Soul Art Online
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 24: Tournament - Finale
- Arthas -
I looked blankly at the man in front of me.
The blonde haired blue eyed man looked a few years older than me. A quick use of Scan showed his identity. T6, Holy Knight… Arthas… It took me a second to register what that meant and there was only one word I could say in my mind.
Fuck!
I didn't let it show on my face however, and instead bowed. "Your Highness."
The man laughed instead. "Raise your head."
I did and looked at him.
"So, do you accept?" He asked again.
"I… would be honoured."
"Good then. I will have the formal declaration drafted in a few days. I have heard that you are friends with Arnold Straight. He is about to come to the Capital to receive his honour. You should follow him too."
"As you command."
He nodded. "Now, I believe you have a match to win. Go and fight with your all without any distractions. Don't worry about your companions. No one will harm them. I give you my word."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Uther took this opportunity to speak again. "Your assumption is correct. Mad Brawler Tyrone is indeed mostly likely innocent and the real culprit will be the one you face next. However we do not have any evidence to get them and knowing what I know about the Black Hand, I doubt anyone will find any evidence either. If you want justice, the best way is to completely trample on their main goal… to establish a name in Greenfrost to spread their influence. Crush their spirits in your fight. Go on."
"It will be done, Sir." In fact, I wasn't saying this just to please them. I was really pissed.
While I knew this was a game and they were most likely advanced AI or something, it didn't prevent me from being pissed any less.
"Go on then. A good Knight should be punctual. Showing up late for the finals would not look good for you." Uther said and I nodded.
"Oh and please keep my presence and your appointment a secret for a while. It will be announced after the tournament's end." Prince Arthas said.
I nodded. Bowing to them once more before getting up and leaving the room.
Outside Rose, Veena and the people from the Knight's Academy were waiting. Even Arnold had joined them., standing there looking serious.
"Arthas! Is everything alright?" Sir Ralph asked, representing the entire Knight's Academy.
I nodded. "Yes."
"Don't worry. We will find out the ones responsible. They will not get away." Sir Ralph said seriously.
Unfortunately, I don't think they would be able to do anything. From Uther's words, it was clear that the Black Hand had been involved in this kind of thing for a while. And since they can get away for so long, they must have a lot of experience doing these kinds of things.
If they had the courage to do such a thing under the nose of the strongest Paladin of the Kingdom, they wouldn't make such easy mistakes.
I still nodded as I knew the Marquis had to make some kind of statement and that Sir Ralph meant well.
"Your match is about to begin soon. You should go and heal first." Arnold said, speaking for the first time.
I nodded and was led by them to a room where the healers worked on me. I was even given some potions to restore my energy back to full.
While they were doing that, I checked on the rewards from an unexpected reference which was triggered while I was in the last match.
My 'Playtime's Over' had triggered a reference.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
19 to all stats.
38% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Slime Equipment Blueprint
It was actually a Blueprint to make Slime Equipment used by the Shadow Garden.
Was the equipment really the same as the Shadow Garden used or was it a different type of equipment?
Who knows?
But since this was a reward from one of the References, I doubt it would be as simple as any other equipment.
The equipment however needed a Magic Blacksmith to make so I will have to find one for our group or it would be like giving away a free Blueprint of a Rare Equipment away for free.
I will have to talk to Veena about this. I will probably play it off as a reward from my quest for this Tournament.
The last match had brought me several gains.
Since I had to stall the entire fight against Tyrone until they found Rose. Tyrone was an insane fighter and I was actually having a hard time fighting against him.
But this also meant that my Skills were rising up at a rapid rate.
My Armament Haki had gone up by two levels, Observation Haki by three and finally, my Shingen-ryū had leveled up to max level
This meant that I got an extra bonus to the Skill. It was this very bonus which helped me win the match in the end or it would have been a close call.
Shingen-ryu [Unique Skill] [Level 50/50]
Shingen-ryu or "Style That Originates From The Heart" is a school of Martial Arts in which the practitioner learns hand-to-hand combat as well as the ability to control their aura for combat.
Passively Increases 2 STR 2 END 2 DEX 2 INT 2 WIS per level.
Current Increase: 100 STR 100 END 100 DEX 100 INT 100 WIS
Bonus: Ignore 15% Defense, unlocks Skill Touki.
Touki… it was a surprise but it also made sense. Touki or Ki was the life energy which was the energy required for Nen. This world also had Touki although they don't use it as well as the Nen of the Hunter x Hunter world.
