NOVPUB
Chapter 37: The First Win
A deadly silence hung over the Colosseum field—until suddenly, the chime of the Mother System broke it.
One by one, notifications appeared in front of everyone’s eyes—glowing faintly blue and hovering in the air.
[ Welcome to the Dungeon Colosseum ]
A few people instinctively took a step back.
[ Dungeon Type: Competitive ]
[ Objective: Entertain the spectators and the King ]
[ Battle Mode: Solo / Group ]
[ Dungeon Rank: Green ]
[ The Mother System wishes you success ]
Muffled voices could be heard.
"So this is the Dungeon Colosseum..."
"It’s... more normal than I expected?"
Daniel stood silently, eyes carefully scanning the tall pillars, latticed windows, and spectator seats. The battlefield was a wide stone circle, surrounded by thousands of empty seats, as if invisible spectators were watching them.
Then, the royal platform at the far end of the Colosseum shook. As Daniel looked at the black-armored knight, his instincts immediately kicked in and started warning him.
’He’s strong,’ Daniel frowned. If he wasn’t mistaken, that black knight must be the boss of the dungeon—The Immortal Knight.
No aura was radiating from him, but the presence he gave off was beyond any corrupted beast Daniel had ever faced—well, except for Rag’Zar.
Among the six golden knights standing on either side of the majestic throne, one stepped forward. His golden cloak billowed in the air, and his armor gleamed under the light.
His steps were heavy and dignified, but there was no hostility in his movements.
The Awakeneds immediately went on guard—some activating magic, some raising weapons.
But Daniel didn’t move. He didn’t feel any hostility.
The knight simply stood there.
"Welcome new slaves... to the Royal Colosseum." His voice echoed.
Breaths were held.
"This is where kings are entertained... and soldiers are tested," the knight continued.
He stepped forward.
"You are now the new slaves of the Royal Colosseum. Your job is simple—entertain us. You may choose a representative. That representative will face three knights. First, the Gray Knight. Then the Silver. And finally... one of us—the Goldens."
He paused. His gaze swept across the faces.
"If you win, you’ll be allowed to challenge the King. And if you win—though won’t even happen in your dream dreams—you’ll earn your freedom."
A heavy silence fell.
"If your representative loses, you can send someone else. But if you want to fight as a group, you’ll have to battle five knights per round."
Everyone glanced at each other. Only Daniel was staring straight at the golden knight.
"Well, obviously I’ll go. If you come along, you’ll just get in the way," Kruger laughed loudly.
"No. We need to be careful. Group is better. That way we can avoid casualties," Linor shot him a cold, serious look.
"It’s better to send someone first who can both survive and retreat if needed. Something’s off here... No one has ever cleared this dungeon, even though it’s been opened hundreds of times. So don’t underestimate it," Daniel finally stepped in.
A few other Awakened gave their opinions, mostly confused. But most agreed with Daniel.
Silence fell again for a few moments.
Eventually, after some scattered discussion and tense pauses, a final decision was made.
Linor stepped forward. His voice rang out strong and clear in the Colosseum.
"We’ll send a representative."
"Say their name," the golden knight nodded, his armor letting out a soft clink.
"I—" Kruger stepped forward confidently and raised his hand.
But Linor grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "No. Not now."
"You saw no one else has the guts! I’ll go and finish it!" Kruger snapped, eyebrows furrowed. How dare he stop him?
"Exactly because we don’t know anything yet, we need someone who can analyze from a distance. If you go and die, we just lose a powerful Awakened. But if a mage goes and gathers intel... we all survive," Linor replied calmly.
Kruger clenched his teeth but said nothing. His guild had ordered him to return successfully—he decided to hold back for now.
A heavy silence followed. No one volunteered. Eyes turned to the ground.
"Maylos. Go." Finally, Linor sighed and spoke.
"Me?" The young man with messy black hair looked up.
"You can do it. You’re a mage and you’ve got the best escape skills among us," Linor said gently.
"There’s really no one else?" Maylos, a rank-D mage, bit his lip nervously.
"Don’t worry. If anything happens, we’ll step in," Linor tried to reassure him.
Maylos sighed but finally stepped forward. His mana gloves sparked faintly, and the enhancer ring on his finger gave off a soft glow. After checking his items, he declared himself the representative.
"Representative has been chosen. The battle will now begin," the golden knight announced.
In a flash of light, the rest of the group was teleported to the spectator platforms. Only Maylos remained in the arena.
The iron gate in front creaked open.
And from within a heavy mist, a massive knight stepped into the field.
He wore dark gray armor, and carried a massive double-edged sword as wide as a man’s torso. A metal mask hid his face, and every step he took echoed heavily on the ground.
"This is the Gray Knight, Domars, Guardian of Silence. Prepare for the first battle," the golden knight announced coolly.
"Begin the battle—and entertain the King with your skills."
Maylos took a deep breath. He chanted under his breath, and two mana rings formed around his feet.
Domars said nothing, just raised his sword and charged at Maylos with surprising speed.
Boom!
The sword slammed down right where Maylos had been a moment ago. Using a flash-speed spell, he had rolled to the side.
"Holy crap... that speed doesn’t match his size!" – one of the team members shouted.
Maylos quickly activated his second spell:
Shadow Lock!
Chains of shadow rose from the ground and bound Domars’ feet. But he only paused for a moment, then broke the chains with brute force.
"They only held him for a few seconds..."
As he backed away, Maylos raised his hand and shouted:
"Fire Blast!"
Three large fireballs shot toward Domars.
But the knight simply raised his arm. His gray armor heated up, but didn’t break—only a little smoke rose from it.
Maylos bit his lip.
’Direct hits won’t work. I need to do something smarter...’
Domars attacked again. With another crushing strike, he nearly reached Maylos. But just before the sword landed, the mage chanted again:
"Mirror Image!"
Maylos’ body vanished instantly, and a ghostly duplicate appeared several meters away.
At the same time, the ground behind Domars cracked.
Maylos smiled.
The previous trap spell was still active...
"Mana Collapse – Modified Version!" he shouted and unleashed a stored skill.
At that moment, the previously planted spell under Domars’ feet exploded in a focused burst—not strong enough to break the armor, but enough to throw him off balance.
Domars staggered, and in that moment, Maylos activated his final spell.
"Central Thunderstrike!"
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down from the sky at Domars’ airborne body.
The sound of the impact echoed like a war drum through the Colosseum.
When the smoke cleared, the Gray Knight was on one knee. His sword had fallen, his armor was scorched, and the mask on his face was cracked.
A moment passed. Then the golden knight’s voice rang out:
"The Guardian of Silence has been defeated."
