The True Contest Begins

The second day of competition dawned.

Within the vast arena, the cheers of the demonic horde grew even more fervent. After a day of fierce battles, only the true powerhouses of the Dungeon remained!

Indeed, the seeded contestants of the tournament were only making their debut today. This was where the true struggle for supremacy would begin!

“Greetings, my demon brothers and sisters! I am Loynin! We meet again! Although I made many mistakes in my commentary yesterday, no one came to punish me! Loynin is so disappointed!”

“Ooooh—!!!” The crowd of demons erupted in a frenzy. Many monstrous creatures attempted to climb the high platform to embrace the self-proclaimed masochist, but the guards swiftly pushed them back with their long spears.

“Now, allow me to introduce today’s matches! First up are the four contestants who fought their way through the preliminaries to reach the quarterfinals. They are—Butcher Buqu! As the guardian of the first floor, Buqu’s advancement to the quarterfinals is hardly a surprise. Rumor has it he’s a fanatical admirer of Her Royal Highness, with a particular fondness for feet! But will Buqu’s rather peculiar wish ever come true? Considering his opponent today, his prospects seem rather bleak!”

The demons roared with even wilder cheers during the commentary. Only Buqu, as he stepped onto the sandy arena, wore a grim expression.

‘No, wait, there’s also me.’ I turned to Beth Daisy and declared, “If that masochist dares to joke about this princess again, drag her down immediately and give her two hundred lashes! Let her enjoy it to her heart’s content!”

Loynin continued her commentary, “Our second contestant is the notorious Flower-Snatching Fiend from the Narudi Mountain Range, Obef! Please don’t misunderstand his name, everyone. He’s not a maiden obsessed with picking flowers in the mountains. Instead, he’s an infamous demon pervert who specializes in ambushing and robbing women!”

“As if anyone would misunderstand that!” I exclaimed, tapping my foot and rocking my chair.

Today, for the first time in the Dungeon, I was wearing trousers—a pair of soft black fabric pants, paired with a black lace blouse. It wasn’t because I’d revealed too much yesterday and wanted to compensate myself; rather, my senior sister had advised me to keep warm.

“Our third contestant is the King of Slimes, Slimekovsky! He claims to have many years of experience educating young women! At three hundred years old, his kin respectfully refer to him as—Old Ski!”

“Oh oh oh! Old Ski! Old Ski! Go, Old Ski!”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a little dizzy. ‘That slime actually made it to the quarterfinals. If he wins the championship, I’ll die.’

“Our fourth contestant is the mysterious masked muscular butler: Cypher! He has displayed strength comparable to a seeded player, making him the biggest dark horse of this tournament! Yet, what is his true identity? Perhaps only when he lifts the championship trophy will we catch a glimpse of the truth!”

“Ooooh~~~!” A collective gasp swept through the demonic crowd. “Who could such a powerful expert be?!”

“I can’t believe our Dungeon harbors such a super-powerful uncle besides its guardians!”

“Indeed! Who exactly is he? There’s absolutely no clue.”

The demons whispered amongst themselves, their exclamations filled with wonder as they speculated about the masked butler’s identity.

Feeling my body go slack, I leaned against Senior Sister Faein’s shoulder. “Senior Sister… do you know how difficult it is for me? To have to lead such a group of idiots.”

Senior Sister silently patted my shoulder, offering no words.

“Next, allow me to introduce—the true pillars of the Dungeon, our seeded contestants! First, the Vampire Swordswoman, renowned as the strongest martial artist in the Dungeon—Suriya!”

“Unmatched in pure excavation power, a colossal beetle king in life, and now an Undead Beetle Cave Lord in death—Olajuwon!!!”

Loynin had even learned to drag out her words; I was truly impressed by her. I couldn’t fathom where such enthusiasm came from.

Loynin continued, “The guardian of the seventh floor of the Dungeon, possessing mysterious strength, a super-powerful divine ox whose abilities strike terror even into demons—Uguru!”

“Moooo~~~!”