I guess I might get Nen if I were to complete the Touki skill to the max level.
Again, it was all so… planned… almost as if teaching people how to use this power. The degree of planning which must have gone into this game… is unthinkable.
I looked at the Touki Skill description.
Touki [Level 1/100]
Touki is the external manifestation of one's life-force, their Ki, which is wrapped around them as an aura. It allows the user to achieve heightened offense, defense, and speed.
50% Attack, 50% Defense, 50% Speed.
Cost: 200 Stamina per minute
5% to Attack Power, 5% to Defence Power increases per level. -5 Stamina Per minute every ten levels.
This Skill was like a Stamina based version of Armament Haki with a similar use. In fact, even the numbers were the same for both Skills. The best part was that both of them can be used at the same time, which is how I was able to pull off that victory against Tyrone in the last match.
It was good as most of my Skills used Mana so having something which could reduce the load on my MP Reserves and use my considerable Stamina Reserves was helpful.
Right now most of my Classes were Stamina based and MP wasn't exactly my strong suit. It was only due to my Man of Culture achievement and extra Stats from my Skills that I was able to maintain my current mana intensive fighting style.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my mind on the finals.
Beating the guy was not the main issue. It was how to use this opportunity to the fullest.
What I wanted to do was not just beat him but also use this as an opportunity to grind some achievements.
I was told to make a show of this and I had several great ideas.
- Veena -
She was invited to the VIPs room once more, this time with Rose and Arnold. Sir Ralph and the other heads of the Magic Tower and the Church were also present.
Uther had asked them to sit with them to watch the finals and no one had argued.
Rose was still a bit flustered. Knowing her, she was probably feeling guilty, even more so after hearing that Arthas was holding back, almost losing the fight due to her.
Still, this incident must have brought up some bad memories for her.
The date with Arthas would do her more good than she had thought.
Her crush on him was quite obvious, almost painful to watch at the moment.
"Still betting on him, Miss Veena?" Uther asked, starting the conversation as the announcer was still announcing the results for the third place match.
"Obviously." She replied, without moving her eyes from the grounds.
"Hahahaha good then. This time I will trust your judgement." He laughed and continued watching the field.
"And now… the moment we have all been waiting for, the final, the ultimate showdown which will give us the winner, the strongest fighter in Greenfrost this year. On one side, we have the man who is as stealthy as a shadow and as fast as the wind. His strikes land on the enemy before they realise it and the only thing they see with the light fading from their vision is their own defeat. Welcome with a huge round of applause…. Garelllllll Cole!"
The crowd clapped, many cheering at the man's entrance.
"Facing him, we have the most surprising member of this whole tournament, the darkest of horses the Greenfrost Tournament has ever seen. He might be the lowest level player in the tournament, but that hasn't stopped him from completely dominating every match, crushing every opponent he has faced in this tournament with the precision of a surgeon. Just when everyone thinks he would lose, he comes back, time and time again, and firmly grasps the final victory in his hands. Welcome with the widest round of applause, the member of Knight's Academy of Greenfrost… Arthas!"
The crowd cheered harder.
In the previous rounds, most of the crowd hadn't been interested in Arthas' matches, probably because for normal people, his fights would have seemed boring compared to the flashy skills thrown around in other fights.
Arthas had kept most of his Skills hidden in his fights, only revealing what was necessary. But that all changed in the last fight when he decided to finish everything with the Mad Brawler Tyrone. It seems this has earned him a lot of fans.
She had seen such things a lot in the Rating Games. For a normal audience, flashy moves were the best. Only the real fighters and warriors could appreciate fights like Arthas' which while looking simple, crushed his opponents one-sidedly.
The two fighters stared at each other, taking their stances. Garell Cole held two daggers in a cross before himself while Arthas held his sword in front of him. His sword lit up with Lightning and a Black Coating of Armament Haki covered the blade as he stared at the opponent's, observing his every move.
As the referee gave the signal. Garell Cole disappeared from his place, at a speed which was hard for her to catch. The difference between their stats was immense.
While the Black Hand most probably used the whole kidnapping incident, it was undeniable that Garell Cole was a very strong fighter. In fact, from what she had seen, he could have easily stood in the finals even without resorting to such means.
Unfortunately, he met someone like Arthas… a complete outlier.
Arthas spun around in his place and stung his sword down, forcing Grell who had suddenly appeared behind him to block the attack with both his hands.
The force of the attack made his knees buckle a little as the ground under his feet cracked. It made his balance shaky. Arthas took his moment to kick him directly in his abdomen.
