I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

"Thank goodness I was right..." Logan got up from the ground, forcing a smile. "Big Jump needs to assemble."

"The arena has collapsed," Richie said calmly. "This boss is also under pressure to deal damage."

"I'll try my best to keep the BOSS in the middle," Alicia commanded. "Rich, Sylvia, Avira, keep your distance and don't stray too far from the BOSS. Also, be careful of the damage from the ground stomp."

Bloodhoof slowly rose from the center of the crater, two puffs of white breath coming out of his bull-nose, his cross-shaped pupils sweeping over the dense formation of the five people, and a satisfied smile slowly spreading across his lips.

"To be able to guess that, you guys are definitely smarter than those useless trash who came to their deaths before."

It raised its two axes, stretched its neck, and its joints made a cracking sound.

"Let's jump straight to the second round then."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bloodhoof charged forward, crashing directly into Logan, who was on the outermost edge of the group of five.

The charge was incredibly fast, and Logan had no time to dodge. He could only use the handle of his hammer to block it, and the impact sent him sliding toward the edge of the arena. His feet plowed two furrows in the ground, and he was almost knocked off the edge of the platform.

Alicia plunged her sword into Bloodhoof's shoulder blade, and holy light erupted from the tip of the sword, interrupting the charge.

Richie and Sylvia took their positions, and their attacks followed immediately without any pause.

Bloodhoof roared, raised its giant axe high, and a dark red, furious light emanated from its body. A visible sense of oppression exploded from its body, and the pure brute force made the surrounding air explode.

All five people were blasted away by this force.

Sylvia nearly slipped off the arena, and only managed to swing back to the platform by hooking her bow tip tightly onto a stone pillar.

Richie crashed into the broken ice wall and regained his balance.

Avira used her vine technique on herself to firmly plant her feet in the ground and continue the treatment.

Bloodhoof's arm muscles swelled to their maximum, raising the axe high above its head. The glowing axe blade gleamed with a blinding blood-red light under the blazing sun. It was about to use all its strength to smash the giant axe into the ground. This required charging up its power. Bloodhoof would not move during the charging period, but the surrounding air had already begun to tremble violently.

"Charged attack! We must interrupt it!" Alicia's command was still clear, but she didn't have time to rush to the front.

"charge!"

Logan raised his giant hammer high and swung it down from the front, aiming for Bloodhoof's right elbow.

"Concussive Shot!"

Sylvia leaped high into the air, and an arrow with a shattered tip shot out, precisely embedding itself in Bloodhoof's finger.

"boom!"

As Richie finished chanting, Bloodhoof's head was instantly frozen into a block of ice, and then the Frost Spear solidified and pierced Bloodhoof's chest from the front.

All four attacks hit simultaneously.

Bloodhoof's charge was interrupted, and it let out an angry roar. Its giant axe slammed heavily into the ground, and the backlash from the interrupted charge made its arms numb.

After several skill cycles, the Oracle Squad had figured out Bloodhoof's mechanics. His biggest killing moves were his jump and knock-up. The five of them dealt with them carefully and maintained their output at all times.

Inside the safe zone on the twenty-second floor, An Ruiwei nodded in satisfaction, seemingly already seeing victory.

Sure enough, after half an hour of fierce fighting...

Bloodhoof fell.

[Dungeon Alert: Warning! The adventurer party "Oracle" has broken through the 22nd floor!]

Current progress: Floor 22

【Adventurer Party: Oracle】

[Captain: Alicia Fordring]

[Team Members: Logan Iron Hammer, Sylvia Windtalker, Ricky Cage, Avira Stormrage]

Threat Level: S

Dungeon stability: 67% → 65%

The Dawn and Vastness teams present could see it clearly: as long as you know the mechanics, the twenty-second floor is not difficult.

[Dungeon Alert: Bloodhoof's work efficiency has decreased by 30%, and he has fallen into a depressed state. This may trigger an event: Passive Apathy. Please handle this as soon as possible!]

……

The twenty-second floor, Bloodhoof Arena.

"Three teams." Bloodhoof counted them off one by one with his thick fingers. "First, it was that woman in armor, then the bald Arbiter's team... When did my arena become a tourist attraction for humans?"

