After Li Hua's threat, Phantom indeed stopped further conversation.

He pondered for a moment before re-examining the three candidates on the screen.

Then, Phantom made his decision.

"I'll choose that werewolf... White Drace."

It was unclear whether he genuinely believed the werewolf had better odds or simply distrusted Li Hua too much.

After Phantom made his choice,

the inky characters of White Drace's name floated before him.

Next was Radish's turn.

Radish didn't hesitate much, directly selecting the same option as Li Hua.

"I'll also choose Pitian."

Then came Mosin-Nagant.

He made the same choice as Radish.

With three people already having chosen Pitian, Ka issued a reminder:

"Pitian can no longer be selected from now on."

After Ka's announcement,

it was Robin's turn.

Robin thought briefly before speaking: "Um... I'll choose the 'Shadow-Type Pseudohuman'."

As she spoke, the four characters of Shadow-Type Pseudohuman floated before her.

Next was Fish.

After some consideration, Fish ultimately chose the same faction as Phantom.

"Then I'll pick the werewolf... well, his fur color reminds me of my schnauzer at home."

"What a random reason," Phantom couldn't help commenting.

"None of your business!" Fish retorted fiercely.

Finally, it was Lin Yu's turn.

Resting his chin on one hand, Lin Yu contemplated.

"Hmm..."

Judging purely by the three contestants, it was hard to determine who was stronger.

So he could only follow his intuition.

After some thought,

Lin Yu wondered if the reverse order of Flavor Paper quantities meant anything...

He felt like he was vaguely grasping something.

Perhaps teaming up with Fish and Phantom would be the best choice?

No...

That might not necessarily be true.

After deliberating, Lin Yu finally decided:

"I'll choose the 'Shadow-Type Pseudohuman'!"

At this moment, he could only gamble.

After all... losing would only mean severing two ropes.

With everyone's choices complete,

each person had the name of their supported contestant floating before them.

The octopus Ka put away his pen and paper, adopting a praying posture.

"Then..."

"The banquet game will begin shortly, please enjoy—"

"This game is also my master's favorite type."

As Ka finished speaking, the screen's imagery began changing.

On the arena, three simple iron tables materialized at the center.

Then railings descended from the sky, dividing the arena into three wedge-shaped sectors.

Each sector contained exactly one table.

A thunderous voice boomed from above:

"Blasphemers who have committed unforgivable sins, this is your chance!"

"Defeat your opponents... or return to the Eternal Cage!"

Though the three on the arena clearly weren't of the same species—possibly not even the same artistic style—

they all perfectly understood the words from above.

The previously despondent Pitian and White Drace both perked up, fiery determination blazing in their eyes.

Even the seemingly unintelligent Shadow-Type Pseudohuman slightly raised its head, as if gaining fighting spirit.

However...

At the dining table outside the screen, Li Hua frowned slightly.

"Why divide the arena with railings?"

Those barriers completely prevented communication between contestants.

But the next announcement resolved Li Hua's and the other players' confusion:

"The duel between you three is being watched by spectators."

"These spectators have placed bets on different individuals..."

"So during the competition, they may offer you 'assistance'—by providing [items]!"

As the voice spoke, Ka added:

"Hmm... you can deliver items to corresponding sectors by touching them to the floating names—any items will do."

"Simply make contact between the item and the name to transport it to the arena."

"Except for consumed items, all others will be returned after the duel concludes."

"They'll understand each item's usage upon receiving them."

"Of course, whether they can use them... is another matter."

"And—each person has at most three support opportunities!"

After Ka's explanation, Lin Yu nodded.

"So it's an item support battle after all..."

Hearing these rules, the other six players also showed thoughtful expressions.

Especially Li Hua.

"So that's why my abilities weren't restricted—relying solely on contestants' probability would be too uncertain," the Gambler muttered.

Everyone realized this wasn't purely a betting game relying on luck.

Perhaps the three "contestants" on the arena truly differed in strength.

But...

The real competition lay in the supporters' "resources"!

Who could provide more items to support their contestant,

and what items to deploy at what timing—

these factors could determine the battle's outcome!

Aside from Lin Yu, every expert player present had cleared dozens of dungeons and belonged to major organizations.

Thus they possessed numerous usable items.

Each person already began planning which items to deploy.

"With railings separating them, maybe we should first provide ranged attack items... or perhaps the barriers will disappear when fighting starts?"

"Need to deploy our strongest items immediately..."

"Maybe recovery items first to ensure survival..."

Everyone's minds raced rapidly.

Even Mosin-Nagant and Fish had already taken out their weapons, seemingly preparing to toss them in once the match began!

Amid this atmosphere, Lin Yu suddenly felt something amiss.

While everyone pondered "strategies,"

a growing sense of wrongness troubled Lin Yu.

"No... something's wrong."

"Feels like we're overlooking something crucial!"

This competition definitely wasn't what everyone imagined.

Just then...

Ka spoke again:

"Alright, everyone—"

"The match over there has begun!"

Above the arena on screen appeared numerous dark, indistinct objects.

Then these objects began falling like dense raindrops into the three sectors,

continuously bombarding the three contestants and tables within each area.

*Plop plop plop!*

The three contestants all possessed considerable physical resilience—none were injured or knocked down—

but all became somewhat disheveled.

The falling objects inevitably left them somewhat dirty.

When Lin Yu saw what was falling,

he finally understood the source of his unease.

They had all completely misunderstood the competition format and "content of the duel."

"Holy crap, delicacies are falling from the sky..." Fish couldn't help exclaiming.

Descending from above were various meats, breads, skewers, vegetables, noodles...

All aromatic, delicious foods!

As Ka and what was likely the deity's voice from the screen announced together:

"Everyone, welcome to witness the duel—"

"The Gluttony Championship!"

"Rules are simple: the first contestant to finish all food in their sector wins!"