Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 21: Tournament- 1
- Arthas -
I woke up early the next morning.
We had two beds in the room but unlike what most people would have done, Veena chose to sleep with me while giving Rose another bed to herself.
She had even changed into her thin nightdress that she usually wore.
I offered to take the couch but she was never the type to be bothered with such things and Rose didn't say anything either, although from the way she was blushing, I doubt she could even talk…
This was too much for the white haired valkyrie.
And that's why, to spare her the unnecessary embarrassment, I got up early and decided to do some training instead.
Every morning Arnold trained with his personal Knights and I knew where to find them.
The city of Greenfrost was really something.
A little distance from our Inn was the Knight Academy of Greenfrost and the Barracks.
I could see the Knights running inside and training.
Suddenly, an idea struck me out of nowhere.
Training…
We never did any physical training in the game and only trained Skills… because we only got stats from levelling up or through some rare skill levels…
But there was an exception…
I was the exception… I recalled the ultimate reference…
One hundred pushups, one hundred situps, one hundred squats, ten kilometres runs for three years. Obviously, there was also the bit with air conditioners but I didn't need to worry about that.
Could… the Game Master really have put something for that too?
I mean it was a massive meme and something many people actually tried…
Dammit… the more I thought about it, the more I doubted that it could be true… After all, he had put in even the vague references in…
Well, there is only one way to find out…
Less than an hour later, I stood in front of the same Knight's Academy, not even slightly winded by the entire workout. My T5 Class stats were just too much for me to feel tired from just this much.
Would it work?
I had no idea. It was a gamble but… I was already getting too much advantage over the rest of the players. So what if I miss this gamble?
And if it did pay off… then I had no idea what kind of rewards someone would use for a three year long reference…
Don't disappoint me Game Master…
By the time I completed the runs, Arnold also came with his two Knights.
"Arthas, are you here to train too?" Arnold waved at me.
"Yes. I was hoping to see how the Knights Academy in Greeftrost was."
"Well then, come on in."
I nodded and accompanied him inside.
We showed our Baron badges although it seemed that Arnold was well known here.
Apparently, I was underestimating how famous he was.
It wasn't common for a person in T5 to fight at the level of T6. They were true outliers. Almost all people who reached T7 Classes could do so, that's why people held high expectations of Arnold.
To have an idea about how rare his talent was, currently in the kingdom, there were only five such individuals like him.
Greenfrost was something else entirely when compared to Llyne.
I saw around hundreds of Knights training together. All T4 or above. In fact, I could count around a hundred and twenty T5 Knights and according to Arnold, this was only 20 percent of the force stationed in Greenfrost Knight Academy.
The rest were spread across the city and on the outposts surrounding the territory.
In fact, these were only Knights. Magic Knights were in the Magic Tower while Templars were in the Church.
I sparred with several of the knights in the Academy. There was a lot of variety here and at the end, we all got cleaned up and I was invited by the other knights.
"You don't have a Knight Tree Class for T5, Arthas?"
"Ah.. yes. I got another class with skills I wanted to learn so…"
"But you do have a Knight Class, don't you?"
I nodded.
"Then you must choose our squad. With someone like you, those Magic Knights and Templars wouldn't stand a chance against us." One of them said enthusiastically.
"Excuse me?"
Arnold laughed and explained. "They are talking about the annual competition. The Knight Academy, the Magic Tower and the Church send their best fighters to compete against one another. It's something that was started by the previous Marquis to encourage fighters in the territory. Remember what I told you about Grand Knights always winning against the other two?"
I nodded.
"Well, the other two sides don't take it so well. Obviously, they have a hard chance to win against Grand Knights so they push everything in T5 Tier fights when the difference between the three sides is very little. Sword and Shield Knights don't stand a chance against truly skilled ones from other two sides and even Lord Knights can have problems against their magic if they are not careful until they learn Battle Aura. That's why, while we always win the T6 fights… the T5 is shaky at best."
"Really? You are T5 right?" I asked, surprised that there are people stronger in T5 than even Arnold.
"Well, technically I cannot participate in T5 as I am a City Lord, a T6 equivalent." He shrugged.
"Yes. And the Templars have been winning it since Arnold became a City Lord. They had Lord Conrad but even he has become a Holy Knight and cannot participate this year." One of them explained.
"The Templars are gaining nice talents. They level up fast since we have to keep the undead in check and they are so good against them. Many new talents are rising among their numbers like Lord Conrad and even Prince Arthas…"
"Anyways, I am not even a Lord Knight yet. I don't think I can qualify." I shrugged.
