Chapter 1709: The Judge and Unranked Fighters

In fact, as soon as Adam found himself in the Hollow Lands thanks to Gladius and Xyrea, he could have accidentally ended up at the Grim Court.

All he had to do was head down, rather than up to the surface.

It was unclear whether he was lucky or whether Gladius and Xyrea knew he wouldn’t risk going deeper into the caves, but still, perhaps this was the most important decision Adam had made in the Hollow Lands.

Now, he was ready. All that remained was for him to figure out exactly what awaited him at the Grim Court.

Kaerno took a deep breath.

"Alright, you already know that a battle awaits you at the Hail Passages, but it’s not that simple. If you venture deep into any Hail Passage, nothing awaits you but an encounter with the guard who will throw you back to the surface."

Adam blinked, recalling one detail.

"Wait, when I first woke up, I saw several monsters pass through the Hail Passage riding a massive serpent! But... they were so focused on something they didn’t even notice me. I remember their auras were calm."

Kaerno nodded.

"Most likely, they headed to the Grim Court."

"But what exactly is that?"

Valleyn waved her hand. "They’re official battles held between members of the Blade Eclipse and the Dome Eclipse. Sometimes, battles happen between members of the same faction, but that’s not as common as two monsters from different pillars."

Kaerno confirmed.

"As you know, even though the Blade Pillars and Dome Pillars have different approaches to combat and evolution, we aren’t enemies, but rivals. Therefore, battles at the Grim Courts are held officially, with spectators and a single judge who will stop the fight if necessary."

"Hmm? Why would the judge stop the fight?"

Sarka snorted. "Pffft! Because you don’t have the right to kill your opponent! Even if you try, the judge will stop you, and you won’t stand a chance against the judge."

Adam glanced at Kaerno.

"That judge, is he one of the Fingers?"

Kaerno smirked. "That’s right. Every Hail Passage has one judge responsible for that passage. The only condition is that the fighters battling in the arena must have no connection to that judge. That is, neither fighter may be a member of the judge’s pillar."

"So if Sarka or Larth were to fight at the Grim Court, you wouldn’t be allowed to be their judge?"

Kaerno shook his head.

"No. That would be a violation of the rules. There’s no secret here. Thanks to this rule, the judge will treat both fighters equally. You’re not a monster, and you’re not an official member of my pillar, but it’s obvious to everyone that right now you’re loyal only to me and my pillar."

Adam touched his chin thoughtfully.

"I see. So that means the Hail Passage, where you’re in charge, and the passage where the judge is my opponent’s boss are subject to restrictions."

"Correct. But there are far more Hail Passages than just two in the Hollow Lands."

A few moments later, Adam narrowed his eyes.

"Will I be able to fight in the Hail Passage where I woke up? I hope you aren’t a judge there?"

"Nah," Kaerno shook his head as a sly gleam flashed in his eyes. "But who knows who your opponent will be? Maybe it’s the master in charge of that Hail Passage, though that’s unlikely. You’d have to be really unlucky for that to happen."

"Speaking of which." Adam looked up. "Who will be my opponent?"

Valleyn and Sarka smirked.

"That’s a very interesting question, isn’t it?" Vallen chuckled as she licked her lips. "Battles at the Grim Courts take place for two reasons: there is a conflict between two monsters, or these monsters want to secure one of the ranks for themselves."

Adam folded his hands together. "Hmm, if a monster wants to become a Fang, then it has to go to the Grim Court and win, right?"

Sarka and Valleyn nodded simultaneously.

"If the goal of the battle is specifically to raise your rank, rather than a conflict, then your opponent must be of the same rank as you. In fact, that’s the only condition for the judge to approve the battle. Sure, they should be monsters from different factions, but that’s not a strict rule."

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

"Wait... I went to the Pit to devour the Frenzied Shard and get permission to participate in the Grim Court. But... my opponent will be a monster that hasn’t even reached the Fang rank yet? Right?"

Adam was confused.

His very first fight was against Larth, who was one of the Fangs of Kaerno’s pillar. Sure, he was weaker than Sarka, but if he had that rank, it meant he’d earned it.

So, to leave the Hollow Lands, Adam would have to defeat someone whose rank was lower than Larth’s. That was straight-up illogical.

Kaerno nodded.

"I understand your confusion, but those are the rules. Usually, monsters here don’t face Frenzied Shards as powerful as yours. Still..." His voice dropped. "That doesn’t mean your opponent will be an easy target, and there’s one simple reason for that - you are a Phantom."

"Argh? What does that mean?"

Valleyn waved her hand. "It’s simple, Adam. Usually, your opponent has to be a member of another faction, but... You don’t belong to either faction. Sure, right now you’re at Master Kaerno’s pillar, but you’re still a loner."

Sarka’s patience was running out as she exclaimed:

"That means every monster below Fang rank in the Hollow Lands has the right to fight you!"

Kaerno chuckled.

"She’s right, and as you know, Adam, our two factions are fierce rivals. To defeat a Phantom like you? For that chance, even the most arrogant and mysterious bastards will decide to step out of the shadows. Those who previously considered the Grim Court a waste of time will change their minds to face you."

He leaned forward, already anticipating the coming battle.

"Not everyone sees the point in the rank system, especially below the Lord Level. Such monsters value only raw power, and a victory over you would be the ultimate demonstration of it."

Adam gulped. Now, he began to realize that the Grim Court would not be a walk in the park.