Garell Cole's whole body shot like a cannon ball but the man regained his balance in midair and stabbed his daggers into the ground, slowing down and halting his body, preventing himself from being tossed outside of the stage by the force of the kick.
By the time he stopped his body, Arthas was behind him and sent another kick.
To his credit Garell Cole managed to dodge the kick with a turn of his body. Arthas however didn't give up and spun around, using the momentum from the previous kick and sent another kick towards him, forcing him to raise his daggers and defend.
Stalker was an Agility based Class. Strength wasn't something they were known for. They mainly attacked from the Shadows so expecting them to fight head on against a Knight in terms of strength was a big stretch… and yet Garell Cole had done just that in his previous matches which showed that his physical strength stat wasn't any less than some of the strongest Knights… and yet… when faced against Arthas' attacks, he was stumbling around to maintain his balance.
The kick was followed by a strike of his sword, making him lose one of his daggers.
It had however given him some time to make some distance between them.
The man stood there, quickly taking some deep breaths before the assault began again. This time however, there was no follow up.
Arthas just looked at him from a distance.
"Why are you trying to make a distance between us? Do you think it will help you cope up with my attacks? I am sorry to disappoint you but that won't work. Distance only has meaning in a fight between equals. With you and I, distance holds no meaning at all."
"Hahahaha that's some confidence." Sir Ralph laughed.
Even Rose looked confused at the sudden change in his behaviour and looked at her.
Veena however just smiled.
"He is roleplaying." She whispered to Rose.
"Eh?"
"Hmm, you know how he has had slightly muted emotions?"
Rose nodded.
"When he was a kid, he started doing Roleplay on how to act… normally in front of others, to assure his parents. He is obviously much better now but I guess he just enjoys this. It can be very funny sometimes. I think it's cute. Just watch him. I guess he is trying to act arrogant to provoke the other side this time." She smiled while looking at the ground.
As expected, Garell Cole's face morphed into a look of rage at the comment. He threw his dagger at Arthas, the dagger multiplying in air, turning from one to a dozen. Arthas however just swung his sword, deflecting all of them with a gust of wind from the force of the swing.
Garel took the opportunity to summon a short sword. The sword lit up with a bright light and he smashed the ground he was standing on with a roar.
Shockwaves spread throughout the stage as the entire stage was shattered into pieces, some of the pieces rose up, making the entire stadium become a rocky terrain, with enough places to hide.
He stood up and looked at Arthas with an enraged look. "You asked for this."
And with that, his figure slipped down into the shadow under his feet.
"Hmm, Shadow Walk. That's a rare Skill, something which belongs to Shadow Chasers, the next stage of Stalkers. He must have learned this Skill from a Skill Book. Changing the whole terrain to suit his needs was a good move. I can see why he can gain fame in the kingdom for his skills." Daren Black spoke as he watched the game.
They obviously weren't affected by the Skill and could follow the man's movements even from this distance.
Veena for one, couldn't and she had noticed that neither could several others in the same room as them.
Rose was obvious, being the lowest level character in the room, but to her surprise, even Arnold's frown showed that he couldn't see the movements of Garell Cole.
"This could be annoying. I cannot see him." Arnold spoke with a frown as his eyes searched the ground.
"Oh, afraid?" Sir Ralph smiled.
"Not really. I am sure I could beat him if I were down there but… I am not sure I could stop him from escaping if he wants to. The man deserves his name." He said with frustration, lacing his voice.
"Hmm, yes. Stalkers and their advanced Classes are hard to keep in case they want to run. I have seen many Templars, Magic Knights and even Holy Knights lose to them in ambushes. They gain a bonus to their attacks when catching their opponent off guard. Their speed increases when they are in shadows and the first attack they make after the Shadow Walk does increased damage too and sometimes, if it hits a delicate place, it can do around three times more damage than normal attacks. Their skill is not to be underestimated." The man in the mask who was sitting behind Uther said, speaking for the first time in the discussion.
"Yes. Underestimating them can be an easy way to die. Although, it doesn't look like your friend seems to be bothered by any of that."
Sure enough Arthas was smiling on the ground.
"Oh, are you so worried about me finding you that you used almost half of your power to destroy the ground? You could have told me and I would have closed my eyes. Actually, you know what?… Let's do that too." With that said, he really closed his eyes. Not only that,he summoned a handkerchief and tied it around his eyes.
…
…
…
…
"Lady Veena!" Rose was surprised and even she raised an eyebrow at his actions.