In fact, I qualified for Magic Knight right now so I might have to check that place too. In fact, now that I think about it, all I needed to do was get a Cleric Class and I can get a Templar Class too. My Sword and Shield Skills were progressing due to training with Arnold too.
At this rate, in just a few months, I could qualify for all three Knight Classes. Could I unlock some unique class after that?
It was something worth trying.
But for now I have the Monster Slayer Class to level up so I don't have to concentrate solely on this.
The Achievement was at risk.
"Oh, anyone can participate in the competition. It's open for everyone. It was created to see the notable talents of the province. The competition between the three divisions is unofficial for the bragging rights. In fact, you should go for it. The rewards are quite good." Arnold suggested.
"Rewards? What can we get?" I asked.
"Well, fame for one. Your name will spread in the kingdom. Money, sometimes there are even Skill Books and equipment. In fact, if you win, you can get offers from all three divisions or get the sponsorship from the Marquis too. Your Guild can get more offers that way."
"Oh… when is the competition?" I asked, suddenly interested in the rewards.
"It will start the day after tomorrow, after tomorrow's party and will probably last until the next day."
"Great. Where do I need to go to participate?"
"No need to go anywhere. I will file your name here from our side." One of the Knights smiled widely. "We will even pay the gold for participation… just make sure you beat up those pesky Magic Knights and Templars real good."
"..."
"Yeah. As for the business of your guild, don't worry about that. I have heard that there are going to be some dignitaries from other provinces too. Lord Daren is planning to present Lord Conrad on the national scale as the new Lord of Greenfrost. " The man leaned in and whispered. "In fact, I have heard that there might be someone from the Capital too. If you make it big there, you could get a lot of publicity for your guild."
"And I can always introduce you to my father. He is one of the biggest merchants in Greenfrost. We can get plenty of jobs for you." One of the Knights, Ryan said.
The guys were really insisting so I agreed too.
As soon as I did that, a quest was issued.
To be the Strongest
Greenfrost is organising their yearly competition to see who is the best fighter for each tier in the whole territory.
Objective: Participate in the Competition.
Reward: Depends on the final ranking.
x_
"And that's how it is." I explained the whole situation to Veena and Rose.
"I think you should participate."
"Oh and I also got us a meeting with a prominent merchant of the kingdom. He is the father of one of the Knights I met there. They kinda… bribed me to participate in the competition." I laughed.
I was a Level 28 Man Slayer. Only eight levels more till I get a level cap and can change to the Monster Slayer Class.
As my level and Skills increased, I could fight Arnold to a standstill in our spars. The Fated Enemy Skill is just that freaking broken.
Let's see how far I can get in the competition.
"Anyways, I won't be able to accompany you two there. I have to train the whole day at the Knight's Academy for today."
"That's no problem. You should concentrate on your quest. The last time's rewards were very good. You could get something better this time." Veena suggested.
I nodded.
We had breakfast together and I left for the Knight Academy.
The entire day, we trained, basically sparred against the knights of Greenfrost. In doing so, I learned something interesting.
Apparently, there were people here who could teach Skills to others.
It reminded me of the Move Tutors from Skyrim. Too bad I didn't have enough time to learn any Skill before the tournament.
"Really, what kind of Skills can I learn?" I asked.
"Any Skill up to Lord Knight level considering you are a T5 too. Your body should be able to handle it." Ralph, the Vice Director of the Greenfrost Knight Academy and a Grand Knight said.
He came to see after I had beaten up a dozen T5 Knights in the Knight Academy.
"Normally, you would need to cash in your achievement points to be eligible to learn skills, but as long as you beat those snort nosed Templars up in the tournament and take the first place… any one skill you want is yours." He said with a smirk.
"I… is the competition between the three divisions really so serious?" I couldn't help but ask as I looked at his expression.
"Serious? Not in terms of work. We are after all part of the 's just that, there is no competition for T6. That means anyone who wins T5 rankings, gets the bragging rights for the rest of the year. Do you know how insufferable those bastards have been for the last two years? Every formal event, every time we cooperate together for missions, even in joint training… they always walk with their nose towards the sky… looking down on us." He slammed his fist on the table, cracking what I think was a magically reinforced table.
One of the knights whispered to me and I understood the true reason for his anger.
The person in charge of the Holy Knights was Ralph's best friend. They have had a friendly rivalry going on since they were kids.