Losing to three human adventurer teams in a row was even more unacceptable to it than being punched into the floor by Arthas years ago.

"Sigh." Bloodhoof sighed, his voice echoing in the empty arena, sounding particularly desolate.

Just then.

A white light silently illuminated the arena.

Bloodhoof's ears twitched; it recognized the magical fluctuations unique to vampires.

Sure enough, after the white light dissipated, Dracula appeared in the arena. He was dressed in a well-tailored, luxurious black suit, and his gold-rimmed glasses reflected a warm luster under the red light of the lava. He was carrying an exquisite food box, as if he were attending an afternoon tea party.

"Dracula," Bloodhoof greeted without even looking up, "You're here to laugh at me?"

"How could that be?" Dracula gently placed the food box next to the giant axe, then pulled out a neatly folded white handkerchief from his pocket, bent down to pick up the pebbles on the ground, and sat down. This series of movements was so elegant that it was completely out of place in the arena full of cracks and bloodstains.

"I'm here on behalf of the Demon Lord to visit the injured employee," Dracula said, adjusting his glasses. "I also brought some gifts."

Bloodhoof glanced at Dracula suspiciously, then used its thick fingers to pry open the lid of the food box. Inside, two neat rows of roasted meat rolls were arranged. It sniffed the aroma—

It was made with lava gopher meat and flame mushrooms, a minotaur's favorite flavor. A pitcher of chilled fruit wine was thoughtfully placed next to the roasted meat roll, and documents were pressed down at the bottom of the food box.

"The roast meat rolls were ordered by the Demon King," Dracula said, pointing to the chilled fruit wine. "The wine was specially taken from Bernea's private wine cellar after she heard you had lost three matches in a row. She said that drinking sweet, chilled wine is better for the mind and body than drinking hot, spicy wine when you're in a bad mood."

Bloodhoof tossed the roasted meat roll into his mouth, letting out a muffled gurgling sound, it was unclear whether he was savoring the taste or trying to express some emotion.

"tasty."

It finally gave its evaluation, then picked up the chilled fruit wine, tilted its head back and gulped down half a pot. The wine dripped down its chin, and a cool, refreshing sensation rushed into its stomach.

"Dracula, you know what?" Bloodhoof put down his wine jug and complained, "Three teams, three teams in a row. I've been guarding this place for years without ever seeing a human, and then three teams came in the last two days, and each one beat me down. Even Pirien was forced to use his World-Class Noble Phantasm. Sigh..."

Dracula listened quietly without interrupting.

"I refuse to accept this!" Bloodhoof looked at his scarred hands. "Back in the monster arena, I fought thousands of matches without ever losing. It was the Demon King who defeated me, and I accept that because he was the Primordial Dragon God. But to be defeated by humans..."

It paused, seemingly searching for the right words, "I feel ashamed, really, really ashamed!!"

Dracula said calmly, "Do you know how the Demon Lord evaluated this battle?"

"I don't know." Bloodhoof's ears twitched, and a barely perceptible glint of expectation flashed in his eyes, but he still said curtly, "Anyway, he'll definitely scold me for being useless."

"On the contrary, he only praises you."

"Demon Lord, he... he really thinks so?"

"He not only watched your entire battle, but he even fought alongside the adventurers, didn't he?"

"But...but that bald-headed Arbiter is even stronger..."

"Don't worry, the Demon King is very satisfied." Dracula continued unhurriedly, "Do you know what the Demon King values ​​most? It's not never failing, but whether you can get up and keep fighting after you fail."

"I just don't know how to give up!" Bloodhoof exhaled white breath from his nostrils. "Next time, I won't let any adventurers pass!"

"Once the Demon King is done with his work, he said he will personally adjust your fighting style, and..."

"Adjustments? What's wrong with my playstyle?"

"This is the Demon Lord's specialty, so I won't speculate too much. In any case, you did very well."

Dracula spoke with utmost sincerity, using the "hype rhetoric" he had learned over decades of following Arthas, and he knew Bloodhoof was susceptible to it.

"Dracula." Bloodhoof's voice deepened, lessening the complaining and adding a long-suppressed solemnity. "Tell the Demon King that once I've mastered the high jump and mid-air maneuver, any adventurer team that dares to come will be taught a lesson about the power of the Bloodhoof Arena!"