Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters in the story are consenting adults over
18 years of age.
Chapter 29: Passing Days
_
- Arthas -
Rose woke up a while later.
"I am sorry… I didn't realise I overslept." She said, looking embarrassed.
"Not really. You're on time. I woke up earlier to train. I just… got lost in talking to Kurumi
here. I was about to wake you up too. Come, have a seat." I moved aside, making some
space beside me for her to sit and looked at her.
She was actually quite composed compared to last night.
She understood my intention and sat down beside me while I wrapped my arm lightly
around her waist pulling her to my side. Outside was still slightly chilly and while the
camp fire kept us warm, none of us minded some more warmth. Although my action did
make her blush lightly, she made no move to remove it.
Kurumi's eyes twitched at my action and I gave her a smirk, remembering our earlier
conversation and her trying to act all seductive and mature towards me.
"Tch… get a room already, you two." She clicked her tongue, annoyed at being played a
while ago and went into the tent.
My smirk only widened while Rose blushed even harder.
There was still some time until sunrise so we just sat there for a while like that.
Sometimes, peace and quiet was much better than a thousand words.
"Umm…"
"Hmm?"
"Kurumi… how… I mean what kind of person is she?" Rose asked, hesitantly.
"Are you asking for my opinion because of what you know about her… from public
knowledge?" I asked.
She nodded hesitantly.
"Hmm, you should always take these words at face value. In cases like hers, things are
not as they look outside."
She looked at me surprised as I continued. "I don't know everything for sure but… That
thing about her going crazy… that's ridiculous. She is perfectly sane. Guarded, very
guarded but perfectly sane. Whatever she did back then, she did in full sanity. I am
more concerned about why she did such a thing in the first place. From what I have
observed in the time we have spent together, I don't think she is the type of person who
would do such a thing until forced into a corner. Unfortunately, the people she went
against are too influential and could easily turn the public opinion against her. Happens
everywhere in the human world. I don't see why the underworld would be any different."
I had been closely exposed to such things due to my parents' business so I knew just
how many people died like that or were falsely jailed in place of another. The numbers
were insane, not something I could have even imagined in my previous life but that's
how it has always been. The higher you are, the further you can see and the more the
ones below look like ants to you.
As for the underworld, they still lived in a feudal age. This was something which wasn't
going to change either as in the case of humans, the difference between devils was
vast. One of them could fight a dozen humans while another could take on an entire
continent and raze it totally.
How could the two be compared?
Sure it was brutal, but the world was never easy.
"But then… yesterday…"
"Yeah, she was pretending. A mask she has developed, probably after being on the run
for years. Don't worry about her and don't let public opinion cloud your judgement. A
person is smart. The public?… They are stupid. Don't be stupid. Just do what you want
to do."
"I… umm. I will try talking to her." She nodded.
"Great. I think you will get along quite well."
I actually thought that.
Kurumi's outgoing and yet guarded personality was a perfect match for Rose' meek
personality which lacked confidence in herself. I think they would have a good effect on
each other.
After a while, the sun rose and we watched the sun rise together.
I too got up and decided to complete my daily training.
"You run daily? But why? Does running give any stats?"
"Hmm yes. I just have a passive skill which increases my Exp. Gain by 5% and 5% Stat
Boost for a day, if I complete a daily exercise set. It's something I unlocked recently and
have been trying to make a habit out of it."
"Oh. Alright."
"Don't worry. It won't take long."
And it really didn't.
I was done in less than half an hour. I wanted to get the daily use of my Hogyoku Skill
effect too but going red on my HP in the middle of a jungle at night sounded like a bad
idea. So I left it for later.
Normally, I would practice my Haki and other Skills but we didn't want to waste mana in
a forest.
We kept guard for a while longer and took down three stray animals in that time.
Although near the road, sometimes stray animals did come out of the forest near the
camp. I wonder if Kurumi fought any while we were sleeping earlier?
She woke up after sometime and we hunted for a bit before going back to the city.
Today however, I observed that Rose and Kurumi were getting along better than
yesterday. Apparently my little chat with both the girls had worked.
x_
"Hmm, sounds like you three had an adventure." Veena said, as she took a sip of her
drink and smiled at us.
We returned to Greenfrost by evening after another day of hunting.
Today we didn't encounter any boss and I didn't have the intention of going any further
inside the forest without my full team.
We still got several T5 normal monsters and while not even as strong as the Wolf Boss
from yesterday, eight hours of hunting had pushed me up another level. As expected,
the average level of monsters in this area was higher.
