Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 17: Leaving Sabaody
- Arthas -
"We don't have much time. Buy the things you can. No need to think much about it." Shiroe instructed as we looked through the goods.
Derek and his people had escorted us out of the Auction House to their base. He had his own businesses which mainly dealt in smuggled goods.
They were arranging a ship for us to leave right at that moment and we had an hour or two at best to buy anything we could for trade… and that's what we were doing.
Veena had decided to accompany us and Grayfia or rather Bina followed us with another girl White Rose.
"Get the weapons and weapon blueprints. Our country lacks those." She instructed as we were picking things up. "Get maps and books about navigation and information on other countries. Skill Books if you can find any. Equipment and accessories too."
As I picked up a sword, I saw something on the wall and couldn't help but stare at it for a while.
"Excuse me, how much for it?" I pointed towards the item I wanted.
"Oh this! This is… twenty gold coins." The man asked.
"I'll take it." I gave the man the coins and took the item.
A straw hat… with a red ribbon.
I couldn't help but smile as I put the hat on my head.
"You like that hat, kid?" A person beside me suddenly asked.
I turned around to see a guy wearing glasses standing beside me. He had white hair and a white beard. There was a scar across one of his eyes.
Almost unconsciously I used the Scan Skill on him… however it didn't work.
What the fuck?
Scan worked on almost anyone, even NPCs. It only didn't work on… anyone three Tier above me… a T8…
"Hmm. This looks awesome. I think it would suit the head of the future king of the pirates." I replied.
The man smirked. "Future King of the Pirates eh! That's some goal you have. Aren't you the guy who sold a Devil Fruit in the auctions today… to buy a girl?"
"She was the relative of a comrade." I replied unphased.
"Quite admirable but not very pirate like. You used something worth millions for that…"
I just shrugged. "Well, we were lucky to have the devil fruit when we did or we would have to fight our way through."
"Oho, you'd fight your way through the Auction House, breaking the rules of the Auction House?"
"Yeah, that sounds kinda bad but. Those who break rules are scum but… those who abandon their friends… are worse than scum."
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
11 to all stats.
22% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Skill Book: Chidori
Hell yeah. Finally worked.
"So all those girls were your comrades?"
"Only one of them."
"Then why did you save the other girls? You could have saved up on a lot of money if you didn't buy them?"
"Hah? Well, you see… When I was a boy I wanted to be a hero. Someone who could save people from suffering and grant them their freedom. Just like the legendary warrior of liberation Nika."
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
12 to all stats.
24% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Buccaneer(Half Giant) Race Card.
As expected, his eyes widened when he heard that name.
"And don't you think it would be scummy to save one person and let others suffer. I am the man who is gonna be the King of the Pirates… how can I be worse than scum?" I added.
"Ohh… then what kind of man do you think a Pirate King should be?"
"A Pirate King should be the freest man on the sea… and I am going to become one."
"Just for that and not to find the One Piece, the wealth, the fame, the power?" He asked.
"I mean finding the One Piece is basically the requirement for the position, right? So I guess I will find it."
"Then what is it that you want to do as a Pirate King?" He asked once more.
I looked at him and smiled. "I am gonna turn the world upside down. Say, you don't look bad either… wanna turn the world upside down with me?"
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
13 to all stats.
26% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Unique Skill: Voice of All Things
Ohh Yeah!
The guy's mouth opened as he stared at me and then smiled. "I'll pass. I am already an old man. But are you sure you want to do that? The last guy who said that was executed by the marines."
"If I become the Pirate King… then they may execute me… but I won't die."
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
14 to all stats.
28% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Skill: Observation Haki
"Oh, then how will you die?"
"When do you think a person dies? When a bullet from a pistol pierces his heart? No. When he's attacked by an incurable disease? No. When he eats a soup of deadly poisonous mushrooms? No. A man dies when people forget him!"
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
15 to all stats.
30% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Passive Skill: Will of D.
Nailed it!
The man finally laughed out loud. "You are an interesting man. I hope to see you again in the future, maybe on a bounty poster."
"Or in a newspaper as the new King of the Pirates."
"You have no doubts about that do you?"
"Obviously, the act of not doubting… that is strength."
I smiled at the sheer irony of using his own quote on him…
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
16 to all stats.
32% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Perk: Armament Haki
"Hahahaha yes… or that. Good luck on your journey. That hat suits you well."