And now I am getting dragged into this rivalry…
Still it didn't look like they really meant anything bad against each other so it was fine. Either way, I had a Skill I have wanted to learn for a while now so there was no way I was going to let this chance go.
I returned to the inn late in the evening to find Veena and Rose downstairs, getting ready for dinner.
I had already eaten at the Academy with other Knights so I just accompanied them with a drink.
"So… how was the meeting?" I asked as I took a sip of my drink.
Veena smiled at the question. "The deal went great. They want to try our Guild's abilities first and see if we can handle their demand so there will be a temporary contract for the next six months. If we can keep with their required quantity and quality of products, we can expect a permanent contract with them."
"That's great. That would mean a steady flow of Gold and Experience for the Guild Members." I smiled at the good news.
"Indeed. Not only that, they also had some new medicine recipes here as well as information about some Classes as well." She explained.
A Pharmacist could become more focused on poison and become a Poison Master. Then there was the Pharmacist Class and Mage Class together coming to become the Witch Class. Then there was a T4 Potioneer Class which can be unlocked by a Scholar and Herbalist Class.
Now that would normally have been available to Veena… if she hadn't used Mage Class Card and gotten Scholar Class instead.
A Potioneer can become Potion Master at T5 and then Alchemist at T6 although the requirements for the classes are not yet known.
Obviously, these are pure production based classes so they didn't have any fire power but with the rising difficulty, more people were choosing safer production based classes instead of going out to fight dangerous beasts to gain easier levels and stats from crafting items.
This was especially true for the kids who actually had a passive growth skill which increased their skill proficiency faster.
We had bought another broken down building and on Suikazura-san's request, renovated it into a shelter for kids. We had been so busy with our own difficulties that we never noticed the plight of the kids who had gotten involved in all this mess.
We were providing them with food and basic necessities and taught by some guild members in their free time.
They were in fact taught some crafting as it can increase stats and give them some measure of skill for when they are older and want to go out to level up.
This way they can get access to higher level Classes and we can get a variety of production Classes in our Guild.
This needs some more planning.
"Even the temporary deals are worth a lot… and so… today we party."
And we did have a party. The food was free for the invited and their companions so even Rose didn't mind the extravagance.
We went back to our rooms after eating.
x_
"You look wonderful." Veena said as she straightened my dress.
"You too." I replied. "And Rose, you look amazing too."
I wasn't joking. They did look stunning. Veena was wearing a white dress while Rose had a blue princess dress on.
It was the next evening, the day of the party. I had done my daily routine and trained with the Knights the whole day before returning to the Inn.
Veena and Rose, in the meantime, had bought a dress for each of us for today's party.
Obviously, among the three of us, she was the only one who knew what kind of dress was suitable for such parties.
The girls looked quite happy at the dresses.
"T-thank you…" The girl replied with a light blush.
"Alright, we are all prepared here. Let's go. We can't keep Lord Straight waiting for long." Veena said and we agreed.
Sure enough, Arnold was waiting for us below.
He was dressed in formal clothes too, looking like a proper noble although the clothes did nothing to hide the feeling of the soldier he always carried.
I guess it's something which gets ingrained in your bones over time.
"Arthas, ladies." He gave the two ladies a polite nod. "Shall we?"
Our carriage was waiting for us outside and we were directly taken to the castle.
The whole place was lit with lights, both magical and non magical, making it look like an extremely beautiful fantasy…
Arnold took the lead and we followed him.
The Lord's Castle was huge. The hall alone was several times larger than the building we had bought for the Guild hostels.
Inside, several hundred people were enjoying the party.
Arnold looked around and found the group from the Knight Academy and we joined them.
We introduced the girls to the group and I looked around. "Where is Sir Ralph?"
"He's with the bigwigs on the first floor. This floor is for Knights, Barons, Viscounts and wealthy merchants. That floor is reserved for higher ranking nobility and T6 ranked people, the top level of the Greenfrost territory. Arnold can go there if he wants since he is in the same position as them but not us."
"Eh, I will have to spend the whole day tomorrow and the day after with those old guys, watching over the tournament. I'd rather stay here today." Arnold waved off.
We talked about a few things and both Ryan and Arnold introduced me to some figures on the ground floor.
The people included Magic Knights, Templars and even Mages and Clerics.
Veena and Rose both had Mage classes and thus got to know the Mages too.
"I thought there was hard competition between Magic Knights, Templars and us." I asked Arnold, confused by their cordial behaviour. They weren't even pretending.
Even the worst one had only been uninterested at best but not bad.
