Chapter 160 - Let The Fight Begin!

Morning arrived with a crisp clarity, the sun cresting the jagged foothills in a blaze of gold that chased away the night's chill shadows. The air was fresh and biting, carrying the scent of dew-kissed grass and pine from the surrounding woods, mingled with the earthy dampness seeping from the mine's entrance. Goblins stirred from their alcoves and tents, rubbing sleep from their eyes, the soft murmurs of conversation growing into a buzz as word spread: the duel was today. The venue wasn't the open field everyone had assumed—a wide expanse where strategy and speed could play out under the sky. Instead, the Chieftess's four honor guards had set it up in secret during the night, transforming a restricted clearing just outside the mine into something far more confining.