"Goodbye…"
I walked away from the scene and reached Shiroe. "What took you so long?" He asked.
"I was talking to someone." I replied. "Did you guys stock up on everything?"
"Yes. We are almost done. Anything else you need?"
"No, not really. I have already received everything I wanted."
And I sure did.
This was the most references I had been able to make in my time in the game… even more than during the raid.
I mean seriously, I even used some extremely uncommon references and didn't think they would be counted.
The Game Master must be an ardent One Piece fan to get all of those. Then again, this guy basically recreated the One Piece world here. It would be surprising if he wasn't a huge fan.
While we were leaving, I took the chance to check the skills I had gained.
Chidori [Level 1/100]
Concentrate Lightning in your hand for a one time stab.
At higher levels, the attack power increases and lightning can be manipulated more easily for more versatile moves.
Deals 400% Damage
Cost 200 MP
Attack power increases by 5% every level.
Voice of All Things [Level Max.]
The ability to hear the voices of nature, even inanimate things.
There was no more description of this skill and I would need to check it later to understand its use.
Observation Haki [Level 1/100]
Heightens the perception of the user.
More functions are unlocked at higher mastery.
50 to Perception Stat
Cost: 100 MP per minute.
5 to Perception Stat per level. MP Cost Decreases by 5 MP per minute every ten levels.
Armament Haki [Level 1/100]
Allows the user to coat their body or weapons for increased attack and defence power. Allows the user to harm ethereal and intangible enemies.
50% Attack Power, 50% Defence Power while the skill is active.
Cost: 200 MP per minute
5% to Attack Power, 5% to Defence Power increases per level. -5 MP Per minute every ten levels.
And finally the most broken of skills… the Will of D
Will of D. [Passive]
You carry the Will of the D.
Increases Spirit Stat by 1 every level.
Current increase 112 Spirit
The Spirit, Perception, Luck, etc stats were secondary stats, something not increased so easily. In fact, many didn't even know the function of these stats. In fact, the increase in these stats is actually random. They just increase at times when someone levels up and doesn't increase at other times.
Now I had a skill which increased the Spirit Stat by simply levelling up.
Although I didn't know the function of this stat yet, it had to be something good… or at least I hoped so. The description of some skills were too vague.
Observation and Armament Haki however were incredible additions to my skill set. I have mostly been focused on heavy close quarter attack and defence. These skills complement the rest of my skills very well.
And finally, there was the Buccaneer Race Change Card. Wasn't that the race of Kuma? Were they half giants?
How do the Race Change Cards even work?
Buccaneer(Half Giant) Race Change Card
Unlocks the Giant Race Tree
It says it unlocks the giant race tree. How will that even work? Will I become a giant immediately? Explaining that would be hard.
Overall, the trip to Sabaody was good.
With everything done, we were escorted by Derek's men to the ship that was prepared for us.
Shiroe had already contacted the Captain who had brought us here and the man was ready to leave for a small bonus.
We boarded the ship that very night.
Derek had kept his words as he sent twelve of his men to follow us. Three T6 and nine T5 to protect us till we reached Lannisport.
Unlike the time we came here, this time, each of us had a room, all paid for by Derek. The guy was not lying about his words.
A fun thing was that, unlike what everyone was expecting, no one had come to the port to try to rob us… something even Derek was confused about.
He was ready to fight a war but… there was just no one.
I had some idea about what might have happened but didn't say anything there.
Veena had taken some time to talk with Grayfia and explain everything to her.
Meanwhile, I sat with Shiroe and Star to discuss the amount we had just made.
A total of thirty two million gold coins… twenty five which Damon had gathered and the seven million extra from selling everything we could.
"We spent three million on the things we bought today and that leaves us with a total of twenty nine million. Wow… that's huge."
"It is. We will need to think carefully on how to invest it when Veena comes back."
"Yes. Veena-san is more experienced in these kinds of things. We can ask her for advice. Still… this was quite an adventure, wasn't it?"
"Say that again. I wasn't even sure we would be able to leave that island safely when we were betting in the auction house." Star sighed.
"It was fun though. What's life without an adventure?" Whistler said and by now, we had understood to tune him out most of the time.
"How is she doing?" Shiroe asked after a while.
"She is currently talking with Bina. By the way, have you talked with the other girls?" I asked. They were terrified when we escorted them out.
"I did. They are better after knowing about us, especially the Guild Name. The worldwide announcement has been received differently everywhere but at least they know us."