Kurumi returned to the Blacksmith's shop where she was staying earlier while Rose and
I came back to our Inn where Veena was.
She had already sent Gasper back to the Blacksmith's shop for his apprenticeship an
hour before we had arrived.
The boy was apparently more comfortable there than at the Inn where he was forced to
interact with more people.
He really had a crippling case of social anxiety.
"The monsters in the area were stronger. We could hunt here if we have a full team."
"Oh and how about your new teammate?"
"She… is not good at acting."
"Hehehehe so you noticed as well. I did see you keeping an eye on her before. So, what
do you think about her?"
"She is… good. Very skilled but at the same time very guarded. I have no idea why she
is trying to put on that mean girl act but I can tell that she doesn't mean bad."
"Yes. Unfortunately, that's more of a defence mechanism for people in her situation. You
cannot survive the supernatural world by being a good guy all the time, especially for
someone in her situation. If she tries to actually behave properly, more people will judge
her and be wary of her whereas if she acts mean… well, people will expect it to be
normal behaviour for her due to her status as a criminal. It's surprising how many
opinions we can form about someone just a single word about them."
"That's… sad." Rose said, sounding quite dejected.
"It is but life is not always happy."
"She… doesn't seem like the type of person who would do such a thing… at least
without a reason." I added.
"Hmm. My son thought that too and so did other Satans. That's why he intervened to
save her sister, hoping to find something more about the case. But the thing is, you
cannot exactly call the man who had lost his son out to be suspicious and start
investigating him when there was clear evidence of Kuroka actually killing her king. A
youkai, especially a Nekoshou like Kuroka going mad on Senjutsu? None of the Satans
had believed that but there wasn't anything they could do. After all, it was just not
feasible to go after a Pillar House for a Low Class Reincarnated Devil."
"Why? Aren't the Satans the leaders of the devil race?" I asked.
"Hmm, they are. Contrary to what you believe, they do hold much power but it is
nowhere close to what the original Satans did. They are restricted to various degrees by
the Council of the Underworld."
She looked at my confused face and explained.
"After the Great War and the death of the original satans, the descendants of the
original Satans wanted to continue the war. Some houses supported them while many
were just tired after the long and bloody war and wanted an out. Unfortunately, the old
Satan faction was quite strong then. The bloodlines of the original Satans is no joke and
neither were their descendants, especially the son of Lucifer, Rizevim. His power was
so great that even his father was no match for him and for this reason he was called a
devil beyond even the devil or as they call it now, a Super Devil."
We listened to her words with rapt attention.
After all, this was my world now.
Knowing more about it could only help me out.
"When the people become dissatisfied with their kings, what do they do?"
"Rebel." I answered almost reflexively.
"Exactly. But our rebellion couldn't be that easy. If we had just warred, we would have
lost easily and the entire devil race would have been thrown into a situation where they
would then be hunted down by others. We needed to prepare and raise our forces. This
was something which took long term negotiations, convincing houses aligned with the
Old Satan descendants to join our side and most important of all, to make someone
capable of contending against those old Satan descendants, especially Rizevim.
Fortunately Ajuka and Sirzechs were strong enough to give our side hope and our
rebellion succeeded. The heroes of the Civil War were made the new generation of
Satans. Hehehehe, you might not know this but Bina also contested for the position of
Satan Leviathan but lost to Serafall although by a very small margin."
Oh, I knew that alright.
That's why when you asked me to imagine her between my legs during roleplay, I felt
my balls freeze in fear… that was until I actually imagined the thing.
Apparently, funcking the mother of the strongest devil on a daily basis did increase the
strength of my balls… or was it some kind of hidden achievement?
"The Civil War was quite traumatic for everyone and to prevent another repeat of that, it
was decided to restrict the power of the Satans so they couldn't do whatever they
desired. Even the current Satans agreed to prevent them from going despotic. There
was also the fact that all the surviving houses had participated in the war and deserved
a say in the new future they had created. Among these laws were provisions that a
Satan cannot interfere in the businesses of any houses until they have definite proof
that they are a danger to the Underworld and the devil race. This particular law is
something all Pillar House adheres to quite ardently."
Rose looked a bit confused and asked her question.
"I have a question."
"Yes?"
"I remember that your son, Sirzechs Lucifer, was the strongest devil ever born, right? I
have even heard rumours that he is several times stronger than the original Lucifer."
"Yes. He and his best friend Ajuka are Super Devils, just like Rizevim, although stronger.
