"Exploring the palace?"

Waldo looked up at the palace behind the two challengers.

The palace was ancient and weathered, its exterior overgrown with weeds. Inside, however, it was magnificent and spacious, seemingly glittering with various colors.

The male challenger tried to explain, "This palace is quite peculiar. We stumbled upon it by accident. But so far, we haven’t ventured inside to explore."

"My intuition tells me there might be dangers inside."

Waldo nodded slightly.

In the chessboard world, encountering various kinds of buildings was not unusual.

The entire world consisted of millions of cells, each cell a world unto itself, with its own universe.

Some cells were large, even containing continuous landscapes with mountains and waters, and ferocious beasts.

Others were quite small, barely the size of a single bed, making it extremely difficult for challengers to move around.

A careless step could lead them out of the cell’s boundaries, resulting in instant annihilation by the system.

Now, coming across a mysterious palace, Waldo was not surprised.

"Danger? Since it’s dangerous, why are you so intent on going in? Is there some treasure inside?"

Waldo spoke with a half-smile: "Moreover, both of you seem to have considerable combat strength, yet you invite me in. It seems the danger is not insignificant."

"But similarly, the treasures inside must be very enticing. Otherwise, you wouldn’t take such a big risk to cooperate with me!"

The female challenger looked at him with admiration, "As expected of the legendary challenger

Waldo. Most of what you said is true. But there’s one thing you missed. That is, we intentionally wanted to make your acquaintance."

"With Lord Waldo’s strength, you probably already dominate the chessboard world, unmatched by anyone. Plus, with your identity as the son of the system and your chivalrous spirit, it really makes us both admire you greatly!"

Waldo looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

The woman, unflinchingly facing him, indeed had something special about her.

It’s important to note that Waldo’s strength far surpasses other challengers at this point.

These two, Wade and Mallin, being wanted criminals, cannot receive the augmentation of the power of justice.

Thus, the gap between them and Waldo is quite significant.

Yet, she converses with Waldo calmly, which surprises him.

Waldo then learns from these siblings that the woman is named Wade and the man is Mallin.

They are siblings, and moreover, they are blood-related.

In the chessboard world, a pair of siblings like them is extremely rare.

And the fact that they managed to encounter each other is either the system’s arrangement or incredibly good luck.

Following Wade and Mallin’s invitation, Waldo agrees to join them.

He too has a feeling that this palace is not as simple as it seems.

Something inside seems to be drawing him in, a subtle yet unmistakable feeling.

His intuition tells him that whatever it is, it’s not ordinary.

...

Thud!

A fist-sized stone was thrown, traveling over a hundred meters before hitting the grand palace.

However, before it hit the ground, an unseen force shattered the stone.

"What? How did that happen?"

Wade’s eyes widened in shock. "Where did that force come from? It shattered a hard stone instantly. With our current physical condition, we would probably be pierced through in an instant!"

Waldo looked solemnly at a headless stone statue in front of the palace.

It was a three-meter-tall colossal statue, seemingly wearing bulky armor.

But it was deeply scarred, as if it had been through a fierce battle.

Most importantly, its head was missing, whereabouts unknown, creating a chilling effect.

Waldo’s gaze was more intense than ever as he stared at the headless statue.

Because just now, he clearly sensed that the invisible force originated from this stone statue.

"Is there something wrong with this statue?"

Wade and Mallin, the sibling duo, didn’t possess Waldo’s strength.

Their perceptive abilities were naturally not as sharp as Waldo’s.

But they were not foolish.

They quickly picked up on some clues from Waldo’s actions.

Waldo nodded slightly.

With a cold snort, he stepped forward.

His movements were like a tiger’s, covering a distance of ten feet with each step.

His presence exploded, giving off an oppressive feeling as if a storm was approaching.

Of course, Waldo wasn’t targeting anyone in particular.

It was just his normal demeanor.

Boom!

Like an ancient mammoth stomping the ground, the granite immediately shattered, and huge rocks flew into the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Waldo struck continuously, his movements extremely fast, delivering dozens of punches in the blink of an eye.

The power of each punch was truly astonishing.

Most challengers wouldn’t be able to withstand even one of his punches and would be killed instantly.

However, Waldo’s punches on the rocks were skillfully measured.

The rocks, despite bearing immense force, didn’t shatter immediately.

Instead, they flew out like cannonballs!

Soon, these dozen rocks approached the statue.

Given the size and speed of these rocks, it seemed likely that the statue would soon be smashed to pieces.

Cracks rapidly spread across the statue, and dark blood began to flow.

The rocks peeled off the statue.

Then, the ancient sword in the statue’s hand suddenly unsheathed.

The rusty blade, emanating an invisible energy, glowed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rocks, flying like cannonballs, exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of dust.

...

From a distance, Waldo’s face was solemn.

The invisible energy unleashed by the statue posed a threat to him.

Although not very strong, almost negligible, it was still a threat.

But it was indeed a real threat.

Waldo couldn’t help but heighten his alertness.

Just a plain energy wave had made him feel threatened. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

If this stone statue were to fully awaken, what level of combat power would it possess?

What kind of threat could it pose to him?

Moreover, this statue was just like a gatekeeper outside the palace.

Inside the palace, could there be other similar or even more powerful beings?

Watching the surface of the statue crumble into powder or small fragments, revealing the scarlet armor underneath, Waldo revealed a smile that seemed to indicate his interest.

Licking his crimson lips, as if talking to himself or addressing Wade and Mallin, he said,

"Interesting, very interesting!"

"I thought that with my current strength, I could easily dominate in the chessboard world."

"But I didn’t expect to discover such a palace."

"This statue is also quite intriguing, seems to be a sort of puppet-like existence!"