"Man, I am just sad that we couldn't hunt there for longer. That place was giving experience like no other."
"True, but that was only because of us. If we didn't encounter Suikazura-san and Whistler when we did and didn't have Arthas' broken class, we would be struggling to survive there, let alone think of hunting. I was actually worried that we might encounter a T6 there and then even running away would have been difficult. We are already ahead of others. No need to risk it all, especially when we don't even know which T6 Class to choose."
"I understand that but still… tell me you are not disappointed?" He asked.
Shiroe also sighed. "I am. We can go back there in a month. Right now, we need to go back and level up the guild so that we can add everyone first."
"Hmm."
We talked about a few more things before leaving for our rooms to rest.
- Veena -
"And that's the whole story. I didn't expect to encounter you like this… I…"
She patted her shoulder. "You have been through a lot."
"I… I just don't understand why the rest haven't broken through this game yet. Is it so complicated that even Ajuka cannot find a way around it?" She asked.
Venelana frowned. "It's not like they don't want to. It's more like they don't dare to do so." She said, taking the girl by surprise. Looking at her confused face, she explained.
"This game was created by someone called the Game Master, the same guy who introduced us to the game. You remember him, right?"
She nodded.
"He is not some common human but rather a being with power surpassing that of the Infinity and Dream."
"Huh?!"
"After this game started, he also did a broadcast through all the supernatural world, warning anyone against interfering with the game or they will be met with severe consequences. Obviously, many didn't take this seriously and one person did. The next day, Rizevim Livan Lucifer's dead body was hung on top of the Lucifer's castle."
"What?!"
She nodded and continued. "He appeared again, this time over the underworld and made the Agreas island disappear as a punishment to the devil race and warned everyone that he would release the beast of apocalypse on the faction who tries to interfere with his game next and if someone survives that, he and his lovers would personally take action. By the way, his lovers are Great Red, Ophis and the Dragon Goddess, Tiamat."
Grayfia was rendered blank for a while, not that she blamed her. She had been in the same situation when she had heard of the news.
"That's why they are not interfering with the game. That said, not all hope is gone. The Game Master has promised that as long as anyone completes the game, everyone will be let go. To do so, Sirzechs and even the members of other faction have been sending more players inside. We met one such player who had come in to save someone else and that's how we know of everything that has been happening outside. Right now, we have no other way than winning this game to get out of here."
Grayfia was left silent and she gave her some time to gather herself. She gathered herself quickly.
"Don't worry. I believe that as long as we all work hard together, we can achieve this goal. We and our Guild are aiming to complete the same goal."
Grayfia nodded. "Still, I didn't expect you to be from the Fairy Tail Guild, the same one from the world announcements."
"Oh my. Were you underestimating me, dear?" She smiled as the girl promptly apologised.
"No, I didn't mean to insinuate such a thing… I just…"
"Hehehehe I am just joking, dear. I understand your confusion. After all, I didn't know anything about gaming when I entered, so it is understandable to be confused to see me reach such a level. There are many reasons for it. First of all, this game is quite like the real world. Interacting and finding information is always an option. Second would be my luck to encounter Arthas in the starter village and then Shiroe in the next town. Those two are really good at what they do."
"Your guild mates?"
"Yes. Shiroe is a phenomenal strategist. In fact, I could see him rivalling the likes of Falbium in time. His experience with games like these have been an essential part in our growth."
"The one with the glasses, right?"
"Yes. That's the very one. And then there is Arthas… our guild master and the strongest player in the game."
"The strongest?"
"Yes dear, the strongest. Arthas is a T5 Level 12 while other people are still stuck in T4. He is in a league of his own."
"T5! But how? We have worked so hard, working our best and all we could do is near T4, not even achieve the said level. How could he?"
"Because he never stopped. He has been putting his life on the line while people were crying about being stuck in the game. He was hunting in the forests by his lonesome while everyone else was waiting for a small rabbit to spawn outside the village. His methods of hunting were ingenious and the game rewarded him. Did you know that you get rewarded for reaching the new tier before anyone?"
She nodded. "Yes. I received a boon for reaching the second tier first, a 10% bonus experience gain."
"Yes. That's the one. Well, Arthas has received that boon five times already. And by the rate we are going, he might get it a sixth time too. On top of that, he has a Unique Class which gives him extra experience for killing specific species. But even after that, he never stops. Even when he is at home, he keeps on swinging his sword or practising his skill. It got so bad that we had to force him to get a hobby so that he doesn't burn himself out."