"Don't worry. Arthas is not the kind to make unfounded claims. If he is saying that, he must have some plan." She said even she was confused with his actions.
Garell however was even more enraged at his words and appeared behind him, from a shadow and attacked, going directly for his neck.
Just when it looked like he was about to hit him, Arthas moved to the side, dodging the attack by a bit.
After that, it was just a game. Garell, attacking from the shadows and Arthas moving slightly to dodge his attacks, one after another.
It was like a dance, one where even a single miss could lead to an instant loss.
"Ahhhhh be serious and stop moving around!" Garell, having gotten frustrated by the repeated failures, shouted in frustration.
"Get serious? Come on. What adult goes full force when fighting children?"
…
…
…
…
"Ahahahaha well said, brat. Well said." Sir Ralph burst into a laugh at his words.
"Hehehehe while only roleplaying, there is something very hot about his domineering style, isn't there?" She asked Rose who was looking at the ground, unblinking.
"Arthas is taunting the opponent to make him lose his cool. This makes his attacks fueled by rage, and thus predictable. The biggest strength of a Stalker is their patience and this one has lost it completely. His loss is imminent."
Sure enough, Arthas continued.
"I am not trying to make fun of you, you know. You being weaker than me… is a fact. But go on, let it not be said that Knight Arthas doesn't give his opponent any chances. I will take your next attack without moving. Give me your best shot. I am getting tired of this boring match too." Arthas spread his arms wide.
There was a moment of silence in the field but then an aura rose and Grell Cole appeared from the shadows, a dark light shining from his blade as he struck down towards Arthas with a roar.
Arthas on the other hand took a stance and his sword lit up with a Holy Light. The Holy Blade was Arthas' strongest one hit Skill. He faced the attack head on as he had said and the result… a large scar appeared on the opponent's chest and he was sent flying, getting embedded into one of the rocks.
Dust flew everywhere but Arthas waved his sword and cleared everything.
The man, to his credit, tried to stand but his steps were unstable.
Arthas looked at him calmly and spoke once more. "It seems that you still want to dance but... You will not be able to make steps anymore."
But contrary to the rage which was expected of the man, he looked at Arthas and laughed, before his sword took on a reddish hue.
"You think I would fall for such obvious taunts? I am not the one who fell into a trap… it's you. Your attacks… have been collected by me. Now pay the price of your arrogance." He raised his sword.
"That's…" Uther narrowed his eyes as he looked at the attack. "Bide. A Skill which allows them to attack and return twice the damage of the last three attacks on the enemy. It's a rare Skill of a Master Monk and if one doesn't pay attention, it could turn the whole fight around in one attack… this could be troublesome."
Hmm, that could indeed be troublesome.
She could see many people falling for this trick. After all, the Skills of a Stalker were obviously unsuitable for open combat. Even more so in this tournament, where most of his skills were exposed in front of other players in the previous matches. A Stalker loses their greatest weapon, the element of surprise… but no one would ever expect… such an 'un-Stalker' type skill being used by a class which is known to have low defense.
Garell Cole shot towards Arthas and slash down, the air crackling with the energy in the blade and a huge arc of red fell towards Arthas…
However something happened next which blew the minds of the audience.
Arthas slowly lifted his left hand… and grabbed the attack between his forefinger. The stage behind him was torn apart and even a part of the stadium's entrance was sliced. The attack would have done even more damage had it not been for the referees intervening and stopping it but even their face looked pale as they did so… but Arthas remained impassive in the face of such an attack, looking at the stunned Garell Cole with the same calm expression.
Veena quickly realised that he was using his Skill: Limitless.
And then he spoke again. "Oh, that stung a bit. But then again… It's no surprise it hurt me; I wouldn't expect anything less from myself!" And then his eyes turned sharp as his sword moved at a lightning fast speed, cutting Garell Cole shoulder to waist.
The man fell to the ground, spitting out blood.
"But playtime is over now, Garell. I'm going to have to ask you to stop now. I can only step on an ant so hard without crushing it. So give up…"
Garell however didn't answer and fell unconscious instead.
"Well chosen."
The silence in the stadium was deafening. No one had expected Arthas to fight like this in the finals, especially after all his previous matches which had seemed like close calls.
Even the VIP Room was silent. No one spoke for several seconds and just looked at the ground quietly.
Arthas was the first one to break the silence. He looked at the referee and pointed towards the fainted man on the ground.
The man seemed to have realised what had happened and quickly rushed and checked his condition and then gave the verdict.
