Hearing the king's words, all the participants quieted while the cheering shot through the roof. The familiar smell of sweat broke out in the vast arena as everyone looked at each other with doubtful eyes that were later filled with killing intent.

Cale, on the other hand, only chuckled. These kinds of rules were undoubtedly loose. Although they basically meant certain death for weaker participants, some, including Cale, were totally comfortable with the current situation

Cheer! Cheer!

The crowd cheered while the gates around the arena opened and various beasts began to make their way onto the field. Each of them had scars spread across their bodies. They were definitely not treated that well.

At the sight of multiple red eyes staring at them with killing intent, most of the participants had their spines twitching. Some of them even went as far as taking a few steps back, causing the onlookers to shout in contempt.

'Each of them is Peak-Disciple Rank', Cale thought as he promptly drew his new black blade. While these beasts were truly dangerous, Cale was even more warned because of the participants around him.

"Everyone! Let's not fight each other and focus on these beasts! That way, everyone can move on to the next part of the competition!" One of the warriors shouted.

"Die! The princess will be mine!"

Contrary to his expectation, a few warriors charged towards him after hearing his words. He wasn't prepared for such an abrupt reaction and before he managed to take out his weapon, he felt weakness in his hands.

Thud!

With a loud whack, blood splattered across the arena, announcing the first death of the competition. The entire surroundings instantly tensed as everyone unsheathed their weapons.

Without any more suspense, the two sides clashed and the battle began, causing the cheers to grow even louder.

-

"I didn't expect so many weaklings to have the guts to participate in this competition, they overestimated their abilities. Did they really think it would be that easy to get their hands on my daughter?" Darius asked as he looked down at the scene below him.

"Better for us," An old woman standing next to the throne said with a serious expression, "Maybe we should have contests like this more frequently, so we can rid our kingdom of any trash."

"Hahaha!!! Right!" Another older woman chortled.

"Anyway, who do you think is going to win?" Darius said, suddenly getting serious. He carefully scanned the entire field, which was already flooded with blood and cold bodies, looking for any exceptional characters.

"There are many remarkable warriors in this batch, but I would go with this one" A person, whose face was hidden under a thick layer of shadowy cotton, pointed towards a pale-haired boy in the middle of the battlefield. In his hands, he held two small shields that were soaked with crimson blood.

"Oh...He's already at an Early-Expert Stage," Darius nodded with a smile.

"Although he is strong and talented for his age, his fighting style is strange. He hasn't killed anyone yet," Another elder interjected into the conversation.

"I think he just doesn't want to kill anyone so as not to hinder our troops," Darius said before sighing, 'Little does he know that such weaklings are only used as meat shields during the war'

"What the hell is this warrior doing? How shameless!" The older woman noticed Cale at the edge of the arena, dodging every time someone tried to attack him.

"Tch! I hate these kinds of people who don't even dare to get into a fight!" The other elder was also annoyed by Cale's behavior.

'Hmm...a Peak-Disciple...interesting,' Darius thought as his gaze lingered on the constantly moving warrior.

-

Unbeknownst to Cale, his every action was being monitored by the powerhouses of the entire kingdom.

'Why should I get involved in a fight and use my power for nothing? I'd better focus on saving my strength until the end of the fight,' Cale thought before dodging another blow coming his way. Since he could reabsorb that essence, Cale would surely choose someone strong enough to satisfy his craving for more power. Perhaps he would even manage to break through to an Early-Expert Rank.

Roar!

Suddenly, a cry of a beast echoed through the vicinity. Cale didn't expect a wild bear to suddenly charge at him, but that didn't obstruct his reaction speed. Promptly, Cale leaped into the air and landed two swings on the animal's neck.

Roar!

Unexpectedly, the huge bear was easily suppressed by Cale, causing all the onlookers to turn quiet. Everyone expected this shameless warrior to be crushed, but all their expectations were shattered as they saw the bear take more and more injuries to its body.

Roar!

When the bear was already covered in blood, all the attacks suddenly stopped. Taking its hands away from the eyes, it was surprised to no longer see Cale anywhere in the vicinity.

-"What the hell are you doing? Finish him!"

-"What kind of fight is this!?"

-"Such a tedious warrior!"

Everyone in the crowd had their blood boiling after seeing Cale run away without finishing off the bear. On the other hand, Cale only had an inner grin at the sight of the beast getting back on his feet again and immediately attacking the nearest human.

Cale wanted more people to die at this stage, and killing this bear would only hinder that process. All the shouts from the crowd didn't bother Cale either, as he simply proceeded to avoid everyone's sight.

-

After ten minutes, the entire arena was drenched in blood. Both humans and beasts lay dead on the ground. Despite seeing such a gruesome scene, the crowd cheered louder and louder.

Only a few beasts were still steadfast enough to fight, even though they were entirely enveloped in fresh injuries. The number of participants had already been reduced by half, and everyone else had almost used up their strength.

Even the strongest warrior in the group, a pale-haired boy, was breathing with suspense.

'It is time...to begin the massacre!' Cale smiled inwardly as both of his hands got coated in bronze color. An ominous red color rose from his bones as the surroundings instantly tensed.

Cale had been purposefully waiting for this moment, when everyone would be exhausted and wouldn't even be able to stay on their feet, to begin his carefully laid out plan.

'There will be no second phase of the competition, everyone will die now!'