Chapter 36 Ascensions

Jack waited nervously in anticipation for the tournament to come. Preparations were arranged by the tribe organizing celebrations every night for the winners. The children watched in anticipation as the warlock and dragonoids each created tales and legends for them to listen to and dream for.

Explaining their conquests in the trials of god helped entertain the children who otherwise lead a pretty boring life of training. Though they would play when they were younger once they reached two years of age they were training extremely harshly.

Over the years the training got harsher and more efficient as the methods were passed down and evolved.

With the preparations made the tournament began with a speech by the warlock and the resounding cries of the kobolds. The united excitement only lead to more bloodlust for the competitors.

The preliminaries started with everyone cheering on their friends and family. Like the tournament of blood the preliminaries would end when only 256 kobolds remained. With each slaughter in the arena as blood was shed the pool of blood started to accumulate.

As the few days of preliminaries progressed Jack watched as the blood pool continued to grow.

Jack suddenly looked around confused. He had just felt a pure source of life around him though he couldn't pinpoint it as it disappeared right after. Deciding to keep a lookout Jack watched the matches with vigilence.

As the first true round of matches started with a few level ups before and the kobolds tasting the blood in the arena the excitement had only grown from days prior.

The children watched with the elders and dragonoids in the stands.

The first true round continued like the preliminaries but a few extremely exciting events happened. With the evolution of two more dragonoids and first hero appearing among the kobolds.

A warrior kobold unlocking a basic hero template.

Gaining immensely increased stats and a few skills unique to him. The skills were pretty basic just being intermediate sword mastery along with intermediate footwork. Normally warrior heroes just improve skills. Only mages get new skills though sometimes the skill can evolve its more unlikely at lower levels.

Though the dragonoids were probably a better path than heroship the path of heroship wasn't just a chance but something everyone could pursue. The following matches were even more brutal compared to the first with kobolds not giving up until the end. Trying to just get one more strike to possibly win the match.

As with evolutions the level up would also heal all wounds. This made the fights even more entertaining and thrilling but also proposed a problem as some matches would result in both competitors dying.

Though this happened rarely when it did the audience would cheer and cry in both excitement and sadness over not having a winner.

As the first round finished the next would be at night. The remaining kobolds got ready for their matches the next day. With everyone waiting either in anticipation or fear over what would happen.

All participation was forced and you couldn't back out. Either win or die was the result expected out of the match.

Jack once again felt the life source multiple times throughout the day though he couldn't pinpoint the location he had a guess for the general location.

With the first night round starting and the tricks beginning the excitement once again reached a new peak. With the outstanding cheers one second to the dead silence the next waiting in anticipation for what will happen.

The matches lasted longer this round than the matches the day before. With the darkness covering sight and the blood pool blocking vision retreating was easy. The matches tended to be extended as they tried to out patience the enemy.

Though normally the sides were pretty even the few matches that were one sided created an even more tense atmosphere. Having someone expected to lose was pressure on the person losing but also pressure on the person winning as if they messed it up they would be humiliated.

At least if you fight evenly you would have your honor and pride.

The night rounds ended with even more dragonoids evolving alongside a couple more heroes. With warrior and rogue heroes appearing with just basic improvements to skills the remaining competitors got even more excited.

With what would probably be the third to last round. The sun shone in the sky as Jack observed the blood pool.

He noticed the night before that the life source came from it. He guessed the higher level blood collected to form this pure essence. He noticed that every time it would appear was when either someone evolved or someone became a hero.

Happy with this discover Jack planned how to preserve this natural resource. As pure life source it could be used in various ways to increase the level of characters. Though the current life source was pitiful incapable of such a thing it could be grown. With the his blessing as it was a life technically the pool would be able to remain over a long period of time.

Creating roofing to block the rain and using other methods to create a special drainage system to store the blood underneath the arena would have to be made.

Though excited for this new lucky chance he had Jack focused back on the tournament.

With the remaining round going much quicker due to its massively reduced amount. Though the amount was less the evolutions and level ups to hero were greater

Surprisingly the tournament ended here as it seemed everyone was maxed on experience. . Over 5 kobolds became dragonoids and about 25 kobolds became heroes.

Heroes could be created as long as they had the experience while dragonoids had to have the right conditions.

Though no magical heroes or warlocks Jack was nonetheless happy with this massive increase in his powerful subordinates.

All the remaining participating kobolds had in someway upgraded. No adult remained at the normal level though this was fine since the next generation of kobolds could take over.