Back during the Civil War they teamed up to defeat Rizevim but over the years, they
have individually grown stronger than Rizevim Lucifer too."
"Then why don't they push for investigations in such cases? I mean Lord Odin can do
that if he doubts someone in Asgard and we follow his orders. I doubt with their power
anyone could say anything?"
"Hmm, well you see, there are several reasons for this. The original Satans were the
actual kings of the devil race as Lucifer had created the entire devil race with Lilith. The
current Satans however don't have any such claim over the devil race. They are also
just like any other Pillar Devils, albeit with a large amount of power. Just the fact that
they still have to use the titles of the original Satans to continue their rule is an example
of this fact. The difference between Odin and Sirzechs is that the former is the actual
King of the Norse while the latter is… similar to a President of a country, a
representative chosen by the Pillar Houses due to his strength and his contributions in
the Civil War. It's the pillars who have made him a Satan. Am I clear up to this point?"
She asked and Rose nodded.
"Second point is that the Satans don't directly control the Underworld. They do so
through the Pillar Houses, each of whom control a large territory. This means that the
Pillars also control the economy of the Underworld, giving them a very large power over
the people. This was done to secure the domains of each Pillar Houses and prevent any
Satan from unfairly promoting their own houses while interfering in the businesses of
other houses who might not be aligned with them or their own houses because
remember again… the current Satans are actually the members of the Pillars too. No
one wanted to fight out of the control of one tyrant and fall into the hands of another."
It was like the restriction on politicians to promote their personal businesses and
crushing their business and political opponents with power. Although knowing what I
did, this hardly prevented them from misusing their powers.
Remembering memories from the light novel, Sirzechs interfering in the whole
engagement thing was actually showing off his power which showed that although he
was restricted, that was only until he wasn't forced to.
If I had to guess, none of the houses wanted to poke him on such a small matter,
especially when the Phenex themselves backed off.
Sure things could have been different if the Phenex had actually pushed but that wasn't
the case so who knows?
"Lastly, and this is quite a secret in the Underworld so don't speak of it outside." Veena
continued however her words made us look at her in shock and curiosity. "Super Devils,
except maybe Rizevim… were not naturally born."
"Huh?"
She shrugged. "I told you, didn't I that we planned for hundreds of years to resist and
rebel against the tyrants? This was one of them. My House, the Bael and the House of
my husband, the Gremory were the top houses among the resistance due to having two
of the original Pillar Devils created by Lucifer himself. Due to this, alliances were
formed. Believe it or not, my marriage with my husband was also a part of this plan to
unite both the houses to form a political faction capable of resisting the Satan
descendants. There were similar things done between the Astaroth and the Agares.
Several of these houses conducted experiments to create devils which were stronger
than normal devils, devils capable of standing up to even Rizevim… and among
hundreds of these experiments only two were successful and even that was through
sheer luck and through some other… extreme factors. You already know which two."
Rose had her mouth open at the news while even I was a bit shocked by this.
"Umm, are you sure you should tell this to us? I mean this is some big secret of the
devils, right?" Rose asked.
In reply, Veena just shrugged. "I don't think you will reveal this secret to anyone. Call it
an instinct. I have been known to have pretty sharp instincts."
My eyes twitched at her words. She is totally planning to seduce her in this game.
She was however unconcerned and continued. "These researches were however
banned completely due to the number of casualties they caused. In fact, the survival
rates of the newborns were less than 1% and even among them, only two were
successful. Such actions… if it hadn't been for saving our race from a gruesome end
due to war, is not something that could ever be allowed. In fact, even now, if these
things were to come out, it would cause extreme outrage."
"Due to the low fertility rate of the devil race?" I asked and she nodded in agreement.
"That's why all houses collectively agreed to remove all research and data. Sure there
were some who didn't want to agree and that's where the current Satans flexed their
muscles to make them agree."
"Oh, that much." I asked.
"I don't think you understand the true power of a Super Devil. Both Sirzechs and Ajuka
are two of the strongest beings in the world. A fight between such beings… is not
something anyone wants… not even them. The last two beings like that who often
fought each other were killed during the Great War and sealed by the Father of Angels."
"The Heavenly Dragons…" Rose said while I kept quiet. I wasn't supposed to know
about these things.
