Second Area, Great Dungeon.
The remaining teams gathered inside the ruins of a collapsed stone structure rising from the swamp. The place had likely once been some kind of watchtower before time and monsters reduced it to broken walls and sinking floors. Even now, dark water slowly seeped through cracks in the stone while gray mist drifted through the open spaces.
The atmosphere among the awakeners was heavy.
Earlier in the Trial, every team had been confident. Some had even believed Lord Isaac’s team would eventually exhaust itself while fighting stronger monsters.
Now nobody thought that way anymore.
Lord Qizhal’s team had already been eliminated.
Lord Bella’s team was missing, likely having been eliminated.
The remaining teams were injured, exhausted, and far more cautious than before.
Zahard stood near the center of the ruined structure while looking at the gathered leaders.
"We will let them fight the Mini Bosses and the Boss Monster of the Second Area first. Once they are exhausted and vulnerable, we will attack them," he said calmly.
Several people nodded immediately.
The plan itself was simple.
Lord Isaac’s team possessed overwhelming combat power right now. Fighting them head-on while they were fully prepared would be foolish. However, if they were forced to battle several powerful monsters first, their condition would naturally deteriorate.
That was the best chance the remaining teams had.
Still, not everyone looked fully convinced.
"What if Emily can tame more monsters?" asked the leader of Lord Sisyphus’ team.
The question immediately made several people frown.
A member of Lord Fafnir’s team shook his head. "She already tamed two monsters. That is already beyond the original theoretical limit for her current rank. There should not be any way for her to tame more."
"Wrong," the leader of Lord Fafnir’s team interrupted before the discussion could continue further.
The others looked toward him.
He folded his arms before speaking slowly. "The fact that she already surpassed the theoretical limit is exactly why we should not rely on our theories anymore. We must prepare for the possibility that she can still tame additional monsters."
The atmosphere became even heavier.
Nobody wanted to admit it openly, but Emily’s existence was beginning to feel abnormal.
At first, most people believed her strength came from talent and preparation.
Now things were different.
Her summons were growing stronger too quickly.
The leader of Lord Fafnir’s team looked toward Zahard. "We will tail them first. The moment there is any indication that she can tame another Mini Boss or Boss Monster, we attack immediately."
"And if she cannot?" Zahard asked.
"Then we proceed with the original plan. We let them exhaust themselves against the Boss Monster of the Second Area before attacking."
Zahard nodded slowly. "I agree with this plan."
The other leaders gradually voiced their agreement as well.
Honestly, the ideal situation would have been allowing Isaac’s team to continue deeper into the dungeon and fight the Mini Bosses of the Third Area too. By that point, even their terrifying combat power would definitely decline.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
To enter the Third Area, every participating team needed to contribute to the defeat of the Second Area Boss Monster, or a Mini Boss. If they avoided fighting entirely, they would lose the right to advance.
That meant the ambush had to happen here.
Still, just as the discussion seemed settled, another voice interrupted.
"I disagree."
Everyone turned toward Penelope, the leader of Lord Hass’ team.
Zahard narrowed his eyes slightly. "What exactly do you disagree with?"
Penelope leaned casually against a cracked wall while crossing her arms. Unlike the others, she did not appear tense. If anything, she looked almost bored.
"Even if we ambush Lord Isaac’s team after they are exhausted, their combat power is still too high. They have the Water Elemental Spirit. Even if she cannot release her true form because of the livestream, she is still one of the most dangerous existences in this competition," she said calmly.
Several awakeners quietly nodded.
That point was undeniable.
The only reason the Lords had agreed so readily to livestreaming the competition was because it restricted Avery.
An Elemental Spirit’s true form was terrifying.
If Avery released her complete form while countless ordinary humans watched the broadcast, many would die instantly. Others would suffer severe mental or spiritual injuries just from seeing her.
Because of that, she was forced to suppress herself.
Even then, she remained monstrously powerful.
Penelope continued speaking.
