Bai Ye's eyes lit up. "Death Football? I like the word 'Death.' How many players are eliminated directly if there aren't enough on the field? Believe me, if we don't bash their brains out, it's not a friendly game."
Jin Sha was speechless. "It's not the kind of death you're thinking of. You can't kill people."
Bai Ye asked, "Then what kind of death is it?"
"Stop fixating on those two words," Jin Sha said helplessly. "Can you 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.
Bai Ye asked curiously, "What kind of changes?"
Jin Sha elaborated, "For example, if you use a flying sword to strike the football for a shot, you can increase its speed or the power of the shot. And I remember you have a fire-elemental ability, right? So, if you wrap the football with your fire ability, it will turn into a fireball."
Bai Ye pressed, "What about the death part?"
Jin Sha was speechless, clearly thinking, *You're really hung up on those two words, aren't you?*
Jin Sha continued, "The football can be kicked at people, meaning you can use it for attacks. However, remember this one point: the fundamental rules are still those of football. You absolutely cannot use your hands. Even if you hold a sword and use it to kick the ball, your arm cannot directly touch it. Also, you can use the ball for attacks, but you can't directly get into a physical fight. If you do, it's a yellow card, or perhaps even a direct red card."
"Don't worry, isn't it just fighting with the ball?" Bai Ye gave an 'okay' gesture. "I understand."
Jin Sha was exasperated. "It's not about fighting *with* the ball, it's just about attacking *using* the ball. Ultimately, it's still about scoring goals. Points are only awarded when the ball enters the net."
"I know basic things like that," Bai Ye said. "So, if the opposing team is kicked down to a few players, does that count as insufficient numbers and an automatic elimination?"
Jin Sha: "..."
Jin Sha was beginning to regret her decision. This guy wasn't here to play football at all.
Bai Ye continued, "What about teammates?"
Jin Sha replied, "It's you and me, two people."
Bai Ye blinked. "Football needs eleven players."
Jin Sha nodded. "Yes, normally it requires eleven players. But we have summoned beasts. Using summoned beasts to participate can substitute for a player slot."
Bai Ye asked, "Then why are you looking for me? You can handle it yourself. Finding ten summoned beasts shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"
Jin Sha thought to herself that she could indeed find them, but she was worried about encountering skilled opponents she couldn't defeat.
But at this moment...
Jin Sha wasn't afraid of Bai Ye taking down the opponents. She was afraid that Bai Ye would get himself disqualified within the first minute due to fouls.
*Good grief, I invite an outsider, and they get a red card right at the start?*
*I start with a built-in buff: one player down!*
Bai Ye then asked, "What about the rewards?"
Jin Sha responded, "They are distributed based on the number of players. You can see the reward details by submitting your ticket."
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. "So we can collect eleven sets of rewards!"
Jin Sha rolled her eyes. "Dream on. Although summoned beasts can substitute for players, the rewards are calculated based on the number of chosen participants. We only get two sets of rewards."
Bai Ye commented, "Then it would be better to find eleven people."
Jin Sha explained, "Finding eleven chosen participants isn't that easy. Secondly, even if we find them, their coordination and chemistry might be an issue. Thirdly, if we assemble a team temporarily, there could be a mole."
Bai Ye asked curiously, "A mole?"
Jin Sha elaborated, "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, while not many people have obtained tickets, some have. Initially, everyone formed temporary teams honestly. Then, the goalkeeper of one team was bought off by the opposing team, and... "
Bai Ye was also speechless. *How to throw a match? Bribe the goalkeeper!*
*You might be a forward and not score, but if you bribe the goalkeeper, they'll dive the opposite direction of the ball...*
Jin Sha continued, "Then, because this ticket quest is in the Summoned Beast area, someone boldly guessed if summoned beasts could participate, and it turned out they could."
Bai Ye frowned. "If that's the case, then are those who obtained the Steel Slime more prevalent? If so, this item might not have the great potential you think it has."
Jin Sha replied, "Not necessarily. I got my ticket quite early. There was a fool 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 trinket accompanying other rewards. I traded a green-quality summoned beast, Pidgey, for it. I've been watching Death Football matches, and so far, in 12 matches, the 12 winning teams had a total of 51 chosen participants. Not all of them necessarily chose the Steel Slime, as there are five reward options. Assuming a one-in-five probability, that's only about ten people who chose the Steel Slime..."
Jin Sha paused and added, "Moreover, compared to other rewards, the Steel Slime is quite unremarkable."
"Interesting," Bai Ye said. "Let me see the rewards."
As Bai Ye spoke, he handed the ticket to a service staff member behind the counter.
"Congratulations on qualifying for Death Football."
"Within the specified time, you may choose your participation time."
"Upon winning Death Football, you may receive a reward (choose one of five): Steel Slime, Power of the Stars, Gemstone Body, Floating Beast, Demonic Breaking Red Rose (Fragment)"
Bai Ye instantly gasped.
Jin Sha, observing Bai Ye's rapid change in expression, asked, "What's wrong?"
Bai Ye stated, "That Steel Slime is definitely not bad."
Jin Sha inquired, "Why?"
Bai Ye explained, "I don't know what Gemstone Body and Floating Beast are, but Power of the Stars 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 'fragment' state likely means you get one, making it unusable. However, if you gather both, this is a red-quality weapon!"
Jin Sha was also surprised. "That's intense?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Considering these two rewards, the other three can't be that bad either. How did you know about the Steel Slime's effect?"