"Winner… Arthas!"
The crowd erupted into roars. Their cheers did not stop even as Arthas gave everyone a bow and left the stage.
"My word… that was the best Tournament I have seen in my life." Sir Ralph spoke first, earning absent minded nods from his friends.
"That kid is a monster." The Vice President of the Magic Tower, Patrick Gale, said, looking at the ground and shaking his head.
"Well obviously, he's from the Knight's Academy." Ralph replied, looking smug. His comment however earned scowls from two others.
"Hmph, what Knight's Academy. He is clearly a different Class. He even used a Lightning Enchant Type Spell. He is more of a Magic Knight than a Lord Knight."
"There were more than one Holy Skills too. Holy Ray and Holy Blade. With the degree of expertise he showed in both, he could easily be trained to become an excellent Paladin. Anyways, he hasn't become a Lord Knight yet so he is open for recruitment in any branch." The Vice Head of the Church, David Bright, threw in his words too.
"You two… stop trying to poach our members. There has to be a limit to shamelessness." Ralph fired back.
"What shamelessness? Is he a Lord Knight, Shield Knight or Sword Knight? If not then I don't see why we cannot throw in an invite. There is nothing forbidding us from doing so." David retorted.
"Yes. In fact, I have found from Miss Veena here that Knight Arthas already has a Mage Class active. He can become a Magic Knight anytime he wants. The reason he has chosen his current Class is because it has skills he wants. He could always change back to Magic Knight later."
"Both of you are too much."
"Still… Garell Cole… I doubt he will recover from that. That kind of beatdown in front of the audience… Arthas was brutal."
"As he should have been. Those clowns tried to make a fool of Greenfrost by pulling such a stunt. Garell Cole would be suffering an even worse fate if I had gotten my hand on any clue against them. They deserve whatever comes to them. In fact, I will get Arthas a reward for beating that guy up. A piece of equipment or Skill Book should be good."
"It's not only Cole, even the Order of the Black Hand is more or less done in Greenfrost after this. I doubt anyone would want to associate with them after such a farce. I will be sending the news of the incident everywhere to make sure they don't."
"Well good riddance. They aren't good news either way."
"They… won't cause any trouble for Arthas, would they? Knowing them, they would obviously hold a grudge" Arnold asked Sir Ralph.
"Hmph, they can try whatever they want. This is Greenforst. Their moves will be thwarted in moments."
"Exactly."
"Hmm."
At this point, all three Vice Presidents were of one mind.
"You all don't need to worry about that. Knight Arthas will not be in any danger from the Order of the Black Hand. We have taken some measures already. Even then I will go and have a talk to their leader myself. We are looking at someone who can reach Tier 7 in the future, and who knows, with enough luck, maybe even Tier 8. His Majesty will not let such a talent get crushed under petty vengeance from anyone." Uther spoke, his words carrying a tone of finality in them.
Veena wondered what he was referring to.
Was this another quest?
Anyways, they didn't have time to think any more. The Tier 4 Tournament was supposed to begin soon. But the stadium being partially destroyed in the last fight delayed it a little. Currently, the Mages were working to fix the damage as soon as possible before the next tournament could start. In the meantime, someone was sent to call for Arthas.
- Arthas -
Damn I am exhausted.
Keeping up the act needed me to use my skills at an overtime.
Garell Cole was the strongest player in the tournament I had faced against.
I couldn't afford to let down my guard even a bit.
My Armament Haki, Touki, Observation Haki were continuously active and I even used Holy Blade, Limitless and Heavy Strike Skill in quick succession too.
I was down to less than half of my MP and HP due to that.
The MP and MP Regen. Stat increased with INT and WIS Stat. Although, I had observed that Spirit Stat also increased the MP and MP Regen. Stats by a bit.
Each Point of INT increased MP by 10, each Point of WIS increased MP Regen by 0.1.
Each point of Spirit increased the MP Stat by 5 and MP Regen Stat by 0.05.
And after today, it would only get higher.
I looked at the Achievements I had gained and couldn't help but grin widely. In fact, the whole thing was going so well that I considered using my Holy Ray on Garell and healing him just so I could continue the whole thing on for longer… sigh, if only I had more MP.
"All that public roleplay… totally worth it."
The achievements were lined up neatly in the log.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
20 to all stats.
40% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Skill: Shunpo
Shunpo [Level 1/100] [Exp 0/200]
Shunpo is a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. As speed is the main factor of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps.
Covers a distance of up to five metres at 250% speed.
