It was rumored that within the Holy Grail of the Round Table Knight Order lay a Golden Law Fragment that symbolized the very profession and fundamental concept of the Knight!

Galahad was a newcomer who had only recently been selected to join the Glorious Knight Order.

But Lannier, a Knight as proud as the sun, always remained aloof from the Knight Order, preferring to embark on so-called "knightly training" by himself.

If Lannier hadn’t happened to return to the Knight Order just as his training ended, Galahad might not have learned of this "isolated Knight’s" existence for quite some time.

"Even if he was chosen to be a Round Table Knight, that’s no reason for that guy to trample all over other people’s hard work!"

Galahad was still indignant.

He believed the only reason Lannier was stronger was because he was older. He, Galahad, was already at the Black Iron Tier at just seventeen years old. He felt that he would only need two or three years at most to advance to Bronze.

By then, at twenty years old, he would become Amel’s youngest Bronze Contract Knight!

The senior Knights looked like they wanted to say something, but they hesitated. They understood the young Knight’s resentment, but...

"Then wait until you’re strong enough to trample my efforts. If you keep hanging around with your useless senior Knights, you’re destined to amount to nothing."

Gawain’s voice suddenly echoed from not far away, carrying a long way down the dark corridor.

Galahad froze.

The senior Knights gave wry smiles.

Galahad gripped his sword, silently vowing that one day, he would defeat Gawain Lannier in a direct confrontation!

For the honor of the Knights and his seniors!

...

"Alright, it looks like our first contestant today, Kapi, is eager to begin..."

the host announced loudly. "His opponent will be the Glorious Knight Order’s Black Iron Tier Contract Knight... Galahad?"

The host’s voice became hesitant toward the end, his gaze fixed on the Knights’ waiting area as if trying to confirm something.

There, at the iron gate of the Knights’ waiting area, a suit of Fire Dragon Armor parted the steam, glinting under the sunlight. The man’s handsome, chiseled face was as dazzling as the sun itself, and his rare, wine-red hair added a touch of roguish charm.

The ladies in the audience shrieked even more piercingly, waving their feathered fans like peacocks fanning their tails.

Sharp-eyed, seasoned gamblers, judging by the Knight’s imposing entrance and how the other members of the Knight Order had behaved around him earlier, grabbed passing female Attendants in black silk miniskirts.

They stuffed handfuls of banknotes—exchangeable for coin at any bank in Prole—into the women’s cleavage, then gave their perky chests and buttocks a few rough, lecherous squeezes. "Put it all on Galahad," they’d say. "The change is your tip."

As veteran gamblers who frequented the major casinos of Prole, they had long since developed a standardized method for sizing someone up before placing a bet.

And Lannier’s aura, his calm demeanor, and the intense confidence born from his own power convinced them that, compared to the Demon Hunter Kapi on the stage, he was the best bet by far.

The staff member responsible for opening the iron gate to the Knights’ waiting area noticed something was off. "This... this doesn’t look like Galahad..."

Someone immediately went to confirm, but the young man in the Fire Dragon Armor dodged the staff member and, with a few nimble leaps, vaulted into the arena.

Ignoring Kapi, who had been watching him with a grave expression ever since he appeared, he fixed his indifferent gaze on the host below the stage and spoke coolly.

"Bronze Knight Gawain Lannier, representing the Glorious Knight Order."

There was a second of silence, and then the entire arena was in an uproar.

The host was dumbfounded. "Mr. Lannier, according to the casino’s—I mean, the arena’s rules, you’re scheduled to be the last participant from the Knight Order."

He was so shocked that he’d almost said the wrong thing.

From the moment the daily Hunting Competition roster was submitted, professional bookmakers—trained in Haiwede and experienced in its various underground casinos—began adjusting the odds based on the contestants’ relative strengths.

This was how the Fude City Government, despite spending a fortune on the Hunting Competition and its promotion each year, always managed to turn a hefty profit.