"...you seem to appreciate him a lot."
"Oh obviously I do. I wouldn't have taken him as my new lover otherwise."
"What?!"
"Yes. He's such a sweet guy, a complete gentleman at all times, except when he fights, he turns into an invincible wall you can trust to stop any kind of enemy." She gushed and only stopped when she saw Grayfia looking at her dumbfounded. "What?"
"But Lord Gremory…"
"Oh, Zeo and I were planning to separate either way."
"Eh…"
"Oh come on. It's not like you haven't heard about old devil couples separating with each other."
"I… I have but it's so sudden…"
"We were planning to announce it after Rias' marriage, for the sake of the kids."
Grayfia still looked stunned but nodded nonetheless.
"Anyways, you take some rest, dear. You deserve it."
"I… I will go and talk to Rose first. I need to explain the whole situation to her."
"The white haired girl with you? Sure. I will also retire for the day."
She got up and left the room and went towards Arthas' room.
It was time for his reward.
- Arthas -
I washed up and got ready for bed when I heard a knock on my room.
The rooms we had were better than the last time and thus we even had some water to wash ourselves.
It was nothing like the bath we had back at Llyne but it was still better than nothing.
Wrapping my towel around my waist, I walked to the door and opened it to find Veena, standing there.
She sashayed into the room and I closed the door behind her and turned back and she pulled me in for a short kiss.
I however was not satisfied with just a short kiss. Holding back for almost a week had been painful for me so I pulled her back and pushed her against a wall, claiming her lips.
We separated after a minute.
She looked surprised at the sudden aggression from me and asked. "What was that?"
I smiled, as a scene popped into my mind. "I learned it from the pizza man."
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
17 to all stats.
34% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Angel Race Change Card
…hahahaha.
"What?"
"Hahahaha, nothing. It was just a joke."
"Alright alright, while I enjoy your jokes, I have more in mind than just that today. You were amazing back in the auctions. I was thinking of rewarding you for your performance back there." She grabbed my crotch over my towel and I didn't need any more words.
I picked her up and carried her to the bed.
"Oh my." She asked.
"I want my reward on the bed." I replied, making her laugh.
"As you wish."
I laid her down on the bed and got on top of her, my towel already having fallen down by now. I pulled her into another kiss and when we pulled back, she took this chance to open her shirt, revealing her milky globes for my hungry eyes.
I didn't need any invitations and jumped on her breasts, taking one of her nipples into my mouth and groping the other, pinching and pulling her nipple.
She combed my hair with her hands, moaning and pulling me into her chest.
My hand slid up her leg, raising her skirt, up her thigh and reaching her ass before grabbing and squeezing it hard.
"Mmhhh yes… that's it. Do whatever you want. Today I am your reward." She whispered into my ears.
I left her breasts and went down, using my hands to spread her legs wide and looked up at her. "Hold them."
A smile appeared on her face as she did what I said. She always did like it when I was being dominant. "What next?"
"Keep holding them. Just like that." I ordered while I leaned in and kissed her lower lips over her panties.
"Hmm." A satisfied moan escaped her mouth as she leaned back, pulling her legs further wide.
I rubbed her pussy above her panties, slowly at first and then slowly increasing the force. A wet spot formed on her panties and I looked up.
"It seems you are even more excited than me for this reward. Who exactly is being rewarded here?" I asked with a slight smirk of my own.
"Where does it say that both parties cannot enjoy one person's reward? Moreover, don't you think being with you is a reward?" She replied.
"Ah true. My bad. Then please, enjoy the reward as well as you can." I replied, hiding my blush at her comment.
Seriously, she was too good at this.
I pushed aside her panties and dove deep into her crotch, kissing and licking her lower lips.
One of my fingers entered her, quickly searching for her g-spot.
Veena was quite a patient lover, having quite a lot of experience with women. She took her time to teach me everything I needed about a woman's body.
I took her advice to heart and used her as the first test subject of her teachings.
Within moments, I fought my target and her hand which was combing through my hair suddenly grabbed it and pushed me further into her, something I complied wholeheartedly, all the time while teasing her g-spot.
I reached her clit and sucked on it and that was apparently enough to push her over the edge. Her whole body jerked up as she climaxed hard.
