"Now then, please have the elder judges score this work."
"This is an absolute blasphemy!"
"Childish, inferior aesthetics, nonsensical design."
On stage, Bayev seemed determined to use every derogatory term he'd ever learned.
"Why would plants spit peas? There's no such plant monster in this world."
"And why would sunshine fall from the sky?"
"Moreover, it's far too repetitive. Won't playing in the same garden over and over cause aesthetic fatigue?"
"No plot, no main storyline. All flash, no substance."
"Cheap tricks. Young designers reallyy don't bother learning proper designing anymore and just do as they wish."
"I give this work a 0."
Zero!
The entire venue instantly fell deathly silent.
This situation had been rare over the past several decades.
There's a psychological effect called the Spiral of Silence.
It refers to how people who feel their opinion is in the minority will remain silent out of fear of isolation.
And the silence of the minority makes the majority opinion seem even more dominant, forcing more people with differing views to stay silent, ultimately forming a spiral of silence.
A portion of the audience who liked Legend of the Saints and disliked Plants vs Zombies had previously been the minority.
But when an absolute authority figure began voicing different opinions, this minority found their backbone.
Most of these people hadn't even experienced Plants vs Zombies.
And in their hearts, they reinforced the belief that their choice was the best.
"Yeah, yeah! What nonsensical garbage game!"
"What's the point of such absurd mechanics?"
"Trash work getting such high scores, I bet they paid for shills!"
But clearly, a large portion of the audience genuinely loved Plants vs Zombies.
Seeing such an excellent work get scored zero, they instantly exploded.
"Old maan, are you blind or is your brain full of shit?!"
"This person's definitely doing this on purpose. Such a fun work, does he think everyone else is stupid?"
"Shameless old fool! Your outdated notions should be swept into the trash heap of history!"
The audience had transformed into a battlefield, with two opposing factions arguing endlessly.
Alto's previously assured mood was in shambles.
He could see it now, this old bastard was definitely targeting him deliberately.
In the first round, the one who'd rejected him was this same scumbag.
He had such a massive advantage, and this huge zero instantly dragged him back down.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to rush up there and gut him.
But he was powerless. They held the knife while he was on the chopping block.
He was just a civilian with no background, no power. His words couldn't change the competition rules.
Looked like first place had slipped through his fingers. He needed to think about his next steps.
His expression grave, he began contemplating his next plan.
"Elder Bayev, your evaluation is far too irresponsible."
Melissa's eyes were serious.
"I completely reject your assessment."
"First, you say this work has inferior aesthetics. Then please tell me, what kind of aesthetics do you consider superior?"
"Are only aesthetics you define as good considered high-class?"
"When a work is beloved by most people, that kind of beauty is genuine beauty."
"Second, you say the design is nonsensical."
"I think you simply didn't examine it in detail, did you?"
She directly projected her own progress through the projection stone, enlarging it.
"This work's strength lies precisely in its extremely rigorous logic. Each level's design, all the plant and zombie stats are incredibly clever."
"Furthermore, regarding the repetitiveness you mentioned."
"Every time you complete a major stage, a new scene appears."
"Gameplay, plants, zombies all change."
"I suspect Elder Bayev made his judgment without even playing it."
"Also, Elder Bayev, have you forgotten what you said earlier?"
"Didn;t you say, that as long as a work is interesting and the public accepts it, then it's a good work?"
"And you also insisted on showing more tolerance toward rookie designers!"
Bayev was left speechless, his face flushed red.
Melissa showed no mercy in her words.
"So, in summary, I give this work..."
"A perfect 10!"
One zero, one perfect score.
The entire venue erupted.
Today truly was a historic moment.
The same work receiving both a zero and a perfect score, this has never happened before.
The audience below had already devolved into chaos.
On stage, the elder judges discussed this highly controversial issue in pairs.
Plants vs Zombies was undoubtedly an extremely excellent work.
Everyone who experienced it themselves greatly enjoyed it after all.
They just didn't understand why the first elder was be so hostile.
"Silence!"
"The competition continues!"
Seeing that stunning mature elf woman stand up for him...
Alto's eyes lit up. Maybe there was still hope!
He looked in Melissa's direction.
Melissa likewise looked toward Alto in the contestants' section.
Alto nodded at her in gratitude.
He'd remember this favor.
Melissa smiled slightly. She genuinely loved this work. She didn't want a designer with this kind of potential to have his talents buried, so helping Alto was a given.
"I give it a 9."
The following judges also gave high scores.
'There's still hope. Even with one zero, as long as the remaining judges give high scores, I can still win.'
...
"I give it an 8."
"I give it a 9."
As time passed, judge after judge gave their scores.
The audience's emotions rose and fell with each score.
One 0, one 10, three 9s, three 8s; average score: 7.6.
Just one judge left.
As long as this judge gave more than 8 points, he'd win.
The thrilling moment had arrived.
The entire venue held its breath.
Waiting for the final moment!
The last judge; Christer.
Alto looked at the current situation.
Right now his judge average was 7.6. As long as he got one more 9, his judge score would tie with contestant number two, and he'd win by a narrow margin.
Conversely, anything less than 9 would mean losing by a narrow margin.
Damian's fists clenched tight, nails digging deep into his flesh.
So close.
He kept signaling Christer on stage.
Christer wore an inscrutable smile, scanning the entire venue, his gaze passing over Damian.
Seeing his meaningful look, Christer's brow furrowed slightly.
This person seemed to be the nephew of one of Lunaria's Four Merchant Guild presidents. He had some ties with that president, who'd previously pulled strings hoping he'd show some favoritism.
His gaze swept toward the judges' panel.
Suddenly he saw Melissa staring at him, giving him a meaningful look.
He suddenly swallowed, as if thinking of something terrifying.
"Now then..."