Cost: 10 MP
Distance increases by 0.1 metre, speed increases by 5% and cool down decreases by 1 second per level.
This was the reward for the Distance Quote from Aizen.
The next was for Madara's getting serious quote.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
21 to all stats.
42% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Skill: Petra Path
Petra Path [Level 1/50] [Exp: 0/2000]
One of the Six Paths of the Rinnegan.
Absorb any Magic Spell and restore the user's MP.
Cooldown Time: 1 Hour.
Each level reduces the cooldown by 30 seconds.
Note: The maximum amount of MP restored can be 150% of the user's Max MP. The excess MP will slowly drain out if not used immediately.
Collecting all Six Paths Skills will unlock bonus Skills.
For Madara's dance quote, I got.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
22 to all stats.
44% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Deva Path
Deva Path [Level 1/50] [Exp: 0/2000]
One of the Six Paths of the Rinnegan.
Can manipulate Gravity to Push or Pull objects from a distance.
Cooldown: 1 Hour.
Each level reduces the cooldown by 30 seconds.
Note: Collecting all Six Paths Skills will unlock bonus Skills.
Next was the unexpected Escanor quote.
I really wasn't expecting the guy to have a Reflect or Counter Type Skill but since it came to my door, it would be extremely stupid not to make use of it.
And the result was obvious.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
23 to all stats.
46% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Unique Skill: Divine Sword Escanor
Divine Sword Escanor [Level 1/100] [Exp:0/1000]
Gathers the power of the Sun in the blade to deliver a devastating attack which is especially effective against the creatures of the night.
The closer to noon, the stronger the attack.
Damage: 500% Holy and Fire Damage 1% Damage every minute it gets closer to noon. 200% extra Damage at Noon.
Note: Calculation begins from sunrise and during sunset, it is possible to have no attack power.
Cooldown: 2 hours.
Each Level increases the base damage of the Skill by 5%, the damage increase per minute by 0.01%, bonus damage at noon by 2% and reduces the Cooldown Time of the Skill by 1 minute.
This Skill… it was absurd.
It was just absurdly broken.
This was the strongest single attack Skill I had seen in the game yet.
None of my other Skills came even close.
I couldn't wait to see the Skill's full power at the maximum level. But even now, I was sure, this Skill could take down several dangerous bosses.
As expected of a Skill of Escanor.
Next was the last one, from Aizen's 'Crushing an ant' quote.
And the reward for this was the best yet.
Congratulations Traveller.
You have discovered another secret!
Traveller.
A Special Title given to those who complete the Hidden Quests, Man of Culture.
24 to all stats.
48% to Exp Gained.
Note: The Effect of the Title can be enhanced the more secrets the Traveller discovers in the world.
Reward: Unique Skill: Incomplete Hogyoku
Incomplete Hogyoku
The incomplete version of the Hogyoku possesses the part of the ability to sense the hearts of those around it and materialize their deepest desire.
It helps strengthen the user when faced against life threatening dangers.
Everytime the user's health goes into red, increases Spirit Stat by 1.
Cooldown: 1 day
Just this short description and yet, it was enough to shake everything I had seen until now. It was even more absurd than the Will of D. Skill which only increases the Spirit Stat by 1 every level.
This Skill meant that I could continuously increase my Spirit Stat and MP without relying on Class and Level Up Stats.
I could play any Class without the fear of running short on Mana anymore. With this, my current playstyle of abusing Haki was more or less solidified and became permanent.
There were no levels for the Skill but I didn't think there was a need for any either.
And this was just the Incomplete Hogyuku. Was there a complete Hogyoku too?
These Skills were enough to keep me busy for a while.
I reached the VIP Room as I was thinking of these things.
Arnold was waiting outside and gave me a pat on my shoulder. "That was an amazing fight, Arthas. I am looking forward to our next spar." He smiled and led me inside.
"Good job in the field."
"Yeah, you showed the other side to not mess with Greenfrost."
Several people congratulated me. Even Uther and Prince Arthas gave me a nod. Although the latter was still under his mask so I didn't bow to him and just returned a nod. He didn't want his identity revealed till the end.
I sat down near Veena.
"Good show." She smiled and even Rose who was looking nervous before was relieved seeing me fine.
"You liked it?" I asked with a smile. The acting on the stage was completely opposite of my usual style. I didn't know how they would receive it.
"Oh, I like the normal you better but there was something… so hot about that performance. I think I know just what I want for our next roleplay session." She smiled, making me perk with anticipation.