I got back up and wiped my face as I looked proudly at my handiwork.
While making her cum once was nothing, the fact that I could do so in minutes now was a great achievement for me.
She enjoyed her daze for a few moments before I pulled her up. "I think it's my reward." I reminded her.
"Yes…. yes, it is. Then let me take care of you." I lay down on the bed and she grabbed my shaft slowly jerking it, as she leaned in and then kissed the base, slowly kissing her way up.
I relaxed and enjoyed her ministrations, my hand reaching for her ass and pulling her panties down to play with her round bottom.
She reached the tip and gave it a lick first before taking it into her mouth and running her tongue all over it.
A deep grunt escaped from my throat as I felt her working up and down my shaft. My other hand reached for her hair and grabbed them and pushed her deeper on my cock. One unique thing about her was the fact that she had almost no gag reflex.
Gagging is for amateurs, were her exact words when I had asked her the reason.
Not that I was complaining.
It just meant I could go harder and that's what she liked too.
She easily let me control the flow, following whatever I wanted her to do, her tongue never once stopping their movements.
I reached my edge in just a few minutes and pushed her down on my cock till I reached her throat. She wasn't done even then, her throat massaging my tip and pushing me over the edge as I released ropes of cum inside her throat.
When I pulled back, a bit of my cum spilled from the side of her lips which she licked with her tongues.
The sheer sexiness of the sight, making me hard again.
She snapped her fingers and suddenly all traces of the cum and sweat around her disappeared. Looking at my confused face, she explained. "I was able to find a very nifty Skill Book while shopping today. It's called a Clean Spell. I bought five copies as they were quite cheap there. Helps a lot with cleaning… and other things too." She smirked at me. "Now rest and let me do the work today." She said as she positioned herself on my cock and slowly lowered herself down on me.
I groaned as my cock was wrapped in the warmth of her core.
She leaned in for a kiss and I complied before she started moving her waist.
The sound of her ass clapping against my waist echoed throughout the room, shaking the bed.
In fact, the movement of the ship was helping us with the movement and making everything even better. I reached for her breast and took one of her nipples into my mouth while my hands mauled her ass, slapping them occasionally, eliciting moans of pleasure from her.
Things got heated up and I grabbed her ass and picked her up slightly and started thrusting from below.
She hugged my head into her bosom before I finally rammed into her and shot my cum deep into her core. At the same time, I felt her pussy grip me as she came at the same time.
We stayed in each other's embrace, enjoying the pleasure. I was however not even close to being down.
She sensed me still hard inside her and moved aside, getting on all fours. "Now for your reward." She spread her ass, revealing her rosebud to me. "It's been over five decades since I have tried this so go slow at first."
The sight of her pussy dripping with my cum and her hands spreading her ass cheeks, inviting me to take her backdoor… there was only so much a man could do.
It was my first time trying anal but my shaft was wet enough from our juices. I took some of my spit and lubricated her entrance before I pressed my cock at it. She was tight. Her ass was far tighter than her pussy… and hot.
The lubricating made it easier but I still had to slowly push one bit at a time. It was only after a minute or so that I was fully inside her.
I gave her some time to get used to it as I slowly moved. By now she had relaxed and her switch was flipped on.
"Now ram it inside. You can be as rough as you want. I am your reward today. Use me." She shouted.
I pulled her hands back and did just that, started ramming into her. Each push sending shivers of pleasure down our spines. Pulling her hands further, I grabbed her hand and turned her face towards the side and kissed her before pushing her face on the pillow and began ramming into her in earnest.
The room was filled with sounds of slapping flesh but neither of us cared.
I shot into her three times without pulling out and she came five times in that time.
When I pulled out, her face was against the pillow, ass in the air, my palm prints on them from the slaps. Her asshole was gaping from the brutal treatment and cum overflowed from it to down her pussy lips.
I laid beside her and pulled her on top of me, slowly entering her pussy this time and let her control the pace. With our lust calmed down a bit, we continued with the slow, more romantic sex till it was almost dawn.
She slept in my room that day.
The two of us left the room quite late. Thankfully, the rest of the team were also tired from the entire fiasco of the previous day and were still sleeping, having nothing better to do while sailing. There was however someone who was awake.
Grayfia was waiting for us, followed by the girl White Rose, who was looking at Veena and me with a look that could only be described as an atomic blush.
