Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

"Everyone, let us drink a toast to the gnoll who gave us an unbelievably thrilling performance."

Orion, Lireesa, Jorik, Dain, and Richard raised their glasses, offering polite smiles.

"Next up, it’s the turn of the dwarven warriors!"

Jorik clapped his hands, and yet another cage rose from the dungeon of the arena.

Dwarven prophet Dain glanced at a dwarf behind him, who turned and went down to prepare.

"Dain, how about I join you for a little fun?"

Jorik suddenly said with a smile, after seeing the dwarf warrior leave.

Dain furrowed his brows, eyeing Jorik with suspicion.

Jorik responded with a mysterious grin, a red glow flashing in his hand. A single-handed war hammer, glowing as if it were freshly forged and still radiating heat, appeared in his grasp.

"This is the relic of a certain elder from the dwarven race. I thought this might be something your people could use."

Upon seeing the war hammer, Dain’s eyes locked on it. He swallowed hard, raising his drink to mask his desire for the weapon.

"Jorik, what do you want?"

Jorik put the war hammer away, took a sip of his drink, and spoke calmly.

"To the south, near the Dragonflame Island territory."

"If your clan’s warrior wins, the war hammer will be yours, hands down."

"But if he dies, that territory will return to the dragon clan."

The room fell silent.

Orion, who had been somewhat slow to realize, suddenly grasped that the Five-Race Alliance meeting had, in fact, started when the arena match began. This was why the dragons had chosen to hold the meeting in the arena—victory and defeat were decided in the fighting, while conditions were discussed in the meeting. @@novelbin@@

Orion glanced at Lireesa and Richard. Both turned toward him, their expressions serious.

Orion took a long drink from his glass, not looking at Jorik and Dain, who were at the center of the conflict. His eyes settled back on the arena.

On the other side, Dain lifted his gaze toward the arena, toward the early-stage Alpha-level dark creatures.

As the match was about to begin, Dain spoke with seriousness.

"We have a deal."

Jorik nodded, a victorious smile playing on his lips. He knew full well that Dain would never refuse a bet like this.

The war hammer Jorik had presented was an ancient relic from the dwarven clan(race), one they had lost millennia ago. If they didn’t seize this opportunity, they would lose not just the artifact but their faith as well—at least Dain would.

The outcome of the match was revealed half an hour later.

The dwarven warrior was cut into three pieces by the mantis-like dark creature in the arena and was swiftly devoured.

"Dain, two months from now, I will send people to take over that territory."

Dain said nothing in response to Jorik. Instead, he continued to pour drinks down his throat, his thick beard soaked with alcohol.

It was clear that Dain’s mood was very low and suppressed.

"Richard, it’s your turn next!"

Grand Duke Richard looked up, glancing briefly at Jorik before replying,

"Jorik, my warriors are all knights. Would you allow their steeds to fight?"

Jorik frowned slightly at the question.

He didn’t speak immediately, instead turning his gaze toward Orion, Lireesa, and Dain, seeking their opinions. After all, all three had already suffered losses in the previous rounds.

"If the steeds can fight, I believe the Blood Elves and Dwarves would not have died so quickly."

Orion spoke up, remembering that Grand Duke Richard had made things difficult for him when Dirtclaw fought. He had no intention of helping Richard now.

After Orion spoke, Lireesa and Dain both shook their heads, disagreeing with the idea of allowing the steeds to fight.

Grand Duke Richard swept his eyes over everyone, but didn’t press the matter. With a wave of his hand, a knight behind him turned and descended to prepare.

"Richard, I have a scroll here. I wonder if you’re interested?"

Jorik’s voice drew everyone’s attention once again.

"What’s Jorik up to now?"

"Is he trying to claim all the territories of the dragon race through this meeting?"

Orion lowered his gaze, his expression deepening.

Grand Duke Richard didn’t speak but took the scroll from Jorik and began reading it.

As he scanned the contents, Richard’s breathing grew noticeably quicker.

A few breaths later, Richard returned to normal, looked up, and spoke calmly,

"Jorik, what do you want?"

This time, Jorik’s expression was no longer smiling. It was dead serious.

"The dragon egg you took from Dragon Nest. It’s an egg that cannot hatch. It serves no purpose to you."

Grand Duke Richard fell silent, his gaze fixed on the scroll. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke softly,

"Jorik, what you offer isn’t equal. It’s not enough."

Jorik’s smile returned, and he looked at Grand Duke Richard with calm eyes.

"If your human warriors defeat the dark creatures, the scroll is yours."

"But if they lose, the dragon egg returns to us, and the scroll remains yours."

Grand Duke Richard hesitated, but eventually agreed.

"Fine, I accept your terms."

Just as everyone thought the wager had concluded, Richard turned toward Orion and said calmly,

"Orion, do you dare play again?"

His words carried an implied challenge.

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Now, Lireesa, Jorik, and Dain all shifted their gaze back and forth between Orion and Richard.

"What do you want?"

Orion raised his head, a sense of caution rising within him.

"If my warriors win, you will unconditionally return the princess and grant my people trade rights in your territory."

"But if my warriors lose, I will add ten times the ransom."

Orion’s pupils contracted sharply. Opening trade rights for merchants in the giants’ territory? Was Richard mocking the giants for being simple-minded, or was he testing Orion?

Whatever the case, Orion’s alertness was at its peak.

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew tense, this time due to the delicate relationship between Orion, Jorik, and Richard.

Orion reached for his drink, taking a sip before speaking in a low voice.

"I refuse."

This was a no-brainer. Orion would never let someone like a human knight or dark creature decide trade rights over his territory.

He looked up at Grand Duke Richard, his voice calm but firm.

"If you truly want the merchant trade rights, let’s settle this between us. If you defeat me, I’ll agree to your terms."

"Or, you can offer me the human kingdom’s trade rights, and we’ll exchange them equally."