The Lords would have closed in on him immediately. Not openly, of course, but they would have used discreet methods to leave him with no room to breathe.
They would have taken everything they could.
Isaac’s City wasn’t strong enough to fight them head-on yet.
He needed time.
Time to grow. Time to strengthen his city. Time to reach a point where he wouldn’t be forced into submission.
That was why this competition existed.
If he could win, even against these odds, the message would be clear.
He wasn’t prey.
The Lords would hesitate. They would slow down, reassess him, and move more cautiously instead of trying to corner him all at once.
That hesitation was what he needed.
It would bring him time.
’This competition... is really a reckless plan,’ Isaac thought, a faint, wry smile forming.
Despite knowing how reckless it was, he would still start this competition if he had a chance.
A tiger cub was still feared, as long as it showed its claws.
A docile cow, no matter how large, would only be captured and used.
Even if Isaac was a new Lord, if he showed he was dangerous and had strength to protect himself, he could deter the Lords.
’We need to win this,’ Isaac thought, his hand tightening below the table.
"Have any of you joined the bets?" Lord Bella’s voice broke the silence.
"What?" Lord Sisyphus turned toward her.
"The bets that the Spirit of Water started. I placed money on all teams. No matter who wins, I’ll make a profit," Lord Bella said with a small snicker.
Lord Hass let out a quiet sigh, and shook his head. Fafnir didn’t look much different.
The Third Priest chuckled softly, clearly amused.
Lord Sisyphus frowned. "Are you serious? If you bet on everyone, then what’s even the point? You won’t make much—"
...
Emily’s POV
One moment there was light and noise, and the next everything settled into stillness.
Emily blinked once as the surroundings came into focus.
She stood in a wide, uneven field filled with towering rock formations. Some were thin and sharp, rising like spears from the ground. Others were thick and heavy, like pillars that had been placed there deliberately.
The rock formations created natural cover, but they also limited visibility. It might hide monsters and teams that were preparing for ambushes.
The ground itself was uneven, scattered with smaller stone stumps that made movement slightly awkward.
Emily turned her head and quickly located the others.
Everyone was here.
"We’ll act according to the plan," Eleanor said.
The group nodded.
Before entering the dungeon, she had already gone through everything with them. What to do, how to respond, what roles each person would take.
Doing so had served two purposes. One, it prepared them to work as team. Second, it forced Sera to reveal her abilities, since they were working as a team.
Eleanor did this to prepare in case Sera tried to backstab them.
"Let’s move," Eleanor said.
The current area the group was in was called [Ruins of Old]. It was one of the areas that Averon had scouted with his team members when he used to enter the Great Dungeon before.
The Great Dungeon had no conventional exit.
As long as someone killed at least one monster and was not in combat, they could leave whenever they wanted. It was a simple rule, one that sounded almost generous.
At first glance, it gave a false sense of security.
If danger appeared, all someone needed to do was retreat, hide, and wait until the monster lost interest. After that, they could exit safely.
But that line of thinking was wrong. One those who didn’t know the horrors of Great Dungeon would think of it as easy.
"There is a monster ahead. It looks like a Normal Monster," Avery whispered.
The group immediately became alert.
They slowed their pace, adjusting their formation without needing further instruction. Each person took their position naturally, moving between the stone formations in a controlled manner. Their footsteps were careful, and their breathing was steady.
They advanced until the monster came into view.
It was a Stone Giant.
Its massive body blended almost seamlessly with the surroundings. Its skin was rough and uneven like the pillars around it. One of its arms was raised, gripping a chunk of stone that it slowly bit into.
It was eating the pillar itself, as if it were nothing more than food.
"That’s a Stone Giant. It has extremely high defense and attack power. I’m afraid it can kill High rank Overlords with one hit, and gravely injure Apex rank Overlords. Thankfully, it has low movement speed. So we can kill it by kiting," Averon said quietly, his eyes fixed on it.
...
Livestream
[MasalaMage69]: WAIT WHAT DID HE JUST SAY???
[NoobHunterXD]: normal monster??? bro that thing is a building
[OverlordMain]: did he say one hit high rank overlord???
[SleepyDragon]: nah this has to be exaggeration
The chat flooded rapidly, messages overlapping each other as viewers tried to process what they had just heard.
For most people watching, High rank Overlords were already considered mythical figures. Apex rank Overlords stood at the peak of strength in their understanding.
The idea that a "Normal Monster" could casually kill one of them didn’t fit into that worldview.
[KeyboardKnight]: this Averon guy is talking nonsense
[LogicPlease]: yeah no way normal monster does that
[ChaiAndChaos]:if Normal Monsters can kill Apex rank Overlords, then what are Boss Monsters??? gods???
Amid the noise, a new message appeared.
[Songtress]: He’s not wrong.
The reaction to that was immediate.
[WhoAreYou123]: here comes another one
[CertifiedGenius]: trust me bro source
[CuriousViewer]: wait let her explain??
[Songtress]: Great Dungeons are among the most difficult dungeons. They don’t limit how many Awakeners can enter, and they allow exit at any time. In exchange, the environment and monsters are extremely dangerous.
The chat slowed slightly.
From the way Songtress had replied, it seemed she knew about Great Dungeons.
Everyone wanted to know about them, and they waited for further explanation from her.
[Songtress]: To compare, each monster inside is at least equivalent to an Apex rank monster.
[WHATISGOINGON]: EACH????