"Oh my, you two are up already? You should have rested more, especially after such an ordeal." Veena said as she sat down.
I occupied a seat beside her and felt Grayfia look at me a few seconds more than normal but didn't comment on it. I knew it must be weird to know about our relationship… Actually, now that I think about it, her room was right beside ours… with the other side being occupied by White Rose… damn… no wonder she was blushing so hard.
I however didn't let my thoughts show up on my face and merely nodded at them.
"Did you two have something to eat?" Veena asked, as she took out some snacks and laid them on the table in front of us. "I am starving."
I was also starving, having worked all night… very enjoyable work. So I picked up one of the sandwiches and took a bite.
Rose's stomach grumbled and her blush intensified. All of us however chose to ignore it and Veena pushed the plate towards her. "Here have some. We cannot waste any food."
The girl nodded and took a sandwich and took a bite of it, before another. A few seconds later, the sandwich was gone. She must have been really hungry.
Veena took this time to look at Grayfia. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked. Grayfia looked at me and Veena, realising her glance continued. "You can say anything you want here."
She then checked our surroundings and spoke again. "Last night, while talking to Rose, I realised that she knew about the Supernatural world too. Rose is actually a Valkyrie from Asgard. Her true name is Rossweisse."
I felt myself choke on hearing the name.
What the fuck?
Veena passed me a glass of water. "Eat slowly, dear. We are not running out of food."
"I'm sorry." I apologised before taking another look at Rossweisse.
White hair, blue eyes… their looks matched too.
Like what were the chances…?
Grayfia continued. "She heard my name when…" She sent me a look.
"Just call me Arthas."
"When Arthas-sama called out my name and then connected the dots and opened up to me."
"Sama?" I asked, slightly confused.
"It's a Japanese honorific. My daughter has been interested in Japanese culture since she was introduced to it by my son's knight. Since then some of my family members have taken up on these honorifics. Trying something new is always fun. In any case, you can call him Arthas but knowing you, it's impossible to do that. So why don't you call him Mr. Arthas or Master Arthas… technically, he is your Master." She smiled jokingly.
"No no. You don't have to do that. As I have already told you all, I was just trying to help out. Moreover, you are Veena's daughter-in-law… how could I leave you there?"
….
They suddenly looked at me weirdly.
"Eh? Did I say something wrong?"
"Arthas?"
"Hmm?"
"Who told you she is my daughter-in-law?" Veena asked.
….
She isn't?
What does she mean she isn't?
Grayfia was married to Sirzechs, wasn't she? Or have they not gotten married yet? Didn't they have a kid?
"I mean… you did say she was your son's queen…" I quickly made an excuse.
"Oh, the queen I meant was the Queen of his peerage, not wife."
"Eh… I… oh. I apologise, I misunderstood." I apologised while my mind was running haywire. Was I remembering things wrong or was it just different here?
Thankfully they didn't pursue it further.
"Hmm. You are quite famous outside after all. Well, at least it all ended for the best. You are welcome to join the team, Rose… just call us by our in game names. We don't want any enemies to recognize us… at least by our names, just yet."
Rose nodded and I did too.
After all, it was my slip which caused this.
"In our team, apart from me, Elaine and Arthas are the only ones who know about the Supernatural world. I do plan to open up about us to the rest someday in the future though. Not anytime soon. So just keep this information to yourself."
We talked about some more things and by that time, the rest also came out. The other three players we had rescued were badly shaken from the whole ordeal and were taking some time alone. We didn't disturb them either. They needed some more time to get themselves up.
"So Bina, Rose, what Class do you use?" Shiroe asked.
"I am a Scholar and Rose is a Warrior." She replied professionally.
"Scholar. Are you planning to go the Mage route?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, so another Mage. Do you have any other classes we can think of expanding to suit the team better?"
She thought for a while and then answered. "I have gained a Pirate Trainee Class while on the Pirate Ship. I worked for them, cleaning the ship and was given a Pirate Trainee Class."
"That works? Huh, nice to know. What does it do?"
"Melee combat. They can use swords and axes. I think higher levels of this Class can use Guns too."
"Ohh, that's what I was looking for." Star said, suddenly excited.
"No Star. You are a level 29 Apprentice Swordsman. You are not changing to Pirate." Shiroe scolded.
"Hey, a man can dream, right?" Star pouted.
Shiroe however looked at Bina. "Does it also give you navigation skills?" He asked after some thought and she nodded. "Yes. Basic knowledge."
