Simon, inspired by the Seer, had now completed a small phase of his goal.
The next step, according to his plan, was to head to the Colosseum of Fools to hone his swordsmanship and strive to elevate his skills to a higher level.
Time waited for no one, so he bid farewell to the Seer, preparing to take a shortcut to the Colosseum.
Near the Resting Grounds, there was a large elevator that led directly to the City of Tears.
The middle section of the elevator shaft had an opening that led straight to the Colosseum of Fools in Kingdom's Edge.
Along the path to the elevator, one could see some potholes, with a few signposts scattered about.
A challenger appeared.
A large Husk Sentry was patrolling near the elevator.
It was exceptionally tall, heavily armored, with a pair of cold, ruthless eyes visible beneath its reddish-brown helmet, and the ground vibrated with each step it took.
Simon's height only reached its waist, and the shield in its hand was twice as tall as Simon, while its long Nail was like a club, with an extremely wide swing range.
Undoubtedly, if struck by it, Simon would surely die, and be cut in half.
Above this large Husk Sentry, there was also a Winged Sentry, a light-armored blue flying Sentry with agile swordsmanship, which, combined with its flexible flight path, was quite annoying.
This battle was Simon's true first fight.
He drew his most comfortable small Nail, held his shield in his left hand, assumed a stance, and walked step by step towards the large Husk Sentry.
As resurrected Sentry remains, they operated and fought solely based on the habits and memories lingering in their bodies.
Seeing Simon approach, the Husk Sentry immediately raised its shield, guarding most of its body, while the Winged Sentry flapped its dragonfly-like transparent wings and rushed over, raising its Nail, poised to strike.
Simon retreated a few steps, avoiding the Husk Sentry's attack range, and sidestepped the Winged Sentry's strike, then swiftly thrust his Nail, precisely piercing its eyeball and penetrating deep into its skull.
The Winged Sentry struggled violently for a few moments, its wings creating a final gust of wind, before it stiffened and became motionless.
Simon's sudden burst of deadly action lasted but a brief moment; the Husk Sentry, seeing its companion die, showed no reaction, its defensive stance remaining as unmoving as a mountain.
He withdrew his Nail, and a few drops of old, orange-red blood dripped to the ground, quickly evaporating.
Simon's demeanor was indifferent as his small body steadily pressed closer to the giant Husk Sentry.
As Simon approached, the Sentry raised its Nail from its oblique rear, twisting its body to deliver a downward slash.
The heavy Nail tore through the air with a terrifying whistle, and its enormous attack range made the sword-screen look like a flying wall.
Simon swung his sword upwards, striking the Sentry's Nail, producing a crisp clang.
Although Simon was small, his strength was not weak; this upward swing redirected the Sentry's sword path upwards, passing over Simon's head without causing any harm.
If this upward swing had not been effective, Simon had several other escape routes, such as using his shield to block the Nail and then jumping away, or lying on the ground and rolling to avoid subsequent attacks.
But fortunately, Simon's estimation of his strength was accurate, achieving his initial goal.
At this moment, while the Sentry was still twisting its body, its shield was askew, leaving it wide open.
Simon advanced and thrust, the sharp tip of his Nail, like a long needle, piercing into the Sentry's armpit.
Simon pried it open with force, severing the Sentry's slender right limb.
The huge Nail fell to the ground with a clanging sound.
After losing an arm, the pain-free Husk Sentry still mechanically raised its giant shield, futilely waving its now broken right limb.
An enemy without a mind is not worth fearing.
Simon calmly killed this formidable opponent.
It seemed like he was trying to crack a stone with an egg, but the stone was dead, and the egg was alive; the Husk Sentry was completely ineffective after losing an arm, and its straightforward attack style was hardly impressive.
Of course, objectively, Simon was too strong.
His experiences in the Dream Gladiator Arena, though seemingly real and illusory, had undoubtedly elevated his swordsmanship to an extremely high level, one that even a Nailmaster would praise.
After summarizing the gains and losses of the battle, Simon successfully reached the elevator.
In the game, due to its 2D nature, one couldn't bypass the elevator and jump directly into the shaft.
In reality, when Simon arrived here, he found that the elevator's protective railing did not encircle the entire area, allowing him to jump directly down—a shortcut that saved a significant amount of time.
A bug's body is very light, so it doesn't fear falling from heights, especially since Simon could use his cloak to slow his descent and cushion the impact.
Thus, Simon found the opening, then entered, and after passing through a tunnel, he saw a massive building in the distance, its form rugged and wild, like a gaping beast.
This path was not safe; there was a type of strange bird called a Volatile Blight, hiding in the shadows, that would madly charge at passersby, then explode, splattering its belly full of orange-yellow hot liquid, causing immense pain to its victims.
This is where the shield proved its worth; as Simon walked, he would hear a sharp shriek, knowing a Volatile Blight was charging at him.
After killing it mid-air with a swing of his Nail, he would use his shield to block the splashing liquid.
In the Dream Gladiator Arena, the density of attack orbs was far more exaggerated than this.
Listening to the continuous, piercing shrieks, Simon strolled leisurely through the Volatile Blight's barrage, his steps agile, trying to dodge the explosions, and if he couldn't dodge, he would use his shield to block.
After overcoming many obstacles, he finally arrived at the Colosseum of Fools.
Standing at the entrance, he could hear the fervent shouts from within; it was always packed, with the audience cheering loudly for the bloody slaughter.
The entrance to the Colosseum was long and terrifying, like the esophagus of a monster, yet Simon felt a sense of returning to a familiar place.
The barbarity, ferocity, and fanaticism emanating from this building were precisely the 'throne of war' that every warrior yearned for.
Passing through the gloomy entrance tunnel, he entered the interior, where chains were everywhere, and many corpses hung suspended in mid-air.
In the low temperatures of Kingdom's Edge, they had not decayed, only slowly mummified.
Suddenly, an inverted 'corpse' stirred a few times, the chains rotated, turning the strange bug's face towards Simon.
"Another foolish one has come.
Do you wish to be a warrior? Join the Colosseum, or, if you are very proud, you may attempt the trials."
Here, one could clearly hear the cheers, shouts, and rhythmic drumbeats from the center of the Colosseum, creating an active atmosphere.
Amidst the waves of sound, the words of this inverted bug were somewhat indistinct, yet carried a seductive charm.
Simon had brought enough geo to start the first trial before he came.
He knew that after completing the trials, the audience would throw money, so he aimed to travel as light as possible and clear all three trials quickly.
However, listening to what this inverted bug said, he could choose to join the Colosseum, stay longer, and train more.
Simon planned to learn the Art of Focus here, clear the three trials, and become the new Fool King.
From this perspective, joining the Colosseum seemed the safer option.
"I'll join."
The inverted little Fool laughed, "Foolish! Foolish! You will get what you desire!"