‘Hey, Loynin! You’re the one calling him Uguru, but he has a proper name, you know!’

“Finally, the newest addition to the Dungeon, yet already possessing the strength of a Floor Lord, a genius maiden from the surface, the Flower of the Empire, Daughter of God, the universally adored Guild Master, a Templar Knightess, and an ascetic—Lady Heavenly Glow Kiori!!!”

I noticed Faein’s expression gradually shift from a smile to cold indifference.

“These eight individuals are the quarterfinalists who will contend for the ultimate championship of the Princess’s Coming-of-Age Rite Tournament! And now, we are about to begin our first match: the championship favorite, Vampire Swordswoman Suriya, against Butcher Buqu!”

The arena erupted in a roar of fanaticism as Suriya, clad in crimson battle armor, made her entrance!

Both Senior Sister Faein and I watched with rapt attention. This was an excellent opportunity to understand the true strength of my Dungeon!

For Senior Sister Faein, it also allowed her to observe her potential opponents.

Buqu, wearing a blood-stained apron, lumbered into the gladiatorial arena, his heavy, corpulent body swaying. In his hands, he clutched a massive cleaver.

“Queen Suriya! I’ve tolerated you until now, but today, with my little princess’s artistic feet at stake, I cannot back down!” Buqu roared at Suriya.

“Hurry up and start,” Suriya said. “I don’t want to waste time on you.”

“What!? I, Buqu, am a Floor Lord, after all! Do you truly believe there’s such a vast disparity in our strength? Today, you woman, you shall taste the Butcher’s Wrath!”

Buqu possessed no Origin Force, relying solely on his immense physical prowess to achieve his Level Five strength!

Dragging his great cleaver, he charged at Suriya like a colossal wild boar. Even high above the arena, I could feel a momentary catch in my breath from the sheer force of his impact.

“Suriya! Taste my big one!!!” Buqu swung his massive blade down at Suriya.

Although Suriya was an eighth-level Swordswoman, if she didn’t apply a defensive skill, a direct hit from such brute force would still injure her. However…

At the crucial moment, Suriya executed a beautiful backflip, dodging the cleaver. Simultaneously—

“Blood Clan Moment!” Suriya unleashed her signature innate skill. When she successfully evaded an opponent’s attack, there was a chance to activate this incredible racial talent, which slowed the blood flow of all living beings within a small radius around her opponent! This, in turn, caused the opponent’s neural transmissions to become sluggish, as if time itself had slowed down. Suriya, however, remained unaffected.

Buqu immediately entered slow motion. He slowly swung his blade, his roar elongated and distorted by the mental deceleration. Meanwhile, Suriya, like a crimson whirlwind, surged forward, closing the distance to Buqu. She adopted an exaggerated horse stance, holding her sword with both hands. “Demonic Sword—Bloodthorn Lightning!”

A brilliant crimson lightning bolt erupted from Suriya’s sword, coiling around the blade as it plunged towards Buqu.

The entire gloomy arena was momentarily engulfed in a burst of scarlet electrical light.

“Clang—!!!”

The colossal Buqu was enveloped by the rampant lightning, flung airborne by the impact.

An stunned silence fell over the demonic crowd. Buqu, one of the renowned Floor Lords, a figure they considered tyrannical and powerful, had been sent flying in a single exchange?

Suriya turned, flicked her blade, and swiftly sheathed her sword, making her way out of the arena.

A few seconds later, a massive boar crashed heavily to the ground several tens of meters behind her, utterly incapacitated.

“The victor—Suriya!”

“Ooooh~~~!!” The arena erupted once more.

I stared blankly at the empty sandy arena, where Buqu had been dragged away. I knew Suriya was strong, but witnessing her strike firsthand, I finally understood the meaning of despair!

At least, the current me stood no chance of defeating her.

I looked at Senior Sister Faein with some concern. Her ample chest rose and fell dramatically, and glistening beads of sweat dotted her face.

‘Senior Sister… can you win against such an opponent?’