"Hahaha, three against one?" John sneered, then retorted, "In that case, why don't we join forces with Jiang Ran to deal with you? Wouldn't that guarantee victory?"

“I hope you don’t really think that way.” Han Xiaodong pointed to his head. “I think people who can get to the Holy Church must be of some use here.”

"you!"

Han Xiaodong didn't say it explicitly, but both of them knew in their hearts that they were facing not just this game, but the entire world of ghost stories!

If they want to pass the level, they must eliminate Jiang Ran, because he is the biggest obstacle on their way. Although Han Xiaodong is somewhat troublesome, in their eyes, he is far less important than Jiang Ran.

Cooperating with Jiang Ran to kill Han Xiaodong here would be of no use to them. They might even end up with the cross fragment in Jiang Ran's hands. In the end, they would gain nothing and be used as pawns.

This deadly game is the perfect opportunity for them to kill Jiang Ran! Everyone present is at least an SS-level supernatural storyteller, a seasoned veteran who has spent a long time in the world of supernatural tales. The word "death" is not enough to stop them.

“But you’re not trustworthy, Velens.” Burrough looked at him coldly. “Remember last time you teamed up with Alanstar of the White Eagles and then betrayed them after only a short time? I can’t accept someone like you as my teammate.”

"I assure you all that I will not harm you!" Han Xiaodong stood up, "in the name of the British Empire!"

Han Xiaodong's actions have tied his own reputation to that of the nation. If he breaks his promise, the entire British Empire will be condemned, and every strange poem from the British Empire will be discriminated against!

If he really breaks this promise, then even if he returns to the country alive, there will be no place for him in that land!

Both of them were somewhat surprised. Ordinary people would not easily make such a serious oath. It was clear that Han Xiaodong had shown his determination to gain their trust and join forces to kill Jiang Ran!

"Alright, then remember this!" Burrough grinned and turned to Jiang Ran. "Jiang Ran, is there anything you want to say? Aren't you going to try and win us over?"

"There's nothing to say."

The conflict of interest is obvious, and these two won't turn around and join Jiang Ran's camp just because of a few words from him.

"Both of us will participate."

"Alright! Four people! Not bad, not bad. You can form your own groups, but make sure there are exactly two groups!" [Holy Serpent] was quite excited. "I'm really looking forward to it! It's been so long since anyone played my game!"

"Three against one!" Han Xiaodong looked at Jiang Ran. "This time, we'll not only determine who's better, but also fight to the death!"

Jiang Ran also looked up at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"That's exactly what I was thinking too."

The game can start with a plural number of players, which means it can be a symmetrical or asymmetrical competition. The fact that [Saint Serpent] is so excited means that he believes the strength of both sides is not too different, because this is what will bring him a wonderful duel, rather than a crushing defeat.

In typical asymmetrical games, the side with fewer players often gains a huge advantage, such as being able to take on three opponents at once.

"Vellens, are you so sure I'll be the one to lose?"

[Holy Serpent] snapped his fingers, and the surrounding environment changed. Everyone was flying high in the sky, and below was a huge mountain range!

"Is it another illusion?"

"Gentlemen!" [Sacred Serpent] raised his hands and laughed heartily, "Want a hand of weird cards?"

"Now that things have come to this, you have no choice but to accept it, so I will now explain the rules of the game to you."

"The mountain range below is our chessboard, containing seven [Sacred Fruits]. The side that collects all seven Sacred Fruits wins, or the side that has more Sacred Fruits after one day wins."

"one day?"

Are they really going to waste an entire day here for a single fragment of a cross?

"Don't worry, don't worry. When you participate in the game, your time is frozen relative to the outside world. Whatever time you enter, that's when you leave."

Hearing what the Holy Serpent said, the group finally put their worries aside.

Is it a hidden object game? Then the three of them have a huge advantage. With such a vast mountain range, can ordinary humans really find all seven [Sacred Fruits] in a single day?

I'm afraid we'd be lucky to find even one.

"This game is called 'Strange Cards,' but I'm afraid the rules are not that simple."

“Clever,” [Sacred Serpent] continued to explain, “Of course not, the four of you will personally go to find the [Sacred Fruit], although you could indeed do that.”

"Initially, I will distribute three cards to each player. After that, every 20 minutes, each player will be given one card. Each card can summon a corresponding monster. In this game, the monsters will absolutely obey your commands, so feel free to let them search for the [Holy Fruit] for you!"

"It is worth noting that during the interval between each two card dealings, you can only send one Spectrum into the board. The Spectrum's spawn point is determined by you, but it cannot be within 300 meters of the opponent's Spectrum."

The rules once again tipped in favor of the three, much to John's delight. If what the referee said was true, then their advantage was simply overwhelming!

Han Xiaodong, however, sensed something amiss with this rule.

"【Holy Serpent】, I need you to explain in detail about these strange rules, and what exactly is the difference between different kinds of strangeness?"

"You, as a ghost story teller, are asking me about something like this?" [Holy Serpent] smiled enigmatically. "Of course there are differences between different kinds of the bizarre. Don't you humans also create some kind of bizarre individual numbering system?"

"However, this kind of thing is still too superficial. You don't know the hidden strength of some strange creatures, and it seems that you only recorded the strange individuals, but you don't pay attention to the strange creatures native to the world of ghost stories."

It's natural not to pay much attention to them. The reason why bizarre individuals are worth recording is that they randomly appear in every world, while native ghost creatures only appear in one world and then disappear, so there is no need to focus on recording them.

"So what I'm going to tell you is our own system of hierarchical classification—"

"Fifth level, bizarre level."

"Tier 4, Elite level."

"Third tier, King of Devils."

"Second tier, near god level."

"And then there's the final first tier, the True God level!" [Holy Serpent] lowered his voice, as if it were some unspeakable term. "Our game won't involve this level, and I don't have the ability to materialize the bizarre creatures of this level. No, they can no longer be called bizarre creatures."