The host, intrigued by their appearance, eagerly inquired, "What's with the masks? Are you hiding something?"

Ariana, with a nervous laugh, swiftly replied, "Oh, nothing of that sort. We're just normal people. It's our first time here, and we're feeling a bit nervous, so we chose to wear the masks."

At her words, her teammates nodded in agreement.

The host quickly lost interest upon realizing they were merely nervous newcomers and told them to go to their seats in the contestant section.

The crowd, initially excited by the unique costumes and imagining a fascinating backstory, felt a wave of disappointment when they realized the group was just anxious first-timers. Their enthusiasm waned, and they turned their cheers toward another team.

This other team was composed of celebrities, the current darlings of the entertainment industry. They hadn't even begun competing yet but had already captivated the audience with their presence.

Clearly, they were the ones to watch; they were here to create a buzz. Besides, they had consistently delivered strong performances before and secured a spot in the top thirty.

"Considering their recent performances, let's stick with our original plan and adjust on the fly. We'll be okay," Tyler whispered, earning nods of agreement from his teammates.

They were more focused on enjoying the game than winning.

Despite most of the crowd rooting for their opponents, they remained calm. Soon, the match started.

As soon as Ariana started playing, she was laser-focused. Her moves and tactics left the crowd breathless, and even the commentators were energized.

With clever gameplay, she not only dodged an enemy assassin's attack but also launched a counterstrike that defeated the enemy and saved a teammate, thrilling the audience.

Meanwhile, the opposing team floundered. Despite the strong support from the audience, they faced three consecutive losses and were quickly ousted, while Ariana's team won.

This unexpected turn of events sparked a wave of speculation among the crowd.

“Could these players be undercover professionals?"

“Look at that bunny, definitely a noob. But the bunny got carried in the game. It felt more like they were playing four against six than five on five."

"Did you see how the bunny was just setting up kills for the tiger? Do they team up often? The tiger must be the main player, helping the bunny."

"The tiger is a girl!"

"They look like a couple!"

Shortly thereafter, the host announced that the animal-mask team had progressed to the top fifteen, igniting a flurry of enthusiastic discussions.