"Yes, we do. But at the same time, we also work together to defend the kingdom against enemies. You cannot trust your back to your enemy. As for the rivalry, it is something which has been promoted tactically by each side to help us compete against each other and grow. No one ever crosses the line. So they are just that, rivals… not enemies."
I nodded at Arnold's explanation.
"If you want to look for enemies, then you can look in that direction." Ryan nodded me towards the other side of the hall. "That's the group invited by Hector Black. I heard they are going to compete tomorrow with us."
I took a look at the group and they seemed like… "Mercenaries?"
"Hmm. They call themselves the 'Order of the Black Hand'. From what I have heard, their leader is a T7 Berserker Warrior. He wants to make his Guild strong enough to rival the 'Order of the Silver Hand'. This time Hector Black has recruited them, probably promising monetary support to help his guild grow in return."
"Are they really going to pull something like that? Calling in outsiders to compete against us, just in a bid to undermine Lord Daren's authority?"
Arnold shrugged. "It's not against the rule so who cares. All you guys need to do is win."
I got interested in their words as this sounded like something which could be important to my quest so I asked more. "What kind of people are they? Any news about them?"
"They are quite strong, in fact, one of the strongest private guilds in the kingdom. In fact, they have grown rapidly in the past decade. Right now, they have at least a dozen T6 and over a hundred T5 members in their guild and are rapidly rising in power. They mainly operated in the southern and western parts of the kingdom, in the Redwood and Blackthorn territories. Now it looks like they are planning to spread their influence in Greenfrost."
"How about their characters?"
"That's… they have a very high rate of task completion and have even assisted in border security… it's just that… and I have only heard of this, their methods… are questionable at times."
"Oh?"
"Well as you can already guess from the name of the Guild, the Guild Master of the Guild has some… unpleasant history with the 'Order of the Silver Hand'. He was kicked out due to misbehaviour from the order and so opened his own guild. His level allowed him to do so. Since its formation the Guild has always tried to undermine the authority of the 'Order of the Silver Hand'. Greenfrost and the Marquis is a member, one of the high level members of the Order…"
"And that's why Hector Black is using them to compete against his father's influence." I completed, earning nods from them.
"Well, that's not exactly our problem, is it? They want the Silver Hand, let them go after the Silver Hand. The Order is not something that will crumble away under the pokings of some upstarts." Arnold said, uncaringly.
Just as we were about to say something, several people appeared on the balcony of the first floor.
Several men appeared, Ralph being one of them but the two older men in the centre getting more attention. Conrad stood beside one of the men.
Arnold told me their identities. "In the green dress, the man with long silver hair and beard is Derek Black, Lord Conrad's Grandfather."
The man looked old but the aura he carried was like a mountain. But it was still nothing compared to the man beside him. That man… he was something else.
"As for the one beside him… I didn't expect him to come here personally. That's Uther, the Lightbringer, one of first five Paladins of the Kingdom and the mentor of Arthas Menethil. He is the strongest Paladin of the Kingdom." I could hear the reverence in Arnold's voice, something very rare.
I took a look and indeed, I could see why he would be respected.
The guy was a max level T7, probably even stronger with his skills and combat ability. It would be like facing a T8.
"Welcome everyone." Derek Black addressed the audience. "It warms my heart to see all of you gather here to wish this old man well on this day. For this, thank you all with all my heart. Thank you for your support. The House of Black will always remember your love and support." He started and looked towards the crowd. "I won't bore you with my words. Enjoy the party tonight."
And we did just that.
Veena accompanied me with Ryan guiding us to introduce us to several merchants and other people with businesses to advertise our guild. She really had a way with words.
We even met the people from the Magic Tower and Magic Knights. On learning that all three of us were Mages, they invited us to visit them sometime. Rose was very interested in visiting.
At the end of the night, all of us left the party, quite satisfied.
In our room, I collapsed in our bed.
"That was tiring." I sighed.
"All formal events are, dear." Veena replied as she sat down near me, while Rose went to the bathroom to change.
"Really?"
"Hmm. After some time, it becomes incredibly tiring. That still doesn't change the fact that they are a great place to socialise and make connections. Now all we need to do for you to win the competition and assure them that we can indeed complete their quests."
"I will do my best." I looked up with a smile. She was really looking ravishing in that white dress.
The purple eyes gleamed slightly in the light of the room and she had a very slight blush due to the wine she had drunk there.
I wanted to push her down and take her in that very dress but Rose being there made me hold back.
She apparently understood that and leaned in and captured my lips.
