"The young dragons above, the teenage dragons, the adult dragons, how many past champions are there among them, and how many formidable figures?"
After a brief moment of contemplation,
Out of curiosity, Saga looked back at Yekaterina's match replays.
Then Saga saw that in just the first preliminary match, the Little Dragoness unleashed her full firepower, revealing her sharp edge. In less than a minute, she had rendered her opponent incapable of fighting, winning the match with an overwhelming display of power.
As the champion of the Hatchling Dragon competition, Yekaterina had already attracted much attention.
In this Hatchling Dragon competition, she was one of the few hot favorites to win the title.
As for Saga, being new and not very high-profile, he didn't attract much attention. The fact that his match against the Copper Dragon drew some attention from other dragons was due to Saga's stunning appearance, not his strength.
"Let's take another look at the performance of the little Silver Dragon and the Golden Giant Mountain."
In the little Silver Dragon Ilyag's match, she didn't even need to take action herself. She relied on a continuous summoning of monsters to brutally defeat her opponent, while she simply cast some enhancement spells from the back, winning with ease.
The Golden Giant Mountain, who almost clinched the Hatchling Dragon championship, also put on a dazzling performance.
Its opponent was an older Hatchling Dragon, also of the Dragon Kind, a Golden Dragon.
Facing an older Golden Hatchling Dragon that was nearly a teenager, the uniquely grown Golden Giant Mountain did not have a clear advantage, as its opponent's size was no smaller than his. However, Golden Giant Mountain, with its mastery of spatial spells combined with its natural brute strength, easily defeated its opponent and won the match.
"These are no ordinary dragons."
Saga opened his eyes, took the magic crystal from his forehead, and placed it back into the cluster of crystals around him.
At the same time,
A legendary colossal dragon suddenly appeared, grabbing the nape of a Silver Hatchling Dragon with one claw and vigorously shaking the dragon's body.
Clink, clink.
Accompanied by the clear, tinkling sounds, dozens of magic crystals were shaken out from the scales of the Silver Hatchling Dragon.
Under the watchful eyes of many of its kin, the Silver Hatchling Dragon lifted its head, spread its little claws, and blinked innocently at the legendary colossal dragon.
"Eh, when did these magic crystals get into my scales?"
It feigned ignorance.
"Little one, are you here to compete or to stock up on goods?"
The legendary colossal dragon shook its head and said.
Then, amid the Silver Hatchling Dragon's wails and screams, the legendary colossal dragon confiscated all the treasures on the Silver Hatchling Dragon as a punishment and warned the other Hatchling Dragons that the magic crystals here were not to be secretly taken away.
Some of the little dragons looked at each other and sheepishly smiled under the stern gaze of the legendary colossal dragon, returning the magic crystals they had hidden in their scales to their original places.
"I was just wondering, with so many magic crystals lying around, aren't they afraid of being stolen."
Saga muttered to himself.
He figured that the dragons organizing the competition must have been prepared, and indeed they were.
After the small interlude,
Saga and Yekaterina, along with a few other little dragons, went to the dining hall prepared for the Hatchling Dragons.
In this Dragon City beneath the deep sea, the food prepared for the Hatchling Dragons was mainly seafood: various shellfish, exotic fish, squid, large shrimp, and crabs, all rich in magic power and high-quality food. There were also some strange deep-sea plants bearing magical fruits that could quickly restore the physical and mental energy the Hatchling Dragons had expended in combat.
The food here was as varied as a buffet and supplied continuously.
Saga and the other dragons ate to their hearts' content.
After less than three hours of rest, the second round of competition continued.
These events were held very frequently in the early stages, and only after a large number of Hatchling Dragons were screened out and the high-quality matches with the remaining top contenders began did the frequency decrease.
In the second match, Saga faced an eight-year-old Silver Dragon.
An eight-year-old Hatchling Dragon had only entered the Hatchling stage for two years.
Those under ten years old who participated in the Hatchling Dragon competition were either overconfident or possessed superior abilities. The eight-year-old Silver Hatchling Dragon that Saga faced was one of the latter, already the size of an older Hatchling Dragon at only eight years old and very skilled in combat after rigorous training.
Under normal circumstances, it could have won four or five matches.
Unfortunately, it met Saga.
Just like before, Saga, with his exquisite acting, kept retreating under the relentless pressure of the Silver Hatchling Dragon, always just a bit short of defeat. The Silver Hatchling Dragon could never truly beat Saga until it became a bit anxious. That's when Saga quietly used his psychic abilities to cause a mistake and turned defeat into victory.
After the second match ended, the number of colossal dragons paying attention to Saga increased a bit.
After all, each match directly eliminated half of the Hatchling Dragons. With fewer remaining matches, it was easier to attract attention, and Saga's appearance was particularly eye-catching.
Yekaterina and the other dragons also won their second matches without any surprises.
Afterward, as usual, Saga watched the replays of the matches of the hot favorites like the Glittering Golden Dragon to further understand the abilities of potential opponents he might face.
Time continued to pass.
The competition went on.
After some time, the third and fourth matches also concluded, and Saga still managed to win by a narrow margin, causing many colossal dragons who had bet on his opponents to gnash their teeth in regret, while those who had bet on Saga rejoiced. Saga's high odds meant they earned a lot.