"Yes. The destruction caused by such beings is just too great. So great that people often
just avoid forcing them to fight if they can prevent it by any means just to avoid collateral
damage. Now if a race started creating such beings, it would instantly become a target
of all factions in the world and… while Super Devils might be strong… there are far…
far stronger beings in this world. They just don't like to interfere in the affairs of the world
much. Even the so-called Top Ten Strongest Beings list… is nothing but a sham. The
actual list is far different from what common people know."
"Isn't Lord Thor also a part of that list?" Rose asked.
"He is… but Odin isn't… Can you believe that? Even now, that old God King has more
than enough power to put his son in line. He is just retired. Similarly, many of the older
Gods are… retired and thus are no longer counted. In fact, there are some who are not
included because they just don't participate in the affairs of the world. We cannot afford
to provoke them and till now everyone has been following these laws. But the condition
for that is that the Satans have to keep their side of the bargain too and maintain a
balance in the Underworld."
The topic was quite heavy but Veena looked unexpectedly calm.
We had finished our dinner and decided to go back to the room too.
- Shiroe -
"Great. With this you are also a T5 and our Guild has four T5 players now."
"Hmm. Even in the town we were at, I don't know any others who have reached even
near this level. The Guild Blessing is helping us more than we had thought."
Shiroe agreed and checked the Guild Menu and found that the Guild would be levelled
up in two to three more weeks at this rate. Then they could add more members.
That will come in handy when they move to Alverton.
He had asked some members he was close to if they wanted to move to Alverton but
didn't receive much support. There were some who agreed but some who were more
comfortable in Llyne where they had more or less established a livelihood.
It also made Shiroe realise a point he had been missing all this time.
Not all players in the town wanted to progress and some were just content with what
they had as long as they could survive. As for clearing the game? Leave that to the
fighters who were hunting regularly.
In fact, their Guild's majority members were craftsmen and most of them had chosen
that route because they didn't want any part in the dangers that hunting brought with it.
So it would be hard to convince them to move to Alverton until they find something
useful there.
They couldn't even kick the members out of the Guild when they moved as they had
actually paid to join the Guild and that would earn them unnecessary enemies.
Moreover, the Guild business was actually flourishing and made for a great passive
income of the Guild. Kicking members was out.
Ultimately, they could only rely on the Guild levelling up to free more space for new
members in the new town.
Right now all the team members were trying to convince other Guild members to move
with them. They would probably have more success if Veena was here. She had a way
with words.
Even Arthas had a way with people but that was mostly due to him being a symbol of
the Guild, the strongest player in the game. His words carried weight.
It wouldn't have been so difficult if they were just moving to the nearby town because
that was the natural course of action but Alverton… was quite a distance from Llyne.
Moving was going to be costly. Thankfully, the funds from the Guild Hostel could be
used to facilitate the move.
Veena was saying something about a million Gold as a reward too.
For now, Bina and Elaine were working together on the order which Veena and Rose
had secured in Greenfrost.
The profits from that would greatly help their funds.
"Alright now, since we are done with Star's Class Advancement quest, let's move to the
next matter. The next one to advance Classes will most likely be Suikazura-san or
Whistler but even that will take a while. So, let's focus on other matters for now. First,
we need to send some people to Greenfrost to bring the order. I have talked to Arthas
and according to their plans, Rose and Arthas will be going to the Capital while Veena
and the new members will wait there for us to arrive. We will complete the deal and
return back to Llyne. In the meantime, Arthas will also return from the Capital and we
can plan our next moves. Now, who will go to Greenfrost?"
"Umm, I can go." Elaine came forward, surprisingly. "I am the one managing the order
for Greenfrost and know the details so it would be better if I did." She explained.
"Hmm, quite reasonable. Alright. Star, you go with her then. Take Damon with you. That
would be more than enough for anything you can encounter on the road."
"Okay."
"In the meantime, we will all keep leveling up so we don't fall behind the rest of the
group either. The field bosses have respawned and we can go on a round of boss hunts
again. I will make plans."
They talked about a few more things and ended the meeting.
- Akeno Himejima -
She sat sipping her drink in a private room of the most expensive Inn available in the
city. And yet, even the cold juice didn't help decrease her nervousness as she faced the
two people sitting before her.
Princess Jaina Proudmoore and… Prince Arthas Menethil, the prince of their kingdom.
"You don't need to be nervous about this. I was just interested in you all because of
what Jaina told me. A group of people had taken it upon themselves to guard a group of
orphaned children, even risking their lives for the purpose. It truly heartens me to know
that there are such brave and kind hearted souls in my kingdom. We are truly blessed."
His praise made her feel a bit warm as she could tell that the man was actually meaning
every word he said.