I responded and we kissed for a while, only stopping when we heard Rose coming out. Seeing the look on Veena's face, I was pretty sure she didn't mind going further but I didn't want the poor girl to faint from too much stimulation so I gave up for now.
It was just a matter of a week or so… and it's not like we cannot find any alone time later on.
We too took turns and changed before putting out the lights and going to bed.
The room was completely dark and I closed my eyes to take an early nap.
I had to wake up early for the daily exercise tomorrow.
As I was about to sleep, I felt Veena's hand on my crotch, slowly caressing my rapidly hardening length.
I turned towards her and she whispered in my ears. "You looked quite backed up."
"Rose is here." I whispered back, although I didn't want her to stop her movements.
"Then make sure she doesn't find out. Isn't it exciting?"
I couldn't see her face but I was pretty sure she had that mischievous smile on her face right now.
She slipped down on the bed and under the blanket before I felt a tug at my shorts. I raised my hip to assist her in pulling off the shorts and felt her hands at my length, slowly jerking me off.
One moment, I felt the tip being enveloped in the warm and wet mouth of hers as she rolls her tongue around the tip.
I gripped the bedsheet with one hand to prevent a moan escaping my mouth while my other hand slipped under the blanket and gripped her hair.
She continued her ministrations and I found myself slowly thrusting into her mouth. Slight sounds were heard but neither of us cared at this point.
Just a few minutes later, I felt my climax approaching and pressed her head onto my length. Her throat clenched around me and pushed me over the edge as I shot ropes of my cum directly into her mouth.
I released her as I basked in the pleasure but she stayed there and her mouth moved again before she cleaned both of us with her spell and came out of the blanket.
"How was that?" She asked in a whisper.
"Amazing." I replied and pulled her for a kiss which she gladly returned.
My hands slipped behind her before pulling her night dress up and finding way into her underwear. I caressed her already wet folds and slowly slipped a finger inside and began to move.
She pulled me in for a kiss, not wanting to moan and I indulged her, increasing the speed of the fingers while we kissed.
Her climax came a few minutes later too and she moaned into my mouth.
I pulled her into a hug and we slept like that.
- Veena -
She sat in the audience with Rose as they watched over the competition. Their seats had been arranged by the Knight Academy and Arnold, who himself was sitting among the head gallery with the rest of the City Lords and dignitaries.
Their seat was still in the noble area, where people just below the top level were sitting. With her was the merchant, Roland, Ryan's father who had just made a temporary contract with the Fairy Tail guild. He was a former knight who had retired due to injuries and had taken over his family business. But even with his injuries, he was a max level T5 Lord Knight.
Over a thousand people had entered the competition. Five hundred T3, Three hundred and fifty T4 and Two hundred T5.
First round was a simple trial where the people had to fight three Golems of their own tier. If they won, they would then qualify for the next round. The Golems were created by the Magic Tower.
"I wonder what kind of spell they are using?" Rose whispered as they looked at one of the players being knocked out by the golem.
"The Magic Tower has many kinds of magicians, preceded over by Archmage Antonidas. Their means are never to be underestimated." Roland said.
"But if they can create such Golems, surely they could do the same in battlefields, right?" Rose asked.
The answer came from someone else.
"Not really."
They looked behind and saw an old man with sharp eyes and neatly trimmed beard and moustache, looking at the field. He wore a pair of glasses and looked like a noble but his warrior-like aura wasn't hidden by his gentlemanly dress.
"Regan, when did you arrive at Greenfrost?" Roland asked, pleasantly surprised at the new man's arrival.
"This morning. We got delayed by some bandits on the way. Pesky cretin were causing trouble in the villages we were passing through. It took me some time to find every last one of them."
"Ahahahaha, that's just like you, Sir Regan the Just." Roland laughed and then introduced her. "This is Regan Fowler, a teacher at the Magic Tower."
She gave the man a short bow and he returned a nod.
"Those Golems need a supply of magic crystals and can only function within a certain area. They are not suitable for battles as they cannot easily distinguish between friends and foes without some mage controlling them individually, something which is unnecessarily wasteful. That's why they can only be used in such cases as well as to train soldiers in a controlled environment."
"I see."
"Moreover, making T5 and above Golems is extremely hard and expensive. It's far cheaper to train Knights of that level." He added.
"The average strength of golems is also lower than a Knight of the same level." Roland added. "Even Magic Knights can take one down in a solo battle despite them being resistant to magic."
