You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

"Young man, I admire your courage."

As Lagos spoke, he extended a gigantic hand wreathed in solid flames, the scorching heat distorting the air beneath it.

"Come, the salute of a warrior."

Lagos watched Ron with great interest.

Faced with that fiery palm capable of melting gold and iron, Ron's pupils contracted slightly, but he took a deep breath and reached out without hesitation.

The moment their palms touched, the expected burning pain did not come; instead, a warm yet gentle pulse was felt.

Ron secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lagos swung his long, fiery arm at the fire elemental guards behind him.

Several guards immediately carried over several heavy treasure chests with mithril-inlaid edges, and with a few clangs, they opened them.

In an instant, the entire conference hall was illuminated by the radiance of various rare materials, weapons, and armor, making it dazzling and colorful!

Amethyst-like metal, runes flowing with liquid fire, leather wreathed in tiny arcs of electricity...

Inside were a dazzling array of top-tier purple equipment that met the extreme needs of LV10 adventurers!

"Wow!"

Even Lilith, who was used to seeing the world, couldn't help but gasp.

Ron's eyes lit up even more:

"They're all top-quality!"

However, this generosity struck Count Bacchus's heart like a heavy hammer.

He abruptly stood up from his luxurious chair, his face instantly turning as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Your Excellency, Great Lord!"

Bacchus's voice suddenly rose, carrying a deliberate mix of "fairness" and "concern":

"Please forgive my bluntness! As the organizer of this anti-test and the owner of the Black Language Cave, isn't it extremely unfair that you personally provide equipment for the 'test subjects' who are about to enter? This act is tarnishing to the name of 'referee'!"

His words were highly inflammatory.

As soon as the words were spoken, several nobles, who had been in cahoots beforehand, immediately rose to their feet like hyenas whose tails had been stepped on, their words vehement:

"Exactly! Where is the fairness when the referee goes onto the field to favor one side's players?"

"This move will completely destroy the credibility of the entire anti-testing mechanism!"

"If we fail, wouldn't the Adventurers' Guild have even more excuse to accuse us of collusion?!"

Duke Cedric was so angry that his beard trembled, and he slammed his fist on the table and stood up:

"Distorting the truth! Bakus! When did Your Excellency become a referee? The referee's seat is occupied by you noble lords, representatives of the Adventurers' Guild, and the vast number of dungeon lords!"

"The High Lord's support was based on personal friendship and recognition of his courage. How can that be considered cheating? Could it be that the rules we all set for Black Whisper Caves explicitly forbid the Lord from providing equipment?!"

The flames in the eye sockets of the Balrog Lagos suddenly shot up several inches, and the surrounding air temperature rose sharply, revealing his displeasure.

He looked down at the noisy group of nobles, his deep voice carrying an undeniable power:

“Cedric is right! The ‘referees’ in the anti-testing mechanism are your council and the adventurers’ guild’s observation group! I am not a referee! Supporting a promising young talent is my business! How dare you interfere?!”

A powerful pressure spread out, and the clamoring nobles immediately felt as if they had been choked, their momentum weakening.

Count Bacchus broke out in a cold sweat, knowing he could no longer withstand the wrath of the Balrog.

His mind raced, and he immediately adopted a humble demeanor, yet his words still carried a hidden barb:

"Great Lord, please calm down! We are not questioning your authority, but we have many concerns! If these 'private assistance' are used against us by those people in the Adventurers' Guild, they could accuse our entire underworld of favoritism and cheating!"

"Even if Sir Ron wins, this victory will likely be difficult to convince the public and will be a huge blow to the reputation of the entire underworld! For the sake of the bigger picture, we must be extremely cautious!"

He cleverly shifted the blame for "cheating" to the Adventurers' Guild, which had not yet made a statement.

Chapter 70 Princess Claudia

This move truly struck at the heart of the Balrog Lagos.

His enormous head slowly turned toward a box that had remained silent to the side.

The box opened, revealing a gigantic eyeball, bloodshot and with its pupils slowly rotating on their own.

【The Eye in the Underground】.

Lagos extended his finger, which was burning with flames, and gently touched the center of the eerie eyeball.