But now, with Lannier appearing early, all the previously set odds would be void! For the Fude City Government, this was an intolerable "huge financial loss"!

While the Fude City Government was still technically making money, government agencies and corporations operate on a certain formula: earning less is the same as a massive loss.

Backstage at the Hunting Competition, the secretary-general whom Lewis had put in charge shot up from his seat. He looked around wildly. "What is going on?!"

The staff were completely baffled. They had no idea what was happening in this unexpected situation.

Under the long awning by the arena, Lewis covered his face. "I knew it."

He then called over the staff member in charge of the betting, who seemed just as stunned, and whispered a few words in his ear.

The staff member, as if waking from a dream, quickly trotted off.

Onstage, the host, having received no instructions from the organizers, wiped the cold sweat from his brow and tried to salvage the situation. But Lannier’s next words made his efforts completely futile.

"Are you saying I have to wait for the Glorious Knight Order’s six other Knights to finish their matches before I can go?"

The host nodded repeatedly. "According to the rules..."

"Simple. Just declare the six Knights before me as having forfeited."

The Fire Dragon Knight didn’t even raise his eyelids. "Leave all the remaining Demon Hunters to me."

He glanced at Kapi, then over to the Demon Hunter’s waiting area, and repeated for emphasis, "I mean all of them."

A sharp intake of breath could be heard.

At his words, the crowd below gasped collectively.

Galahad and his teammates watching from backstage, as well as Kapi, who had been growing uneasy on the stage ever since Lannier’s appearance, were all stunned by his words.

’What arrogant, conceited words. What kind of confidence does it take to say something like that!’

In the stands, Victor frowned. "When did Gawain get so humble? Looks like he doesn’t think there’s a single opponent here who poses a threat to him."

This made Ariana glance at him. Stephen chuckled. "He may be a Bronze Knight, but this arena is primarily a contest of skill. The fact that Allen could defeat Gray proves his own skills are top-notch."

In the stands, a reporter from the *Fude City Daily*, seeing the host’s shocked expression at Gawain’s words, had already used a Magic Card to record Lannier on the stage and was starting on the first draft.

As a professional journalist, he drafted a suitably high-quality headline:

SHOCKING! Glorious Knight Order’s Bronze Knight Gawain Lannier Declares Fude City’s Demon Hunters Are "No Match for Me!"

A staff member ran over to the host’s side. The host’s eyes immediately lit up, and, as if he’d just received instructions, he raised the microphone once more.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Breaking news! After a collective discussion, the Hunting Competition organizers have decided to change the betting rules to ensure the smooth progression of the sixth day of the competition, and to respect the wishes of the contestant and the Glorious Knight Order!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Instead of betting on the outcome of individual matches, the new bet is on whether contestant Gawain can successfully defeat seven Demon Hunters to earn the right to challenge Allen!"

"All previous wagers will be refunded! The betting is now open again! For the first match, Demon Hunter Kapi versus Knight Lannier, the odds are 1-to-2!"

"And the odds of Lannier successfully making it to the challenge against Allen are 1-to-3!"

The host worked to rile up the crowd, raising his arm and shouting like the leader of a rebellion:

"Ladies and gentlemen! What are you waiting for? The match starts in one minute! This is your last chance to place your bets! Take out your banknotes and Gold Coins, pick your champion, and bet everything you have short of your own life!"

The stands erupted in cheers. Flamboyant socialites grabbed handfuls of money, shoving them at the Attendants next to them.

Often, before an Attendant could even get a firm grip on the money in their arms, more banknotes and coins would be piled on. The excess would fall, rolling down the steps to the lowest level of the arena, where it was caught by a long net extending from the stands.

Once collected, it was used to cover the City Government’s expenses for hosting the Hunting Competition.

The cacophony of cheers, shouted bets, and clinking coins only subsided when the host announced that betting was now closed and began the ten-second countdown to the match.