"We were only doing what we could to help, Your Highness." She replied with a slight
bow. Beside her Arthur bowed politely as well.
"You are too humble. I have heard about the attackers and personally interrogated
them. Don't worry. The culprits will not go free. I give you all my word on this."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Jaina told me that you all were headed for Stratholme."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Hmm, Stratholme… ah, yes. I remember. It's the town beside Alverton." He said
brightening up. "That's great. Do you have any recommendations or places to stay
there?" He asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. We were offered a letter of recommendation from our
acquaintances in our town. Their relatives manage a business in Stratholme and could
offer us a place to live. One of our colleagues has a home there too."
"Ah, in that case, you can continue. Anyways, if you ever need any help, you can
contact Arthas, the new City Lord of Alverton. He is a very brave and just man." He
brought out a parchment and pen and wrote a letter of recommendation, giving it to her.
"He is going to start his term as the City Lord of Alverton in a month or two. You can
give him this and he will help you if you need anything."
She took the letter and checked it carefully and then kept it in her inventory.
"Arthas? There is another Knight named Arthas?" Princess Jaina asked with a hint of
amusement in her voice.
"Hahahaha yes. I met him at the Greenfrost Tournament. He won this year's
Tournament. As for him, being a knight. Well, he is a part of the Knight's Academy. But
after the tournament, the Knight's Academy, Magic Tower and the Church were all vying
for him. You should have seen the respected Vice Presidents of the three organisations
arguing with each other."
"Why would they argue with each other? Do they want him to change classes? That
could be bad for him."
"Oh no. Nothing of that sort. Arthas is just using some other class for his T5 instead of a
Knight based Class. Although, he does have a Mage Class as well so he is qualified for
Magic Knight. He has learned several Holy Knight Skills and even a Paladin Skill
through Skill Books and is very proficient in them and lastly… his combat power and
fighting style is exactly like a Grand Knight's. But ultimately, he hasn't stepped foot in
any of the three divisions yet and so… the three organisations are fighting over him."
"That… sounds like a very talented individual. Heh, sounds like you have competition
for the future best knight of the kingdom. At least whoever wins, the best knight would
still be Arthas." Princess Jaina laughed at the joke.
"Hahahaha, maybe. Even Lord Uther holds him in high regard, not just because of his
talent but also due to his integrity. After all, I can hardly think of anyone who would
reject Uther the Lightbringer's offer to be his apprentice just for a chance to correct an
injustice." Prince Arthas said.
On seeing the Princess' confused look, he explained the whole incident to them. By the
end of it all, they were all left speechless. Was there really such a man in Alverton?
"That… he sounds like a very just man."
"Exactly. And that's why I am so excited. According to Lord Uther, Arthas has the
makings of a T7 and possibly even T8. Competing with him… would be an honour. And
no matter who comes at the top, the winner will be our Kingdom."
They talked about a few more things. Mostly the Prince asking them about the problems
they faced in the Kingdom and what they thought could be done to improve the lives of
the people.
By the end of the whole conversation, she had a reasonably good impression of the
man. He seemed like a man trying to do his best for his kingdom.
Finally, she and Arthur took their leave from the Prince and the Princess.
"Arthas and Uther… sounds like the Gamemaster has taken inspiration from your family
too. How does it feel to meet your own game counterpart, Arthur?" She asked the guy
walking beside her.
"He seemed like a good man." Arthur replied.
"Can't deny that."
"I can't tell anything about Uther as I haven't met him but he seemed quite respected
too." He continued. "The strongest paladin of the Kingdom, a Peak T7, that's some
serious power level. From what it seemed from Princess Jaina's words, he seemed
almost as respected as the Archmage of the Magic Tower himself."
"True. Then… do you think we should meet this new City Lord of Alverton when we
reach there?" She asked.
"We will see when we reach there. Either way, he is not taking the position for one or
two months. We have enough time till then."
"Hmm. Still, this gives us a trump card in case we encounter any problems like in the
previous town later on."
"True."
"Let's go. Mari would be excited to hear this news. Actually, we could even take some
treats for the kids on the way back. They are still a bit scared after that incident.
Something nice to eat would help them out."
"Hmm."
And with this, they left for their own jobs.
- Rias Gremory -
"Hoho, looks like you all have been working extra hard these past few days. This is the
second time you have come for maintenance of your armour in a week. Even the
regular hunting groups take two weeks to get them to this condition." The Blacksmith
said as he looked at her armour. "Just what kind of training have you been doing?"
