As the reality of the tournament began to set in, all the players mentally prepared themselves, feeling the tension slowly increasing. The audience outside the tower as well was equally nervous.
This was a big moment for the final round players, but it was also a big moment for them because of the betting. The slots were open, and the players were now able to place bets on the ten different players.
At this point, each player was marked by his or her mount.
So on the betting list, there were four majestic-looking drakes, a snake, a rabbit, a tiger, a buffed-looking bat, a white tiger with wings, and finally, a little fox who had a particularly naughty smile.
Everyone's heart ached as they stared at this fox with vengeance. She had single-handedly caused many players to lose their money. If not for her, the six-winged lion, the symbol of the strength of their Gresh Kingdom, would have won!
However, now there was not even any representation from the top guilds of the Gresh Kingdom. This was simply ridiculous.
Each of the top guilds had tens of thousands of players. They were now also getting financial support from corporations and big big companies across the world.
With everything put together, the financial strength of the top guilds was not something that could be looked down upon. They had both strength in numbers and the money for it.
Even so, somehow, this tournament ended up in this dire state, and it was all because of the damned fox. Everyone raged silently, but at the same time, no one placed their bets on the fox for the last round.
Just because a mount was good at running, it doesn't mean that the corresponding party would be good at fighting, and this round was all about fighting.
Many people placed their bets on the drakes because obviously, these beasts were also going on the arena, and a player's strength, when combined with the drake, was going to be insanely high.
Not to mention, the players who were capable of getting a drake in the first place would logically be good at fighting as well. Also, these players' identities were no longer a secret.
The fact that these players belonged to the neighboring Borush Kingdom's mid-tier guild Golden Knights was revealed in a big way, the news splashed on several forums and tv channels.
Aside from the spatial rifts of the nether realm, this sudden PVP tower tournament was the other special event taking place. So the news coverage on the topic was huge.
Who the exact players were was still unclear as the guild seemed to be keeping a tight lid on things, but their background was not simple. It looked like Borush Kingdom's guild hierarchy was soon going to be shuffled.
So including the four players from the Golden Knights guild and the three players from the Crimson Abyss guild, everyone almost knew who the different mounts belonged to and which players were the top ten finalists.
Well, all except for the mysterious three players who seemed to have jumped out of nowhere just like the PVP tower tournament.
However, not many people were willing to place their bets on these guys. Surprisingly, most players placed their bets on Liam and Mia.
Even though the small fox was cursed to no end, the top ranker and the famous priestess looked like the obvious choices to go with.
An equal number of players also placed their bets on the four guys from the Golden Knights. They were not wildly famous before this tournament, but the fact that they own a drake mount meant a lot, and this was enough reason for them to be strong contenders.
Other than these two, some players who liked to live on the edge even ended up voting for the three mysterious guys on the off chance that these were the true dark horses.
In fact, Derek was the only person who didn't get any supporters. Not many people recognized him except for the guild members of the Stormtroopers guild, who were also only looking forward to seeing him lose and suffer a satisfying death.
In this manner, the betting continued in full rage, with every guild from the Gresh Kingdom pooled outside the PVP tower.
The top three guilds, Dragons of Justice, Devil's Advocate and War Brothers, the Assassin guild, Gu family's Jade Mountain guild, Genovese guild, the one rumored to have connections with the Italian mafia, all the big players of the Gresh Kingdom were present around the PVP tower.
Their main aim might be betting on this last round, but secretly they were also assessing the real strength of the Crimson Abyss guild, which was now inevitably going to emerge as the overlord of the entire kingdom.
There was simply too much riding on this single tournament. There were legendary items among the rewards! This was too big!
If Crimson Abyss managed to get these rewards, the entire landscape of the Kingdom was going to change.
For this, it would be better if one of the other seven players won this tournament. Otherwise, Crimson Abyss guild would really become unbeatable within the Kingdom.
No amount of financial backing would equal a legendary item's power. Any single item from the reward was capable of boosting a guild to the next tier.
So this was a monumental moment for all the guilds from the Gresh Kingdom. Everyone placed their bets, and of course, hiding among these players, Berat also placed his bet.
Alex had sent him all the winnings from the previous round, so he quietly squeezed in between this crowd and did his job.
When everyone else was exploiting this chance to earn money by placing bets on Crimson Abyss, how could they let go of this chance?
The guild went all in, betting most of their guild's gold coins on their one and only big boss.
As the last of the bets rolled in, the two old men sitting atop the tower were casually glancing at this list.
Grandmaster Acalan saw that the tower master Crawford was particularly happy seeing Crimson Abyss guild placing a huge bet. He even rubbed his hands together as if he was waiting for something huge to go down.
And what he wanted to go down wasn't exactly a secret. The old guy was waiting for his victory moment.
"Why do you hate him so much?" Grandmaster Acalan asked in amusement. "We have no relation or feud with these people. In a way, they are just like us, forced into this madness unwillingly. Don't you think this is going too far?"
"Meh. Who cares? This is old news." The guy spat out. "This is the natural order. Everyone has to go through it, so why should I feel sorry for them?"
"So all you care about is looting from that brat?"
"Yes." The tower master scoffed in annoyance, only realizing what he said after he had spoken. However, he didn't bother changing his stance even then.
"Who is looting from whom? That brat is the one looting from me! Do you know just how many of my mana cores he has consumed so far? He is the villain here. Even today, he emptied another pile." The old man snorted.
"First of all, that stone tablet is clearly a treasure from one of the higher worlds. It shouldn't even belong here. I am doing everyone a favor!"
"Sure. Sure." Grandmaster Acalan did not bother arguing with the unreasonable person any longer. He silently gazed at the display of the tournament arena and at Liam, who was sitting in a corner.
"I hope you can give me a good show today." He muttered under his breath. He couldn't be as confident as the guy beside him in how today's events would turn out, nevertheless, he was looking forward to it.
Just like that, under the watchful gaze of the many players spilled around the PVP tower and the two hidden big shots at the top, a loud gong soon resounded, and the first match of the finals officially began!
