As Jabrax entered the right hall towards the VIP section, Mud proceeded in the opposite direction. After traveling nearly the length of the arena building Mud was beckoned towards a room by arena staff. Above the door hung a temporary sign labeled "YOUTH WAITING AREA" in large bold letters. Nearby, Mud could see a similar sign above another door, reading "ADULT WAITING AREA".

Aside from the age cutoff, the contest appeared to have no divisions among the competitors. Exact age, size, and even species appeared to not be a consideration. Already waiting inside the room were a handful of delvers, none of which Mud recognized.

Soon the remaining competitors in the youth division filed into the room. While the room had two rows of benches, they were not nearly enough to fit the several dozen competitors. Before long the room was uncomfortably cramped.

According to the board, there should be thirty competitors in total in the youth contest. Subtracting the two that had been seeded, there should be only twenty-eight contestants in the room.

That did not match with what Mud counted in the room, however. By the time new arrivals stopped appearing there were already thirty-four individuals in the room, including Mud itself. Of course, Ego did not count, so that only left five unaccounted for.

But if Ego didn't count as a competitor, might not the same apply to some of the others? Mud's focus shifted towards the delver in the feathered harness. Once again, the bipedal lizard was nearby. Was that beast considered as equipment? Reevaluating the room, Mud found several more examples of clearly non-Sapient beasts sticking close to a Sapient, and each wore a collar on their neck.

The only beast-like competitor without an apparent master or collar was a transparent, pinkish dome-shaped individual that stood upright on countless thin tentacles. Thinking back, the bear delver Mud had seen recently also did not wear a collar. Perhaps the collars were used to signify beasts that were owned by a Sapient?

Having solved the mystery at hand to its own satisfaction, Mud slid towards the only competitor to which it had a prior amicable relationship.

The scarred form of Cob hung over Ovis, leaning one arm against the wall for support. "After I win this contest, how about we go out for some coffee? I know a nice place in town."

The rainbow-robed demi-sheep priestess kept her usual carefree smile. "No thank you, I'm only interested in demi-sheep~."

Cob flexed a scarred arm. "Come on, you're not going to find another guy like me. See these scars?" Cob ran a finger along a particularly long scar across his chest. "Each one was from a beast I killed in single combat."

Ovis quickly scanned the man's body. "Really~? Because those cuts are all way too straight and clean to come from a beast. They look more like they came from a blade."

A complicated expression formed on Cob's face. "Wow, you sure know a lot about scars. Smart and beautiful, what a combination. Come to think of it, I might have gotten some of these from duels. I've fought so much it's hard to keep track-"

"Furthermore," Ovis cut him off and squinted. "Based on the angle and location of these scars, they're all in spots where they could be self-inflicted. What a weird coincidence~?"

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Cob fumbled somewhat. "W-well yeah, just a coincidence. Hehe, so-"

Finally arriving beside the two, Mud sent a mental message to both. "Excuse me, I wish to speak to Ovis."

Cob looked angry, but before he could reply, Ovis spoke up. "Of course, I would love to speak with my good friend Mud~. Sorry Mr. Cod but we'll have to talk another time, bye~." Before Cob could recover, she grabbed Mud by the hand and led him to another empty spot in the room.

Once clear, Ovis turned towards Mud, a carefree look on her face. Mud wondered momentarily if this demi-human had any other expressions. Maybe her face was broken? It probably wasn't worth asking about for now. Instead, Mud asked the question it had approached her for.

"Ovis, I have no data on my first opponent. Its name is Navus. Please supply me with relevant data."

"Navus you say?" Ovis looked around the room for a moment, then pointed towards a human girl clutching a sword and shield to her chest.

Her light leather armor looked new and barely used. Aside from the armor and weapon, the girl looked more like a civilian than nearly anyone else in the room. She was clearly a native to Geltheas. Her knuckles were white from how tightly she clung to her shield, and she seemed to be shaking slightly.

"I think she's in over her head." Ovis shook her head slightly and frowned. Oh, a frown. So her face isn't broken. "She probably joined the tournament to prove something, either to herself or others. Unfortunately, she's so new I can't give you much specific advice. Just do your best~!" By the end, Ovis's face had returned to her normal aloof grin.

Perhaps this first match would be unexpectedly simple. It was to be expected that matches would get more difficult over the course of a tournament of this structure, statistically speaking. Still, it was better to overestimate the enemy than to underestimate them. As such, Mud focused its attention to analyze the human Navus.

The size and coverage of her shield, the length of her sword, her expected reach. All were carefully calculated by Mud's mechanical mind. Before long, Mud was confident that it fully understood her range of movement. Next, Mud began simulating what kinds of attacks she could make if she used the rapid-movement skill Mud had seen other swordsmen use.

[Mathematics Skill increased to level 5]

Mud had also used mathematics to extrapolate the movements of slimes previously, and it had been moderately successful. While the results weren't perfect, the amorphous body structure of the slimes had complicated matters greatly. Against a human, the results should be much more pronounced.

"Group one contestants, please follow me!" An arena employee yelled over the murmur of the waiting room. While not as finely dressed as Cantor, the regular employees each wore a prim outfit of grey slacks and a buttoned white shirt, along with a dark blue bow tie. Mud found it liked these outfits nearly as much as the tuxedo.

Eight individuals filed towards the door, including Navus and Mud itself.

The employee guided the group down a hall and, after a sharp turn, out into a large open space. Above, the open sky could be seen. Cheering crowds filled the hard stone seats in all directions. Eight square rings had been traced out in the dirt floor of the open space, in two rows of four. From a different tunnel, another group was led, the first round of the adult competition.

In the middle of one long end of the stands, level with the bottom row, an ornate viewing box stood out. Within sat Mayor Guy Fallow and Leader Thagi Ghul, along with several other individuals that Mud did not recognize. Strangely, one of them was staring directly at Mud; an older woman with glasses and grey hair.

The arena employee began directing combatants to specific squares. "Ring three, Novus red and Mud blue."

Mud entered the ring and stood on the blue x shape, copying the actions of the previous two rings combatants. Novus likewise stood on the red x. Her face seemed much paler now, and her knees were shaking slightly. Was this her combat stance? Her hunched and lowered posture reminded Mud somewhat of the lowered stance Meld and Kim had taken when Mud spied on them in the forest.

Mud was distracted from its examinations as the booming voice of Thagi Ghul cut through the arena, silencing the crowd.

"Ahem, welcome to the first-ever Geltheas Dungeon Wave Festival tournament!"