"Just the usual bit." She replied with a smile.
Woodstock W, was an acquaintance of Chief Nyanta from a previous game. He had
gathered some of the production Class players in the town and made a small trader
group of sorts there.
From what she had heard, he was doing quite well too.
He was friendly and easy to get along with.
She had actually invited him to join their group too but he had denied saying that he
preferred his current team more.
"Hmph, maybe she's just getting thrashed around in fights and losing her armour's
durability. Going from a Mage to a Knight… what a stupid decision." Suddenly another
voice came from behind her, making her frown. She didn't even turn around as she
already knew the identity of the stupid fool behind her.
Black Sword Issac, the leader of the Black Sword Knights, their biggest rival group in
the town.
He was an arrogant, elitist battle maniac, a type of person who looked down on others
because they were of lower levels. In fact, his team didn't take in any players below a
certain level and without a certain level of equipment.
To be honest, this man reminded her of an annoying fried chicken in the Underworld
and thus he only annoyed her even more.
In the previous raid, while all members of the group had secured a position in the Top
10 list, the top place was taken by Issac himself. Apart from that, two other positions
were taken by his team members.
Since then he saw her and her team as their biggest rivals and was a bit salty that her
group had better players overall.
He had been extremely vocal about her changing her fighting style from a Mage to a
Knight, often taunting her for dragging her team down due to her willfulness. And even
though she ignored the comments, it still got on her nerves.
"Should I kick his face, Buchou? He is annoying." Koneko said as she clenched her fists
and was about to take a step forward but she placed a hand on her shoulder stopping
her from escalating the matter.
"Eh, looks like even a kid has more spirit than you. Seriously, you should quit that team.
You don't deserve them anyways." He provoked again.
"Issac! If you are here to cause trouble, then get out. We have no place for you."
Woodstock said, narrowing his eyes.
The man just raised his hands in response. "Hey, not my fault. You know how I am. I
see stupid, I say stupid. That's just who I am. Anyways, you are right. I don't have to
waste my time on fools. I am here for business." he placed a piece of parchment on the
table. "We need this in a week. We have a raid to prepare for. Think you can make it by
then?" He asked.
"Hmm, arrows, traps, healing mixes, paralysing powder, poison powder, antidotes and
large shields custom made. Two weeks is a bit too low for that. Also, we don't have
Large Shield Blueprints so we can't provide them. You can check it from the shop
behind the Adventurer's Guild. They might have what you are looking for. The rest can
be done. Usual rates."
"Oh come on. This is a huge order. You could at least give me a discount." He argued.
"You want the order in two weeks. Even the NPC shops would take at least a month for
this. And don't you tell me they won't. I know you must have been to those stores before
coming here. I guess you must have been stuck at the end of the queue to leave them
and come here."
Issac's face blanched at this.
Yeah, he totally did it.
"I know your way of doing things, Issac."
"Hahahaha, and isn't that why I have asked you several times to join my team. Oh come
on, you were a part of the Black Sword Knights too."
"And I left them for a good reason."
"Wasn't that because you were too soft to continue?"
"No. It was because I don't like your way of doing things. Anyways, this is the minimum I
can do to get the order done in two weeks. Anything more than this will cost you more."
"Hah! Alright. But I want all the orders to be sharp in two weeks. We can't be any later.
We want to get the first kill reward for that boss."
"Got it."
"Alright then. I'll be off." he turned around and looked at her. "Tch, what a waste."
Rias clenched her fists at the provocation but didn't say anything as she knew giving out
any information would only serve to profit them.
Obviously, she knew that these bastards weren't harassing her for something as stupid
as 'losing his rival' or getting angry at her for 'dragging her team down'. If anything they
were happy because they thought their biggest competition in the town was lagging
behind them now.
Their actual reason for doing this was to get more information.
Even though they taunted her calling her stupid, everyone knew that she was doing all
this for some reason. After all, the conditions of unlocking different classes were
different. If she was doing what she was, it could only mean that she had discovered
some different Class Evolution route.
It's just that no one in her group had disclosed the information about the potential clue
about the Paladin Class anywhere.
And instead, they were using this incident to soil their reputation in the town so that
other good players didn't join their team.
It was childish. It was stupid and yet… It was extremely annoying.
x_
"Phew. That was tough." She sat down on the ground and collected her breath.
Two level ups. The first kill bonus was really something else.
"Level 11. I should have been in level 30s of T4 by now." She sighed.