"Then there is Saintess Alice. Earlier, she showed too many support abilities capable of strengthening Emily’s summons to absurd levels. The Colossus Grazer may no longer have the Great Dungeon’s amplification buff, but I believe Saintess Alice can provide enhancements close to that level herself."
The expressions of several people became uglier.
They had all witnessed how terrifying the combination between Alice and Emily truly was.
Emily’s summons were already strong individually.
With Alice’s support, they became disasters.
"With their current strength, even if we successfully ambush them, they will still eliminate at least one or two teams before falling," Penelope said,
Nobody immediately argued against her words.
Because she was right.
The remaining teams were strong, but they were not invincible. If a chaotic battle started against Isaac’s group, casualties were unavoidable.
"What are you trying to say?" Zahard asked.
Penelope looked around at everyone calmly.
"We currently have four teams remaining. Yes, we are all talented awakeners. However, if we lose one or two teams here, then defeating the Boss Monster of the Third Area becomes impossible."
This time, even Zahard remained silent.
He did not want to admit it, but he understood the logic.
Boss Monsters became drastically stronger with each Area.
Normally, the Boss Monster of the Third Area in a Great Dungeon required around fifty experienced awakeners to defeat safely.
The only reason these teams even possessed a chance was because every member here was considered among the best of their generation.
With four complete teams, there was still some hope.
But if one or two teams were destroyed during the ambush?
The chance of victory would disappear completely.
"What I am saying is that either we fail to ambush Lord Isaac’s team, or we succeed but lose too much strength afterward. In both scenarios, we cannot clear the Third Area. If we cannot clear the Third Area, then we cannot win this competition," Penelope explained.
Several awakeners let out bitter smiles.
Earlier, many of them had entered the Great Dungeon confidently.
Now they were discussing whether victory was even possible anymore.
Lord Isaac’s team had pushed them into a far worse situation than anyone anticipated.
Zahard studied Penelope quietly before speaking again.
"What do you suggest we do, then?"
"Suggest?" Penelope shrugged. "I am not suggesting anything. I already made my decision."
The others frowned slightly.
"I am withdrawing with my team. As for the rest of you, do whatever you want" she said casually.
Several people reacted immediately.
"That’s ridiculous. Even if we lose a team or two, we can still challenge the Boss Monster. We are the highest-ranked awakeners of our generation. If we push ourselves properly, perhaps we can still create history today," the leader of Lord Sisyphus’ team said with a deep frown.
Penelope rolled her eyes at him.
"Then go create history yourself, old man. I’m not risking my people because everyone here was too prideful to admit we were unprepared."
"You are retreating too quickly."
"And you are being stupid too confidently."
The leader of Lord Sisyphus’ team’s expression darkened instantly.
The two sides quickly began arguing.
Some agreed with Penelope’s caution.
Others believed retreating now would only destroy whatever remaining chance they still possessed.
Meanwhile, Zahard remained silent.
He observed Penelope carefully while the others bickered.
Something felt wrong.
Lord Hass’ territory was famous for producing fighters. Their awakeners were not the type to retreat easily, especially not from a competition involving someone as valuable as Isaac.
So why was Penelope acting this way?
Then Zahard slowly understood.
’She is sabotaging us.’
The realization made his eyes narrow faintly.
Lord Hass had already become dissatisfied with Third Priest’s faction because of the incident involving their family members and the princes.
Currently, among all remaining competitors, Zahard’s group possessed one of the highest chances of eventually winning.
And Lord Hass clearly did not want Third Priest’s side gaining any sort of control over Isaac.
Even if that meant nobody won at all.
’She already realized her own team cannot win. So now she wants everyone else to fail too,’ Zahard thought calmly.
The current situation simply gave her the perfect excuse.
If the others lost confidence and withdrew now, then nobody would be able to claim Isaac through this competition.
A small smile almost appeared on Zahard’s face.
Political games.
In the end, everything always returned to politics.
Even inside a deadly dungeon.