Baldwyn sat with his back against the cold stone wall.
His existing equipment had been confiscated as soon as he arrived.
“That damned Arch Lich…”
This space, called the waiting room, was surprisingly not a prison, but it didn’t mean freedom either.
There were strangers present.
Baldwyn stroked his chin with his fingers and muttered. The events in the dungeon kept replaying in his mind.
It was supposed to be a Lich dungeon, but it turned out to be an Arch Lich dungeon.
And he lost his mage comrade, Streel, to a sudden explosion amidst a siege of skeletons.
And now?
Lyra and Sienna were being held hostage by the Arch Lich in that dungeon.
“They said they’d spare us if we become champions here?”
According to what the Arch Lich had written in his notebook, he had set a condition that if they became champions in this arena, they would all be spared.
However, Baldwyn was not the kind of adventurer to be fooled by such temptations.
“It must be incredibly difficult to become a champion.”
After all, they were fighting monsters.
If the Arch Lich was related to this Monster Coliseum, there was a high probability that at least 4-star monsters would appear.
He raised his head to survey his surroundings, but only unfamiliar faces filled the waiting room.
About a dozen people. Most of them were watching each other with frightened eyes.
The fortunate thing was that they were allowed to team up like this, instead of fighting monsters one-on-one.
“Even so, most of them are just riff-raff.”
Judging by their condition, some seemed unable to even handle a weapon, let alone a monster.
“At best, they’re adventurers with Silver Badges?”
Even with a Silver Badge, they could only handle 2-star monsters at best.
On the other hand, it was unknown what kind of monsters would appear in the Monster Coliseum.
As he pondered, someone approached Baldwyn.
“Hey, man. Want to team up? I may look like this, but I’m a Silver Badge adventurer who’s survived here twice!”
A man who introduced himself as a Silver Badge adventurer.
Of course, Baldwyn possessed a Gold Badge, but since this was his first time in the Monster Coliseum, he nodded.
Moreover, surviving twice in the arena meant he must have some skill.
“Alright.”
The man burst into hearty laughter at Baldwyn’s unhesitating agreement.
“Hahaha! I like that you’re so straightforward! My name is Calpion. What’s yours?”
“I’m Baldwyn.”
“Baldwyn? Oh!”
Calpion’s eyes widened.
Calpion was also from the Orbis Empire, and he reacted to Baldwyn’s name.
“Don’t tell me, man, you’re a Gold Badge adventurer? The one they call the ‘Flame Knight’… Baldwyn?”
He suddenly straightened his posture and bowed his head.
“Oh my, I apologize. I didn’t recognize someone so magnificent…”
But Baldwyn shook his head.
“No, you don’t need to worry about that.”
Baldwyn’s voice was calm.
“Actually, this is my first time in the Monster Coliseum, so I’d appreciate it if you could lead the way, Mr. Calpion.”
Calpion looked surprised for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! Well, I’ll be! A Gold Badge adventurer asking directions from a Silver Badge like me!”
He patted Baldwyn on the shoulder and said,
“Man, you’re so humble too. We’re going to be great friends.”
Baldwyn also smiled at Calpion’s honest demeanor. Although it was an extreme situation, meeting a trustworthy comrade at a moment like this was fortunate.
“Alright, let’s form a team again! With you here, we’ll survive with ease this time.”
Baldwyn practiced formations with the people Calpion had gathered.
It was clumsy because it was a hastily formed team, not a party, but this was not a dungeon.
After listening to the explanation, it seemed that surviving for a certain amount of time would count as a victory.
“That’s somewhat better news.”
If the monsters were difficult to deal with, it meant that even just creating a standoff with others would increase their survival rate.
As they were practicing formations, the waiting room door opened and several guards entered.
They threw weapons onto the floor and commanded.
“It’s preparation time. Choose your weapons.”
The weapons the guards threw were varied: rusty swords and spears, chipped shields, and bows with only a few arrows, but all were of low quality.
Baldwyn picked up a sword that looked to be in the best condition among the weapons.
Although the weight was not familiar to his hand, at least having a weapon was a solace.
Now it was time to go up to the arena stage.
* * *
Finally, the door opened and the participants of the arena, including Baldwyn and Calpion, walked out into the bright light.
As their eyes adjusted to the bright light, a massive circular arena unfolded before them.
The stands were packed with people. The roar of cheers and boos mixed together echoed in Baldwyn’s ears.
The arena floor was covered with rough sand, with piles of rocks and wooden obstacles scattered here and there.
“The crowd is hungry for blood.”
Calpion whispered to Baldwyn.
“They want to see us die.”
His words were only half true.
The crowd didn’t just want to see people die as much as they wanted the side they bet on to win.
Of course, since most people bet on monsters, Calpion’s words weren’t entirely false.
Baldwyn surveyed the surroundings. On the opposite side of the arena, enclosed by high walls, was a dark tunnel with thick iron bars lowered.
Growling sounds could be heard from there.
“It seems like there are goblins in there.”
Baldwyn said.
It was an experience gained from years of adventuring.
“Oh, that’s our man! Goblins are easy!”
Most of the participants, including Calpion, sighed in relief at Baldwyn’s words.