She looked ahead and sure enough, individually they were quite a bit weaker but when three cooperated together, their strength was formidable enough to easily defeat most of the challengers they faced.
At the end of it all, only around a tenth of the T3 remained, thirty five of T4. It was finally time for the T5.
She had noticed that the ones who won were all above average level. In fact, she could say this without a doubt that the fighting abilities of the qualified people were far above the average player of the same level. Although, she was pretty sure that each member of her team was stronger than them and could have qualified too.
"Now here's where the real competition is." Roland said as he sat straight in his seat, watching closely.
The players entered the field one by one and Roland explained.
"Each faction like the Knight Academy, Magic Tower, Church, nobles, etc, get to nominate twenty people of their own. The rest are independent individuals who have come from all over Greenfrost to show their talents and win a reward, maybe even catch the attention of someone high up and get recruited."
She nodded. She had indeed noticed some people with a parchment and pen, noting down the names of some participants after the games.
"T5 Golems are controlled by individual mages. They will be having a lot more problems than the previous two rounds." Regan said and they watched closer.
The first challenger, a Level 48, T5 Martial Artist stepped forward.
The match started with the signal from the judges and the three golems divided in three directions, magic forming in their hands as they shot three different types of elemental magic at the monk from all three directions.
And to his credit, the monk moved swiftly, dodging the attacks and retaliating but the combination of the three golems was hard to counter. By the end, he was able to defeat two of them but fell to the third one.
"It's… much harder than the previous rounds. They can even use magic." Rose whispered softly, looking at the battle, worriedly.
"In wars, you don't get to choose how many people come after you or what kind of skills they will have. This test is to emulate that kind of situation. The skills of the golems are randomised to simulate real war." Regan explained and they watched forward.
Sure enough, under the siege of the three golems, the T5 players started being eliminated one by one.
There were obviously those who passed the test, being able to take down the three golems through plans or by using skills against them but everyone was hurt more or less.
Finally, it was Arthas' turn.
She sensed Rose becoming tense and placed a hand on her hand, reassuring her. "Don't worry. Arthas is strong."
"Is that your partner?" Roland asked, looking forward.
"Yes."
"Oh… a Knight Academy representative? I haven't heard about him." Regan said, taking a closer look.
"He was brought by Lord Straight and nominated by Sir Ralph himself so he must be good. My son hasn't been back home these days so I don't know much" Roland replied.
"Arnold Straight? Hmm, that guy… is difficult. But our Magic Knights are not to be underestimated either, not to mention the Templars."
"Heh… we will see." Roland scoffed in good nature. And then turned towards her. "What do you think he will do, Miss Veena?" Roland asked.
"Arthas will win." She replied.
"Ahahaha that's the way."
They looked forward and the judge gave the signal and almost at the same time, Arthas kicked the ground, reaching the golems who were still trying to get some distance from one another. His blade lit with lightning and he slashed down.
The golem lifted its arms, trying to block while the other two moved to aim at him.
But under everyone's stunned eyes, the golem was cleaved through without any resistance. Arthas didn't wait either and spun around, kicking the upper piece towards another golem, blocking the angle of attack.
The magic attack from the said golem clashed with the torso of the first golem and the blast destabilised it, while also creating a cloud of dust around them.
Arthas kicked the ground once again and dove into the cloud of dust and almost next second, another golem slashed from between was thrown out of the cloud of dust.
Their vision wasn't obstructed for much longer either as the cloud of dust suddenly separated from the middle, as if slashed by an invisible giant sword. What appeared for their sights was the last golem falling in two pieces, bisected in the middle.
There was a moment of silence in the whole stadium. Even the judge was quiet, not sure about what happened.
Arthas sheathed his sword and slowly walked back and looked at the judge.
It was then that the judge broke out of his trance.
"P-pass."
The crowd, as if awakened by the judge's voice erupted in an uproar.
Veena looked at the two men beside her, looking at the field in stunned silence before turning towards her and then looking back at the field.
"H-ow long did that take?" Roland asked.
"I… don't know. Five… seven… seconds. By Mother Magic, is he really a T5?" Regan replied and then looked at her.
"A Level 28, T5." She replied.
"28! He's not even max level?"
"A-actually." Rose interrupted.
"Hmm?"
"He… just levelled up when he destroyed the last Golem." Rose added.
Veena checked the Guild menu and sure enough, he did level up.
"My apologies. It seems he is Level 29 now."
…
…
…
…
Regan opened his glasses and rubbed his eyes and then looked at Roland. "We are screwed this year, aren't we?" His words, completely breaking his cold noble facade.