Rose on the side blushed red at her words.
- Kuroka -
"Woah… that was so coooolllll." Gasper cheered from behind his mask.
She too had a smirk on her face.
The pride and arrogance he was showing reminded her of Vali. The beatdown which followed next was just a cherry on the cake.
It was totally different from his usual knightley side that he had shown so far.
Kuroka guessed that the opponent had something to do with the kidnapping and was getting a beating due to it.
His strength… it really was beyond any other player she had heard or seen so far.
By now, she didn't doubt the fact that Arthas, the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild, was the strongest player in the game.
In fact, it wasn't just his brute stats or spamming skills mindlessly but also his actual skill level. While it wasn't on par with Arthur, he was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The more he fought, the better he got. Even in the real world, such a person could have become someone famous with proper resources.
At this level, she doubted there would be anyone outside the actual Supernatural beings who could match him in pure skill in a few years.
In fact, it wasn't just him.
Even that girl, White Rose… she was trained.
Kuroka could tell from a glance that she was absolutely trained and not just at a human level. She was a Supernatural for sure. That was why she hadn't given her identity to her or gone with her to meet the rest.
She wanted to get to know them on her own terms first to know if they could be dangerous to Gasper and her and only then join them if she was satisfied with them.
White Rose's behaviour did seem good at first glance but she couldn't afford to hurry to take a decision like that.
What had attracted her even more was one of the Skills he was using.
The white aura around him… it felt awfully like Touki. Was there Senjutsu and Touki in this world?
Kuroka hadn't had much time to explore other classes and playstyles, being six months late in this game. She had devoted all her time to level up and increase her strength to find Shirone at the fastest but now she was realising that in doing so she was also missing out some things which could affect her strength in the long run.
If this world had Magic, Touki and Senjutsu then it would do her a lot more good to find those things than rely on a fighting style she was totally unfamiliar with.
Maybe if she really joined Fairy Tail, she could find out more. They did seem like they had a lot of information about high level Classes and Skills, being the strongest players in the game.
The Tier 4 competition was starting and while she would have waited to watch it normally, she had a lot of work to do after today's encounter so she took Gasper and left for the Blacksmith's shop in the city.
- Shiroe -
"Really, are you guys sure you don't need any support? It sounded quite dangerous." He asked.
The sudden guild messages were made in the public chat of the Guild and attracted too much attention.
He had been the first to respond and didn't get any answer at first. Later Veena explained the whole situation to them and everyone was worried sick after hearing everything. Kidnapping?
Sure Shiroe knew that those kinds of things happened in the game. They had saved Elaine from it and then Bina and Rose from actual human trafficking… but it still came as a surprise to everyone.
In the past few days, they had been working here and Star's Class Quest was still ongoing. In fact it was set to be tomorrow but the information had made them all reconsider things.
Star was ready to drop the quest and go to Greenfrost. It was only after Arthas himself said everything was in control that he stopped. Practically speaking, a bunch of T4 going there would just increase the burden on Arthas right now.
It would just give his enemies more targets to kidnap. That's why the best option right now was to stay in Llyne and get to tier 5 as soon as possible and level up.
That would increase the power behind the Fairy Tail name and give them the power to fight against any repercussions that might come from the aftermath of this incident.
The Order of Black Hand was a huge guild. A guild led by a Tier 7.
Tier 7.
He wasn't sure if they could all win against a high level Tier 6 as a team right now, let alone a Tier 7.
They might have some chance if they sacrificed Damon and caught the other side in a trap but even that was speculation based on his estimates of the full strength of a Tier 6.
Damon was just level 6 of T6 and he was not exactly a pure combat based class either.
"Yes. We are fine. Arnold and the rest of the Knights have increased security around us. Veena and Rose are protected by a T6 at all times. I want you all to reach T5 as soon as you can and concentrate on leveling up the Guild. We have a big opportunity in front of us." Arthas said from the other side of the line.
"What opportunity?"
"I was just awarded the position of the City Lord of a City by the Prince of the Country."
…
"What?"
"I was just made a City Lord. We might need to move."
"...seriously?"
"Yup. I was surprised out of my mind too but it turns out that the guy who saved Rose was actually the Prince of the Country. We might be looking at the beginning of a Quest of some kind. I will tell you more after I find out about the City's location next. Just concentrate on leveling up the Guild. We will need more members to establish ourselves in another place. Oh, and leave a few places open. I am planning to recruit the girl who helped Rose and her brother."