"Great. That could be very helpful with our quests. Anyways, since you are already a level 25 Scholar, we can help you level up instead of using the Mage Class Card. Still, I would suggest levelling the Pirate Class on the side." He finished.
"What about you Rose?"
"I am… just Apprentice Warrior." She answered, slightly dejectedly.
"Apprentice Warrior is good. We needed more frontline fighters. By the way, what kind of Class do you want to play going forward? A full warrior based class or do you want a hybrid Class with Magic mixed in?"
"A hybrid class… sounds better. I have experience…" She suddenly paused, realising her words.
"I see. So you have played Magic Classes in other games. Sure. We can search for a Hybrid Class." Thankfully, Shiroe, having gone full planning mode, wasn't paying any attention and handled the situation quite well here. "What kind of weapons do you use?" He asked.
"A Spear."
"Hmm, the range of the spear is always welcome. We can check the Guild and Black Markets for other classes and see what route would be good for you. Anyways, we have a basic team now. All we need is to get everyone to the T4 Class next as our short term goal. We can add more members as time goes by."
"How many people are we looking at as our final goal?" I asked.
"That's hard to say. We don't know how strong the final bosses will be. I mean just Tier 5 had that Rhino so who knows what we can face later on? Would the game even end at T10 or do we even have to face something beyond it?"
I winced a bit at the mention of that fucking Rhino…
"Let's get back to the guild and get it levelled up fast so that we can add everyone to the guild first. Also, we will have to leave at least twenty places vacant for urgent invites from the next time."
"Agreed."
With that we got talking.
Bina was quiet most of the time and only spoke when questioned. Rose was also the same but in her case it wasn't professionalism but rather shyness which prevented her from speaking out loud.
x_
After finishing our talks, we decided to go on and do our own work.
I took this chance to see if I could get any more references and found the Captain.
"You brat went and shook the entire Sabaody in just a few days." He laughed as he got drunk on some booze we had bought. "Oh this is good stuff. It has been a while since I have had something like this. Is this from the Grandline?"
"It's from the Grandline. Something Derek had for sale and I picked it up."
"Ah, no wonder. It just has a different flavour about it. Makes me wanna sing and dance after drinking it."
"Hahahaha, then what are you waiting for? Let's sing. I even learned a song back in Sabaody. How did it go again?"
"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho. Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo…" I honestly didn't remember more than that and was hoping that this would be enough. Seriously remembering the whole song was hard…
"What forgot already? Sing after me…" The captain continued the song further and I sang after him.
Unfortunately I didn't get any rewards for this but it was fun.
Eh, I got enough on this trip already. I would need a lot of time to level all of this up.
We sang the entire day.
x_
We reached Lannisport a day earlier than expected. The captain had outdone himself and we paid him some bonus. Derek's people left right after that but not before inviting us to Sabaody again.
We went directly to Richard's place.
"Arthas! Welcome. How was your trip?" He asked as he looked at the group behind me. "You got slaves? And Damon… why is he here?"
I let out a sigh. "It's a long story."
"Come in. Let's talk over some tea."
We did just that. I explained the part about Damon betraying us.
If looks could have killed, Damon would have died already. First of all he apologised to us for sending us there.
"As much as I would like to have him skinned and hung on the walls of my building, that's not the best move. First of all, a T6 person is too useful to be killed just like that."
"I don't think people would appreciate his ugly muck hanging on your building either. It would be bad for business." I joked, making the man shake his head with a slight smile of his own.
"Yes… that too. Anyways, T6… they are among the top level fighters of any kingdom. So getting any one is rare, very rare… not to mention expensive. After all, that's the highest Tier a Slave Crest works on. I would suggest that you keep him as a guard in your Guild. It would keep people from having any ideas about your guild."
"You look worried." I asked, looking at the thoughtful look on his face.
"Oh… well, I was wondering who to trade with next. Our Dolphin's Song Trading Agency had a partnership with him."
"That's quite easy." I gave him a card belonging to Derek. "He is the guy we sold all the businesses belonging to Damon. You can contact him and deal with him."
He looked at the card. "Derek? You got a deal with Derek of the One Eyed Wolf!"
"Yes. he was the one who bought the Devil Fruit from me…"
"Devil Fruit!" The word seemed to have stunned him. "Just what the hell did you get yourself into Arthas? Explain the entire situation first."
