seize the Divine Core, you will receive an additional 500 million divine power as a bonus.”

  “The crystalline shell is a restricted resource under civilizational control. If you want it, you’ll need to go through official channels.”

  “Also, as a friendly reminder—the Divine Core of this world…”

  “...is the power source of that Lord-level combat unit.”

  Upon hearing that, the contestant who raised the question quickly masked his disappointment and fell silent, returning to his place without another word.

  It was William’s first time hearing the term crystalline shell, and having no understanding of what it was, he simply shoved the idea aside.

  “No chance of getting it anyway. I’ll just ask Old Lu after the match.”

  At this moment, his eyes were burning with intensity.

  “300 million divine power for first place—and another 500 million if I capture the Divine Core?”

  “But… the number and strength of those Monoculi are completely beyond my current capabilities!”

  William’s mind raced, immediately shelving the idea of taking the Divine Core for now, instead focusing on how he could still secure first place through more strategic means.

  In an instant, his divine sense quietly swept through his own Divine Realm—specifically, toward the Deadland Black Fungi he had stored inside…