Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Black Rock Cave

"I reckon this soft-skinned human won’t survive till the arena—the real fighters inside’ll finish him first," a dark elf warrior jeered loudly, glaring at Midi with malice.

An older warrior sighed and shook his head. "Don’t fret, human. Magic surveillance bans fights between slave warriors. You’ll live till tomorrow. But no longer. Frankly, becoming Lady Galantis’s life slave’s a coveted position. Yet you chose death instead. Surface-dweller logic baffles me."

Midi neither flinched nor argued, merely offering a faint smile.

Even ignoring his Black Dragon Conference goal, he’d still pick being a slave warrior over a life slave.

Life slaves had minor freedoms but remained slaves forever—never earning dark elves’ acceptance. True freedom? Impossible… unless one butchered the entire tribe.

Slave warriors faced harsh oversight, yet their battles offered real freedom—dark elf-recognized freedom.

False peace without bloodshed versus freedom bought with lifeblood—how to choose?

For Midi, no choice existed.

Without the Conference, he’d have attacked this tribe outright, skipping diplomacy.

As for combat? He feared nothing.

Starting with Wolfspider tribe’s slave warriors, I’ll learn the Shaded Realm’s battle ways, he thought, recalling Galantis’s whip strike.

A rough shove from the dark elf sent him staggering into the cave.

Black iron doors screeched shut, plunging everything into shadows.

"Let’s see which fool’s joined Black Rock Cave!" boomed a voice, echoing off stone walls.

Shaded Realm races saw through darkness effortlessly. For Midi? No different.

Golden-red sword light erupted around him, blazing like a torch.

In wilderness, this glow would’ve drawn magical creatures for miles, dooming him. Here in the tribe’s safe stone cave? No risk.

The light revealed barracks-like chambers—far from crude. A central passageway flanked by doorless rooms, each occupied.

Room owners emerged, eyeing the newcomer. Midi studied them back.

Gray dwarves with granite skin. Jet-black dwarves. Sneaking goblins. A crippled kobold wheezing in a corner. Even dark elves—mostly tribal war prisoners, some wild-caught. Wolfspider tribe treated all alike.

In the Shaded Realm, race mattered little—the true challenge lay in scarce resources, forcing everyone to prove their worth for basic supplies.

Midi, however, received special treatment due to his rarity, though he cared nothing for such pet-like privileges.

At the corridor’s end sat a muscular lizardman in the largest stone chamber.

Bathed in Golden-Red Sword Lights, the lizardman’s green scales shimmered metallically while his slit-pupiled eyes locked onto Midi.

The earlier greeting had come from this very creature.

Hierarchy existed everywhere, and in this Black Rock Cave, the lizardman clearly ruled.

Midi’s sword light caused minor chaos—the sudden glow disrupting Night Vision Abilities in the shadows.

Hot-tempered dwarves cursed when the light stung their eyes.

Yet none showed fear toward the sword light itself.

Two possibilities remained:

Either they were fools oblivious to danger,

Or they possessed confidence to counter it.

Since fools rarely survived the Shaded Realm, Midi assumed the latter.

The slave warriors’ boldness raised his estimation of local combat strength.

After the initial disturbance, the crowd fixated on Midi’s human features.

"What’s this creature?" A black dwarf gaped. "Look! A stretched gray dwarf!"

"Fool!" A gray dwarf punched the speaker, chest swelling with pride. "My great-grandfather gambled on the surface! His crystals show round-eared humans—this is one!"

Black and gray dwarves erupted into debate, goblins adding to the noise.

Dark elves remained aloof, coldly sizing up the newcomer.

While Midi tested the crowd with his Golden-Red Sword Lights, they too gauged his power through its glow.

When the clamor faded, the lizardman rasped, "Human? You’re the dark elf’s catch."

Even slaves had information networks, it seemed.

Midi tilted his head. "Correct."

"Fool." The lizardman rose with bone-cracking pops. "Reject slavery to come here?"

Towering at 2.3 meters, he dwarfed Midi completely.

As he lumbered through the passageway, slave warriors—even proud dark elf prisoners—shrank aside.

Thudding footsteps halted before Midi. Dragon-like eyes glared down.

"Teach this human our rules!" the lizardman roared.

A goblin scampered forward, squeaking: "Boss picks food first! Boss assigns rooms! Arena victories follow Boss’s plans!"

"Oh?" Cold glinted in Midi’s narrowing eyes.

Unseen, the Dragon’s might of an Awakened One of Extraordinary Awakening emanated from him.

But weaker warriors merely flinched—most stood firm.

"Your diluted Dragon’s Blood can’t intimidate here," Rot’s voice echoed in Midi’s mind.

Though stripped of weapons, Rot’s mysterious spell had shrunk the Golden Forgiveness dagger into a snake-shaped armband.

Dark elves ignored the shiny trinket, letting Midi keep his hidden blade.

"Remember—Shaded Realm’s Dark Magic contains Radiance of Darkness from Dark Dragon City." Rot continued. "They’ve breathed Black Dragon aura since birth. High resistance."

Midi grimaced. Quiet intimidation under magical surveillance proved impossible.

Only direct confrontation remained.

Yield? That word didn’t exist for Midi.

"What if I refuse?" He stepped forward, meeting the living iron tower’s gaze.

The lizardman blinked, then laughed harshly.

"Think the dark elf’s leash protects you?" Jaws gaped, revealing fangs. "I’ll shred you for supper!"

Bones crackled as the massive fist flew.