"Got it." Shirone agreed, his mind thinking about the plans for the next town already.
"Oh, and I might need to go to the Capital. Veena got some deals with some of the businessmen and nobles of Greenfrost. You might need to receive them if they send people there before we return. If we need help, we can just inform you all."
"I will take care of it. Just be safe there, you three."
"We will."
The conversation ended.
Rose and Veena had a private chat with Bina and Elaine after that and ended the chat as they left to rest.
Shiroe sat down in his place and looked at the rest of the core members of the team.
"Looks like all our plans to develop the territory in Greenfrost will need to be put on hold." Sigh… truly, the plans of mice and men…
"Cheer up. What's a mere territory? Arthas is going to be a City Lord. Can you imagine that? That's going to be some kind of achievement in and of itself."
"Probably, but I doubt it would be so easy. Arthas is right, the first thing we need to do is level up and get to T5 as soon as we can. Suikazura-san, is next. We will be going around doing a Field Boss sweep to level up next. No need to wait for them to return to pick up speed. We can later help Rose catch up. As for Arthas and Veena, they are already at a high level."
Over the next few hours, they made several plans.
Arthas told them about the undead in the areas near Greenfrost.
They were weak against Holy and Fire Type attacks and plenty in number. The only reason it was hard to hunt them was because of their poison and the miasma that covers the area.
Because of this reason, the thing which Greenfrost's Church and Knight Academy order the most are the Miasma Pills. It kind of makes sense why they gave Veena that reward for the World Quest. It wasn't just because of her Class but also so that they could produce more of the Miasma Pills and increase supply to Greenfrost.
This game always does things for a reason.
Right now, the Fairy Tail Guild has been more or less established in Llyne and now they already have another target in front of them.
Things were finally starting to pick up pace and they had to step up their game to not get left behind.
- Game Master -
"Woohoo, he went all out for the Achievements, didn't he?" He laughed as he watched the scene of the finals of the Greenfrost Tournament.
"He did. I actually enjoyed the scene. It seemed quite normal. Everything fit in so well." Tiamat smiled, a rare smile.
"So the cat helped with the Valkyrie and they might meet the next day. They came together faster than I had thought they would. Good for them."
That tournament… it wasn't meant to be for players.
At least this year's T5 tournament wasn't meant to be. It would have opened up the next year for normal players.
He hadn't expected someone to reach Greenfrost at T5 so soon, get recommended and even win.
Even the quest which Arthas got was actually meant to be for the players who participate there… next year.
There was a whole main quest associated with this year's quest… which was now completely out of track.
"Do we need to readjust the scenario to suit the quest?" Red asked.
"Hmm… no. Leave it be. The people in the game were all based on actual people. All of them contained actual personalities rather than just wisely written AI meant that this world works just like a real world. Let them do it."
Then he thought of something and a smile came to his face.
"He met Arthas Menethil, didn't he?" Now he wondered how the main quest of Auvudor would go?
The Undead… the Invasion, the Lich King.
How would the fight between two Arthas go?
Which one would win?
Can Junior change the fate of the world?
"It's so exciting to watch. Almost as if watching a real life self-insert fanfiction… and I would prefer it if I didn't know what will happen in the future of this story. Since Junior wants to run, let him run. If he falls, he will learn from it… and if he can't… even with all these cheats… then he probably wasn't meant to be the one in the first place. Not to mention the rewards of this quest…"
In front of him was the map of the kingdom.
Near Greenfrost's borders was the city of Alverton, the city which was given to Arthas to govern and guard.
And the city beside it… the city of Stratholme.
"Hahahaha he already looked spooked when he realised which setting this was that he had stumbled into. I wonder what he will do when he recognizes the name?"
The only reason he hadn't named the Kingdom was because one of the references contained the name Lorderon in it, one which his Junior had actually triggered.
Now… how will you deal with the future quests, junior?
Enjoy the time of peace and get as strong as you can. The future has many storms waiting. You would need all your strength to face them.
x_x_
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Beta Note: The advance chapters are in order of what is updated, a first Tier will not get 2 advanced chapters for every story, only the next two to be released.
Beta Reader: LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author'sNote:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'.
The Tournament is finally over.
Arthas went all in the references in this one.
Next chapter will have the award ceremony and the date with Rose and we will meet the big Kitty and the Trap Vampire. In two or three chapters, I will start working on the second World Quest.
The game is progressing in a way even the Game Master didn't expect and Arthas is becoming something like Grid did in the Overgeared Novel.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.