Roland, who had a wide smile on his face by now, laughed at the words. "Very likely, my friend. Very likely."
x_
The matches had stopped for a while.
It turns out that many of the contestants and even some of the judges were raising complaints that Arthas was a higher tier individual, hiding his level by some means.
A short check proved that they were completely wrong and the matches were continued.
She noticed there were several other good fighters who could even match the players in her team in skill level.
By the end of it all, almost all nominated contestants from the Knight Academy, Magic Tower and Church were selected, passing the test. Among others who passed were the members of the Order of the Black Hand, having passed the test as well. Finally, there were several other independent warriors, making a total of sixty three people.
The sun was already setting so the rest of the matches were left for the next day.
Both Rose and she went ahead and met with Arthas who was currently being surrounded by the Knights of the Knight Academy.
She noticed that he was genuinely happy and was having fun at the moment.
- Kuroka -
"W-woah. That was amazing." Gaspy spoke from beside her.
She had bought him a mask from the market and surprisingly, he was able to walk out when his face wasn't seen.
Gaspy had told her that he used to make contracts on the internet and he was actually quite good at talking to people when he was not facing them directly. In fact, he had no problem talking to people over a phone either.
He only became afraid when his face was seen by others.
From that, she had an idea to hide his face and see if that would help him face others… and it turns out that her plan had succeeded quite well.
Sure, he was still a bit jumpy but he was able to come to the stadium and watch a competition with her, this alone was monumental progress compared to anything he had done before.
The Blacksmith had taken Gasper in as an apprentice after being pleased by his skill level. In fact, he had been very happy to find a student like Gaspy and had even pointed them towards a cheap place to rent nearby.
They had noticed the sudden increase in the crowd in the city and especially the people going towards the inner city and asked the old Blacksmith about it and found out about the annual competition held in Greenfrost. He even told them that they could visit the tournament as work was light for the day. It would also be a rare chance to visit the inner city which was usually only open for selected people… and so here they were, having fun.
"Hmph, if I had my full power, I could have blown them up alone." She snorted.
"R-really?"
"Obviously. Who do you think I am? These guys are not even High Class level yet… I could totally destroy them with my full power."
She wasn't even lying. Sure a few of them were reaching the top of Mid Class and were only a bit away from High Class level but they were still not there and even if they were, they still couldn't match her.
"But these NPCs are quite strong. I will have to increase my leveling speed to catch up to them." She added.
As they were talking, another player came on the stage.
Blue hair, golden eyes, wearing full armour… those things looked high quality…
"K-kuroka-san… that… that guy… he… he… he is a player." Gaspy suddenly exclaimed.
She took a moment to register what he was saying and when she did, she quickly looked closer… and sure enough… that was a Player.
But… wasn't this a T5 competition?…
Suddenly remembering something, she used her Scan Skill to check his stats.
His information was obscured by something and she couldn't get anything except his name and level…
A Level 28… T5… Arthas…
"What the hell, nyaa~ Who is this guy?"
But the surprises didn't end there.
As soon as the match started he moved… and Kuroka couldn't see anything… she totally missed him moving at all. It was almost as if he had teleported from one place to another… and took down one of those golems in one slash…
The rest of the match ended so fast that Kuroka was sure that she could have missed half the match if she had blinked a few times more…
"W-oah! That… was awesome…" Gaspy whispered beside her and this time even Kuroka was unable to say anything about it.
Just what the hell has this guy been doing?
Actually, just who is this guy?
Is he cheating?
She hadn't even heard of any T5 Players let alone someone who is almost half way through T5 already. And even if he was that level… why was he so freaking strong? Not even the max level T5 people had that kind of power…
Not only her, even the audience was stunned at the performance of the guy and even doubted him of cheating but turns out that he wasn't cheating at all.
She watched the rest of the fights but all her attention was fixed on that guy.
"Umm… K-k-kuroka-san… do you think we can join that guy's team?" Gaspy asked. "I… I mean, he is strong. You can join his team. That way you can level up faster."
…
That thought did come to her head but… she had to think of many things before that?
And if he was at this level, surely he would also have a team of his own. Will he accept someone else, especially someone who had just become a T4?
But more importantly, what kind of person was he and what kind of people his team members were?
"I… will investigate him first. Let's go back home for now. You have work at the shop too." She got up and Gaspy accompanied her.
Arthas…
At least she had some goal for now.
- Game Master -
"Did the last batch of players all enter the game?" He asked, looking at Red who was finishing up her side of the work.