The fifth match arrived as scheduled.
By now, the Hatchling Dragons still in the competition were no ordinary characters; each had an exceptional quality that set them apart from their peers. This time, Saga faced a sixth-tier Bronze Dragon.
Although not a favorite to win the championship, a True Dragon that reached the sixth tier during the Hatchling stage was already quite outstanding.
"I have a habit of learning about my opponents in advance; I've watched your previous four matches."
The Bronze Dragon, its scales reflecting the hue of bronze, spoke calmly. It was thirteen meters long, larger than Saga, and moved agilely and swiftly in the deep sea. Although it ranked fourth among the Metal Dragons, it was the best swimmer among them.
"You've been very lucky, winning by a hair's breadth each time."
"But it ends here."
Hearing the Bronze Dragon's words, the little Golden Dragon put on a defiant look and said:
"Whether I can win or not, I'll give it my all."
Then, with a roar from the Bronze Dragon, the fifth battle began.
This Bronze Dragon still couldn't make Saga reveal his true strength.
During the fight, Saga put on a show of being at an absolute disadvantage but never giving up, stubbornly persevering in a dire situation until he finally found an opportunity and turned defeat into victory.
This caught the attention of a large number of colossal dragons and earned him a lot of praise.
At the moment of his comeback, the legendary Brass Dragon watching all the matches even cheered for Saga, offering praise.
"This Outsider little Golden Dragon is interesting, such a tenacious spirit."
Some colossal dragons admired Saga's fighting spirit and resilience.
"He managed to turn defeat into victory in a desperate situation. Is it luck? His previous matches seem to have been close wins, which is a bit unusual."
A colossal dragon that had been following Saga's progress sensed something unusual and quietly increased the bet on him.
"This little guy's acting skills are getting more and more refined. After a few matches, he's become an expert. The Brass Dragon hosting the competition probably got fooled."
The colossal dragons who knew of Saga's hidden strength thought to themselves, while increasing their bets on Saga.
Meanwhile,
As the competition progressed, more and more dragons noticed this rising star, considering him an unexpected dark horse, and even gave Saga the nickname "Lucky Little Golden Dragon" because he seemed to rely mainly on luck to win his matches.
Saga's odds consequently dropped a bit, but not by much.
Because his performance in each match was a hard-fought victory, a close win, most colossal dragons who were unaware of Saga's true level of skill, while admiring his spirit, still chose to bet on his opponents.
When Saga left the arena and returned to the preparation hall,
Yekaterina and the others had already gathered.
Just as he was approaching, Saga saw the little Silver Dragon Ilyag with a troubled expression, her normally smooth and beautiful scales now charred and blackened, looking quite pitiful.
Saga guessed that she had lost the fifth match.
Indeed, upon Saga's inquiry, the little Silver Dragon said with a pout:
"I faced the Brass Dragon Hiludi. She laughed heartily as she blasted away the monster army I summoned with her fireball spells."
Brass Dragon Hiludi, nicknamed "Wildflame," was one of the hot favorites to win.
Losing to Brass Dragon Hiludi was not a disgrace for the little Silver Dragon.
"If it had been any other hot favorite, I might have been able to fight a bit longer."
"Ah, she's just like a fireball turret, using all kinds of fireball spells with ease, too fierce."
The little Silver Dragon hung its head, looking utterly dejected.
"If I encounter Hiludi, I'll avenge you."
Saga consoled her, saying.
He had watched the match replays of Brass Dragon Hiludi, and the barrage of fireballs she could unleash even under the deep sea left a deep impression on Saga. Moreover, this dragon was different from the typically talkative Brass Dragons; she liked to laugh and shout during battle, laughing heartily while fiercely casting fireballs, creating significant psychological pressure on her enemies.
"The upcoming matches are getting more and more exciting and intense."
"Saga brother, you guys go for it, I'll be cheering for you from the stands, you have to become the champion."
The little Silver Dragon adjusted her mood, then clenched her little claws and waved them cheerily, cheering on Saga and the others.
After the fifth match, the frequency of the competition slowed down.
After five intense rounds, the competition paused, and the remaining Hatchling Dragons rested for three days before the competition resumed with the sixth match.
Often at this point, the Hatchling Dragon competition reached its most thrilling and exciting stage.
Because the weaker had been eliminated, and those who met would be strong Hatchling Dragons.
Before the competition began, in the preparation hall,
"Amethyst Dragon Tixil. One of the hot favorites to win."
Golden Giant Mountain's expression became serious upon knowing his opponent.
There were some Gemstone Dragons living on the Metal Dragon Island, and Tixil was one of them, belonging to the top of the Gemstone Dragon sequence, the Amethyst Dragon, and naturally possessing much stronger psychic abilities than an average Amethyst Dragon.
Yekaterina's opponent was not a hot favorite but a fifteen-year-old Golden Hatchling Dragon.
There were no ordinary characters left in the sixth round, and Yekaterina was somewhat indifferent to her opponent.
As for Saga, in this sixth match, he also faced one of the hot favorites to win the championship—Black Iron Wing Lexand, a hybrid of Iron Dragon and Cobalt Dragon, a thirteen-year-old heavy Metal Dragon.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas