Shun POV:
The maze of hallways continued onward despite a wide opening segmenting the cream walls. Light poured onto the path, flickering in tandem with the faint cheers below. Rows of torches lined the rocky sides of the pit in the hundreds; the brightest one hung upside down atop the ceiling’s centre. Two shadows clashed below it, trading rapid strikes in the middle of a tiled arena.
Sentri, Sentri Warriors, Sentri Knights, and Armoured Sentri Knights encompassed the spectacle. Their united roars at the duel between the Armoured Knights invigorated both the fighters and the dancing lights.
“Sentri Style: Armoured Spear Thrust!”
“Sentri Style: Armoured Sword Blitz!”
Thick grey scales wrapped around both the black spear and sword. Not only did it double the power of the technique, but it increased the likelihood of chaining several techniques in succession. The clash of weapons shook the arena, protected by several powerful barriers.
Waiters and waitresses moved around in an expert manner, providing beverages and meals to those in attendance. They disappeared beneath the tunnel, serving customers unable to obtain closer seats.
In front of the arena was a large throne. A throne that seated an even larger Sentri. Its fist pressed against its cheek, staring at the scene with bored eyes.
[Floor Boss: Sentri Guardian]
The flag pole rested beside the monster, but I could care less about that. My focus was on the Sentri Guardian’s powerful presence; it dwarfed the previous ones the party had fought on our way here.
[The Title ‘Imminence Subjugator’ has evolved into ‘Overlord Imminence Ruler.’]
‘...What?’
I opened the Title Window when the clash between the Armoured Sentri Knights intensified.
‘That can wait.’
Averis and the other Reavers would die by my hand once they grew some more. I dispelled the system window and dropped into the wide pit. None of the Sentri paid me any mind; they prioritised watching the battle instead.
A table soon became available, so I took a seat and observed everything once more. An arena to the Sentri could only mean one thing: Gladiators.
According to Byeol’s report, the Armoured Sentri Knights sparred with one another to exchange tips and give advice on how to improve. That process followed the code of a Knight.
This arena was the opposite.
Improvement was proven by the death of the opponent. These Armoured Sentri Knights weren’t aiming to become Guardians; they were aiming to become a new variant of Sentri: Gladiators. If this was the Sentri King’s order, then it was likely that the Boss Monster had reached a wall it saw no way to break through.
My gaze shifted to a thin trail of blood that led to a hidden room near the Sentri Guardian’s location. A waitress rushed to wash it away, double-checking to see if anyone else had noticed. Sweat poured down the Sentri’s face till I turned away, prompting an almost inaudible sigh of relief to exit its mouth.
First, self-mutilation. Now, cannibalism. The former had been accepted by the species, but the latter was not. In their pursuit of growth, this is the path the Sentri ended up choosing. If it continued, they would destroy themselves in the end.
I cocked my head to the side, content with my reasoning thus far. Despite the battle’s high level, both Armoured Sentri Knights would get deleted by Zinyul in a matter of seconds.
“May I sit?”
An armoured hand placed a sheathed longsword down on the table but refused to sit until I gave the monster a slight nod. It removed its helmet, revealing long, flowing hair that contained faint yellow streaks.
“Excuse my manners. My name is Dibla.”
Her sharp features were accentuated by a deep confidence in her bright yellow irises. The rise of Dibla’s cheeks, and the soft elongation of her lips, formed a welcoming smile.
A genuine one.
Unlike most other Sentri, she was raised with manners and etiquette. An outstretched hand accompanied her introduction, while the slight angle of her chin to the ground indicated the bow she was waiting to give. Dibla’s entire body faced me, ignoring an arena that caused cheers to shake the rock walls.
“Courtesy is shown in battle. If you want my name, follow me.”
I left the shocked Dibla at the table. The underground tunnel didn’t appear on the map, but the pit did. That meant this entire area was the same as a ‘Hidden Room.’
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“One Conquering Burst for the cute lady.”
High stools occupied the space around the bar. Makeshift shakers blurred back and forth, blending a mixture of liquids into one. Bartenders didn’t forget to converse with the customers waiting on them, carrying on the lively atmosphere that stemmed from the arena.
A bright yellow fluid filled the tall glass to the brim. Bubbles rushed to meet one another from all directions. They grew in size, then popped. Pleasant flavours seeped into the air, bursting with a refined texture. The reflection of light caused flickering stars to arch over the glass, only fading after the third burst stilled the liquid’s surface.
“Win a duel before you talk to me.”
The female Sentri Knight snatched the glass off the counter, dashed 3 yellow and white coins down, and waltzed off. A sigh left the Bartender’s mouth before adjusting the black headband all staff wore.
‘...’
I made my way through the tunnel, sorting out the new information I acquired into the appropriate categories. The path soon opened into a full ecosystem. Forests existed across the plains to the right, thousands of brick houses sat near the horizon, and sparse animals roamed about to the left of the grassy area.
[You have found a ‘Hidden Area.’]
‘Interesting.’
Byeol’s report failed to mention this. It was likely that when a Scout entered ‘The Awakened Sentri’s Mausoleum,’ the entrance to the underground tunnel was sealed. By the time Byeol arrived on the 63rd Floor, all she would see was an arena with spectators and a Sentri Guardian on a throne.
The Sentri weren’t stupid.
The Boss Monster’s comment toward Byeol proved it knew more about Scouts than lower-ranked Bosses. That meant the Sentri King manipulated aspects of the dungeon in order to gain a slight advantage over the Adventurers that would enter. If Pulzi, a Natural Dungeon Boss, knew about the Dungeon System and ‘Hidden Conditions,’ then it was possible for the Sentri King, an Arcane Dungeon Boss, to utilise it to a basic degree.
This didn’t break the balance either, since any Adventurer with a brain could see the Sentri moving underneath the tunnel from the pit’s entrance. It gave them time to readjust their strategy without engaging the monsters.
In other words, the reason a Dungeon Break never occurred was due to the Sentri King’s ambition of creating the Sentri Gladiators.
It was plausible.
But how would that further the monster’s own strength? What separated a King from a Guardian? Dibla’s background hinted at the likelihood of their being some form of nobility among the Sentri, but that should be tied to the power they possess.
Their own rankings verified this.
Knights weren’t just men wearing armour; they were often of noble birth. Knighthood was an honorary title granted by the monarch or head of state. Sentri Knights followed this format: the King or Guardians were able to knight those below them. The process granted a drastic boost to all of their physical attributes and the strength of their grey scales, which also became a shade lighter.
According to Zinyul, knighthood was only possible if the Sentri’s performance impressed their superiors. It was impossible to feign ignorance and knight how they please. That also went against the Sentri’s nature of chasing after genuine growth.
Then how strong would a Sentri Gladiator be?
I cross-referenced all the information I had obtained regarding Monster Species, creating several hypotheses. Through them, I concluded that the Sentri would gain traits similar to a Bloodborne Orc, Bloodied Deadmin, Goblin Warlock, and Ogre Soldier.
‘...’
If my line of thinking was correct, then the location of this Arcane Dungeon also included the intention of lowering its danger level to the guild via situational pressure. The Sentri King had an idea that the two countries, Sharir and Rodon, wouldn’t be on good terms. If soldiers in excessive amounts were to mobilise near the border, that would provoke a response from Rodon.
Minji verified this by calling the Arcane Dungeon a problem.
The Jiyeok was in danger, and the Imperial Soldiers dispatched were forced to set up a smaller base further inland. It was likely that Central Guild expected the Castillo Family to take advantage of a non-threatening situation to make the Ravendawns suffer losses. They didn’t even have to do this with their own hands.
They owned Rodon, after all.
‘This Boss is a little too smart.’
“I like your way with words. Do you have a place in mind?”
Dibla stood close enough for others to know that we were together but not close enough to intrude on my personal space. Her helmet rested between her arm and ribs while many male Sentri stole glances in her direction.
“You choose.”
“We just left the highest arena possible for Sentri, and now you wish for me to choose the location for a fight you requested? That sounds...”
Dibla’s bright yellow eyes swivelled toward me. She was an inch shorter than Zinyul, but the faint pressure she emitted made the air shift.
“Awfully human-like, doesn’t it?”
‘So she has a brain. Let’s use her too then.’
The only reply she received was silence. Sentri flocked towards the mouth of the tunnel, none the wiser about the true intentions behind that arena.
“Curse----control---battle.”
“---Seriously, listen------!”
“---!!!”
[The Title ‘Precise Communicator’ has activated.]
The unintelligible words turned into ones I could understand. Some Sentri used the common tongue of Ayadell. Others used their own.
Zinyul had taught me what he could until all focus was shifted to his growth since that would become mine in the end.
“I’m telling you! Giga improved so much, even the mysterious warrior won’t win this time!”
“Curse the earth... I’ll take your word for it and bet on them then.”
“...You need to stop swearing too.”
In Sentri Culture, the earth represented several things, but growth, improvement and dominance were the traits that they chose to cling to. They understood stability through Sentric Focus but failed to understand the true meaning behind it.
It could be summarised this way. The Sentri built brick towers through conquering others; that was their foundation—their building blocks. On the other hand, Zinyul’s tower was formed from conquering parts of himself. He didn’t need to find an opponent to grow because he had himself.
All he needed was a teacher to guide his understanding on how to learn alone. Some were gifted in this area and were able to correct their faults, but everyone could learn something new from another.
This deviation was why the number of Sentri capable of manipulating the Earth Ki Nature had been decreasing every year. However, it wouldn’t matter to them.
Only growth did.
‘...’
The mysterious warrior was Dibla. She called that arena the highest stage for Sentri, yet left without a second thought. She prioritised an introduction over watching the battle and followed an opponent she thought she could learn more about.
But Dibla was no Zinyul. Her armour proved that, and so did the faint stench of blood clinging to her thin fingers.
“Dibla, take me to your home.”