Chapter 172: A Competition?
Bonjour and Sénior returned shortly afterward.
Both wore slightly dejected expressions.
Apparently, neither had managed to win their respective competitions.
The first thing they saw upon returning was Caelum arguing with an unknown being.
They both stopped.
"Caelum?"
"What is that?"
Caelum looked at them with dead eyes.
"It's Voomie."
The two barbarians looked back at the thing that was supposed to be Voomie.
Then back at Caelum.
Then at Voomie again.
"I don't believe you." They both said simultaneously.
Nearby, Big Ice proudly marched onto the rainbow cloud.
His chest was puffed out with pride as he wore the expression of an undefeated champion.
'I can defeat fire now!'
The Yeti couldn't help but celebrate inwardly.
After defeating the Fire Dragon Egg during the tasting event, he had chosen Fire Resistance as his reward.
Although it didn't make him immune to flames, it greatly reduced their effectiveness against him.
From this day onward, whenever he encountered a fire-type opponent, his icy attacks would no longer be easily suppressed.
Big Ice was convinced his future had become much brighter.
Loreal also returned, humming cheerfully to herself.
She seemed thoroughly satisfied with both the competition and the reward she had received.
However, as soon as she noticed Anastasia, her smile faded.
The princess looked utterly defeated.
"Princess, what happened? You don't look very well."
Anastasia's eye twitched.
Before she could answer, another ripple happened.
The Primordial Phoenix, Ignis, descended gracefully onto the rainbow cloud, while the tiny Chicken Fire Spirit, Ken, happily fluttered beside her.
'As expected it really was that place.'
Ken, on the other hand, was practically glowing with happiness.
The little fire spirit had spent the entire event stuffing itself with delicacies it had never even imagined could exist.
It happily chirped while tiny flames danced around its body.
Ignis glanced toward Anastasia before asking with mild curiosity.
"What happened? You don't look very well."
The exact same question was spoken with the exact same wording.
Anastasia's expression somehow became even darker.
"…"
She silently looked away.
Some wounds were simply too painful to explain.
At the same moment, a black panther silently merged into Loreal's shadow.
Not long afterward, a procession of undead emerged.
At the very front walked Grozni Gefährlich Morozov Höllenbrand.
Behind him followed two Undead Knights and four Hollow Liches, all maintaining perfect discipline.
The moment they stepped onto the rainbow cloud, they respectfully saluted Grozni before quietly disappearing back into his shadow space.
No one questioned where they had come from, or where they had gone.
What everyone did notice, was the subtle change in Grozni himself.
The fire burning within his eye sockets had become steadier and more profound.
His aura had grown noticeably stronger.
He had successfully advanced.
From this day onward, Grozni was officially a Lich(4th Circle).
"Kekekekekeke."
His satisfied laughter echoed softly as he defeated the little lemon tree in its own game of sourness.
Finally, Cliodhna floated out gracefully, and Jinx, the E-Boy too appeared.
The ghost maid tried to look as elegant as ever.
With everyone finally gathered, Seth smiled at the group.
His gaze slowly swept across every familiar face before stopping on one particular dog.
"Now then, I believe everyone has had their fill."
He deliberately emphasized the word fill while looking directly at Voomie.
Voomie wanted to protest but she no longer possessed enough visible mouth to do so, and she was simply too lazy to complain.
Satisfied, Seth clapped his hands once.
"Thanks to the special properties of the Land of Sweets, your fatigue and drowsiness should have completely disappeared."
His smile widened.
"So, let's head to the competition."
The children's eyes immediately lit up.
Without further delay, everyone boarded the giant jellyfish once again.
The enormous celestial creature gently floated away from the rainbow cloud, carrying its passengers deeper into the wonderland.
Somewhere ahead, another event awaited them.
***
The giant jellyfish continued drifting through the dreamlike skies of Hol'Ajja, gliding between floating islands and rivers of moonlight.
Before long, a tremendous structure appeared in the distance.
Even before they reached it, the sounds of cheering echoed across the sky.
The jellyfish slowly descended outside a particularly crowded venue.
Countless visitors from every imaginable race were entering and leaving the place.
As soon as the jellyfish passed through the entrance, it felt as though everyone had entered an entirely different world.
The interior was unimaginably vast.
Instead of ordinary walls, the stadium was surrounded by floating terraces carved from white stone, each packed with excited spectators eagerly watching the competitions below.
The arena itself consisted of two distinct levels.
The upper level was reserved for the audience.
Far below, lay the true arena.
An enormous racing course stretched across the entire lower level, twisting and turning through landscapes that seemed impossible to exist within a single stadium.
The course continuously shifted and rearranged itself, as though it were alive.
Caelum quietly touched the crescent-shaped guide ornament pinned to his clothes.
"What is this place?"
The familiar pleasant voice immediately answered.
[This venue is known as The Grand Epix. It is Hol'Ajja's premier racing arena. Participants compete by overcoming a constantly changing series of obstacles, puzzles, environmental hazards, and unexpected challenges. The first challenger to reach the finish line claims victory and receives the Grand Prize.]
'A racing event…?'
Caelum's eyes lit up.
This sounded far more interesting than a simple foot race.
Around him, everyone else also consulted their own guide ornaments.
Small voices immediately began echoing throughout the group.
"A race?"
"That sounds fun!"
"I wonder what the prize is."
"I hope there are explosions."
Even Voomie became interested.
"Does the winner get food, woof?"
Her guide ornament immediately responded.
[The Grand Prize varies for every race.]
Voomie's hidden eyes sparkled somewhere.
"I must win!"
"You can't even walk anymore," Caelum replied flatly.
"I'll roll!"
Nobody doubted she meant it.
Seth quietly watched everyone's reactions with an amused smile before clapping his hands once to gather their attention.
"Who wants to participate?"
Several hands immediately shot into the air, and someone wriggled unable to raise their hand.
Seth nodded.
"Very well, we will first register everyone who wishes to compete."
He then gestured toward the floating spectator platforms above the arena.
"As for the rest of us, we'll enjoy the race from the audience."