"Oh yeah. They are all registered and in the game now."
"How many are there?"
"Fourteen thousand."
"Hmm. Send them all to a different country, maybe in the Pirate World side of the world. The Warcraft Continent already has more than enough players. We don't need more crowds."
"But didn't many players die and get… removed from that continent? Surely they could get some place there? That one is a higher danger level area with frequent pirate attacks and all…"
"Well, aren't these people here to complete this game? They have come here despite knowing the danger… so give them a chance to face that. Moreover… don't you think it would be unfair for them to just jump in and get carried by higher level players… without actually facing the same difficulties as the first generation?"
Red shrugged. "Whatever you want. I will drop them in one of the blues."
"How is the progress of the players going, Ophis?" He asked looking at the quiet Ophis who was nibbling at her cupcake in front of the screen. She looked in his direction after listening to him.
"Good. One and half months more needed to reach there."
"That's great."
Progress was great then.
Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Tiamat and asked. "Actually, how about my cute Kouhai? I haven't heard any new Achievements being activated recently."
He had only triggered the Buffy reference but had gone almost quiet after that.
Was he getting the Classes too easily? Hmm, knowing the triggering condition of some of the classes, he didn't worry about it.
"He is training." She replied, uninterested and passed over the information to him. He looked at his progress and nodded.
"Looks like the group has figured something out after realizing the pattern of magic and skills in the game… no, perhaps they haven't figured out the reason but only discovered the patterns. At least they are going in the right direction. He has slowed down his levelling speed but has been constantly grinding his Skill levels… yeah, he figured out the trick, alright."
Training the skills was the actual way to play the game. That was the real goal of the game after all…
And for that reason, those who followed that, get rewarded too.
Greenfrost…
Hmm, going there so soon.
He had expected him to go there after a month or two. Ah, it was the devil milf wanting to expand the guild business…
Ohh… suddenly he realised that he would absolutely notice the clues in Greenfrost.
He wondered how his face would be on realising where exactly he was… especially with that name…
Oh the irony…
Suddenly he noticed something strange on the screen observing him.
He was going on a run?
He looked at Tiamat and asked, "What is he doing?"
She shrugged. "No idea. He has been doing this everyday for the last few days."
"Going for runs?" Well, while odd, it wasn't unbelievable. Some people did like running so it wasn't that strange either…Greenfrost was a beautiful place. He can see anyone wanting to explore it more.
"Not only going for runs but also exercising… it's nothing major to even call training at his level but he has been doing it everyday for the last few days, the first thing after he wakes up." Tiamat added, getting his attention.
"Huh… what exercises?" He asked, curious at the information.
She opened up a screen and read out from it. "Ten kilometers of running, one hundred situps, one hundred pushups and one hundred squats…"
He blanked out for a moment… and then a smile lit up his face…
"There is no way…"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"There is no fucking way… are you sure he does exactly that?" He asked again.
Tiamat just rolled her eyes and forwarded him the information. He checked it and sure enough… that's exactly what it was…
"Hahahaha… oh Kouhai-kun, it seems that I have truly underestimated you. Are you really prepared to do all that… for three years without even knowing if it would give you any results? That's the same kind of spirit as Luffy searching for the One Piece without even knowing if it exists… Hahahaha… well done. Truly, well fucking done."
The other three in the room looked at him strangely while Red couldn't help herself and asked. "What exactly is he doing? Isn't it just an exercise?"
"Just exercise? No, no way, my dear. He is probably attempting the biggest gamble in the game… attempting to get a three year long reference… This is something even I wasn't crazy enough to put in… My dear Kuohai is showing potential to surpass me in craziness." He laughed again.
"No… this won't do. Now I need to make this happen. If he can actually keep the thing going, then I will also give him a reward worthy of his efforts." He pulled up his keyboard after a long time and started working.
It had to be something good… no, something grand… something suitable for the reference he was currently attempting.
After all, unlike Saitama, he would have a much harder time keeping up with the routine, especially with all the hunting and raids being thrown his way in future…
That's why the reward had to be equally good. Sure, he couldn't make him Saitama… but damn if he wouldn't try his best…
x_x_
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'.
So, Arthas is in Greenfrost and has entered a tournament.
Our boi is growing up so well that even the NPCs are thinking he's hacking lol.
Kuroka and Gasper have seen him and she wants to investigate him more…
Lastly, the Game Master is fired up by Arthas' new exercise routine.
What will be his reward and what will the tournament be like… we will see…
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.