"Feeling frustrated?" Chief Nyanta asked as he looked at the rest collecting the drops
from the boss they had just hunted down.
"I… feel like I have been dragging the group's hunting speed down due to my new
class." She said. She was really frustrated for the past few days.
While she had gotten adjusted to her Knight Class and was taking on the role of a front
liner much better now, she felt that the speed of their leveling was dragged down due to
her and she absolutely hated the feeling of becoming shackles for her team.
"Well, it was only obvious. A Mage is a full damage focused Class, while a Knight has to
balance both attack and defence. It is only normal that you feel that our levelling speed
has slowed down because it actually has."
His words made her feel even worse but he continued.
"But you are completely ignoring the other benefits we have received from you
becoming a Knight. Our front lines have become very strong. Le Fay and Henrietta
haven't taken even a single point of damage since you have become a Knight.
Secondly, having a Cleric even as an inactive class has helped us save up a lot on
potions and consumables. Once you become a Templar, you can change your Knight
Class to Cleric and then we can get a permanent healer in our group which will be a
great boon in any fight. Treat the current situation not as shackles but rather like using
training weights. While it may drag you down a bit at the start, it will only benefit you in
the long run."
"I… thank you."
"As for the damage output. Don't worry about that. With Henrietta levelling up, she will
get newer buff spells and our DPS will be back up in no time at all. No one is blaming
you for our reduced DPS. Your changing Class was something which was agreed upon
by everyone in the group."
She nodded. "It's just that…"
"You are thinking about Fairy Tail, aren't you?" He asked, turning to the group who were
collecting the loot.
"Hmm. Everyone of us is struggling in T4s while he is fighting someone who rivals T6
opponents. Are we truly that different?" She asked. The information from the City Lord
had caused a great impact on their morale.
Everyone was fired up at the information about the current Strongest Player in the
Game, the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild.
They had started hunting for longer periods of time to make up for the difference in
levels. In fact, even today's boss hunt was a result of this very fact.
And yet, the more they fought, the more they realised what kind of goal they were
chasing behind.
"Hmm, there are many ways to become stronger in this game. Levels are just one part.
There are also Skills, Achievements, Titles, Equipment, Skill of the Players, their
strategies and relations with the NPCs. Oh and most of them all… Luck. All these come
together to form what we see. So, what you are seeing as the achievement of just a
single place… is actually a full fledged organisation. Obviously, I am not denying the
skill of the Player himself. One doesn't reach that kind of position without having some
genuine skill for himself but I can bet one of my paws on the fact that they have an
excellent strategist in their group. Someone who understands the intricacies of MMOs
very well. Apart from that they must have a very good support team too."
She looked at him, looking as if he was remembering something. "But still, this much..."
"Not out of scope at all. In fact, we had a similar Strategist in our previous game. I was a
part of a group called the Debauchery Tea Party. We were basically a group of people
from different guilds or even independent players who gathered together to take on hard
quests and raids. Our strategist back then was a true genius. His strategies were a
reason for us clearing more than half of the raids we took part in."
"I see. I will work harder then."
"You don't have to push yourself too much. Everything is good only in moderation. Don't
worry. I am level 44 now. In two weeks. I think I can take the next Class Advancement
Quest too."
"Oh yes. You levelled up too. Congratulations, Chief." She wished.
Chief Nyanta was like an elder figure in the group, and that was not just due to his
experience in gaming but also due to his personality.
He always had a way to comfort anyone when in doubt.
That's why, even though she was the captain of their team, even she respected his
opinions a lot.
"Well, let's concentrate on the bright side now. Imagine the look on the Black Sword
Knight's faces when they come to this place and find no boss." He smirked, making her
smile too.
Yes.
How could she forget that?
She had been extremely annoyed by the last encounter with Issac in the Blacksmith's
shop. Koneko went ahead and told the team about it and they were annoyed too.
Most of her guild disliked Issac. Even the usually calm Henrietta who knew him from the
last game disliked him. According to her best friend, he was an idiot who tried too hard
to push people away.
This was something even Woodstock told her.
Ultimately, they decided to take revenge this time… it's just that their method of taking
revenge was not quite normal.
Issac had spread the news everywhere that their group was going to take in a certain
field boss, a T5 boss for the first kill bonus and rewards.
Actually, it was more of a publicity stunt to attract new T4 Players to join their guild… in
other words, a large-scale publicity stunt for the players.
Thus their way of ruining it was very simple… take down their prey before them. Let
their preparations be for nothing.
