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Two seemingly ordinary male adventurers of the Black Iron rank stepped out of the party.

"Now you can choose the weapon you will use in the first round of the competition. After you have chosen, please inform the staff and then change into your competition uniforms in the temporary changing room next door. The competition will begin in half an hour."

Participants number three and four, please get ready. All other participants, please leave the area and wait patiently.

After speaking, the bald guild leader stepped down from the central platform and walked out of the camp. Lin Sai and the other two, along with the other contestants, left the central platform area of ​​the camp and went to the front row of the audience area to wait.

Half an hour passed quickly, and the first match officially began.

The two adventurers who drew number one and number two wore brown linen robes, and each chose a sword and a shield as their weapons.

Lindsay sat on the bench closest to the center of the arena, his eyes fixed intently on the first match between the two.

The noise behind him had not stopped. He looked around and saw that there were probably several hundred people in the stands, including citizens, adventurers, people from all walks of life, and all the participants.

"It's starting!" shouted "Broken Arrow" sitting next to him, and at the same time, the eyes of the other spectators began to focus on the center of the arena.

Linsel also turned his gaze over. Because of the soundproofing, the sounds inside the arena could not be heard from the outside. He only saw that contestants number one and number two had already clashed swords and shields together, competing with each other.

"What kind of tactic is this?" Linssey casually asked his teammate next to him.

"Broken Arrow" replied, "They're using sword and shield against sword and shield, a common way for new adventurers to fight, a contest of strength. It's not exactly a visually appealing game."

"A newbie, no wonder you didn't understand. I've never seen this kind of combat before when I was practicing swordsmanship in Linchui Town."

As "Broken Arrow" said, the other spectators were beginning to become dissatisfied with the way the fight was taking place.

"Swing your sword! Can your shield hold up?"

"They've been sitting still for ages, they must all be actors!"

The match had been going on for a little over a minute, and the two competitors had separated from their initial shield clashes and were now facing off with their swords, testing each other's strength.

After watching for a while, Linsel lost interest in the battle between Number One and Number Two, but his heart still began to flutter slightly.

After all, it was my turn to go on stage next. It was my first time participating in a competitive event organized by the guild, so I was a little nervous.

"The battle is about to be decided!"

As Lin Sai was lost in thought, a shout of "Broken Arrow!" pulled him back to reality.

"What's wrong? Are you done playing?"

"Not yet, Captain, but you should start preparing too. The instructor is waving at you!"

Linsel observed that one person had forced another to the ground, but the person on the ground was not giving up and was stubbornly holding on with his shield.

To the left of the "Broken Arrow" indicator, old Thoth was waving and beckoning him to come over.

"Brinan, I'll go."

"Go for it, Captain!"

Just as Lindsay stood up, Claire, who was sitting next to him, changed her previously serious expression and revealed some information to him.

"Lince, I think I just saw your opponent. He's also an Iron-level player. You've got this in the bag."

Oh, it's Iron grade, then there shouldn't be any problem.

Linsset approached the old instructor and heard old Toth whisper a question to him.

"What weapon do you plan to use?"

"One-handed sword."

Lindsay was somewhat disappointed when he realized he couldn't see in advance what weapon his opponent would use, so he had no choice but to choose the weapon he was best at.

My swordsmanship is at the Proficiency level, so even when I'm just beating up newbies, this is the safest option, with no chance of failure.

"Then register first. When you go on stage, just grab a one-handed wooden sword."

Led by old Toth, Lindsay entered the so-called temporary changing room, which was actually just a small wooden shed in a corner of the training camp.

The opponent Claire had just mentioned was now walking towards them from the other side of the stands.

Linsley sized up the man, a robust man in his thirties, stronger than himself, but the black nameplate on his chest proved that he was indeed a Black Iron-level adventurer.

His opponent's eyes met his, and Lindsay sensed malice in them, but he didn't care.

After changing into rough linen clothes, Lindsay and his opponent entered the central platform from opposite sides of the arena, arranged by another guild member.

The opponent chose the same weapon as the first and second place contestants: a sword and shield.

At the guild's referee's signal, the second match began.

The burly opponent, wielding a sword and shield, steadily advanced towards Linsel, employing a similar fighting style to the two adventurers in the first round.

Linsset sighed.

"Are you underestimating me? Don't think that just because you're a bronze-level adventurer, you can be so arrogant!"

Seeing Linsset standing still, the opponent roared and quickened his pace, raising his shield as he advanced.

Linsel didn't speak. He quickly walked around to the other's side and swung his wooden sword straight down.

The opponent raised his shield and blocked Lindsay's attack.

Lin Sai sneered inwardly, raised his sword with his right hand, changed the sword's trajectory, and brought it down again.

A few seconds later, the Iron-rank adventurer was knocked to the ground, unable to get up again.

It seems that my method of changing sword paths is really effective against weaker opponents.

"Contestant number three has won!"

Linsset glanced out of the corner of his eye at the audience outside the venue; they were all applauding enthusiastically.

He glanced again at his opponent lying on the ground. His opponent had been struck in the ribs by his wooden sword and could only watch him helplessly, filled with anger but unable to move.

"You two, carry this contestant away!"

Old Toth directed two guild staff members with a stretcher to carry the Iron-ranked adventurer, whose eyes still held resentment, away.

Lindsay stepped down from the central platform, where "Broken Arrow" and Claire approached him.

"Captain, your swordsmanship is amazing! You knocked him down in just one strike!"

"Linse, you really were hiding your strength, weren't you? It looks like we have a chance in the next few matches too."

"There's hope. Will the later matches be difficult?" Lindsay was somewhat puzzled by Claire's words.

Claire looked very worried: "I just inquired and heard that this year's tournament is different from previous years. Previous years had three rounds, but this year the preliminary rounds have four. The first three rounds are between adventurers, and the newly added fourth round is a competition against monsters!"

Linsset's eyes lit up.

Since we're actually going to have to compete with monsters, this is finally getting interesting.

"It's alright, we'll just have to adapt to the situation. We'll all do our best, and you and Brinnan will do the same. Let's see how far we can go."