I did exactly that.
"Ah! This damned bastard Damon…" He punched his table, breaking it in two.
I was taken aback by his aggression.
"Arthas, you are a newly appointed noble so you don't know of this but, the King of our country has wanted to buy a Devil Fruit for a long time. You could have received a high ranking Nobility had you sent the fruit to him, maybe even a chance to get a T7 Class. No, with a Logia, you could have received both… Even Llyne could have benefited… dammit… This fucking traitor…"
I looked at our team.
Bina was looking stoic as ever, no expressions on her face but her hands were clenched. Rose on the other hand… she looked guilty.
"Well, I am afraid that's out of the question. There was no way we could have left our comrades to be sold there."
"Yes… yes, that wasn't something we could allow. You did the right thing. We as the Knights of our Kingdom must value our honour and responsibility before anything else."
"Actually, I was wanting to ask you where to sell some of the things we had bought from Sabaody."
"Hmm. You can actually go to Greenfrost. It's a big city and the people would appreciate the goods you have to sell."
"I see. Thank you. I will do just that."
"I will get some rooms arranged for you all. Take some rest." He offered but we rejected. All of us had been doing nothing but resting the past week except for the day of hunting in Sabaody.
We wanted some action again.
- Game Master -
"Holy shit, that's a lot of notifications. Just how many references did he get?" He asked as he looked at the list. With one thought the video came in front of him.
"Ahahahaha, the balls on the guy. To say those lines to Rayleigh… hell, he even used Rayleigh's lines on Rayleigh himself. Alright, that definitely deserved the prize."
Taking some time to check on his junior's progress, he saw the scene of the auction.
Honestly, he was wondering if he would punch someone in the Auction House. Unfortunately, it wasn't the yearly auctions so there was less than a thousandth chance of encountering a World Noble and the reward wouldn't have been triggered on anyone except those…
The move he pulled there was smart… in fact, it was a perfect move.
Others might think of people in the game as simple npc but as the creator, he knew that wasn't the case. Most common npcs in the game were actually copies of actual people who have lived in the world, their personalities exact copies of the actual people, without any memories.
To create a new world, he couldn't have fake people everywhere. And when there are such people, some tend to act… scummy too…
This game was meant to force people together against a common enemy, test their bonds and only allow the strongest of the group to come out on the top.
As for whether they chose to protect the world or destroy it… that wasn't his problem. He was just giving them a chance to survive against the Alien Gods. He was no one's nanny or minder who would keep them on the so-called righteous path.
Still, the maid and the valkyrie… luck was indeed a great manipulator.
He looked at the list of quotes and finally paused at the last one.
"Red."
"Hmm?"
"Did he really get the Pizzaman reference?" He asked. The requirements for that one were extremely hard to get.
Then again, with the Devil Milf being there, he was perhaps one of the very few who could have done that.
"Oh yeah… should have looked. The woman was rewarding him for saving the maid." Red smirked.
He shook his head. He didn't like watching others fuck… he liked doing the deed himself better.
Still, he sold off the Swamp Swamp Fruit eh…
He would have been disappointed if he had eaten that one.
Devil Fruits and other skills were some aspects he had added in the game from his side. In this game, no one carried over their Sacred Gears.
In his game, everyone started off equally and had the power to reach the same height. Some easier than others but that was the only thing luck affected.
Creating the Devil Fruit powers wasn't that hard for him and the reason he liked it more than Sacred Gears was because you had to find it yourself. You didn't get stuck with it if you didn't want to.
That's why if his junior had accepted a mediocre one like the Swamp Swamp Fruit, he would have been truly disappointed.
Many people say that the power of the Devil Fruit depends on the user and all that bullshit and yet when given the choice, they would choose the Goro Goro no Mi over the Beta Beta no Mi…
Fortunately things seem to be going well.
"Take this time and grow stronger, Junior. You have to face very strong enemies in the future." He turned towards Red. "By the way, how is the progress of the people all over the server?"
"According to the plan. At this rate, we can start the next World Quest in four to five months."
"Good."
Right now, everyone was merely playing a tutorial. The second World Quest will be when things get interesting.
x_x_
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'.
Arthas met the Dark King and went on a rampage with the references.
The entire fiasco cost them some things and bought them some profits. We win some, we lose some…
I will concentrate a bit on Guild Development and the progress of the other groups for a while, see what trouble they are facing and how they are growing.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.