And ever since they came up with the idea, they began working on it.
She knew they would come here in two weeks so they had decided on the time of attack
to be exactly twelve days later. Scouting was done by Chief Nyanta and Koneko while
she and Henrietta made plans for the raid.
Finally, today, their preparations came to fruition as they finished the whole raid with just
the five of them compared to the twelve man team of the Black Sword Knights.
"Knowing him, he would be incensed. That man's ego is the size of a continent."
Heniretta said, pushing her glasses.
"Hmph, serves him right. Annoying fellow." Koneko said, looking pleased with their
actions today.
Le Fey was the only one fidgeting. "He is like Vali… just more annoying though."
"Well, we are done. Let's leave."
"Are we going to spread the news about us conquering the boss before them?"
Henrietta asked.
"No. It would be more fun to make them come here and then return back empty handed.
I am pretty sure there are some other players who want to watch their raid from a
distance to collect information about the boss too. All we need to do is stay in town and
wait for them to return and watch the show. Didn't we get a drop from the boss?"
"Yes. It's a cape for Knights." Koneko said, handing over the Cape to her.
"Great. Just what was needed."
With that, all of them gathered their belongings and set off to the town.
The show two days later was going to be awesome.
- Elaine -
She closed the doors to her room and checked the room again before opening the
Private Chat of the Guild's Chat Menu.
Kuroka.
What the hell?
The person they had recruited was actually Kuroka?
How could that be?
Elaine had been sleeping last night when she was suddenly messaged by the newbie
recruited by Lady Veena and Arthas but who would have thought that the person they
would recruit would be her?
Revealing her identity to them during her drunken state was one of the most
embarrassing things in her life.
Alcohol has always been against her. It was just that she was too stressed back then
after being captured by the bandits and then almost encountering that… All those
incidents had left her emotionally exhausted.
Her life in the game hadn't exactly been a walk in the park.
She hadn't played many of those games as a kid either. The only reason she even knew
what she did was because she had played some while babysitting Le Fay.
In fact, it was only after joining the Fairy Tail Guild that she was able to gain control of
her life again.
So overall, that incident of losing control of her tongue had actually helped her a lot this
one time.
But even then, she had not told anything about her being in a team with Kuroka. After
all, this Guild had the mother and queen of Lucifer. To tell them that she was with an SS
Ranked Stray Devil… yeah, she wasn't that much of a fool.
So her heart almost stopped when she got the message.
In fact she hadn't even replied back to the person and instead pretended to not know to
test if this was just someone pranking her. Only after she had told her the details about
the time they had entered the game did she believe that she was real.
A moment later, another thing came to her mind.
If Kuroka was there, then that meant she must have encountered Veena too…
On asking everything, the matter became more clear to her.
Kuroka or as she was called now, Kurumi, then told her that she was out on a hunt with
Arthas and Rose and found out about her through Arthas who was telling her about the
people in the guild who knew about the Supernatural World.
Apparently, not only did she encounter them, she had even met one of Rias gremory's
peerage members and had been living with him since then.
On meeting Veena, she had pretended to be here on the orders of Sirzechs Lucifer who
was offering pardons to anyone who could rescue his mother, sister and her peerage
members from the game world.
She had then said that she only knew Elaine because she was contracted to gather
information about Arthur Pendragon and anyone around them by some people. This
was so that if they slipped anything by accident, they could have their stories straight.
Really this…
Finally, they discussed some things and made a final story for everyone.
This was also the reason why she offered to go and meet Kuroka first as she wasn't
sure how Bina would react to her first and if she hadn't volunteered, it would be Bina as
she was the one who knew the most about the whole deal other than her.
On checking the messages, she was relieved.
It seems that Veena was just testing her and that they have given her a chance to join
the team.
Although she had told her to not reveal their relation and background to anyone or it
could lead to unnecessary complications.
Elaine agreed to it too.
Finally, when all was said and done, she fell on the bed and closed her eyes.
At least she had found one of the three people she wanted to meet in this world.
Now all that was left was finding Arthur and Le Fay and then fighting their way out of
this game.
After a long time she had seen hope once more.
She was going to keep working to achieve their goals.
x_
x_
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'.
We have the short Akeno side arc end with this.
I also tried to show what was happening on the other side with Rias.
Some povs with Shiroe and Elaine tell us what they were dealing with.
I will wrap everything up in the next chapter and start the Second World Quest
Arc.
Things are finally converging and although all might not come together as soon
as everyone expects, they surely will.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.