A ripple-like magical pattern immediately spread across the surface of the eyeball, the pupil inside suddenly focused, and after a burst of light distorted, a blurry yet extremely imposing humanoid silhouette appeared in the eyeball.

The Grand Master of the Adventurers' Guild, the great "Dragon Slayer" Solomon!

"Your Excellency Lagos."

A voice, carrying a metallic, abrasive quality and still sounding distant and calm even after being diffused by magic, emanated from the eyeballs:

"The anti-test is about to begin. Thank you for providing the venue."

"Lord Solomon."

Lagos, the Balrog, got straight to the point, his voice booming:

"I wish to provide some weaponry for the young people who are about to enter the Black Whisper Caves. The level and effectiveness of the weaponry are all within the limits allowed by the rules of E-level dungeons. Does your guild have any objections to this?"

The figure in the underground eye seemed silent for a moment, then quickly responded:

"As long as the items provided meet the challenge rules of that dungeon level and do not violate the pre-set framework of fairness..."

"Therefore, it is a reasonable and legitimate right for the dungeon lord to provide trial participants with material support within a reasonable range."

"Our Adventurers' Guild's representative team will conduct equipment checks before entry."

"it is good!"

Lagos the Fire Demon said no more, and his enormous finger left his eyeball.

Solomon's image then disappeared.

He turned around, his burning gaze landing squarely on the somewhat uneasy Count Bacchus:

"Lord Solomon, Grand Master of the Adventurers' Guild... has no objection."

His voice carried a hint of a triumphant declaration.

Count Bacchus's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a bug.

He had nothing more to say, and could only force a stiff smile before slumping back into his seat like a deflated balloon, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.

Obstacles cleared!

Lagos's massive fiery hand pointed once more at the dazzling array of treasure chests, its voice booming like thunder:

"Alright! Sir Ron, you may now freely choose suitable battle gear here!"

"Quick, Ron!"

Alyssa's eyes lit up, and she immediately called to Lilith and Carolina:

"This is a golden opportunity! Let's quickly replace our defenses and weapons with the best available!"

The three quickly stepped forward to make up for the top-tier equipment they had missed due to Bakus's interference.

Until the Balrog Lagos cast an inquiring glance:

"Sir Ron, why don't you go and change your equipment?"

Ron shook his head and said with a smile:

"It's just an E-level dungeon, I don't need to change my equipment."

Ron's earth-shattering statement, "No need to change," instantly froze Alyssa and the other two in their actions of selecting equipment.

They turned around abruptly, their eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Alyssa's anger flared:

"What's wrong with this kid? The better the equipment, the easier it is to survive! Failing the counter-test can be fatal! Does he really think he can get away with using junk?"

She almost wanted to shout those words out.

Not only them, but the entire hall fell into an eerie silence.

Duke Cedric stared in disbelief, while Earl Martel frowned.

Even Count Bacchus and his entourage, who were originally waiting to see a good show, seemed to have been choked, their faces full of astonished expressions, as if to say, "Has this kid gone mad?"

The burning eyes of the Balrog Lagos lingered on Ron for a long time, flames flickering on his body as if he were processing this unexpected decision.

The deep voice finally broke the silence:

"you sure?"

Ron met those molten lava-like gazes, his tone calm to the point of being almost casual:

“I’m absolutely certain. I’ve said it before, the key to clearing the Black Language Cave has never been pure brute force.”

He gently tapped his temple with his finger:

"That's where it comes in: understanding and strategy."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling equipment box, and continued:

"Moreover, if you really want to convince those challengers, wouldn't it be more convincing to tell them that they can clear the game without top-tier artifacts?"

The flames in the eye sockets of the Balrog Lagos suddenly surged, followed by a loud laugh:

"Ha! Well done, Sir Ron, you're right!"

With a wave of his hand, the fire elemental guards immediately and sullenly closed the treasure chests and carried them away.

This dramatic scene made Count Bacchus and the others look even more grim.

Applause erupted. Lagos waved towards the back of the hall:

"Claudia, come in."

Entering in response to the call was a girl who resembled solidified flames.