Wolf

I stare at the spot where the monster had disappeared beneath the sands for a few minutes before realizing that none of the other monsters within the stadium had even blinked at the creature’s appearance.

Was that a normal occurrence? Or are they just made by the System to act that way?

Either way, it would be best to avoid going into the sand seas anytime soon.

I glance at the arena again to find the two monsters already fighting each other before turning my attention back towards the entrance that I came through.

It takes me a minute to get through the crowded bleachers until I arrive in front of the two guardians. I pause for an awkward moment before clearing my throat and asking in a very gruff tone, still not completely used to talking in my hunter form, “I would like to sign up for the default challenge.”

Both of the guardians slam the base of their staffs into the ground five times before I feel a strange sensation cover me for a moment, only to disappear again a second later as a screen appears in front of me.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You have now been signed up for the default challenge and have been temporarily labeled a challenger!

Your challenge will occur in ten minutes.

If you willingly enter combat of any kind before your challenge, then you will automatically be disqualified from challenging this arena again.

At the same time, if another Competitor attacks you during this time within the arena grounds, they will be disqualified from challenging this arena again and dealt with accordingly by the guardians.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

My eyebrows raise in surprise at the menu – especially the short wait – before I focus on the parts about entering combat before the challenge.

I thought fighting a member of the audience would be punished within the arena whether you are challenging or…

My thoughts trail off as the answer to my own question clicks in my head.

A member of the audience.

If my guess is correct, then someone labeled as a challenger doesn’t count as a member of the audience. But that still leaves the question of, what is the difference between the guardians being ‘forced to deal with you’ and ‘dealt with accordingly by the guardians’?

Considering how disqualification is a punishment as well for the challengers, I’m assuming being ‘dealt with accordingly’ just means being tossed out or injured. Which likely leaves the punishment for attacking the audience being death, or at least something worse than what it is for attacking another Competitor as a challenger.

My eyes are drawn to a flashing number on the top left corner of my interface as it slowly counts down.

574

573

572

I’m guessing that’s the timer for the challenge’s start time.

At least I don’t have to keep track of it myself.

I turn my attention back towards the audience before finding a secluded spot on the flat area atop the bleachers, away from the seating and the majority of the audience.

Sapphire suddenly peaks her head out of my shadow to look around before popping back inside as I focus on the battle currently going on in the center of the arena.

Nothing left to do but to watch the fights until the timer runs out.

Executive Stream

Diane sighs as Amalia and Leo continue glaring at each other from two different, luxurious chairs, located at opposite ends of the room from each other.

‘Dryads and undead really don’t mix…’ Diane thinks to herself whilst massaging her forehead despite the lack of any pain.

Amalia suddenly turns to Diane with a finger pointed at the Dread Emperor as she says, “You should just ditch this sad sack of dead flesh!”

One of Leo’s eye’s twitches at the insult before he says, “A walking plant shouldn’t be talking.”

“Would you both just shut up?” Diane shakes her head at their display and says. “We worked together in the dungeon after all, so shouldn’t you two at least try to get along?”

Both of the Administrators glare at each other before turning to focus on the screens without another word.

Diane sighs once again with a light shake of her head.

Several minutes of silence pass by before Diane turns her attention back to the earth harbinger and asks, “By the way, do you know what Tiamat is doing on Aegis?”

Amalia takes her attention off of a screen showing Adriana as she roughs it through the thirty-sixth floor whilst covered in several different layers of clothing to look at Diane with raised brows.

“That’s an interesting question,” she says before shrugging and adding, “not that it really matters to me though. The primordial dragon tends to do whatever she wants. All I know is that she mentioned something about a dragon on Aegis before going there.”

“A dragon?” Leo mutters, joining the conversation to Amalia’s displeasure. “Why would there be a dragon on Aegis? Unless…”

Amalia squints her eyes at him before saying, “As I said, I don’t know very much about her reasons. You should already know that The Ascendency is more of an alliance than an organization; one where the ascendants can share our forces and resources as we please as long as we benefit from it.”

Just as Leo opens his mouth to speak with a frown, Diane cuts him off and says, “If she’s there about a dragon, then there could be multiple possibilities. She could just be there for that brat Astaroth, but that wouldn’t make much sense considering how cold she is. It’s also possible that she discovered a dungeon with dragons, or even that one of the inhabitants of Aegis got a mutation class that’s turned them into a dragon.”

“True,” Amalia says, tearing her focus off of the draugr to look back at Diane again, “but I have my doubts on that last one.”

Diane lightly nods her head in agreement before stating, “Either way, I’m worried about her being so close to my pup’s family.”

“Oh?” Amalia says with a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow, “your pup? So, is it confirmed then?”

Leo scoffs at this, “Yeah, right. I still have my doubts that the kid will ever accept becoming her heir, much less her pup.”

A light frown crosses Diane’s face at this before she focuses on the screen showing Wolf as he patiently waits for his challenge to begin.

“Whether he accepts it or not, I still think of him as my pup,” she mutters quietly, almost as if speaking to herself instead of the two Administrators.

Amalia looks surprised as she sends Leo a strange look, to which he just shrugs.

The two Administrators then join Diane in looking at Wolf’s screen right as Wolf begins to float through the arena with a look of surprise on his face.

“It looks like his challenge is about to begin,” Diane says with an intrigued look on her face. “This will be an interesting floor theme to have the first sponsorship on.”

Amalia and Leo both wordlessly nod their heads in agreement as they watch Wolf gently land in the center of the arena.

Wolf

Several seconds earlier

I have to admit, these fights are rather entertaining. And the noise is welcome as well – as long as I increase the sound proofing on my headphones, that is.

It’s honestly kind of nice to have noise that isn’t just nature and the occasional monster growling or dying.

Not to mention that it gives me the chance to study the monsters on this floor without having to fight them as of yet.

I am distracted from my thoughts as the fight in the middle of the arena reaches a pitched end, where the scorpion finally manages to impale the jackyl through the heart with its tail from behind. A few seconds later, the guardian slams their staff into the ground, marking the end to the battle before it points its staff at the dead jackyl, causing its body to disappear into tiny sparks of light.

I glance at the timer on the top left of my interface before standing up, only to suddenly begin to float in midair as the guardian suddenly points its staff outwards. At the same time, the surviving scorpion begins to heal and float towards the bleachers.

It’s finally time for my challenge to begin.