Goblins were at best 1-star monsters.
They were low-level monsters that could be taken down with a weapon even by non-adventurers.
“Wait a minute…”
However, amidst the shrieks of the goblins, something felt unsettling.
“Are there only goblins?”
Baldwyn shook his head.
No matter how experienced he was, dungeons and arenas were different. Moreover, the crowd’s noise muffled the goblin sounds, making it impossible to be certain.
Baldwyn continued to look around.
At the very top of the spectator seats, in what was clearly a VIP box, a woman sat alone wearing a mask.
“…A mask?”
Come to think of it, when he heard it from Vector, the one leading the arena wore a mask.
“Does that mean that woman is the owner of this arena?”
A being with white hair.
Even with the mask, her aura was elegant and captivating.
“As if I’ll be entranced—”
Meanwhile, the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the arena.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to today’s main event! Now! We have a very special guest, an adventurer from the Orbis Empire who holds a Gold Badge! ‘The Flame Knight’ Baldwyn is participating!”
The crowd’s cheers grew louder as Baldwyn’s name was mentioned. In fact, they cheered at the mention of the Gold Badge rather than his name.
Adventurers with Gold Badges were rare in the arena.
Some shouted Baldwyn’s name, cheering, while others booed.
This allowed them to guess which side they had bet on, even if only momentarily.
“And their opponents are… Hobgoblin warriors from the Silent Mountain Range north of the Sail Kingdom and their soldiers!”
At the announcer’s words, the expressions of all the participants darkened.
“Hobgoblins!”
Even Calpion, a Silver Badge adventurer, frowned.
Compared to the mere 1-star goblins, hobgoblins were 3-star!
It was unknown how many hobgoblins there were, but currently, only Baldwyn and Calpion could deal with hobgoblins.
If there were many, it was obvious that the other participants would be annihilated.
“Grrr!”
“Grr! Grr!”
Multiple pairs of red eyes glimmered beyond the iron bars.
Baldwyn tightly gripped the sword in his hand with a tense expression.
“Everyone, stick together!”
Baldwyn raised his voice.
“You’re right, man! Everyone back to back and form a circle!”
Following Calpion’s command, the participants quickly formed a circular formation.
“Shields forward!”
Calpion shouted next.
“Swords and spears behind them! Archers in the innermost circle!”
Thump- thump- thump-!
The arena trembled as the iron bars slowly began to rise. The silhouettes of horned hobgoblins appeared from the darkness within the tunnel.
They were clad in leather armor and armed with sharp spears and axes.
“Now, let’s begin the 15-minute survival game! Who will win! The Flame Knight? Or the Hobgoblins?!”
“Woooooah!!”
Amidst the roar of the crowd, as soon as the iron bars were fully raised, five hobgoblins snarled and rushed out.
Their muscular bodies, larger than ordinary goblins, their glowing red eyes, and sharper teeth were enough to intimidate the participants.
And behind them, dozens of goblins poured out, emitting sharp screams.
“Hold firm! Maintain formation!”
Calpion shouted.
A hobgoblin stepped forward and gestured. Then, the goblins formed ranks as if they were trained soldiers.
“Wh-what!”
Baldwyn and Calpion’s eyes widened.
Didn’t the goblins also form formations like them?
“Hobgoblins have command abilities?!”
Calpion exclaimed in surprise.
“These are no ordinary hobgoblins!”
Baldwyn retorted.
At that moment, the leading hobgoblin snarled and signaled the attack.
The goblins charged in unison.
“Shields! Hold tight!”
The first wave crashed against the participants’ defense line. The participants holding shields blocked the goblins’ attacks, but screamed from the impact.
“Stab them! Now!”
Baldwyn shouted.
The participants behind the shields swung their spears and swords, felling several goblins. But this was just the beginning.
Two hobgoblins simultaneously attacked a point in the participants’ formation. Their strength was on a completely different level from ordinary goblins.
A participant holding a shield fell from the impact, creating a gap in the defense line.
“Here!”
Baldwyn quickly filled the gap. He blocked the hobgoblin’s axe with his sword and did not retreat.
Calpion was also fighting a hobgoblin on the other side.
“Damn it! These guys are too strong!”
Calpion muttered. Not only that, but Baldwyn also vaguely felt it.
“They’re not ordinary hobgoblins!”
They were incredibly well-trained hobgoblins. Furthermore, the goblins were by no means ordinary either.
The goblins changed formations and attempted hit-and-run tactics in response to the hobgoblins’ gestures and shrieks.
These were movements not seen in ordinary goblins.
“Ugh!”
Baldwyn poured all his strength into blocking the hobgoblin’s attack. Normally, he could have handled them easily, but without his rusty sword and armor, it was a struggle.
* * *
“Hmm.”
A woman watching from the VIP box smiled.
“It seems Mr. Necros has brought in some proper adventurers.”
Her name was Celia.
She was a 6-star succubus and the chief administrator of the dungeon.
Her reason for seeking adventurers was different from Necros’.
“If I gather more here, I can offer the Free City Alliance to Master.”
She was gathering troops to attack the Free City Alliance.
Adventurers who would die in place of the Sail Kingdom’s soldiers.
